August 20th- 26th

Week of Aug 20-26, 2007
Written by Annaliese

Monday, August 20th- We had a fairly normal day at work and at home, but poor Chris is STILL dealing with issues with the firewall at work. They returned the faulty hardware, but had to stay late to try and install the new stuff- he didn't get home until after 1am! I don't sleep well when he's not home, so I stayed up and did some cleaning & ironing. It was nice to get a bunch of things done, but it started me on a tired streak for the week!

Tuesday, August 21st- I had a doctor's appointment first thing that morning. Everything looks good, baby is still there and not looking to come out any too early! After work I headed up to Olympia for a dentist appointment (as you remember I chipped my tooth about a week and a half ago). McKay was so wonderful to meet Corrine & I at the dentist office and take her over to McDonald's to play in the PlayPlace during my appointment. Since it's a dental clinic they don't do everything at once- I have to schedule each thing individually. So that day they took some x-rays, did an exam and told me what would be needed for the chipped tooth. Luckily they did have another appointment open 2 days later so they could do some build-up and temporary crown for the chipped tooth.

We ran a quick errand to Target and then all of us headed North to Maple Valley- Corrine BEGGED me to ride with Uncle "uh-kay". So she did. He is so adored- it's great. Traffic wasn't bad and we made it to Maple Valley without a hitch. It was so good to see Tanner- first time in 2 years! Corrine LOVED looking at all his Africa pictures- especially the animal ones! It was also so fun to see Bradford & Megan and cute Baby Lucy (Baby woo-cee as Corrine says) as they were stopped over before getting on the ferry to Alaska- I still can't believe they are moving to Alaska- so cool! Megan was working in the kitchen and Tanner was BBQing chicken on the grill. It was all very good. It was fun just to sit and visit with everyone. Corrine & I were going to head back that night, but we were just too tired, so we opted to stay the night. But of course we stayed up until after midnight talking and enjoying time together. Luckily I keep a change of clothes for Corrine in the car and because of my dentist appointment I had my toothbrush- so at least we didn't have to sleep with gross teeth! :) And Corrine LOVED that we slept in G&G's BIG bed.

McKay reading to Corrine & Lucy

Wednesday, August 22nd- Corrine & I were up and out the door about 5:45am. She was a good sport and got up and got dressed without being fussy. And she crashed fairly quickly after we got on the road. Traffic was fairly steady, but moved at normal speeds so we made great time home. I left Corrine asleep in the car while I ran in the house to grab some changes of clothes and food for us for the day, and put out the garbages, then we headed into work. Corrine slept for quite awhile after we got to work and I just tried to stay busy and stay awake! Luckily we both got naps that afternoon as well!

Thursday, August 23rd- After work we went back to Olympia for my follow up dental appointment. McKay was once again my hero and came and took Corrine for me. I don't know what I would have done without him this week! My dentist said the reason my tooth cracked & chipped was that an old filling had worn out (for lack of a better term) and since it hadn't been replaced, started decaying again. By the time he got all the cavity out, he said it was close to the nerve, but the nerve wasn't exposed so no root canal was necessary- YAY!!! I walked out with a temporary crown as it takes a few weeks to get the permanant one- we went ahead and scheduled it, but we'll have to see what this baby decides to do! :)

After the dentist we ran into Tumwater where we picked up a free wood frame futon! I was grateful for the truck that we got from my boss AND for McKay who helped me get it loaded into the truck- it was a tight fit, but perfect. And the woman was even kind enough to give us a brand new cover that was still in the package for it! We've turned our upstairs loft area into the kids room and so Corrine's room has become a playroom/guestroom and this is perfect!

We also stopped by to take Chris a milkshake at work since things have been stressful for him lately- nothing helps stress better than ice cream! :)

Friday, August 24th- Sunday, August 26th- The rest of the week & weekend was fairly uneventful. Chris had to spend another Saturday at work. I know this is getting frustrating for him as even the engineers can't figure out why the firewall isn't working properly. Corrine & I did some work in the garden and around the house- the upstairs is actually clean and looks like a kids room now and all the laundry got finished. Now if we can just tackle the other projects that need to be done before this baby is born! :)

August 13th-19th

Week of August 13-19, 2007: Falling Behind!
Written by Annaliese

I have to write this before I have 2 weeks to catch up on!!

