A couple more Christmas pictures

Just a couple more pictures of our cutie opening his Christmas gifts.

Update

As promised, I will finally update our blog. So here is what is new(ish).

I got my insulin pump! It is wonderful and I don't know how I did injections 4 times a day for so many years. It is much easier to regulate my blood sugar and I am feeling great. The holidays have required lots of "pumping up" to take care of the delicious food and goodies, but I am sure that my blood sugars are the best they have been in quite some time.

One reason that I have been so terrible about blogging, excuse coming here... ready? is because I was taking another one of my masters classes and I was SO busy. I don't know what I was thinking taking a masters class with a busy 18 month old, a full time job, husband, and the holidays, but I signed up and with help from Bobby (Thank you baby!) I was able to get everything done. This was a huge feat considering the amount of classwork they were requiring ( a 20 page research paper final), but I made it out alive with an "A". I won't take another class for a while, but I only have 3 left and I will have my masters in ed!

Did I mention that football season ended? We had the banquet a week ago Monday. The season was tough for the boys and the coaches. I have never seen Bobby work so hard in any one season. Luckily, the JV team that will be coming up has some players that should be able to help out. I feel bad for the boys and the coaches, but Ledge and I are very happy to see more of Dada.

As far as Ledger goes, there is so much new everyday that it is difficult to mention it all. After working with him for awhile, he now says his name when you ask him what it is. He says, "Y-E-A-D-DER". The way I spelled it and typed it out gives zero justice to how adorable it is. He is also climbing on everything lately. He learned how to climb on our dining room chairs (they are tall too) and now he only wants to sit in big chairs and climb up and down all day. It is really cool to see him climb on up, but now I can't put stuff on the table anymore unless I want it to be slobbered on, stepped on and thrown on the floor. ;) We are working on teaching Ledger his colors and he already knows green. He says, "blue", "yellow" and "red" but when asked, everything is "geen". When we correct him and let him know it is really yellow, everything form there on out is "ellow". He is getting better and I am sure he will have his colors mastered in no time.

The holidays have been eventful for us. Ledger loves the "pitty yites" (pretty lights) on trees and houses. His very favorite was seeing us turn on our Christmas tree in the morning. Ledger was pretty good about not touching it, but we only decorated the upper half to avoid the constant "NO". We went and visited Grandpa Pierce and Gamellen on Sunday. Ellen and Ledger had a blast running around and playing. Since visiting Gamellen, every clock is now a "tick-tock." He has always been interested in clocks, but he LOVES Grandpa & Gamellen's grandfather clock.

The other day I attempted to be domestic and I made some sugar cookies with Ledger. We had fun rolling out the dough and cutting out trees, snowmen, stars, bells and gingerbread men. I made red, yellow, blue and green frosting and we practiced our colors. He loved baking with me and when the cookies were all frosted he said "pitty cookie". He is such a good boy.

We spent Christmas Eve with the McCartney's this year. The house was busy with grandchildren, running around and laughing. The food was delicious and we were so happy to spend time with family. Bradley and Fallon just keep getting bigger and little Rivers is a doll. It was a nice Christmas Eve. Ledger had a ton of fun playing with his cousins.

Christmas morning was awesome. I have to say that it has been my best Christmas. Watching Ledger open all his gifts with Bobby was almost magical. Having Christmas with a little one is awesome! The Keelings and McCarnteys came over for breakfast borritos (fancy huh?). Ledger got the hang of opening gifts quickly, and with each gift he opened he said, "OOH". Some of his favorite gifts are: bike from Santa, basket ball hoop from Oma & Papa, Thomas the train toothbrush from Mama & Dada, and a flashlight from Grammy & Gee-pa. Oops, I almost forgot his very favorite, a large box!! If he could play peek-a-boo popping out of that box all day, he would. Really.

We hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas. We know that we did! Thank you to all of our family and friends that make our lives so enjoyable. We are incredibly blessed to have such amazing people in our lives.

A Cure???

