Coming Out of Hiding, lol

How has this holiday season been treating ya'll? Good, I hope. We have been extremely busy and I just haven't had alot of time to update my blog. Here's my attempt to bring my blog up-to-date:

12/17 (Wed.)-Emerson had his Christmas program with his preschool. He got to sing a few songs and then say a line by himself on stage. He was a little shy but he did great. He said his line perfectly. I told him to make sure to say it loud so that his Daddy could hear it. He was so proud of himself and we were too.

12/18 (Thurs.)-Today was the last day of school for both boys and each had their school Christmas parties on that day. I couldn't be in both places at the same time so Clayton went to Emerson's party and I went to Hayden's. I had to help the kiddos make pancakes on a griddle so that was interesting to say the least. As we walked out of the school we realized that it was snowing pretty heavily. It was nice to see the snow but it unfortunately messed up our travel plans for that weekend.

12/19 (Fri.)-This day marked Clayton's Christmas vacation. Every year he takes a couple of weeks off in December to relax and enjoy staying at home. He won't go back until January 2nd. We were supposed to leave and head out to Wyoming to spend Christmas with his Mom but that didn't happen due to the weather. Her area was supposed to get snow 3 of the 4 days we were going to be there. Heck if I wanted to travel in that mess. I love snow but I do not like to drive in it. That totally sucked.

12/20 (Sat.)-It's actually a good thing that we didn't go to Wyoming. I was sick as a dog and ended up spending the day in bed. I had a roaring headache.

12/21 (Sun.)-We headed to the Denver Zoo to see their holiday display of lights. The event is called Zoo Lights and it rocked. We froze our butts off but it was well worth it. The kids got to see Santa and then we took the little steam-powered train for a little tour around the middle of the park. After that we went to see the hippos, elephants, snakes, fish and giraffes in their indoor exhibits. There was a cute baby giraffe that we really enjoyed seeing. There was also supposed to be some baby snow leopards somewhere but we missed them. If you live anywhere near Denver, you really should check this event out. It ends after New Year's Day so it is still going on right now. The trip was well worth it to us and we plan to make it a Christmas tradition from now on.

12/22 (Mon.)-I worked on getting the house clean all day long. Clayton also helped quite a bit and then took the kiddos to see Bolt at the theatre. I soooo appreciated that as the kids were driving me insane.

12/23 (Tues.)-My parents flew in to spend the holidays with us. My Dad had never been on an airplane nor had he ever been to Colorado before this day. He also hadn't seen the kids since June 2007 so this was a big trip for him. We met up with them in Brighton for dinner at a yummy 50's diner. We had a good time and the kiddos were thrilled to see Grandma and Grandpa.

12/24 (Wed.)-My parents and the kids put together rice krispie houses (kinda like making gingerbread houses but they tasted much better IMO). Hubby helped the kids make sugar cookies and rice krispie treats for Santa. One of Santa's elves rang our door bell and left us all Christmas jammies and a note that said that we needed to go to bed soon because Santa was on his way. This is a yearly tradition that began with Hayden's first Christmas and it is one of my favorites. The kids never quite make it to the door fast enough to catch sight of the elves. It's all so much fun.

12/25 (Thurs.)-I couldn't believe that the kids weren't up at the buttcrack of dawn that morning. The one morning that I expect them to get up early is of course the day that they sleep in, lol. We all waited in the kitchen for them to come down. Once Hayden emerged I told him to wake his brother because Santa had left them some goodies. He quickly grabbed Emerson and they both flew down to the living room. It was fun watching them go through their stockings. After they finished we dove into ours and then everyone opened their gifts. Here are a few of the gifts we got that I can remember off the top of my head:

Hayden & Emerson
-2 Nintendo DS Lite systems
----games-Transformers, Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man, Spongebob-Drawn to Life, Lego Star Wars, Bolt
-Nintendo Wii
----games-Super Mario Kart, Thrillville, Da Blob, Rayman:Raving Rabbids, Paperboy Mario
----accessories-Sports Kit, 2 Steering Wheels, Gloves (covers for the 2 remotes and 2 nunchuks)
-2 Playdough Caddys
-Star Wars voice changing helmet
-Wooden disk sets that are used for building things

Me
-Nintendo DS Lite
----games-Brain Age 2, MillionHeir, CrossworDS
-Snow Boots
-Slippers
-NC State sweatshirt
-Bakeware set

Clayton
-Nintendo DS Lite
----games-Zelda, 007
-Coat and scarf
-Puffy vest
-NC State sweatshirt
-Personalized beer mugs
-Coffee caddy for Keurig cups

Don't you think that it is funny that all 4 of us got Nintendo DS Lites for Christmas? On top of that we got the Wii from Mom and Dad. Clayton still has his XBox 360 too so now we have a ton of video gaming options in our house. It is insane around here but a lot of fun, lol.

