Lavallee News

Absolute Cuteness - Pictures

2011-01-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

I LOVE her gummy smiles!!

Hopper was "helping" with the laundry. He was soooo excited to find this tiny little sock. So perfect for a tiny little weiner dog.

Mommy said to release it and like a good boy, he did just that. If only I had the time to teach him to put it in the basket. That could come in really handy when Lexi's older. =)

These bunny slippers are sooo cute but unfortunately she was only able to wear them a few times. Apparently she's going to have ape feet like her Aunt Ginger. LOL

Even when she's unhappy she's adorable. I will be doing a follow on post to this one that will have nothing but videos. There will be a video showing exactly why she is in such a state of distress.

A few days before I went back to work, we got to meet up with a few of the girls for lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed it for many reasons but two big ones 1) I finally got to eat a warm meal and 2) I got a heads up as to what kind of mess was awaiting my return.

Lexi is finally beginning to enjoy the swing at two months. It's perfect to use when she's fighting sleep. She'll fuss for a few minutes at first then she's out like a light. It's heaven sent when your arms and back are about to give out.

These next two pictures make me laugh. She's got these crazy eyes. I've got a video I'll publish in the follow on post that shows why she has these crazy eyes. I was laughing sooooo hard.

She's still too small for her bouncer but it doesn't stop me from putting her in it with the support of a blanket. Of course I'm right there at all times so don't worry Grammy, she's not in any danger. She loves all of the toys on it. I can't wait for her to be able to reach them herself.

Playdate with John

2011-01-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

A few days before I went back to work, Lexi had a playdate with John. They were born on the same day within just a few short hours of each other!! It's really quite funny because John's mom and I took the same Bradley course and we just knew that was going to be the case. Anyways, the playdate was more for the mommy's so we could swap stories and pointers. It was great talking to someone who is going through the exact same thing at the same time! Hopefully we'll get to do it again in the future when the kids are older and can interact.

New Year's

2011-01-18T21:41:00.001-08:00

Our New Year's was VERY different this year. At midnight we were celebrating because we had just put Lexi to bed and she was actually staying asleep!! Later that day we went on a walk in the neighborhood. It was freezing but a really pretty day.

We got Lexi all bundled and since this was our first walk together I had to bring the camera to document it. =)

She was not so sure about being out and about despite the sunny weather.

Ever wonder where your christmas trees or paper products or lumber come from? Well take a look. It's kind of depressing but they will replant trees so they can grow just to be chopped again. Kind of like cattle.

And because it was such a nice day we got a great view of Mt. Ranier from the neighborhood. It's just soooo beautiful here!

Smiles

2010-12-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

I get to enjoy this everyday!! My life is awesome! =)

Lexi's First Christmas

2010-12-27T10:14:00.000-08:00

Grandma Lavallee and Uncle Jeff came to visit and spend Christmas with us this year. It was nice to have family but I admit, I'll be glad when it's just the three of us. We've only had 7 days together as a family since we've had visitors ever since she was born. Don't get me wrong, the help has been great but it's hard to get into a rythm.

Anyways...we had a very nice Christmas. Lexi got lots of presents and dinner was tasty and delicious even if I must say so myself.

Isn't she precious? I LOVED her in this cute little outfit!!

Hi!!

2010-12-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

My name is Alexis, but you can call me Lexi. I am one month old today and mommy can hardly believe it. I was born with my eyes wide open and I rarely shut them even today which makes mommy yawn alot. She mentions this thing called sleep and says she needs it but I think she's crazy. Who wants to sleep when there's so much to see and do?!

I was standing at one week and it's one of my favorite things to do besides eat. Speaking of my favorite things, I REALLY love bath time and being in the car. Some of the things I'm not a big fan of are getting my diaper changed and being dressed, but I am getting more tolerant of these tasks as I am learning they are necessary.

Here are some pictures of all of my cuteness for you to enjoy. Mommy is also including a video of some of my awake time from last night since this is how I spend most of my day.

P.S. Mommy wants me to apologize for the fact that all of these pictures are loaded in a funny order but I'm sure you don't care as much as she does. =)

This is me in rare form doing that sleep thing mommy talks about. It usually only happens after I've worn myself out from all of my exploring.

