We have internet again!

Thanks to my Husband and Forrest, we now are able to have a phone connection upstairs. I am so excited!
That just goes to show how much I am on the internet! I pay all of our bills online too.
Today was a busy day. I cleaned house and am still working on putting together the upstairs since moving the computer up there. It's slow going, but coming together. We have so much paperwork I have to go through and just a lot of junk.
I am proud of myself for what I have done so far.

I made Mexican Casserole tonight for dinner:
1 lb of hamburger- I used 2 lbs tonight for 4 adults and 2 toddlers
2 cans refried beans
1 bottle of taco sauce-I used medium to add some spice
2 cups shredded cheese
sour cream
corn chips

Cook hamburger and spread onto bottom of 9x13 pan
spread refried bean on top of hamburger
pour taco sauce over beans
sprinkle cheese on top
cover and bake for 20-30 min- I baked @ 375 degrees
Pour corn chips and sour cream and enjoy!
Makes good leftovers!

I took this cute picture of Dom today also wearing a red hat. He wouldn't take it off and was just playing w/his Mr. Potato Head wearing his red hat. I think it's cute!
I am finding it difficult to make my child eat lately. Some days he won't eat breakfast, barely anything for lunch and then like 2 bites @ dinner. What do I do? I have heard that some toddlers become very picky eaters and I know that after age 1 they don't eat as much since they're not growing as much. Now he does drink Pediasure 3 times a day, but I'm still supposed to feed him anything I can inbetween. Any suggestions?

No internet!

Hello everyone! I am going crazy w/out internet access. I am posting right now from my in-laws laptop. We had to move the computer upstairs because the pellet stove went in it's place. Until Vince can get a phone connection upstairs, I can only post @ my in-laws or my parents.
Not much is different. I have survived two weeks of staying at home w/my boy. Life is boring some days, and full filling other days.
I am waiting for the weather to warm up so I can work in my yard and let Dominic play outside.
Hope you all have a good week.
Here's a cute picture of my Bug.

A couple additions

Pellet Stove

Love seat
This may be a stupid post, but I am excited. My in-laws gave us their pellet stove and we are hoping that it will save us $$ on heat. It's centrally located in our living/dining room, so it should heat up our whole downstairs.
We also bought a love seat for $70, so now we have some room to seat guests.

Is it March or January?

Here it's starting to snow 3/28

Here's a picture of our backyard not too long after it started.

Here's our backyard on 3/29 after a 2nd storm.

Clinique Makeover

Yesterday my sister and I went to get makeovers by clinique. Mary Kay does not work for us and we discovered that we have the same sensitive skin. Well the makeover was so much fun and we both felt so beautiful!
Loves Katie.

Idol Chat

So, I am a huge American Idol fan! I've watched all 7 seasons religously! Tonight was amazing! My favorites tonight were: Michael Johns, Carly, David A, & David Cook.
Wow is all I have to say! The contestants chose a song from the year they were born. The song choices were awesome; some of my favorites! Total Eclipse of the Heart, We will rock you/We are the Champions were a couple of them.
JUST AMAZING!
I almost cried during the half of the show.
So for all you other Idol fans, let me know what you thought!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Easter!

Sorry it's a day late, but I was finally able to post some photos & a few posts. Easter was a lot of fun! Dominic was very excited to see that Easter Bunny came. After church, we went over to my parent's house. My older brother and his family were there too. We haven't seen them since Christmas so it was nice to visit w/them. My sister was there too. My younger brother and his family live in Idaho Falls now, so we missed them. Love you guys!!! I took a lot of photos of Dom and my niece, Evie. They are 3 1/2 months apart, Dom being older, and they are just about the same size.


Dominic found a surprise from the Easter Bunny!


Photo of Dominic before church.
Isn't he handsome in his Easter outfit!


Evie and Dominic, aren't they cute!


Grandma & Dominic


My favorite photo of the day, me and Bug!

Yard Work!

