A little of this a little of that...

Oh boy! Its early, I could go back to bed, however I would rather blog! (BE THANKFUL! BE VERY THANKFUL!) ha ha ha!

What is happening in our world.....lets see....I got up real early this am as Kameron is working today so I was gonna back cookies for a family who is traveling next week to deal with some medical issues. However, I have no vanilla. WHAT?! How do I not have vanilla? I am sure when we moved I threw it out, along with most everything I am currently missing. So needless to say I have to go to the grocery store later today and stock up on things and pick up some vanilla while I am there. I am pretty proud of me for doing the "only go to the store once a week thing" I love it! I really do! I am definitely spending less, which works out well for our family!

I am also up watching The Best of Trading Spaces with Paige Davis reruns. They are on early on the OWN channel, you know Oprah's station. I remember many years of watching this show on a Saturday night with my family! :) Paige is totally rocking the mom jeans and sleeveless top like no one else ever could! They actually look good on her, will fashion ever think mom jeans are cool again? I know they look dorky but sometimes I think I would rather have them then the low cut denims that show your undies and butt crack. I also was happy to hear that skinny jeans are on their way out, they only look good on skinny people who don't eat cookies and don't have hips. But if you are looking for new fashion you could always wear jeggins. Which to me are like stirrup pants with out the stirrups. I mean seriously, don't challenge me on this one. Also have you seen Pajama Jeans? I think I need a pair, not even kidding. Jeans that are comfy, that has to be a miracle product! I have yet to find the "PERFECT JEAN" I am convinced that they don't exist. Okay off my fashion soapbox, who knew you were going to get a "Project Runway" blog.... :) Heidi Klum, I am not. :)

Okay what else are we up to, oh yes Kynlee, our little sunshine with spitfire like nothing else I have ever seen! She is crawling EVERYWHERE, almost like she is in a race with someone. She is VERY busy ALL the time. I am pretty sure she gets that from Kameron, I mean really, I am so relaxed all the time. ;) Don't get me wrong, I am so happy that because Kynlee looks EXACTLY like her father she at least has a few traits from me. However, I really could have lived without the nosey, drama queen, busy body traits. Oh well, at least we know she is mine! :) She is trying to walk. She walks behind all sorts of things pushing them around the house, we know the day is coming that she will take off on her own! She tries to stand up by herself but then just sits down and crawls to her destination. She eats like a champ and makes a bigger mess with her food than I know what to do with (good thing we have Sadie!). She is always making noise (another one of my lovely traits!), she says "MAMA, MAMA, MAMA" a LOT! Also said "dadda" on command last night! It was so awesome. I know she is close to saying "bye-bye" as she waves she opens her mouth like she is gonna say it, but nothing comes out! :) Soon enough, soon enough! There are days that I wish she would just talk already, but pretty sure between her and I no one else will get a word in! :) She LOVES to Skype with Kameron's parents about 5 nights a week. We hope to get my dad & Frannie in on it too and next is my parents. Its so wonderful for Kynlee to get to see everyone! SHE LOVES IT! :)

Kameron is doing better since his little health scare. I will post all about that sometime, I just don't have the energy yet! He is working a lot, even today. He never works on Saturday's but took off Wednesday and so he adjusted his schedule. He may work tomorrow too, he will let me know on his break. Other than that he is the main snow remover in this house. We all know I would not be shoveling, its just not in me to do that. Shoveling or raking, I told Kameron before we got married almost 4 years ago that he would have to pick up my slack there. He told me that he doesn't clean bathrooms and loathes doing the dishes. So far things have worked out well between us! ;)

We are taking a mini-vacation to Las Vegas next weekend. Yup, we fly out Friday and back on Monday. We are REALLY looking forward to it! :) I bought the flight as a surprise to Kameron back in September. I figured after having a baby and moving we needed a trip. I knew if I scheduled it in January it would also work as our anniversary/Valentines Day gifts! :) Little did I know that after Kameron's "near death experience" we would REALLY REALLY REALLY (you get the idea) need a vacation! :) So Kynlee will head to my parent's house next Thursday night and then we will meet them on Monday in Minot to pick her up. We are looking forward to it and I know my parents & Emy are too. Oh and I should mention Sadie is also going with, she and Polly (my parents dog) get along really well! Neither of us have been to Vegas and we are excited to see the sights! We have a million and one good recommendations of what to see and do while there! :) I did want to get back to my pre-baby weight before we went, however that totally did NOT happen. Oh well, no big deal, Kameron loves me either way! :)

I kind of decided that 2011 was the "Clean Sweep" year for us. We are ready to "de-clutter" our lives. There are a couple ways we are doing this, actually 11. For those of you who read my 11 list a couple weeks ago you know how well this works for me. I wasn't going to post the 11, but I feel if I do, it will make me more accountable.

