A Day in the Life of the Abundo's

Changes, Changes

2011-04-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

Don't fall out of your chairs. Yes, it's been over a year since my last post. I know I'm a horrible blogger. I resolve again and again to be better but it doesn't seem to happen. I can't even promise that this time will be different. BUT! I'm excited about all the changes that are happening so you'll just have to hear about it. We are moving again. Well, so it's only next door but we are very excited. Since we will be renting from my parents, guess who gets to do all the renovations and painting before we move in? Yup, you guessed it....US (and anyone else we can rope into helping us.) So now you get some before pictures of the kitchen.

As much as I loved the orange kitchen we painted over it. Yes, it took two coats. That's basically all we did except for taking out a cupboard and raising another to make room for a fridge. But oh what a difference paint can make. Any other improvements are going to have to wait until we move in. I don't actually have any after pictures of the kitchen so I'll keep you on the edge of your seats until I can take some. It looks so much better though, trust me...unless you are partial to orange.

A Follow Up

2010-03-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

I guess I never did follow up on the previous post about us moving. Yes, we moved back to Hawaii in August of 2009. Mike now works as a contract worker for NOAA dealing with the Tuna fisheries. He loves his job and that makes me happy. Eryn loves being able to play outside year round and has lots of plumeria trees to climb. It was a great decision for us and we couldn't be happier.

Baby Blessing

2010-03-17T19:31:00.001-07:00

We had Asher blessed during Sacrament meeting this past Sunday. Mike gave him a beautiful blessing and it made me so thankful for the priesthood. It's amazing how many promises are given to each of us if we just do our part.

On a side note...can you tell Asher has an older sister. We came back from a walk and I found this when I was going to get him out of the seat. Princess Aurora was tucked nicely in the blanket with Asher. What a lucky guy.

Did I mention that Eryn adores him? She has not acted out towards him at all. I guess it probably helps that she's a little older but it's nice to see how much she loves him. She is always wanting to hold him and says she wants to take care of him. I'm just going to enjoy it while I can because I'm sure it won't always be like this.

Asher Sergio Abundo

2010-03-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

January 27, 2010

6:33 pm

7 lb. 14.2 oz.

20 3/4 in.

So...We Might be Moving

2009-06-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

So our lease is up and we need to make a decision about what to do with our lives. As of right now, we are planning to move back to Hawaii. There is a lot of work ahead of us so pray for us that it will all fall into place!

A month of Road Trips

2009-06-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

From the end of April to the end of May we went on 3 road trips. It was crazy but lots of fun!

First, we went to Utah where it snowed! We were not prepared for that and had to buy sweatshirts. Helen, we had a blast and Eryn still talks about Jump on It.

Then, we went camping in Oregon. It was so much fun and so gorgeous. I could definitely live in Oregon.

Finally, we went to Yellowstone for a whole week! We had saved up for it and loved every minute. It was hard to come home to reality.

Oh, and Echo, if you read this I want to be invited to your blog:)

Birthday Fun

2009-01-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

Eryn's birthday was Friday! We had a full day of fun and at the end of the day she said over and over again that she "want[ed] to do it again."

First, Eryn wanted cupcakes and a cake so we split the batter in half. Eryn helped frost her own birthday cupcakes.

Then we met Aunty Tesa and Uncle Rich at Chuck E Cheese. We had pizza, salad, and lots and lots of games!

Then we came back home to sing "Happy Birthday" and Eryn blew out her three pink candles.

Finally, Eryn opened her presents. She received Wall-E, a Thomas train set, finger paints, and play dough. Watching her enjoy her birthday was better than living through my own birthday!

Slacker!

2009-01-22T22:17:00.000-08:00

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NO BLOG

Mike's In Heaven

2008-11-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

Recent Events

2008-11-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

I've been behind in my posting so I'll just post pictures to let everyone know what we've been up to....

We went to a pumpkin patch. Eryn went on a "cow train", horseback riding, through a maze, and to a petting zoo. We didn't actually get around to going in the pumpkin patch....maybe next year.

Eryn was Snow White for Halloween. We got the costume for 50% off! Yea for deals!We also went to Disney on Ice. It was a blast and one more excuse for Eryn to wear her Snow White dress in public. It totally captured her attention the whole time.

MIA

2008-11-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

We've been MIA lately because I've started a new job. I work at an assisted living center for people with dementia. I haven't done this kind of work before but I've discovered that I really like it. It reminds me of all those Sundays visiting Ponds in Punaluu and Crawfords in Sunset. It feels like genuine service...I just happen to get paid for it.

