Exciting New Journey!

Most of you are already aware that this is a very exciting time in the Extein household. We have been living with my VERY giving parents for the last 6 months, and our new house is FINALLY ready. To say that this journey has been a roller coaster would be a complete understatement. Lenders are extremely cautious right now, which I am fully aware of considering I work for a financial institution, but when you preapprove someone based on legitimate information, you would think the process would go smoothly. What a joke...everytime the lender requested information from us, we would jump through their hoop just to find 3 more hoops in front of us. I want to take a quick moment to thanks my husband, parents, and my kiddos for putting up with psychotic Melissa for the last few months. I know I have not been an easy person to live with. I am sure that my mood swings were even more unpredictable than the lenders hoops. Once this week is over and the move is complete, I vow to try to be a more patient mother, wife and daughter. You all are the most important people in my life and I would hate to alienate any of you by being a crazy bitch. :)

Love you all

~Mel

My Babies

Lukas this summer

Lexi, me and Danielle enjoying Disneyland this fall

Mr. blue eyes enjoying his bath as usual

Lexi & Danielle in front of Grandma & Papa's tree

So, a few days ago I wrote about my love for my husband. Today I had an itch to show off my beautiful babies. There were a couple of time today I wanted to strangle them (the two older ones at least) but for the most part they had me cracking up. It was nice to to just hang out & play Mexican Train and WII with the girls and try and build something with Handy Manny's work bench with Lukas. He is really starting to develop a pretty wide vocabulary and is just getting so darn cute, if I do say so myself. Obviously my creative written skills are lacking tonight, but here are a couple of shots that I love of the kids from 2009. In 2010 I am going to try and have more patience with my children and spend even more QUALITY time with each of them as a group and individually.

~Mel

9 years and counting

Wow Babe... can you believe we have been married for nine years already? Who would have thunk it? Well, I know you and I had no doubt that we would be here, but I am sure that there were definitely some non believers out there. I mean really, who thinks they are going to marry the person they were in love with when they were only 15? I will never forget the letter that changed my life " I always thought there would be another chance for us", and the 24 hours that sealed our fate. I love you more than anything and am so glad that I get to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much you mean to me. Thank you for giving me 3 gorgeous (although sometimes bratty) children, a beautiful home and a loving man to wake up to every morning. I know you are not the romantic mushy person I thought I would end up with...but I think I have enough mush for both of us! Next up...a CRAZY and hectic but extremely exciting 2010! I am glad you are the one I will be spending it with!

Love,
~ME

Weight Loss Challenge-Update #1

So, I think I figured out that the best way to handle the structure of this challenge is to weigh in every Wednesday and Saturday morning. Wednesday's I don't start work until 9pm, so I have time to get up and weigh myself without disrupting anyone else (the scale is in my mom and dad's bathroom). As of this morning I was down 5 lbs. 13 ozs. I have not held true to the working out part yet as my parents gym equipment is covered in all of our crap right now...but just changing what I am eating and how much of it has already made a huge difference. I have been really good about not reaching for that treat or swinging through a fast food drive in. Unfortunately, every Wednesday this month, people in my department are bringing in goodies. Today there are cupcakes, chocolate chip coookies, peanut butter chocolate bars, and snickerdoodles....wish me luck...they are definitely out to test my willpower today! At least the scale was good to me, so that will help with the determination!

~Mel

Weight Loss Challenge

So, I have decided to challenge myself to lose 30 lbs. in 30 days. I have been wanting to lose weight for as long as I can remember now and figure the weight is not just going to come off by itself. So, today starts healthier eating, smaller portions, and actually using the gym equipment that is in my parents garage at least 5 times a week. I say at least, cause hopefully once I get into it and the scale starts talking positively to me, I will want to do it every day. I haven't figured out the logistics yet (I will not be putting my weight out there for all the world to see), but I am going to have someone weigh me in and I will put how much I am down every 3rd day or so. Again, still working out the logistics as the idea just came to me last night. That's all for now. Wish me luck!

~Mel

The Miracle of Life!

About a week and a half ago I had the distinguished pleasure of being a part of the birthing process. My friend Melissa, who I have known since we were 12, gave birth to a beautiful, healthy wonderful little boy named Cole. He made his arrival on November 30th 2009 at 9:25pm weighing 7 lbs. 15oz. and measuring 21" long. The amazing part is I got to be there for the whole thing! It's pretty crazy being on the other end of this whole baby delivery thing. I of course have been present for 3 births, all of which I was the one crying in agony and doing all the pushing (except for Danielle...her labor was pretty simple). So, to be able to see the process in a whole new light is something I will forever be thankful for. Thank you Mel and Sean for allowing me to be part of such an intimate experience. I love you both and am super excited to start getting my baby fix by holding Cole.


