Happy Halloween!

Shannon called to say that he is working until 2am, which is perfect since he got off early last night. Kyle and I are staying in tonight, he’s not really into candy and I don’t think he would understand why his mommy would dress him up in a costume.

Kyle’s been practicing using his voice a lot more these last few days. I haven’t heard back from the doctor’s office about the referrals or scheduling our next appointment.

Shannon has split days off next week. We’re still planning on going to Chuck E. Cheese. I am curious to see how Kyle will react about being able to run, play, and climb. I read on the Chuck E. Cheese website that they have a toddler section so I am hoping there will be other kids his age there. I am hoping that once he sees other kids his age talking, that he may try even more to talk.

Long Awaited Doctor Visit

Kyle had his doctor appointment today, the first time since his 18 month check up. The entire staff were really nice, which is a big change from his last doctor’s office in Nevada. Kyle weighs 30 pounds and is 3 feet tall! The doctor said that is all normal.

I brought up our concern about Kyle not talking yet. He recommended a hearing test and then a speech therapist. So the doctor’s office is getting authorization from a Medicaid doctor for us.

They asked if we wanted to get a flu shot for Kyle but I declined because Kyle was already uneasy and ready to leave. I could tell he was uncomfortable.

The doctor also wants to see Kyle in a month, that way he can check in with the progress of the hearing test and speech therapy.

Kyle was really nervous and uneasy with strangers around and it made me realize that he NEEDS to get out and see other kids and adults. I suggested to Shannon that we start taking him to Chuck E. Cheese to play, since it is indoors and kid friendly. This way, he can see and play with other kids and we can get out for a cheap date! LOL I believe there are other kid friendly places to take him, so I asked Shannon to ask around at work.

Kyle and the Triplets

I took Kyle for our daily walk to get the mail and on the way back we saw one year old triplet girls. They were so cute and so small. Kyle was the one who wanted to walk towards them. He was smiling the whole time. I rubbed my hand on his cheek and said, “Kyle, say Hi.” So he reached his hand out and rubbed one of the girl’s cheeks and then he did the same to another girl. It was really cute seeing his little face and how he reacted to other little kids.

The triplets were cute. They were babbling and just seemed like they were running the show. Seems like typical girls!

We’ve been adopted

She first started coming by in July or so. She’d show up on our porch and just meow! The first night she showed up, we gave her a slice of cheese and soy milk (we don’t have cow’s milk). She didn’t eat much of what we gave her but after that she’s been coming by almost every night.

She’s taken to Shannon and usually rubs against his pants leg or meows at him. Every time Shannon would go outside, she’d come up to see him. Or if she sees a light on, she shows up on the porch. Two nights ago she came to our porch and she meow’d every time I looked out to see her. I called Shannon and asked if I should give her some tuna. He said that was a great idea so I gave her a big can of tuna. It took her about an hour and a half or so to eat it.

Kyle loves watching the cat and can sit there and just watch her while smiling, clapping, and just giggle the entire time. Last night she came back and I gave her about a quarter of a can of tuna. She still looked hungry after that. She was back outside this morning wanting more food. She came with another cat, but this cat looked well fed and plump, like it had a home.

I realized something

I’ve been trying to apply for work at home jobs this past week and I even took a few assessment tests. Well, today I took another one that took about an hour of my time. During this time, Kyle was either whining, climbing on boxes, wanting to sit on my lap, or wanting something.

I realized that I can’t take a work at home position with Kyle since I would need a quiet work space.

I’ve been encouraging Shannon to update his resume and start looking for other opportunities or even internal promotions. I just want us to have more money coming in because it seems like we never have enough money. If we had money or even extra money at the end of the month, I wouldn’t have to worry about finding a work at home job in the first place.

Miracle of One Towel

I bought a microfiber towel this month and received it the other day. I finally had a chance to use it today. I think I saved at least 20 or 30 paper towels in the process. I was able to clean all of the surface areas of the house, including the light switches, door handles, and our computers, with one towel.

I hope to purchase more eventually so I can use one for each room or area.

Kyle’s Latest and Privacy

Last week, Kyle started a new thing. He’s opening our dresser drawers and pulling out clothes and running around the house with them. He favors his dad’s shirts and socks.

