Over the Rainbow...At Last

Pregnant...

2011-02-17T21:18:00.000Z

Yep. I am.

So nervous! So excited! So scared!

We made the decision to take the IUD out and that was done on November 30th. I expected it to take a few months to get my body back to normal...and then a few months to "try" and even then I wasn't sure it was going to happen.

It happened much faster than that! The second month in fact! Yikes!

We are beyond thrilled! Due to my history we are with a high risk Perinatal practice and while it is more testing and monitoring that I really want...I'm going with it!

So cross your fingers for us! This is still new but I gave up on the "don't tell anyone until 12 weeks thing" long ago. We have told our family and our close friends and now my blog!

Cross your fingers for us that all goes okay...I do know that there is nothing that I can do about it either way so I am just relaxing and enjoying it. This will be our last so I want to savor every moment!

Potty Training...

2010-11-20T22:20:00.000Z

We have been struggling with potty training Aidan. He has just had no interest at all. I have tried EVERYTHING, treats, charts, stickers, surprises, stars, books, big boy underwear, no underwear, pull ups no pull ups, singing you name it I've done it. On Thursday I picked him up from school we went home and I took his pants off and showed him the toilet, lifted the lid and put a stool in front of the potty. He didn't like to sit on the potty. I told him I wasn't going to ask...if he needed to go pee pee here is the potty and I left him alone to run around naked and pull on his thing. :)

LOW and BEHOLD...he started using the potty, standing up on the stool. He will go in, pee and yell I'm a big boy now. We whoop and holler and make a huge deal out of it with high fives and hugs. No candy, no toys...no gimmicks. I have to chuckle because there are SO many books out there that parents depend on and I learned a LONG time ago that my child does not fit into that category. He does his own thing in his own time and I am proud of him for that. It's challenging but I love that he is so confident and has some ability to make "decisions." Of course this can be problematic too but we will work through it.

So...we are almost there. We have had 3 days of pee pee in the potty with only diapers at night and just a couple of accidents. I am thrilled.

Now...how do I keep his hand out of his pants....

Happy Birthday Daddy...

2010-11-15T20:26:00.001Z

I can't believe that it is already the middle of November. Where has the time gone? Last week was a blur. My husband's birthday was on November 11...and his aunt who meant the world to him passed away that morning. We had a little party for JR...just Aidan and I. We made a giant cookie cake and Aidan decorated it with a TON of frosting glops and sprinkles GALORE. It was cute. Aidan is at the stage where he LOVES birthdays and he loves parties. We had to get Daddy a party hat and balloons. We had a fun time though and had a nice dinner at home. We have gotten so lax in the eating in front of the TV stuff so we have a new rule that dinner is served in the dining room with a properly set table, no TV! Family dinner. Aidan lasts about 5 minutes but it is important that we start this now.
Fall is here in East TN...it has been teasing with a few cool days and then highs in the 70s. It is nice though and I love the seasons...the true seasons and could not imagine living someplace without them.

Here are a couple of pictures of the "Birthday Party" :) I should mention that we are going through a stage (well...Aidan is) where he hates to wear pants so he mostly takes them off and I really don't care when we are home. It's when we are out that it is an issue...

Updated Pictures...

2010-11-08T17:09:00.000Z

Aidan's "friend" Birthday Party Sept. 11, 2010

Aidan and Great Gram

My Little Man...My mom took this picture...

My Sister Kristen and Aidan

Aidan's 3rd Birthday! Sept. 18 2010

We are Mickey Mouse OBSESSED!

Aidan feeding his baby Cousin Kinzlee!

Been a While...

2010-11-08T16:47:00.000Z

It has been so long since I have posted anything. Life has been bliss...busy but really pure bliss. I need to post some pictures and update!

Aidan is (OMG) 3 now! He tured three in September and I just cannot believe what a big boy he is. He truly is a good boy...very independent and stubborn...hmmmm sounds like his dad. :) We made a couple of trips home to WA, welcomed a beautiful new niece, Got a cat (have I mentioned that?) and have just been living life day to day. Aidan is back in pre-school and mommy is back to her glorious 10 hours a week of "me" time.

We have found coming back to the States a bit difficult. The pace of life in Scotland was just so wonderful. It had it's drawbacks, like the weather, but all in all it was just so peaceful and serene. I do love living in Knoxville though. It is a great city..not too big but big enough to offer a lot of great things! The summer was well...HELL. Seriously. It was SO HOT and SO HUMID. The Fall and the Spring more than make up for it but at the time it is just crazy. I'll get some pictures up and hopefully be posting more often.

Baby Fever

2010-03-16T15:33:00.000Z

Oh...the baby fever. My "baby" is two and half on the 18th of this

month. How did this happen? Where did the time go? He is getting to

be such a big boy!

I must be crazy because I am really really really thinking about

having another one. We are not spring chickens JR and I. I will be

36 this year and JR turned 51 in November. It is crazy. Seriously we

still don't get a full night uninterrupted sleep very often. I just

want Aidan to have a sibling. Well...he does have two adult sisters

(JRs from previous) and they are amazing and adore him, but I want him

to have a sibling closer to his own age. I am almost 99% sure I want

another one...but I am scared. Scared that I won't be able to handle

two when I can barely handle Aidan. I would love to wait until Aidan

was about 5 or so, but we can't..we are old. LOL! Damn biological

clock...tick...tick...tick...

Doesn't help that my sister Kristen is pregnant with a little girl and

is due at the end of July! I don't know...I do know that I love my

sisters. I can't imagine not having them in my life. They drive me

CRAZY sometimes, but I know that they will ALWAYS be there for me just

as I will always be there for them. There is a comfort in that.

Plus...JR and I have never had a vacation together. Just the two of

us. I really really want to do that and Aidan is finally at an age

when we can. Hmmm...

We said we'd make the decision when Aidan was two on anymore...we

didn't. Maybe give it until he is three? Ok...rambling now...but

look how cute he was!!

Candids in Paris

2010-02-24T21:29:00.000Z

I am by no stretch of th imagination a photographer, but I love to

play around with the camera. These are some of my faves from Paris

and am actually going to print and hang a few!

My Baby is 2! His 2 year old portraits!

2010-01-08T01:58:00.001Z

We had a few photos taken of Aidan and our family shortly after Aidan turned two here in TN. We were lucky enough to have a session with a brilliant photographer Christy Bonifacio. She was truly amazing and really captured Aidan's personality and we loved it!! You can check her out Here

We love her and hope ya'll enjoy the pictures!!

A few Random Photos...

2010-01-07T13:25:00.000Z

Our home in Knoxville

A few pictures from this fall in Nashville with JR's family

Aidan and Uncle Jerry

And we are back...

2010-01-07T13:04:00.001Z

And we are back!!

It has been a whirlwind couple of months and I feel like I can finally catch my breath. We bought a new house the week before Thanksgiving and got moved in. I say "moved in" lightly since we literally didn't have a thing to move into the house. We bought a couple of pieces of furniture, a mattress...We still have card board boxes for end tables and not much else but we are getting there.

We traveled home to WA state for Christmas and spent two weeks there...It was so nice to see our family and we enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice to get home too. We have so much to do to get settled! We have finally arranged for some of our things from our house in WA (which is still for sale) to be moved here and that will help it feel a bit more like home. We have been exhausted...really ready just to settle in for the next couple of months and do nothing. Christmas was filled with friends and parties and dinners both here in TN and in WA!

Aidan and I ended up sick when we returned to TN on Monday. We have spent the last couple of days cooped up, fevers, yuckiness all around! I am so tired and feel like I could sleep for days!

Going to post some photos now!

xoxo

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-01T21:17:00.003Z

Happy Halloween!!

I hope you all had a great Halloween! We didn't really do to much

here...it was pouring rain all day and we are all sick! I ended up

with a bad sinus infection that has spread to my ears and JR has a

sinus infection as well. Aidan is not too sick, but a runny nose and

cranky!! He was so NOT into Halloween this year. We attended a

couple of Halloween Parties for him and did some Trick or treating the

week leading up to Halloween. I couldn't find a costume that was cute

for him without being like every other 2 year old on the block! I

ended up picking up a Dragon w/ wings costume, but he of course

refused to wear the head piece. Didn't even get a picture of him in

full costume! Last night we just stayed in and watched movies and

hung out. It was nice...I felt guilty for not taking him out, but he

is 2 and he really really does not care. I should mention that the

home we are currently in while waiting to move into our new home is in

a retirement community. So there were NO kids, and no one handing out

candy! Sad.

