My 24th Birthday!

I didn't have to work on Monday so my mom picked up Avery and I for lunch :) We haven't had a lunch date in a while so it was much overdue. When we got home after lunch Steven wouldn't answer the door, I had forgotten my keys in the house. I pounded on the door for several minutes while calling and texting but I didn't get a response. I decided to take Avery to the apartment clubhouse because it was so cold out. My mother in law called while we were stranded, I told her Steven wasn't answering the door and she told me that he didn't answer when she called a few minutes prior. We both kind of freaked out thinking that Steven may have collapsed or something so I went back to the apartment. As I was walking up I could see the very top of Steven's head through our bedroom window, it was moving around so I figured he was stuck on a phone call. He called me about 10 minutes later saying that he unlocked the door.

Yvette came over after Avery's nap, we went to Carter's :) Yvette bought Avery a bunch of cute outfits and a toy car. The three of us went to Fred Meyer on our way home to grab a few things. It was a good way to end the day.

This week I turned 24!! Steven snuck out early to get me my favorite breakfast burrito from Goldy's. He gave me a funny card with a Victoria's Secret gift card in it just like I asked for :) I left for work early enough to stop and get coffee, the woman in the drive thru in front of me paid for my drink :D I dropped Avery off at day care and went to my parents' house to get ready for work. Just as I was tying my boots I got a text saying I didn't have to work until 1 pm instead of 12:30 pm, yay an extra half hour to eat!

I made out like a bandit

Work started out great but quickly turned awful - my knees were KILLING me. I worked until 7 pm that night and by the time I got into my car to leave I was crying because my knees hurt so bad. Steven was already at my parents' house when I got there, he had reserved movie tickets for an 8:30 pm showing but we ended up missing it. I had to shower, get ready, eat dinner, and have cake with my family in less than an hour. I hate being rushed so I said 'F it' to the movie and took my time doing things.

Avery and my mom french braiding my hair before the movie

There was another movie showing at 10:30 pm so Steven and I went to Denny's for my free birthday meal, my mom kept Avery over night so we could go out. While sitting at Denny's Steven asked if I wanted coffee, I said yes and he immediately left and went to Starbucks for me :) After our meal we went to the Village, we had planned to walk around and check out the stores but I could barely walk, instead we sat inside the theater and waited. I love the way the Village does assigned seating in the theater just like in Korea, it takes all the pressure out of being the first one in the theater to get a good seat.

Thursday was Thanksgiving :) Steven picked up Avery from my parents' house in the early afternoon so that my mom could cook in peace. We went to Steven's grandparents' for dinner this year. I wanted to spend time with my family as well but that didn't happen :( Oh well, we'll be spending next Thanksgiving with my family especially since my birthday is on the same day. Steven's family had a cake for me, I wasn't expecting it at all so it was a very nice surprise.

I hadn't planned on going Black Friday shopping this year (mainly because we're poor) but my dad invited me to go out with him. He picked me up around 10 am and we hit up several different stores to get Christmas presents for the family. We grabbed lunch after battling the crowds and lines, then went to my parents' house for dinner - Steven and Avery met us over there. It was a really good day and I like wrapping presents so that was a plus.

I got up pretty early on Saturday morning to go to the urgent care for my knees, they were painful 24/7. The nurse at the urgent care was a real b_tch though and turned me away. I told her my knees have been in constant pain since I got off work on Wednesday and she immediately assumed it was a work-related injury and refused to help. I tried to explain that it wasn't work related, the same thing happened last year in Korea, but she wouldn't listen and told me it was a workman's comp issue. Since I had already driven all the way out to the urgent care I began to tell the nurse I was also experiencing some abdominal issues but she refused to see me for that too. I was so frustrated!! My friggen feet and legs have been in pain and tingling for several days and I am refused medical care?!