This is my Papa Gatliff and I adore him. He says the funniest things. I'm so glad he came to spend some time with me or should I say to spoil me in holds that mommy is to weak to do for an extended period of time. I love you papa!

This is mommy feeding me a bottle. She was devastated to learn she couldn't breastfeed after doing it for 3 weeks but I'm a happier baby now that I'm getting all of my nutrients and mommy can focus and getting healthy again too.

I love spending time in my Boppy. It props me up just right so that I can see more things.

Me and my Grammy Gatliff cheesing for the camera. I love her sooo much and was so happy she got to experience my birth. Plus her being here helped mommy out alot since she had some difficulty recovering and getting that sleep stuff.

Isn't this the greatest picture? I'm sooo loved. Mommy refuses to give up on trying to get Grammy and Papa to move here even though she knows it's a battle she can't win.

Look at me!! I'm such a happy and good baby. I love this little pink Winnie the Pooh outfit and my pink headband.

This is my mommy and me commemorating my one month milestone. She got a new haircut and we all like it.

Watch out world! I'm going to be mobile in no time. I've already rolled over a few times and surprised even myself. This is me attempting that roll over thing again. Practice makes perfect.

As you know I have two brothers, Hopper and Chase. They do the strangest things like run up and down the hall catching this thing called a ball. I can't wait until I can run too. Mommy and daddy can't wait until I can throw the ball for them.

This is me in my usual state of awake. This was taken at 11pm last night. As you can tell, I love to look at the house and talk.

A Birth Story (Long)

2010-12-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Alexis Isabella Lavallee
November 20, 2010 @ 10:52a
7lb 15 oz
20.25 inches

Sooooo...as you are well aware, I was planning a birth center delivery with a midwife. Totally unmedicated and as non-hospital as possible. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be. =(

In the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I developed gestational hypertention which means I became allergic to the placenta and the only way to "cure" it is to deliver the baby. I was put on bed rest at week 39 in hopes that my BP would stay below 140/80 but it did not. They were performing tests on me every day whether it was a NST or blood test or urine test, you name it, they did it. My midwives officially dubbed me high risk 2 days before my due date and transferred me to an ob/gyn.

I saw a different doctor everyday from the date that my case was transferred. They were all really great but I felt misplaced. They all had different risk levels they were comfortable with and the doctor I saw on Friday, November 19th decided that it was no longer safe for me or baby to continue on. I believe my BP was 161/83 that morning. The real risk for gestational hypertention is seizure, placental abruption or stroke. They've seen people seiz at much lower BPs so I was immediately transferred to the hospital for an emergency induction. Do you see where this is going?

They gave me cytotec and in 4 hours I was still only dilated to 2cm. At that point, I believe my BP had spiked to 175/117 (somewhere around there) so they administered magnesium sulfate and gave me another dose cytotec. Let me tell you about mag sulf. It is the devil's drug and is probably used to torture prisoners of war. It is an evil medicine. It feels like someone has thrown gasoline on you and tossed a lit match. OUCH!!! Plus, once it was administered it means that I was confined to the bed and my only labor options were left side or right side. Do you know how hard it is to labor and those are your only two options?!?!

About two hours after the 2nd cytotec I coughed, my water broke and things really got rolling. Long story short, I went from 2cm to 8cm in 2 hours. My contractions were lasting between 2-3 minutes and were peaking 2-3 times. I was getting about a 15 second break between contractions. Finally at 8cm, after an extremely emotional and physical day, I screamed for the epidural. They administered it about 30 minutes later and my labor practically stopped. Oh, and my BP dipped so low they had to give me meds to speed it back up. How's that for ironic?

So, because the epi slowed my labor they gave me pitocin to speed it back up. I hated the way the epi made me feel so I demanded that they turn it off, which they did. A few hours later I was pushing and had her out in about 7 pushes or under 50 minutes.

She was born "sunny side up" which explained some of the intense pain. Of course most of that was brought on by all of the meds they had me on.