On Friday night though we took him to the Farragut Freaky Friday,

which was a blast. A bunch of businesses in Farragut (suburb of

Knoxville) get together at the park and the kids trick or treat and it

was so much fun. There were a ton of people there and lots of little

ones in costumes! Some were so cute and original! So we did that,

got eaten alive by mosquitoes...poor Aidan they just love him. It was

humid and rain coming and they mosquitoes were out in full force!!

Here are a few pictures...

My boy...

2009-10-18T03:10:00.000+01:00

Pop Culture

2009-10-16T22:50:00.000+01:00

I have a bit of a dirty secret. I love pop culture. My sweet husband just shakes his head at me, he could care less. So that being out in the open...

Jon and Kate...Shut the hell up. Both of you. Just.Stop.Talking. I am SOOOOOO tired of hearing about you. Hopefully your show will be off the air soon and you can fade into oblivion. I used to LOVE this show. Yes, Kate is a bit over the top but she has 8 kids....I'd be crazy too. I am nearly crazy already and I only have one. Jon...I can understand your need to rebel...you were treated like the 9th child instead of a spouse, but come on. You are parents both of you and you should be ashamed of yourselves. Stop.Talking. Stop issuing statements and stop airing your dirty laundry in public, your children will see all of this crap one day.

Jessica Simpson...She is NOT fat. My God, what is going on with our society? This poor girl, the latest skit that was done by the NFL was ridiculous. Jessica looks beautiful...God forbid she gains 5 or 10 pounds and ends up looking like a healthy girl. She is fine just the way she is.

This leads me to the next rant...What in the hell is this???

I read a follow up story on this and this model says that she was fired because she was too fat at 5'10 120 pounds. Wow.

Then this photo came up again Ralph Lauren...

What is going on? Models are not skinny enough? I mean if some of them were any thinner they would be dead! So we now have to alter their bodies to look like what? Aliens? Their heads are bigger than their pelvis/hips...As a woman I am offended. I refuse to allow myself to believe that this is beautiful. This is not beautiful. This is sick and I can tell you that I will absolutely not be buying anything RL! I am officially boycotting RL!

I will never understand how we got here. What happened to the idea of beauty in the 40s and 50s? Women...real women with busts and hips? Even the supermodels of the early 90s looked like real women. Cindy Crawford...she is beautiful and she had hips! It is no wonder that we have such a problem with eating disorders in this country. Society has dictated what is considered beautiful and unfortunately so many girls, women and men buy into that.

We as consumers/members of our society have to put a stop to it.

Next up...Who in the heck are the Kardashians? Why do I care that one of them is pregnant? That one got married after dating some obscure basketball player for a month? And that one...well I don't know what she has done, broke up with her boyfriend and then got back together?? I like pop culture but seriously? If People online has another story about the Kardashian that is pregnant, what she is eating blah blah blah I am going to boycott People. Who are they paying for this publicity and again, who is that cares? I realize that I just dedicated an entire paragraph to these 3...hypocrite. :)

And I would never boycott People.

I just realized that for some reason my blogger thingy no longer has spell check on it...I'm too lazy to spell check it myself tonight so I apologize in advance for any ~~mispelled~~ misspelled words... :)

Aidan's Second Birthday

2009-10-12T17:20:00.000+01:00

We went to Nashville for Aidan's second birthday! Our baby boy turned

two on Sept. 18th. I made this cake for his birthday. It is the

Williams Sonoma cake pan. I took me 10 hours to decorate it. I am

not kidding. 10.hours.

It was fun though and it turned out cute. Aidan loved his choo-choo!!

He had an amazing time with his Aunts, Uncle and cousins in TN!! My

mom, dad, sister Aimee and brother in law Mike were able to Skype with

us and watch as well! Nana and Papa bought Aidan this super cute Jeep

for his birthday and he loves it!

TN house Views

2009-10-12T17:16:00.001+01:00

Thought I'd post a couple of pictures of the view off of our back deck where we have been living while house hunting! It is so pretty and quiet and SO far from anywhere!!

Pictures of our life in TN

2009-10-06T21:18:00.003+01:00

This is the farmer's market in Market Square in Downtown Knoxville. We love to head down on a Saturday morning, have breakfast and browse the market. They have it through November 21 and then have a 4 week holiday market complete with carolers and pits for roasting marshmallows!! Yummm...

This is Aidan the first time he went fishing. He and daddy fished off our boat dock on the lake and caught this little guy...

One of our favorite parks "The Cove"

Daddy and Aidan at the petting zoo at the Tennessee Valley Fair

Aidan on his very first ride by himself. He was not amused!

My baby's first day of pre-school! He loves his car car lunch box...

Dinner with Gram at Tagaris

2009-10-06T21:16:00.002+01:00

While I was at home over the summer we took my Gram out to listen to music, drink a couple of bottles of wine and have fun with the girls! We had a great time! Love you Gram!

Bury your head...

2009-10-03T14:14:00.002+01:00

I have found since I moved back to the US that I have been essentially burying my head when it comes to news. I am SO SICK to death of politics and politicians, all of them. I guess when we were living in Scotland we lived in sort of a bubble. Sure, things continued to happen around the world and in the States but it was like we were insulated from them a bit. I watched US cable news to keep abreast of what is happening in the world. I cannot believe how biased the news and associated channels have become. Whatever happened to just telling the news, telling us what is happening and letting people make their own minds up? Here is a news flash...Barack Obama is not a God. Really. He is not. I find it amusing that there was so much belief that he was going to be elected and with his magic wand make everything okay. Poor guy will never be able to live up the hype...even if he helped create it. That is what you do during campaigns.

About 12 years ago I stopped watching movies that made me cry. It was after the Titanic and I was traumatized by the movie. Don't laugh. I remember coming home from the movie and asking my best friend Kat (who had seen the movie) why didn't you tell me they were all going to die? She just looked at me like I was crazy and said "It is the Titanic, what did you think was going to happen?" Good Question.

There is so much bad that happens in our world. We have had a trial going on here in Knoxville about a young couple who were kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed. It is a huge racial thing here since the couple was white and the accused are black. I don't care if you are purple, why do things like this happen? I can't and won't give any details....I just can't read about it. My heart literally breaks. I look at my son and think kids are born so innocent. They really are. I don't want to hear about class, income blah blah blah. What happens along the way? Why did the accused allegedly do this? I have an internal "thing" within me...I know the difference between right and wrong, not because of religion or because I was "taught" the difference.

I guess this is brought on because as I was laying here in bed this morning looking out at the beautiful lake and sunshine having a cup of coffee while my boys are out getting tires put on the car, I happened to stumble across an article of the testimony that Elizabeth Smart gave regarding her experiences in captivity. I usually don't read these articles, literally because they tear me up. The things that happened to this little girl are horrific. Why? Why? Why?

I don't know. It just rocks me to my core to know that things like this happen. How do we stop it? I just want to take my little boy and wrap him in my arms and turn on Mickey Mouse and pretend like things like this don't exist. But what kind of parent would I be if I did that? I hate the fact that I have to teach him this side of human nature to protect him.

I know...a random post.

Summer Fun

2009-10-01T00:33:00.003+01:00

Catching up

2009-09-30T23:48:00.004+01:00

I figured since I am on my death bed that I could at least post a few pictures and give some updates. We were able to take a weekend away over the summer (2 WHOLE days) and get away just JR and I. We spent the weekend at a gorgeous luxury B&B called Cameo Heights Mansion. We stayed the night here (one of our only other times alone) on our wedding night and our return trip did not disappoint. If you are ever in the Walla Walla Valley doing some wine tasting and would love a nice kids free place to stay with amazing food and wine...this is the place!

Kaylee and Aidan at Tagaris Winery and Restaurant.

My Love at Cameo Heights...

Self Portrait...

Random Photos

2009-09-30T23:43:00.003+01:00

Aidan at Nana and Papa's Pool. He lived there this summer!

Helping mommy make a cake...Red Velvet...Yumm

My boys at the zoo in Knoxville

Mommy and Aidan at Danille's Wedding

Camping

2009-09-30T23:37:00.001+01:00

We went camping over the summer for a few days and had a blast. Here are a few few shots of the boys going to gather fire wood...and of a dirty Aidan!