After the Easter Egg Hunt, we came home and put Bug down for a nap and we ended up doing 5 hrs of yard work! It was so much fun working on our own yard. Our yard needs a lot of work & we are just starting. We pulled out a rose bush and another big bush on the North side of the house. We are going to clear out that whole side.
I cleaned up the area around our Lilac tree by taking out some big rocks and weeds. I also weeded our flower beds in the front and they look so much nicer now. Vince was working on digging up what's left of the apple tree. He is going to pull it out of the ground w/his truck. Dominic was helping him; they were so cute! Vince helped pull out another stump that I couldn't get.
We have a lot of piles that need to go the dump! I am excited to get our yard cleaned up so people can appreciate the work we've done and admire it.
We are closer to "real" home owners now. We even went to Home Depot and bought our own shovels and gardening gloves and an axe for Vince.


Dominic is trying to help Daddy dig!


I cleaned up the flower beds in the front of our house.


This is the flower bed to the right of the house.


This is underneath out Lilac tree w/everything all cleaned up!


I took this w/out his knowledge and it's one of all time favorite pics..

Easter Egg Hunt for playgroup

Thankfully the snow melted away on Friday, so we were able to go to play group on Saturday. There were a lot of kids there and spouses came too. This was Dominic's first Easter Egg Hunt and he loved it! Of course the bigger kids cleared out the eggs pretty fast, but he got some too. Here are some photos of the Easter Egg Hunt.


A picture w/Mommy after the eggs are all gone.


Isn't he cute?


Here's a group photo of all the kids.

Big Horn Show

Vince was so excited to take Dominic to this event. All outdoors related & he got to take Dominic fishing for the first time. They had two big tanks and for each fish you caught, you paid $3. They caught to together! These pics are sooooooo cute!
After the show, my sister gave us a coupon for a free 5X7 photo w/the Easter Bunny @ the Mall. So, went there and got the "perfect" picture! Of course Dom was sitting on my lap, but it worked.
Friday was a fun Day overall.


Friday 3/21
Dominic's first time fishing!


These are the two fish they caught together!


We took this photo right after seeing the Easter Bunny! I love his smile!

A colorful day!

Yesterday was the perfect day so far of staying at home. Dom was an angel all day long. No yelling at him, no whining, and no timeouts. He ate good and listened to me and played on his own very well.
He wanted to color, so I sat him at the table, with washable markers, and he did so good. Thank goodness for washable markers. He was a mess, but washed up easily.
Dom even smiled for me for this pic. I was so happy!

Well, so far my first week at home has gone by very fast but smoothly. Wednesday was a frustrating day. It started w/a very whiny child in the morning. Then I met a former co-worker for lunch and Jandre and Logan joined us too. Lunch went fairly well w/ two 2 year olds. After lunch we let the boys play @ the play area in Northtown Mall. They had so much fun! After that we drove back to my house so Jandre could get her van. She ran an errand and I was to take the boys back to her house for a nap. Logan didn't want to lay down for me and slept in the car on the way there. Dom went right down but only slept for 1 hr. Logan had a hard time w/no nap, Jandre will agree!!! My mother-in-law was hosting a Pampered Chef party that night. We didn't feed the boys before we left. So they were LOTS of fun, if you get my drift. Plus Jandre had a really bad sinus headache allday long. So Dom was hungry and very fussy and whiney. I was so glad to be home on Wed. evening and put Dom to bed. So after that day, a day like yesterday was so nice!
I love staying at home and taking care of my little boy. It's the greatest!

First Play Group Postponed.......

What is is with the snow? It's the 2nd day of spring and I feel like we're back in January. Well, this summer better make up for the nasty winter we had.
Dom and I had our first playgroup today, but it's postponed because of the snow. We are doing an easter egg hunt and having brunch. I'll take some pics. tomorrow.
I may be posting a couple different posts today.

1st as a stay at home Mom...