We have been really busy here, so I am sorry for not updating lately. I promise to do so soon. Just wanted to share this link with everyone.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619#27774926

For my "cure party" I want lots of chocolate, funnel cake, cotton candy, a live band, dancing, lots of delicious food and ZERO talk about blood sugar! ;)

Air Show & An Insulin Pump

Last weekend Bobby & I took Ledger to the air show. He really liked looking at the planes, at least the ones in the air. They had lots of planes on display and one plane that we got to climb into. We left a little early and missed the acrobatics:(, but had a great time none the less.

Tomorrow we are walking for the American Diabetes Association at the capital. We have been raising funds for our walk and thanks to family, friends and some of our students, we raised a total of (drum roll here.......) $600.00! Thank you for all of your support! I will post some pics after the walk.

Other big news in the Pierce household, I FINALLY after years of trying, got an insulin pump. The insulin pump will be connected to me all of the time and I will still need to do finger pricks, but I will be getting one injection every 2-3 days instead of four a day! I am really excited. It has been proven to keep diabetics in excellent control and it is far more convenient than my current injections. Monday Bobby & I are going to learn how to function the pump and hook me up. This really is a life changer for me. In my life time I have had more than 24, 800 injections! I really can't wait to take less injections. The insulin pump is the kind of thing that Bobby & I are walking to raise money for.

Good Bye Dancing, Hello Football!

Well, I have good news gang. We hired a REAL, PROFESSIONAL dance teacher!! She has taken over and seems to be doing well. The kids are happy and they actually have moves beyond the Cabbage Patch Kid, Rodger Rabbit, Lawn Mower, and Sprinkler. I now have a prep period and I got a few extra bucks for humiliating myself by dancing in front of teenagers. Being a dance teacher will definitely be added to the list of crazy things I have done.

Now that Dance is over, Football is full on. Unfortunately, the boys lost their first two games, but I have high hopes that things will be more successful in league. P.A.M.A. (Garry's name for the wives club) has secured an area near the corner of the stands to corral our kiddos and let them play. It's working out pretty good. (Great idea Kandice!) The kids play and run around and we chase them. Last game Ledger learned how to say "touch down" with his arms high in the air and "ebra" for zebra. I just can't believe how smart he is. He is learning new words everyday. My Mom keeps reminding me that I was worried that "he might not ever walk or talk". Amazing how I worried for nothing. The nature of being a Mom, Right?

Send good thoughts to the boys when they play this Friday night. We are sheduled to play a division 1 team, so it will be a tough game. We could really use a win.

Some Recent Pictures

I took Ledger to the zoo today. He absolutely LOVED it. Now that he is older, everything is far more exciting. He can actually see the animals and loved pointing at them and watching them. His favorites are still the Flamingos and Lemurs. He liked the Giraffe and Tigers too.

I took some adorable pictures of Ledger taking a bath the other night and I just had to post them. He is going to hate me for this one day, but until then I will happily post his adorable bath pics.

Okay, it is official....

Ledger's first birthday
Family Camping trip

And he knows how to walk!
I am the worst blogger alive. It has been over two months since I have up dated!! Lots has happened in those last two months. Ledger turned one, we finished remodeling our house, Ledger learned to walk, school started, football started and I became a dance teacher. No, that last one is NOT a joke.;)

So it would be impossible to try and catch you up on all that has passed, but I will try a little bit.

June 22nd- Ledger's first birthday. He finally started saying Mama the day of his party. I was in heaven and even though I wake up every morning at 6:30 am to "Mama" over and over again, I still am.

End of June- The remodel is done! Yeah! Our house looks amazing. Carpet and tile was completed and I am so excited for everyone to see how it looks.

July- Came and went quicker than a dollar bill. As a matter of fact I think I missed it completely. Wait, no, I remember a little bit. On the 4th Ledger stayed up WAY past his bedtime and loved watching the fireworks, we had a big family camping trip and my Best Friend Marie & her kiddos came to visit.

Beginning of August- We went to Tahoe for Cammie and Robert's wedding and then school started. It really was so quick. One the second day back at work Ledger learned to walk. It was the day before his Dada's birthday. (Happy B-day Bobby!)