1. Less clutter in our house....meaning one thing....SELL SELL SELL or GIVE GIVE GIVE! We just have too much "stuff" and it needs to go! Yes I know this would have been helpful prior to moving, but either way its getting done.

2. No random shopping. I love retail therapy. Let me rephrase that, I LOVE RETAIL THERAPY. But sometimes its more expensive than real therapy and it just clutters our house. This doesn't mean no more shopping, it just means limited.

3. Only grocery shopping once a week. This will save us money and make me plan more.

4. Planning out a week of meals, this goes along with the weekly grocery shopping. Not to mention I like to be organized (why hadn't I thought of this before!)

5. More fresh fruits and vegis. Not only is this helpful health-wise, but also a good practice for Kynlee to follow. When we lived apart it was hard to buy lots of fresh food because neither of us could eat it fast enough and it would go to waste.

6. Less eating out. Very healthy for our bodies and our check book. Not to mention trying to only drink water when we are out. I mean really why must a restaurant charge $3 for a fountain pop, we all know it only cost them like 3 cents to pour it in to the glass. (Don't yell at me, yes I get it...overheard, however I still want to complain!)

7. Work on a budget. So not easy for me! I hate budgets! I haven't even kept a check book register in years. We are now working hard on keeping tabs on every penny spent! :) Thanks to Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University we are trying hard to pay off some debts. Its an uphill battle, but I know we can do it.

8. Utilize resources that are right in front of us. Why would we not use online bill pay? Its free from our bank and so super easy to do. I save so much time not writing checks and using stamps.

9. Mail less. I love mail, everyone knows that. I love mailing things. Its actually what people make fun of me for most... the standing joke is "how many letters did you get from Cassie this week". So I decided after all these years of making fun of me, I am going to slow down. I didn't say stop, I just said slow down. For years (sometimes decades) I have been sending birthday cards to MANY people. Sad that I only get about 5 back each year. So if I send around 50 birthday cards a year @ .44 for a stamp and $2 for a card thats.... $122 a year. Crazy. I know people love birthday cards, but really why am I wasting my time. Not to mention the birthday gifts I do, the baby gifts, the "oh its Friday" gifts, I just have to be done. I spend a lot of money & time  each day/month/year doing this. Not that I need to be getting something back from everything I do, but at this point its a financial decision. I can utilize texting, emails, facebook and ecards to send greetings. ALL FREE SERVICES! :) This also goes along with Christmas cards. There are people I have sent to for a long time without a card back. Kind of like a slap in the face, I need to limit that list. I have been working on that and am getting the list down. This also saves money and time! :)

10. Cleaning out facebook. I am working hard on deleting people that I don't need to have on fb. I also get made fun of for the large group of "friends" I have, so I am trying to widdle my way down to a "normal" number of friends. This is really hard. Its frustrating when I see someone out in public and they don't say hi, but we are expected to be friends on fb. Its strange I know. This whole fb world is just wacky! So I am working hard on deleting people, but I don't like telling someone that "I don't want to be friends with you" its like elementary school all over again! However, I really need to clean out this list, I have some people on there who are negative ALL the time. You know the ones, " Oh I am sick again, the weather sucks, my life is horrible...." blah blah blah. Not that I am Sally Sunshine 365 days a year, but I cannot listen to negative all the time. If your life is that bad, get off the computer and do something positive. BE THE CHANGE YOU NEED! No one can make your life better, except a change in your attitude! :)

11. Less TV, more family time. Everyone knows how much I love TV, I do, I am a child of the TV generation. I love reality tv the most. I am trying to "clean sweep" my life and the shows in it. I don't want to have Kynlee growing up watching nonsense shows. We watch plenty of tv, however we have started to eliminate shows that didnt make us feel good about ourselves. I am not preaching to you about what shows you are watching. Whatever works for you, do it! :) I took out watching Desperate Housewives, I never felt good after watching it, I felt slimy, so I decided to be done. I have never watched Jersey Shore. I just don't think its a good show to be on with Kynlee around. She doesn't need to see Snookie making a fool out of herself on the beach. I have been trying to stick to the philosophy that "Is this healthy for Kynlee?" or "Is this show rotting my brain?" I still have some guilty pleasures, but I am working REALLY hard on this. We have been trying hard to shut the TV off at 8:00 each night and have quiet time until bed. Kynlee goes to bed about that time and then Kameron and I read in bed. We haven't been 100% perfect but we are sure starting to read the millions of books we have from many of my retail therapy sessions! :)

Okay thats all! Have a super duper Saturday. Kynlee and I will spend our day folding laundry, making cookies, doing more laundry and vacuuming the basement. Yes I know you are jealous, it may not be a glamorous life, but its our life! :)

Much love!

Cassie and gang! :)

Suggestions.....

Hello all! I know some of you are picking yourselves off the floor as you are getting 2 blogs from me in a week! Well on my "2011 goal" list was to blog more, so enjoy the excitement while you can!

