Thankful

I can't believe the end of my 5 day vacation is over. It's back to work tomorrow for Hunter and I...and we have a five day week this week -- oh boy! So, here's a quick update of the changes in our life recently...

1. Chase and I got married on November 19th. Really, we just signed a common law form, but it does state that the only way to terminate our marriage is through divorce or death, so we're basically married! Yay! June 13th still seems so far away though, and I'm really looking forward to our actual wedding. It's a lot of fun referring to each other as husband and wife though...

2. I started a new job watching a few little boys in Franktown on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are good boys, but very long days. I'm hoping it improves as we get on some sort of schedule, but basically it's Go Go Go all day long! I still watch Henry, now on Monday and Wednesdays, so I do have three day weekends to work on photos...with the exception of this week!

3. Chase started working p/t with my brother in law selling windows. In his first week, he brought home over $500 in commissions, so we're really excited about the prospect of this. It's really win win for everybody, as the more Chase sells, the more money we get, and the more work my Dad has!

4. Hunter had his 2 year appointment. He is healthy and happy according to Dr. Jacobs who always tries to convince me that she doesn't tell all of her patients that they just keep getting more and more cute! He is doing very well though, so we'll keep up the good work!

5. Thanksgiving came and gone. Cayden Brandt, Tasha's new little boy, was born early Thanksgiving day, giving me a huge reminder that my Grandfather is still around! His birthday is the same as Cayden's and it makes me smile knowing they will share the day, even if Cayden never knows it!

6. We bought our first Christmas tree and a new set of ornaments! This will be our first Christmas as husband and wife (yay!) as well as our first Christmas in our first house! This Christmas will be light on the presents side, but huge on the family side -- Chase and I plan on spending lots of quality time together celebrating!

7. I am in the process of changing my name. Soon, I will be Holly Kristeen Anderson. I'll let you know when it's official!

8. Chase announced to me last week that he will be bringing home a $2000 *before taxes* Christmas bonus this year. This was HUGE for us as it will help bring us out of debt...we are very excited to no longer feel the strain of credit card debt. We are also excited to be able to hopefully help my parent's out with wedding costs, as well as save up for new cars and our honeymoon! It is a huge leap in the right direction for us.
I think that's all the new updates!

So, on another note...for 2008, this is what I'm thankful for...

I am thankful that I am healthy and happy, and that my family is healthy and happy. I am thankful that we were all able to spend another year together. I am thankful that in the time of this horrible economy, the people closest to me still have good jobs, their houses, and money to support their families. I am thankful that my son has had another year to learn and grow. He is a wonderful little boy, and I am thankful for everyday I get to spend with him. I am very thankful that I have gone another year without having to put him in daycare. I am thankful that I have such a wonderful, loving, and amazing husband. I am thankful that Chase and I were able to purchase our first home this year, and thankful that we got the house we did on the budget we have. We are very happy here, and love our wonderful town home. I am thankful that the snow has come late this year, and we have had so many wonderful snow free days! I am thankful that Lisa's ordeal is almost over, which is one step closer to bringing my sister home for good! And last but certainly not least, I am thankful for my cute, loving puppies, who really make our house a home!

Happy Birthday, Happy Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Happy Day!

I know, it's been awhile. I've been slacking, really. I do have a semi-good excuse. I've been having some back problems lately, so...I pretty much don't do much of anything anymore! Today's the first day in quite some time that I actually feel pretty good, so yay! I've been seeing a chiropractor, so maybe it's working!!

On to other more important things...

Hunter is two! I can't believe that my little baby is "officially" not a baby anymore. So far, two has been much the same as one! Lol. Some grumpies here and there, but overall, Hunter's a pretty content kid. Although I do think he's been watching too much tv lately, but...well, see above. :)

We celebrated Hunter's birthday for two days. On Halloween, I was babysitting Henry, so Hunter, Henry and I went to our playgroup's party at an indoor park. That was a lot of fun, and the kid's got to wear their costumes and eat some yummy treats! After nap time, we went trick or treating at RE/MAX so Chase could show off Hunter to all of his co-workers! For dinner that evening, we took Hunter to Red Robin. They sang Happy Birthday to him, and I swear he acted like he was all embarrassed. It was pretty hilarious! Afterwards, we went to Adam and Kim's house to go trick or treating with Peyton and then to just hang out for awhile! I love Hunter and Peyton together...they are too cute!


Saturday morning, we woke up early and gave Hunter his birthday gift from us! He was so excited...I think it's easy to see that he loved it!


Then, we got ready for our birthday party!!! Although it wasn't as big of a turn out as we had expected, Hunter still had a lot of fun, and got some great gifts! We mostly asked for clothes, but Hunter didn't seem to mind, and still got plenty of toys anyways! I think he enjoyed the cake the best though!




Well, there ya have it! I have a lot of other cute pictures I need to add sometime, but, sometime may be a few days away :) Aside from my back, photo shoots and wedding planning are taking up quite a bit of time now a days. Oh well! :)

Happy November Everyone...and just keep in mind...it won't be my fault, I voted for McCain :).


P.S. Thank you to everyone who helped make Hunter's birthday a success. I could not have done it without all the help I received! I truly appreciate everyone's kindness while I've been a bit out of sorts! Thank you thank you!