Monday, August 13th- I got one of those rare bursts of crazy energy and took advantage of it- I scoured the house: dishes, laundry, ironing, vacuuming floors & couches, spot cleaning the carpets, kitchen floors, changing sheets, etc. I just kept going. I really should learn to pace myself as I was exhausted the next day- but it's so nice to have a clean house!

Tuesday, August 14th- My morning started with another doctor's appointment. This is the start of my weekly visits- which means this baby is coming soon! I was down a pound, but feel like I'm eating more . . . I hope that doesn't mean that this kid is getting any ideas of being a 10lb baby! I was officially at 37 weeks on Thurs 16th, which is good news because even if the baby is born now, he's fully developed and doesn't have the same risks- always comforting to know. The doctor said it doesn't look like this baby is trying to come out any too soon- which as you know, I'm more than ok with!

Since Chris had to spend the previous Saturday at work, and ended up working late on Monday, he took Tuesday off. It was nice to come home from work and have him here. He was working on the truck (it's somewhat of a constant project- but it was a free truck, so we don't mind), mowing the lawn, weed-eating, etc. I talked him into taking a break and we took Corrine & the girls I babysit to McDonald's to redeem their coupon for free ice cream from the library summer reading program. What made it even better was that it was one of those nice rare HOT days here in Washington! :) Made the ice cream taste even better!

Wednesday, August 15th- my wonderful mother-in-law had the day off, so she offered to take Corrine for the day and come steam clean my carpets! I had mentioned to her that I wanted to borrow her cleaner before the baby was born- and instead she just came and did it! They look great and it's one less thing to worry about now! And of course Corrine had a ball "helping".

Friday, August 17th- I was feeling restless and anxious all day. Chris knew he was going to have a long evening at work as the issues he thought had been resolved, weren't. So when Corrine woke up from her nap I asked if she wanted to take a drive to the beach. We are lucky to live close to the ocean, so in about 20 minutes we were walking barefoot in the sand. We had a great time- we buried our feet in the sand, let the COLD waves wash over our feet and then would run away from the next one, we built a castle (which was really more of a large mound of sand, but Corrine was thrilled with it), and we walked the shores picking up random bits of shells that Corrine found fascinating. There is such a wonderful calming, peaceful feel effect of being, hearing, seeing the ocean. I love that we live close enough to take a small afternoon adventure and enjoy it.

Saturday, August 18th- I spent most of the day working online. I ran some errands in the afternoon while Corrine was napping and that evening we all headed out to the wedding reception of Alan & Kym Sommerville. Alan was a good friend of Chris' growing up. They were married several weeks ago in a small ceremony, but had the reception where most of their family is. We've had the chance to hang out with them on a few occasions while they were dating and were thrilled for them both. The food was good and it was nice to be there with Chris' parents as well. After the reception we all went up to Mom & Dad Priamos' and played Phase 10 into the late hours of the evening. Of course we all lost to Bill- very typical when it comes to card games! Jimmy (Chris' older sister Cheree's son) was staying with them for the week, so it was fun to hang out with him as well.

Grandpa & Grandma Priamos -- Cousin Jimmy

The weeks keep flying by and summer is almost over! It always happens way too fast!

Corrine & Ebony enjoy a warm afternoon outside

August 6th- 12th

Week of August 6-12, 2007: Lots to Say for a Slow Week
Written by Annaliese

I'm honestly not sure anything exciting happens in our lives to document every week, but I know my mom will appreciate the fact that I'm at least writing! :)

Monday, August 6th- was a tiring day. None of us slept well, so we ended up waking up early to start our day. Not that there's anything wrong with an early start to the day, it just really hits you hard mid-afternoon! Chris' parents were kind enough to have us up for dinner that night, which I especially love because it means I don't have to cook! :) Corrine stayed the night there as I had an early doctor's appointment the next morning. So we were actually able to get to bed early that night at least!