After my last blog, I was overwhelmed and VERY thankful for all the messages (and comments) I got from people who had read my message! Nothin' like making a girl feel special! And I did! SOOOOO thank you to those of you who read my blog (how rare my posts may be!).

I love my blog for MANY reasons....

-I can ramble on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on..... (you get the idea!) and you don't hang up on me, or tell me to SHUT UP! (Not a nice phrase, we were never allowed to say it growing up and I will keep that tradition in my house!) 

-Sometimes I am not the quickest at getting back to people in the most timely manner, so blogging gives you an insight to my life (or our lives...since my life is really about the other important people in my life!)

-Many times I just need a sounding board....and winner, winner, chicken dinner..THATS YOU!

-Just to clear my head. Did you ever have a diary? I did and I remember recently finding one from high school when I had my first real kiss. (Shocker, I know, that I kissed someone before Kameron....trust me, hes my FAVORITE! Not to mention the first one was really sloppy!) Well back to the diary...I wrote things down to clear my head, sometimes when I unload my thoughts, frustration, excitement, anxiety and all other things going on with my feelings. So moral of the story is...if you need an outlet for feelings, feel free to write (I mean type) it out! :) 

-I connect with all sorts of folks! Although I connect with many people through FB, I also have a group of "blogging friends" that I follow. Some people I haven't even met! 

THIS IS WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP! :) 

I have MANY interesting blogs I follow, if you ever want to know for yourself, check out my list! I have a variety.....a cupcake company with about 15 posts each day about cool cupcakes, a radio host from Dallas, the Dining Diva from Denver (although shes really in Oklahoma now!) :), Some people I follow have no kids (some wish they did, others say no thank you!), many bloggers I follow have more than 1 blog (I KNOW right, who has time!), some post once a year, others every single stinking day, a few who only do pictures with minimal words, or many like me who wish they were smarter and posted more pictures!, some about sports, others about pets....anyhow, you get the idea. I LOVE READING BLOGS! :) Its like a little peak into someone's life! :) 

SOOOOOOOOOOO bloggers, what blogs to you recommend? I should rephrase that.....Maybe you aren't a blogger, but you read blogs, what are some you would recommend???

FILL ME IN PEOPLE! 

And thank you also for your blogs...for those of you who do! I am aware many of you don't, which is fine, but thank you for reading mine! :) 

Have a super duper day, I look forward to hearing what you have to say! :) 

11 for 2011!

Well I have dedicated this post to 2011....fitting isn't it! :) I will be filling it with my top 11 various lists. I wanted to do top 10's, but thats pretty overrated so I went with 11, coincidentally its 2011! :)


Top 11 Foods I haven't tried........


1. Sushi
2. Tongue
3. Quiche
4. Tuna
5. Salmon 
************this is as far as I got on this one! :) Sorry I cannot come up with another 6 that I have not tried......I am stumped! Anyhow enjoy the rest of the lists!


11 States I have not visited


1. Illinois
2. Nevada (although I will in 2 weeks)
3. Pennsylvania
4. Florida
5. Virginia
6. North Carolina
7. Indiana
8. Maine
9. New Mexico
10. South Carolina
11. Louisiana


11 Goals for 2011


I would have said resolutions, but no one ever completes them!
1. Get back to my pre-baby weight (I know everyone says that!)
2. DVR less (I am decades behind on watching what I already have recorded!)
3. Delete at least 600 people off my facebook...
4. Do some type of physical activity each day (other than getting out of bed)
5. Send less birthday cards (Seems kind of rude doesn't it....but I send a LOT and I really don't get many back so its time to stop wasting my time!) :)
6. waste less......which shouldn't take much, i waste a LOT
7. Buy more generic---There are only a few things that I have to have name-brand so I will stick to those and buy the rest generic
8. BLOG MORE!!!! ( I am honestly gonna try!!!! Remind me if I slip up....for those of you who read my blog...if you don't read it, then you don't care!)
9. Read more! I am not talking People magazine here.....I am really talking about reading more books (and not just picture books to Kynlee)
10. Use reusable bags at the grocery store (I am pretty sure I am the only one on the planet not doing this already!)
11. Spend less!!! (this will only work if I follow through with #5 and 7!)


Top 11 favorite restaurant foods


1. ANY Fuddrucker's Hamburger
2. Queso dip from Applebees
3. The bread from Johnny Carinos
4. Blondie Brownie from Applebeens
5. French Onion Soup from Applebees
6. Cheesy Hashbrowns from Cracker Barrel
7. French Fries from McDonalds
8. Ole's from Taco Johns
9. Kneofla Soup from Krolls
10. Popcorn from Rockin 50's
11. Anything from Joes Crab Shack


Okay that list did nothing for me health wise! :) But it was fun to make! :) And I know its cheap cheesy restaurants, but that is what we have here in this neck of the woods! :) 


11 things I am slightly obsessive about (some may say OCD..... I call it some of my quirks!)