Needless to say, my labor and delivery was as far from my plan as possible. The only thing that would have made it worse was if I needed c-section. Thank goodness I did not. Our ultimate goal was a healthy mom and baby which we got so I can't complain. However, I am still having a tough time accepting the hand I was dealt and have been mourning the loss of what I felt was best for baby.

Lexi is healthy and beautiful and is more than I could have hoped for. Everyday is something new and we are figuring it out together.

35 Weeks and Counting

2010-10-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

So I'm a little over 35 weeks along now and I realized the other day that I can count the number of remaining weeks on one hand! It was a little unsettling yet very exciting at the same time. As everyone already knows, this pregnancy hasn't been easy on me and I'm ready for her to be out but by having her out that means breastfeeding will start. Have I mentioned how overwhelming breastfeeding seems to me? I know we'll figure it out but I feel totally unprepared. I'm sure that's common for first time mothers. =)

I had an appointment yesterday with the midwife. While overall I'm still looking good, my blood pressure was up. Not high but definitely elevated for me. We decided to wait until the next appointment to see what my blood pressure is before doing any lab work. AND despite the fact that I'm now wearing those oh so sexy compression stockings, the swelling isn't getting any better. Luckily there is no pitting so that's good news. Because of these finding I talked with my boss today about making modifications to my work area so that I can get my feet elevated like the midwife has required. Fingers crossed that this helps.

The best news is that despite the fact that I've been sick this entire pregnancy, I'm still gaining weight even if it's not much. Despite my low weight gain, they are estimating Lexi will be around 8lbs!!!

Baby Shower

2010-10-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit over Labor Day weekend and I am lucky to have a friend kind enough to throw me a baby shower during that time just so my mom could attend. How wonderful is she?

Deb my FABULOUS hostess.

The decorations were adorable. There were little dress napkins and a washcloth bouquet. How cute?!?! Plus there were cupcakes, some pink lemonade and other yummy treats.

We played a couple of baby games. The first was the diaper game. There were several diapers that contained different types of chocolate candies. It was gross and hilarious. I'll spare you all of the pics but the one of my mom and dad. Her face says it all and she's no stranger to a dirty diaper. However I think what makes this pic so funny is her face in comparison to my dad's. =)

After the games, I was requested to take my seat in the new mommy chair. Bring on the presents!!!!!
I walked away with sooooo much loot. Lexi is already extremely spoiled. This is something we will have to work on.

Ginger's Visit

2010-08-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

My sister came to visit for a week and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together. She kept her phone on vibrate and only texted occasionally so we were actually able to have a conversation. It was GREAT!!

Unfortunately, Mark got sick and spent most of the days she was here in the bathroom, poor fella. I was like a single mother taking care of him and getting her ready for a wedding on Saturday. I guess it was practice for my days as a mom.

Here are a few pics of my sister and her date Abe at the wedding. Isn't she BEAUTIFUL? I think she was the prettiest girl there. =)

The boys love their Auntie Ginger. They were sad to see her go. After all she did play with them and love on them and let Chase pee on her. LOL

Ginger and Chase on the one occasion he didn't pee on her. =)

Hopper and his Ginger...he just loves to love.

We didn't get many pics of us until the last day. We went to Pike's Market and then ate lunch at the Hard Rock before coming back.

No I'm not wearing makeup and yes this does look odd. We took like 5 pictures and none of them turned out. Ginger was adamant that we get a picture of the two of us that showed off my baby bump. The problem was that when we were standing together my belly engulfed her and it looked like I had two heads. Thus I rotated and this was the result. LOL

Ginger snuck a pic of me using my belly table. Chase is in his usual position while I'm on the laptop looking utterly bored since we aren't playing ball. This is an extremely unflattering picture.

This has got to be the funniest picture taken to date. All credit is given to Ginger. She wanted to see Mark and I compare the size of our bellies. Mark wins...for now. I like to call this kissing bellies.

Our Lady Peace

2010-05-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

The concert was a ton of fun despite the fact that I didn't know any of their songs. The venue was gorgeous and we had amazing seats. It was a fabulous evening. I haven't seen Mark have such a good time at a concert before. He was really digging EVERYTHING!