That evening Mike and Yvette came over to watch Avery while Steven and I went out to dinner with my family and Ashley. We always go to Fiesta Guadalajara for birthday dinners. We usually have a large group go but since it was my first birthday with my family since I turned 21 I wanted it to be just family. I have photos from dinner but they are on my mom's camera so I will try and remember to post them.

On Sunday, Mike and Yvette came over and picked up Avery, they took our Durango and our baby to their house and left us Yvette's truck. Steven and I went to the mall, I had Victoria's Secret gift cards to use :) Steven and I window shopped, smelled all the Yankee Candles, and shared a soft pretzel. It was a good day.

Avery Quinn (and Daddy) - 22 months

11/18-11/24

Well, I'm behind on my blog updates again, that didn't take long. Work has sucked every bit of energy out of me. I didn't work on Monday but day care wouldn't reimburse me for that day since I pre-paid for the week. I decided to drop Avery off at day care anyways since I wasn't getting my money back, but I did change her schedule to 'flexible' which means I can add or drop days as needed and not be charged extra.

I used the free time to run errands. My first stop was Avery's pediatrician to drop off day care paperwork. I hate that her doctor is SO far away, its always a 30 minute drive minimum. After the pediatrician I went to my friend Laura's house to pick up my maternity clothes that I let her borrow. I brought her a gift and got to hold her cute son, I don't remember Avery ever being so small even though she was much smaller at that age.

I had to work on Tuesday which SUCKED. Avery had a really hard time going to day care, when we pulled into the parking lot she started crying and telling me "No day care! Home, Mommy!". It broke my heart and I spent an hour before work crying because of it. As if that wasn't bad enough, Dale didn't have his usual truck so work was even harder - my seat was 3 inches higher so I had to literally jump into it.

I couldn't stand to take Avery to day care again so on Wednesday I had Steven do it, we had to pick up our other car anyways so it worked out. After dropping Avery off at day care Steven took the Neon home, I had been letting my mom borrow since their car was in the shop. I only worked 3 hours that day but could barely drive home afterwards - SHIN SPLINTS.

Thursday was nothing but mind-numbingly long hours at work.

but trying to keep a smile on my face

I had a ridiculously long day at work on Friday but the thought of amazing food got me through it. Avery was spending the night at my mom's that evening so that Steven and I could go out with his parents. I stopped at my mom's house after work to see Avery before going home to shower and primp. Yvette took the three of us out to Chandler's to thank us for moving her apartment while she was gone. I had the filet minon with smashed red potatoes YUM!! We were at the restaurant until after 10 pm which is probably the latest I've stayed out in a very long time.

We had breakfast with my parents on Saturday morning, they took us to the Egg Factory for the first time. The food was pretty good but we waited almost 2 hours just to eat. That evening I got some alone time, Steven took Avery to his grandparents' house for dinner. Kristen came over after she got off work and we had a girls night. Steven had planned to go watch the game but his plans fell through, instead he put the baby to bed and spoiled us - he went out to rent us a movie and got us milkshakes :) The three of us watched Monsters University while Kris and I did a mini foot spa.

Flipping creamer at the restaurant

On Sunday morning we went to Mike and Yvette's house for breakfast. Yvette let Avery play with a box full of beanie babies - she was so happy!

Making pancakes

We went to my parents' house for dinner that evening. Steven set up a tubing trip for the entire family, I'm really excited. Its scheduled on our 3 year anniversary so it will be a lot of fun! My uncle and his family (Uncle Mike, my mom's younger brother) are coming up to Idaho for Christmas :D My parents, Quinn and Ashley, Steven and I, Uncle Mike and his family, and the Prochaskas (I think) will all be attending! Yvette will be watching Avery that day because its a nearly 2 hour drive each way and she wouldn't last in the cold.