1. Diet Mountain Dew ( I am REALLY into caffeine free right now)
2. Sharpies....honestly....I am embarrassed of my collection...its so many!
3. Using Clorox wipes.....for EVERYTHING!
4. my closet and the way the clothes are arranged (by shirt sleeve length, color....don't jump all over me on this, everyone is strange in their own way)
5. my cell phone (its even worse now that I have the internet on there!)
6. being the first one to get AND open the mail
7. Boneshaker coffee! Its been almost 5 years since I lived in Bismarck....oh how I miss it! :)
8. Lindor Truffles, have you had them??? AMAZING!
9. Reading the paper, daily the Tribune and weekly the Farmer, Record and Beacon.
10. Not letting my food touch (totally strange I know, I also eat one thing at a time)
11. my dyson! (if you dont have one....TOTALLY worth the money!) 


11 Movies I could watch over and over


1. My Girl
2. Tommy Boy
3. Marley and Me
4. Sixteen Candles
5. Toy Story (any of them)
6. Good Will Hunting
7. The Christmas Story
8. The Blind Side
9. Annie
10. Pretty Woman
11. Forest Gump


11 Favorite groups/singers I could listen to everyday (I don't know CD names so bear with me!)


1. Dixie Chicks (no I do not agree with their political ideas.....)
2. Taylor Swift
3. John Mayer
4. Joey & Rory
5. Reba
6. Garth Brooks
7. Lady A
8. Kellie Pickler
9. Carrie Underwood
10. Pink
11. Indigo Girls


Wow after typing out that list I realized how many women and country singers were on there.....Interesting. 


11 TV shows I enjoy watching


1. Parenthood
2. Bachelor or Bachelorette 
3. Minute to Win It
4. What would you do?
5. Wife Swap
6. Baggage
7. Millionaire Matchmaker
8. The Middle
9. The Locator
10. Undercover Boss
11. Big Brother


Uffda, thats alot! Not that I watch each of them EVERY week, but I do try to catch them...hello overloaded DVR! :) 


11 of my favorite foods


1. HAMBURGERS (I honestly cannot resist them!)
2. String Cheese
3. Homemade Cappuccino ( I doctored up the recipe a little, but will get it to you!)
4. Taco Soup
5. Spray whipped cream (goes well with #3)
6. Dark Chocolate
7. a glass of ICE cold water (not from the tap!)
8. Mushrooms
9. Walleye
10. Salsa (so glad I can have it now that I am done nursing!)
11. Corn on the cob


THat is REALLY random.... and I didn't even list my ABSOLUTE favorite Diet Mountain Dew!


11 things on my bucket list


1. Skydive
2. Go to a foreign country (I am not talking Canada here!)
3. Walk a marathon (this sounds crazy, but I am not a runner, so I would like to walk a 5k or 10k or 300k!) 
4. Fly first class
5. Visit all 50 states
6. Go on a cruise (on more than Sakakawea)
7. Be debt free!
8. Take Kameron to North Carolina for a full week of NASCAR, races, tours.....the whole ball of wax!
9. Take a ride in a hot air balloon
10. Have a week vacation of doing absolutely NOTHING!
11. Watch Kynlee grow up; get married, have babies.... (You may think thats simple, but my mom didn't get to see me do this, and her mom didn't get to see her do it, so I REALLY want to accomplish this!)


I have a few more...but the list is 11!


11 of my favorite things....That really aren't even things....


1. The seasons changing....(although I like some more than others)
2. Going for a Sunday drive with Kameron (we do this almost EVERY Sunday and many days in between...we call them "booze cruize" Trust me no drinking is involved, we just like the name)
3. Retail Therapy (it works!)
4. Visiting with my grandma Janice (she is one of my bff's, nothing makes me happier than visiting with her!)
5. Laughing about family vacations (for those of you who know my family....you know this to be true)
6. a clean kitchen ( I don't like the process of getting there, but I love the outcome)
7. An early morning walk (I cannot wait for it to get warmer so I can start doing this before Kam goes to work)
8. wearing Christmas socks, even other than Christmas time-although I get crazy looks when I do
9. making the perfect cookie
10. playing games (yatzee, apples to apples, monopoly, you get the idea!)
11. reading the Sunday paper in bed




Okay okay that is enough random information about me to last anyone a lifetime. Most people probably stopped reading at Sushi. For those of you who lasted....CONGRATS! You now know more about me then you ever thought you needed! :) 


Have a great day, thank you for reading.....It does mean a lot to me! 

Early to rise, early to nap!

Well its Saturday and I was up early with Kameron. No hes not sick, he was just going to work overtime (BLESS HIS HEART!). So I decided to stay up and enjoy the awesomely quiet house! My first task was to have a warm drink. You see I ALWAYS make myself a cappuccino in the morning. Then I pretend I am my own little Starbucks and add whipped cream, but because the drink is hot I just eat a lot of whipped cream before I start slurping... When I say a lot, what I really mean is A LOT. Its ridiculous I know, but its one of my quirks!