Victoria, B.C

2010-05-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a trip to Victoria, B.C. to see Our Lady Peace. This is a Canadian band that has had some hits on U.S. radio but is HUGE in Canada. Anyway, Mark really likes this band and wanted to see them since they would be soooo close. I was looking forward to a break from this craziness that has been our life recently so win-win. Yay long weekend!!

Mark upgraded our room to a beautiful suite which was a wonderful surprise. And this was the view from our balcony. This is looking at their government building and you can see the ocean in the background.

This is the Empress Hotel. It's a Victoria landmark and has quite the history. Every afternoon they have an afternoon tea event with pastries and there is a dress code. These people are serious about thier tea.

I didn't know it but that weekend there were many events happening around town and that Saturday was Victoria Day so all of the boats in the harbor were decorated in celebration.

This ship was one of a kind. Made me think of pirates so of course I needed a picture.

Who knew Darth Vador played the violin?

Mark and Darth.

We had a wonderful time and the weather couldn't have been better. I got hungry in the afternoon so we got a hot dog from a street vendor. Something I NEVER thought I'd do because of how germaphobic I am but it was very yummy. The baby gave it 2 thumbs up. :)

BTW...we saw a couple of killer whales on our way back home but it's difficult to see them in the pictures.

First Baby Bump Pic

2010-05-16T18:04:00.001-07:00

I made Mark take a picture of my baby bump this afternoon so that my mother can see I'm going to be even bigger than she was with me. I apologize ahead of time for the blurriness and the fact that I look like I'm in mid stride. This was the best photo out of the 3 he took.

13 wks 6 days

First Baby Pics & Bras

2010-05-08T19:29:00.001-07:00

We had our first ultrasound on Wednesday (5/5/10) and got to see our little person for the first time!! It was soooo exciting. I was grinning from ear to ear and Mark was having a hard time trying not to cry. The doc had some difficulty getting close enough to the baby so he had to go another route (if you know what I mean) and the kid still wasn't having it. Sound like anyone you know? =) Everytime the doc got close the baby, it would move away. It's definitely an active one and I can't imagine what I'll do when I can actually start feeling the movement. Exciting and scary at the same time.

In other news, I went to the Maternity store today to pick up some capri's and some new bras. Well, the lady measured me and I've gone from a 38F to a 38I in one month. WTF?!?!?! I about died the first time I got measured and now I don't know where I'm supposed to buy my nursing bras. The lady was kind enough to give me the number of a woman in Tacoma who custom makes nursing bras for pretty cheap so I'll have to give that a try. Fingers crossed that I can get some relief soon.

Anyways...some of the ultrasound pics are included below for your enjoyment. I'd include a baby bump pic, but there's really nothing to see and since I HATE having my picture taken anyway I thought I'd wait until there was something for you to look at.

Our Little Peanut

Peanut Profile

The baby was moving all about and here we caught it rolling over. I was amazed at the fact that it looked just like a little person yet the baby is only 2.25".

This was my FAVORITE picture. I actually teared up a bit. I LOVE those little baby feet!!!

Gray Hair

2010-04-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

So today, I spotted my very first gray hair. One would think that I would be upset and immediately want to color said hair; however, I was totally fine with it and even embraced it. I finally have some sort of outward proof of all the craziness that has been my life. So not only will I turn 30 this year and welcome a new baby, apparently I am turning gray too. Do you think gray hair looks good with green eyes? I guess we'll just have to see.

First Prenatal Visit

2010-04-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today was our very first baby visit with our midwife. We REALLY liked her and I fell in love with the birth center!! We basically went over our medical history, she took my vitals and 4 vials of blood and we attempted to hear the baby's heartbeat. Unfortunately, we weren't successful because my uterus was tilted. =(

Between you and me, I think the baby was just already displaying how much like it's mommy it's going to be. It will do things when it wants to, if it wants to and apparently it wasn't in a cooperating mood.

A Lesson in Patience

2010-03-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

This pregnancy is going to be my biggest lesson of patience thus far. I'm ready to hear the heartbeat, know the gender and see it's face. I'm thinking of writing a process improvement for pregnancy to reduce the "life cycle." Am I an engineer or what? LOL

BIG NEWS!!!!!

