Life at 1572

19 weeks 5 days

2011-11-02T01:37:00.000-05:00

How Far Along: 19 weeks 5 days

Size of Baby: A large heirloom tomato. 6 inches from crown to rump 8 1/2 oz

Total Weight Gain: still no weight gain

Maternity Clothes: Yep, just so much more comfy. Time for bra shopping. I have been making the ones I have stretch for far too long. I can't even imagine how big the girls are going to be once my milk comes in. Yikes!

Gender: ? We find out Nov. 8th. We had to postpone the ultrasound for a week. I'm still trying to decide if I want to do anything special to find out. Right now, I am just thinking I might have the US lady whisper it to Jack, and then have him tell us. I have had several people tell me it looks like I'm having a girl. We shall see!

Name: ? We aren't even discussing names

Movement: Getting stronger all the time. Still mostly when I am sitting or in bed going to sleep. Kicks have been way down low like they were almost my entire pregnancy with Jack. For the first time tonight I felt some movement up around my belly button. I've felt a few kicks/rolls from the outside.

Sleep: I'm getting more and more into my late night insomnia patterns, but I think that is more me than the pregnancy. I do sleep pretty well usually waking for some reason at 4 or 5 in the morning. Must be practicing!

Food cravings: Still nothing really. I still want something for a few days and then I'm over it. For a few weeks I have been really wanting a fruit roll up. Something I haven't had in years and don't buy for Jack since they are loaded with red dye and additives. I finally caved bought a box, ate one and now I'm fine.

Aversions: I'm not that into eating meat. I can eat it, but I'd rather not.

Symptoms: Indigestion, occasional nausea gagging, round ligament pain, lower back pain, and shortness of breath.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out boy or girl. Seeing our new little one dance around on the ultrasound. Getting the nursery started. Starting a baby blanket.

What I miss: Nothing

Next Appointment: Nov. 8th

Baby #2

2011-10-15T18:59:00.000-05:00

I am going to try to be back to blogging, and what better way to start it off than to announce that baby number 2 will be coming into our lives March 2012. I thought I would fill out this little pregnancy survey, and I will try to keep up with it.

How Far Along: 17 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: An onion 5 inches from crown to rump and 5.9oz

Total Weight Gain: -10 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yep, just so much more comfy

Gender: ? We find out in 17 days (Jack still insists it is a sister)

Name: ? We aren't even discussing names

Movement: Yep, I have felt movement since about 12 weeks. Now, it is just more consistent little taps, kicks, and squirms here and there. Mostly, when I am sitting on the couch with my feet tucked up.

Sleep: Sleeping well these days. I'm able to sleep w/o taking a sleeping pill. Not going to bed too late, and sleeping all night.

Food cravings: Nothing really. When I want something I want it for a few days then I'm over it. It was hummus. Then it was fruity candy like starburst.

Aversions: I'm not that into eating meat. I can eat it, but I'd rather not.

Symptoms: Indigestion, occasional nausea gagging, round ligament pain, lower back pain, and shortness of breath.

What I'm looking forward to: Stronger kicks, and summersaults. Finding out the gender just so I can start buying him/her things. Also, so we can start planning getting the nursery ready.

What I miss: Nothing

Next Appointment: Nov. 1st.

At my last doctor appointment we got to hear the heartbeat. It was in the 140's. Doctor discussed upping my blood pressure medicine. Blood pressure is good, but could be even better. He said I am fine to travel between here and Missouri as long as I'm taking care of myself.

The Winner!

2011-03-19T17:13:00.002-05:00

I made a list and then used Random.org to choose the winner. If you followed the blog then you were given your second chance at the drawing.

1.Gina

2.Heather

3.Semper Fi Momma

4.Ellen

5.Shannon

6.Gina

7.Heather

8.Semper Fi Momma

9.Shannon

The winner is....

Congratulations to Semper Fi Momma!!! I hope you like this hair product as much as I do. Send me an email and I will get it out to you! Thanks everyone for participating.

First Giveaway

2011-03-15T17:48:00.001-05:00

I have been wanting to talk to you all about a hair product that we have been using in our house. It is renewing moroccan argan oil made by Organix. You might have heard celebrities, and hair stylists touting how about how fabulous moroccan argan oil is . There is a more expensive well known moroccan oil that everyone seems to love, but before I shelled out big bucks for it I was hoping I could find a product that was similar, and maybe wouldn't put such a dent in my wallet.

I picked up the Organix brand oil, and thought I would give it a try. I have used it for a few weeks now, and I really do love it.

Quoting the back of the bottle it says, "This rare formula has a centuries-old history of providing natural vitamin E and antioxidants while renewing your hair's cell structure, sealing in shine, and creating lush softness."

I brush my hair after I shower, and then apply the oil (it takes a VERY tiny amount) to my hair from my ears down, and then I run a brush through my hair to make sure it is distributed evenly. I know what you are thinking that you can't put oil in your hair because it will make it look nasty, but this product doesn't. I am prone to oily hair, and I don't have any problem using it. I find the scent to be nice, and not too overpowering. It really does leave my hair shiny and so soft. The one thing that the more expensive oil claims is that it cuts down on drying time, and I am happy to say that I find that the Organix brand cuts down on drying time too. Even though the company doesn't claim it will do this on the bottle. I love this because my hair is really long, and when it starts taking me forever to dry my hair I start thinking about chopping all my hair off.

Everyone in my family is loving this stuff. We have all been using the same bottle myself, my mom, my husband, and I even put some on Jackson's hair after his bath.

If you would like you can enter to win your own bottle of Organix renewing moroccan argan oil.

To Enter:

For your first entry just leave me a comment on this post.

If you would like a second entry then scroll to the bottom, and follow this blog. If you are already a follower please let me know in the comments.

All entries must be entered by Friday midnight central time.

A winner will be picked on Saturday morning by Random.org

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with this product, and have not been paid to review it. I just like it and wanted to share!

Our new fur babies

2011-03-14T22:26:00.001-05:00

We have some new babies here at our house. Meet the newest members of our family.

Millie she is a 2 year old cocker spaniel/silky terrier mix. She weighs 20lbs, but she's really little. She's just really solid.

Adi she is 4 years old, and 10lbs.

We were able to adopt them last Sunday. I actually, adopted them from a girl I went to high school with. She put them up on facebook, and there was just something about Millie's face. I wasn't even thinking about getting a dog at all. Something about her sweet little look I just had to have her. Then the girl I was taking her from asked what I thought about taking Adi, the min pin too. I was a little more hesitant because that breed has never really interested me, and I've always thought they look mean. I felt bad and couldn't say no so I agreed saying that we would give it a try, and we would foster her, and continue to look for her a home if we needed to. We let it be a surprise to Jackson just incase things didn't work out.

We went and got them, and they are perfect car riders. Things went really smoothly. I felt bad for the girl that was giving them away, but she is going to be doing traveling in the next year so she knew it would be best if they got a new home. We have spent a week with them, and it has been great. Monday night I was a bit worried that I had made a mistake because I knew I liked the dogs, but I didn't know if I could love them. We had Sam as a puppy, and it was just easier. Even though it is just a few days later I can say I really do love them, and we have all become very attached to them. They are both such sweethearts, and I think it is safe to say we will be keeping Adi. I am really happy they are girls. I am always surrounded by so many boys, I was excited to buy them some pink collars.

We also picked up a few pieces of furniture. Our local Borders book store is going out of business so I got put on the list for their fixture sale, and I was able to go pick out a few pieces I was interested in. We put this in Jack's room. Initially, I wanted it downstairs in the playroom, but we like to keep his books upstairs so I decided that might be a better place for it. I just love it. It doesn't hold all of Jack's books, but he has his other bookshelf for them. I am such a nerd I would have killed to have something like this in my room when I was little. I think it is wonderful that Jack loves to read. We read him his choice of books every night. I hope he always loves to read. I am going to get bins for his toys on the bottom shelves.

Finally Sweet Relief

2011-02-11T16:04:00.000-06:00

Well, I got finally got my new specs. My lovely coca-cola bottle glasses. I haven't had glasses in many years. I am strictly a contacts girl, and pretty much have been since the eighth grade. That was until a few weeks ago when I suddenly felt the need to scratch my eyeballs out of my head. The feeling was driving me out of my ever-loving mind. It wasn't so much of a painful feeling as it was my contact would swim in my eye, my vision would blur, and it felt like I had twenty pieces of who knows what stuck in my eye. I tried a wide assortment of eye drops. Then I tried to stop being such a cheapskate, and I bought the more expensive contact solution. Absolutely, nothing was helping. The only thing I could do was take out my contacts and close my eyes for about an hour to get the feeling to go away. Now, this isn't very convenient when you have to do things like drive, take care of a child, and run the house.

My mother finally yelled at me to go to the flippin' optometrist already. So I did, and it turns out I have some type of eye infections, and I have bumps all over the inside of my eyelid. Just what you wanted to know, right? My optometrist had no real idea of what it was, or what was exactly causing it. Her only solution was for me to stop wearing contacts and wear my glasses. (I didn't intend for this to be such a long winded story, but here we are.) I then preceded to panic about the amount of money this was going to cost. I ran around town to different optometrists trying to find something that wasn't going to give me a heart attack from the price.

A bit of back story, I was born just over two months premature combine this with genetics, and I have some TERRIBLE vision. My prescription is -8.00, and the scale goes from -1 being not bad to -10 you can't see your hand in front of your face. Therefore, my lenses are some thick suckers. It takes me a while to find the right frames to contain those bad boys.

So I am driving all around town getting quotes like $600+ just for the lenses because they have to be made special to fit into frames blah, blah, blah. So we try to work some money magic, and I found a pair of decent frames. I can only get the next to the thinnest lens because I can't afford $600+ right now especially, when I never wear glasses.

So without further ado here they are. Plus a bonus picture of me wearing them.

Please be kind, I know they are some honkers, but it is what I have to work with. I am getting used to them. Jack says they are silly, and to ask him again in the morning if he likes them. He has said this for the past few days so I am thinking this will take a while. Plus, I really stink at taking self portraits in the bathroom mirror.

A Work in Progress

2011-02-09T23:26:00.001-06:00

So much is going on around here, but it is still just the mundane everyday stuff. My mom, Jack, and I made an attempt to go home to Missouri last weekend. One for my sister-in-law's baby shower, and also just go get some time at home with family. Well, that trip ended up being a bust. We had our rental car all reserved, and when we went to pick it up they said we couldn't do it. My Mom wanted to pay cash for it, and they said they needed a credit card. I tried to give them my credit card, but they wouldn't run it because I didn't have my drivers license. That is a whole story about how my wallet got stolen at Walmart. So we repeated the vicious cycle of going to every car rental company in this town, only to be turned down at every single place. So the trip just wasn't going to happen. Now, I am working on getting a new military ID and a new drivers license so that we can try this again in a few weeks.

I was bummed because I had gotten my craft on, and I created a diaper cake. It was my first attempt at something like that. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do for the shower, and I thought a diaper cake might be fun to try. Cuter than throwing a box of diapers into a gift bag! I think it turned out really cute, but I won't be able to deliver it to the momma-to-be for a few weeks.

I have been working bit by bit on getting things together to try to launch a photography business. I wouldn't say that my heart isn't fully in it; it is just that I am REALLY nervous and scared. I am putting it out there to everyone that I am trying to make this work, and I am going to feel awful if I fail. I have to give it a try. I am lucky to have Zach by my side ~~pushing~~ supporting me all the way. I have been working on getting my logo designed, and getting my website set up within the next few weeks. My big worry is attracting customers and clients. We don't really know anyone where we live now, and I am trying to figure out how to get my name out there. It is all going to take so much work, but I am not expecting overnight success. I am so appreciative of the ongoing support of have from friends and family.

For the past few nights Jack and I have set up a little work station for him. He and I have been practicing writing his letters. I have been spelling out his name, and he traces my letters. Then he chooses a few letters, and we work on the capitol and lowercase letters. The first night we did it he was a bit frustrated, but last night he really seemed to enjoy it. He had a huge grin on his face, and I could tell a feeling of accomplishment.

It's The Big One!

2011-02-01T02:21:00.000-06:00

Just like half the country is we are gearing up for the BLIZZARD, and what they are saying could be the worst snow storm in our nation's history. Now, I think that is pretty amazing, and it will be interesting to see if we actually get the ice/snow they are predicting.

Either way, I was not going to be the fool stranded in my home without the necessities like milk and bread. I went to the store yesterday morning, and buy 10:00 am our grocery store was almost out of milk. The checkout lines were at a dead stand still, and wrapping around the store. Oh, the fond memories this brought back of the commissary.... Anyway, my mom and I stood in line while the cashiers kept going on and on about how crazy and busy everything was. Honestly, I know I would have hated to be in their shoes yesterday. I was finally able to escape our Kroger without a minute to spare to go pick up Jackson from school.

They are predicting something along the lines of 12-18 inches of snow. I think it is kind of awesome. I hope everyone can stay safe and warm in their homes, but I am a bit excited to see if we actually get that much snow. I am pretty sure that will be the most amount of snow I have ever seen in my lifetime.

The downside is that we can't all be warm and snuggly as a family safe and sound. No, Zach's boss decides that no matter what Zach WILL be going to the office to get work done. Forget about the fact that he could basically do everything he needs to from home, or the fact that is supposed to be a blizzard. Of course Zach should have to go into work to make hundreds of phone calls to try to set appointments for people to come in on Wednesday when we could have tons and tons of snow. Have I mentioned that I hate Zach's boss? I am not worried about writing that piece of information on here because even if the man found out it couldn't possibly change how things work around here. I have been trying to decide if I want to let it all out about how recruiting duty has been for us, and I'm just not sure I want to yet. Making your Marines go to work in a blizzard though pretty much gives you an idea.