Mom and Dad usually don't do much for themselves for Christmas so I got them both stockings this year and filled them to the brim with lots of fun goodies. We also gave them a new digital camera so that they could get out of the Stone Age. Film is so old school, lol.

12/26 (Fri.)-We goofed off all morning and then headed out to Red Robin for lunch. After that, Mom and I went to Target to pick up some Christmas cards and wrapping paper for next year. I really lucked out and got some great deals. We headed to Starbucks after that and then went back home for the evening.

12/27 (Sat.)-We relaxed and took it easy today with my parents. For lunch we headed to Culver's (their food is so-so but their frozen custard is heavenly). I made some molasses cookies that evening and we just chilled.

BTW-I want to say Happy 1st Birthday to my first surrobabe!!! He was born after midnight on 12/27/07. I can't believe that he is already a 1 year old. Wow, time sure does fly.

12/28 (Sun.)-Mom and Dad flew back to NC today. I spent all day in bed due to reflux and I just didn't feel very good in general. Thank goodness I had a backlog of DVRed programs to watch to keep me entertained (and not to mention I had my new DS to keep me company too).

12/29 (Mon.)-And now I am finally caught up to today. We met up with Clayton's Dad and his wife for lunch at Rockbottom Brewery. It was fun catching up with them. We then went to Toys 'R Us so that the boys could spend their accumulated Christmas cash before heading back home.

Whew....I am tired of typing now. I will try to get some pics posted tomorrow. My card reader is now broken and I hate hooking my cameras (I have 2 and they each use a different kind of disk hence making a multi-disk reader much easier to deal with) directly up to the laptop. I will possibly just go buy another reader tomorrow to make it easier but we shall see. Good night everyone!!

Hi and a Big Thank You to My Blog Readers in India

24 week 3D/4D Ultrasound

You know who you are, lol. I sincerely mean it. You all are the sweetest for thinking of me and my family. I am so blessed to be connected to you through surrogacy and I can't wait to help bring your granddaughter into this world. March is going to be an awesome month!

In case my readers have no clue who I am talking about, I am referring to both of my IP's parents. They are the proud soon-to-be grandparents and they are so thrilled about the impending birth. They have sent us lots of wonderful gifts and well wishes from their homeland of India. My boys and I have received the coolest Indian clothes. One day when I have some free time I will take some pics of us in our outfits. Mine are beautifully beaded/embroidered and they are so pretty. The intricate details are stunning. The boys outfits are really cool too. The fabrics feel wonderfully silky and the colors are so nice. I also have acquired several pieces of beautiful jewelry (2 brooches from IM's mother that I *LOVE*, a pretty necklace and a pair of earrings to match from my IPs), 2 boxes full of dried fruit and nuts and a gorgeous blanket that was handmade just for me by my IF's mother. Wow, I can't believe the generosity of all these nice people that I don't even know. It is a bit overwhelming being the receiver of all this attention but I am glad that I know these lovely people are so excited about baby girl. It makes this whole surrogacy thing even more worthwhile to know just how much I am appreciated. Baby girl is very lucky to be born into such a loving family. :)

9 years ago today...

was the absolute best day of my life. I became Clayton's wife in a little courtroom in Raleigh, NC. We had just finished final exams the day before and it was the first day of our Christmas break while at NC State. Our close friends John Moore and Leslie Boone were there as our witnesses. Clayton and I were poor college kids so we couldn't afford a lavish wedding. Our families were all spread out too which made things even more difficult. I couldn't imagine arranging all the airfares that we would need to buy to get his family to NC. His Mom/Jack would have flown from Worland, WY, his Dad/Sandy would have come from Omaha, NE, his sister would have flown in from Cheyenne, WY, and his brother would have flown in from somewhere in PA. It was just too much for us to get everyone together so we decided to go it alone with our 2 friends. My family was miffed because I wouldn't allow anyone to join us that day (they all live about 1.5 hours from Raleigh in Archdale/High Point/Trinity). It just wouldn't have been fair for them to have been there when Clayton's family wasn't. Since we didn't have a ceremony, my family threw us a wedding reception that following weekend. We got tons of much-needed things and it was alot of fun. My Aunt Judy went all out and made us a pretty cake (she used to be a professional cake decorator). She also made my hubby his own groom's cake.