2010-03-11T22:36:00.001-08:00

We just found out tonight that I'm pregnant! We couldn't stop laughing. I walked like a zombie up to the office and layed the test on the desk in front of Mark then told him I needed to go to the grocery store to get a 2nd opinion. LOL

While on our adventure he told EVERYONE!! He was absolutely beaming. It was so cute. =)

Weeds and Wisdom Teeth

2010-02-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

So first thing this morning Mark got up to mow because it's like spring has come a month early and the grass was taller than a toddler. This afternoon I started pulling weeds. An effort that will continue tomorrow. I took pics of some of our plants because nobody will believe me otherwise. It's mid-WINTER and our plants that aren't supposed to bloom until late March are blooming!

Already bloomed!

Blooming!

These next two plants are May bloomers. Look at the size of their buds already!

So you are probably wondering where the wisdom teeth fit in with all of this. Well, Mark got his top two wisdom teeth removed this afternoon. There was alot of vomitting in the recovery room. Needless to say he and anesthesia don't get along. Then after I got him home and all fixed up he slobbered and bled in his sleep so I had to change the bedding. Poor guy. He's really being a great trooper despite it all.

He asked the doctor if he could keep his wisdom teeth since they were such a problem for him and the doc obliged. They had to break them apart to get them out so they wouldn't puncture his sinuses. WARNING: THIS PIC IS NOT FOR THE QUEASY!

Kathy Griffin

2010-02-20T16:01:00.001-08:00

Mark and I went and saw Kathy Griffin in January. She's one of my favorite comedienne's because she just tells things as she sees them. I don't necessarily agree with everything she says but I can respect her opinion. We took a bunch of pics with my phone but none of them turned out except those of our funny faces.

Mark attempting to make a fishy face. EPIC FAIL!

My fishy face. A little scary but not too bad.

What a cute couple. =)

Granny's Birthday

2010-02-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

She would have been 77 years old on January 20th. We love you and miss you!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Snoqualmie Falls

2010-02-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

So on Christmas Day (2009) we ventured to Snoqualmie Falls because we'd been having unusually cold weather for these parts and heard that the falls were frozen. It was amazing to see in person. The pictures don't really do it justice. The size of the icicles were unbelievable. Most of them were as long as Shaquille O'Neal is tall!!

Christmas 2009

2010-02-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas was two months ago but better late than never right?

We had a wonderful Christmas. For those of you that don't already know, I had rhinoplasty on Dec 16th so I'm swollen in the pics you will see but there was no bruising. Yay for that!! Oh, and anesthesia and I are not friends.

Here's our Christmas tree. Like the topper?

Hopper and Chase in their new scarfs courtesy of Grammy and Pappy Gatliff.

Hopper is all about helping mommy all of the time. Even if she doesn't need it. Why would opening presents be any different?

Hmmmm....what's in the blue bag?

A Blue Ray player! Woo Hoo!!! Daddy loves mommy. =)

My parents gave us this really nice picture frame that contained our names and what they mean. Obviously I'm not a pro at taking pictures of the both of us and a gift. That's just too much to ask of the woman that is no fan of cameras. We both look like total cheese balls and you can't even really see the gift. Oh well.

The boys' toys and treats. Thanks Grammy and Pappy Gatliff!!

Love the shirt. The guy's not too bad either.

Must be an interesting read or he's doing smell the fart acting. I can't really tell.

Grandview Dog Park

2009-09-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

This was our second time at the Grandview Dog Park and we really like it. There's always a bunch of dogs there with their people and everyone is really friendly. There's lots of room to run, an agility course, trails with views and much more. Of course the boys favorite thing to do is play ball. Total shocker I know.

I must admit that we go to the dog park mainly for Chase. He has so much energy and we just can't burn it off around the neighborhood alone. Hopper always takes on the role of big brother and supervises Chase's play. It's totally cute. If another dog picks on Chase, Hopper takes care of it. The first pic shows Hopper looking over the play area while Chase is that tiny dot at the top. The second pic is Hopper escorting Chase back to us. LOL

We met a little girl named Annie today and she wanted to play with the boys. (Probably because she was so tiny and all of the other dogs were big and knocking her over.) We gave her the Chuck-It so she could throw the ball for Chase and it was so funny. The boys aren't socialized with kids so they don't know what to make of them. Chase kept bringing the ball back to me and verifying that this little person was an acceptable play partner and Hopper kept barking and whining because he thought she was going to hurt Chase. Anyways, I recorded the last part of their play together because it was just so darn cute.

