The standard deduction for one child is still not enough to keep you from getting screwed on your taxes.....
June 2026
3 months ago
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
I've Been Tagged
OK, I've been tagged by Dena and actually have time to participate!
(The rules....link your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.)
Fact #1 - I hate sandwiches! There is nothing grosser to me than a cold cut between two pieces of bread. My mom made 'assembly line' sandwiches for all 3 kids when we were in school and it basically ruined the whole sandwich thing for me. I do however like any warm sandwich or tuna. It's just the whole cold cut thing that is totally nasty to me.
Fact #2 - I was once chased by the Russian Police when I was an exchange student for breaking into my own apartment. It was totally scary! They make our police look like total wimps. Handguns? PFFFFT! They actually carry semi-automatic, war-like guns! That was an interesting evening.
Fact #3 - The fact that you can't buy yourself a beer at the age of 18 but can vote and become a trained killer in the military is one of the greatest American irony in my opinion.
Fact #4 - When I go to Mexican restaurants, I find myself ordering the fajitas just so I can have that one little scoop of sweet corn goodness they usually have with the meal. Mmmm!
Fact #5 - I feel like I should write a book titled "The Things You Should Have Known Before Having Kids". It would go a little something like this - Chapter 1 - the first weeks "Did I totally eff up my life by having children?". Chapter 2 - the next few weeks "Hey, I'm kind of getting the hang of this." Chapter 3 - "Where to buy the best under eye conceiler". Chapter 4 - the 2nd & 3rd Month "Having Kids is the Best Thing Ever! - most of the time"
Fact #6 - I met Aaron in 1st grade. I'll bet there aren't many 30 year olds who have known their spouse for 23 years. I must say, he's gotten even hotter with age! GRRRR.
Fact #7 - I have never seen the movie Grease. Just not interested. Oh, and I think the sound track is lame.
Hmmm, I don't even have 7 people to tag. How is that for lame! I'll do my best though. I'm tagging Erin, Angie, Lisa, Mia, Rache and Kelly
(The rules....link your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.)
Fact #1 - I hate sandwiches! There is nothing grosser to me than a cold cut between two pieces of bread. My mom made 'assembly line' sandwiches for all 3 kids when we were in school and it basically ruined the whole sandwich thing for me. I do however like any warm sandwich or tuna. It's just the whole cold cut thing that is totally nasty to me.
Fact #2 - I was once chased by the Russian Police when I was an exchange student for breaking into my own apartment. It was totally scary! They make our police look like total wimps. Handguns? PFFFFT! They actually carry semi-automatic, war-like guns! That was an interesting evening.
Fact #3 - The fact that you can't buy yourself a beer at the age of 18 but can vote and become a trained killer in the military is one of the greatest American irony in my opinion.
Fact #4 - When I go to Mexican restaurants, I find myself ordering the fajitas just so I can have that one little scoop of sweet corn goodness they usually have with the meal. Mmmm!
Fact #5 - I feel like I should write a book titled "The Things You Should Have Known Before Having Kids". It would go a little something like this - Chapter 1 - the first weeks "Did I totally eff up my life by having children?". Chapter 2 - the next few weeks "Hey, I'm kind of getting the hang of this." Chapter 3 - "Where to buy the best under eye conceiler". Chapter 4 - the 2nd & 3rd Month "Having Kids is the Best Thing Ever! - most of the time"
Fact #6 - I met Aaron in 1st grade. I'll bet there aren't many 30 year olds who have known their spouse for 23 years. I must say, he's gotten even hotter with age! GRRRR.
Fact #7 - I have never seen the movie Grease. Just not interested. Oh, and I think the sound track is lame.
Hmmm, I don't even have 7 people to tag. How is that for lame! I'll do my best though. I'm tagging Erin, Angie, Lisa, Mia, Rache and Kelly
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Costco Pizza...continued
I think I have a problem. I just cannot stop buying hoodie outfits with ears on them. I can't help it. I'm a total sucker. I think I may have a problem.