Aidan dancing...

2009-09-29T21:00:00.001+01:00

A few pictures of Aidan...

2009-09-29T20:16:00.001+01:00

Hit by a truck? Warning...I may whine!

2009-09-28T18:15:00.003+01:00

This is how I feel. Oh.My.God. Solumedrol. This has been a rough few weeks, but I can at least say that I finished this infusion crap yesterday and I could not be happier to be done. Well, I have to get through the next few days and that is not going to be easy. I am sick. My body feels like I have been beat up and down with a bat, I am bruised EVERYWHERE. My arms look like I am a strung out addict...and to top it all off, I don't really feel any better. I am still completely numb down my left side. I have moments that feel like shock therapy. I know that this will pass, but it is so hard. It is a gorgeous brisk fall day outside. All I want to do is pick Aidan up from school, get an ice cream and go to play in the park for a couple of hours. That is going to happen, with the help of Holly, the new nanny that we hired to help out. :( I hate it. But, I have to get well and drugs and rest and time is all that can do it. I cannot force it. So, there. That was my whine and now I am moving on! Downloading pictures, watching a "Baby Story" on TV and really thinking about having another baby. Am I crazy? Yep. Ask my husband!

Hello???

2009-09-27T23:01:00.001+01:00

We are alive. So much has happened since my last update and I feel like I am finally in a place where I can begin to update our blog and start breathing again!

How about a quick update...

we spent the summer with my parents in WA and had an amazing time
We moved to East TN on August 18th
We have been house hunting and I am SO over it already!
We are still trying to sell our home in WA state! It is such an amazing home and I just wish it would sell already
We are renting a beautiful home on a lake with our own boat house! It is amazing and the views are gorgeous. It is however SO far away from everything :( We have it rented until mid November and had hoped to be into our new bought home by then, but now I am not sure we will be.
We have joined so many fun things since we have been here! Aidan and I have joined the "Little Gym" and it is awesome!
We have also joined "Kindermusik" and we love it!
Aidan started preschool! Big Big news here in the Biggs household! He is attending 2 days-a-week 9-2 and he loves it! It has made such a huge difference.
Aidan turned two!! YES TWO!! On Sept. 18th!
Mel has been very ill. :( I have MS (multiple sclerosis) and have had a pretty bad relapse. I have been in and out of the hospital for the past week, doing IV steroid infusions and they have kicked my butt. It has been very tough trying to deal with this on my own without help. JR is here when he can be, but it leaves a lot of time on my own with Aidan. He has so much energy and it is hard to keep up when I am healthy. Finished my last infusion today and though I feel sick and feel like I have been hit by a bus and have a million tests coming up this week I hope that I start to feel better soon.
I am hoping my mom can come out for a couple of weeks, but she isn't feeling well and the infusions completely kill my immune system so I can't be around anyone sick. :(
I did hire a nanny. Her name is Holly and she is helping out a few days a week. She is a very sweet girl and Aidan seems to really like her. It is so hard to do this, have someone in your home, while you are there or take your child to the park since you can't, but it is what we need right now.
I really really need a vacation. :)

So now that is a short update of the last couple of months. Pictures, stories and postings to come.

When life gets in the way of blogging...

2009-07-29T18:24:00.002+01:00

I am so sorry that I have been MIA for so long. We have been so busy and by the end of the day I am so exhausted that I haven't even opened my laptop! Things are really really good! The weather has been HOT...a week of 100+ degree weather! Since my last post, we have seen Grandma make good progress in recovery and able to move back into her house, we have gone camping, we watched one of my best friends get married and enjoyed a trip to Seattle, had dinner with friends, went to a movie (Just JR and I..we've seen 2 movies in the theatre in 2 years) oh yeah...and I started a damn diet. :)

We had a blast camping at Lake Easton which is a state park in the Cascade Mountains. Beautiful, relaxing and just the 3 of us! Aidan was in his element. He is such an outdoor kid..you can keep your TV and your toys as far as he is concerned...just give him the outdoors! Loved it and can't wait to go again!! (Thanks to mom and dad for letting us borrow your 5th wheel...I am not a tent camper!)

My best friend Danille was married on July 18th. We headed over a bit early so that I could take part in her spa/cocktail party (heaven!) and a few drinks with her friends and family! She made the most amazing bride...a rock n roll princess! Love her and her new husband and it was nice to be there and see her so happy! Got some rockin pictures too that I will post...

While we were in Seattle for Danille's wedding we were able to take Aidan to the Pacific Science Center. OMG..it was so fun and we had a blast! He actually sat still for 20 WHOLE minutes during a 0-4 age planetarium show. He LOVED it! Could have spent all day there!

Okay...the "Hangover" Seriously hilarious! We loved it. I laughed so hard...One of the best movies I have seen in so long of course it is also one of the only movies I have seen in so long! :) If you haven't seen it...go see it. :)

I am going to get to posting some pictures now!! And check up on everyone!

A few pictures...

2009-07-29T18:16:00.001+01:00

A few snap shots of my birthday celebration...

My sister, me and my dad

Aidan and I blowing out candles

Quick Update

2009-07-16T05:31:00.005+01:00

It has been a hectic couple of days. My grandma is out of surgery, still in the ICU but doing well. Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

I am beyond exhausted...I had been living in this little town in Northern Scotland and though the weather was horrid, I find myself missing the peace and quiet. It was such a stress free life and though I love the USA, my family and "home" I miss the days of no stress and listening to the waterfall outside of our window...a few pictures that I happen to have on this laptop of our other "home..."

A view from our bedroom window
Tunnel of trees leading to our house

Cliffs from the Ferry to the Orkney Islands

Orkney Islands

Ring of Brodgar - Orkney Islands

Drive at home

Durness

Outside of Durness

West Coast

Outside of Wick

Little Lambs...my Favorite!

Daily Dose Tuesday

2009-07-15T03:12:00.001+01:00

Blowing kisses...

We gon' sip Bacardi like it's my Birthday...

2009-07-14T04:45:00.003+01:00

Today I turned 35. I had a wonderful day, Aidan came running into my room and gave me a huge hug and lots of kisses. I spent 4 hours at the spa being pampered, had a wonderful dinner with my family and friends, received some amazing and thoughtful gifts, flowers and cards. I am so truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. It is a bit surreal turning 35, though I must admit that turning 30 was much harder. I love my life. I love my husband and my son. I am so happy, happier than I have ever been and happier than I ever thought was possible. I am thankful for all of the blessings in my life. And the fact that the lady doing my facial today told me I had fabulous skin and no fine lines or wrinkles...How come I can see them plain as day and she can't see them with her big, huge magnifying glass? Too funny, but made my day!

On another note, my Grandma is going into the hospital tomorrow to have surgery for her second bout of lung cancer (the first surgery took place about 15 years ago and resulted in the loss of one lung) If you would please keep her in your thoughts I would appreciate it.

I had to laugh a bit, my birthdays of days past consisted of a lot of partying, dancing and a bit too much to drink. I have had a couple of glasses of champagne, put my baby boy to bed and cannot wait to crawl into with my husband and read a couple of chapters of my latest book.

Life is good...

4th of July

2009-07-13T03:45:00.006+01:00

I know that I am a bit behind in posting. We have just been so busy! We had a great 4th of July though Aidan is still not quite old enough to really enjoy fireworks. Mostly they just scare the crap out of him and he really doesn't like the loud sounds! We spent the day enjoying the beautiful weather, hanging out with our family, swimming, eating and laughing. I have missed my family so much and it has been so great to spend this time with them. We made it until about 10:30 or so, but Aidan and I finished up the night on my sister's couch nearly asleep. Here are a few pictures of our day....

Aidan responding to fireworks...

Aidan and his cousin Kaylee lighting a sparkler

He is just not sure what to think..

Enjoying the pool

Mel and Kaylee

Aidan pointing out fireworks to me...

It was a fabulous day!

Daily Dose Friday - Sunday

2009-07-10T21:57:00.002+01:00

This picture was taken on July 7th which was my nephew's birthday! Happy 11th Birthday to Jace! This is Jace, Kaylee (my niece) and Aidan at dinner! I am cheating on the Daily Dose! :) JR and I were able to get away for a very romantic weekend and I am too tired to post anything else! Lazy I know..but hey...