These are a couple of scenic pics from the trails at the park. The first one is of Kent Valley and if the Hansen Dam breaks this entire area will be under water!! The second is of Mt. Ranier. It was a clear day but because it hasn't rained the atmosphere is a little murky which makes it harder to see.

Home at last and Hopper was in need of some belly rubs. He is so dirty from the park that he looks gray instead of white. Don't tell him but a bath is in his near future. =)

Backyard Fun

2009-09-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

We've been having fabulous weather the past several weekends and we love to be outside in our backyard whenever possible. Now that it's fall, the evenings are much cooler which means we get to spend time around the fire pit with our boys. They love being outside because they get to do things like this...

Chase finally took a break from all of the play to cool his belly in the soft grass. This boy would play himself to death if we'd let him.

I know it seems like most of my pics are of Chase and that's because they are. It's because Hopper is such a momma's boy that he remains at my feet at all times unless he's doing something like this when his daddy has the camera. BTW...please excuse my appearance I only look that crappy when I'm at home in the evenings relaxing. =)

Look at these sad faces...they were disappointed because play time was over and it was time to eat dinner.

Hopper is the only one that decided to eat. Chase was trying to make a point that he doesn't have to do what we say by not eating. I wonder when he'll learn that he's always going to lose those battles. He was super hungry the next morning.

Ahhhh...the toasty fire pit. Life is good!!!

Potty Time!!

2009-09-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Renton Dog Park

2009-09-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today we took the boys to the Renton Dog Park which recently opened. It's a nice park with two play areas for the dogs. I hope that they get running water for the doggies and find a way to put in some shade but other than that it is great.

The boys had a blast. Chase immediately found a toy and declared it his so none of the other dogs were allowed to play with it despite their best efforts. Hopper made some new friends which was really anyone that would love on him.

Play?

Definitely a momma's boy

Catching Up

2009-08-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

I spent an entire day catching up on the last 11 years with a friend from high school today. It made me realize just how much I missed her and my other friends from high school. I regret not keeping in touch with them and I vow to do better. Of course now thanks to Facebook and MySpace it is much easier to maintain contact than it was 11 years ago. That sounds like a really long time but it feels like yesterday.

We had lunch at The Ram at Kent Station and that was yummy. Then we had a Jamba Juice and that was tasty too. Before we knew it, 6 hours had passed!!! Thanks to Sylvia for spending the day with me talking about times past, present and future!!!

Anniversary

2009-08-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was our 8th anniversary!!! And in case I didn't already know, I have the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD!!!!! He made me a DVD of our life together thus far and it was the sweetest thing. I actually cried, which is no longer a rare occurrence. I'm getting sappy with age. Note that I said sappy not saggy.

I know that I'm absolutely horrible at keeping this blog updated and much has happened since I last posted. Let's see, there's our Alaskan cruise, my family's visit, Mark's graduation, my MILs visit, our visit to Lawton...and much more. I promise to someday post pictures but let's face it...I suck.

Spinning

2009-05-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

I went to a spin class today...my first in like 3 years YIKES!!!...but I totally kicked ass. I don't think I'll be able to walk or go to the bathroom for at least a week but talk about major calorie burn. I always feel so accomplished when I work out and should do it more.

I admit that I went in completely dreading it because I know how intense those classes are and just how out of shape I am so the fact that I was able to keep up, even on the jumps, put me on cloud nine!!

I quickly made friends (no surprise there) and my new spinning BFF is James. He's been spinning since January and has lost 60 pounds!! Go James!! However, I will need to teach James moderation. Apparently this was his 2nd spin class today...yeah, you read that right...his 2nd.

Right now my boys are trying to make me feel better and I think Chase is losing his mind. He's in the chair with me just staring at our couch growling. His hair is standing up and everything!! Too funny!! Maybe he's trying to tell us to get a new one.

If the dumpster's rockin...