Anyhow I decided to stop wasting money on that little container of cappuccino mix and make my own. I can do this, I have a college degree....So I bought everything I needed to make a sugar free cappuccino mix! I mixed up everything, ground the coffee, heated the water, added a tub of whipped cream (rather just reapplied multiple times), btw, because I like to be fancy I use the spray can of whipped cream, not the big ol tub.

I have to say its not bad, however I added a bit too much cinnamon and will not be doing that again! But overall, I think its a good money saving option! I can sit here in my pj's drinking it and enjoy!

So back to the story, I got up about 5:30, visited with the husband, read some friends Christmas letters. Let me remind you that if you want to be part of my daily joy of Christmas letter reading/picture ooing (not a real word) you best be getting yours into us! Laughed out loud at a couple of them, got some tears thinking I need to visit some of my friends more often because their kids are getting so super big!

Anyhow, I finally made my way downstairs to get some work done. And I do mean work, I had the day off yesterday for multiple reasons so I needed to check emails and make sure the office didn't burn down. I am talking about the real office not mine in my house (lets hope I would know about that).

So I worked for about 90 minutes, then checked my personal email, did some facebook creeping (Yes, I admit it, I am a facebook creeper, I need a rehab group), checked the bank account as we did some major spending yesterday, read Grace Bittners latest caringbridge update, said a prayer for her and now am blogging.

However I am ready for a nap. THis is how I roll, I get up early, then I want to nap. I think thats pretty simple, however, my husband and daughter do not operate that way. They like to sleep in and not nap until later. The only one who is on my side is my dog and she naps all day, everyday! Well since Kameron is working today I know that I cannot get away with napping for much longer because Kynlee is going to decide that she is ready to conquer the day (9 month old style!).

So if I want her to wake up all I need to do is get comfy on the couch, get ready to watch a full house rerun, with my eyes closed and she will be yelling for me to come get her (luckily we are not at the point of crawling of the crib yet).

Well, i think I will go finish unloading the van (we only brought in fridge stuff....it was a long day and we got home pretty late) and soon enough I will have a baby who needs some lovin singing from her crib!

Not that I mind, we will have a good day together folding clothes (where is my mom and sister Emy when I need them!) and hopefully putting them away. If you know me, you know that i cannot stand putting laundry away. I should just have a dresser of laundry baskets.....

So here I am wishing you a WONDERFUL Saturday! I am sure many of you are out shopping for last minute gifts or just starting your shopping. Pretty sure I would like to stay 100 miles (actually 71) miles away from a walmart or mall today.....bunch of crazies out if you ask me! :)

I will stay home with Kynlee maybe venture out to Bronson's (our grocery store), Beulah Drug, Do-it Best Hardware, or Pamida (thats how we roll here in the big city) to get a few things, by doing this I am just putting of the laundry duty further! :) Then I will get supper ready for the overtime working husby and get ready to beat him in Yatzee! (our latest craze!) :)

Have a good day, I might sneak in one more serving of whipped cream with a side of cappuccino this am, just to make sure I mixed it alright and then begin my day! :)

Thank you for reading.......

9 months, WHAT?!?!

WOW. Thats all I have to say for myself....WOW. Who on Earth goes 9 months without blogging.....ALL FINGERS POINT TO ME!!! What is wrong with me? Oh yeah thats right, I HAD A BABY!!!!

Okay enough yelling, I am giving myself a headache! First of all apologies for not blogging sooner. I really have no excuse. I know people who have 2, 3, 4, 5...a million kids and they still find time to blog. I guess even Mrs. Dugger blogs.....

One of my favorite blogs is from my friend Mandy whose husband is in med school, she has 4 kids (not to mention a set of tween girls!) and she blogs all the time. Then my friend Kimberly has 3 kids; one boy in preschool, another at home and a newborn girl and she manages 2 blogs!!! Would this be a good time to mention that she also knits, helps with MOPS, makes cards...oh my the list goes on. (I look boring compared to her!) Anyhow, I honestly have absolutely NO EXCUSES!!! (Sorry I was yelling at myself there!)