Avery Quinn - 22 months

Working Momma

Monday was Veteran's Day AND orientation for my new job at UPS :) My mom came over to watch Avery while I attended the 2 hour orientation. It was very BORING - our study guide was full of grainy black and white pictures and spelling errors, the introductory video was even more ridiculous. I was struggling to keep my eyes open during orientation BUT I got paid for it so it was worth it :)

On Wednesday I took Avery to playgroup, I really didn't feel like going but since its my last week as a stay at home mother I kind of felt obligated. Our playgroup toured a fire station this week, a lot of people showed up. Avery instantly fell in love with the fire truck, she called it the "big vroom vroom".

Driving the fire truck

That evening I left Avery with Steven so I could have a girls' night. I drove to Kristen's house and from there Kristen, Allison, and I drove out to Nampa together. The 'party' was at Jeca's new apartment, we ate finger foods, had cider, played Taboo, and chatted. I didn't get home until 1:30am!!

Naturally, Avery woke up super early on Thursday. Quinn came over that morning to give Steven money to get him a PS4. I was dragging ass because of my late night so Quinn bought me coffee :) I love my little brother, I'm sad that we don't get to spend a lot of time together - I have a family to take care of and he has a job and serious girlfriend so our time is pretty much accounted for. Quinn came back to our house in the evening to hang out with Steven before the two of them went to the PS4 midnight release. Steven had his pre-ordered and Quinn happened to get the last PS4 at Walmart.

Friday was a very big day in the Lyon household. It was my first day of work in 3 1/2 years and Avery's first day of day care. I dropped Avery off at New Horizon just before 11 am, Avery's class has lunch at 11 am so all the kids were sitting at the table. Avery didn't want me to go and threw a big fit :/ I left rather quickly, no point in dragging out the goodbye. I told Steven that Avery freaked out when I left so he called day care and had the director check on Avery - she was already over it and playing with the other kids :) I went to my mom's house to wait for my shift to start, I talk a lot when I'm nervous so I talked my mom's ear off the entire time. Dispatch had called me that morning and directed me to meet my driver in the D&B parking lot at 1 pm. I got there about 20 minutes early and waited just in case he happened to show up early. Steven called me while I was waiting and kept me from completely freaking out. I was so nervous - my hands were shaking, I was nauseous, and I wanted to cry.

When my driver showed up he began chatting me up immediately, I was so happy to know he wasn't a hard ass, his name is Dale. He gave me my uniform, I changed in my car while he delivered a package to D&B - I looked pretty ridiculous in brown pants, black boots, and a puffy brown pull-over. We began our route immediately, it was weird driving with my door wide open. I was only scheduled for 3 hours that day and it went by in the blink of an eye. I spent the entire time jogging - Dale told me company policy says no running but jogging is highly encouraged haha. Dale and I quickly fell into a good routine with each other, the moment he stopped the truck I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the truck, Dale scanned a package and I jogged it to the door, while I jogged to and from the door he went in the back of the truck and got the package for our next stop, we pretty much always made it back to our seats at the exact same time.

We were supposed to deliver to 400 houses that day, there are 2 steps on the truck, which is the equivalent of me going up and down 1,600 steps - Basically 3 hours of work is the same as me going up my apartment stairs 145 times!! That's only the steps in and out of the truck, that doesn't even include however many steps it takes to get to and from a person's front door! I am going to wear a pedometer on Monday for sure!! Needless to say by the end of my shift my shins were KILLING me. It was a very good day though, Dale told me that Linda (the woman who conducted the interviews) specifically placed me with Dale because I seemed extremely capable for the job :) Dale often sets company records for how many packages he delivers in a day and Linda was sure I was the right woman for the job. The 3 best newbies were picked to work today and I was the first of the bunch picked! It was a HUGE ego boost.

When I got off work I told my mom to meet me at Avery's day care, my mom will be the one picking up Avery so I wanted her to see how its done. Steven surprised me by also showing up to pick up Avery from day care. We found Avery outside playing on the jungle gym, she was so happy to see us :) She took Mimi onto the jungle gym and made her go down the slide. Avery's teacher said that she made two friends who she basically hung out with all day, she had tacos for lunch, and she played non-stop all day. I took Avery back to my mom's house, my mom and Steven went to the store, they brought me coffee and flowers, my mom also got my a Starbucks gift card. I love having such a great support group.

