Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Fall is in the air!

Yes, that's right...it's beginning to feel like autumn! Ahhhh...I'm looking at the temperature reading in the bottom corner of my screen and it's a beautiful 68* outside right now. I absolutely ADORE this time of year. Windows open throughout the house and office, jeans and tee shirts are the norm, everyone just seems so much more pleasant when it's no longer a bajillion degrees outside. I LOVE IT!
I started a running program called 'Couch to 5K' yesterday and am really excited. The general idea is that this program takes you day-by-day through a training regimen from the absolutely pathetic out of shape (me) to someone who can run a 5K without dying in just 2 months. I made the mistake of dragging my somewhat chubby 4 1/2 year old malamute/german shepard mix out with me yesterday, and I think we made it about 100 yards before he just sat down. I tugged his leash and made enthusiastic "Come on, buddy! Let's go!" noises (which was tough at 5am), to which he replied by lying down in the middle of the road we were on. Maybe I should hide bacon in my pockets next time to make him keep up.
Paige has FINALLY cut all her teeth...until her molars come in, that is (which I'm afraid is going to be right around the corner). But, this lack of gum pain has made her so much more pleasant lately! She's laughing constantly, which I adore because she really has the cutest little giggle; she jabbers to herself all day long about, well, we have no idea what she's talking about because it's jabber, but she'll look at you straight in the eye with such a serious expression and her jabber has the cadence of a real conversation...I'm pretty sure she's discovered the meaning of life and is trying her damnedest to relay it to us, but alas...we don't understand toddler jabber.
Carl IV is, well, getting there. We're still having some serious issues with him talking back and bedtime is something that I dread on a daily basis. But, he's not talking back nearly as often as before, he's not pitching as many fits, and he's going to bed a teensy bit better now that I've started a bedtime chart for him. Fingers crossed that soon I won't have to bribe him with a prize in the morning to keep him from losing his noodle every night at bedtime. I think his going back to school is going to help with a lot of our issues. He'll be worn out from playing with all of his friends, he'll have a little more structure to his days than he does now (which helps him enormously), and hopefully he'll buddy up with some really well-behaved kid who will rub off on him! What? Wishful thinking? ...maybe...
Carl III got some exciting news this week! He got called back by Asplundh. For those of you who don't know, Carl worked for Asplundh (you know...the tree guys with the orange trucks) in Florida for years and years. He was a foreman then, so he was hired on here with chances for advancement at a much sooner rate than a new guy would normally get! Also, he'll be making more money AND get fully-paid benefits for the entire family! Hooray! This also means that once we have health insurance back, we'll be trying for baby #3 (boy, boy, boy...please be a boy)!
My 29th birthday is in a little over a week and I'm getting excited and frustrated all at the same time. My opinion: birthdays are a big stinkin' deal regardless of how old you are. Apparently very few people feel the same way. If I had my way I would still have a huge party with cake, ice cream, presents...just like when I was a kid. When was I supposed to outgrow that, because it seems like everyone else did and I missed it... So many people don't even advertise that it's their birthday. What's wrong with you people?! About a month before my birthday I revert back to my 7-year-old self: Crossing the days off the calendar leading to Sept. 6th; Casually mentioning to everyone I know that my birthday is coming up; Dropping (not-so) subtle hints on what I might want as a gift...I just missed the "Grow up and get boring" bus I guess...thank God! Whoo! It's almost my birthday!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

August?! What happened to July?!?!?!

Alright, I can explain. I know I promised to do this more often, but the kids...yeah, the kids...it's all their fault. The pesky little brats want all of my spare attention. Okay, I'll admit it. I just suck at this. Sorry.

July has been a pretty horrible month for the Rudegeairs. We've all been stressed beyond belief Carl III and I because of money, leases, health insurance, and every other adult responsibility that refuses to go away; Carl IV has been SO BAD lately, and I'm thinking that he's probably bored to tears with his whiney little sister as his only child company lately, he also got tonsilitis which really added a certain something to his attitude...crappiness...that's exactly what it added; and Paige is cutting her canines, so she's a real peach.

But, things are looking up! Carl III just found out he got a job closer to home (so we'll save bunches on gas $$) that offers benefits! Hooray! Carl IV starts school in a month, so hopefully that will lessen his boredom and bring back my sweet little boy. Paige's last tooth is almost completely through, so that should help hush her up (God willing)! Ahhh...and if all of this happens, it will brighten my mood SO MUCH!

I had the pleasure of taking my sister-in-law, Leah, my cousin-in-law (?), Kelsey, and my friend Kim to a concert on the waterfront in Philadelphia. That was a blast!! I got to see 2 of my favorite bands (Tegan & Sara and Paramore), hang out with some awesome girls, and get out of work early! All in all a pretty super Wednesday!

Paige has started talking more and more, and it's so entertaining to listen to her try to figure things out. A lot of "words" are more sounds than actual words. Like "hot" to her is a "HAAA." Hillarious. "Carl" is "Cawa." She has mastered "kitty" (which is funny since we don't have one, and "Mama" which is nice and obnoxious at the same time since she follows me around the house, arms lifted whining, "Maaaaamaaaaaaa!").

Carl III starts a new job on Monday (cue the choir of angels)! It's for the same pay that he was getting at his last job, but it's about 30 minutes closer, so we'll save a ton on gas money, plus it's a driving position, so no more physical labor! Hooray! I'm hoping that goes really well, because I know the poor guy just wants to find a job that he can go to every day, work a set number of hours, and come home.