HOLY TOLEDO- IT''S FINALLY GONNA HAPPEN!

Okay, for all y'all that have known me for the last couple of years you've known that I have had this horrible inner war pertaining to my education. Getting my degree and walking the "line" has been a huge goal of mine since a wee child... and since I turned down walking when I recieved my AA degree three years ago. Well, the news has finally arrived!

The Central Washington University Individual Studies program has accepted my propostion for a major on one condition... I change the title from Multi-media design to... wait for it... MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS! Boo-yah yatches! I'm going to finally GRADUATE this June with a COMMUNICATIONS degree!!!! WAAAAY better than an art degree by far. It'll be much more marketable!

Holy freaking cow, when I got the phone call I made the poor woman on the other end very awkward. I started to bawl. Having Aiden put me back two quarters, and then Josh got the job in the Seattle area w/Microsoft so moving was inevitable. Getting a degree in Broadcast Journalism was just not looking as if it was going to happen. So I prayed. And prayed.

One afternoon I was walking to class and pondering and praying in my head what on earth the lord wanted me to do w/all my educational background and future when it hit me. The lord wanted me to propose my own major combining my present major and minor. Apparently following the spirit can be a very smart thing to do. Thank you lord for remembering me. I will make you, my husband, my parents, and myself proud! (In a good way of course!!! hehe!)

I guess my repayment plan with the lord has started kicking in though, because I should be preparing my talk for this Sunday. Yes, I have a talk this Sunday. But- hey! I have a COMMUNICATIONS degree baby!!! I can handle a church talk! :)
Love Nichole

Today Is A Glum Day ...

So what IS a glum day? Well, it's my way of saying it's a depressing day. Yesterday while I was at work, my boss felt it necessary to nit-pick at me the entire shift. The day before I had confronted her about my wage and I feel as if she maybe was mad at me. Needless to say it was a bad bad day for me. To make matters worse- or better, depends on your position- Aiden had his very first steps... and I missed them. While I was getting told what to do time and time again, my son was walking for the first time.

I guess I feel as if I'm in kind of a pickle. I really like getting the time away to feel like a productive human being again, but am I missing too much? Is it worth it to just be a bee-bopping mall employee? I don't know. Of course my husband supports any decision I make, and I have a great support system with in all the members of my family, but sometimes finding someone who has all the answers is just priceless. I guess for now I'm going to wait until I find out more about the status of my Bachelors degree before I seek employment with an advertising agency or something.

Another reason today is a glum day is because I read an amazing blog about my friend's miscarriage and it brought up very pent up emotions. I guess you can say I have tried to bury these feelings with making my life busy. My due date is coming up in November. November 23rd to be politically correct. My 25th birthday. My sister-in-law is due November 17th which is exciting, but reminds me of the little baby I won't be able to hold on my birthday. As Josh says, I still have Aiden, but unfortunatley that reasoning just doesn't quite do it for me. Yes I have Aiden and he's simply AMAZING, but what about the other baby? We could have had that baby too. We could have had a double stroller with two babies so close together they're both in diapers. Yes it would have been a challenge. Yes it would have been chaotic, but I was up for it. I was prepared. I know the lord has his reasons, and I know everything happens for a reason, I just felt that I should let it be known that I, as a mother, am still in mourning.

God bless all you mothers and mother-to-be's for all you are worth. Life is hard, and today is just another "glum" day for this mother. Tomorrow will be better- and who knows, maybe my son will walk for me too!

Love Nichole

Hello World- We've Been Busy!

Hey everyone... long time no "write", eh?! Haha! Sorry about that, Josh and I have been using the public library for our internet resource and remembering to bring pictures on my thumb drive has been a bugger!

So Aiden got his first hair cut right before we moved. His hair was getting a little out of control. Everyone thought that Aiden was just the most adorable little GIRL?! What... he would be wearing BLUE: dark or light, and everyone would still call him a girl. PUH-LEAZE! Must I stamp the poor kids head? HAHA! Instead of spending ten-dollars, I opted for cutting it myself.

Isn't he just soo handsome? I love it! So, his first haircut was about a month ago now... and he is in dire need of a second one. This time all over, so I think I'll pay someone this time. No need in making the kid look like he's a street kid!

Okay, so here's an update about where we are living!

I think I have mentioned this before, but Josh and I live like a block away from this little lake that is absolutely beautiful. The park there is amazing too. Here Aiden is getting the feel of the lake for the very first time. It's a little cold, so he looks a bit worried, but his Auntie Erica is holding on tight! He was being such a good little guy that day!