I woke up in SO much pain on Saturday morning. I had awful shin splints, my calves and feet were cramping, my back ached, and I had a bad head ache - my body is definitely not used to so much activity. I spent most of the day trying to recover although I did managed to leave the house long enough to have breakfast with the in-laws.

First real snow of the season

By Sunday I expected to feel better but I didn't haha. We went to my parents' house for dinner, it was awesome. Their neighbors gave us a 7-ft fake Christmas tree and a bunch of lights for free :D I'm so excited, we had a fake Christmas tree but I gave it to a military family that moved to Korea right before Christmas. Yay Karma!!

In other news, my childhood best friend is pregnant! Kelly, and her fiance, Luis, are going to be parents :)

Kelly's first pregnancy photo :)

Avery Quinn - 22 months

Sick Baby

I am officially caught up on blog updates!!! For weeks I've been behind and my grandma has been on my ass about it :) Now I just have to STAY caught up.

This week had been very boring, for some reason Steven and I have been bored out of our minds. On Tuesday Steven finally broke out the Nintendo 64 so we could play some kind of video game until the Playstation 4 is released - we beat Pokemon Snap in a day. The only excitement we had was when Steven somehow dropped his iPhone 5 into the oven, the oven was set at 450 degrees! The damn thing slid all the way to the back of the oven so I had to save it with tongs. Thankfully Steven's phone had a bulky case on it so the phone was completely fine, the case was melted though.

I had another interview this week, this time with UPS. The interview was in the middle of the day so my mom used her lunch hour to watch Avery for me. I think the interview went well (although I thought the last one went well too), the interviewer said she would call me on Friday to set up orientation. On the way home I stopped to get my mom coffee as a thank you for watching Avery twice now. My mom went back to work and I put Avery down for a nap, she took a super long nap though. After 3 hours of napping I woke Avery up, turns out she was running a low grade fever :(

Sick baby cuddles

Thursday kind of sucked - we enrolled Avery in day care :( I'm so sad that I can't be a stay at home mother anymore but I am thankful for the time I did get. Steven, Avery, and I took a tour of the day care facility, it seemed very nice. We weren't able to meet Avery's teacher because we took a late tour but we did get to see her classroom. After the tour we went to my parents' house for dinner, the day care is only a few minutes away from their home.

Avery woke up with a nasty cough on Friday morning :( She wanted to lay around all day but I still had a lot to do at Yvette's apartment. Avery was so needy that I ended up packing and cleaning with her strapped to my back, thank god for baby wearing. We were there for several hours before going home, I got a lot done, Avery even got off my back for a few minutes to help mop :)

Cleaning Lita's apartment

Also, I heard back from UPS! I have orientation on Monday and thankfully my mom already has the day off :D

When my mom got off work the 3 of us went to the dollar store together, she needed to get a few things for her team at work. It was fun and I love the dollar store. Afterwards we went to Albertson's for coffee and cough syrup. Most cough syrups are for kids 4 and up so we had to go with an all natural food based cough syrup. It got rid of Avery's cough but she was really hyper after she took the medicine - I'm not sure if the medicine made her hyper or she was finally feeling well enough to burn some energy. That night Avery ended up coughing so much she threw up :( I brought her into bed with us and after a few inconsolable hours I put her back into her own room. Steven found the humidifier and put it on for her, we didn't hear another peep the rest of the night.

On Saturday we met Mike at Yvette's apartment for the last leg of the move. I had pretty much packed the entire house already so it didn't take us that long. I mainly cleaned while Steven and Mike moved all the boxes to the truck. We all had lunch together after the move, Mike was kind enough to buy our meal.