Tuesday, August 7th- My doctor's appointment went well and I took advantage of the fact that Corrine was still with G&G Priamos and ran errands after work. I hit up the local farm stand with the girls I babysit to stock up on produce- we love having a place that caters to local produce and for such a better price! I've also been trying to bring my own non-plastic bags to the stores when I go shopping because I swear my plastic bags reproduce when left alone! I think it almost makes shopping more fun by bringing my own bags . . . that could be a dangerous thing.

Thursday, August 9th- was the tragic day in our household- I chipped a tooth while eating frozen M&M's (dang pregnancy cravings). Luckily it's not overly painful, and it's not one of my front teeth, it's just annoying. Add that to the fact that I don't have dental insurance and I wasn't a happy camper about it all. I did do some research and was at least able to find a dental discount plan and a dentist that can get me in to see him fairly quickly. So hopefully I'll have a pretty mouth soon.

Friday, August 10th- I spent some time after work in our garden. It has not been doing well this year. I don't think our soil has enough nutrients in it and couple that with our overly overcast rainy summer, I think most of our stuff hasn't gotten enough sun & nutrition. I was able to pick a bowlful of sugar snap peas which we snacked on all afternoon and a few blackberries that are coming over our fence. We have lots of strawberries growing, but it looks like the slugs and the ants are getting to them before we do! They must be good because they eat them right up! And luckily we'll get some zucchini & squash (growing those can make anyone feel like a good gardener!).

Saturday, August 11th- Chris had a long day as he had to be into work early that morning to work on a new firewall they were installing. He was there for about 12 hours of the day and came home tired. But he was able to get everything done that was needed. His company is lucky to have him as he works hard and wants things done well.

Corrine & I spent a lot of the day organizing & cleaning the house. Slowly but surely each pile of "projects" is getting smaller! We spent a lot of the day going through old files, shredding paper and dumping it in the recycling bins- Corrine now wants to shred & recycle EVERYTHING! Hopefully she's gotten the message that she has to ask first before she puts it in the recycling . . . I'm just waiting for something important to disappear.

That night we were thrilled to talk to Tanner! Corrine just jabbered on and on to him about anything & everything. I think at first she was a little confused as he sounded like Uncle Taylor to her! When I explained that this was Uncle Tanner who was on a mission in Africa she got all excited and wanted to tell him about all the "African animals" she saw at the zoo. Too funny. He sounded great- he said that he, Mom, Dad & Taylor had a great trip around South Africa- what a cool experience! I only wish we could have been there to hear his report in church as I'm sure it was wonderful!

Sunday, August 12th- On the way to church Corrine was asking me questions about where everyone was. She wanted to know if G&G Allen were in Maple Valley- I explained to her that they were in Utah because Uncle Tanner had to give a talk in church. She replied "He's speaking at church in Utah (more often called Utahda) like Uncle Taylor?" I told her yes and her quick reply was "Well, hurry! We need to go see him!" I had to explain that it would take too long to get to Utah, but that we could see him when he comes up to Maple Valley. She then wanted the run down of where all the other uncles were- she was NOT happy that none of them were in Maple Valley and said "But I want my guys NOW." So all you Uncles, you are officially "her guys". :)

She's been funny lately about going to nursery- it took lots of coaxing and the promise of fishy crackers for snacks to finally get her to go in. I think it has everything to do with this baby coming. I don't think I mentioned it before, but lately all her baby dolls are baby boys- even the ones with pigtails & ribbons. I'm sure it's because she has a baby brother on the way, but it sure it cute for her to come up to me with a baby in a pink dress and say "Mom, he's fussy- can you hold him?"

We also made a great "trade" that afternoon from a local online reuse board. We found someone who was wanting our old freezer and was willing to give us their infant car seat as we don't have one currently and they are no longer using theirs. It's always fun to find great things like that!