The picture on the right is Aiden's little footers feeling the cold water for the first time. It's so cute to see how small his little toes are compared to his Aunts. I love this picture. It makes me gooey inside! HAHA!

So this picture is of the other side of the little park. It's just beautiful where the water plants are all located. If you look closely there are some blooms sitting on top of the lilly pads. I have never seen a wild lilly pad before, so of course I had to take a picture! My sister-in-law thought I was the biggest dork ever... but what can I say, I was sheltered...lol!

On our walk back to the car from the swimming area, daddy thought it would be fun to have Aiden sit on his shoulders. I think it was more fun for Erica and I because our view was just priceless. How many mama's can actually say that their baby has plummer butt while wearing a clean diaper? Well, my son had the worst case of plummer butt I have seen in awhile! Go baby go! I just can't get enough of baby bottom, it's so smooth and chubby! It's amazing how some little body parts can make adults all mushy, huh?!

On top of exploring, watching movies and reading books I have been trying to teach Aiden new things. One day I thought it was about time for Aiden to learn how to clap. I clapped and clapped and tried to make him clap through out the day. I was dissappointed when he didn't catch on.

The next morning I was saying "yay!" to something as I was getting ready to hand him his baba, and then he smiled and giggled and started clapping! I was so amazed I had to run and grab the camera. My son is just so stinking stubborn, of course he isn't going to clap when mama wants him too! haha!

On top of that I've been job hunting to keep myself busy and get out of the house a little bit. I got hired as a cashier at Helly Hansen in the Alderwood Mall. Yes, it's a mall job... but it's an upper scale winter wear clothing store, so it'll be fun. Plus, one of my best friends is the asst. manager there. Go Karena! haha! I also have an interview on Monday with the local school district. I'm pretty stoked. I guess it isn't so bad living over here as I thought it would be! I have tons of friends that I've known through out my life that have moved over to this side, and plus I've met some new ones. I'm a part of a book club and today is my first meeting. Although I'm nervous about these changes... it's been good for me and my family!

No Worries- We're Still Alive!

Okay, I know how blogs are w/o pictures, and I promise to add some ASAP! The problem though is I'm at a public library right now, so there is a time restriction that I'm battling at this very moment! HAHA!

Well, for those of you that are curious, we made it to North of Seattle w/o any incident. This is definitly a huge culture shock for me, however I am doing okay considering. Josh starts working on Monday the 15th. I guess that'll be the real test as to how I can handle being a city gal.

The place we live is just sooo amazingly beautiful. If it wasn't for all the people and traffic, I'd be in heaven. There is a small lake across the main street about a quarter of a mile away. There are docks, swimming area's, picnic area's and much more. It's breath-taking. The biggest mall I have ever been to is about ten minutes away. TOTALLY COOL, but also totally busy. The town is huge. I have never lived in such a large area before. Mill Creek is just around the corner practically ... and that is high society baby. I have NEVER EVER seen such a beautiful little town. The one bad thing, our Wal-Mart is TOTALLY GHETTO! haha! It isn't even a super mart. I guess you get some and you lose some.

Our apartment is crazy cute. Although it needs some work. We're on the second floor, and so we have a small balcony. The balcony faces the forest and blue jays are everywhere. We also have a small fireplace. It takes real wood though, total thumbs down when you have a crawling infant around. The brick sets off our furniture though, so that's a plus. We also have a crazy awsome gym, an indoor pool, and an outdoor pool! To top it off ... we have a spa!

Well, I'll get pics up for our next update. Hope all is going well with all of you guys. I miss my friends and family. I am a little lonely, but I'm staying busy!
Love Nichole

Before The Move

Aiden's New Room

When Aiden and I got back from our long family reunion away from Daddy, we came home to a clean baby room. How sweet daddy! Unfortunately it's all packed up now!

Aiden learned how to crawl backwards at 6 months, and then began crawling forwards on his 7 month birthday. Now at 8 months he's holding on to things and walking all around. He hasn't mastered walking w/o help yet though. Maybe at 9 or 10 months.

Here Aiden met his Great Auntie Connie for the first time. The family reunion was such a blast. I can't believe how quickly it went by.

Well, anway... More newer updates.

Josh and I went apartment "hunting" yesterday. It was so stressful. There were two available already for us to look at... and we did. We found out that we got our second choice this morning but are still waiting to see if we got our first choice until we make a decision.

Tomorrow is Aiden's check up to see how the growth of his head (and body) are doing. We aren't as concerned about it as we were initially. I think that having one more check up with Dr. Herman before we move will be a good "goodbye" for us. *Tear*

It's so weird that we're moving away on Saturday. I'm going to miss all my small town buddy's.