We went to my parents' house early on Sunday. Quinn had work that evening so we had family dinner earlier than usual so he could eat with us. I helped my mom make chicken casserole and then decided to clean our their freezer haha I was bored. After dinner my mom made cinnamon swirl coffee cake, it was awesome. Avery was suck a cranky butt all day because she wasn't feeling well. She ended up going to bed before 7 pm, but spent several hours violently coughing. I hope she gets better soon because day care won't take her like this :/

Avery Quinn - 22 months

Halloween

This week started out awesome with a rainy Monday - sweat pants, a fuzzy blanket, and a hot bowl of soup :) The only thing that could have made the day better was if Avery didn't insist on watching the potty video 5 times.

I love this girl

On Tuesday I was supposed to hear about the job I interviewed last week but the guy never called. I waited by the phone the entire day for nothing. I called and the receptionist said she would leave him a message but since I didn't hear from him I probably didn't get the job.

The next day I half expected the job to call me but again I never got the call. I'm assuming I didn't get the job. I took Avery to a morning play date at the Boise mall - there were snacks, crafts, and a sensory table. The kids all dressed up in their costumes :) Avery wasn't interested in playing with the other kids though, she just wanted to explore.

AVERY'S FIRST HALLOWEEN IN THE STATES!!! The day was remarkably mellow. Steven's deer was finally ready so he went to pick it up that day - we got jerky, back straps, pepperoni, sausage, and steaks. When Steven got off work we went to his grandparents' house to show them Avery's costume and deliver some deer. We went to my parents' house for trick or treating :D It was really nice having my parents walk door to door with us. Avery didn't really grasp the concept of Halloween this year - the first house we went to she knocked, tried to open the door herself, then walked right into the person's house to look around. It was obvious that Avery enjoyed just walking around more than anything. It was a great night and Avery looked adorable in her Cinderella costume.

On Friday Avery and I went to Yvette's apartment to pack things up - she's in California and needs to be out by the 15th. I got great use out of my Ergo that day :) I strapped Avery onto my back, put my back pack on my front, and carried several boxes all at once on the walk to the apartment. I was there from 10 am to 6 pm (although I did go home for Avery's nap) so it was a long day for me, I got a lot done though.

Toddler-Wearing :)

Steven and I had plans with my parents that evening so Steven's grandparents came over to watch Avery for us. Steven and I took my parents to the old penitentiary for a tour, we had planned for a guided tour but ended up walking around on our own. We saw a lot of ghost hunters while we walked around, its not surprising considering that it was featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures. We had an awesome time and afterwards the four of us went out for ice cream :)

Locked up at the Pen

On Saturday Steven helped Mike move a bunch of Yvette's stuff from her house to his. Avery and I lazed around most of the day :) That evening we went to Sarah and David's house for dinner - they are long time friends of Steven, and he used to be their room mate. We took Avery along so she could play with their son. It was a fun night, we definitely need more couple friends to hang out with.

Sunday was kind of a time warp because of the time change, I was in a fog all day. We went to Walmart for trash bags but ended up wandering around their giant winter wonderland. It is insane how much Christmas stuff they have! We went to Mike's house afterwards to hang out while we waited for my parents to get to Costco. My parents don't have a Costco card so we take them whenever they want something. We met them at the gas station part of Costco and both filled up. My parents had just come from Winco and bought us a TON of groceries. I'm so thankful to come from such a generous family. Mom, Avery, and I spent most of the Costco trip eating samples, well Avery ate all our samples to be honest. Mom wanted to take Avery home with her, so she did. Steven and I went back to our house to unload all our groceries, I don't think our cabinets and fridge have ever been so full :) Since we didn't have Avery we went to Burlington Coat Factory to finally get Steven a winter coat, he's been trying to get by with just a flannel shirt but he needs a real coat.
We went to my parents' house for dinner as usual. We had the BEST dinner! We had sausage casserole, real mashed potatoes, gravy, brussel sprouts, and ham steaks YUM!! After dinner we had an ice cream roll cake.