Tomorrow is my birthday...I am going to be 35!!! Holy Crap how did that happen?

Daily Dose Thursday

2009-07-09T04:21:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Wednesday

2009-07-08T04:20:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Tuesday

2009-07-07T04:19:00.000+01:00

Scotland Pictures

2009-07-06T16:00:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Monday

2009-07-06T04:18:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Sunday

2009-07-05T04:16:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Saturday

2009-07-04T10:40:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Friday

2009-07-03T16:07:00.000+01:00

Family Portrait...Scotland

2009-07-03T04:24:00.001+01:00

We took this picture the day that Aidan and I left Scotland. I finally just downloaded 800+ pictures of our last days in Scotland and it has made me a bit sad. Getting back to blogging now! It has been so busy and hectic, but I am missing my blog friends! Hope all is well with everyone!

Mommy and Aidan

2009-07-03T04:23:00.001+01:00

In Scotland before we left...this was part of the forest walk where the "Thomas the Train" day was...

Daily Dose Friday

2009-07-03T04:22:00.003+01:00

My Boys...

2009-07-03T04:22:00.002+01:00

Family Portrait at Dunrobin Castle...Scotland

2009-07-03T04:12:00.001+01:00

Daily Dose...We are back!

2009-07-03T04:09:00.001+01:00

Know it has been a while, I have been taking a bit of time just hanging out with the family and enjoying the SUNSHINE! Lots of new pictures to come...the next few will be the last days in Scotland!

My Husband is Home...

2009-06-28T03:47:00.002+01:00

JR got in last night and it is so good to have him home. All I can say is that I have mad respect for single parents out there. He is such an amazing father, and he helps so much with Aidan. I have been running on low for the last week, just so tired! We had a wonderful day hanging out with my parents, swimming and firing up the bbq right now! A couple of glasses of wine and hearing Elmo sing in the background...life is good. Promise to be better at posting now that I will have a bit more time. It feels so good to be surrounded by family and friends and to have JR here with us now. He has the month of July off so we are going to just hang out and relax before the next big move!! I am so overdue on pictures, I know...promise to make it up this week! :)

Well, going to go and enjoy the rest of the evening with my family!

Hungover

2009-06-22T00:19:00.002+01:00

I went to dinner last night with one of my best friends, Danille. We had a blast and it was so nice to just sit and chat and catch up. Of course that involved a couple of drinks and a bottle of wine. Followed by port. That is what did it! I am hurting today and I so rarely drink enough to have a hangover...I hate hangovers. It's not too bad, but bad enough that it is 4pm and I just took a shower! :)

It has been a very hectic week and a lot of fun. I have taken a ton of photos and need to get them downloaded. I still don't have my laptop and am waiting for the power supply to get here. I do have good news this week though! My husband will be here on Friday. So excited about that. I miss him like crazy and Aidan really really misses him. He runs around the house all day looking in rooms and closets calling for dada. Going to go wine tasting with my sisters, mom and grandma this week. Think we have a pool party planned for Thursday with some friends and their kids and I am going to get back to the gym. I've taken almost 3 weeks off and it is time. I am going to go blog browsing now and catch up with everyone!

Awards for me??? YAAAYYY!!

2009-06-15T01:44:00.008+01:00

I am the lucky recipient of TWO awards!! The best thing is that they were given to me by two of my favorite bloggers! My first award is from Niky She is so very crafty and she inspires me. She is currently living in Germany and has done some amazing things with her place there. Check her blog out!! I adore her! Niky has awarded me with the "Love Ya" award. I love the meaning behind this award and I am so thrilled to receive it This award states:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

The second award I have received comes from Kimberly! She is hella cool...a Canadian who is getting ready to hop into the world of entertainment in LA! She is fresh and I love to read her blog! Kimberly has give me the "Funky Blog" award!! I love that! She is really amazing and you should check out her blog!!

I absolutely LOVE to read what these amazing girls write...and I am so honored to have been singled out by them! THANK YOU NIKY & KIMBERLY!

I now get to give these awards out...

The "Love Ya" Award

I give this award to...

Deborah @ The Daily Bee

Ashley @ At Last

Jordan @ Two Dogs, a Girl and a Husband's Grace

The "Funky Blog" Award

I give this award to...

Niky @ Design it Chic

The New Black

Sweet Tea Diaries

Back and Somewhat Rested

2009-06-13T13:05:00.002+01:00

I think that we have finally turned a corner. It has been a rough couple of days getting adjusted and jet lag. Not really for me but Aidan has had a hard time. We have been up at about 2am and he's up! Ugh. But, this morning he went back to sleep until 4:30 so we are doing better. Couple of more days and we should be there. He is having the time of his life with all of his family here! I am behind in the blog world, but will try to get that fixed today. I have some important things to write about! I have received 2 blog awards...from two of my favorite bloggers! :) I'll post more on that in a bit. I also missed Fab Friday this week, but will get that up today as well! Well, it is now 5am..think we'll go hit Denny's or something for pancakes. I LOVE PANCAKES! :)

Daily Dose Pics...

2009-06-13T13:02:00.002+01:00

I am behind on my pictures, my laptop has died and I grabbed the wrong power supply for it when I was packing so I can't charge it! These are from my mom's computer!

We Made It

2009-06-11T23:56:00.003+01:00

Just a quick note...we made it! We are back in the USA and it feels so good! It was LONNNNNNNNNGGGGGG. Seriously. I have had about 10 hours of sleep in the past 48 hours and I am dead on my feet. Aidan went to bed last night at 1am and was up at 3am. It is now 3:58pm local time (pst) and he is still up. No nap. I think we are both jet lagged like crazy and so past the point of being tired. We are having a BBQ tonight with my family and then we are going to bed!

Aidan was brilliant on the flights. I am so proud of him. He had a couple of near meltdown moments, but in all fairness I did too. :) I do know one thing though, for the time being I am not doing any more flights longer than 5 hours with him. It is just too rough on both of us! So that should cover East Coast to the W. Coast! We were on a plane though where he was the only kid on the flight...and there were a lot of "I hate kids" people. You know the looks you get...I didn't even feel sorry when Aidan hit them in the back of the head with a flying car. Kidding. I felt a little bit sorry. :)

The weather is amazing...mid 80s, it is so perfect and we have been playing outside. Will catch up on blogs and comments after what I hope is at least 6 hours of solid sleep!

Thanks for all of the well wishes! I heart the USA!

Anxious...

2009-06-08T12:39:00.002+01:00

It is my last day in Scotland! :( Aidan and I are leaving tomorrow evening to make the trip to London and then on Wed. afternoon we are off to Seattle! I am so anxious! I think that the main reason is the trip with Aidan. I am serious guys...he is into EVERYTHING. He DOES NOT sit still. I have traveled all over the world with him but have JR there to help! We made the trip to the States alone once and I swore I would never do it again. He wasn't even walking then. :) Enough of my whining. I am not sleeping, I am packed, and re-packed. We are going to head out for dinner tonight and ya know what? Aidan is at Kerry's house for a couple of hours this afternoon and I am going to go and take a nap! A NAP! As if I will sleep, but I better try. We will be about 24 hours of straight travel on Wed. and our trip on Tuesday so I need to get some rest. I can do this! I have no choice! :)

I am behind on my daily dose pics so I am going to catch up with just one post today. I am so looking forward to the sun and the pool and the river. :) Of course my awesome mom and dad will be helping us when we get home. In the past jet lag has been very tough of Aidan, but now that he has figured out that sleep is not the enemy it might be a bit easier. So excited to see my family and my friends!

Off to do another load of laundry (seriously where in the hell does this stuff come from?) and just relax this afternoon. Hard to do but I'll try!

Fab Friday...

2009-06-05T11:47:00.013+01:00

It is that time again! Fabulous Friday. Not such a fab Friday here in Scotland it is grey, windy and raining and freezing cold. The usual! :) It is also my LAST Friday here! Happy and sad about that!

This weeks Fab Friday?

Fabulous Summer Drinks!!

I love Summer Drinks. I love a great crisp and cold Pinot on a warm day.

I love a cold beer on a warm day!

I love frozen drinks by the pool or on the beach...Strawberry Margaritas and Pina Coladas!

I don't really care for sweet drinks, and summer is just about the only time I will drink them and even then it is just a couple. It is something about the sun, the smell of suntan lotion and frosty beverage that is just irresistible.