My goodness how the day has flown by! We got up this morning & I dressed quickly because I'm always in that mode. I decided to take Dom out to Brkfst since we really didn't have much to eat. We went to Ihop and he hardly touched his food. Then we went grocery shopping @ Yokes. I shopped for 6 meals and spent way too much $$. So I guess I'll learn how to do this. After shopping we came home and I put Dom down for a nap. He slept for 2 hrs. Meanwhile I was busy putting dishes away, doing more dishes & doing laundry. I finally got to sit down @ 3pm for about 15 min to fold some clothes. Then Vince came home and Dom woke up. So, then I was doing more laundry and cleaning. Sherwoods' came over for FHE so I was busy making dinner (Chicken Broccoli Casserole). They just left about 20 min ago and after Logan and Dom helped picked up the toys(the living room and Dom's room was a disaster) they left me w/a clean house. So now I can relax for the night. Whew!
So, I had and fun, tiring day. I enjoyed it.
I do have more dishes in the sink to do for tomorrow and more laundry, but no grocery shopping for a while.

A little stressed....

Well I finally finished my last day of working on Friday. They treated us well. They had a goodbye ceremony w/yummy treats. I said by goodbye's and some see you later's. It's weird to say the least.
So, I need some support from my peeps! While I'm in the spot that I've dreamed since we brought Dom home from the hospital, I feel bad making Vince work twice as hard. So, we're discussing several options for him.
1. Get a 2nd part-time job back @ Lumbermans
2. Get a 2nd part-time job somewhere else.
3. Work two jobs while still trying to get on w/Corrections.
4. Go back to school & work full-time, while living on some loans.
There are just a lot of questions at this point. Vince says that he does support my decision to stay at home, but I wonder just how much.
So, while I'm really happy to finally be able to stay-at-home w/my Dom, I feel guilty for forcing Vince to get something better. And we won't see him much anymore.
What do you think? I could really use some positive input.

The last two days...

Well yesterday was a bad start. Dom & I were out the door heading to the van when I realize that I don't have my keys! Stomach churning a little bit and panic sets in! What am I going to do? So, I'm on the phone w/my Sup letting her know I might be a little late. While I'm on the phone I see Dom in the corner of my eye trying to get his sippy cup from the diaper bag, which I had set at the top of the cement steps. All the sudden I see Dom trip and fall backwards and land on his head on the cement! OMGOSH! I quickly got off the phone w/my supervisor! He's okay, no permanent dammage. I think it scarred him more than anything. So I called Jandre and she graciously agreed to come and pick us up and drop me off at work! While we were waiting I took Dom in the backyard and decided it was a good time to introduce him to swingset. He loved it! We have an infant swing that he loved! Everytime he wanted to go down the slide again he'd say "wee, wee". It was so cute. I chased him around the yard, which he loved, and then our ride came.
Lesson learned:make sure you have a spare key outside or give one to a neighbor. Jandre now has a key to our house! Whew!

Today, Dom was very whiney and clingy and didn't have much of an appetite. Right before I left Jandre's to go to work, Dom throws up! He's never been sick like this before. He was pretty warm and cried when I left him! He slept almost 3 hrs today and hasn't thrown up since. So, I'm not sure if he has the flu or not? We're keeping him on clear fluids for the rest of tonight and see how he does.
Now it's time for dinner, so we'll see if he will eat anything...

The Verdict is in...

Well, Vince didn't get past the Oral Board. He will get a letter explaining why on Friday. We are both a little disapointed, but at the same time grateful that Vince got this far so far. The lady in HR told Vince that she will forward his application to Connell and Walla Walla so we'll see what happens.
A lot of people don't pass the Oral Board the first or 2nd time. He can reaply in another 3 mo to Airway Heights.
We will keep praying for something to happen.
Vince may end up getting a part-time 2nd job? Still talking about it.
Deciding to stay at home w/Bug is a huge sacrifice for us, but I stand my ground and know that it's what I need to do right now.
Vince will get something soon & I hope we will be blessed w/this decision.