Avery Quinn - 21 months

Farmstead

I recently tackled the boring job of rolling all my coins and taking them to the bank - I made $37 which is pretty fantastic. It doesn't seem like a ton but I like to break it down to make it seem bigger: 7 Starbucks Frappuchinos, or the gas bill for a month, or 3 packs of diapers, etc.

Finally adding a new beard pic - day 160

After I deposited the coin rolls at the bank, Kristen and the boys came over. We took them to the enclosed park by my house so they could run around freely. It sounded like a good idea at the time but both older kids were being cranky butts - they took turns having tantrums and giving attitude. Oh motherhood...

On Tuesday I met Kristen and the boys at the Farmstead (where Steven and I went last weekend). We were part of a play group meeting them so admission was only $4 for Avery and free for me :) The fun started immediately when I noticed a toddler run off, I asked the other moms if that was their kid but no one responded so I assumed he was with another group (there were several other play groups, pre-schools, and families there). A few minutes later a mom starts freaking out looking for her son, I asked her what he was wearing and told her that he was the child I saw run off. I could see her frantically running around so I went to help her, I ended up finding him playing quietly with corn kernels. After I found the boy, Kristen and I took the kids to a small play-town, it was cute. We took the kids to the petting zoo area - Avery got pecked at by some stupid chickens :/ Kristen ended up finding a digital camera by the petting zoo that someone had lost. I looked through a few of the photos and managed to find the kid on the jumping pillow (basically just the bottom part of a bouncy house that the kids jump on). I stood there watching this kid for 15 minutes waiting for him to finally get off the jumping pillow and go to his mother, when he did I returned the camera. Before leaving we took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, the kids each got to pick a small pumpkin to take home :D The man doing our hay ride let the kids and parents get on his tractor and take pictures, he was extremely nice! The kids were exhausted after a day of adventure.

ThursDAY wasn't that eventful but the evening was! I went rock climbing with a group of moms. Every now and then a playgroup that I'm apart of does a 'mom's night out' and I finally went to one. We went to Asana Climbing Gym, it was interesting because I've never been before. We tried several different walls, made challenges for each other, tried tight rope walking, and playing on various gym equipment like kids haha. Afterwards we all went to dinner together :)

Random photo - 1 hour of cleaning = over 2 miles!!

Friday was a very big day for me. I had a job interview! My first interview in 6 years haha. My mom was going to watch Avery during my interview so she picked us up and dropped me off. I thought I was interviewing at Nakedology (a skin care/cosmetics place) but it turns out they share the building with a small call center. I've applied for so many jobs in the past few weeks that I had no clue what company had called me for the interview haha. I thought the interview went well, the manager said he would call me on Tuesday to let me know if I got the job or not. Mom picked me up and bought me coffee and lunch :) We hung out at her house until Steven off work, he picked us up for his grandma's birthday party that evening. The party was at Mike's house, Yvette made delicious tostadas!!

Cake at great-grandma's party

I slept in really late on Saturday morning while Steven and Avery ran errands, it was wonderful. Yvette had to go back to San Diego which sucks because she'll miss Halloween. That evening Kristen and I had a girls night, a real one with no kids! We got coffee and walked around the Village in Meridian. There were a lot of great restaurants there that I would love to try, an awesome fountain that changes colors and moves to music, a new movie theater that doubles as a restaurant, and even a play ground in the center of the entire thing. Kristen and I are both strapped for cash so we just walked laps around the Village and talked - it was a much needed night out.

Kristen and I at the Village

Sunday was family dinner as usual. Steven gave my dad and brother some deer jerky, which they were pretty much fighting over immediately haha in their defense it is delicious! I ended up shaving both Steven and my dad's heads that evening.

Avery Quinn - 21 months