Dear Auntie Helen,

2008-09-18T13:51:00.001-07:00

I put on this outfit at least once a day but usually with two shoes. Mommy has hidden my salmon colored jacket because the first time I put it on I wanted to wear it every where. Mommy said it was because of my blue shoes, pink printed shorts and purple shirt I insited on wearing with it. Mommy's weird. I had fun when you came for a visit and mommy says you can come anytime.
Love, Eryn
P.S. Where's the pictures you promised?

Eryn's New Trick

2008-09-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Eryn picked up a new skill. I don't know what's more funny...Eryn doing the trick or Eryn watching herself do the trick. Either way we are having a good time watching Eryn.

Glorious Day

2008-09-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Eryn pooped in the potty!

Oh, Sweet Child of Mine

2008-09-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

Something has happened to my baby. She used to be so loving and affectionate. She used to listen to me and follow me with her whole heart. Okay so she is still affectionate but a few weeks ago that child disappeared. She is now one of those kids. You know what I mean. The ones that throw themselves on the floor of the store, kick and scream when we tell her no, and gets hysterical at the drop of a hat. I'm pretty used to the reactions by now. There's the "why can't this lady control her child" glare and the "I've been been there and I'm so glad I done" smile and perhaps my least favorite of all the "I'm going to try to make this better but really it's going to make it worse" gesture where some stranger gives her a candy or treat I told her she couldn't have in the first place. For those that have been through the terrible twos please tell me the end is near. Please tell it gets better. Please tell me I'm not the most horrible mom in the world when I lose my patience or not give in to her cries of injustice. And please tell me my sweet baby will come back so I can go out in public again.

Taking a Few Days Off

2008-09-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

So for the last few days here are a few things that I have refused to do:
Clean the house
Wash the dishes
Cook
Grocery shopping
Laundry
I am on strike, not because I don't want to do these things, but because I sprained my ankle pretty badly on Saturday night. Once again Mike has been my hero and taken care of the cooking and some of the cleaning. Actually my ankle is feeling much better but looking at the huge piles of laundry and dishes is very scary.

Mommy Time

2008-09-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

So lately I've noticed that I've been really short and annoyed with Eryn. I realized that I have been spending 24/7 with her for a while and that I needed a break. Mike was a trooper and took her to the playground while I went to the family history center. Don't laugh but I really love doing the research. I go find names and Mike translates the documents. I came home to a hot fudge sundae that Mike got for me. Mike was my hero last night and now Eryn is my friend again. We might need to do this on a regular basis.

Pony Rides and Goats

2008-09-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

We went to the Western Idaho State Fair last month and had a blast. We mostly followed Eryn around as she looked at the chickens, rabbits, goats, and of course the ponies. If you know Eryn, you know she is all about princesses and ponies. For some reason she also really likes goats. Go figure. We were doing pretty good until we took her off the pony after the pony ride.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2008-08-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Kids are so funny. I love how they are so sweet and innocent. Last night Mike started tinkering with his bike. Eryn had to be right in there with daddy, like always. Of course Eryn had to fix her bike too. She is always trying to help.

Memories

2008-07-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

I've seen this a lot and decided it would be fun to play.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments

Summertime in Idaho

2008-07-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

One thing we like about Idaho in the summer is the county/state fairs. It's mostly cowboy stuff. Eryn loves to see all the animals and is looking forward to the pony ride in a couple of weeks. A few weeks ago we went to our first rodeo! I expected to cringe the whole time but we have a great time. I can't believe how many crazy people are willing to get on a wild bucking horse or bull but most of them actually stayed on for the full 8 seconds. There are actually a lot of different events at the rodeo.

Calling All Potty Trainers!

2008-07-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

How exactly am I supposed to do this? We've got the potty. We've got the underwear. Now what? Anybody want to direct me to some really good info on how to actually potty train? I guess I should stop being lazy about figuring this whole thing out but right now Eryn seems too scared to actually go in the potty. I've finally gotten her to sit on the thing without crying (she's kind of a scaredy cat about everything.) I've taken it as a sign that she's just not ready yet. That may be the case but I really just don't know what I'm doing.

Any advice? Direction? Videos? Books? I'll take any suggestions.

Park Fun

2008-07-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

We live in the most family friendly place! It is awesome. While Eryn doesn't understand why we cannot go to the beach, she does like to go "play water." They have these water features in a bunch of parks around town. Eryn loves them.

4th of July

2008-07-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July was pretty quiet. We went to the park, had a bbq (with rice), and watched the fireworks. It was kind of cool. We could see two other firework shows in the distance.