We now have privacy again in our living room. Our blinds are really cheap (we didn’t choose them) so they easily bend and easily pull off. Kyle likes playing with them, bending them and eventually breaking them off. He ended up pulling off over half of the blinds to where anyone who wanted to look in our living room could! Especially at night, if someone had their headlights on, they could easily see into our living room. So Shannon finally put up a bed sheet over the windows. We have some bed sheets that we got free from my mother in law. They were twin sheets and since we don’t have a twin bed, we used that.

Work at Home Jobs

I applied for two work at home jobs this morning. I’ve been thinking about doing the work at home job thing again, now that Kyle is older. I tend to have time to spare in the afternoon so it would be perfect to be able to work during this time.

With the current path of our economy, I’ve been thinking about looking for a work at home job again.

I am still searching for other work at home opportunities in the meantime.

Only Our Class!

Here’s what I found out when I checked my email this morning, there is a reunion set for mid-November, only 6 weeks away!!!! Such a short notice, especially for those of us who no longer live in California and would have to plan on airfare, hotel, etc. It seems the person who was supposed to plan it got behind??? So a few people got together and got permission from our former class president to put this together. Anyway, they have a page on myspace to stay updated. Then I get an invite from another myspace page about another class reunion planned for next summer!

I thought it was a little unfair that the first reunion was set so close to the holidays as well as with very little notice. Plus, with this economy the way it is, how can anyone afford to go?

I like the idea of the second reunion because they give us several months to plan and save up if needed. Plus it isn’t near the holidays!

Mostly Empty Shelves

Shannon had Saturday and Sunday off, so that was a surprise. I am really glad because we didn’t go shopping on his last day off, which was Thursday. We were literally out of food.

We were almost a week overdue for a trip to Walmart. We ended up buying a lot of bulk items, just in case the prices went up or the stores ran out of food. Also, we both noticed that all the shelves were half stocked or the items were completely gone. I did buy 4 bottles of shampoo that was on sale for $5. Most of the shampoo that was on sale was gone, I was lucky to find the last 4 bottles. Also, the oreos that were on sale were all gone. I don’t know if it was because it was the “weekend” and everyone went shopping or because they were having a big sale. I saw red ROLL BACK signs everywhere for just about everything. It was a little scary seeing the shelves that empty like that.

I had to stop by the nursery and saw a plant that I really wanted but ended up passing on because I knew our grocery bill was going to be big.

We ended up not buying our usual frozen foods this time because our cart was overflowing and we weren’t sure if we were going to have to wait in line for 20-30 minutes like last time. Shannon said he can stop by Walmart on the way home from work to get our frozen foods.

Kyle was so good in the store. He was so quiet and observant of everything and everyone around him. I wonder what it will be like when he starts really talking!

There is also a rumor going around his work that they may have to cut 15% of the workforce. Of course it’s a rumor, but it’s something to keep in the back of your mind.

After we got home and the food in the house, Shannon took Kyle outside to let him play around. Meanwhile, I put the food away. There was so much food that Shannon helped when he came back in. Plus I left some out for him to put away that had to go in the cupboards I can’t reach.

I also had a chance to catch up on laundry this weekend. I need to steam clean the carpets this week. I’ve been cleaning them at least twice a month.

I don’t know what to think about Wachovia merging with Wells Fargo. Wachovia happens to be the bank we use. Not only that, they made a deal with Citigroup. So I have no idea how this is going to play out. I opened up another savings account called Way2Save, which helps their customers save more. Money is put into that account automatically. It was free to sign up and we also earn interest on that account.

3 in 3

Kyle will be 3 years old in 3 months!!! I can’t believe it! He’s growing so fast! We can tell he’s getting taller because he can reach the light switches when he stands on his tip toes.

He learned 2 things

Kyle learned how to do two new things yesterday. He already figured out how to open the refrigerator door awhile ago, but now he can reach the freezer door! He loves to open and close doors for us. He loves opening cupboards too.

He also learned how to turn on the light switches! He loves turning on all the lights he can reach. He must be getting taller. He does stand on his tip toes to reach.