I made my biweekly trip to Costco recently. I must say, it prefer to go during the week day. It's a much more enjoyable experience. The place is filled with moms, kids and lots of old people....mainly at the food court. There must have been 5 people actually shopping in the store.
Some of you may remember my little incident at Costco when I was pregnant...you know, the one with the pepperoni pizza that resulted in my wishing death and destruction on the teenager behind the counter when I was told they wouldn't accept my debit card?! Well, I have purposfully avoided the food court (or whatever you call it) at Costco because of that incident. I'm sure the $2 loss in food sales really hurt them over the past few months. That will teach them!! Anyway, I digress. I finally gave in and had a nice slice of pizza. It was DE-LISH, but not as good as it tasted when I was pregnant.
After a nice, 4000 calorie lunch in the form of one slice of greasy pizza, I decided to do a bit of shopping and came across the most adorable winter onesie-coat thingy for Grace. I couldn't resist, after all it had ears on top and was too cute to pass up. She needed something for the cold weather, and coats just don't work on a 3 month old. So, I bought this. Needless to say from the picture below, she was less than thrilled.
After some cuddle time with dad, and a nice walk around the neighborhood for her afternoon nap, she changed her mind and decided she liked it.
I just had to include this picture. This is the best smiling picture we have of her. Never mind that she totally looks like a boy!
I made my biweekly trip to Costco recently. I must say, it prefer to go during the week day. It's a much more enjoyable experience. The place is filled with moms, kids and lots of old people....mainly at the food court. There must have been 5 people actually shopping in the store.
Some of you may remember my little incident at Costco when I was pregnant...you know, the one with the pepperoni pizza that resulted in my wishing death and destruction on the teenager behind the counter when I was told they wouldn't accept my debit card?! Well, I have purposfully avoided the food court (or whatever you call it) at Costco because of that incident. I'm sure the $2 loss in food sales really hurt them over the past few months. That will teach them!! Anyway, I digress. I finally gave in and had a nice slice of pizza. It was DE-LISH, but not as good as it tasted when I was pregnant.
After a nice, 4000 calorie lunch in the form of one slice of greasy pizza, I decided to do a bit of shopping and came across the most adorable winter onesie-coat thingy for Grace. I couldn't resist, after all it had ears on top and was too cute to pass up. She needed something for the cold weather, and coats just don't work on a 3 month old. So, I bought this. Needless to say from the picture below, she was less than thrilled.
After some cuddle time with dad, and a nice walk around the neighborhood for her afternoon nap, she changed her mind and decided she liked it.
I just had to include this picture. This is the best smiling picture we have of her. Never mind that she totally looks like a boy!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sleep? What's that?
I will make this fast since it looks like her highness is waking from her nap. I am so thankful that she's actually taking a good nap right now. Last week she decided she wasn't interested in napping for more than 30 minutes at a time - oh, and she also wasn't interested in sleeping thru the night either (not that we've ever reached that milestone!)
I can't seem to get anything done in 30 minutes, 3 times a day. The first 30 minute nap is shower time. The second nap is usually lunch time (or as I like to call it, stuff as much semi-nutritious food in my mouth as I possibly can) and the third is usually when I cook dinner. The laundry is piling up, the cats are neglected and the house is a wreck - welcome to motherhood! :-)
Here are a few pictures of the past week. I love the crisp, fall weather mainly because I love putting Gracie in anything with a hood. We have been cruising the neighborhood a lot in the stroler lately, taking advantage of the last few days of dry weather. The stroller also does double duty as her third and final nap of the day. The motion seems to put her to sleep every time.
I love this picture. It looks like she is pondering the weight of the world. Perhaps the economy has her doing a lot of thinking...or maybe she can't decide who to vote for. Or, perhaps she is just plain tired from only napping in 30 minute increments!