Love Nichole

Eh-hmmm... May I Have Your Attention Please ...

Look at this image? When you look at it what do you think of? Do you have a XBOX console at home? Do you enjoy playing XBOX live?

Well ... now I have something for you to think when you see this or any other XBOX symbol.

"Born to be wild..." Josh's ringtone on my phone goes off. Nervous, excited, and just plain sweaty I lunch across the living room to grab my phone. It is time. Moment of truth.

"Yo- babe! What happened? How'd it go?" I yell into the phone, startling my mother who is holding my baby across the room.

Well, to make a long stressful story short, Josh did not get hired on by Amazon.com ... HOWEVER... He did get hired on by Microsoft. He'll be working with ... wait for it- wait for it ... XBOX!!! So now every time you see an XBOX or rent any movies for it think of my husband, because he's the man making that movie possible to view on the XBOX.

Saturday- yes this is very last minute- we'll be heading over to the Seattle area. Tuesday we're apartment hunting and hopefully we'll get something. We've been working with an apartment realiter/ hunter and two are available for us to look at and lease if we accept.

Anyway- I thought this was pretty exciting. Thanks for all of your prayers!

Love Nichole

Welcome to the GRANT COUNTY FAIR ...

On our way to the Grant County fair, my husband thought it would be a great time to break in our new digital camera. I got tired of lugging my professional giant of a camera around and begged earnestly for a new one. Josh finally agreed only because we were going to the fair for Aiden's first time ... and I had a family reunion coming up!

Aiden seemed to enjoy himself, unfortunately though he was still a little too small to go on any rides. I got soo hot that Josh thought it would be hilarious to put water in his hair and make him look real groovy with a mo-hawk. Aiden took it like a champ.

As long as he has his ba-ba, then life couldn't get any better. How did I get so lucky to have such a happy little baby? As it got later in the afternoon, Aiden even got to experience his very first concert like setting. The juggling duo,"Brother's from a Different Mother" performed and Aiden was entranced. Flying objects just seemed to keep his interest. Maybe I should be careful because of how impressionable he is ... but heck, he's only 8 months old! :)

Here Aiden is waving when the "Brother's" were waving and saying hello. The middle picture is Aiden giving a moment of his valuable time away from the cool show. The last picture is of Aiden and Daddy right after the show. Here they're enjoying a pig showing. Oh how exciting. I think by the look on their faces a pig got out? HAHA! Not really.

My Little Family Tree

About a month ago I went with my friend Kathlene, her husband and son and took her 2008 family pictures. It was such a beautiful HOT day, and the gardens at the park were blooming. It was hard to resist when she asked if we would like some pictures taken as well. So... thanks to Kathlene we have a couple of adorable pictures that I touched up at home and can call "family pictures".

The only other time we have ever had pictures taken with all three of us together was last Easter when Aiden was still 3 months old. As most of you know ... 5 months can really change the appearance of a bouncy baby boy! My son has grown so much physically, mentally, and even emotionally. And yes ... I know. He kind of looks like a girl. It's just because he's soo freaking pretty though. Is that a crime? I hope not! :) I've always been told I look like my grandfather from Germany. Now my son can look like him too!

I know ... this is getting a little risque. I just can't help it. I absolutely love these pictures! Josh and I haven't had our picture taken since we've been married. Not "professional" looking anyway. Time and appearance has changed both us these past three years. Being the photographer behind the camera has also made it more difficult to have pictures taken together. Oh how I love my husband though.

Job hunting has been so stressful for both of us. Having my degree in the hands of a committee is leaving me feeling helpless and out of control. I'm kind of a control freak, and having my life hanging by a thread is definitly a lesson the lord must find humorous. On a more serious note however, I've never felt as close to my husband as I do right now. My face is broken out, I've gained large amounts of weight at a time, yet he still kisses me and plays with my hair. If only we had a job, then life would just be grand!

A Gaerts Club Update

A baby's laughter is a chime to your heart.

When Aiden and Sidney get together ...

it's a splash!

The fourth of July was a lot of fun for my son and his cousin Sidney. They are both such hams, it cracks me up. . I have never in my life enjoyed sitting outside in the heat before Aiden came along. We went to my parent's house and my mom had just bought an adorable baby pool. Sidney was just so excited to go swimming we didn't have time to put a swim diaper on him. Then of course my little tyke got jealous and quite obnoxious ... so in he went as well.