It's been a good week, one week closer to adding to our family- we're getting excited for the bigger adventures ahead!

July 30th- August 5th

Week of July 30- August 5, 2007: Busy, Busy Bees
Written by Annaliese

This past week feels like it has been exhausting- although I think it was mostly the weekend that did us in!

Monday, July 30th- Chris was sent home from work sick. Normally having a little cold wouldn't be such a big deal, but one of his co-workers was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has started chemo, so they have all been pretty careful about doing their best not got expose her to any infections. Luckily he could work from home and did that until Wednesday. Corrine spent the evening up at G&G Priamos' house so Chris & I ordered pizza and watched a movie together. A nice relaxing evening.

Tuesday, July 31st- I had a doctor's appointment. Just 5 more weeks and I am feeling more ready to have the baby and less ready as far as our house goes! Oh well- I'm sure it will all work out, somehow it always does.

Thursday, August 2rd- we started getting ready for the big move we were making with our servers. We recently were told that our speeds that we were getting were not fast enough for commercial IP addresses, which we need considering we run those servers for our business. Our options were to try Comcast Business package or put a T1 line into our house (which would have been ridiculously expensive). We opted for what we could afford- Comcast and are so glad we did. We have BETTER speeds than a T1 line and it's 1/3 of the cost! But we had to make the big switch meaning all our servers would go down for a couple days.

So that night Chris jumped in and dismantled one desk we were getting rid of, set up the new shelving for our servers and made sure everything was ready to go.

Friday, August 3rd- Late that night we actually made the big switch. We also rearranged the office so we could utilize our space better- this meant moving EVERYTHING of course- desk, file cabinets, laser printer and moving in a large cabinet from Mom & Dad. Being pregnant makes me feel like such a wimp! Luckily I have a strong husband who is willing to do the heavy lifting and moving. The office looks great and everything went fairly smooth with the servers.

Saturday, August 4th- was a busy day as well. Chris spent a good portion of the day working on making sure the servers were coming back online and that our connections were solid. He also moved the old freezer out and we got everything into the new freezer- I couldn't believe all the empty space we had in it! It's so much bigger than our old one! I worked on Corrine's room which is becoming a guest room/play room as she doesn't like to sleep that far away from us. And we did some work on getting the baby area/Corrine's sleeping area organized upstairs.

I found out that my good friend and old roommate from Fresno, Amy (Kland) Neilsen had her baby 3 weeks early- on her birthday! Pretty exciting day for them, but it made me realize how UNready we are for the baby to come! We don't even have a place for him to sleep yet!

Sunday, August 5th- Corrine was clingy and didn't want to go to nursery, but finally conceeded. I think she realizes that there's a lot of change coming with the baby and isn't quite sure how to express how she's feeling. We had a wonderful Relief Society lesson on the Word of Wisdom. After church we tried to put our tornado of a house back together. We at least got everything moved into the rooms where it belongs- now it's just a matter of getting it all put away.

We also gave away the large desk that was in our office and some misc smaller pieces of furniture. We figured since they were given to us and we've been given some wonderful things to replace them we may as well pass along the good will. Hopefully by the end of the week our old freezer and a smaller desk will be gone as well. More room in the garage! Yay!

I mostly worked upstairs all afternoon getting the crib & changing table put together and set up, moving furniture around and boxing up stuff we are no longer using. Hopefully by the end of today it will actually look like a childs room, not a large storage area!

All our servers came back online- which is great and means all our customers had their sites up for start of business today. After checking on the computers Chris did some yardwork and played with Corrine on the trampoline- she loves it! We hope the novelty doesn't wear off too soon as it keeps her entertained for long periods of time!

Corrine & Chris playing on the trampoline

We've heard a few times from Mom & Dad Allen in South Africa picking up Tanner. It sounds like they are having a great trip- can't wait to hear all the details and see the pictures. And we're VERY excited about having Tanner & McKay close to us this fall!

