Time for an update.....

Well it has officially been over a year and a half since I wrote on here and thought maybe now that life is slowing down a little I should update the old blog.

The Stuemke's have had a huge year this year with lots of changes in our lives.  We went from a one income house hold with a full time student to a household with 2 incomes coming in!  We moved from Southern IL to Central IL.  We became a family of 4.....we got a Schnoodle! No more babies yet.

As for each of us individually:
Chet: Quit working at SIU and took a job with a company called Kruger seeds.  When he went for the interview I told him just go listen to them and see what they have to say.  I never in my wildest dreams thought they would offer him enough to make it worth us moving.  Guess what....they did and then some!  He interviewed for the position the middle of April had it offered to him 2 days later and we moved the end of April so he could start on May 1st.

Carder: Where has my baby went to?!?!?!? He has gotten so big and so smart!  He is about 39 inches tall and weighs in at about 38-39 lbs and he will be 3 in November!  I remember him being so small and helpless and now he is so independent.  He has potty trained himself and pretty much doesn't let me help him with anything anymore.  He tells me I can get my food or I can put my clothes on mommy! I wish so bad he would slow down!  He is so smart too.  He knows his ABCs, can count to 30, knows his colors, shapes, too many dinosaurs to name, the planets, how to spell quite a few words, and can almost write his name, plus who knows what else.  What do you do when your child gets smarter than you?

As for me:  I moved to our new house after I finished nursing school.  Carder and I drove back and forth from Carterville to Taylorville every week and then stayed in Southern IL with some friends of ours while I had classes.  A huge thank you to Justin and Lisa Miller and Brandi and Evie Yagow for letting us crash at their houses for a while!!  Once done with school I started applying for jobs and hated the idea that most of the hospitals were going to make me go through 16 weeks of classes before I started to work.  I finally started working on my birthday at the end of June at Decatur Memorial Hospital.  I have to say I absolutely love it!! I started in the float pool and was trained on 5100 where I worked with alot of neuro patients and really enjoyed that.  Then it was time to switch to a new for for training but before I could switch my boss called and offered me a full time position on the ortho floor.  I took it and love where I am now!  I hope someday to go on to get my Nurse Practitioner and become a first assist.

As for the whole family we are just settling into our new life in a new home in a new town enjoying life and all that it is bringing our way.  We have two crazy dogs that rule our lives and one wild child that makes all the decisions.  We keep tossing the idea around of adding another one to the mix and we are shocked that when asked Carder tells us yes he wants a baby sister.  I guess we will see about that as time goes on.  Maybe we will maybe we wont.  First it will be an appointment with Dr Paul to see if its even safe to try or not.  I dont want to put another baby at risk.  I still beat myself up on a regular basis for all that Carder went through, but I knew we had to because I was not going to give up on him!  So who knows we will see I guess!

I guess now I have updated everything now I have to decide if I should change the name of the blog or leave it the same since technically Chet is no longer a Milkman.......I guess I will have to figure out a new clever name for it!

A wonderful day!

Today was so much fun!! Carder and I spent the early part of our afternoon with our friends Heather and Parker.  We met at the Herrin park where we dressed the boys in their matching outfits that we had gotten on a previous shopping trip and shot some pictures.  Once we were done with pictures we stuck the boys in their strollers and away we went walking.  We were having so much fun just talking and enjoying the weather and the boys were being saints that we lost track of how long we had been walking.  Final distance 2.9 miles!! It felt so good and made me want to do it again and again!! After we were done walking we went to grab lunch and met up with Gina and Gio for Pizza Hut.  I was so good to see Carder, Parker, and Gio together they are getting so big its sad!!! 

After a fun filled afternoon with some great friends we came home and Carder took a nap then we decided it was still to pretty to sit inside so we went out and played kickball, rode the tractor, and played with the puppy.  All in all we had a wonderful day and cant wait to spend another awesome day with our great friends!! 

Tomorrows mission: Carder and I are going to go visit my grandparents and pick up Carder's Nana for the weekend!!

As for now I added a few pictures of two amazingly handsome men for your viewing pleasure!!

A beautiful windy day....