One thing I can't wait to try when I get home is Blueberry Vodka Tonics, I love Blueberry Cosmos!

I am a Vodka Tonic or a G&T kind of girl, but the blueberry vodka tonic sounds sooooo yummy. I haven't seen blueberry vodka here so I will have to pick some up when I get back to America. In 5 days!! :) :)

Daily Dose Thursday

2009-06-04T12:38:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Wednesday

2009-06-04T12:34:00.000+01:00

Daily Dose Tuesday

2009-06-03T15:38:00.001+01:00

Daily Dose Monday

2009-06-03T15:37:00.001+01:00

Amsterdam

2009-06-03T14:36:00.008+01:00

We were in Amsterdam this last winter and I wanted to post a few pictures of our trip. I LOVED Amsterdam. Wish I could have gone back in the spring for the tulips, but I really fell in love with the city and being there before Christmas was awesome! The architecture was amazing and the whole city has this very laid back vibe. Bike are the main source of transportation and everyone rides them. The highlight of this trip for me was the Red Light District... KIDDING!! LOL

Actually the highlight was the van Gough museum. He is my favorite, I am in love with his work and would love to be able to spend hours in the museum!

Here are a few pictures...

Aidan and JR

Red Light District entrance

View of one of the canals

My Boys...

Tagged...

2009-06-02T13:01:00.009+01:00

I have been TAGGED by Niky at Design it Chic! This is my first Tag! The rules...

*List Six Unimportant Things that Make you Happy*

*Mention and link to the person who tagged you*

*Tag six of your favorite bloggers to play along, and comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.*

Here are my six things that make me happy...

1. Pancakes. I love pancakes. They make me very happy and I could eat them every day!

2. Baking with Aidan. We usually make chocolate chip cookies (every thing from scratch...so much better that way) but we make cakes, cupcakes, brownies...you name it. And we send our baked goods with Daddy to work so Mommy doesn't eat them all!

3. My Sony Reader Digital Book. This is literally my favorite thing ever! My mom gave me this as a Christmas gift. I LOVE to read and I read every night before I go to bed. I love the fact that I can take it anywhere and download the books anytime I want. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my book!

4. Travel. I love to travel, and it makes very very happy. I love to see all the differences in this world. I love to explore off the beaten path and immerse myself in the culture, food etc. in the place that I am visiting. It is in my opinion the best education you can get.

5. A manicure. It makes me so happy to have a manicure done. It is nice to sit and relax, it feels so good and always looks way better than when I do them myself! I haven't had a manicure in a long time. :)

6. Fresh Laundry. This makes me so happy. There is nothing like the fresh smell of laundry and especially freshly laundered sheets. Sliding into bed with fresh sheets...ahhhhh.

So, there you have it, my first TAG! And now I get to pick six people to tag I choose...

Deborah ** The Daily Bee

Mazzie** In the Inner Mind

Neisha ** Confessions of a Blogaholic

Kimberly ** My Wooden Heart

Jill ** Peeptoe Pumps and Pearls

Danielle ** Well That's Just Fabulous

Aidan running about in the drive

2009-06-01T17:13:00.005+01:00

Took this video this morning. We have had awesome weather the last few days and we are enjoying it! Need to post some pics of our place here, but we sit on a waterfall and live in a 200 year old restored mill house. It is like living in a fairy tale!

Daily Dose Monday (+ mommy with no makeup!)

2009-06-01T15:07:00.004+01:00

Daily Dose Sunday

2009-05-31T17:13:00.002+01:00

Daily Dose Saturday

2009-05-30T17:11:00.000+01:00

Fab Friday

2009-05-29T15:32:00.007+01:00

It's that time again. Fabulous Friday. And it is a FABULOUS FRIDAY here! We are having a heat wave! It is 72f outside right now. It is so gorgeous. Aidan and I have been playing outside all day. We spent a bit this morning with my friend Tina and her new baby boy Ross. Aidan and I were on babysitting duty for about 1/2 hour! I can't even remember Aidan being that little! It was great though. We then had a picnic lunch in the park and fed the ducks. We love to go to the park, but only when it is not soggy and wet which is not often! We ran and played and then came home so Aidan could nap. After he nap, we went for a nice walk, blew bubbles and giggled. His favorite thing in the world right now is asking me questions. He is forever saying.."Ma" and then in some sort of gibberish asking me something. I always answer...with something and as soon as I am done it is "Mam" (never mama) and another question. We do this all day long! :) I love the nice weather and it is so nice for us to be able to get outside. Some of you that don't know...the weather here is usually horrid and there is no place inside we can go and play, no mall...no anything so we are stuck in the house a lot and he is so over it. Me too!

All weekend is supposed to be lovely! I am going on my first and last girl's night out tomorrow night! I can't wait! I haven't had a night out with a few friends since we have been here! 16 months. Long time! :)

Okay now for Fab Friday...and you should participate! It is great fun and Danielle...you know the Design Girl..who ROCKS...it is her game!

Today's Fab Friday is...

Fabulous Summer TV!!

I won't be very good at this one since I don't really watch TV. There was a new Handy Manny on this morning! That was exciting! Disney Playhouse is pretty much all I watch.

And Fox news. I have been brainwashed by Fox news. They had an anchor on yesterday and Aidan was throwing a small fit and as soon as she came on the TV he shut up and was mesmerized by her. I was laughing so hard. As soon as she was done talking...fit resumes. I need to find out who she is and turn her on whenever he is being bratty! He definitely liked her. :)

Other than that...I am watching the Hills when I can. I know I am behind the times, but we don't have a lot of the shows that they have in the States and when they do they are way old. Like American Idol. We had to wait 3 days after the finale for it to be shown here. So the Hills is my favorite Summer Show and the City. Even though they probably are not on in the summer there! LOL

I know it is pretty fake and hopefully people are playing a character, but seriously Spencer Pratt? UGH. Poor Heidi and Olivia from the City...In real life she'd be eaten alive! She is so silly...

Daily Dose Friday

2009-05-29T15:26:00.001+01:00

Daily Dose Thursday

2009-05-28T15:31:00.000+01:00

Language differences...

2009-05-28T12:03:00.003+01:00

One of the things that has been a bit of a challenge while living here is the language. The Scottish accents are so heavy that sometimes, it might as well be Russian...that is how much I understand! The other thing that has been tough is just the difference in what we call things vs. what they call things. We have been having trouble with our phone, I needed a new phone cord. 3 stores later, and people looking at me like I had 3 heads when I asked for one and I still don't have a new cord. Perhaps if I had called it a lead then I might have gotten somewhere.

I was going to wrap a few presents when we first got here, and I needed some tape. I went to the local store and asked for Scotch Tape. Yep. I did. The woman looked at me like I was speaking Russian. She had no idea what I was asking for. We finally got it translated and she asked me why it was called "Scotch Tape" I told her that we have a knack in the US for calling everyday items by their brand name. They don't do that here. They don't have "ziploc" bags...because they don't have ziploc! I am going back to try and get another "lead" for the phone so I can get it working. Maybe I'll just take what I need with me and that way it will just be easier! Oh..they do say when they need to vacuum, that they need to Hoover. That is the only thing I have come across and it just sounds silly to me! It keeps you on your toes though that is for sure!

Daily Dose Wednesday

2009-05-27T18:17:00.002+01:00

Loving the snow in Scotland!

Daily Dose Tuesday

2009-05-26T18:11:00.001+01:00

Aidan and Grandpa at Christmas!

Guests and the long weekend...

2009-05-25T20:36:00.002+01:00

We have had guests in town this long weekend (it is a Spring Bank Holiday in the UK) JR's daughter and her boyfriend came up from Bristol to visit. It has been a great visit and so wonderful to see Aidan with his big half-sister. They are 29 years apart and are so funny together. We have just been hanging out and doing some sight seeing locally. The weather was of course horrible this weekend, but somewhat dry, so at least that is something. It has been a great visit and I will be posting pictures just as soon as I can get them downloaded. They are headed out tomorrow and we are sad to see them go.