I plan to maybe do a little crafting, a little cleaning, and hopefully a bunch of movie watching. Let's hope there are some great tv movies on for the next couple of days. Is it just me or does the instant Netflix thing need to update their movie choices in a really bad way?

What are your plans over the next few days? I hope everyone stays safe and warm.

Michelle Obama Strengthening Our Military Families

2011-01-28T22:16:00.002-06:00

Strengthening Our Military Families --official White House document

Beginning in March Michelle Obama and Mrs. Biden are starting a campaign to spread the word of what can, and needs to be done to help strengthen military families. I do believe there is a disconnect from the majority of the United States, and what is going on with serving military men and women and their families. I am so grateful that these woman are making this their platform for the coming year. Less than 1% of the U.S. population serves in our military. Yet, these brave men and women do so much to secure the freedom that you and I have. There are some things that I think could be done to help the military and their families.

I really do hope that they are able to increase the funding, and the amount of childcare that is provided for the military. I know most military bases have long waiting list to get kids into their centers due to lack of funds and space. I know some areas also could use a boost in the quality of childcare that is provided. Although, I never had a problem with this when we lived at Miramar in San Diego. Now, being a recruiter's wife forced to live off of a military base I know those military families that are forced to live in remote locations do need more options for childcare. By remote I mean not able to live on a base. I know that NACCRRA has partnered with the military to help provide childcare to families, but there is still a great need for more providers to link up, and offer their services. In some locations across the United States there are areas that providers are difficult to find, or at a great distance.

I think that more can be done to help spouses find jobs, or be able to continue their education. More flexible jobs that a spouse would be able to keep even while moving to different parts of the country. I think providing more job training like office skills could be offered through the military bases.

I believe offering more general classes and education in general can help to support military families. The more knowledge you have about a situation the better prepared you can be. Classes on becoming a new parent, marriage support, and dealing with deployments. They should offer classes that can provide a spouse with the information on the warning signs, and treatments options for dealing with some of the mental problems these military men and woman are facing like PTSD.

I think they should go to each military base and evaluate how things are going. Give out surveys and talk to military families to find out if there is more that can be done to support them. It is easy for high ranking personnel to assure that things are running well, but you might get a different idea if you talk to the actual families that live on these bases, and live this lifestyle everyday.

On more of a side note I think that communities can do all that they can to support the military. These military members working everyday here in the United States and overseas have an affect on you. Businesses could provide discounted or even free services to active duty military personnel and their families. Most people do not know the sacrifices these men and women are making, and often for very little compensation. Like Mrs. Obama suggested, if you are a member of a church find out who in your congregation is a veteran or active duty military person. Give your time and see if there is something associated with the military that you can volunteer for. If you have a photography business offer your services to military families especially, if they are going to deploy. Most military families cannot afford professional pictures, and these pictures prove to be invaluable while a loved one can be deployed for up to a year or longer.

For the most part I do think that there has been a lot done for, and provided to military families. I do think there is always room for improvement. The only way I think you can find out what needs to be put at the top of the list is to talk to actual military family members and find out their experiences.

If there is something that you can think of that can or should be done please leave me a comment, or even write your own blog post. Let your voice be heard.

Our Christmas Weekend Part II

2011-01-14T00:00:00.003-06:00

Christmas morning we all woke up bright and early. Jack didn't come running out of his room or anything. I don't think he realized what day it was. He was excited to see all of the things that Santa had left for him. He got his most requested gift, Mickey's Choo Choo Express. He got several other things, but I think Santa could have just stopped at the Choo Choo Express because he didn't really care about opening anything else.

That was until he opened Uncle Michael and Aunt T's gift the game Pop The Pig. This was Jack's number two most asked for gift. I saw it at Meyer earlier in the month, and it was the last one, but I told Jack we couldn't get it and that he should ask Santa. Well, I had never heard of the toy, and upon some Google research apparently it is a hot toy, and was also very popular last year. Then after some more searching I discovered it was sold out everywhere including online unless you wanted to pay three times the price. Lucky for Jack Aunt T was able to nab the last one at a local toy store. Between these two gifts he was completely satisfied.

If it hadn't been the only other thing he asked for I wouldn't have minded if he didn't get Pop The Pig. The game is a bit disturbing to me. You shove hamburgers in the pig's mouth while his stomach expands until his belt pops open. Just a wee bit gross if you ask me. Jack has fun and that's what counts.

I made my Grandma's traditional breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, and grits. I cried the entire time I stirred the gravy since this is our first Christmas without her. At 10:00 am we all opened a beautiful poem from my Aunt Janet. You can read it here if you like.

Jack got a bunch of new clothes, and you know how boring those can be. So he would just fling them out of the box into the cat bed. Diego was completely covered by the time he was finished.

Christmas evening my Mom, Zach's Mom, and I went to an old 1930's movie theatre that the city has restored. They play all the old classics. That night they were playing It's A Wonderful Life. Now, this normally isn't one of my favorite Christmas movies, but is was really neat to see it on the big screen. I saw so many more details then when I have just seen it on tv. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Our Christmas Weekend Part I

2011-01-13T01:32:00.000-06:00

I am just now getting around to the lovely details of our Christmas weekend in our new home. I wish even more family could have made it, but what we had was great. My mom and Zach's mom planned to come in for the weekend. We spent Thursday cleaning, and making sure we had everything we would need for dinner.

Friday we started cooking our delicious Christmas Eve dinner. This is my first time having a Christmas dinner, and our moms haven't been to one in years. My mom helped me prep the turkey, and we slid that guy into the oven. We then got busy cooking up some sides, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and some sweet potato bake. We were set to have dinner around 6:30, but then we got the dreaded phone call. Zach's mom's flight had been cancelled, and she is stuck two hours away in Chicago. Nothing like spending the night in an airport for Christmas Eve.

She scrambled to get things figured out, and they told her she could ride a bus down to us, and the bus would be leaving at 7 that evening. It seemed to be the best way to go since the weather and the roads were so bad.

We decided we wanted to wait until she got there before we ate so that we could eat together as family. We were thinking this would be 9:30 latest. So I took time putting on the finishing touches, and getting the table together. Then Zach and I made a mad dash out to pick up a few bottles of wine. Due to the weather and more transportation issues the bus was running a bit behind.

Hooray! We finally got the call to come pick her up at the airport.

So we settled down to our midnight feast. Filled our bellies, and sipped our wine. (I think I need a half glass wine limit people) It was all very fantastic.

We had our Christmas Eve tradition of opening one present. Jack got some new Mickey Christmas pajamas. We put out Santa's favorite cookies and milk. We made sure the reindeer had some celery sticks. Then off to bed for Jackson so Santa would be able to do his work. Jack went out like a light being that it was so late. (edited: Jack went to bed earlier in the evening before we had dinner)

The snow coming down all day.

Jack's little tree, and my Angel from my Father.

Our dining table

Reviewing the Elf on The Shelf book. Reminding him Herbie would be going back to the North Pole.

Traditional New Christmas Pajamas!

Zach reading to us The Night Before Christmas right before bed.

Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets

2011-01-03T02:30:00.000-06:00

Why yes, it is January 3rd so we are all busy jogging around the block, and stuffing our faces with steamed vegetables, right?

Trying to eat healthy is more and more on my mind, and dare I even say it eat a little less meat. I am trying to find some new healthy things to add into Jackson's diet, and maybe they will benefit us too. I came upon this website here.

The vegetarian nuggets looked yummy, and I knew I wanted to try them.

Drain one can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and place in a large bowl.

I then minced an entire onion because mine are small. Use half if yours are big. The food processor would work great for this, but I don't have one.

I then used my hands to mush the chickpeas. The other site suggested a pastry cutter, but mine wouldn't work for this.

After everything is good and mushy I stirred in my minced onion, and added a bit of dried parsley. I then mixed in 1 minced garlic glove.

Like the other blog said I just used what I had on hand, and what I thought would be good. Her recipe is a bit different then mine.

In a separate bowl combine:

1 egg

1tsp salt (i used seasoned salt)

2 tsp of baking powder

I also added a bit of

lemon pepper

paprika

cayenne pepper

Pour egg mixture into the chickpeas, and stir to combine.

Then add enough breadcrumbs so that the mixture won't be sticky when you form the nuggets with your hands.

I used a mixture of panko breadcrumbs, and italian seasoned breadcrumbs.

Form the mixture to look like chicken nuggets.

I read that you can bake them, or pan cook them in just a bit of oil. I fried mine letting them brown on both sides.

These three got a bit crispier than the others. They were the last ones and I had to take the picture quickly before they were gobbled up.

When Jackson asked what was for lunch I had told him chicken nuggets. Then I was wishing I hadn't said that because he would holler out about these not being chicken. I just put his usual amount of three on his plate with a bit of ranch and ketchup. I didn't say a word and waited to see if he'd eat them. He ate every single one of them, and never said a word! I was shocked.

My mom and I ate some and we both thought they were really good. I was amazed because I don't like chickpeas, and my mom isn't much of a bean eater.

I will definitely make these again though.

I think I am going to try to just pan cook them in less oil next time to make it even better for us.

Another suggestion that I thought was good would be to form the mixture into patties so you could eat it like a chicken patty sandwich.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-01T23:53:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

Friday At Last

2010-12-17T10:19:00.000-06:00

I just got in from shoveling the driveway, that was an undertaking. Oh, the differences of no longer living in San Diego. The snow has really piled up around here. It seems as though we have had snow almost every few days. I really do love it.

I almost have all of my Christmas shopping done. Are you finished? Presents all wrapped? I usually have my shopping all finished by Thanksgiving, but not this year. All around me though I have been hearing stories of people just now getting their decorations up. It seems everyone is having a bit of a late start.

This month has gone by WAY to quickly. I'm not ready for it to almost be Christmas. I love my decorations and my tree, and I am not ready for it to be almost time to put them away.

I am off to inventory the baking ingredients I have been collecting. It is baking day in a few days! What is your favorite cookie? What about your favorite holiday treat?

Painting his ornaments.

Precious Memories

2010-12-16T15:00:00.000-06:00

This has to be my most favorite ornament on our tree.

Do you see that teeny tiny tootsie?

That is Jack's tiny foot when he was only two weeks old. Four days before his actual due date.

It was only made after having left over material after I made this:

This was the shadow box I made to send to my husband in Iraq. His Christmas present to see his son's tiny hand and footprint. It brought tears to both of us.

I look at how tiny that foot is, and I can hardly believe it.

Salt Dough Ornaments

2010-12-15T17:30:00.000-06:00

Bored one evening at home I was feeling crafty so I decided to google something Jack and I would be able to do. I came upon Salt Dough Ornaments. I was a little iffy because I had made ornaments like this when I was younger, and they just never turned out right. I figured it would be fun so I went ahead and gave it a try.

We literally started them at 7:30 that night. Here is the recipe.

1 cup salt

1 cup water

2 cups flour

There are several variations on the recipe some saying use boiling water, and some saying use warm water. We just used regular temperature water out of the faucet. One thing I did do differently was I made up my dough in two 1/4 batches because I was running low on salt, and I wanted to make sure I had enough. This seemed to work out really well.

Jack poured the water and salt into a bowl, and gave it a good stir. Then he poured in the flour and stirred that as much as he could. Taking the advice from another recipe I sprayed 3 quick sprays of Pam cooking spray into the mixture, and I finished forming the dough into a ball kneading it a few times.

Jack then helped me roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness onto an ungreased cookie sheet. We did this in small batches too. We then used our Christmas cookie cutters to cut shapes into the dough, and peeled away the extra dough rolling it out onto a new spot on the sheet. This worked out nicely because the ornaments were already on the cookie sheet, and we didn't need to mess with trying to peel them off the counter to put them on the sheet, and chance wrecking them.

You could always flour your counters and roll everything out there.

Take a toothpick or a straw (we used a straw) to poke a hole someplace in the ornament so you can hang it on the tree.

Once we were finished we put them in a 250 degree oven for 90 minutes, or until they are hard. Then we took them out and let them cool for a few minutes on the counter. Then I flipped them over, and stuck them back in the oven to bake for another 60 minutes. I would say just make sure they don't turn brown, and make sure they get dry.

You can always let them air dry, but this might take a few days.

The next day we used acrylic paint, as was advised to paint them, and added some glitter for a sparkly touch. Beware you and your kitchen may be permanently covered in glitter! After they dried I sprayed them with a clear coat to help them last longer, and then we stung our ribbons through them.

Here they are all naked from the oven

Ahem, excuse our artistic abilities, but I just love them! Zach even got in on the action. He did the snowman, and the candy cane.

Of course Jack had to do the train

Jack's 4 year old hand. It looks huge!

I think they make a very nice addition to our tree.

The next day I made another batch of dough so that I could do Jack's hand print. I didn't do the dough in small batches, and the it turned out a bit funny. I kept having to add a bit of salt, and a bit of flour. So you might need to tinker with the dough to get it the right consistency. I was also using my sea salt instead of fine salt so that might have made a difference too. You can also add food coloring to your dough if you want.

Jack really had so much fun, and I thought it was a great project. It let Jack do his favorite thing. Bake! It was nice because he got to use the cookie cutters, and we could mold the dough as many times as needed. We didn't have to be as gentle as we would have needed to be if we were making actual sugar cookies.