I don't even know what to write about.....I guess what have I been doing for 9 months....changing diapers, moving, nursing, packing, sitting in the hospital with my husband, traveling, and anything and everything! I have decided the best way to fill you in on my events is to attach our latest Christmas letter! :) Great idea huh?! AND it gets me out of typing it twice :)

For those of you who know me well, you know I LOVE GETTING CHRISTMAS CARDS! (Yelling at you this time!) So I didn't include our address at the bottom of this letter for my health, I did it so we get more cards. Subtle, I know! Its really sad because Kameron knows I am the first one to get to open the cards (trust me on this one!) and then he can read them after I have examined them. Its my OCD peeking out to tell him just to smile and nod at whatever I say.... I like to remind him that "A Happy Wife is A Happy Life", I will probably get that embroidered on a pillow for the davenport (thats a couch...I honestly didn't know that for years....and my grandma called it that all the time!). Okay that was my ADD kicking in! :)

Alright, drum roll please....here is our letter.....yes I know some of you got it in the mail so just skip past that part, oh and be easy on the author, Kynlee wrote it and its her first one....don't say anything that might offend her, shes just a babe! :)

Thanks for reading, I never know if anyone does.....so sometimes I figure why do it....but Tiffany reminded me (a few times) to get busy blogging and she does wonderful blogs, along with pictures of her REAL tree!!! No excuses here, ours is fake! :)

But honestly more blogging is a New Years resolution for me.....along with losing the baby weight, getting out of debt....blah, blah blah...believe it when you see it!.

OKAY HERE IS THE LETTER!!! (Yes yelling at myself again!) :)

2010 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS! 

My mom recently began writing our annual letter & I started eating the paper, she gave up and told me to get busy! (I hear she likes to get this in the mail early!) Let me take a minute to introduce myself, my name is Kynlee Jacalyn Plienis, I arrived March 3, 2010 at 7:39 am. And I am delighted to take over this task! Mom did give me some “rules” to follow, as apparently she has been doing this for a while, she also let me know this is her FAVORITE season of the year. Dad & I were clueless that there is a time named “Christmas Card Season” so we just smile and nod! 

Her first rule was that we recap what happened to us each month of the last year, so I started with March. She told me we had to start with January, however I still believe their lives really began in March! Anyhow, go ahead sit back, grab a cup of joe and enjoy the show…

Mom and dad ended 2009 by celebrating Christmas with all sides of our family, they even got stuck in Tioga during a big snow storm. Mom said January was pretty boring; snow, wind & cold…just a typical ND winter. Towards the end of the month mom was told she needed to slow down and relax a little before I came. If you know her, this was easier said than done! J

February was when they announced to close family that I was a GIRL! We also celebrated my mom & aunt Emy’s baptism over Valentine’s Day! Then they did something NO ONE ever saw coming…my parents bought a mini-van! My mom still shakes her head, but dad and I know she couldn’t live without it. Also dad sold ALL his demolition derby supplies, mom was shocked, but he said it was the best decision for our family! These were just some of the MANY changes that were made because of little ol’ me!

Finally…the GOOD STUFF! Mom checked into the hospital a day early just to calm everyone’s nerves as I was scheduled to come out via c-section on the 3^rd. We were so lucky to get dad & grandma Karin to be in the room for my grand entrance! Everyone cried when they found out I was absolutely perfect! The rest of March was spent figuring out our new life as a family. Dad took a week off so he could be home & then grandma Karin & aunt Emy came to stay for a week. Mom wants to add a huge THANK YOU for all the visits, cards, meals, presents, calls, texts, emails & prayers that were sent our way! J

We began April with a baby shower & my baptism on Easter Sunday! What a glorious day as MANY people joined us for the big weekend. Soon after, G & G Plienis took care of me so mom & dad could have their first date since I came along. Then we got the sad news that mom’s uncle Greg had passed away & we headed west to Watford City to celebrate his life. While mom was busy with arrangements aunt Angela & cousin Sawyer took care of me. We spent mom’s birthday in Tioga and enjoyed our last few days at home together before she went back to work.

Following another baby shower we celebrated dad’s birthday and grandma Karin & aunt Emy came to stay with me for mom’s first week back. Although I loved daycare at Diane’s house, mom said it was really hard to work full time with dad out of town all week so she started working part time. Also, in May, we traveled to Williston to help my great grandma Janice turn 85 years young! We spent Memorial Day weekend in Rapid City sightseeing, shopping and visiting with friends.

Now it was June & I was 3 months old! We took a mini-vacation to Minneapolis for a family wedding. Every week it was harder for dad to leave & for mom to be a “single mom” M-F. We had WONDERFUL support in Linton with family and friends but something was missing… Mom & dad knew we needed to be a family ALL week long, not just the weekends. Just to see what would happen, we put our house up for sale & started looking for one to buy in the Beulah/Hazen area. We looked at many houses and finally decided on one with a great neighborhood for me to grow up in!

Little did we know that we would accept an offer on our house by July 5^th, and so the circus began! We worked hard to get most of our packing done so we could head to Michigan to be part of grandpa Dean & grandma Frannie’s wedding! Our first stop was in Grand Rapids, MN to see the Arntson relatives. Our destination was Bessemer, MI, and we enjoyed every minute of the wedding celebration weekend as even I got to be one of the flower girls!

On our way home we stayed with my uncle Jamie, aunt Miranda and cousin Olivia in Northwood. The remainder of August involved boxes, totes, paper & tape. We packed until we couldn’t pack anymore! We took a break to go to Medora & then Montana to meet my great G & G Gallwas & other relatives. We were able to stay over with some of our friends in Billings on the way out & back.