I am 15 days from heading out. Still a bit surreal, I am not coming back here, I am moving yet again...Hey..anyone from the Knoxville, TN area? It is starting over again...it is strange for a girl that pretty much stayed in one house her whole life. I am both excited and anxious about the move to TN. I wish we were staying in WA state...but, it is what it is and I am sure it will be fine. But, before all that I have the WHOLE summer with my family and I am truly excited for that! Since our friends from here in Scotland are renting our home in WA we will be staying with my mom and dad. Hope they don't get tired of us and kick us out! :)

Daily Dose Monday

2009-05-25T18:07:00.002+01:00

Seriously Mom...Get this ridiculous outfit off of me!

Daily Dose Sunday

2009-05-25T18:04:00.001+01:00

Daily Dose Saturday

2009-05-23T11:31:00.005+01:00

Christmas jammies...

Daily Dose Friday

2009-05-23T11:28:00.005+01:00

This was after an unfortunate sledding experience while home in WA for Christmas. The three of us (JR,Aidan and I) went sledding down the hill. I left my feet down, Aidan ate snow, (completely white washed the entire way) was not amused and we went home!

Fab Friday

2009-05-22T12:10:00.006+01:00

It is Fab Friday again! Danielle has given us this for Fabulous Friday!!

Fabulous Sunglasses

Post a pic of your glasses (or of you in your glasses.) You can say who they are if you want to, but if you don't, that's fine! If you have a story to go along with why or how you got them, go ahead and share that too!

I love love love sunglasses. I always used to buy the cheapest pair I could find since I always lost them or broke them. I started a few years ago buying "grown up" sunglasses and spending a lot more money on them. They last longer and I take much better care of them. My fave sunglasses right now are these:

These are Versace and I have had them for a while and I still love them! I did recently see another pair that I fell in love with...

These are the new Chanel Perle Eyewear Collection. I heart them!

New Hair

2009-05-21T16:59:00.001+01:00

So...I have new hair! I went with the bangs and really like them. A change but not too big of a change!

Daily Dose - Thursday

2009-05-21T13:14:00.003+01:00

Daily Dose Wednesday

2009-05-21T13:11:00.003+01:00

This Simple Life

2009-05-21T12:53:00.002+01:00

I am warning you, I am very sappy.

Before we came to Scotland I can remember laying in bed crying. I was excited to come here, but I had a 5 month old and I wouldn't have any family or friends, I didn't know anyone, I would be on my own. I have never been a big "change" person. I just don't like it, but it is necessary and in most cases change is good. My sweet husband is always so good to me and so thoughtful. He sends me flowers a lot. For no reason other than to just brighten my day or let me know that he loves me and is thinking of me. I am surprised every time I get them. I got a bouquet today from the local florist here who are just amazing. They make the most amazing bouquets, so full of color and different flowers and scents, they are gorgeous flowers and gorgeous people that own and run the shop. There is man that has delivered every bouquet and today when I opened the door, he said to me "I understand that this is your last bouquet. It has been a pleasure delivering flowers to you" and then he kissed me on the cheek and said "May all your problems be small." I started crying. The people of this community have been so amazing to us. They have welcomed us with open arms and have treated us like family. They have smiled and nodded and asked how we are adjusting. They have played with my son and treated him like one of their own. JR doesn't go a day at work without someone asking after us. I am so torn at leaving, part of me could stay here forever. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, it is safe and clean and full of wonderful people that truly care. It has been like stepping back in time. Everything closes at 5pm. There is nothing open on a Sunday, family is placed on the top of the priority list always. I just absolutely love it. I have met some amazing people that I know will be in my life always. It has been the most amazing experience in the world and I am so thankful that we were able to live here. I look around at my 200 year old restored mill house sitting on a waterfall and despite the imperfections and lack of amenity I feel more at home here than I have anywhere else. I love it and I am going to miss it. I am going to post some of my favorite pictures of my time here in Thurso, and of the people who have made a difference in our lives in the coming days and weeks. We will take a piece of this place with us and try to continue the lifestyle we live now. We are simple. We do simple things and don't get caught up in all of the crap and materialism that is so prevalent in other parts of the world. I always want to remember that and strive to live it.

Terrible Twos...

2009-05-19T14:45:00.003+01:00

Oh.My.God.

That is what I find myself saying about my 20-month old son most days. We are hitting the terrible twos and we are hitting them hard and fast. The boundary pushing is ridiculous. He is the most stubborn little thing I have ever seen in my life. He gets that from his Dad by the way. :) The tantrums aren't too bad, I just ignore him completely and he gets the picture. It is the things that he absolutely knows he isn't supposed to do, like climb in the middle of the living room table, climb up ON the computer desk, get behind the TV to play with wires, destroy the laundry that I just folded, throw entire rolls of toilet paper into the toilet, flush every toy he can think of down the toilet...you name it...he's done it.

He was like a wrecking machine this morning...I was doing laundry which is such a process here (6 hours for one load to wash and dry...and I am lucky, I have a dryer, most people line dry) He has to touch and push every button, if I am loading the washer he is messing with the dryer and vice versa. Get the clothes upstairs get them folded, turn my back for one second and he is like a tornado...arms flailing about clothes flying everywhere and he actually had a pair of my panties in his mouth (they were clean!) chewing on them like a dog. By the time I have things re-folded and put up he has unloaded the dishwasher or gotten into a cabinet. (Yes, we have child locks on the cupboards but my brilliant son knows how to unlock them. He just watched us a few times and TA-DA he can do it too!) So..I say, lets go upstairs to play. I am making my bed and he breaks into the bathroom and I hear *FLUSH* take off running and yep there are the number 3 and number 8 letters from his bath toys swirling around the toilet. I dig those out, throw them away am washing my hands and he has already opened the toilet and dumped a roll of toilet paper in. Mind you that all of this happened within 40 minutes. He.is.into.EVERYTHING.

What am I going to do? It's not like I am sitting on the couch eating bon bons and he's tearing up the house...I never sit down. Ever. Constantly chasing him, saying no...listening to him laugh or defiantly stare at me and do it anyway. I hope this ends soon. God Help me on the flight home.

Daily Dose of Aidan

2009-05-19T14:44:00.002+01:00

Out for a walk...

Airport Fashion

2009-05-19T14:43:00.000+01:00

You know the articles on websites and in magazines...what the celebs are dressed like when they are flying...it just cracks me up. I saw this pictures Beyonce today, just taking a leisurely stroll through the airport before a flight. Seriously? Can you even imagine wearing these shoes on a flight or to even walk through an airport and through security? I mean they are gorgeous, they are Gucci "Lucy" that run about 1700.00...but I can't imagine wearing them at the airport. Let me tell you about my flight outfits. Umm..no makeup because I am going to be on a plane for 10 hours! That and it would feel gross after such a long day. My hair is pulled back, I am in comfortable clothes and flip flops. I was once on a flight from Seattle to Pasco and there was this girl who was decked out in heels, a dress a trench coat, she had a silk covered pillow, red lipstick and her sunglasses on. Even while waiting for her luggage. I was like Seriously? This is PASCO not LA and if you are collecting your own baggage, well then you aren't exactly an A-list celebrity! It was too funny. I guess if I had someone to carry my baby, my bags, push my buggie, and then take my baby during the flight so that I could rest, and then have the time to touch up my hair and makeup and slip on a pair of fabulous shoes I'd do it too. No. I wouldn't!

A brief example of mine and Aidan's last solo flight from the States to Scotland we had a bit of an incident. I always pack a couple of changes of clothes for Aidan and usually one for me. During our flight from Seattle to London Aidan started to have umm..intestinal issues (he was about 13 months old) so several diapers and all of our clothes changes later we are landing. I am thinking, wow we did pretty good. It had been a long 9.5 hours but we survived. I am feeling pretty good, though we still have about another 10 hours to go. As we start our descent into London my baby begins to projectile vomit EVERYWHERE. THREE TIMES! We are covered, it is in a pool under my butt and there is nothing we can do. We are landing so no flight attendants, no help. We have to wait for the entire plane to deplane (Do you know how many people were on the flight? A LOT) and everyone walk by us giving me the pity look. We have no clothes. None. One of the mail flight attendants GIVES me his pants. I strip down to a tank top (I had a sweater on over it) Aidan is in a diaper wrapped in British Air blanket. I have pants on that are way too big and falling down. A white tank top, no bra and we stink to high heaven. They had given me a big trash bag (see through) that held all of our clothes and blankets so everyone could see) It was hell. We had to bus from Terminal 5 at Heathrow to Terminal 4, go through passport control again, go through security again, people were looking at me like I was Britney Spears on crack. We had a tight connection and had no time to stop to buy anything. After about an hour of transfers, ques and the like we finally make it to our gate. We sit down and smell so bad that people actually get up and leave. We fly to Edinburgh, where we were able to buy a couple of T-shirts and then fly to Inverness. I had called JR and he met us in Inverness with new clothes and we were able to wash in the sink before our 3 hour drive home! He took a couple of pictures of us getting off of that flight. I'll see if I can find the pictures and send them! How is that for Airport Style?