Corn on the cob and teriyaki chicken.

Mike and Eryn chilling while waiting for the show.

Old Friends, New Memories

2008-07-19T23:04:00.001-07:00

Soon after returning from Hawaii, we went on a mini road trip to Twin Falls to visit Mike's old missionary companion. Not only did they have a miniture donkey and a few horses, but they had the coolest family ever. We felt right at home.

Hawaii, Part 2

2008-07-19T22:49:00.001-07:00

Alright, I know I'm a slacker. I'm just going to have to do many short posts to catch up on what we've been doing. I'll start by posting more favorite pictures from Hawaii.

Eryn, in all her pinkness, at the swap meet.

Eryn loved going to the beach. She still talks about it.

Hawaii, Part 1

2008-06-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

What can I say about our trip to Hawaii? We didn't do anything spectacular or outrageous. All we really did was eat all kinds of food and spend time with family. It was truly like going home. Mike and I are already plotting ways to move back there for good. In the mean time we'll just have to look at pictures.

We stayed right on the beach for the first week.

We got in a lot of fishing.

Eryn loved the beach so much she asks me everyday to go back. When I explain that there's no beach in Idaho she gets pretty mad.

Great News!

2008-05-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

I have a little piece of information that makes me happy. I'm talking the best news so far this year!

In 4 days I will be sitting on an airplane headed for Hawaii. Eryn and I will be staying for 3 weeks. I'm so excited.

Brushing of the Teeth

2008-04-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Eryn came into the room and said, "Mama, I'm brushing my teeth." Now, normally this wouldn't make me cringe but that is not her toothbrush, nor does it belong to me or Mike for that matter. She found the new costco pack and decided to open every single one. On the positive side, it looks like she only used two of them. Oh well, it's just one of those days where we aren't accomplishing much. Do you ever have those days? You know when it is noon and no one has their hair done or is dressed in presentable clothes. And yes, that is her Cinderella princess dress she is wearing.

2008-04-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

'Caught this 4-lb bass in a "secret" pond in Boise. The weather was gorgeous with temperatures peaking the lower 70's. I LOVE Spring!

Is it April already?

2008-04-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

March went by too fast. I'm still getting used to blogging so I left some things out that I probably should have written about. This month was pretty eventful:
1. Happy birthday to me!
2. I quit my job! I knew this would happen after I made that big long post about me working. I really liked the job but I'm glad to be home again.
3. We bought our airline tickets for our trip to Hawaii!!!! 53 more days, baby!
4. This was the first Easter that Eryn actually "got" things. Meaning she got excited to have an easter egg hunt, broke, I mean colored, a bunch of eggs, loved her Easter basket. It was really fun watching her experience all of these things.
I am looking forward to April because the weather should be getting warmer and I'll be able to wear slippers again (well I still do sometimes but my toes get pretty cold.)

I think I might be Crazy...

2008-03-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

So I bought 60 boxes of cereal. Yes, 60. Mike has already told me I'm crazy so you don't have to unless you really feel the need. Mike works for Supervalu (the parent company of Albertsons) and sends me emails of all the sales coming up. The Cereal sale was just too good to pass up. I bought 60 boxes of cereal for about $0.40 each. I guess you could say I went a little overboard but I could resist. We now have a years supply of cereal. My favorite so far is the stawberry delight frosted mini-wheats. I'm not a big fan of the chocolate peanut butter pops. (any takers?)

Please excuse the messy house.

2008-03-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here is princess Eryn dancing to the Cinderella theme song. This is such a funny stage. She makes us laugh all the time.

The Latest Obsession

2008-03-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Walmart. We made the mistake of going down one of the toy isles. Eryn found this princess dress, looked up at daddy and said "please Daddy." He is wrapped around her little finger. The dress is about 3 sizes too big and has to be pinned in the back. Mike claims that this will be her Halloween costume for the next 4 years and that it's a long term investment. Now getting her into her pj's is a story for another day!

We have already been treated to the theatrical version of Cinderella performed by Miss Eryn herself. Maybe we'll post a video of it later. I keep wondering how she got so girly. Well however she got that way, it is definitely cute!

The Crazy Life

2008-03-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

Just in case anyone was curious, this is our daily schedule:

7:30 am (at the latest) - Mike is out the door for work
5:15 pm - Mike comes home from work.
5:40 pm - Julie leaves for work.
2-3 am - Julie gets home from work

Throw in Mike's Tuesday class from 6-9 pm and running to drop Eryn off at "Tessies" house (Julie's Sister).