My parents gave us a fabulous honeymoon cruise. We took off just after the new 2000 year and it was a blast. The airline gave us first class tickets so we really lived it up. I don't think that we had ever had so much fun together. We got back to Raleigh the day before the Spring semester began so that was a bit hectic but we managed. I wish we could go back and do it all again. We will hopefully take the kiddos on their first cruise within the next year or so. It won't be as romantic but it will be just as much fun. :)

Tonight we will go out to eat and drop the kiddos off at our local drop-in childcare center in Fort Collins. That place rocks because we can drop the kids off anytime and do what we want by ourselves. The boys have lots of fun there so we don't have any guilt leaving them in their care. Heck, they don't like leaving when we go back to get them, lol.

If you are interested in reading our story about how we got together or to see a few pics from our younger years, read my post from 2005 about us HERE.

Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart! I love you more than anything!!
~~Just so you know, you only have one more year to save up to buy me an awesome band for my diamond ring. Remember, the big 10 is now just a year away. ;)

So....

What's been going on with you guys? I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. We have been incredibly busy around here. Thank the Lord that I did my shopping months ago or I would be going insane. We went out to the Flatirons mall yesterday in Broomfield and it was insane in there. It was worth the trip though because we scored some awesome deals for ourselves. Clayton got some khakis from JCrew for $15 (I think that they were regularly $60). I got 2 bras from Victoria's Secret for $57 (they were both regularly $48 each!). I also scored some new clothes for the baby from a place called the Pumpkin Patch. It's like a Gymboree but a little bit more high end. They are supposedly a well-known store in the UK and Australia but haven't quite hit the jackpot here in the US just yet. Let me tell you, their stuff ROCKS. Here's a taste of what they sell:




I bought Miss Thang the onesie and hair band from the first pic to go with the turquoise corduroy dress from the second pic. They didn't have any colorful tights left in her size so I got her some white ones. How cute is that?! She's gonna be adorable. I also got her a sleeper while I was there with a matching hat and bib. I am gonna hook her Mommy up when she arrives in March for the birth. ;)

Anyway, if you go to the Pumpkin Patch site to check it out don't click on the '08 catalog because it just makes you click on pics of the models one at a time with a small selection of their clothes lines. Instead, click on the little words in the blue header on the main page that say things like "baby Patch" or "kids Patch" to see all of their lines and to buy them. They sell clothes from premie age all the way up to 11 years. They also have a maternity clothes line but there is only 5 pieces of it available online.

Anyone else covered in snow? We just got dumped on again last night. The kiddos and Clayton went out sledding today and had a fun time. Poor C got worn out from pulling them around on a sled for too long though, lol.

I have got to go and get ready for bed (yes, I really am that lazy, lol). I go to bed on most nights around 8:30pm so I am running late. Hopefully I will find the time next week to upload some pics for ya'll. Ciao!

Ugh....It's a Freakin' Winter Wonderland

Yesterday we woke up to the stinkin' white stuff. I know, I know. It is cool to live where it snows but I have my issues with it. In NC it was always great to see snow. It meant that everything would shut down and everyone would stay home to enjoy it. I loved snow days back then. I would sit around drinking hot chocolate and possibly scrapbooking. Well now that has all changed. When we get snow here in CO it means that life stays the same with the exception of having to deal with the difficulty of driving around in it. I HATE that. My 4-Runner isn't four-wheel drive and that has alot to do with it. I slide on the packed ice and my anti-lock brakes like to come on everytime I need to stop. The anti-lock brake system is really touchy and will come on even if I am only going 5 miles per hour before lightly tapping the brakes. I am so afraid of running right through an intersection because of that. One day I will get a new 4-Runner or perhaps a Sequoia and I will make sure to get four-wheel drive when I do. Until then I will keep on driving Suzy until she dies (which I don't think she ever will because Toyotas ROCK-take that Big 3!!).

Do you Southern gals hate having to put your kiddos in all that snow gear before they go outside to play in the snow? You know, it takes you like 20 min. just to get them bundled up before they decide that they need to pee before they head out? Imagine having to do all that crap everyday before school. It sucks. I really hate making my kids get all that garb on just for the 10-15 seconds it takes to walk from my car to the front doors of their schools. Ugh. They have to put on snow boots just to walk that short walk and then they have to change into tennis shoes shortly after entering the building. After the school day ends, they have to switch back into the snow boots just to get back into the car. It is such a hassle I tell ya. Bring back the summer weather!!! I am definitely looking forward to it.

Hayden making snow angels in the backyard

My Little Bakers...