Job Hunting...

I didn't want to jinx ourselves, so I haven't mentioned this to many people yet. Vince finally has an interview w/Airway Heights Correctional Facility tomorrow! This has been a long time coming and we so nervous and excited. With my job ending on Friday and me staying home w/Dom, this needs to happen to ensure our survival. We have been praying for this for about a month. Vince had a very good connection at AWH and so we hope that will count for something. He has his Criminal Justice Degree from S.C.C. so that's got to help. From what he's been told, there are a lot of applicants, but are willing to relocate if necessary. So I post this to ask for extra prayers tonight and this week! I have a very calming, good feeling that he will get this job. So, tomorrow this is what he has to go through:
He has to be there @ 7am
He will have an oral board interview
He will be put through a physcological battery test
I think he has to take a written
So, he will be there all day. He took the day off work. If he gets past all of that, then he will go through the physical test towards the end of the month. He has started to run to get into shape. If he passes that, which he will, then he has to go through a 6 wk academy training course!
We both think that it's no coincidence that this is all happening during the same month my job ends. So here's to praying!!
I'll keep you updated!

Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

Is the hardest job ever, but so rewarding!
I just put Bug to bed and I just love putting him to bed. We bond w/eachother! We have our routine and then he puts his head on my shoulder and I hum to him before putting him down. I just LOVE MY SON to death! I can't imagine where my life would be right now if we didn't have him. All I know is that we were prompted to do Foster-to-Adopt to get Dominic. Everything went so smoothly and it only took 8 mo. to call him a Pendergrass. It's an amazing story and I know the HF had a hand in it.
Now, I am sitting here, loving my baby and not wanting him to grow up yet. I want another one, but not sure how that's going to happen.
I have always wanted to be Mom and now I am! I have been for 2 yrs! Still a new Mom, no doubt, but a Mom nonetheless.
My heart is soooo full of love for Dominic right now, that I just wanted to share it!
Yes, I have "those days" too, and am always telling him "no" and "don't touch that", and on and on. But in the end, he's all mine!
I do have attachment issues-pretty badly! So it's okay Wendy, you're not alone! LOL
I love taking him to the store and pretty much everywhere I go. I do like time to myself once in a while, but attached!
Can you feel the love tonight?

Rewarded For Good Behavior!

So, I decided we'd go out to dinner tonight due to my last "official" paycheck. I get one more w/all the severance pay on Friday! Well, we went to Chili's & Bug was sooooo good that we decided to reward him for good behaviour. So off we went to Babies R' Us to buy Bug a new toy! We decided on a law mower that blows bubbles when you push it. He'll love to play w/this outside this summer! He likes it, I think. He played w/it for about 10 min. when we got home and then moved on. It was less than $20 so well worth it.

Back to Saturday for a minute. Due to all the laundry I did, I pushed myself too hard (backwise). Sunday afternoon, after a short nap, I woke up and could barely walk. For those of you who don't know, I have scoliosis (curvature of the spine). So activities like doing laundry and dishes (bending and twisting over and over) are not good for my back. I was hurting so bad yesterday! Today wasn't as bad, but still pretty painful on the leftside, which is my worst side. It will get better by the end of the week, hopefully. I just thought I'd share my pain w/you all!

Loads of Laundry

Big boy wearing Daddy's hat!

He's watching Sesame Street

Are these your slippers, Mom?

Yummy muffin, Mommy!

Watching TV.

I am being lazy today by not going to church. I know, I know. It's got something to do w/the time change too & church being @ 9am and me not a morning person.
Vince went, but I am home w/Bug. We're watching Dinosaurs-the movie.