2009-04-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

When I saw the headline I was immediately grossed out but then couldn't help laughing. Oh the jokes that are running through my head but I will spare you. It must be a really tough economy if this was the best place they could find.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/43701407.html

April

2009-04-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

So this has been a crazy, stressful and totally unpredictable month.

First...out of the blue I got a job offer in Dallas. It was an amazing opportunity and really wish I could have taken the offer but because of the housing market I just could not swallow the loss I'd have to take on the house. It sure would have been nice to be closer to family but we really do LOVE it here in Seattle.

Second...this seems to be a month for deaths. There are 4 people that passed away in the same week and 2 of them were suicides. Talk about out of the blue and totally taken back. I'm still lost for words.

Third...work has really stressed me out lately. There's a guy that I work with who never shows up before lunch and half the time he doesn't come in until after 1p. How the heck are we supposed to get his support if he's never there to support us?!?! Speaking of support, the group I'm supporting has been bringing me to the brink of insanity. They'll request something from me and two seconds later I'm getting phone calls, emails or drop ins asking the status. They'll request a status meeting for the status meeting. Give me a break already! I'd get it done faster if you'd stop micro-managing and let me do my job already. I've never missed a deadline and there's a reason I'm the "go to gal."

The only positive thing I can think of that has happened this month is my dad's birthday and the fact that I reached my 10% goal at WW. Love you dad!!

I'm generally a positive (but realistic) person and try not to dwell on the bad stuff but this month has really sucked. I'm ready for May and my Alaskan cruise.

Stepping off of my soap box now...

Yoga

2009-02-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

I took my first yoga class EVER this evening and I'm not sure what I think. There was lots of deep breathing and holding of positions while doing the deep breathing. I must admit...I'm more flexible than I give myself credit for but with me being so ADD and not handling "quiet time" well all of the deep breathing and holding positions was very trying. I did feel like I got a work out in but could not quiet my mind like they wanted. I kept making mental notes of what I needed to do and focusing on the sounds outside and looking around to see what everyone else looked like. Oh, and I was suffocating in my own boobs half the time.

I decided to take yoga because let's face it...I'm overworked, overstressed, overweight and constantly on the go. I need to learn how to unwind and have some me time. I've got five more sessions so we'll see if I can get the enjoyment and yoga body I hear so much about.

P.S. Is it wierd that I hope I'm sore tomorrow?

Mark is Graduating!!!!

2009-02-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars now! Mark is graduating on June 19th!!!! We are so excited and I am soooo proud of him!! Sorry for all of the "!" but I'm just so darn happy!! Of course now he says he may want a Masters degree. I'm not so sure since I'm ready to finally have my husband back but one can never go wrong with education. :)

I've told him I'm sending out announcements and he's thoroughly embarrassed by the thought but I don't care.

Boeing Layoffs

2009-02-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

I have received numerous phone calls and emails asking if I will be affected by the Boeing layoffs. The answer is no...for now. Boeing plans on laying off 10,000 people this year and employs approximately 160,000 people world wide. With my clearance levels and skill set, it's not likely I'll be in that 10,000. Of course one NEVER knows especially in today's economy. Thank you for thinking of us!

Lavallee Boys Christmas

2009-01-16T21:58:00.000-08:00

I know this is being posted many moons after Christmas but better late than never right? The boys were absolutely spoiled this year...total shocker I know. Thanks grandma and grandpa Gatliff!!

Pictures of the boys toys and goodies.

The boys opening one of their presents. So funny.

Now the competition over toys begins.

I know this is a little fuzzy but I love that it shows them in a mad dash for their squeaky baby.

Chase won.

I absolutely adore these pics. I have the sweetest boys in the world and they are cute to boot. :)

Chase 1st Birthday!!!

2009-01-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

December 22nd was Chase's first birthday. Mommy made some birthday brownies (a recipe she found in a puppy cookbook) to celebrate the occasion. They were a BIG hit!!!

Chase taking a bite of his first birthday brownie. Look at him eating on his plate. It was too funny since he's usually such a messy eater.

Hopper was really fond of the brownies too.

All done it's clean up time.

My precious birthday boy!