We found out early in September that we needed to be out of our house by the end of the month. This began the MAD rush of getting everything out & into storage or other people’s garages! I had just turned 6 months old & made sure I got into everything while they packed. They decided grandma Rusty should take me on the weekends so some work could get done!

After living with some friends and G & G Plienis for two weeks, on October 15 we became residents of Beulah and finally a full time family! J All of our belongings came a week later and so the unpacking started! Mom was thankful that I didn’t start crawling until we got here, but she hasn’t been very fond of my willingness to help her unpack! I dressed up as a pig for Halloween, but got tired after trick-or-treating at 4 houses! I liked watching people come to our house for candy!

Well it is November and we still have quite a few boxes sitting around, lets hope that changes soon! Mom started back to work, I am at a new daycare that I love & I get to see my dad EVERYDAY! Recently, we enjoyed going to Stanley to see my great-great grandma Elsie. My dad gave us quite the scare this month as he had to have emergency stomach surgery & stay in the hospital for 5 days! I didn’t mind though as I got to stay with G & G Plienis the whole time! Then G & G Christianson came to stay with us for the weekend! We are happy he is on the mend, as life is really a precious gift! In December it will be busy as I turn 9 months old and we celebrate my first Christmas!

That is what happened this year, I am sure 2011 will be more active as I am starting to move alot. I now crawl all over, get into cupboards, pull books off the shelves and even reach for the garbage can! There isn’t a lot of things, besides toys, that can be within my reach. Everyone says I look like dad and act like mom, I am not sure what that means, but I do know I tend to be a little nosey and dramatic! Being outside, looking in the mirror, giggling, eating crackers, seeing babies, listening to music, giving hugs, taking a bath, and making noise are my favorite things. I am starting to give more kisses, pull myself up, wave bye-bye and make more noise! I cut my first tooth and am working on my second. I will soon begin walking, and talking (dad is pretty sure when I start, between mom and I, he won’t get a word in edgewise!).

As far as everyone else, my dad still works at Coteau as a mechanic and enjoys being the “boss of the yard and vehicles”! He loves to cook and enjoys seeing how much I change everyday! My mom continues to work for RightStart Math and now works from home while I go to daycare & she still sells Scentsy and Avon. Although she hasn’t had much time recently, she loves to scrapbook, sew & bake. Mom & dad enjoy playing games, watching movies, going for drives and playing cards if I ever give them any spare time. Our dog Sadie turned 3 in September, she isn’t really sure what to think of all the changes and she is pretty skittish of me, but she is adjusting just fine.

Although we are farther away from some family, we are closer to others! Now, we value all of our family time & look forward to many memories in our new home. Everyone who has crossed our paths here have been very friendly & we know we will fit in well!J If you are ever near Beulah or just want to visit, stop on by…WE LOVE COMPANY!

I know I am an amateur, but hopefully you enjoyed my letter, it gave mom a chance to clean up my messes! Please note our new address as we look forward to seeing your letters/pictures/cards during this “season”! Keep in touch and know that we consider each of you a blessing to our family. J

~Wishing you joy in abundance today and always~

The Plienis Family

Kameron, Cassie & Kynlee (Sadie Mae, too!)

236 Riviera Drive

Beulah, ND 58523

It's the final countdown..... :)

Now I know that each of you are singing the song....THE FINAL COUNDOWN, we can't seem to remember what movie it comes from, I say Rocky but Kam says no. Who knows not important. What is important is that in like 12 hours we will have a baby to snuggle. YIIIIIIIIIIIIKES! 

Well I came to Bis on Monday for doc appointments and a massage (VERY IMPORTANT!!!) and I had a nice relaxing day, well not really but I tried. Who can relax in this situation? NOT ME! I stopped at the insurance agency to add a mini van to our insurance....yes you read that right. A mini-van. I said NEVER would I EVER drive one. Here I am a soccer mom....where has my life taken me?! We (Kam & I) had decided we were going to wait with this major purchase, but just when I think I know him, he goes and pulls a fast one on me! He decides to trade in his truck. What? I know I was shocked. We just bought him a new truck last year, a nice truck and he said that he did it because he "wants to start doing things for his family..." my heart melted. I had been doing the dealing on the vans we first looked at and he took the bull by the horns and did most of this with out even telling me!!! He is the best husband. And I guess if I have to drive a "grocery getter" he did buy me the cadillac of all "urban assault vehicles" so I have NOTHING to be upset about, hes a keeper! On a side note we will be getting him a truck when we trade off the journey, he has old trucks to use at this point, so he will still get something out of the deal! :)

Well then last night was a nice relaxing (and yummy!) time with Nate, Lynae, and Kyler. I went to bed early we all know I am not sleeping AT ALL, but I tried to rest. Hippi had me up quite a bit but decided to try out for the Olympics at about 4 and that was the last of my sleep! :) Then today was interesting to say the least bit...... 