My Father Is A Trash Bag

2010-12-02T12:01:00.000-06:00

My Mother Is A Baker

Yesterday, I asked Jack to sing me the new song he learned at school, and this is what I got. I'm not sure why the Father is a trash bag, and the Elf that is watching him sing is the Elf on the shelf that is reporting back to Santa each night. He said he has some "hurties" in his ear, and he does not his ear is all better. Enjoy!

Cloth Diapers

2010-11-22T01:07:00.000-06:00

While we were in St. Louis over the weekend Zach and I stopped at what I have heard is the Holy Grail of the cloth diapering stores. Cotton Babies I have researched cloth diapering in the past, and at one point I was even thinking about cloth diapering Jack when he was a baby. Now, I really wish that I had especially since we didn't pay for our water when we lived on the military base. If we have a second child I really hope to use cloth diapers, or at least give them a try.

Cloth diapers have come so far from when we might have worn them as babies. Now, they have all in one systems that work from 8-35lbs. Jack is still wearing pull-ups at night. He can stay dry at nap, and sometimes through the night, but we still have nights where he soaks the sheets. I figured we could pick up a few cloth diaper to try to use at night that way we could save money on pull-ups, and maybe move a step closer to underwear at night.

We decided to try the Flip System diapers even though I was pretty sure my mind was set on trying the bumGenius diapers. The difference between the Flip diapers and the bumGenius diapers are the Flip diapers you can reuse the cover up to 6 times as long as it doesn't get soiled, and you just put in a new clean insert. With the bumGenius diapers you use a fresh diaper every time. We are trying them for the first time tonight. Maybe it will help us to save a little money, and we can use them for the next little one. Of course they have the added bonus of being good for the environment, and that is really nice too.

Recap

2010-11-01T23:56:00.000-05:00

We had a really great weekend and Halloween. I will have pictures and a recap up here tomorrow. We have had a really busy day today. An interesting day where I had to call 911 more about that tomorrow too. Not to worry though it wasn't for us. It is NaBloPoMo being that it is November 1st. Where has all the time gone? I have never don't it before life seems to get int the way, but maybe this time.

Wild and Windy

2010-10-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

I am so not a morning person, and it is a struggle for me to motivate myself to actually get out of the bed. Especially, now that the morning are getting colder. I like to start my day with three things Twitter, Facebook, and my Google Reader not necessarily in that order. I read them while I am snuggled in my warm bed before I even put my contacts in. As I started reading Twitter yesterday morning the first thing I read was that someone in the Chicagoland area tweeted that NWI was under tornado warning and she was in her basement! I began to panic did that mean Illinois or Indiana? I bolted out of bed to put my contacts in, and try to find a local news station. I have barely watched any tv since we have moved so I don't even know what channel is what. The only thing I could find was Regis and Kelly so I frantically started looking at the weather channel on my computer while googling if my town even has tornado sirens. I started to calm down when I figured out we weren't in any immediate danger. Then I signed up to get text weather alerts for any serious weather conditions.

We did have a strong wind weather advisory for the entire day. I think the winds were 50mph. It ripped to shreds one of my Halloween decorations I had outside. I had the neighbor's trash all over my deck. That made me realize my trashcan was outside. Every single trashcan and recycle bin were all the way down the street. I had to try to figure out which one was mine, and I drug it back to our house.

We have a super strong wind advisory today too. I think all of this wind is blowing away the last of the warm summer sun. We are headed for much colder temps around here.

Okay enough about the boring weather. Jack had spirit week at school this week. Today was wear your pajamas to school day. I went out earlier in the week to get him some new pajamas. He is in desperate need of some 4t pjs. He's been wearing just long t-shirts to bed since all of his pants are super short. The only other ones that fit him are feet pajamas. I love feet pajamas, and I will probably buy him some more since they are just so warm, but I didn't know if the other kids would say anything to him.

He was so confused as to why he was wearing his pajamas to school. He kept asking why over and over. I tried explaining that it was just for fun. He had a great day they had popcorn and watched a movie in the gym rather than go outside today. Two of Jack's most favorite things

I snapped some pictures before we left the house. He's staring off into space.

Flashing his cool new pajamas.

But it was on my calendar

2010-10-26T15:27:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I woke Jack up, and got him ready for school as usual. Actually, we were running a bit on the hurried late side of things. Luckily, his school is only 15 minutes away, and even less if I am lucky. Despite getting a late start I pulled into the parking lot with two minutes to spare. I walked him into his classroom where I was met by his two teachers and no kids. I knew I had a look of instant confusion on my face. This is actually, one of my worst fears is that I am one day going to rush Jack out the door for school on a day that he doesn't actually have it.

His teachers mentioned it was parent teacher conference day, and I smacked myself in the head because I had completely forgotten. I had scheduled our meeting weeks before at 8:00 in hopes that Zach would be able to go with me. He wouldn't have been able to go even if I had remembered. Jack's teachers laughed as I apologized, telling me I wasn't the only one to show up for class that day. We even had time to squeeze in our meeting before their next appointment.

They showed me he portfolio of all of the things he has been doing since the beginning of the year. They said that he is right on schedule for all of his learning skills, and that he's doing great. We talked about how much he loves to go to school. We addressed my only concern thus far, another little boy playing a bit too rough with Jackson. His teachers have kept an eye on it, and the problem has seemed to resolved itself.

His teachers did ask me if we had noticed any hearing or listening problems at home. I could tell they were a little concerned with how I would take this bit of information. I told them that yes, it is something I have noticed, and has been a concern of mine in the past. Sometimes, it seems like Jack just isn't hearing things right, but it is hard to tell. It comes across as maybe he just concentrates so hard on what he's doing that he doesn't hear what's going on around him, or sometimes it looks like a little boy that doesn't like to listen. Either way I know it can be frustrating. His teachers said that sometimes it takes them getting in his line of vision before he realizes things like being called to circle time. I told them that we had his hearing checked in the past, and he passed the test. I don't think it was very accurate though because the doctor had him listen to a machine to hear a beep, and then Jack had to touch his nose when he heard the beep, and it seemed pretty obvious that he didn't understand the directions very well. So I told them I would have his hearing reassessed at his 4 year checkup later next month.

It was great to sit down with his lovely teachers. I can never say enough how much we love them and his school.

Love this boy. He's in the middle of chatting with me while I snap some pictures.

Kisses and Cuddles

2010-10-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

When Jackson, wakes up from a nap there isn't a lot of moving or talking, just a somber quietness. I stop whatever I am doing to sit with him and cuddle him in my arms because I know these days will not last forever. We sit quietly listening to each other breathe, and I sneak in a kiss or two. Slowly, he starts to wake up, and we sit and talk for a bit. Yesterday, I had my hand resting on his chest. He looked up at me and said, "Mommy, you can believe in my heart, and I can believe in your heart." I was a puddle of mush in his hands. He is my everything.

Fresh from nap

Starting to come around

My precious smiley boy

Lookin' Good

2010-10-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

I am really liking the way the new site looks. What do you think? I really love the tree, I was having a hard time finding something I liked. My knowledge of CSS is limited, but this was easy to put together. I still have a few finishing touches I need to put on it.

Now, I need to play catchup with everything that has been going on around here. Zach finished putting Jack's swing set together. Jack has big thanks to give to Grandma Rose. His swing set should bring him lots of fun for a long time to come. It is nice for him to have something to do in the backyard.

Here is a video of him playing on it for the first time. Of course we have our first injury too, but don't worry Jack was completely fine. I don't think he'll be trying that again anytime soon.

**edited**
I just wanted to add that the swing set isn't that close to the house anymore. We had to wait to trim some trees before we could move it to where it needed to be. Watching the video I realized it must look like, "How in the heck is your kids going to swing on that?"

Under Construction

2010-10-11T16:12:00.000-05:00

If you are checking the site it might be a bit wonky. I am in the process of giving it a facelift. Please check back in the next couple of days!

10-10-10

2010-10-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful day too.

Field Trip

2010-09-29T07:24:00.000-05:00

Jackson had his first school field trip of the year. THey went to a pumpkin patch. He was very excited to go. I almost made him miss it by waking up 15 minutes before he was supposed to be at the school. We ended up making it on time, or I would have had to drive him to the farm myself. I interviewed him about it after he got home, and I thought I would share.

Chill in the air

2010-09-27T00:41:00.000-05:00

We had a really nice weekend. Zach had a decent amount of time off of work. We got some rain over the weekend, and that is always nice in my book. I have been checking the weather looking at the 10 day forecast to see when we would be done with the hot weather. It looks like it is all gone, and it is officially fall. Sunday was downright chilly. I pulled out long sleeves to wear for the day. The cool crispness makes me want to get outside more. Zach actually said,"This is getting too cold. Can we go back to San Diego?" Aahhh, music to my ears. Yes, please I will hop the next flight. We lit our fireplace for the first time. We have never had a fireplace before. It is a gas one, but it still put off a decent amount of heat. I'm not sure what that sort of thing does to the gas bill. I guess we will have to see.

The other night Jack looked out our back window and said, "Pink." Yes, indeed the sky was pink so I snapped a little picture. I love not having anyone live behind us.

Our cat Diego

I was taking pictures of the cat and someone wanted to join in.

Our First Day of Fall

2010-09-23T01:18:00.000-05:00

Nothing particularly interesting happened for us on Wednesday. We are now reconnected with the world, and we have cable. A few minutes before 1:00 in the afternoon I flung open my front door, sweaty and grimy from cleaning, both hands filled with garbage bags and yelled, "Oh my God you scared the crap out of me!" to the nice young cable man standing on my porch. Nice right? I about died, and he just about died. He thought I had seen him coming up the walk. Wow, at least he was on time. He got us all hooked up, and I have to be honest I am kind of meh about having tv again. I really didn't mind living off of Netflix.

Jack and I set out to get some fresh air this evening. He rode his bike while I walked along with my camera in hopes to catch what was supposed to be a spectacular sunset, and harvest moonrise. Something that hasn't been seen in two decades. Unfortunately, it was pretty overcast so I just got a few sunset pictures that look the same as they do every night. We turned around to go home earlier than we usually do, but Jack was still pooped. I had to carry his bike halfway home.

The view from our path

My view as I walked, he likes to go fast.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-09-21T21:07:00.000-05:00

1. We are anxiously awaiting our cable guy to arrive tomorrow afternoon. We dropped our satellite, and went with someone new. I'm not sure if I am going to like it.

2. I am very excited for the new fall tv to begin. I am sad that I will be missing the beginning of Glee tonight. Thank goodness the cable will be here tomorrow so I don't have to miss the first Cougar Town. Yay, for Jennifer Aniston. What shows are you excited are back? Any of the new stuff look good to you?

3. Jack seems to be enjoying preschool. He has picked up a couple of not so nice behaviors, and we have had to have talks about that.

4. Zach and I are starting to feel a bit melancholy in our new place. It isn't as easy to meet people or new friends as it is when you are on a military base, and everyone is in the same boat. I am sure everything will come in due time.

5. I am a nerd and I am excited that Beauty and The Beast is going to be rereleased in October. I have waited so long for this movie to come out of the vault. It is one of my favorite Disney movies. I have a book that tells the story, and Jack and I read that at night sometimes. I am excited to watch the movie with him.

6. I haven't been doing any running. I can't make myself get out there. I have thought about going in the morning before I take Zach to work. That would be so super early. I've come home from taking Jack to school and thought about how I should go, but there is so many other things I need to be doing in that bit of free time I have. I should try though maybe it will help lift my spirits.

7. I have been having a terrible time sleeping. Sometimes not falling asleep until 5 in he morning. I am already a night person/insomniac. It is back with full force.

8. I am trying to stop biting my nails. I know such a gross habit. I think it is a nervous habit, or something I do unconsciously. I usually grow them for a while, and then just bite them again. It drives me nuts because I don't have very strong nails. They grow and then they break, and then I just want to get rid of all of them. I've painted them a fun color though to remind me not to bite them.

9. We are adapting to the military recruiting life. I think it might be as hard as they say it is. Zach and have both said it might have been easier if he had just gone to Afghanistan, and that is saying something.

10. Anyone want to make me a new header for this blog? Mine is impossibly outdated. I need to work on it.

Need Me to Glue Something For You?

2010-09-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

It is September and autumn is in the air. I have to say I think autumn is my favorite season. I love the crisp coolness of the air, the crunch of the leaves, the colors, and especially the activities. I almost forgot all those yummy smells, got to love the spiced candles. I dug out my fall/halloween decoration tote from the garage last weekend. While, I have tons of Halloween decorations I was sadly lacking the fall decor. I'm just not ready to put out the Halloween stuff so I turned to the internet for some help. I found this The Fall Nesting Party at the Inspired Room blog. Oh, so many lovely ideas on how to decorate for fall.

Jack and I made a late evening run up to Michaels which, Jack calls the pumpkin store, so I could grab all of my fall decor supplies. I purchased my leaves, grapevine wreath, and a cheap hot glue gun. I love crafts how did I not already own a hot glue gun?

I was going to work on my project the next day while Jack was at school thus avoiding his wanting to help me, but I got busy doing other things instead. So what better to start the project than late that night. Here are a few cruddy pictures due to sucky lighting late at night while I worked on it.

I just glued my leaves all over the wreath until it was mostly covered. Then I stuck on some extra stuff like pumpkins and pinecones. After, I was all finished Jack looked at it and said, "Mommy that is soooo beautiful." He really knows how to make his mama feel good.

Here it is on our front door. I love seeing it when I drive up to the house. It was much cheaper than buying one already made, and it was really fun to do something crafty.