White Christmas

2009-01-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know this is waaay overdue. We had like eight days of straight snow over Christmas break. It was nice but got annoying when I couldn't go anywhere for 4 days straight! Mark's car couldn't make it over the snow in the neighborhood so he took mine. Needless to say I was stuck at the house. Cabin fever anyone? So I took some pics to try to give you an idea of just how hard the snow was coming down. I think we got somewhere around 26" total during the entire storm.

This picture is of the green belt behind our house. It's beautiful living in the land of Christmas trees especially when they are covered in the snow. I love it here!!

The dogs absolutely LOVED being outside in this stuff. It was very difficult keeping the house dry with them dripping snow everywhere but they were so happy.

Chase drove me nuts most of the time but he's just too cute to stay mad at. I love the little guy but he was constantly whining and barking so he could go outside and catch the snow. It was too funny watching him out there.

Roasting weiners. Enough said.

These are pictures of the neighborhood taken at lunch time on Christmas eve. It was like being in a snow globe. This was only the 2nd time in my life I've had a White Christmas. I should mention that Mark was sick of hearing me sing that song long before Christmas. :)

Okay, so you probably want to know why a picture of the recycling bin. Well do you see all the snow on top? That was over a foot of snow and fell in less than 24 hours!!!

Snow Balls

2008-12-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing for the past couple of days and today there were some sun breaks so we decided to take advantage of it and take the boys outside. They absolutely loved it! We would make snow balls and throw them and they would chase them but would lose them in the snow. It was quite funny.

And were off. There goes Chase after one of the snow balls.

Dude, I know it's here somewhere.

Hopper, being the little cheater he is, decided he'd get a head start on the next snowball which you can see in the back ground that I am making. Well maybe you can't since I am the same color as the snow....damn cancer.

Feeling accomplished.

Bucket of Balls

2008-11-30T16:36:00.000-08:00

So in case you didn't know, our boys LOVE their tennis balls. Michele has this huge bucket full of them in her backyard so when they visit they are in heaven.

Here Chase has discovered the bucket of balls and is alerting Hopper to the find. Score!

Chase was bound and determined to get those balls but he was much too short. So try and try he did and this is what it looked like. Of course, Hopper was there for moral support.

Mission accomplished!!

Woodland Park Zoo

2008-11-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

So Mark and I decided we needed to get a visit in to the zoo before the weather turned. It was really great except there was this one kid that no matter where we went he was there too...screaming at the top of his lungs.

Our first stop was the gorillas. The keepers were tossing pumpkins and bananas into their dwelling. They weren't interested in the pumpkins but there was one gorilla that kept throwing bananas at another gorilla who decided not to retaliate but eat them instead.

Here she is looking at the Gorilla throwing the bananas at her...

And here she is eating one of the bananas.

Side note: Blogger is running SUPER SLOW so I'll keep the pics at a minimum. But back to the wildlife. Out of all the areas we visited we only found one animal that was interested in the pumpkin in his dwelling...the wild dog.

And my favorite. I called her Molly Bear. I'm sure that wasn't her real name but that's what I called her. She was totally playing to the camera. She looks like a Molly right?

Molly saying hello.

And Molly saying goodbye due to that screaming kid.

We really did have a great time. The weather was perfect and so were all the amazing fall colors. The only thing I wish we could have seen was the wolves but we'll probably drive down to the sanctuary in Olympia and get our fill there.

IT'S OVER!!!! (sort of)

2008-11-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

I could not be happier that this election is finally over. No more political bashing YAY!!!! Even though I did not vote for Obama I am sure he will do a good job. Of course, with him in office I'll be seeing ALOT less of my hard earned money but whatever...that's a whole other tanget so I won't step on that soap box. But just because the presidential election results are in doesn't mean we'll know who our governor will be. I'm prepared for a repeat of the 2004 governor election where it took many months to finally determine who our governor was. So it's over....sort of.

BTW...I've got pics from our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo and I promise I'll post them soon.

Our First Post!

2008-10-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

We decided to start this blog so we can keep our family and friends updated with events happening in our lives. We promise to try to post on a frequent basis and include pics. So please sit back and enjoy.

Welcome to Lavallee News!!