Weekend Update...

2009-05-18T18:23:00.003+01:00

I've been feeling a bit out of it today. I am tired, I am not sleeping well. Anytime there is a big change happening in my life I just cannot seem to turn my head off at night. I pay for it the next day when I am kind of wandering around in a fog. I am just really wanting a bit of stability. We have been on the go for 3 years straight and I am exhausted. We had a great weekend, we went to a party on Friday night and it was a lot of fun! Aidan had a blast dancing and singing..I did get some cute video, just need to get it uploaded and posted! Saturday we really just hung out at the house. We watched a couple of movies and Aidan and I baked some brownies. Made a charity run to drop off clothes, books, toys etc. that we are not going to move back with us. Sunday was more of the same, just hanging out and relaxing. It was nice. We watched the movie Eagle Eye and it was pretty good right up until the "Computers are ruling the world" thing again. It got really stupid, really fast. I have been busy getting things sorted for the move. We will have packers come in and pack everything! (Love that part!) But want to make sure all is clearly segregated and marked. JR's daughter is coming up to visit us this weekend (She lives in England) so that will be nice. Then, only 2 more weekends and we are gone! I'll get pics and video uploaded. I've been slacking a bit!

Daily Dose of Aidan - Monday

2009-05-18T18:19:00.002+01:00

From Christmas 2008!

Daily Dose of Aidan Sunday

2009-05-18T18:17:00.003+01:00

Daily Dose of Aidan

2009-05-16T16:26:00.004+01:00

Our new favorite past time...brushing our teeth and wearing our new sandals...

Daily Dose of Aidan

2009-05-16T16:22:00.002+01:00

I was so busy yesterday I didn't get a chance to post the Daily Dose of Aidan picture...Here you go!

Daily Dose of Aidan

2009-05-14T09:19:00.002+01:00

I know that a lot of you come here to see pictures of Aidan, so I am going to post a daily picture of him. I have SO many that I haven't shared. This is a picture taken in Paris, so he is about 18 months old.

Living in a bubble, Hooligans and Haircuts...

2009-05-13T08:49:00.009+01:00

As we prepare for our move back the States I find myself a bit...I don't know...apprehensive? I don't know if that is exactly the right word or not. We live in the beautiful little corner of the world where the crime rate is non existant and you don't have to worry that someone is going to snatch your kid while your back is turned in the aisle of the grocery store. It is perfectly acceptable to leave your child in the car while you walk 3 steps to pay for your gas (we don't have credit card pumps!) No one is going to call CPS on you or car jack you! Giving this up is going to be hard and it I am interested to see how quickly I adapt to the differences in the States. Even in my smaller community in WA state we still have our fair share of crime. Moving to a bigger city with the metro area combined population just over one million I know it is going to be a big change. Just need to start thinking that way again!

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Aidan was in rare form earlier today. We had coffee this morning with our friend Tina and her new baby boy and Aidan was just a little monster! Not sure what got into him, but he was throwing toys, wouldn't sit down for a second and was climbing on everything! I was chasing him the entire time! There were a couple of older ladies having tea and they laughed before they left and said Aidan was quite the Hooligan! I was laughing so hard..they are exactly right but most people are way to polite to say it! :) He isn't always like that but was just in a mood today!

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I am getting my hair cut on the 20th and am feeling in the need of a major change! I found this great website from In Style Magazine that allows you to upload your picture and try on different celeb hairstyle and modify color etc. I am either thinking of a long bob (I just hate trendy haircuts and that is the trendy cut at the moment) or Reese Witherspoon inspired bangs! What do you think?

Heading back home...

2009-05-11T15:26:00.003+01:00

We found out that we are headed home to the States earlier than we thought! Aidan and I will be headed back on June 10th and JR will follow us at the end of June! Awesome. I am so excited! We have had an amazing time here in Scotland and have really enjoyed ourselves, but I am anxious to get back to the States! Mostly I am anxious to be able to spend the summer with my family. Our home is rented out to a lovely couple from here in Scotland, so we are going to be crashing with my Mom and Dad! Hope they don't get sick of us! The plan will be for Aidan and I to stay through the end of August (we have a rental home in Knoxville set up for Aug. 20th, we are going to rent this home while we are house hunting) JR will head back to TN sooner, but hopefully not until early to mid August. Still to be determined!

Do you realize that I haven't been to a movie in a year and a half? :) We have absolutely no time without Aidan and we had a wonderful girl that used to look after Aidan for us for an occasional dinner, but she has had a baby boy and is busy enough! So, I am looking forward to having unlimited babysitting! LOL! No, really I just miss my family and my friends and really look forward to spend the summer lounging and swimming next to my parent's pool, boating with my sister, camping and just hanging out! My sister Aimee is a teacher so she is off during summer so it will be nice to have her around!

We booked our tickets home and this is the only part that gives me a bit of hesitation. It is such a long day for us. All in all, from getting up, getting our first flight from Wick to Aberdeen, then from Aberdeen to London and then from London to Seattle (and usually Seattle to Pasco, but mom and dad have volunteered to pick us up in Seattle and drive us home...it makes things so much easier for me!) by the time we get home it is a 27 hour day. Hard on anyone right? Very hard on a 19month old...and even harder for mommy! It is a nightmare trip and just getting worse the bigger Aidan gets. He does not want to sit still for one second. The flight from London to Seattle is about 9 hours and it is tough. I so envy those who sip their wine (British Air is the BEST airline!) watch a couple of movies, play a few interactive games, relax and take a nap.

I on the other hand...well, let's just say I spend most of my time trying to keep Aidan in his seat. Ugh. But, it is my last trip (the last one I took home by myself resulted in a near break down (by me) around the 24 hour mark in Seattle...tears and all!) So we get home and then jet lag sets in. On your own jet lag can suck, but you can crash when you get to your destination. With Aidan...not so much. Luckily my mom will help out, but I feel guilty about her being up with us in the middle of her night!

Can't wait though. :)

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T19:28:00.007+01:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas out there! I want to wish my Mom a very happy Mother's Day! We love you so very much and appreciate all that you do!

We have had a great day! (and this is my second Mother's Day since the UK celebrates Mother's Day in March!) It has just been the three of us, it has been a beautiful day so we were able to go to the park! Aidan has been full of snuggles today and I feel so fortunate. Mother's Day in the past hasn't always been an easy day for me. For a long time it was a reminder of what I didn't have, it was a reminder of all the pain and anguish that I had endured and the losses.
While I will never forget that time in my life and the pain that I went through, it makes me realize how much I have. How lucky I am. To spend the day with my son, snuggling on the couch, watching him laugh and giggle while on the swing and pick every flower he can find for me...I am in awe and am so thankful.
So, Happy Mother's Day and a special happy Mother's Day for those who have had to endure loss or are still hoping and wishing for their dream come true.

A quick update on our trip to Egypt!