Easy Cookie Recipe

2010-09-13T09:50:00.000-05:00

Here is an easy cookie recipe for you cookie lovers. It has ingredients that most of us should have on hand.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

1 Cup Sugar

1Cup peanut butter

1 Egg

1 Tsp baking soda

Chocolate Chips (optional)

In a large bowl whisk egg. Add peanut butter, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the ingredients together. If you would like mix in chocolate chips to taste.

Dough will be mushy.

Roll into 1 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake 8-12 minutes I bake mine until they have cracks in the top.

Let cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet, and then carefully move them to wire rack for cooling.

These little cookies never last long in my house. They are a very rich cookie.

The Nap Diaries

2010-09-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

There has been tremendous nap issues in our house lately. Jack is going through a phase where I believe he is trying to phase out his nap. No way in heck that is going to happen. I am a firm believer in napping or at the very least resting until kindergarten.

I put him to bed at a decent nap hour, and then he just plays talks, reads, and God knows what else in there for a few hours. Then by the time it is time for him to be awake he's finally tired himself out, and he's passed out. I let him sleep seeing how long it would go, and end up having to wake him at 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening. Well, someone that just woke up at 6 isn't exactly a happy camper to go to bed at 8:30 or 9:00. It is all really rather comical. I think things might change now that he's going back to school. He'll be doing more in the morning, and therefore maybe he will be more tired. It is an interesting phase he's going through.

First Day of Preschool

2010-09-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

Jack had his first day of preschool on Wednesday. We were both really excited about it. It will be nice to have more of a morning routine three days a week. I tried to get everything ready the night before, but everything was still a little rushed. We usually just take Zach to work, and then just come back and lounge around for part of the morning. It has been a while since we've had to be out the door by a certain time.

As I said he was very excited to go. We bought him some new shoes the night before. He hasn't worn his tennis shoes all summer, and when we tried them on they were too small. He is getting so big, we had to buy a size 9 shoe.

I attempted to take a few pictures of him, but they all turned out pretty horrible. He wasn't in a very cooperative mood, and he was talking 90 miles a minute. So, every picture he's got a funny look, and his mouth is in some sort of weird shape. Oh, well it will be fun to compare at the end of the year how much he's changed and grown.

He really had a great day. The teachers asked the parents to stay for the fist day just so we would know what their day would be like. Jack started out with the play-doh, stamping letters into it. The teacher was very impressed that he knows all of his letters. It is amazing what they can fit in such a little amount of time. They played a game, read books, made some art, played outside, had snack, danced and sang, played in the gym, and had their goodbyes. I don't have to worry about Jack being sad when I drop him off. Halfway through the morning he looked over at me and yelled, "Mom you are supposed to go home!"

I am excited for him to make some new friends. I am also happy we are going to get to start from the beginning this year, and enjoy the entire year. While we loved our last preschool our late start made me feel a little disconnected.

Preschool

2010-09-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

This will be Jack's second year of preschool. This mama is counting down the days until school starts. What do you mean I have to wait until after Labor Day?! Geesh! I shopped and shopped around for the perfect place for him. That search turned into okay is there anything we can just plain afford? When we lived on a military base we got the military perks, an awesome preschool for only $17 a week. Well, welcome to the big bad civilian world where everything costs a bazillion dollars. While, we didn't expect to find anything cheap we were still having a bit of sticker shock.

The only school we found in our price range was just going to have to do if he was going to school this year. We took a tour, and frankly my heart didn't jump for joy. It was in a church, but not affiliated with the church. Not that that really mattered. It was in an old church though, and the church had a bit of a smell. It was also on a side of town that is a bit iffy. Despite my reservations I signed him up anyway. Then I spent the next few days pouring over preschools making sure this was really the only preschool we could find.

Then I found it.

A preschool that seemed too good to be true. They had spots open, and it only cost a smidgen more than the other school. I took a tour and Jack and I both fell in love. They have cool aquariums in the lobby, and their staff is so nice. They are more of a play based preschool where they teach through play. That way the kids are still learning, but they are totally having fun at the same time. This excited me, while I want Jack to learn and be prepared for Kindergarten I want him to have lots of playtime and enjoy himself. The teacher showed me the garden the kids all grew last year. They have a nice playground, and even a water play area.

There are two teachers to a room, and each teacher picks the kids they want to observe for the year. They then take pictures and write little reports on your child. At the end of the year I will get a binder showing all of the different things Jack has done, what he's learned, and what he needs to work on. If this place wasn't sweet enough they even have a Chef that makes all of the meals and snacks, and I'm not talking chicken nuggets here people. The Chef makes regular meals, vegetarian meals, and even vegan meals. Once a week the families can sign up for the meal of the week, and you are given an entire dinner including dessert. Jack loved our visit so much he cried when we had to leave.

He'll be going three days a week this year a few hours each day. The only thing I wish was that the hours were a bit longer, but I am still really excited for him. He really needs to get around some kids his age, and get some energy out. I hope this place lives up to all the things it seems to offer.

PS I am trying out a new font. Is this better or not? I have a large computer monitor so I'm not sure if that makes a difference for me.

400th Post

2010-08-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

I was going to try to post this yesterday for Ten on Tuesday, but of course that didn't happen. So instead you get random things on Wednesday.

This is my 400th post on this blog. While, I had hoped to take the time to write something meaningful for my 400th post, I just haven't had the time. I will say I really do enjoy blogging. Despite the fact that I fall away from it sometimes, I am glad I have kept with it.

We are still settling into our house, and life here in Illinois. There are still a couple of kitchen boxes that have to be gone through, and there is still the garage to sort out. Not much to do around here, but so far that has been okay.

I have been reminding myself that we need to get outside, and enjoy the rest of summer. Summer is actually going to leave us, and we are going to have to ~~suffer~~ experience a winter here.

I have started cooking from scratch. Something I have wanted to do for a long time. There are few things that I don't cook from scratch, but this means no more orange glow powder, or boxed handy meals. I see why people do grab the boxed stuff even if it is filled with junk ingredients, because it is easy and fast. Cooking from scratch definitely takes more time and work. I have enjoyed going through my cook books and finding new things for my family to try, and so far everything has been a hit.

I am attempting couch to 5k again. I have a love hate relationship with running. Last time I made it to week 4 before I got sick and got off track. It is still just my first week, and I can't promise I will actually finish it this time, but so far so good.

I found a wonderful preschool for Jack. He starts in a few weeks. I will be sure to tell you more about it soon.

Still Unpacking

2010-07-24T20:59:00.000-05:00

I think I am going to be unpacking for weeks. We are still getting settled into this house. I asked Zach if it feels like home yet, and he said, "No, it is still filled with boxes. It is just a place I sleep for now." We are working on that slowly but surely. I feel like a bomb went off in my house though. I just keep telling myself one box at a time, one box at a time. The only problem so far is this house seriously lacks any storage. We are going from a home that had a huge walk in linen type closet, another regular linen closet, and a huge coat closet. This house has ONE extra closet in the living room. Where I am supposed to put my linens I am still trying to figure that out. Mostly, everything is crazy because I have to wait to clear things out once a few rooms are finished in the basement. That should be next week, hopefully.

Other than that things feel really great. I am loving our town so far. While there really isn't anything to do around here there are still plenty of stores, and places to eat. Everything is really close by. This is all pretty good for me because I liked the small town feel that we had at Miramar. I can really feel a much slower pace here than in San Diego. I might be bored out of my mind soon, but right now it feels nice. I am hoping to have half a lazy Sunday tomorrow, and I might be able to get some pictures up here.

Settling In

2010-07-21T10:01:00.000-05:00

All of our stuff has arrived at the house, and now I have the task of putting it all away. How we move to a bigger place, and still don't seem to have room is beyond me. I think things will look a little brighter once thing are more organized. So, if you read this blog please stick with me, and check back soon. I will be updating as soon as I get the chance.

New House

2010-07-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

We made it to Illinois on Monday to check out the house we are interested in. I snapped a few cruddy pictures with my cell phone. That is the kitchen and the front entry. What we see out our backyard. Nothing... There is an airport out there some place. A picture of the dining room. I thought I grabbed a picture of the living room, but I guess I missed it. It has three bedrooms. The third bedroom is pretty small so the sooner we get the basement rooms finished the better. It does have a few flaws like marks all on the walls, and I guess his wife started some painting, and didn't finish it. It should be fine though the guy we are renting it from just said to treat it like it is our own, and we can do what we want with it. I am very grateful though even if it isn't perfect. It is a house, and it has a backyard, and hopefully a finished basement. All of the things I wished we would get in a house.

We didn't spend much time in it just a day and night. We are going back this weekend to move some things into it, and I think I will even start painting. If all goes well then we will be signing the lease on Wednesday. Cross your fingers everything goes as planned.

I promise to get more, and better pictures this weekend.

Working on the move

2010-06-26T19:13:00.000-05:00

We have had busy past few weeks. My mom has been in town helping so much. It has been so nice. I have tons of pictures to share, but no time right now to share them. I hope I can get all caught up once we get on the road. I want to bullet point a few of the things that have been going on so I can remember to blog about them.

Jack had his last day of preschool. We had a fun pizza party, and he inhaled two cupcakes.
That same day we had the moving truck here moving all of our stuff.
Also, on that same day Zach graduated from recruiters school. We are so proud of him, but we had to miss the ceremony.
Cousins Terri and Michael came down for one last visit. We had a fantastic time with them.
We had a great day at Disneyland and ate at Sonic
We have visited La Jolla
We went to the Cabrillo National Monument for the first time
We went to Coronado, and ate at 5 Guys Burgers, very yummy we have never had it before
We went back to Coronado to spend the day at the beach. We all got a little fried from the sun, but it was worth it.
We took out last trip up to Julian, but unfortunately didn't get any apple pie. We did however get it from the commissary.
We wandered around Mission Bay
Finally last night we had a fantastic Girls Night Out

We still aren't sure when we are going to be out of here. We are waiting on a few more things to come together. Just trying to spend time with friends, soak up the ocean, and enjoy every minute of it.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-06-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

1. We had a very nice long Memorial weekend, and I hope you all did as well.

2. We are very burned and a little crispy despite using three kinds of sunblock.

3. Zach and I went on a very romantic moonlit stroll on the beach Saturday night. We did things that frightened the fish. (name that movie) No, not really, but we did enjoy the peace. The last time we walked along that stretch of beach at night I was very pregnant with Jack.

4. Along our walk we stumbled upon groups of people looking for these. That was pretty interesting we had no idea such a thing existed, and that there are clubs of people dedicated to it.

5. We spent our Monday at the beach grilling out with friends, and playing around in the water. The water was freezing. I mean painfully cold, but once you were in you got used to it, or numbed I'm not sure which. It was a great time.

6. The fun thing we were going to do this morning got postponed so you will still have to wait and see.

7. Jack had his first and last field trip of the year today. He missed the others, but we made it today. They went to Sea World. Jack, was very excited, and I was glad he got to go. He fell asleep on the bus ride home, and he didn't eat much of his lunch so he was a grouch when he got home.

8. We finally got the P90x dvds, and I think we are going to give it a try.

9. I can't believe it is June already. Time is just flying by. I hope we can enjoy the summer months.

10. I'm having a hard time coming up with ten things on Tuesdays. I think we are a little too boring. Happy Tuesday to you!

My Picture is on The Pioneer Woman!

2010-05-28T14:29:00.000-05:00

Over at The Pioneer Woman Ree, has been doing photography assignments. If you don't know who Ree is, she's a big blog internet celebrity. She has a great blog, she's written a cookbook, and she's a fantastic photographer. Reading her blog is what got me wanting to improve my photography, and really learn about it. She's been seen on The View, Good Morning America, and The Bonnie Hunt Show. Zach and I both enjoy reading her blog.

Her last photography was assignment was "Happiness" After seeing a few people enter pictures of their military men returning home I had wished I had entered a picture of Zach and my Grandma. On Tuesday before I went to pick Jack up from school I sat down to read Pioneer Woman, and jumped for joy when I saw her new assignment was "Military Homecomings." I knew I had to enter my picture as soon as I got home.

The picture is in February 2005. Zach coming home from his first tour to Iraq. My Grandma and I had flown to California to be able to greet him when he came in. The picture isn't the best technical photo ever taken, and was shot my old 5 megapixel Kodak point and shoot camera. It has always been a picture full of emotion for me. It was the middle night, I wasn't sleeping laying in bed surfing the internet. I started reading blogs out of my google reader, and I squealed slapping Zach awake exclaiming, "Oh my God my picture is on Pioneer Woman!" I can't believe it, so many people enter their pictures to her assignments. I have never entered before knowing I never really stood a chance because of the quality of images that were being entered.

Of course then I got all teary eyed because my Grandma has just recently passed. I continue to carry those wonderful memories of our San Diego trip together.

You can click here if you want to see the picture on the site.

You can click here if you would like to look at other pictures people have submitted for the assignment.

God Bless. Happy Memorial weekend to all.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-25T17:50:00.000-05:00

1. Jack and I walked to his preschool this morning. Even though it is only maybe 15 minutes away we have never done this before. Mostly, because I am rushing to get him out the door while he fiddles around drinking his required cup of chocolate milk, and watching a show on television. It was very nice though. The weather here hasn't been too hot. We held hands, walked, and talked. It was wonderful.

2. Next Tuesday we are doing something fun that I hoped we would be able to do before we moved. You will have to wait until next Tuesday to find out what it is.

3. I entered a picture in Ree's new photo contest. It was for pictures of military homecomings. It is fun to look at everyone's pictures.