I ask Mike on a daily basis if this is worth it. Now why are we doing this? Since moving we have accumulated a lot of consumer debt. (pretty silly if you ask me) I got it into my crazy head that we were going to do Dave Ramseys Total Money Makeover. His plan involves 7 baby steps.

1. $1000 emergency Fund
2. Debt snowball all debt
3. 3 to 6 months expenses in savings
4. 15% of income into retirement
5. College fund for children
6. Pay off home early
7. Build wealth and give

Of course this all hinges on the concept of no new debt. And since we have decided that I'm only working through baby step 2 (possibly 3) there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully by this time next year we won't have this crazy schedule.

I'm a Slacker

2008-03-05T10:03:00.001-08:00

I came home around 2:45 this morning to a completely revamped blog. Apparently Mike thought our blog was lacking something. I know, I'm a slacker...Just kidding honey! It looks much better don't you think?

Mike's first post and etc...

2008-03-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

A glimpse of the mid-winter doldrums (the field behind our apartment)...

Things I am looking forward to this Spring:
- Completing my classes so I can earn my degree (yipeee)
- Catching a nice hefty bass (my goal is 6 lbs)
- Mountain biking
- Camping and fishing high mountain lakes
- The Wrathall family reunion in May
- Fishing
- Studying for the Auditing section of the CPA exam
- Spending time with my family outdoors - fishing!

Random Insights

2008-02-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Eryn has been slowly trying to eliminate nap time. This would be okay with me but she still needs a nap. So now she falls asleep in random places after I struggle (and fail) for an hour to get her to sleep in her bed. One minute she's playing on the floor...the next minute she's asleep with her butt in the air.

Eryn turned 2 on January 23rd. Happy Birthday, baby! Recently, one thing has been taking over our lives - Disney Princesses! On a daily basis she has to watch Cinderella, play dress up, and only drink out of the miniture princess teacups.

I thought there was nothing Eryn could hurt by playing in my purse. Who knew she would find the hiding place for the stamps. Eryn was so proud. She announced, "Look mommy, stickers!"

Well, I've been informed that we need to watch "princess" now. When this stinking snow melts we might actually be able to spend more time outside.

It's been a while...

2007-12-28T23:44:00.001-08:00

Mike has been after me to start posting again so here we go! Eryn got a tricycle for christmas that changes into 3 stages: a rocking toy, a tricycle that mommy can push from behind, and a regular tricycle. Well, since she's gotten too old for the rocking stage daddy found a new use for it!

Off to work we go!

2007-11-02T13:04:00.001-07:00

So I started working this week. Mike and I are tired of being poor...just kidding! If you didn't already know, Saia is a trucking company and I got a job as a trucker. I mean biller. Mike works days and I work nights so Eryn always has one of us. It has actually been good so far and I like being back at work. It is also helping Mike and Eryn develop a closer relationship. We made it a goal for me to only work for a year because we figure we'll have our debts payed off by then (crossing our fingers.) Wish us luck.

Trunk or Treat

2007-10-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

Eryn has decided that she likes this Halloween thing. On Saturday our ward had a trunk or treat. At first she was kind of mad we were putting the costume on but as everyone started oohhhing and aaahhing she started showing off by doing little bunny hops. She figured out that when she did this everyone gave her candy. Eryn kept reaching in her pumpkin to make sure her candy was still there. She has worn her costume no stop since. It was quite a struggle getting her in her church clothes yesterday. She has actually eaten most of her candy and I think I'll throw the rest away.

Lesson #2932

2007-10-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

Lesson #2932 - Hide all pens!

I thought all that quiet play was too good to be true! Eryn has decorated her baby doll, the couch, and herself with a ball point pen. I must admit that she has done this before but it was always just a mark or two. Hmmm. I must hide all pens before she does it to the wall.

On a side note, I know they say you can't really tell at this age but Eryn is a lefty. She "writes" with her left hand exclusively. If you place a pen in her right hand she will always switch it to the left. I wonder if she will switch later on in life. Now I wonder about all that right brain, left brain business. I'll have to research it again.

Picky, Picky Eryn

2007-10-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

I decided to start this blog after faithfully reading some friend's blogs. Eryn is growing too fast and makes me laugh daily. I have pretty much nothing documented...that is just not okay anymore.

My darling daughter picked up a lovely habit. (No pun intended) She sticks her finger up her nose, pulls it out, and says, "eeewww!" (thanks daddy) This is something we always laughed at until she did in the middle of fast and testimony meeting on Sunday. I'm sure we will have many more of these little gems as she is a very funny girl.

Here's a few more pictures. Everyone will have to be patient as I try to figure out this blogging thing.