What a busy day yesterday! In the morning I met up w/my sisters and went shopping for some new shoes for Dominic. It seems that his feet are finally starting to grow at a rapid rate. He was a 3-3 1/2 around Christmas and has only been wearing 4s for a few months. Well, now he's a 4 1/2 so I bought him size 5s.
When I got home from shopping I put Bug down and went to work. After 5-6 loads of laundry (everything folded and put away) our bedroom is spotless! It feels so good to have a clean room. I'm trying to be better @ folding clothes straight from the dryer and putting them away. It's nice not have basket's full of laundry. Now that all of our clothes are clean and hung up, we have no room in our dressers or closet.

I'm getting ready for my last week of work!! I'm so excited!
Here are some recent photos of my Bug. Enjoy!

Dedicated to Dave & Wendy..

So for the past 3 days (not joking) I have been trying to upload these pics. for my slideshow. The slideshow is dedicated to David & Wendy. It's also for family and friend's enjoyment! I am working a another one from when Dom was 1 to 2 yrs old.
So, if you didn't get the chance to see Dominic when he was a wee one, then here's your chance! Wendy, I told you I too take a lot of pics! Pictures are worth a thousand words! I cut a lot out too! It's hard to choose from all the pics. So take some time and enjoy the slideshow. It's a little fast so pause it and go at your own pace.
For the next slide show, I will try to upload from a different computer, not dial-up.

It's been a busy week so far. I can't believe that next week is my last week in the work world. Time fly's by! I am so excited to stay at home though.
Lately, I've been taking more time on dishes and cleaning and laundry and baking! What's with me? I guess I'm just practicing...LOL!
Jandre only has 4 days left to watch my BUG! Congrats Jandre! FREEDOM!
Well, I guess that's all for now. I'm wiped out from finishing this slide show.
Let me know what you think?

Feeling Pretty Good!

So, I went 3 days w/out pop last week. I had a headache every day, but it was okay. I cannot believe the difference of how I feel when I don't drink pop. I have had more energy more than anything. It's funny because people drink pop w/caffeine to stay awake. I am always tired when I drink pop. Wednesday and Thursday I drank 3 16.9oz bottles.Friday I drank 2 bottles. I am trying to drink at least 1 bottle a day. It's a little harder on the weekends. I just pulled out a bottle just now too.

Friday Night:
I am happy to say that after almost a year in our ward, we are finally starting to fit in and make some new friends on this side of Spokane. We hung out w/a couple in ward on Friday night. They are in their early 20s and going to school. They only live like 5 min. from our house. We went to their apt. for dinner & then came back to our house, because of Dominic, and played games until about 1am. We had so much fun!! Jandre, we'll have to add this couple to our list!

Saturday:
Woke up @ 9am-Vince got up w/Dominic-went shopping w/Jandre for her anniversary coming up. Thank you for picking me up Jandre! I enjoyed the break from driving. We had a lot of fun. We had our boys w/us & for 2 two yr olds, they did pretty good! We both were impressed.
After that, we came home and I put Dom down for his nap. I had the fun task of trying to take off his carseat cover (Alpha Omega Elite) to wash it. I was about ready to throw that thing away & then I figured it out. It's really easy now that I did it. So, if anyone has this carseat and wants to wash it, call me & I'll walk you through it. It wasn't bad putting it back together either.
Later that night, we decided to just stay home and watched American Gangster. I know, I know, it's rated R. If you get the edited version, it's not bad. But, I just love Densel Washington! We both enjoyed the movie.

Sunday-today:
Made it just in time to take the Sacrament, whew! Dom was really good during Sacrament meeting & I didn't have to stay w/him in Nursery. It works better if I walk him in there, rather than carry him. He's more independant this way. So, I got to go to Sunday School and Relief Society. It was a good day in church. I'm not used to having the chance to pay attention to the lesson. It's pretty nice. I guess I'll take advantage of this before we get our next child.
I was able to take a nap this afternoon and then we went over my in-laws again for dinner. I'm trying to go over there more often. Sundays are family days and Lisa likes us coming over!

So, that was my weekend! I have 2 wks of work left and Jandre has 8 days left to watch Dominic. Yea!!! I can't wait.