August 15th- I was the "lucky" one who had a prep period at the same exact time that we had a dance class, in which there wasn't a teacher to teach. The "lucky" one found out that she would be teaching dance until we "found a professional" and I am now addicted to all the dance reality shows, FIT TV and still have no idea what I am doing. (Can you hear the sarcasm in my voice?)

August 19th- Kids came back to school, football started and our lives are far too busy.

So, it is official- I am the worst blogger ever, Ledger turned one and can walk, school and football started and our summer went quicker than ever!

OKAY, so how did I do?? Do you feel caught up?

I posted some pictures of all that you missed.

Some Pictures and Thoughts

I will treasure this picture and hope that Ledger will treasure it someday as well. (My Oma, Mom and Ledger). Ledger is getting really good at standing up on his own. Walking is just around the corner.
Ledge took a bath in our new sink tonight. He had so much fun playing in the water. When water is this magical, life is good!

Finished with Project #1 and Now....

Kitchen before remodel.
View from entry of our living room before the remodel.
View from entry now. Notice the openness and bar/lights added in between the kitchen and living room.



Picture of the kitchen after remodel. Notice the granite counter tops and new cabinets. Yeah!
















So we are finished with our remodeling of our kitchen/living room area. I absolutely LOVE it! Our house looks so much larger and brighter. I have twice the counter space and a larger stainless steel sink as well as a cool bar top and a total of 9 more lights in the house!

Now Project #2 is in progress. We are going to tile our kitchen, dining room, hall and part of our living room. The living room will have a new carpet inlay under the couches and coffee table area. It is another big job, but it will look great when it is all done.

Besides all the new house stuff, Ledger will be 1 in 2 days! I didn't really think that was going to make me sad and I always wondered why parents got sad that their kids were growing up and becoming more independent. That was a good thing right?? Well, now I get it. They are sad because they are growing up and becoming more independent. Did that make any sense?? Speaking of being more independent....

Ledger has been getting closer to walking, although not quite there yet. He has been standing up on his own for short stints and he took one step in the bathtub last night! I am hoping that he will walk for the first time on his first birthday or at his first birthday party. Both Bobby & I walked for the first time on our first birthdays. Hoping he will follow Mama & Dada tradition. We will see.

Bobby is at Cal Berkley with the boys for football camp right now. He left for camp with an eye infection (he got it camping in Nevada! Ouch!) and a sinus infection. I hope he holds up okay with all of that going on. I'll let everyone know how he did when he gets back.

My kiddo is asleep and Bobby is gone so I think I will sign off, fill the tub up with bubbles, take a little bath, read some of my book, and go to bed early.

Wow! Did that just make me sound old or what??;)

Out of School and in a mess!

This is a before picture.
Here is another before picture. The red wall is being cut in half. If you look at the plugs on the wall (small white squares) it will give you a good idea of how much we cut.
Here is a picture of what it looked like when we got home today. The wall is much smaller which really opens up the kitchen/living room area.
Sorry this is side ways. I don't know how to change that yet. The area on the floor gives a good idea of how much wall is gone.
Me, Andrew, Cammie and Ledger at Bob's on the Marina.

School is out!! Yeah!! I am so happy to be home. This first year of teaching while having a baby has been tough for me and I am glad it is over.

We are remodeling our living room/kitchen area. We are about 3 days in construction phase and boy is it a mess! Everyday there is a new layer of dust and more tools, nails, pipes, electrical cords, etc everywhere. Needless to say, we are trying to stay out of the house as much as possible. I added some before and current (under construction) pictures to show everyone the progress. We are taking 1/2 of the wall down that separates our living room and kitchen. We are adding new cup boards, granite counter tops, a 5 foot bar to take the place of the wall we took down, can lights in the hall way and living room and possibly tile flooring. It is a lot of work but it should be done by the 20th. I can't wait to have it done and invite everyone over to take a look.