I think I may have missed my calling as a labor and delivery nurse. My mom and Jason would laugh if they heard that sentence come out of my mouth as they think I have a weak stomach and am not in love with blood or puke, but truthfully, the other night, none of that fazed me at all. I have thought that I am in the wrong career for several years now but have never taken the initiative to get off my butt and do anything about it. I think that the task of completing my initial degree and then having to complete the nursing program seems like a HUGE undertaking...especially considering I have a full time job, 3 kids, 2 mortgages, soccer, softball and a husband to take care of. Jason and I made the choice (well kind of) to start our family when we were extremely young, & I have no regrets (love you Lexi girl), but sometimes I think about what I could have done and been had I taken my time on the family front.

Except for my friend Kelly (she started even earlier then me and is now pregnant with baby #4!), most of my friends have just started their journey into parenthood. Yet here I am, 29 with a 8 1/2 year old, almost 7 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. I think I figured it out, and the year Danielle graduates from high school, I will be turning 41. A lot of the mom's in Danielle and Lexi's classes are already 41 or older. It's crazy that I have a child old enough that she could almost start babysitting for my friends. In fact, Lexi met Cole last Saturday and was FABULOUS with him. She was holding him and he started to fuss a little bit....so what does my 8 year old do???? She starts bouncing him very lightly and whispering to him that is ok. Cole became instantly quiet and stared at her for the next 5 minutes or so that she held him. I looked at Mel and said, " I think you found a babysitter".

Anyway, I know this blog has been all of over the place, but I think I just had too much on my mind to make it flow nice and pretty. I may not have a chance to write before the craziness that is the holiday season is over, so to all a Very Merry Christmas!

~Mel

I feel like such a hypocrite. I am always whining to Becky when it has been more than a couple of day between her blogs, and when Lindsay was going to quit blogging all together, I was one of the many who begged her not to. Yet, a month has passed, and still only one blog remains on my site.

I think the reason behind this is life is seriously flying by me. Work is crazy every single day! Life with 2 kids, let alone the 3rd we decided to throw in the mix last year, is anything but dull. Each day I wake up and head off to work. Can I just say that without my FABULOUS mother, this would not be possible. That may sound a little melodramatic, but each day my mother gets my kids up (I am out the door as early as 5:35am on some days) and gets the girls fed, dressed, and acceptable for school. She then drops them off and starts her day job...watching my 17 month old little monster!!! Hahaha, seriously I do love him, he is just into EVERYTHING these last couple of months and DEFINITELY a HANDFUL! Even going to the restroom runs the risk of not knowing what he may have gotten into in the minute he was out of your site. She keeps him happy, fed and educated (I am always interested to see what new thing my son has learned when I come home each day) on a daily basis all while maintaining a PERFECT household where the laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc are ALWAYS done! She then picks up the girls, gives them a snack and has them start their homework. By the time I walk through the door at 3pm or so, homework is done, or at least 95% done, the girls are nice and full from their healthy snack Grandma gave them, and Lexi is getting ready for soccer or softball or whatever else she is doing (that kid wants to do absolutely everything that she can). Most Grandma's would then have the afternoon to themselves and be able to enjoy a nice relaxing night with her husband....but NO, not my mom.

We are currently living with my parents and have been since the middle of August. Our new house is in the middle of being built, and when I said "Daddy, how would you feel about 5 roommates " (enter crooked head grin and batting eyelashes and slightly extended lower lip)...what else could he say but "of course baby.....ummmmm, how long are we talking?". Well, the good news is the house should be done by the end of January at the latest, right now we are hearing mid January, the bad news is my parents have given up everything to make sure their little girl is happy! Gone are their carefree evenings, their quiet dinners, their peaceful weekends. I am sure they are counting the days and possible bribing the contractor to get house done as quickly as possible.

I just got a call and found out that work is going to be doubly crazy today, so I should probably wrap it up. I just wanted to end with a big THANK YOU to my mom and dad, or Grandma and Papa as they more accurately go by these days. You two make my and Jason's lives infinitely better. My kids are happy and well rounded and loved because of the role that you two play in their everyday lives. You guys are selfless and wonderful and I don't know where my family or I would be without your love, knowledge, and generosity. I love you both very much, even when I am tired and grumpy and don't show it enough!

That's all for now!

~Mel