Today as I look out the windows I notice that it is such a beautiful day but it is so windy!! Usually I decide on days like today that we will go out for a few minutes and then spend most of our day inside with the doors open so we can see the beautiful sunshine without dealing with the wind.  Today however, we are going to brave the wind and go for a long walk.  I have finally decided that its past time to do something about my weight and get over all my insecurities and make myself happy for once.  Growing up I was always  super active I played softball all year around on multiple leagues, ran track, played tackle football (on the boy's team) and competed in powerlifting.  I was actually in good shape!  When I moved to Carbondale to start school I weighted in at 150lbs and was pretty muscular.  Now I would have to add quite a bit to that weight and I'm not very muscular.  When everyone asks me what happened I always say life happened.  I moved away from my coach and my mom and wasn't strict on what I ate.  I ate what I wanted when I wanted and didn't exercise if I didn't feel like it.  But now I've decided its time to do something about it! I don't want Carder growing up thinking that its ok to eat your emotions away and to watch TV all day. I want him to know what a healthy diet is and how fun exercise can be! 

I have two goals for myself pertaining to my exercise 1. I want to run a 5K this fall and 2. I want to wear a 2 piece bathing suit next year when we go on vacation and look good in it.  I made a deal with my older sister who is also trying to loose weight that we would run a 5K together and I plan on keeping up my end of the bargain.  Right now to work towards those goals I am walking once if not twice a day with Carder and logging my 1400 calorie diet into myfitnesspal.com to monitor my food intake.  I have also given up soda and sweet tea for water!! (If you know me well you know that its a huge step for me to give up sweet tea!!)  Then starting Sunday a friend and I are going to start the program From the Couch to a 5K.  I am super nervous but so ready to be healthy again!! So now after my rantings about my diet and exercise, my question to you is what about you do you miss that you wish you could get back??

Word of the day: Frustrated!!

Today's word of the day is frustrated and there are so many reasons why!  My school schedule has changed this week from 4 days a week to only 2 days a week and while this is great because I get great Carder time it is so frustrating!!  A week or so ago it was warm enough to be outside and enjoy the day, this week not so much. Carder and I have spent our last few days stuck in the house and we are both past stir crazy.  We both miss our walks so much its rediculous.  Before we were walking once if not two or three times a day and Carder loved it because we were outside and I loved it because I was loosing weight.  I haven't got to take a nice long walk outside for the last couple days and can definately feel it. 

As for other reasons I am frustrated, We spent all of yesterday afternoon at the dr's office with Chet.  Today they called with his blood work results and said they still dont know what it is but some of his levels are elevated.  Here is the best part.... They wanted him to have an ultrasound done to rule out the posibility of gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas problems and they wanted it done quick.  Now what is their idea of quick...a week I guess. He wont have his ultrasound done until next week and then has to go back to the doctor after that.  Until then he is suppose to take it easy and not do anything strenuous.  If any one knows my husband you know that is not going to happen so I spend my entire time yelling at him to quit doing things he isn't suppose to do.  Very FRUSTRATING!!!! 

Then tonight we went into Kay's to talk to them about my rings and their answer to everything was just exchange them for a new set.  I spent all of 20 minutes looking at rings and contemplating this when I finally told the lady I couldn't that my rings had too much sentimental value in which she responded by say well I guess we will replate them and  you will just have an old set of rings then.  Does anyone respect tradition or understand sentimental value anymore??? In their opinion and newer bigger flasher ring was the better option.  My answer is that engagement ring is the ring Chet put on my finger the night he asked me to be his wife,  the wedding ring is the ring he put on my finger when he promised to love honor and cherish me for all our lives, and that set of rings are the rings I wore the night my son was born.  So to me they mean more to me than any new flashy ring!!

My last reason for being so frustrated is that I have spent the last few weeks trying to make better decissions and walking and working out to loose weight and not once have I been told that I am doing a good job or that I look so much better!! It makes me want to give up and go get a half dozen Larry's House of Cakes cupcakes and eat them all!!! Just once I would like to be told I'm proud of you or you look great but I guess I'll just be frustrated instead!

Trying this again!

So I decided that I need to try to get into this blogging thing again because I need somewhere to rant and rave about all that goes on in my world without boring my family to death.  So here we go again!

Since the last time I have been on here we have done so much.  I am currently just shy of 1 semester from completing my LPN.  All I have left is about a month of this semester, finals, and 3 ATI exams.  Once this semester is over I will have summer classes and then its on to my LPN boards.  Looking back on the last 7-8 months it is so hard to believe how quickly time has flown by. 