4. For the past few afternoons I have been taking the time to go sit out on my patio and read while Jack takes his nap. Something I used to do when we first moved here years ago. When I could do it anytime of the day that I liked, and didn't have to schedule around a little one's nap. It has been relaxing. I have missed reading a good book.

5. We have our sites on a possible house, but I don't want to say very much about it. Just keep us in prayers that this house will work out for us.

6. Zach did well on another test. He got an 85 on the one last week, and a 94 on the one this week. I guess 30 people failed the one yesterday it was so difficult. I am very proud of him, but he's been a bit of a bear to live with. He doesn't handle stress and struggle very well. I'm not sure I could put up with him if he decided to go back to school! The hard written tests are over for now, and they are moving onto the selling of the Marine Corps section. More about public speaking something the instructors acknowledged he would have a hard time with. Pray he keeps up the good work.

7. I am addicted to this yogurt. It is a greek yogurt with fruit or honey on the side. Some might find it a bit tart. I've tried the honey, but I prefer the strawberry, and our store doesn't carry the peach kind. I do a happy dance when I see it on the shelf at the grocery store, and then tell Zach to grab me some because it is to high for me to reach. This stuff flies off the shelves at our commissary.

8. I am still very behind on the blogging, and I'm not sure if I will ever catch up. I need more energy and hours in the day I think.

9. Zach and I think we are going to attempt p90x. We tried to buy the dvds twice from craigslist, but both times the sale fell through. We have some friends that said they will copy them for us. I have heard they kick your ass. I'm not sure how I feel about this just yet.

10. Here is a happy Tuesday to you. I promise I will get some pictures up here this week.

Gearing Up

2010-05-24T14:48:00.000-05:00

While the move is exciting, and it will be a new adventure for us it will also be lots of changes. While yes, one of the greatest things about the recruiting is no deploying we are basically getting ready for a 2-3 year deployment. I think there is never a perfect situation when it comes to being in the military. If it isn't one thing than it is another. Recruiting duty is very hard work. I have received many packets on the strains and stresses it puts on families. Zach will be working most likely 80 hours a week. He will be working 6 days a week. They are told they get Sundays off, but often they work Sunday too. We are gearing up for long days, and even longer hours ahead of us. So while he won't be going on month long deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan he will be gone all the time. Many of the recruiters Zach has talked to never got to take any leave all of the years they recruited. Recruiting can be one of the toughest jobs in the Marine Corps.

We really haven't been doing much for the move. We don't have that much to get ready. The movers will coming in and pack everything up for us and take care of everything. I have gone through a few things, and threw out some things that I don't want to take with us. We have been doing a bit of house hunting. We found a house that was perfect, and we fell in love with it. It had a finished basement, enough rooms, and took pets. We were in talks with the broker, but then it got rented. There isn't very much to choose from a house here and there, but if is a nice house it gets snapped up in a few days. We still have time so we aren't worried.

Futile Effort

2010-05-20T17:21:00.000-05:00

I picked up Jack's school pictures this morning. They turned out so nice. Of couse I have such a hard time choosing so I just got them all. I couldn't help myself they are his first school pictures. My baby is getting big. In fact to me he looked older than a three year old. Maybe it is just me. It is hard for this mama to find the baby in his face anymore. Then Jack proceeded to have a complete meltdown because he had to go home instead of going to school. He's still getting over his nasty whatever he had. He was so mad at me he wanted to go to school so badly. It took forever to get him to calm down.

This afternoon we went to the doctor. I am starting to see that it is absolutely futile to take your kid to see the doctor unless they have a visible ear infection, or are vomiting profusely. The doctor came in (not his normal I-love-him-so-much-I-don't-want-to-think-of-leaving-him doctor) she gave him a quick once over. I will admit she was friendly, and seemed to know what she was doing. Basically, his body is doing what it is supposed to be doing he's fine, Bye. Put a humidifier in his room and elevate him while he sleeps. This is what my insurance is paying for?

Me: Even though he has a cough that could wake the dead, and his nose is a faucet?

Dr: Nope Nothing. In fact my own daughter has been coughing for three weeks now, and everyone thinks I am a bad mother.

Um, okay.

It just irritates me because he goes to school and the Moms and the teachers give me dirty looks. Sorry, there is nothing I can do about it. This may last a month. Sorry, my kids is spraying germs across your classroom because he's three, and can't always remember to cover his mouth. Really, I just don't get it. Everything is so anti-medicine anymore. Yes, I get that we are pumping our kids with too many antibiotics, and there is going to be a superbug. The fact is Jack is hardly ever sick maybe one or two other times in his life. I don't think a little cough suppressant is going to hurt. Not to mention when we were kiddies our Mother's were given medications to make us and them feel better. I don't think we are any worse for the wear. I need to stick to my instincts, going to the doctor is pretty much useless.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-18T22:21:00.000-05:00

1. We are still getting over the sickies here. Now, Jack is getting a cough so we might be heading to the doctor soon. I forgot to mention that when Jack is sick he says he has the "flupe." He tells me, "Mom I think I feel the flupe coming on." Sometimes he talks like an old man it is pretty funny. I love his baby misunderstood words.

2. The cats cocoa and Yum Yum went home today. I was pretty sad, and Zach things that is just crazy. I'm just too much of an animal lover, and Yum Yum was a great cat. Poor Diego he's all alone and bored now. Jack was sad too he asked for them after they left, and kept saying they had to stay here.

3. Zach did well on his last test getting a 97 and only missing a few. I am proud of him he has been studying very hard.

4. We have been looking for houses in IL and it has been pretty bleak. It looks like there isn't much of a market for renters. My dream for wherever we moved was either a finished basement or a backyard. Anywhere there might be some winter I need room to entertain Jack and keep my sanity. I would love some great windows for indoor lighting for photography, but I won't be that picky. We have thought about maybe buying something, but we aren't sure how permanent things are going to be. They could choose to move us around, and then we'd have to figure that out. We will see we will keep praying, and I know everything will work out.

5. I didn't sleep a wink last night. Not even a teeny tiny bit. I am dragging right now. It has put me in a not so great mood all day long. I need to try to get to bed early tonight, and maybe I could actually get some sleep.

6. Jack is getting so big. We took him to the lake last night so he could ride his bike aound it. He made it about a mile total. He's still a little bit puny from being sick, and it was chilly and windy.

7. Thanks everyone for the comments and well wishes. The move should be interesting. We are a pretty lucky military family we have been stationed here in San Diego for 6 years. It is the first place we were ever sent so we haven't had the moving around experience. Of course I am really nervous. I don't like change that much. Not that I'm not excited too. It will be interesting to be in a new place.

8. I am excited that my mom is coming out here to spend our last bit of time out here. I think we are going to cram our days with beach visits and everything fun to do around here.

9. Jack is getting more and more imaginative. It has been funny with him because it was like a switch went off, and suddenly he had an imagination. The other night he was telling me his name was future, and pretending to be a race car driver. Then he was a teach, and he was telling us what to do. Then he was Ironman flying through the air.

10. I forgot to mention the best part of moving and recruiting is obviously No Deploying. We will be glad to not have to do that for a while.

Big News!!

2010-05-15T21:39:00.000-05:00

No I am not pregnant! I am sure that would be the first thought for many of you.

We are MOVING! We have been keeping things under wraps until we found out where we might be going, but we are heading to Bloomington, IL. For the next little while anyway. Now, things are not set in stone. Zach is at recruiter school right now learning to be a recruiter. The school is very hard, and pretty demanding. He still has a way to go in it, and we won't be going anywhere unless he graduates. We should be moving around midsummer if things go as planned.

We are pretty sad to be leaving the beautiful state of California, but a little excited to be closer to home. Hopefully we can live here again someday. I've been going crazy around here thinking about the move trying to get things ready. Praying really hard for Zach that he does well. It won't do well for his career if something goes wrong. I've been trying to go threw the closets, and start to organize things. I'll be glad to get rid of a few things around here. That is the exciting news around here. We are going to be busy.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

Here is another Ten on Tuesday. I think I am going to have a hard time coming up with ten things.

1. I am sick again for the second weekend in a row. This time it is cough, cold, and fever. It left me wiped out, and sleeping half of Mother's Day away.

2. I am trying to wash every bit of laundry I have. Laundry is my kryptonite, so it just piles and piles. My laundry is only completely done when my mother comes and does all of it. Sad I know. I think I have all of the clothes finished, and I am now on the blankets portion of things.

3. I may or may not have spent a good part of the morning googling "how to fold a fitted sheet" and then watching numerous videos. While I have tried Martha Stewarts version in the past it has never turned out right. So I settled on this.

4. I am still very behind on my blogging.

5. Um, some of you might have noticed the hubby has started commenting on the blog. Yay hubby! I was a bit surprised to see him fishing for comments in the post below. While yes blogging does take time and effort I am very happy to do it. It is usually the hubby that is bugging reminding me I haven't posted in a while. The comments are his favorite part. He loves to read them, and gets excited when I have more than say one.

6. Jack had another show-and-tell today at school. He took his Thomas train. I bet he will have lots to say about it. He has all of the train lingo down, and it is very entertaining. Lately when something makes him mad he shouts, "Well bust my buffers!"

7. Jack helped me to bake some yummy banana bread over the weekend. Jack loves to help me in the kitchen especially when it involves the mixer. I don't actually care for the bread, but everyone else enjoyed it, and it was gone in a few days. I just want to get back to cooking and baking from scratch.

8. I just started Laura Bush's new book Spoken From The Heart so far it has been very good. I have been wanting to read more biographies. If you have any recommendations please let me know.

9. I am crocheting again. I like that it keeps me busy. I always have 10 projects going at once. I have whipped up a few dishcloths. If you would like to put in a request for a few just let me know.

10. Well, I have come this far and I can't think of a number 10. So I will just say I hope you have a happy Tuesday.

Mother's Day Tea Party

2010-05-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

Jackson's preschool had a tea party for all of the mommies this afternoon. They sang us songs, and made us gifts. It was so precious. Then we had a nice tea party that consisted of sweets, and little sandwiches. The kids indulged on the food more than the moms. Jack helped himself to two mini cupcakes, his favorite treat. After his tea party he grabbed a quick nap, and then we headed out the door to see How to Train Your Dragon. It was a wonderful movie. Jack loves dragons so I thought it would be a hit with him, but I had also heard it might not be the best for little kids. Jack did just fine except he was a little too chatty wanting to talk about the dragons so we had to move to the back of the theatre. It was a great afternoon, but it might not be heading into a nice evening. We are on our second round of timeout for not listening. A stubborn little boy doesn't want to clean up his mess.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-05T01:07:00.000-05:00

Thanks to this blog I am now reading this blog, and Erin does Ten on Tuesday. I like anything that will help me blog a little more during the week. While it is officially Wednesday across the rest of the country I still have a few hours so I will sneak this one in.

1. I spent the afternoon sweating it up in my hot garage trying to get a handle on the mess. Tons and tons of boxes and no organization. Things are getting out of hand.

2. Cleaning the garage led to finally organizing all of Jack's baby clothes by size into tubs just in case we have another boy. Oh my. Going through those teeny tiny clothes grabbed my heart. Remembering his little baby chubbiness in all of his outfits. Sniff. He's getting too big, he's practically gown.

3. I am so behind on my blogging, and I can't find a spare minute to catch up. We are so busy during the day, and by the time the evening rolls around I am content to relax with the hubby.

4. Today was one of those days where Jack was driving us both crazy out of our minds. Really all he was doing was being a little boy. Nothing really hurtful or wrong. That makes me feel like a guilty mommy. I hope tomorrow is better.

5. I get to have an afternoon Mother's Day tea party with Jack on Thursday. It is at his preschool, and he is so excited. He told me we are going to have cookies and yemonade (lemonade)

6. Jack came home from school today singing me a lovely song:
   I love my mommy, I love my mommy
   Yes I do, Yes I do
   Mommies are for hugging, Mommies are for kissing (blows kiss)
   I love you, I love you

   They must have really practiced because he never remembers the songs they sing.

7. One of the cats we are cat sitting plays fetch. It is so cute! Until she's putting the ball beside your head at
   6:00 in the morning just begging you to play.

8. I have totally fallen in love with Yum Yum the fetching cat. She is so soft and loving. I don't want to give her back. I should never be allowed to pet sit.

9. Jack and I played our fist board game the other day. The kid watches a little too much tv. Well, he doesn't really watch it all the time, but that is his go to thing when he's bored. He just asks to watch a show, and we have to remind him it is playtime. So during the evening while Zach was working late I decided to get out his Spiderman Memory game and see if he might be old enough to play it. He caught onto it pretty quickly, and we got through several rounds before he was over it, and just wanted to play with the cards.

10. I put together these shelves at 9:30 this evening. They were just some cheap shelves I grabbed from Target. Jack has tons of books even more I found in the garage, and he doesn't have a place for them. We read books every night before bed, and now he has a place to put them.

2010-04-23T17:06:00.000-05:00

It is finally Friday, and we have a very busy weekend ahead of us. Tons of errands to run, and hopefully some fun stuff too. Maybe even a little organizing of the garage on Sunday. I guess Jack didn't have the greatest week at preschool. Apparently, those goody bags they got last week that I thought were for a birthday are really something called a prize box. Something the kids get if they have had a good day/week. When I picked Jack up yesterday his teacher told me he didn't get a prize box. She said he wasn't listening, and wasn't following directions. Honestly I wasn't surprised these are the same issues we are dealing with at home. He is after all three.