I totally forgot about these photos sitting around on one of our disks so I thought that I would share them now albeit a bit late. I got both of the kiddos a set of kid's bakeware from Bed, Bath and Beyond last month. They were practically a steal for only $5 each. They each got an apron, cookie sheet, cake pan, whisk, cookie cutters, rolling pin and a storage bag. Hayden thought that they also got sprinkles but it ended up being those annoying silica gel packets to keep everything freshly packaged, lol.

Anyhoo, I let them make sugar cookies one night (11/19) and they really enjoyed themselves. I knew my boys liked to help in the kitchen from time to time but I had no idea how much they would like baking. As you can see from the looks on their faces they had a grand old time.

Sorry for the bombardment of posts today guys...I am a little behind, lol

It's that fun time of year again. The elves have been by our home to drop off some fun ornaments for each of us. Every year they manage to put a gift bag of them for us out on our front porch but we never catch them in the act. It usually happens on the 1st of December but we were a little late getting our Christmas tree up this year and I have a feeling that they somehow knew that, lol. Anyhoo, the kiddos were super excited and were ready to tear their ornaments open but I made them wait until Dad got home to partake in the fun too. They were a little disgruntled by that but it was worth it.

Clayton got the leg lamp from "A Christmas Story", Hayden got Kung Fu Panda, Emerson got Wall-E and I got Snoopy sitting on a gingerbread doghouse (I love the Peanuts gang). Every year we get new ornaments from the elves (namely Hallmark, lol). The plan is that the boys will have 18 special ornaments to begin their own trees once they move away/go to college. I really wish that we would have had the same tradition as we were growing up because Clayton and I had to start from scratch. When we were in college it was difficult to throw down alot of money for a measly tree, ornaments, lights, tinsel, etc. Hopefully my kiddos will appreciate this one day. :)

Photos from our fun adult-only weekend

Here's a beer sampler from the Odell Brewery in Fort Collins. Clayton got to enjoy it while I watched, lol.

While eating dinner we saw 2 reindeer go by our window. Here is one of the beautiful beasts out in the town square. They are such beautiful creatures and I am so glad that I got the opportunity to see them up close.

While walking around the town square in Old Town it started to snow and it was freezing cold out there. We just bundled up and enjoyed the moment.

Our "Suite" Retreat

I just thought that I would share a few pics of the honeymoon suite that we stayed in last weekend. It was so much fun! The funky colors and modern decor were really cool. The yellowish-looking walls were actually a pretty green color. My little camera didn't pick it up very well.

This round chair was AWESOME! I would really like to get one for me to relax on at home. It sat both Clayton and I perfectly together. It is alot bigger than the pic makes it seem.

Desk area on the left side of the bed

Coffee area and seating on the right side of the bed

Our "Suite" Retreat-bath area and bathroom

After you walk through the main door, there is a little alcove on the left. The tub sits out in the open. It seats 2 comfortably (it is alot longer than it looks in the photo).

This wall separates the tub area from the coat closet in the main entrance. Weren't they nice to put some Mr. Bubble on the shelf for us? lol

The bathroom and shower are located on the right as you come in the door (directly across from the tub alcove). I didn't take a pic of the shower but I can tell you that it was big. It was at least twice the size of ours and it looked pretty cool.

All in all we loved our stay at The Armstrong Hotel. We will definitely be back in the future for another fun getaway weekend sometime. The location was perfect and the room was very comfortable. It has its own unique charm and that made it special for us. Not to mention it was fun seeing the resident cat Oreo in the lobby everyday. :)

Food Sniffer...

 

 

 

These photos crack me up! I had all of our Thanksgiving dishes prepped and ready to go into the oven. When I went to the kitchen to begin putting them in, I saw Emerson's little head behind the counter trying to smell them all, lol.

Starbucks Winner and the Gender Reveal

I have been under the weather for the past week due to some sinus congestion so I am sorry that I haven't been around much. I would have posted yesterday but my head was killing me and I ended up in bed from 3pm through the rest of the day/night. Ugh. Anyhoo, we went to see the baby in 4D yesterday and *she* was so cute! Yes, baby is definitely a girl. I have predicted it from the moment of getting my first bout of persistent nausea in the beginning of the pregnancy. She has made me so sick and that is something that I never had with my boys or my surroson. If I would have had a girl myself I probably would have never been a surrogate. Being nauseous and sick all the time isn't exactly my cup of tea, lol.

On to the winner of the gender guessing game----Shawnna!! Send me an email via the "email me" link in my profile so that I can get the card out in the mail to you. I have it ready to go. I just need your address. Congrats gal!

I still have pics of our mini vacay to share but I am trying to take it easy today. I would love to not get a nasty headache so I may not be on the computer for the rest of the day. Recipes will be sent to all who requested them later this week.