It's the end of the world as we know it!

So.....um....holy crap!! I haven't posted anything since April! I've totally forgotten about blogging.

So many things have changed.......

L is 2 now! She and her b-day twin, R had a duo party. The theme was cops and robbers! It was pretty cute. They had lots of fun. And the weather was great that day, even though it had been raining for a week before the party. We somehow lucked out to have a dry, sunny party at the park.



We moved in July to a bigger rental. It's a duplex, but the only wall that touches is the garage....so it's like we live in our house, we NEVER hear the neighbors! =) The new place is a 3 bd, 1 3/4 ba.....the biggest place we've ever lived (at least on our own). The floors in the living room and hall are hardwood, the bedrooms are carpeted, the kitchen is linoleum.....all of the rooms have large closets (although not walk-in)....our master has its own bathroom (!) with a standing shower, and the hall bathroom is pretty substantial in size with a large linen closet in it. The kitchen is smaller than our last kitchen, but now we have a space for the kitchen table (as opposed to having it set up in the living room at the old place)....we were sooooo spoiled by how big the kitchen at the old place was, we knew we wouldn't find something comparable in our price range. We also have a patio and a backyard with a garden. We live in the woods now! I see deer on a nightly basis, and there are rabbits, squirrels, raccoons (that are afraid of no one! including my dog---yep she's been bit my one!), and several other wildlife in the area. We are now across town from where we were living, and we love this area so much more. Plus! Big bonus I'm only 4 minutes from work! And about 12 minutes from school!

School?.......yep! I went back to school, I'm in a Baking program at the local community college! It's so much fun, and I'm loving it so far. In the last few months hubby and I have found out that we have MORE food allergies than we thought. He now has a horrible reaction to any nightshade (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, egg plant, huckleberries, blueberries, etc), and has cut them from his diet completely. I have cut chocolate and ALL legumes from my diet. Chocolate, my best friend since elementary school, has turned on me!!! =( Woe is me! I don't know how I can be considered a woman anymore! Obviously I'm having a hard time with this one....soy, no biggie, other legumes.....okay, but I'm not happy about it....but chocolate?!?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOO! So I'm learning to live life without my favorite food, and hubby is learning to eat without most spices.....even though I'm really upset about no chocolate......I still think hubby's allergies/intolerance's are way worse than mine....and I feel bad that he doesn't get to enjoy food like he used to. On a good note......we've both lost weight because of our food allergies! I've lost almost 20 lbs, and he's lost more.....I hope he can maintain his weight now, since he's gotten kinda thin, and if he loses more we may have to start worrying!

Let's see....my sister moved in with us, she and her two boys, D, and E. It's been really rough. I love my nephews, but they've been spoiled most of their lives....when you gotta say no, they don't understand it very well......but things are getting better....they are getting used to our routine and following most of the rules....getting better everyday. D is old enough to understand that he's gotta follow my rules or there are consequences (time out, no video games, no fun outings for him)...he's 4. E is only 1 and is having the hardest time transitioning to a different environment than he was used to. K, my sis, is doing okay.....she's got a lot of stuff on her plate, and I don't envy her place in life right now. I'm trying really hard to be supportive, but it's been really tough lately, especially seeing her make the same mistakes over and over again.

L is so big now.....wearing 3T clothes! And she's such a little diva! She has to wear pretty clothes and have "pretties" on her toenails....she's so the opposite of what I was when I was little......okay, so maybe I was a diva, too, but I was a tomboy....and she's so girly......it's cute.....oh and she's started talking back to me (thanks to my nephew D for teaching her by example), saying things like "MAMA, no nap!" and "MAMA, NO!" all the time....it's cute...but I'm sure it'll get old quickly! She also bosses her cousins around, saying "E, no!, Time Out!" every time E does something he isn't supposed to.....it's so funny, and when he takes a toy she's playing with, she runs after him, yelling "E, I nee nat!" (E, I need that). They all had a ton of fun on Halloween. We took them to a corn maze, and then trick-or-treating in my friend, Mama Z's, neighborhood. At the first house, E tried to just go inside when the lady opened the door....it was pretty funny.

Halloween pics finally!

Halloween & Soy

Halloween was fun this year....we took L to the mall with some friends...it was cool to see all the other kiddos in costumes! Then we went to the gov.'s mansion and got a pic with the governor! L will totally appreciate that when she's older.

L was a lady bug this year, hubby didn't dress up (booo!)....and I was a gypsy! Pics to come!

The rainy season is full fledged now....today it poured all day long....it's still pouring now...we're supposed to get a full inch of rain between today and tomorrow. The poor dog doesn't even want to go outside to pee! She steps out onto the porch, looks at the wetness, and turns around to come right back in. I have SAD, so the rain's starting to get to me.....thank god I have a job! Helps me to get out of the house and do something. I'm sure hubby is getting completely soaked tonight, he works outside for the majority of his shift.

L's been doing some climbing lately....she thinks it's fun to climb on top of the coffee table and stand up on it! Scares the crap outta me....she's been biting a lot more lately, too. I think it probably has a lot to do with her teething....she's working on getting a canine and 4 (yes I said 4!) molars! These two things (biting and climbing where she shouldn't) have led to several time outs in the last few days. She also tells me "don't" or "stop" or shakes her head no at me when I tell her not to do something....she's turning into a real diva! Haha.

Something that annoys me: soy is in everything! I can't digest beans or soy very well...let's just say I don't spend enough time in the bathroom as I should when I eat them. =/ I finally have started to pay attention to labels......and ya know what?!?! Soy is in EVERYTHING! I made chocolate chip cookies the other night and there is soy in chocolate chips! (I ate them anyway!) Now I am beginning to see the frustration that hubby goes through with food.

Okay off to bed for me!

Oh and I think I'm a hoarder. Ugh.