She said they hoped that by not giving him one that he would do better next week. Uh, ok. I know my kid, and I knew that wasn't going to work at all. I told her Jack and I would talk about it at home. When we got into the car I decided to ask Jack some questions just to see if he understood what had happened. I asked why he didn't get a prize box, and his answer was that all the other kids got one, and they teachers didn't have enough. He didn't care in the least. He also had no idea that he didn't get one for not following rules. As I have said before Jack is pretty difficult to discipline, and consequences don't mean very much to him. He just kind of floats on the surface, if good things happen to him then great, and if they don't then it isn't a big deal. While other kids might cry about not getting a prize he just shrugs. No big thing to him. I went on to explain why he really didn't get a prize, and a lecture on following the rules. I'm not trying to give him excuses, he does need to follow the rules, but at the same time some of this is just his age and personality.

Speaking of preschool I think I had 5 years taken off my life yesterday. I have been so tired lately. Yesterday afternoon I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer so I laid down on the sofa to catch a quick nap. I passed out in a deep sleep. I heard my cell phone ringing, and saw that it was Jack's preschool, but I missed the call. I glanced at the time, 2:30 pm. OMG, OMG! I sprang off the sofa in a panic. I was two and half hours late to pick Jack up from school. I was running around the house. What in the heck was I going to tell them had happened? My head was in a fog. Running around frantically searching for my keys my head started to clear. Wait. I think Jack is upstairs taking a nap. I'm pretty sure I picked him up from school, and then we went and got lunch with the hubby. In fact yes, that is exactly what happened. Wow, my heart was still racing a little as I sat back on the sofa laughing at my crazy mommy moment.

Beach Days

2010-04-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

We had a nice weekend. Saturday we went to the beach after picking up Jack some new Thomas the Train toys for his Thomas table. I am sure he is too spoiled, but they were having a one day buy one set get another set half off. That wooden railway thomas stuff is expensive. We had to take advantage of the deal. Plus it is the one thing that Jack is really interested in, and it keeps him busy.

We had a really nice time at the beach. This was the first time we broke out the old board shorts with the chances of maybe getting into the water. We went to La Jolla Shores, and it was a bit overcast and not very busy. We grabbed some sand toys while we were shopping so Zach and Jack got busy building and smashing sand castles. Jack was having so much fun running and running. He even went into the water, and it was really cold. He was having a blast, and got totally soaked. We had our typical Sunday, and I had a nice lunch with our friends while Zach and Jackson stayed home to rest. We took Jack out to get his haircut for preschool pictures in a few weeks. Barbara cut it so cute. She did a great job since his hair has natural curl, and now it goes in nice waves. Jack sat so still, and he was so good. He loves Barbara though so I knew he would be good.

We really haven't been doing much this week so far. Just going outside to play at the park a few times. Anything to get out of the house for a bit. I think Jack and I need to start taking walks, or heading to the beach ourselves during the week for a bit more to do. We did finally get our computer fixed today. The guy they had working on it was the most professional guy. He was so nice, and he just kept trying and trying. This was his third day out, and I guess the third time is the charm. It is a couple year old desktop. We lost the hard drive, but he replaced everything, and even installed a wireless card in it. So, it is pretty much a new computer. Now, we just need to get a little desk so we can put it upstairs.

I did really well posting last week, and I was hoping to do well this week too, but here it is Thursday before I have posted anything. To be honest though this post has been written since Tuesday I just haven't had time to get my pictures ready to put on it.

Busy Days

2010-04-16T15:25:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to clean, organize, and dejunkify this house for the past week. Being that it is Friday I really have't gotten much done. I have however managed to surf around on facebook, reorganized my google reader, and updated the blog roll as you can see on the right over there. These mindless activities are just so much more fun than cleaning my house. We have been consumed by crap and clutter. I wouldn't say I am a pack rat, although, my husband might say otherwise. I don't really have trouble getting rid of thing or throwing things away. I just tend to have more stuff than space. I've never really sorted through any of Jack's toys other than move the old ones to the garage, and he's three years old. Things are getting a bit overwhelming around here. I need to find a donation center I think. I have considered trying to sell a few things on craigslist, and I might go that route. We are thinking about a yard sale maybe, but people don't really go to those around here. Either way I got most of the kitchen done today, and that makes things better.

We had a pretty busy day yesterday. Jack went to preschool, and he decided to take the firetruck for show and tell. I think it went pretty well. He said the kids passed it around. He got some sort of goody bag because it was a kids' birthday so he was focused on that, and it was hard to drag the details of his day out of him. I got a lot of, "I don't know." By the way am I the only person that hates those party goody bags? They are filled with the cheapest little plastic toys that I just want to pitch into the trash as soon as we get home. We rushed home to get some lunch, and try to get Jack to nap a little earlier than normal. Instead of napping he decided to get up 20 times so he really just ended up resting on the sofa. Then I thought I lost one of the cats that we are sitting for. I couldn't find her anywhere, and she's the one that does try to get out of the house. I was panicked, but I finally found her hiding in the laundry room. Then Jack and I raced out the door to see The Princess and the Frog, they were playing it for free at the base theatre. Jack, was having a bit of trouble sitting through the entire thing. The movie was pretty good. It had some parts that I thought were maybe a little too scary for Jack.

After the movie we waited for Zach to get home so we could go to the circus on the base. We had never been, but Jack saw the tent when I took him to preschool so I promised we would go. Wow, it turned out to be a pretty ghetto circus. We only stayed for half of it because the music was really loud, and Jack kept covering his ears. He did get some cotton candy, and a balloon so he was happy. The balloon didn't even make the 10 minute walk back to the house before it popped. After it popped Jack kept saying in a sad voice, "Oh, no! It was my whole life." It cracked us up. He's a bit dramatic I think.

Chomping on an apple, his favorite thing to eat.

The circus, but the boy is happy with his bag of sugar. Excuse the grubby hubby he was bummin' it.

I can't seem to come up with any Friday Five so I'll just ask this question.

Have any plans for the weekend?

House Guests

2010-04-15T04:00:00.000-05:00

We have two house guests their names are Cocoa and Yum Yum. We are cat sitting for 6 weeks. I guess paybacks are hell since we had Whittney and Adam watch our cat forever when we went home to Missouri. They are both girls, and we were told one was nice and the other one has a bit of an attitude. It really hasn't been that bad. We had some hissing from both sides the first day, but as the pictures show everyone is one big happy family now. Cocoa the one with the attitude has even warmed up to us. I am really enjoying it. It adds a little excitement to our house, and I am a cat lover.

I forgot to add that we also have two fish now. We got them a while ago. Since Jack has his pet fish at Grandma's house, Daddy decided he needed some fish here too. We just bought two cheapy goldfish not being too concerned with their lifespan. They were being kept in Jackson's room, and they were really getting the shaft up there. I have blackout curtains in that room, and we only really go up there to put Jack to sleep. So I decided what better time to test out if these fish are truly meant to be then when we have three cats in the house? They now reside on the kitchen counter, and they seem to be doing fine. Much better actually than when they were living in the dark 24/7. Just the occasional curious cat drinking their fish water.

Yum Yum on the left & Cocoa on the right

All three cats napping together.

Soccer Star

2010-04-14T17:03:00.000-05:00

We spent a little time outside yesterday afternoon. Jack was busy playing on the slides, and kicking the soccer ball around. I think we have found a sport that he will really enjoy. He loves to run and kick the ball. He had his tennis shoes on instead of his usual flip flops so he was even better at it. He was also swinging like a monkey on the playground.

I almost have all of my PC to Mac conversion done. My editing software came in the mail yesterday so I was able to load that up. I am missing some of my favorite actions though. I had to email the company hoping I can get new ones sent to me. I can't find them anywhere on my PC backup on my external hard drive. Crossing my fingers.

The firetruck Jack is thinking about taking to show and tell tomorrow. He can't decide what he wants to take with him.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

2010-04-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

We haven't been doing much around here. While we had hoped to get out and do something over the weekend like maybe the beach there just wasn't enough time. Zach, had duty Friday night so that left him with very little sleep, and very tired on Saturday. We did the usual walking to get Zach's haircut, and shopping around the exchange. We did make a trip to Balboa park to visit the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. It was very beautiful, and emotional. I hope to have pictures to come soon. Neither of us knew anyone that died in the war so we didn't have a name to look up, but the had a database that would tell you where your person's name was. They had paper ready for people if they wanted to do a rubbing. It is amazing to think of all of those names on that wall. The hardest part was seeing the men standing at the wall crying. They also had a display of some things from the war. Turns out the guy that provides the stuff is from St. Louis, Mo. We enjoyed being out, and Jack found some big hills to roll down.

Sunday we hoped to go to church, but Zach had a few things he had to do for work in the morning, and we had the geek squad people coming to look at our computer in the afternoon. The guy they sent out was really great. We have had some trouble with them in the past, but this guy seemed all about customer service. Our hard drive crashed in the computer. Luckily, we had almost everything backed up so we didn't lose very much. Make sure you back up your stuff people, you never know when you computer is going to go out. The Geek Squad guy worked on it for a long time, but he didn't have enough time to get the job done. He's coming back today, and hopefully everything is resolved. This is the third time we have had to have this computer fixed in the past few months. Since the computer kept dying we decided to make the leap to getting a Macs. Zach has wanted a laptop for a while, and we always wish we had one when we visit home. We got the macbook pro, and we got a desk top. People seem to rave about Apple and Mac so we hope it turns out of be a good investment for us. Of course I always feel guilty after big purchases, but this is something we use everyday.

Not much new is going on with Jack either. He has more preschool this week. I'm not sure when his school ends I am hoping it goes through June. I asked the center if they have any summer programs for kids his age, and of course they don't. I just wish he was old enough to do some sports. He just loves interacting with other kids. Maybe we will look into some swim lessons for this summer. I have to find something to do to keep this boy entertained.

Easter Weekend 2010/Friday Five

2010-04-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

Yay, it is happy Friday even though it seems like it was just the weekend. We haven't had very much going on this week. Jack started back at preschool, and he is really enjoying it. He has a new building and a new classroom. They are very nice inside. Jack, really enjoys having something to go and do every week. Tuesday they rode the bus to the library, and he told me they got to learn about a bearded dragon, and they got to pet one with two fingers. Except Jack called it a bearded yizard because he has trouble with his L's, and it is just too cute. I need to get a video of him describing his yizard experience. We have been spending lots of time outside enjoying the warmer weather, and getting some fresh air. Really it has been hot here the past week in the near 80's. I have to try to remember to sunscreen Jack before he goes to preschool because he has come home with a little sunburn on his neck and face. Poor thing just burns so easily, and I am diligent about sunscreening him when we go out and about, but I forget he spends a good portion of his day outside when he's there.

I will go ahead and update about our Easter weekend even though I won't be able to include pictures until the computer is fixed, and I have them scheduled to come out this Sunday. We had a really nice Easter weekend. Zach and I worked around the house Saturday morning, and then we all walked to the exchange so that Zach could get his haircut. Something that Zach and Jackson always used to do, but I started tagging along, and I really enjoy it. Jack, loves going to the barbershop, and he really loves Barbara the nice lady that cuts Zach's hair. They have quite the little relationship going, and he is so happy to see her. It doesn't hurt that she supplies him with all the candy he would like while he's there. We let Jack take a nap while we got the eggs ready for dying. I was very proud of myself for getting them done early in the afternoon this year instead of late in the evening like usual. We had a great time dying the eggs. This year Jack was old enough to used the tongs to put his eggs in the dye and take them out. Even though we had tons of eggs we got done pretty quickly because he couldn't put them in the dye fast enough he was having so much fun. We all cleaned up and headed out the door to Adam and Whittney's house for her Easter dinner. As usual she made tons of food, and it was all very good. We had lamb which neither of us had ever had before, and it was very tasty.

Sunday we woke up pretty late despite needing to get up early to finish cleaning the house, and get ourselves ready for church and the Easter Bunny. Some Marines had some trouble the night before that took them to the hospital and had Zach gone until 4:30 in the morning taking care of things. Trying to pry him out of bed that morning was near impossible. It was a good thing we were going to Adam and Whitt's church instead of our very early service. Running around ironing shirts and throwing on clothes we managed to make it there on time. It was a very nice service, and Jack really enjoyed his sunday school. Adam and Whittney kept Jack there for their after church egg hunt while Zach and I ran home to make sure the Easter Bunny had done his job. Jack, loved everything in his Easter basket he had it all strewn across the living room. The lucky little boy had so much stuff that he had to have two baskets this year. We had a fun time watching him find the hidden eggs. I must say that Jack's Easter Bunny just loves the holidays and tends to go a little overboard! Not just with the eggs, but with the candy Adam said he doesn't remember there being so much candy when he was little. Well, none of the candy went to waste while everyone gorged themselves on it while I got the BBQ ready. We had a delicious traditional bbq, and Zach really worked some magic on the chicken legs they were so yummy.

Oh my gosh I almost forgot to include the little story about the earthquake we had. We experience it while we were at the barbershop that morning. Adam was getting his haircut, and Whittney and Jack were over near him. Zach andI were in the waiting area sitting down. All of the sudden my chair started to shake back and forth really hard. At first I thought maybe someone was horsing around and running making things shake. Then someone shouted, "Earthquake!" Despite this not being very safe I shot out of my chair, and ran to grab Jackson. My heart was going 90 miles an hour. I scooped him up and got under a doorway. I think they said it lasted all of 45 seconds to a minute. It ended up being a 7.2 quake, and that is fairly large. We had a few mild aftershocks later in the day that we felt too. We didn't have any damage in our area, and things were fine at the house. While it was scary it was an exciting thing to experience. Zach, and I felt one when we first moved here, but we were so new to California that neither of us knew what it was, and it was certainly nothing like this one.