Besides the construction we are also getting ready for Ledge's first birthday (11 days away!!) and we had a chance to visit with my oldest friend (I mean, friend I have had the longest. Not OLDEST Cam) Cammie. She was in Stockton visiting her fiance's family. Bobby, Ledge and I met her, Robert (her fiance), her soon to be sister-in-law and her nephew Andrew at Bob's on the Marina for some kick butt burgers. Andrew is less than 3 weeks older than Ledger. The boys were very interested in each other. It was so cute when Andrew gave Ledge a kiss good bye and Ledger gave Andrew a hug. It was the cutest man love I had ever seen. It was the second time that Auntie Cammie had seen Ledger and he had REALLY changed a lot since he was 3 months old.

I will keep everyone updated on the construction/mess in the Pierce house. Until then I need to sweep and mop for the fourth time in the last three days. :(

My Boys

I just want to start this post by saying that I have the BEST boys in the entire world!!

Bobby was in the newspaper last week for being a Teacher that Makes a Difference. He was so embarrassed that he had his picture taken in his football clothes (they didn't warn him that they were coming for an interview and picture). I think it is perfect because football is so much of what makes him a teacher that makes a difference.

Ledger will be 1 year old in less than 3 weeks! Time flies so quickly these days. It seems like yesterday I heard him cry for the first time. It feels like yesterday when we brought him home from the hospital. Now he is crawling around, getting into every cupboard, smiling with 4 teeth, reaching out for Mama & Dada, eating spaghetti and pointing at things and saying "ssat".

I love my boys!

Teacher That Makes a Difference

Not too much new here. I finally got a few pictures of Ledger's teeth. I love the one with his eyes closed. I wish they were open though.

Bob and I are doing well. Bobby was just awarded Teacher That Makes a Difference. I am so proud of him! The county had a really nice gathering for the winners where they received their awards, which by the way, was a little snow globe. You know about the education cuts, right??!! ;) He really is an awesome teacher, coach and role model to the kids. I am glad that others noticed how big of a difference he makes in the kids' lives.

The count down is still on and we have ....... (drum roll here)........16 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT!!

We can't wait to spend some more time with each other and our family and friends.

Poor Chip and Little

So if you are counting like we are, there are 22 days of school left, of which 3 are minimum days! It is just so awesome that the school year is almost over. Bobby and I can't wait to spend some extra time hanging out with Ledge and chasing him all over the house. Yep, Ledge is on the move. Way past the rolling stage and only using the army crawl in desperate situations. He is on all fours and off at what feels like light speed. He is also doing this crazy little thing where he stops crawling, puts his head on the ground and butt in the air. It is hilarious. I think he just likes the point of view to change on an occasion, or he is getting ready to do summer salts. Now that he is so speedy the dogs are quickly learning to run. He likes to chase them around until they get smart and jump onto the couch. Poor Chip and Little are just starting to come to the harsh realization that they aren't the babies any more and that Ledger rules the Pierce household these days.

Ledger's First Car

So, there isn't too much new here in the Pierce household. Bobby and I are counting down the days until school gets out. In case you are counting too there are 29 days left of which 3 are minimum days. We are in the home stretch and VERY excited about it. Ah summer. It gives me fuzzy feelings to think about it. ;)

We got Ledger a new car toy. He can sit on it and ride or the seat opens up and he can push it. He isn't quite able to push it with out falling down, but he can ride it around really well. It plays a million different songs and lights up as it goes. He is really liking it. It is so fun seeing him riding it around the house. Crawling in combination with walking in the walker and riding in the car equals one baby that gets into everything. We are needing to baby proof the house now too, as Ledger has learned how to open cupboards!!!! (Yes, that statement needed the four exclamation points following it.) Lots of work following him around making sure he isn't getting into any thing, but worth every once of trouble.

Ledger also started really babbling the other day. He says, "blah, blah, ya, la la, etc...". I am sure I left a few of his favorite words out, but you get the gist. It is really cute hearing his little voice and if you babble back to him he answers like he is having a conversation. We have been longing to hear "Mama" and "Dada", and I know it is right on the horizon. I have heard the statement, "Be careful what you wish for" a million times before, but I still can't wait to hear him call our names.