Sunny's 24th Birthday Bash!

So... I decided that since I haven't really done anything for my birthday since I turned 21, that I would like to go out and have some fun for my 24th birthday. Of course, I chose Karaoke. ;)

Come one, come all (well, if you are 21 or older)! We will be meeting at The Highlander Club around 8:30PM on Saturday, January 15th. Karaoke starts at 9:00PM. Even if you don't drink, you should still come celebrate and make an ass out of yourself with the rest of us. =)

I hope to see you there!

Feelin' Bloggy

So... I haven't blogged in over a month and I thought it was about time. I just don't have much to write about these days. My life is pretty mundane and normal, unfortunately. There is nothing thrilling or exciting to post really, unless I get pregnant again, then I'll probably start posting weekly again.

I decided that I love and hate my life at the moment. I realize that I'm blessed and very lucky to be able to stay home, raise my son, and still bring money into my household. Most new moms only dream of what I'm doing right now and I'm incredibly grateful, but I am slowly starting to lose my mind.

I need some form of human interaction with someone over the age of 8, other than Robbie of course. I'm seriously considering being one of those crazy people that call into radio stations and just talk to the DJs forever so that I can have that connection with the outside world.

I've lost a lot of my friends since I started doing daycare. I want to scream at them and tell them I'm sorry if I can't spend every waking moment with you! I kind of have a husband, a son, and a business to run. I watch kids for 55+ hours a week for Christ's sake. Those hours don't include all of the record keeping, cleaning, and lesson plan preparations either.

I just wish that the people in my life would try to understand. It's not that I don't want to spend time with my friends, or I guess ex friends now. I literally have no time! Although, apparently I need to make time. I am seriously going stir crazy spending most of my time at home. I go out with my family, but I need a break from them once in awhile too. I don't know how to make this work, but somehow it's gotta happen.

I do not want to hear anyone bitching at me about being grateful for what I have. I am very aware of how fortunate and privileged I am to be able to live the life that I live. I'm just posting my feelings at this moment in time and I don't need anybody stomping all over them just because they happen to be more on the negative side today. Thank you, that is all.

Tristan's Stats 10/06/2010

Tristan had his one year check up today. Yes, I realize he is 13 months old, but our Pediatrician was totally booked for the months of August and September for some reason. Anyway, his weight is finally starting to catch up to his height. Here are his stats as of today:

Weight: 20.7 lbs (12%)
Length: 31.4 in (82%)
Head Circumference: 18.6 in (68%)

He is still tall and skinny, but the doctor says there is nothing wrong with that. He is a very healthy and happy toddler. At his 9 month check up, he was only in the 6% for weight, which was a little scary. We had to "power pack" Tristan's food so that he would take in more calories. I felt like a bad mom, like I wasn't providing my little one with the nutrition that he needed, but Dr. Templeman said that he just wasn't thriving on my milk anymore. Once I weaned him and switched him to formula it helped a ton.

He now drinks whole milk like crazy! Between Tristan and my daycare kids, I probably go through about 5 to 6 gallons of milk a week. Crazy, no? At least I get reimbursed for a lot of the cost of food so it doesn't hurt my pocket book so badly, but I digress. Tristan is not a picky eater at all! He eats almost anything and everything I make him. He loves fruits, veggies, meat, everything!

He is very active and really smart! The doctor said that Tristan  has some of the best motor skills for a 13 month old he has ever seen and is really impressed that he is trying to talk. Besides "mama" and "dada", he says "Ba" for ball, "tankoo" for thank you, "na!" for no, "hi", "da" for that, and several other words too.

He is also incredibly social from playing with my daycare kids everyday. He gets so excited when they come over and gets along really well with everybody. Although, he is starting to get really possessive of the toys during free play time. I tried to avoid that by keeping Tristan's personal toys separate from the daycare toys, but I guess that didn't help. *sigh* I love my toddler though.

Wow! This post ended up being much longer than I anticipated. Lol! I guess it just goes to show that I can ramble on and on about my little man. What can I say? I'm a proud mama. ;)

Tristan's First Birthday Party

Here are some pictures from Tristan's first birthday party on 8/29/10. Enjoy! ;)

New Pet!

We got a new pet last night! Well, new to us anyway. My dad and step-mom gave us their dog, Fly, a.k.a. Bad Dog. She really is a very good dog, but my dad started calling her that when she was a puppy and now that's all she responds to. Lol!