Due to the continued aftershocks I was more worried about Jackson and I told Zach to keep an eye on him. Well, two Marines decided to be smart asses and make sure Jack was really really safe. Using issued gear; elbow pads for knee pads, and a knee pad for a chest plate, and Jack's bike helmet they demonstrated how safe they could really keep Jack. In his Sunday best at that! It was very amusing, and Jack kept saying, "Look I'm a turtle."

Friday Five

1. What is your favorite spring flower?

2. Do you do spring cleaning? If so what does it entail?

3. Do you plant anything or plan to do any gardening?

4. What is your favorite outside activity?

5. Do you have any projects you want to get started that you waited for the warmer weather to do?

Not Again!

2010-04-06T18:05:00.000-05:00

Well, our computer decided to take a dive last night for what is the third time in 6 months. I did all of the troubleshooting on it that I could, but was unable to revive the thing. It is still under warranty until June so we have to take it in to the Geek Squad people again. While we weren't thinking about getting a new computer for a while this has forced our hand. We figured we might as well make the leap we have been thinking about so we decided to go with a Mac, and I am currently blogging from our new macbook pro. I am so giddy! Unlike most woman I am sure, the way to my heart is through shiny new electronics. So far I am loving it, but it has only been a few hours. I just hope we are able to get our computer up and running just so I can get a few things off of it that I need. Weekend update and pictures to come soon.

Outside Time

2010-04-01T13:49:00.000-05:00

I finally got my camera battery in the mail from my mom, and I had a chance to charge it so I grabbed my camera while we went out to play. Jack is very interested in soccer, and loves to run and kick the ball. We may have to find a portable goal for him. I can’t wait until he’s old enough to join some sports teams; he just loves playing with other kids. Last night he had to make do with dear old mom and dad. He wanted to ride his bike across the street to the park. He’s still learning to ride, and can’t manage it on his own. I’m not sure if it is coordination thing or a strength thing. He still had to have help, but last night he was really getting the hang of pedaling, but still has no clue about steering. He just stares at his feet willing them to go while he chants, “Pedal, pedal, pedal.”

Getting older/Friday Five

2010-03-26T03:32:00.000-05:00

I am amazed at how much Jack has changed in the past few months. He is so independent now. Mostly, I have seen change in the way he plays. No longer is his Thomas table a place to make his trains go round and round, but it is now a place for him to create dramatic play. I listen to him make up stories about joining the race, Daddies and their babies, getting a wash in the river, and it never fails to hear “Don’t worry I’ll save yoouuuu!” Such boys play always the savior. Now, when something goes wrong he says, “Mama can you pwease help me?” instead of having a meltdown. I love that he is starting to create imaginary worlds for himself. Some of my best childhood memories are playing for hours with my Barbies.

We have had a good week back home. We have tried to get outside every evening as a family. We went back to the lake and fed the ducks. The house is still a crazy mess, but I’m just trying to do a little each day. I am thinking I need to revamp my routine which is basically nonexistent since spending time in Missouri. I am so not a morning person, and I tend to just get up when Jack does. Lucky me this kid loves to sleep too and sometimes won’t get out of bed until 9:30 in the morning. While I love sleeping in this seems to leave me groggy for the rest of the day with my energy zapped. They say the best way to get better sleep is to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time even on the weekends. I am going to attempt to set my alarm, and get up early. The idea of having a few minutes of peace while Jack is sleeping appeals to me, and maybe I can even adapt to being more of a morning person. Pictures because a post isn't a post without pictures.

He is the runing machine. Except this time he did get tired, and had to be carried some of the way back.

Not sure where he got this, but he decided he could "whistle" with his fingers. This consisted of him shoving all of his fingers in his mouth and then making a hooting sound around them. We finally convinced him that just two fingers would do the trick. Also, if this is huge sorry I'm trying to decide what size I want to post pictures.

Is this my child looking at the camera? Take a good look because you might never see this again.

Friday Five

1 What time do you go to sleep at night, and wake up in the morning?

2. What do you do when you can’t sleep?

3. What’s the last thing you’ve purchased?

4. What is weighing on your mind?

5. How do you de-stress?

Home again, Home again Jiggity Jig

2010-03-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

We went to the lake last night after Zach got off work. It was glorious just to get outside, and to get a little exercise. We let Jack check out the ducks, and maybe next time I will remember to bring some bread for them. I tried some silhouette pictures of the boys since the sun was setting. Then we just walked around the lake, and let Jack run to his heart’s content. I was glad to get outside after what seemed like a long winter for me in Missouri.

We have just been relaxing at home since Jack and I have been back. The house is a disaster, and I just can’t find the energy to get things back in order. We have a 911 for spring cleaning around here. Something tells me I shouldn’t have told Zach not to worry about the house that it didn’t need to be perfect for my return. I definitely have a mountain of laundry that might just sit there until next week. Zach met me at the airport with flowers, and a Thomas train for Jackson. We really missed each other, and it feels good to be home.

Black and White ducks that seemed to be mates. I thought they were interesting.

Calling the ducks

On the dock

I'm going to need a wig

2010-03-02T14:13:00.000-06:00

My son has me pulling out my hair like you wouldn't believe. The terrible threes have hit us full force. Gone is my sweet little boy. The words "no" and "I just can't" come out of his mouth twenty bazillion times a day. I HATE that he is stressing me out so much. At the end of the day I feel like a horrible mommy, and I beat myself up. I keep thinking I need to be calmer, more patient, I need something because this doesn't seem to be working. It never seems to be enough. My own Mom assures me that all mothers feel this way.

The fact is there just doesn't seem to be any disciplining him. Not that he's bad all the time, but it seems to be getting more and more throughout the day. Nothing works on this kid. He turns everything around on me. I put him in time-out, and after it is time to get up he just says he wants to sit there. I'm now even putting him in his room until he can act nice and appropriately. Still nothing seems to sink in with him. Threats don't work like if you don't shape up we won't be getting any ice cream! He could care less. Everyone I have talked to says the same thing, "Oh wow, good luck." I just hope this isn't a sample of the teenage years in my future.

He really is a good little boy deep in his heart. More than anything else he's just sassy, and the most STUBBORN child I have ever seen. His independent streak isn't helping matters. I just keep thinking maybe when he's 4 things will change. Then I get mad at myself because I don't want to wish the next 9 months away.

I think he's going to be a kid that need lots of activities. He seems to get bored very easily, and that really brings out the naughty behavior. Being stuck inside during the winter isn't helping matters. Thank goodness the next few days are supposed to be warmer. I hope we can get out and burn off some of that energy.

Another week

2010-02-12T17:18:00.001-06:00

We are still in Missouri. Enjoying our time here very much. We have had a bit of snow. We are supposed to get more, but I'm not sure if it will be much. Jack and I took the time to go outside and play for a while. I was glad to have a reason to pull out my camera. I'll be glad to get home and get some editing done.

If I have a computer to come home to. Our computer was attacked by a bunch of viruses. I guess there is something going around that is getting through the security programs. All I can say is backup your stuff people.

Do you watch Oprah? Have you heard about her trying to get people to stop texting and talking while they drive. I usually hate how people jump on the Oprah bandwagon, but I like this one. Before she started this whole thing I heard that texting and driving is like driving under the influence of 4 drinks. That opened my eyes. Also that 6,000 car related deaths were due to texting or talking while driving. No life is worth a text or call. I hope you will put down your phone and drive.

Friday Five

1. Any Valentine's Day plans?
2. Do you text or talk while driving?
3. If you do would you consider stopping?
4. Any movies you are hoping to see?
5. Will you be watching the Olympics tonight?

Yuck!

2010-02-06T19:40:00.001-06:00

Friday was just one of those days. A day filled with a sassy three year old, and at the end of the day I was so tired. A day where I blew a sigh of relief after I put the boy to bed, and I could finally get a break from being a mommy for the evening. Well, I guess I shouldn't have said anything because karma kicked back by giving me a little boy throwing up in the middle of the night. Throwing up on the sheets I had just changed...of course. A mother's job is never done, and my poor baby is sick.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Missing my blog

2010-02-05T12:56:00.001-06:00

I haven't been able to blog since I'm not close to a computer. Why I don't have a laptop considering all the travel I do I'm just not sure. We keep saying we will get one, but it get's put at the bottom of the list. Either way I can't imagine I have any readers considering it has been so long.

I'm still in Missouri trying to get my grandmother's things sorted out. I am really missing Zach and our home, but at the same time I am very at peace here. Maybe I can do a little more blogging now, but then again maybe not. Here is a Friday Five. Please feel free to play along.

1. What is your favorite Disney movie?
2. What is something you hope to accomplish this year?
3. Are you excited for spring?
4. What's for dinner tonight?
5. Have you read anything good lately?

Santa Train 2009

2010-01-11T07:30:00.000-06:00

We were able to visit the Santa Train again this year while we were home. This was a perfect combination for Jack Santa Clause and a train. It was freezing outside so we had to bundle up. I don’t think it was near as cold as it was last year. I was a little worried that Jack wouldn’t have the patience to wait his turn to get on the train. We are having some issues with waiting, and not throwing a fit if he can’t do what he wants right away. He stayed in good spirits though, and we were able to board the train. He kept asking me if we were going to ride the train, and if the train was going to chugger. He loves to talk about trains.

Just for fun I was going through my photos, and I spotted this one from the Santa train in 2008. It is nearly identical to the picture I took this year. He's grown so much in a year.

Home Sweet Home

2010-01-08T16:07:00.000-06:00

We are home from our visit to see family in Missouri. I suppose it is time to take a crack at blogging again. So much went on during our three week visit, and I literally have thousands of pictures to go through. We made it home last night just fine despite our flight being delayed. We were just happy it wasn’t cancelled on us. Jack was wonderful during the flight he watched three whole movies (Thanks Aunt Brooke and Uncle Matt!) and he was content to just sit there and be good.

By the time we got home we were all dead tired! We picked up Diego our cat, and hurried to our home. I just love coming home after a long trip. I feel like I am seeing my house with fresh eyes. It could really use some organizing, and maybe even a few decoration changes. I guess we should at least get the Christmas tree down. Everyone went to sleep just fine except me. Despite being able to spread out in our ca king bed rather than a full I couldn’t sleep but the last few hours of the morning. I think I just got too tired. Jack woke up this morning fully rested, and bounding with energy to spare. He was really excited to see the cat, I don’t think he even remembers seeing him last night he was so sleepy. I have many things to tackle around here. I should take a picture and show you my living room. It looks like it was hit by a luggage bomb. Suitcases all over the place.

Parade of Lights

2009-12-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

For the first time since we have lived here we went to the parade of lights on the bay. We weren’t sure if we were going to get a parking spot, but we got lucky enough to find one. We had our blankets, chairs, and hot chocolate. We were all set. They had a nice fireworks display before the show began. It is a contest that the harbor boats can enter where they decorate their boats with lights, and Christmas decorations. This year the theme was zoo. I got a few pictures, but most came out blurry since I don’t have a tripod.

Santa's little helper

2009-12-09T18:47:00.000-06:00

We started a new Christmas tradition in our house. Santa sent Jack a little helper elf to help keep an eye on him. Jack has named him Elf. Very original considering he is The Elf on The Shelf. The one rule is Jack isn’t allowed to touch him, or Elf will lose his magic. Every night he flies back to Santa to report on Jack’s behavior, and he’s in a new spot in the morning. Santa dropped him off at our house last night. Elf took his rightful place on the shelf. We read the story, and Jack was in amazement. He was a little nervous and just kept staring at him. When Jack woke up this morning he found Elf had taken a new spot high in the room where he can keep his eye on everything.

First Day of Preschool

2009-12-02T02:23:00.000-06:00

Jack had his first day of preschool today. He was so excited to go. Yesterday I had to go to the school building to pay for the week, and he had a fit that he couldn’t go to preschool that day. We had an interesting morning. He woke up very argumentative. I think he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. No matter what I said up was down, and the sky was green. We managed to get ready, and I even finagled a couple of pictures out of him. Not great pictures, but we captured the moment.

I was really nervous for him, and I know that is just silly. I was just worried about how he would do, and if he might have an accident while he was there. Not only was it his first day, but today was library day and they ride a bus over to the library for story time. We got there and I just watched the other moms following along. They have to wash their hands when they first get there, and while he was standing in the line he turned around with a worried look on his face and asked, “Are you going to leave?” Uh, oh. Then he saw one of the teachers he knows from the program, and he latched onto her. I explained about it being his first day, and that he’d probably stick by her side. By the time he was drying his hands off he was giving me a kiss, and running off for circle time with no problems. What a relief that was. I am glad he doesn’t have separation anxiety.

I picked him up later that afternoon, and I did a little happy dance in my head when I saw he was in the same clothes I had dropped him off in. He was all smiles, and bouncing off the walls. I quizzed him when he got home about his day. He told me the letter of the day was letter K and what sound it makes. He told me he went to the lifrary (library) where there were lots of books. So adorable. So far day one was great. I can’t believe my little boy is old enough for preschool.

********

Later that night I let Jack decorate a Christmas tree for his room. He’s the third generation to be doing this tradition. I’ve had a hard time finding a little tree that would be just right, but I spotted one at Target today. He even got a new Hallmark Thomas ornament to put on it. He loved decorating it, and kept telling everyone Merry Christmas all night. I got a few more pictures out of him, but only with the promise of a piece of Aunt Terri’s fudge.

