My baby is ONE!

Where did the time go?! I'm still not sure. Grayson turned a year old already! His party was super cute! We did a happy jack-o-lantern theme and did orange and purple colors. I think it turned out really cute. There were almost 40 people there. Our living room looks like a toy store. We can't keep track of all the balls for all of the toys. lol.

One week from tomorrow we will set off for Hawaii. My anxiety is out of control! I am so nervous. I'm afraid we're going to forget stuff or that Gray will be screaming and upset the whole time. The time difference makes me freak out. Is he going to sleep? Will he ever get back on track when we get home?! I am super excited to see my sister and spend Thanksgiving in Hawaii. I just wish the flight were shorter or that it were in the same time zone as us! haha. Why can't she be in Jamaica instead?!?!?

Nothing else new to report....

Almost a year....

Today, my niece, Karsyn turns 1! I simply can't believe it. This time last year I was humongously pregnant and couldn't believe she was coming 3 weeks early! My sister was holding her baby and I was praying mine would stay in :)

School has been back in session for 2 weeks. Things are different but I've also vowed to be different. No more complaining. Just do what I need to do and come home to my family. I have 27 years to teach before I can think about even thinking about retiring. So, I don't want to burn myself out worrying about problems I can't solve and things I can't control.

Meanwhile, I am planning Grayson's birthday party! I am super excited but so sad that he will be one year old already.... and now I know there will never be another baby in my future :( But I have a beautiful son and I love him more than anything.

Why is summer is going so fast?

This summer has FLOWN by! Maybe it's because Grayson and I have kept ourselves busy. As usual we've had many Pirates games this summer. Which has been exciting because they are in 1st place for the first time in like 20 years. So, the stadium has been filled and we've seen some good games. Grayson and I have also spent a lot of time at my friend's pool. He has a good tan going with his little fat rolls still white. It look so cute!

Two weeks ago we met Amberly, Josh, and Kenton at the Pittsburgh Zoo. It was HOT! But we had fun. The kids did great. I had Hailee with me for the weekend and she enjoyed it. Then we all went to a Pirate's game.

But still. Part of me isn't ready to go back to work. It's going to be so much harder this time because Gray is much more interactive. He wears me out but I love playing with him and watching him crawl all over the place. It's not going to be long and he will be walking around the house. Which makes me really sad. Where did my little baby go? *sigh*. Oh well, no use to lament over that because I can't turn him back into a baby. I can only do my best to remember each milestone and enjoy the moments.

I am gearing up for a yard sale! I have lots of Gray's baby stuff to sell and lots of stuff that has been sitting around the house. I keep wondering if I should try to sell my Earnhardt stuff, but I have no idea what some of it is worth. Some of the stuff should be worth a decent amount. But others, not so sure. Then it smells like cigarette smoke... urgh.

Anyway... Gray is sleeping and I am tired of watching TV. So, I figured I'd play around on the computer a bit.

We have teeth!!!

On Friday, Grayson and I were shopping at Walmart and he was chewing on my keys. So, like normal, I pulled down his lip to check his gums and low-and-behold I saw the very tips of his two bottom teeth :) I am so excited! He looks so cute. They've come up a little more since. He keeps playing with them with his tongue. Cracking me up.

Seth, Grayson, and I went up to Pittsburgh on Sunday because we had Pirates tickets on Monday. We stayed at the Mariott, took Grayson swimming (he finally got to swim with his Dad!), we watched some boat races at the Three Rivers Regatta. Grayson loved it. We had a yummy dinner at the SoHo restaurant that's in the hotel. We'd never eaten there. It was very good! Then Seth went to the casino and I read a book while Gray slept.

The Pirates game was fun while it was cloudy... but as soon as it cleared off it was sooooo hot! I thought Gray and I would pass out. lol. So, we left a bit early. Glad this coming Saturday's game is a night game. I won't be doing any day games next year. ugh.

Gray is with the babysitter right now and I am chillin at the house. I've read a bit, cleaned up a bit so Hailee a place to sleep this weekend. Should be a low-key week. But Hailee is coming to visit on Thursday till Sunday. We are taking her to the Pirates game with us! Hope she has a good time :)

8 Months... Where is my baby?

Well, Grayson is 8 months old today. He's getting better at the crawling thing! I know soon I am going to be in the kitchen and turn around he'll be behind me. It's wonderful watching him grow but it's sad at the same time. Everyone tells you it happens fast, but it's amazing the transformations. I love that little guy!

Sunday was Father's Day... We took Seth on a train ride! We had a good time. It wasn't super hot and didn't rain. It was a nice outing. We also got him a personalized picture frame and I put a picture of him with Grayson in it. Then we did a stepping stone with a hand and foot print of Grayson's. I think he loved his gifts! I thought the stepping stone may make him cry.