She is a 6-year-old, pure bred Border Collie, and she is very well trained. She has been around young children throughout most of her life and has no history of aggressive behavior whatsoever. Bad Dog is a sweetheart and she is so perfect for my little family.

I'm sad for my dad because she was his dog and he really wanted to keep her, but they are moving to a place that doesn't allow dogs. He is really happy that we have her though, so he can still visit her whenever he wants.

We have really missed having pets in the house. Robbie and I are both animal lovers and it just felt strange not having one for so many months. Like I said earlier, Bad Dog is the perfect fit for our family. Tristan already loves her and I know the daycare kids will too. She is so incredibly calm and obedient, and we just adore her.

Welcome to the family, Bad Dog! Our family is almost complete. Now we just need one more baby and we will be good to go! ;)

Rising Sun Fun Care Flyer

I still have one full time opening for a child between the ages of 3 years and 12 years. Here is a flyer that my lovely sister-in-law designed for me. If you happen to know of anyone in the Tooele area looking for child care, would you pass this on? Thanks so much!

Family Portraits

Here are some pics of my beautiful family and I that were taken on 8/29/10. Enjoy! ;)

Post #100

Hello everyone,

I am back! Wow! I have been really, really bad about updating my blog. I haven't posted since March, so it's been six months. Lol! I guess that's what happens when you have a toddler, your own business to run, and a house to take care of. As busy as I am, I really am going to try to post here at least once a week to update on what's going on with my little family.

Well, I got my state license to do home daycare back in April, so I have been a child care provider for five months now and I am so glad I made this decision. I can honestly say that I love my job and that I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I have bad days, just like with any other job, but nothing beats being able to be home with Tristan while playing and teaching him as well as all of the other children that are here everyday. What could be better?

It gets stressful running the daycare though. Not just the kids, but the record keeping, shopping, planning lessons, cleaning, sanitizing, etc. I think as soon as we get some of our debt paid off and I fill my last opening in the daycare that I am going to hire an assistant. I could definitely use one! Lol!

Tristan is doing so well! He just had his first birthday two weeks ago. I still can't believe that I am a parent of a toddler now instead of a baby! He is so smart. He knows how to say mom, dad, duck, ball, hi, and a couple of other words. He also tries to sing E-I-E-I-O when we are singing Old McDonald. Lol! So cute! He can sign milk, more, kiss, all done, please, and he is learning more and more each day. I love my little man.

Robbie and I are doing great. We have been together for almost four years now and I love him more and more all of the time. He is a great husband and a wonderful dad to Tristan. He has been so patient with me and my business and helps out around the house whenever he can. I feel so lucky to have him in my life.

Life in general is just great! The first part of the year was really rough because I was starting the daycare, but things are getting better and better all of the time. I am starting to get baby hungry again. I know so many people that are pregnant with baby #2, but Robbie and I both think it would be best to wait until Tristan turns two before we start trying for our next baby. So I'll just have to wait I guess. =/

Sorry for the novel. Hopefully it won't be so long before I post again next time. ;)

formspring.me

A friend of mine started doing this and I thought it was pretty interesting, so I decided to try it myself. Ask me anything, http://formspring.me/RisingSun2010 All of the questions are anonymous, so I don't even have to know who is asking me what question, unless you want me to. =)

YES!!! 8 More Days!

...Until I get my State License! My licensing specialist called me yesterday to tell me that they received my application, they have processed our background checks as well as the rest of the paper work I had to send in, and she is ready to inspect my house!

I have the checklist for the licensing inspection. It is 14 pages long! She said it is going to take about 2.5 hours! At least I know what to expect though.

I'm so ready for this inspection and to finally get my license. I have been working for this for awhile now. We have hit more bumps in the road than intended, so it feels good that this process is finally coming to an end.

I have been trying to find kids to watch for the last month with no luck thus far, but I'm confident that once I get my State License it will make a huge difference. I will have help from Child Care Resource and Referral then and I will be able to accept families who need state assistance.

I ordered some flyers yesterday. One more form of advertising in addition to my website, Facebook, the Rising Sun Fun Care blog, KSL, and the local paper. I have business cards too. I have been marketing like crazy and my efforts are starting to pay off.

I am so excited! I could just cry. I can't wait!