So here is a more recent picture of my buddy boy. He looks real trendy here with that cool life jacket g-string going on there. Try to ignore the mother holding him in the pool. I don't have a clue who THAT is. Oh brother. Too bad photo shop would ruin the dynamic of the picture. LOL!

..................................................

***NEWS FLASH***

Stolen Bike Update

So, apparently when my husband is upset about something, he becomes ABSOLUTELY obsessed about it. He has been scoping our town EVERY day since our bike was so viciously stolen out from our fenced in backyard. And lucky for our pallies the Fullers, it paid off.

Bike stalking the thief off the brief chance that our bikes might still be here in our quaint little town, and riding out as far as the library- Josh found a clue. Sniffing out the coulprit, or whom he felt to be the guilty party Josh began the stalk. Ahead of him, on a bike similar to one stolen from our complex was a young teenage Mexican boy ... riding for dear life. The way the boy kept turning and looking back at Josh made Josh suspicious. The race was on.

Following through several random neighborhoods Josh stayed on his tail, however it was apparent that the boy new the area well for he disappeared after 15-minutes of dashing and dodging.

Two days later, Josh is still on the hunt. He now knows where to begin his search. Low and behold, sitting in a bike rack at the public library is Randy's bike.

"Holy, what the!" He thinks as he hits Randy's number on his phone. "Does your bike have a green cord as well as the missing front brake?"

The bike has been found! Randy drove out to meet Josh, and an officer also came to help investigate this serious infraction. After bringing out the wrong young gentleman the cop finally brought out the boy Josh had hunted two days previously. After many questions, and accusing killer glares from a fuming Josh and Randy the bike was returned to Randy's custody.

The boy was a fourteen year old already on probation for something different. He gave up another name of a boy who may know something about the other three missing bikes. This bad boy didn't get into any trouble however because he said that he found the bike on a free pile. And unfortunately for us sitting ducks over here, there actually WAS a free pile. A call to the parole officer, and an empty promise later Josh and Randy were on their way home. Though Josh is disappointed to no end, we now know that our bike may still be here and hopefully my husbands obessive behavior will pay off. Maybe?

The Rant of a Raging Mama

This week began on a sad note for our little family. My husband's bike was stolen from our backyard. Josh and I are both frustrated with this because our next door neighbors/ managers had their bike stolen, our friends two doors down had their bike stolen, and another bike from across the street got stolen. I'd say about $1200 or more in bikes were stolen at the beginning of this week.

You know, the whole ironic part about this "robbing" if I may, is the fact that we live in a subsidized unit. WHO ROBS FROM THE POOR??? I mean seriously? The gang community across the hills are known for coming over to our little community and taking bikes and other items of value. But why from a poor community? This has boggled my mind, and honestly has pissed me off more than I can even express. The worst part ... Now we can't ride our bikes as a family to the pool in the evenings. Something my son enjoys. Thanks for that.

Thanks for stealing some family recreation! I hope you have a "HELL" of a time with it!

~sincerely a pissed off mom!

Our Crazy Life

Daddy is a ham ... and Aiden is a smiling fool!

Aiden + Pool = Water Guppy!

Aiden started swimming lesson's two weeks ago and it simply is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. At first I had no idea that a 6 month old could have swimming lessons, needless to say I was amazed to see that my son actually LOVES getting dunked in the water!

My son is just the little guppy! Laying on his tummy he kicks and splashes with all his little might. The rest of us just laugh at his expense. Poor kiddo!

Can't you tell we just adore our baby boy? I just adore how much he trusts us. It's crazy to think about how little he used to be. It's been sooo freaking hot that Aiden looks forward to going to the pool!- I'd like to think so anyway! HAHA!

Lately we have had the concern that Aiden's head isn't growing. At his 6 month check up his head actually hadn't grown from his 4 month check up. The doctors are concerned about his soft spot fusing too early as well. My parent's came down yesterday on their crazy Harley Davidson and gave him a blessing with Josh. At 8 months we have to take him in and have his head resized. Of course I'm scared, brain damage and the loss of motor skills are definitly a risk, but I have faith that all will be well. He looks proportionate, but unfortunately babies aren't supposed to look normal! *Sigh! At least we can still play and enjoy him while we wait, right?

This last picture is of Aiden (front) with his best pal and cusin, Sidney! Aiden loves his big cuz so much. It's adorable to see Sidney give Aiden hugs and Aiden is just smiling from ear to ear. It's quite funny to see those two hams interact together. Yesterday my sister-in-law Erica and I drove to Yakima in my Chevy Cobalt ... I don't know how much you know about cars but Cobalts aren't known for their luxury size! Once one began crying the other started ... same with screaming ... AND laughing. It was a crazy dangerous trip all the same!