2009-05-09T20:07:00.006+01:00

It is so hard to write just a little bit about about what we did. There was so much that we saw I couldn't ever write all about it! We did take a TON of pictures and you can see them
here. Our trip to Egypt was amazing! We were staying on the Red Sea and it was so gorgeous! The color of the water was breathtaking! The weather was awesome, a nice breeze coming off the sea to keep things tolerable. The people in El Gouna were so friendly and in LOVE with Aidan. A lot of people have told us that El Gouna is not the "real" Egypt and they are exactly right. It is this little jewel and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to go. We took 2 day trips, one to Cairo and one to Luxor. On the Cairo day trip we flew to Cairo and were met by a private guide and private driver. Our guide was English speaking so that helped immensely! Flying in over Cairo was crazy! I have never seen anything so big in my entire life. The population of Cairo is 20 million and it is so sprawled out along the Nile River. It just seemed to go on and on forever! When we got to Cairo we drove to the Pyramids of Giza. The ride itself was...let's just say interesting. There are no rules. You have a 3 lane highway...well, they turn it into 6! No Joke! You wouldn't believe the number of accidents we saw on the way. And by accident, I don't mean fender benders. These were some of the worst accidents I have EVER seen in my life and we saw at least a dozen. We managed to get a couple of shots of them and you can see them here. I should also mention that Egyptians do not use headlights in the dark. Don't know why, they just don't use them! We got to the Pyramids and I have to say it is a bit overwhelming. Something you have always read about, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and you are just standing there humbly in front of them. We were able to spend some time at the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Oh.My.God. Is all I can say. You feel so small and you look at what they accomplished, by hand and cannot even begin to imagine how! Our guide was wonderful and we learned so much. JR has always been fascinated with Egyptian history and already knew so much about what we were seeing. I learned a ton. After we finished with the Pyramids we headed to grab some lunch. The food in Egypt was really good. They eat a lot of the same things we do, they are just prepared differently and with different spices, some I have never heard of. We continued our tour to the Egyptian Museum. I could write for hours on this, I could have spent weeks there. It was jaw dropping, and once again our guide was able to really get the history through to us. We saw the mummies of Kings and Queens..Yikes. So well preserved! A little creepy though. You couldn’t take pictures in the museum so I don’t have anything to show you. If you ever get the chance to visit, DO IT! You will not be disappointed.
After we left the museum we had a cruise on the Nile River. It was again a little surreal. I mean we were cruising the Nile. We had a flight to catch so we had to get back to the airport. One day was just not enough…wish we would have had more time but am so glad that we got to see everything we did.
The Luxor trip was a bit more difficult. We were picked up by a private driver and drove 4 hours to Luxor. (Gulp) The landscape was so different and interesting. The first hour was driving along the red sea, the second hour was driving through the mountains (no vegatation…at all) it was like the moon. Jagged rocks and sand. The third hour was through the desert. Sand as far as you can see in any direction and finally the 4th hour was green and lush…right along the Nile. It was very hot in Luxor about 44c (112ish F) and no sea breeze! It was HOT! Very dry as well, not humid at all. We went to the Valley of the Kings where we toured 3 tombs of past kings, walking into these tombs and seeing the walls and ceilings covered in drawings and Hieroglyphics...there are no words. We were able to touch carvings that were carved 5000 years ago. The colors were so bright and there were so many stories being told. Due to the extreme heat we were not able to spend as much time in the tombs as we would have like (it was hard on Aidan…no airflow, very Hot) we visited temples and enjoyed another cruise on the Nile. I can’t do the visit justice with words. I would be writing forever. Please be sure to check our our pictures here… We went out on a boat back in El Gouna called the Black Eye. It was an odd boat that has a huge magnifying glass in the bottom. We were able to cruise over the reefs and actually were able to see a shool of dolphins…playing with us! We could see them under the water and they were so beautiful! The rest of our trip we just kind of hung out, ate great food, sipped a few drinks, did some swimming and just spent time together.

I heart the Design Girl

2009-05-08T12:00:00.003+01:00

So, we have a new look! What do you think? I LOVE it! I stumbled upon this amazing, creative and easy to work with designer, The Design Girl to design my blog! The process was super easy, I picked out a "kit" that I liked with patterns and colors and she designs it! I am so very happy with it! Thanks so much Danielle!

Over at Danielle's other blog she holds a weekly Fabulous Friday! This weeks Fab Friday? Fabulously {not so smart} things you've done.

Really. Just one? :) Here is one for you. This was years ago...(not that it makes it any better!) I pulled up to the gas station and went inside to prepay (Like I said years ago!) I paid the cashier for the gas, slipped my sunglasses back on, walked outside got into my car and drove away. Seriously! It just slipped my mind, putting gas in my car. And in true Mel fashion (back then anyway!) I was cruising down the road and ran out of gas. I have always driven my car until it was on fumes, much to my father's dismay. So...long long story short I get some gas (thanks Dad) and head back to the gas station. When I walked into the door the cashier first looked at me like was the dumbest person on the face of the earth and laughed at me. Very loudly...in front of everyone...telling everyone what I had done. Not my proudest moment! At least this one was G-Rated!

There you have it! My first Fab Friday! So, if you are in the market for a design, blog, webpage you name it...visit The Design Girl

Letting go of the diet...

2009-05-07T11:15:00.002+01:00

Aidan is 19 months old and since he was born I have been struggling with my body image. I gained about 35 pounds with my pregnancy and lost all but 10 pounds by the time Aidan was about 8 weeks old. This last 10 pounds has followed me ever since. I have lost it and then regained it twice now. The funny thing is that my body is just different than it was before I had Aidan. My hips are wider, my waist smaller and it has made trying to buy clothes a nightmare. I am very curvy, with a big bust, smaller waist and now bigger hips. It is nearly impossible for me to buy off the rack at all. The tailor will be my friend when I get back to the states. I used to be able to put anything on and no problem. No longer. It is frustrating and though I am size 6 to 8 US I was just struggling with how my body looked.

I am done with the dieting. I don't eat unhealthy on a day to day basis, I don't eat a lot of sweets, I eat a fairly balanced diet that includes GASP carbs. Sure, I can cut carbs and drop weight, but I can't live that way. So I am embarking on my new No Diet plan. I eat what I want within reason and continue to exercise (I do about 45 min of cardio daily along with weights 3x per week and pilates as well) My body is strong, I am heavier than I used to be but look so much better toned. I am throwing my scale away. (I have a sick obsession with weighing myself, seriously 4-5 times per day.) I am going to embrace my healthy 5'8 138 body...and move on. It feels good to have made this decision and to let go.

My baby belly is still there, no matter how much weight I lose, how much cardio I do, I still have the stretched skin baby pooch. I still have stretch marks (DAMN...made it to 34 weeks without any! Aidan was born at 36.5 weeks!) I may have a tummy tuck or a mini tummy tuck in the future...or I may not. :)

So...it feels good. I love not having to think about every calorie I put in my mouth...just eat healthy and exercise.

Home

2009-05-06T08:29:00.006+01:00

We made it home from Egypt! It was absolutely amazing. I truly have no words. A lot to update on and I'll get working on that, but I am seriously trying to recover from our holiday. :) We can tell you though that we have made the decision that this is our last holiday with Aidan (other than Disney or long weekend trips) until he gets a bit older. "Relaxing" holiday with a 19 month old does not exist! So, we will make pit stops in TN and in WA to drop him with our family when JR and I decide to take our next trip. It was very hot in Egypt. On Thursday we went to Luxor and it was 44c which is about 112 F. No Red Sea breeze to keep us cool! It was horrid. We are not used to hot weather and it was tough that day. And they laughed at us and told us that isn't even hot. God. I would hate to be there during the dead of summer when it reaches who knows what temp. Ugh.

Anyway...we are back and we loved it. Update and pics to come...

Off to Egypt

2009-04-22T09:36:00.008+01:00

We are off tomorrow for our trip to Egypt! Oh.My.God! That is how excited I am...I should be be excited about seeing the Pyramids (and I am) and the Luxor (and I am) but mostly I am excited because it is like 30 C there...(95ish f) I am so tired of this damn weather here I could just scream. It has been the most miserable winter weather I have ever experienced...and I lived in Canada! LOL!

I digress, you get it...I hate the weather here!

Egypt...ahhh..warm! We rented a villa right on the beach (El Gouna is built on Lagoons off of the Red Sea)It is beautiful, we have our own private pool..which is a must! :) And I cannot wait! We plan to do a whole lotta nothing. Other than a couple of day trips, we are going to hang out in our little resort town... El Gouna, Egypt eat, drink and be merry! We don't have Internet access...but there is an Internet cafe so we may pop in the a couple of times to check email and maybe post a couple of pictures!

When we get back from Egypt only 2 more months and we come home to the U.S.A.! And more importantly to Grandma and Grandpa!

Our Villa...

Sightseeing outfit Day 3

2009-04-21T18:52:00.002+01:00

Here is Day 3...

Paris Sightseeing Day 3 by embee918 featuring Forever21 sweaters

Sightseeing outfit Day 2

2009-04-21T18:38:00.004+01:00

My sightseeing outfit (an idea of it anyway!) On day 2, I try to coordinate basics like shoes and bags for easy and light packing! A must in Europe!

Paris Sightseeing Day 2 by embee918 featuring Old Navy long sleeve tops