I ran a few errands, did relaxing things, stopped at the docs office because I had somethings to do but was feeling a little nervous about kicking and movement. I mean I was feeling a little movement, but I just dont think in this situation you can be too sure. I am almost positive most women who went through what I have would do the same thing. I was able to hear a heart beat and it was one of the sweetest sounds ever. Dr. Bradley decided maybe it would be best if i was in the hospital over night just so she and I both felt better about things. I thought that might be an option.... then Kam called just as I was leaving the clinic and he must have known I needed his wisdom at that time. He decided to leave work to be with me, i knew if he was i would feel better. i continued on my day with a quick manicure and then a pedicure, where the receptionist said i looked like I was having 40 babies! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? 40 babies? HOW RUDE! she was like 150 yrs old so who knows what she was thinking! :) 

The highlight of my day was when Kam surprised me with a March birthstone necklace and earrings. I love them, they are pretty special to me. And I guess he is too! :) But as Lacey said we shall see how the diaper changing goes! :) 

We ran (I waddled) to target to pick up somethings and met my parents there, mom suggested I get to the hospital and we would all feel better about things. True. I decided that my doc was right, lets get me monitored and we would all be happy. I called her office and basically they were like, "its about time!!!" so here we are. 

In the hospital, all is still on schedule for tomorrow, c-section at 7:30am, and a cozy night in a bed that goes up and down! FUN! Kam is reading, I am computing, and baby is kicking--he/she does not like the heart monitors, but thats too bad!!! :) 

So tomorrow is the day......Dr Bradley will do the section, and Dr Shafer-Mclean will be in too, I love them both and so happy that they will share in our joy! :) Kam and my mom will be with me and watch this wonderful bundle enter the world. Tonight I am trying to relax, not sure how its going, but I am trying! And my parents are on their way with Olive Garden!!! fun! so we will have some time to chat and then decide thats is bed time and a baby will be here before we know it! :) 

THank you again for reading and for praying for us. This uphill battle is almost over, and I know its worth all the stress, anxiety and everything else! :) We cant wait to see this baby and tell everyone boy or girl! :) 

We will keep you posted! :) As soon there will be 3....... :) 

Are we ready?

This is the question most asked of Kam & I. Its interesting as I sit here this morning and think...are we ready? Another popular question is what do you still need? I usually answer , "nothing" then later I freak out because I feel we are missing some essential items, like a boppy pillow, changing table, and baby monitors to name a few. But then I sit back and think of my great grandma Elise and what she had to raise her 3 wonderful daughters.

A little history on GGJ.........She has been my only connection to biological pregnancy questions on my maternal side. Her daughter Jean, my grandma, passed away before I was born, and then of course my mother, her granddaughter, Jackie, passed away when I was 6.

Throughout both of my pregnancies I have contacted her with questions and just to hear how things were in the "old days". She is more than willing to share her stories, as at 96 years young she is still sharp as a tack. There are days when she isn't as sharp as she once was, which is hard for us to understand, but she still does VERY well. I also have a wonderful mother, mother-in-law, grandmas, sisters, sisters-in-law, and miles of friends to pull advice, stories, and laughs from, but nothing says it quite like my great grammy!

She told me on her second birth that she was out doing chores and told her husband it was time to have a baby and thats just what she did. She went inside called the mid-wife and it was baby time. No hospital, no monitors, no anesthetic...NOTHING, just her, a midwife, and a baby on the way. When this bundle came out she didn't have a boppy pillow to help her breast feed, or monitors to hear if the baby was awake in its crib, or a changing table equipped with butt paste and many lotions. I feel that my grandma Jean, and my great aunts, Clarice and Linda turned out really well. Okay Linda was born at a hospital but I am pretty sure she didn't get to come home to a Bumbo seat! :) And GGJ was not worried about things on her Target registry that she needed before kids came. :)

She probably was also not worried about how the family pet was going to react. Which has been our latest concern, I mean its almost obsessive on my part. (I know thats a shock that I would obsess about something!) We are so worried about how our "baby girl" Sadie Mae will react. Will I still have time to snuggle her, will I still call her my "doggy-dog dogerton" will I still play "dance with the mama" with her? Will I still give her a puppy massage? I know most of you are picking your chins off of the floor, but these things really do happen at our house! :) I know Sadie Mae will do wonderful, she is great and she will love "baby hippi" as her best friend. and vice versa. :)

We will be fine, and yes we are ready. We have a lot of questions of "when can we do that?" but we have a WONDERFUL support staff around us to pull information from! :) And even if we don't pull the advice out it always flows freely! :) Which we love!!!!

Thank you again for all the love and support, Kam & I are so blessed to have amazing people in our lives offering up much love and prayers. Please know we (Kam, I, baby Hippi, & Sadie Mae) are forever thankful!

More to come........but in the mean time, MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!