A Degree Rant

Josh and I were both

broadcast/ Newswatch management last quarter for our weekly show live at four. As I have mentioned in several of my previous blogs Josh graduated with his degree in this major, and I'm right behind him. I absolutely love working with the camera's and producing. It's a hidden passion that I never realized I had until this last year. Being on the front desk, however, anchoring for a show that goes on live isn't part of that passion.

It's crazy that I hate being on camera, yet I was such a drama fene when I was younger. If I had the chance I think that I would do community theatre again, but I have just a "couple" pounds to lose before that happens again.

I'm currently taking summer classes to help speed up my graduating process. I'm enrolled in several art classes for my studio art minor. Photography is one of them, and it is amazing! I absolutley LOVE it! I'm a little dissappointed with myself that I didn't pursue this major in the first place, but as we all know life goes on. I guess if Josh does get offered a job in the xbox division of Microsoft, then maybe I'll transfer to the Art Institute. That could be cool?!

I Have an Addiction ...

My name is Nichole ... and I'm a Twilight-a-holic!

So I'm not sure how many of you have read Stephanie Meyer's vampire series. It's under the genre of young adult. Generally I don't really enjoy young adult books because they're normally written at lower reading levels, and I get bored too easily. This series however has caught my interest. I absolutely love it!

For my sister-in-laws birthday I bought her the first book, Twilight, and she read it that night. The next day I borrowed it and was intrigued for the rest of the day and got nothing else done! After I was done I drove myself to the book store and spent $80 on the series, along with her new adult book, The Host. Needless to say my husband almost murdered me on the spot! HAHA!

I don't really know how popular the book is nation wide. It seems to be a pretty big hit where I'm living currently. All I'm going to say is ... I'm sooo for Jacob! Go Jacob go! The ending of the third book completely floored me. I wasn't the biggest fan, but now I just HAVE to have the forth. I'm hoping it isn't in Jacob's perspective, however. Edward is the sexy dangerous vampire, and he's cool too ... but I like the idea of Bella having children and not roaming the Earth forever.

Anywho- Just my thoughts on my current favs!

My Baby is Officially Six Months

Aiden turned six months old this month. My goodness does the time fly. He has been sick, however, since his monthly birthday. Diarrhea, it's great stuff. We went to the doctor, but all is well. Apparently some babies get fairly sick when they begin to teethe. Aiden is one of those babies. Looking face to face his bottom left tooth has began peeking. Poor little shizzy fuss. He is definitly having a rough go of it.

Swimming lessons began last Tuesday. I was told the wrong time, so we were to late but we made it to the Thursday lesson. HOLY FREAKING COW! I love it, Aiden loves it... it's officially amazing. Aiden is such the little guppy. He sits up on his own, has been able to for a couple of months now, so he sits on the side and kind of jumps in. (With the help of mama of course!) You would think that going under water would be a scary thing for a baby, but Aiden takes it like a champ ... blowing like a blow fish the entire time.

Lately my little chubby baby has decided to go ahead and grow up on me. Before he turned six months old he began getting up on his hands and knees. He just loves rocking back and forth. The hard part for me to comprehend is that my baby has began to crawl, and it's backwards. JUST LIKE HIS MAMA!

Saturday Josh finally graduated with his double B.A. It was the windiest day to hold a graduation ceremony but we made due. My sister-in-law and I worked hard and put together a graduation party for Josh and his brother Jerry who graduated with his Master's in History.

Part of me was really sad to see Josh walk with all of our friends and schoolmates in the Broadcast department. I was/ am so very proud of Josh, but I was supposed to be right there beside him recieving my "diploma". It was a bittersweet moment. However, I do know that my turn will be next year, and Aiden will be in those stands cheering me on like he kind of did for his daddy. This picture is Josh sitting in the assigned seating holding Aiden. I was on the sidelines when our friend Mike F. came and stole the baby from me. Mike is the awsome photog that took this cute picture. Thanks dude!

May I Introduce Myself ... and my family!

My name is Nichole and I have been married for almost three years now. My husband, Josh and I have a six month old amazing son named Aiden. Josh just recently- as in four days ago- graduated with his double B.A. in Communications and History. I am curently a senior with two more quarters to go with MY communications degree. Who would have guessed that I, Nichole, would get a com-degree? LOL! If you know me then you would catch the sarcasm in that comment, fore I am the epidemy of communication!