I can't seem to get anything done in 30 minutes, 3 times a day. The first 30 minute nap is shower time. The second nap is usually lunch time (or as I like to call it, stuff as much semi-nutritious food in my mouth as I possibly can) and the third is usually when I cook dinner. The laundry is piling up, the cats are neglected and the house is a wreck - welcome to motherhood! :-)
Here are a few pictures of the past week. I love the crisp, fall weather mainly because I love putting Gracie in anything with a hood. We have been cruising the neighborhood a lot in the stroler lately, taking advantage of the last few days of dry weather. The stroller also does double duty as her third and final nap of the day. The motion seems to put her to sleep every time.
I love this picture. It looks like she is pondering the weight of the world. Perhaps the economy has her doing a lot of thinking...or maybe she can't decide who to vote for. Or, perhaps she is just plain tired from only napping in 30 minute increments!
Last but certainly not least, we had a visit from her Uncle Brian 2 weeks ago and I didn't have any pictures to post during the last blog. He flew up from California to spend the weekend in P-town. Grace was very excited to meet him. Of course Grandma and Auntie Marcie came up as well. Grace loved being the center of attention! 
Nap time is over, gotta get the kiddo fed! Ta Ta For Now
Thursday, October 9, 2008
3 Months for Grace, 5 Years for Us
I can't believe that Gracie turns 3 months on Monday. Time is just flying by! Apparently my days have been flying by too, because I just haven't found the time to blog.
We purchased a camcorder this past week, so I should have some videos to post soon. I think I need a Ph.D. to operate it though. I better get cracken' on that! Actually, the camcorder actually comes with an "Easy Button". Seriously. I would not lie. That should make things easy enough. I'll let you know if they "Easy Button" was appropriately names so by some with a Ph.D. or a regular person. More to come on that.
I also made 2 new purchases for Gracie. Let's face it, the girl was just getting bored of playing with me and her black and white book. Both are great stand-by's but we really needed to mix things up in the Gore house. So, I bought her this little play gym/mat thingy. Not sure of the actual name, but I call it her "over-stimulation" mat. Check it out. It is just loaded with crap to look at and bright colors. I think I may be contributing to an early case of ADHD. She loves it though, and that's all I need! (translation, it buys me a few extra minutes throughout the day when I can make a pot of much needed coffee).
I also bought a Bumbo - I know, stupid name. Just got it yesterday but she LOVES this! After all, she's 3 months old and only likes to sit up like a big girl now. That whole lying on her back all the time is for the birds. I took this picture this morning while I was drying my hair. She hung out in that sucker for about 15 minutes before she got bored and was ready to move to her over-stimulation mat. It's funny, the minute she got good head control, she started always wanting to sit up. Apparently the view of the world is better from that angle.
We also took her to a checkup with her pediatrician this week. Not sure if I blogged about it, but at her 2 month check up her doctor thought she heard a heart murmer - which totally made my heart drop! The doc wasn't too worried since this can be fairly common in smaller/skinnier babies. Apparently when there isn't much fat on their bones, you can actually hear the blood flow thru the chambers and it can kind of sound like a murmer. Fortunatly, that was the case with Grace. She got a clean bill of health this week. Thank you God! I was so stressed about it.
She is still holding at 25th percentile for her weight and 50th for her height. She now weighs 10 pounds 5 ounces. I know that's kind of small for a 3 month old but she feels much heavier than that when I've been holding her all day.
Aaron started school recently but has still been able to enjoy time with Gracie - including dressing her. Let's just say, her look can take a few interesting turns when he dresses her. Take for example this cute outfit, courtesy of Dena, along with the stocking cap (Aaron's first clothing purchase for Grace) and the Christmas socks (Curious George Christmas socks, mind you). All things super cute independently but not all together.
In Aaron's defense, those are about the only socks that actually stay on her feet. This girl has tiny feet and ankles. I have MASSIVE feet but like to think she gets the slender ankles from me. Some of you may remember the cankle incident of month 9 of my pregnancy....thankfully, those days are over!
We purchased a camcorder this past week, so I should have some videos to post soon. I think I need a Ph.D. to operate it though. I better get cracken' on that! Actually, the camcorder actually comes with an "Easy Button". Seriously. I would not lie. That should make things easy enough. I'll let you know if they "Easy Button" was appropriately names so by some with a Ph.D. or a regular person. More to come on that.