Besides working on LPN school I spend the rest of my time watching my beautiful baby boy grow up to be an amazing little man!!! A couple weeks ago we spent a few days with our good friends Joy, Richie, and Kinley at their house in Geneva.  It was truly amazing to watch how the kids just picked up from where they had left off like they hadn't missed a day of being with each other.  They are both growing into such amazing little people.  I can't wait to watch them grow up and eventually get married ;) (They are promised to each other) 

This past weekend we got to spend a great weekend in St Louis.  It was Chet's brother and nephew's birthday party and his younger nephew's dedication at church.  While in town for the party we were also lucky enough to get to meet the newest member of the Stuemke family Blake.  Blake is the beautiful baby boy of Brett and Myah Stuemke (Chet's cousin and his wife)  He is truly amazing and another little Stuemke miracle baby.  He was delivered by the same doctor that delivered Carder so while visiting him we also got to see Dr Paul and a few of our nurses including one of our favorites Michelle.  All in all it was an awesome weekend with friends and family. 

Now we look at 3 weekends at home enjoying family time in our own house!  I know some people will be shocked by this due to the fact that we never stay home but we have decided its time to start so that Carder doesn't think that he lives in a Trailblazer!  We are planning on spending our weekends checking out the farmers market, playing outside, and getting ready for Ag Industry days. 

Well I should probably quit rambling and spouting randomness on here and call it a night maybe next time my blog will actually have a little meaning and not so much randomness but with me you never know!!!

Finally Something Good at Wal Mart

So everyone has always heard people talk about how horrible Wal Mart is and that if they ever had the money they would never shop there again.  Well count my husband in as one of those people in his words Wal Mart is the 7th level of hell!  Well tonight we had to go to Wal Mart to get the monster diapers and we were none thrilled about it but before we left we finally saw something good at Wal Mart.  No its wasn't one of those crazy people you see on PeopleofWalMart.com or a great deal it was just an awesome deed.  As we were getting ready to check out we walked down to the end to the 20 items of less lane and waited because there was a couple in front of us.  As this couple was checking out a woman came up behind them and swiped her credit card....Strange right except it wasn't it was awesome

 You see the couple standing in front of us was a US Solider and his wife and from what I could hear from their conversation he had either just got back from Iraq for good or on leave.  So standing there I watch as this lady swipes her credit card and when the wife of the soldier tells her that the groceries were their the lady just looks at them and says I know its my treat Thank you for fighting for me and my country, I wish I could do more but at least I can do this for now.  We all just stood there in silence until the solider said you don't have to do that I don't deserve anything special.  At this the lady just smiled signed her name on the screen for the purchase and walked away.  I looked at the solider and told him no you deserve so much more!!

As soon as we got out of Wal Mart I had to call my mom because we are always telling each other our awesome stories and her answer was "Sometimes you get to see angels at work and sometimes you don't...today you got to see an angel at work!"  It was an awesome thing what I saw tonight and I hope that someday I can do something simple like that until then I just want to say thank you to all that have and are currently serving our country and to their families!!!  Next time you see someone in uniform or in a veterans hat what will you do or say???

No Sleep

Well today has not started out on the best foot that is for sure.  Last night we went out with a work friend of Chet's and his wife and then went to their house for a while.  It was so much fun to get out and actually do something besides going to Wal Mart.  While we were at their house we got to meet the wife's mother who has had some horrible things happen to her in the past year and it was so amazing to sit down and talk to her because she never one was negative about it or wondered why me.  I realized that I should be more like that and not so whiny!! 

Well as the title says No Sleep that would be because we got home last night at about 10:30 and Carder crashed and I was so tired so we went to bed and what did I do.... I laid there until 1:50 watching the clock and would have laid there longer I'm sure but Carder woke up so I had to take care of him.  So we went in the living room had some milk and he went back to sleep.  My turn now right.... I wish I sat there was could not go to sleep for anything.  I think I finally feel asleep at about 4:30 only to hear Chet's alarms go off at 5:00.  I finally got back to sleep at about 6:30 and Carder was ready to start his day at 8:00 so not much sleep for me. Oh well I shall survive!!

Today's mission- Clean the house, wash laundry, lay out clothes to pack ( Chet's family is coming to his grandma's from Iowa and we are going to see our Godson and Carder's Godparents)  Get a present bought and at some point in time get Carder to take a nap so I can have one.  Until then I guess I should quit rambling and get started on my list of jobs.