We've done a little bit of traveling so far. But we are planning a few more excursions. We went to Wheeling to visit Laura! Had a yummy lunch at the Olive Garden and then some cold stone. Needless to say, I had BAD BAD food week! I'm up 1.5 pounds I think. But I will do better this week and I want to make sure I walk. Last week was so rainy and dreary that Gray and I didn't get out very often. We went for a walk today.

Well, it's off to bed! This weekend is 4th of July. We have Pirates tickets for Monday which is the 4th. Other than that, I'm not sure what we shall do this weekend.

Another school year complete!

Today was the last day for teachers... It is kind of sad. Nicky is going to go teach at Rock Cave. I will miss her so much :( It was wonderful having one of your best friends down the hall every day. But I also have some other friends at school so I am appreciative of that. I have already made some decisions about next year and how I want things to go. We'll see how it pans out.

This summer I want to relax and spend as much time with my son as possible. Though, he will continue to go to the babysitter some so that he doesn't forget who she is and can keep some memory of that routine. Plus, it'll just give me a day to myself.

Speaking of him, I believe he's teething or something... he's been so weird lately! haha. I'm super excited to see a little tooth in that handsome grin of his! But the teething process sucks. I think either God or evolution needs to figure this out and make the process quicker/easier. It's hard to believe that he will be 8 months old this month... Even harder to believe that I've already started planning his 1st birthday party! BAHAHA. But I'm funny like that.

Anyway... Not a lot going on at the moment... So, looking forward to not hearing the alarm go off at 520 AM on Monday! YEEHAW

ALMOST Summer

Summer break officially begins in TWENTY TWO DAYS! I am so excited that I can hardly weight (I know wrong word use, but it has a point). Speaking of WEIGHT - - I am officially back to the weight I was on the day I found out I was pregnant! 171 pounds! I am so very excited. I have a few more pounds that I want to lose also, but I am very happy with my progress. I recommend Weight Watchers to anyone who has struggled to lose weight! I eat all the same foods I like and some extras and I have lost all 62 pounds of pregnancy weight.

Anyway, not to turn this blog into a glaring WW promo... I am super excited to spend the summer with Grayson. I have some travels that I'd like to do and some people to visit. I think he will do such a great job. He's already used to traveling. At about the 2-2.5 hour mark he wants OUT of his seat, but I try to sit in the back to play with him so he does better. I am planning to go visit Teresa, go to Nashville with Jennifer, and I want to take a family trip to SC to visit Trampas. We will see what I actually accomplish. lol.

I still can't believe my sister is in Hawaii. I miss her already but it will be just a few short months and Seth, Gray, and I will be heading off to Hawaii to visit. What better place to spend a holiday, than a free place to stay in an island paradise. I hope she gets a house big enough for us!

I've been fighting a cold for the better part of a month and now Grayson is getting it. So, I am taking him to the doctor after school. Hopeful to get some meds for myself also.

Easter

Well, last weekend I spent with my family. It is the last weekend I will spend with my sister, niece, and nephew, and BIL for 7 months. Though I am super excited to go to Hawaii, I am sad that it's quite the trip to plan and a lot of hours worth of travel to get there. But it'll be totally worth it to take my family to Hawaii. We celebrated Easter together since my mom had taken the weekend off. I so hope that they will take the chance and fly to Hawaii. At least my mom. She needs to do something with her life and have a few stories to be proud of.

Grayson is getting big! We had his 6 month pictures done and I can't wait to see them all. We've seen a few so far and he looks so adorable.

We are heading to PA on Friday to spend Easter and to celebrate Lisa's 50th birthday with the Hoffman clan. And with that our summer travels begin... Pirates games, Knoebels, pirates games, lol.... Oh joy!

6 Months... Really?

It's hard to believe that my baby boy will be 6 months in 21 days. So, so crazy! We are doing pictures this weekend for him as well as some family ones. I can't wait to see how they turn out. It's amazing to me how fast this little man is growing. He's rolling around the floor, babbling like crazy, eating baby food, sitting up. Sometimes I look at him and I wonder if he is really mine. How did this happen? When did I end up with a baby? But I love him more than anything and I think I am doing a pretty good job with this mommy/wife/teacher thing. I'm trying to do what I can to balance it all out.

I've lost 21.5 pounds since January 1st. 7.5 pounds to go to pre-pregnancy! This has me feeling really good about myself. Especially when I start to think about going to Hawaii in a few months. I wish my sister weren't going to be so far away. But I am glad to have the opportunity to travel to Hawaii and take Grayson there. If he were just a bit older, he'd remember. But maybe when he's almost 3 and we go back before they move somewhere else he will remember that :)