I also made 2 new purchases for Gracie. Let's face it, the girl was just getting bored of playing with me and her black and white book. Both are great stand-by's but we really needed to mix things up in the Gore house. So, I bought her this little play gym/mat thingy. Not sure of the actual name, but I call it her "over-stimulation" mat. Check it out. It is just loaded with crap to look at and bright colors. I think I may be contributing to an early case of ADHD. She loves it though, and that's all I need! (translation, it buys me a few extra minutes throughout the day when I can make a pot of much needed coffee).
I also bought a Bumbo - I know, stupid name. Just got it yesterday but she LOVES this! After all, she's 3 months old and only likes to sit up like a big girl now. That whole lying on her back all the time is for the birds. I took this picture this morning while I was drying my hair. She hung out in that sucker for about 15 minutes before she got bored and was ready to move to her over-stimulation mat. It's funny, the minute she got good head control, she started always wanting to sit up. Apparently the view of the world is better from that angle.
We also took her to a checkup with her pediatrician this week. Not sure if I blogged about it, but at her 2 month check up her doctor thought she heard a heart murmer - which totally made my heart drop! The doc wasn't too worried since this can be fairly common in smaller/skinnier babies. Apparently when there isn't much fat on their bones, you can actually hear the blood flow thru the chambers and it can kind of sound like a murmer. Fortunatly, that was the case with Grace. She got a clean bill of health this week. Thank you God! I was so stressed about it.
She is still holding at 25th percentile for her weight and 50th for her height. She now weighs 10 pounds 5 ounces. I know that's kind of small for a 3 month old but she feels much heavier than that when I've been holding her all day.
Aaron started school recently but has still been able to enjoy time with Gracie - including dressing her. Let's just say, her look can take a few interesting turns when he dresses her. Take for example this cute outfit, courtesy of Dena, along with the stocking cap (Aaron's first clothing purchase for Grace) and the Christmas socks (Curious George Christmas socks, mind you). All things super cute independently but not all together.
In Aaron's defense, those are about the only socks that actually stay on her feet. This girl has tiny feet and ankles. I have MASSIVE feet but like to think she gets the slender ankles from me. Some of you may remember the cankle incident of month 9 of my pregnancy....thankfully, those days are over!
Lastly, Gracie isn't the only person celebrating a milestone this weekend. Aaron and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary on Saturday. Maybe I'll dedicate a special blog just to that and include some pictures. Hmmm..note to self, put Gracie in the Bumbo and Overstimulation mat on Saturday so I can dig up some pictures and find time to blog. I can't believe it's been 5 years. It seems like so much longer than that. I can barely remember my life before him. I guess when you've known someone since 1st grade, there isn't much of my life where I don't have some memory of Aaron. Love you babe!
Friday, October 3, 2008
This girl is a pooper!
Oh my gosh. It is true that when you have a baby you find yourself discussing poop WAY too much! Now that Grace is getting older - almost 12 weeks!!! - she is consolidating a lot of things, meals, naps and even poops. The meals are fewer and longer, the naps are fewer and longer and the poops are fewer and DEADLY! They almost always require a bath afterwards and result in me totally soaking her clothing in Oxyclean. Buy your stock in that company now folks, because I'm going to be buying a ton of it.
Today was like any other day...we played, she napped, we met dad for lunch....and then the blow out happened. Luckily, we were at home by then. Of course, the girl needed a bath afterwards.
The "Before" picture. I call this one, "Who, me?"
Today was like any other day...we played, she napped, we met dad for lunch....and then the blow out happened. Luckily, we were at home by then. Of course, the girl needed a bath afterwards.
The "Before" picture. I call this one, "Who, me?"
The "During" picture. She loves her baths!
This is the "Dangerous" position after her bath....for obvious reasons. I felt safe since she just unloaded prior to the bath.
Who knows....perhaps I'll manage to get some non-bath pictures into a blog here in the near future. They are just so cute, I can't resist :-)
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