I need to get back to getting more done! Hope all of you had a wonderful week as well! Love you lots!

July 23rd- 29th

Week of July 23-29, 2007: Where Did July Go?!
Written by Annaliese

I can't believe July is almost over- it seemed summer has just started here as we've finally gotten some sunshine! Maybe we'll have a late summer and get to enjoy it for a little longer . . . I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Our week was pretty basic- Corrine & I went to work and we only had one of the girls I babysit in the afternoons since her sister was at Girls Camp for our ward.

Monday, July 23rd- Happy Birthday to Taylor & Tanner! Corrine was excited all day to call Uncle Taylor and sing to him! She LOVES singing for birthdays! Mom & Dad Priamos had Corrine & I up for dinner that night as Chris was working late to get a new T1 line installed at work.

Tuesday, July 24th- We did our final activity for the summer reading program with our local library. They've had some great events this summer and we've enjoyed participating in as many as we could. Corrine still talks about the juggling & the puppet shows we've seen.

Thursday, July 26th- was a Washington State Patrol inspection for work. This is where a state trooper comes and inspects our trucks and all our files & paperwork. Usually this inspection doesn't happen until September and we usually have about a months notice to make sure everything is in order- this time we had a 1 day notice! We were scrambling all day Wednesday and Thursday morning to make sure it was all there! Corrine & I had a late day at work on Thursday since that's when the inspector would be here- she was so good for it being way past her naptime. Luckily we passed with flying colors!

Saturday, July 28th- We got off to a late start that morning as we were trying to get out of town- it always seems to take longer than planned! But finally we got on the road to Maple Valley- it is so WONDERFUL to have Mom & Dad Allen close to us! I love that we can visit them and it doesn't take a plane ride to get there! We stopped in Olympia to pick up a delivery truck from Chris' work- they were good enough to let us borrow it. We needed it because we were picking up some items that Mom & Dad were giving to us- a fridge, freezer, shelf, a couple chairs and Corrine's favorite item: a full-size trampoline! The truck was perfect and Dad & Chris had it loaded up with all the stuff in no time.

And as a side note- Mom & Dad have done wonderful things with the house- I know it's been a lot of work for them as it is smaller than the house in Layton, but it looks beautiful! The hard work has paid off!

Chris did some yardwork with Dad while Corrine, Mom & I picked blueberries. Then we all enjoyed an afternoon down at the lake. They have the most beautiful lake just below their house where you can swim, boat, fish- it's like scout camp- but I think a little warmer! Corrine couldn't get enough of it! She was shivering, but kept dragging Chris back out into the water for more- he's such a good dad to play with her for so long! We all enjoyed a yummy BBQ dinner together that night and Chris found another project to work on- getting the doorbell fixed. He & Dad were running around town at 9:00pm trying to find the right part- and luckily they did!

Sunday, July 29th- Chris woke up feeling congested at 5:30am and Corrine figured that meant it was time for us to get up too! So we were all wide awake WAY too early. Chris finally fell back asleep and after a shower & breakfast (I think Corrine opted for 3 chocolate chip cookies instead of cereal) she finally went back down for a nap as well.

Church was great- it's always nice to have a few extra set of hands! Corrine actually does very good in church- she loves to sing the most and has to have her own hymnbook during each hymn! She usually fills in with her own words- sometimes it's "I Am a Child of God", othertimes its a theme song to one of her favorite children's shows- I always get a kick out of listening to her! And it's always fun to sit in on Dad's Gospel Doctrine class.

After church we had lunch and picked more blueberries- we came home with LOTS of delicious berries! Chris left early so that he could get the truck unloaded before we got home, but unfortunately the key to the padlock was in my purse- a lot of good that did! I stayed and visited for a bit while Corrine napped, then we headed out the door. It's always sad to leave, but nice to know they are close enough we can come visit again soon!

Mom & Dad are on their way to South Africa this week to pick up Tanner- what an exiting time! I'm jealous! :) But I'm sure they'll come back with lots of adventures and photos!