He likes to put the same colors together

He looks pretty silly in this picture. It is a really bad picture too with flash and everything. When I look at it I can't help but laugh. I was trying to get him to look at the camera and smile. This is where the fudge bribe came in. How I ended up with a kid that hates the camera and having his picture taken I will never know.

PT and DWTS

2009-11-18T13:23:00.000-06:00

More potty training talk, I know you are just dying to know.

This potty training stuff is for the birds. Needless to say we aren’t having much success over here. None actually. We are doing the sticker chart and the toys and the clapping and the dancing. This is getting exhausting I tell you. It isn’t making much of a difference. He’s in underwear from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed. He has nothing but accidents if you don’t make him go use the potty. We gave it a few days of trying to let him do things on his own. Today we are trying the let him be naked, and take him to the bathroom every thirty minutes. He doesn’t seem to be able to distinct from underwear or a pull up so maybe wearing nothing will work. Pretty much we are all frustrated and over it. We talk to him and talk him, and he looks at us with a blank stare. We’ll keep chugging along, but we may have to give up and try again later.

On the down side we had the preschool orientation, and I would love for him to start. It seems like a great program. They have a really nice room, and different centers for them to learn in. They go to the library once a week, and even go on field trips. I think he would love it. They didn’t ask me if he was potty trained, and I didn’t mention anything. He could have started this week going Tuesdays and Thursdays, but they have holiday break next week so she gave us the option of starting after break. Of course I chose after break because it gave us two more weeks to try to get the potty training down.

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I am so happy with the dancing with the stars results from last night. Monday night I voted as much as I could for Kelly because I knew she was most likely to go. I couldn’t stand Joanna and Derek. I thought their dances were too nasty for what is supposed to be family programming. Derek seemed to be getting a little too full of himself. I know Kelly isn’t as good of a dancer, and in the end she doesn’t really deserve to win. This season has been pretty boring all in all. I have heard that for the first time ever their ratings are down. I hope they pick more exciting people for next season.

It's Potty Time!

2009-11-12T19:52:00.000-06:00

We are working on potty training for Jack. We got a call from the preschool he has been on the waiting list for, and they have an open spot. We have orientation for it tomorrow. It will be Tuesdays and Thursdays I think three hours a week. The problem is Jack has to be potty trained to go there, and he really isn’t completely trained. He will go to the bathroom every time you take him, but he won’t tell you when he has to go. We have tried everything pull ups, underwear, letting him sit in his mess, letting it go so he can take the lead, and so many more things. Now, that we hope for him to start preschool we’ve really been hitting it hard. I still really don’t have hopes that he will do it in time for preschool, but we will see. Either way he’s turning three in a few weeks, and the sooner we get moving on being trained the better.

After getting some advice from friends we are using a sticker chart, and taking Jack to the bathroom as often as possible. Jack loves stickers, and I thought this might be some motivation for him rather than the few pieces of candy he was getting before. It was crazy when I typed in potty charts the first one to come up was a chart with a train and tracks on it with little places to put star stickers. I had just bought star stickers at Wal-Mart earlier in the day so it was perfect. I printed it out and taped it on the wall in the kitchen. We are also asking him if he has to go a few times an hour since he’s still not willing to tell us. When he fills up his chart he gets to pick a toy from the treasure chest that Zach built for him at work. We have a new dollar store close by so we just grabbed some cheap trinkets for him to choose from. So far he has loved putting the stickers on his chart, and he got his first toy today. We had three accidents yesterday, but none so far today. If we can just get him to tell us when he has to go we may be golden.

Jack had his three year check up today. He weighs 30 lbs and is 25% for weight, and he was 37 ½ inches. The doctor said he’s really healthy. The doctor had several glowing compliments on his behavior and his ability to follow direction. He said he seems very mature for his age, and thinks it will just get better if he’s able to start preschool. That had me beaming of course. We talked about the potty training. I told him how he’s never minded being in soiled things even in his diapers as a baby, and he agreed that usually makes things harder. He said his middle child was the same way, and it really just took a few weeks of buckling down and making it happen. He said from what he saw Jack seems very ready, and while he was saying this Jack stood there nodding his head in agreement. Cracked us up. Jack knew he had to get a shot today, and he was very matter of fact about it. He sat there and told us he had to get poke and then a Band-Aid. He cried of course, but the sucker made things all better.

Filled out his chart, and he picked a monster truck for his toy.

Marine Corps Ball 2009

2009-11-11T22:15:00.000-06:00

We had the Marine Corps Ball last night, and we had a really great time. All the money and preparation that goes into it was a little stressful, but in the end it was a great night. Of course my little digital camera had to die the night before so I didn’t have a camera to take with me to the ceremony. I bought a little disposable camera, and I felt pretty old school whipping that thing out. I still have to finish the roll before I get them developed.

The ball was at a casino about 45 minutes north of here. Zach and I got ready early, and took a few pictures with Jackson. Jack was asking me if I was a princess. He’s not used to seeing mommy so dressed up. We got our pictures done when we got there to get it out of the way. We grabbed some drinks from the bar, and waited for the ceremony to start. The other people at our table were very nice. Zach said he made sure we were at that table because we were less likely to sit with people that would end up drunk and making a scene. That was good because nothing like a drunk Marine making a scene. We were served salad, dinner, and dessert. We were served both steak and chicken, and Zach and I couldn’t believe how good it was. After dinner was dancing, and I was determined not to leave without dancing. Despite Zach’s worrying about his lack of dancing skills we managed to cut a rug to several songs. We got some very pretty tall etched beer glasses. We managed to nab two more of them before we left. People were snatching center pieces left and right. We got a few of the flags that were on our table. We both agreed it was a great time, but we are glad it is over until next year.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-10T01:32:00.000-06:00

November is NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month for the rest of you. You are supposed to blog everyday for the month of November. I had a bit of a set back at the beginning of the month with my computer being down, but I hope to blog the rest of the month, and maybe even catch up on the days I missed. What better way to help me catch up on my posting.

I think my catch up posts are going to be pretty random and not in any particular order. We had a wonderful Halloween this year. Jack wanted to be a pumpkin, but I couldn’t find any pumpkin costumes. The only one I could find online was sold out everywhere. I tried to give him a few other choices, but he really couldn’t settle on anything. In the end we picked up a cute pirate costume at party city. It seemed to be a big hit. He got several compliments on how cute he looked in it. Zach and I were hoping to dress up to, but time just got away from us and we never got costumes. I don’t know about you, but the month of October flew by so fast for us. We carved our pumpkins the night before Halloween. Jack refused to touch any of the guts. A far cry from the pumpkin gut fight we ended up having last year. We went trick-or-treating at the mall early in the evening, and he soon got the hang of running up to people for the candy. He was busy running ahead of us through our neighborhoods. He loved getting the candy, and seeing all the different costumes. We only had a few houses in the area that were a bit too scary for him to walk up to the door. He trekked through the neighborhood for such a long time before finally pooping out, and he had to be carried home by Dad. We had a great time. He is such a little candy monster though. He wanted candy every minute for a solid week after that. He woke up asking for it for breakfast. We had to stash the candy and bring out the healthy stuff to put a stop to it. We can’t wait for next year!

2007 Charlie Brown 11 months old

2008 Tigger 23 months old

2009 Pirate

I'm Baaack!

2009-11-09T01:24:00.000-06:00

I guess it is time to come out of my hiding place. Except it wasn’t really hiding, but more like a really long vacation. The truth is I just haven’t been able to find the time to get any posts written or pictures posted. It became one of those things that the more time I took away from it the easier it was to put it on the back burner. Now, where to begin? So much has happened. I’m hoping to catch up with some pictures and maybe some snippets of stories that have gone on around here. I can’t promise anything though because I am currently taking 1,511 pictures off of my memory card. That is how many pictures I have taken since I haven’t really been blogging, and that isn’t even with me picking up the camera everyday like I should be. It is hard to find a place to start. Right now I am thinking about my baby turning 3 in less than three weeks. It is hard to imagine he’s going to be three. He’s turning into such a little man. He is so smart and funny. I’ll be dedicating a post just to Jack and what he’s been up to soon. I was hoping to include a few pictures, but the uploading is pretty slow. I am going to head to bed, and hope they are all uploaded by the morning.

I do ask you to please pray for the Owens family. This is a blog that Zach and I have been following. The Owens just lost their three year old little boy to mitochondrial disease. The past few days the pictures and posts have been heart wrenching to read. This is something neither Zach nor I could imagine having to go through, and it has truly touched our hearts. Pray that this family will be able to find strength and peace.

Friday Five

2009-09-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

It is the same old stuff around here. We are all loving on Diego. He’s doing really well here, and he’s getting bigger. His little tummy is starting to get fat. He’s a little eater, and he lets you know when he’s hungry. He and Jack are getting along really well, and they’ve even adjusted to the same schedule. Every day when Jack goes to take a nap Diego goes and curls up in his bed downstairs, and he naps the whole time Jack is napping. I think it is their little break from each other since they have started playing so much. That’s fine I think it takes a two year olds energy to match that of a kitten.

I LOVE my photography class so far. Mostly this week has just been about her philosophy on photography stuff like that. I haven’t had to have my camera this week thank goodness. I should be getting it back today though. I can’t wait! When I told Zach I had to ship it off he said he betted I would miss having it. I figured it was a short time, and I wouldn’t miss it, but he was right I did miss it. I hadn’t realized how much taking pictures has become a part of my life. I’ve been printing my lessons, and she also has MP3s of the lessons so you can listen to them and read them. I really like that. I hadn’t realized she had that when I signed up for the class. As excited as I am to be taking the class I still have to push myself to participate in it. I tend to be a wallflower rather than jump right in and speak up. I always hated having to post things on the boards for my online college classes. I had read in a flickr group though that some woman that had taken Karen’s class said they really regretted not participating in the class more. Even though it is a class of around a hundred women Karen said you tend to see only about 25 people really get involved in the class. So I’m sticking my neck out there and making myself do it.

Jack is still up to the same old stuff. We have gotten a bit off of our schedule, and that has made for some grouchy days. We had a good day overall yesterday, bit it had some bad moments. He has become a little food beggar. Constantly going into the kitchen opening the pantry, or asking for something else to eat, and usually he hasn’t eaten a very good lunch or dinner. Also, begging to watch something on the tv or watch a movie. I’m pretty sick of that too. It had made me so tense last night. It was one of those nights where I was ready to clock out on my mommy time card by 7. He finally figured out he wasn’t going to get to watch something, and he brought out his blocks to play with.

I almost forgot it is Friday. I can do a Friday Five. Hmmm, I haven’t even thought about what
I want to ask.

1. Which television show are you most excited to start back up this season?
2. Are you ready for Fall to be here?
3. Do you have a favorite beauty product?
4. What is your favorite place to go to eat out?
5. Do you have a hobby?

Okay that is pretty random. Just knocked those off the top of my head. I’ll be reading your comments!

A ranting post

2009-09-16T04:00:00.000-05:00

I have another ranting post, and this one has been making me mad for weeks. We have the Marine Corps ball coming up in November. Something we went to once, and have been able to take duty to get out of all the other years. Well, this year they have new command and his guy is some hard ass that is making everyone go to it. That is all fine and dandy yes, it is tradition and we should go. The problem I have with it is the cost to go to this thing. We got an email from our family readiness officer telling us the details and how much it is. It is going to cost us $140 just for tickets. $70 a person to just get a ticket to this thing! That doesn’t include all the other costs of the evening. The cost of a dress, the cost of getting a uniform ready, the cost of gas for the 100 mile round trip to get to this thing. In total we are talking 300-500 dollars for ONE evening. I am so mad I could spit nails. Oh, and if you want to knock back a couple of drinks to numb the fact that you’ve just spend a butt load of money, you’ll have to pay for those too.

In the past we have had the cost of at least one ticket covered if not both, and even a few drink tickets for everyone. They do fundraising like car washes etc. to raise the money. I haven’t seen ANY fundraising this year. I wrote our family readiness officer an email telling her I think it is a bit much to ask families to spend that much money on just tickets, and that there are all the other expenses that couples have to go to this thing. She wrote back saying that the reason is they have to pay for everything up front. Hmmm wonder why that hasn’t been a problem in the past? Also right before the ball depending on what they have in the ball fund they will start to reimburse Lance Cpl and below. So either way we are screwed because my husband is a Sergeant. Forget the fact that most Lance Cpls and below are single Marines, and the higher you go in rank the more likely a Marine is to be married with one if not more children.

I am furious over this whole thing. I think in this economy it is too much to force people to go to this thing and pay that much. I think the whole thing is really dumb. Basically prom with booze. You end up having to go to the prom section to get a formal gown. I’ve been to prom thankyouverymuch and I don’t need to go every year for the next 15 years. Tradition or not you can’t tell me there isn’t something they could do to scale the thing down. I asked a friend about her ball and it is only $25 they are holding on their base, and they are providing transportation to it! I am ticked!

New Kitten

2009-09-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

We have a new kitten! A few weeks ago I was on the website for our housing hoping to find the events coordinator because I had a few ideas for her. I checked out our housing area just to read the description, and at the bottom it talked about the pet policy. That policy has always been NO pets, but to my disbelief it said two cats allowed. I showed it to Zach because we had never heard that we can have pets. I figured maybe it was something they passed and told everyone about while I was away. I called housing in the morning, and she confirmed that yes we can now have two cats. I asked when it was passed and she said, “About a month ago.” I asked if they had told anyone about it and she said, “Uhhmm no not yet.” They still haven’t mentioned anything to anyone, and as far our last newsletter it still says no pets, and I got that a few days ago. It makes me mad because I don’t think they have any intention of telling anyone. I already told a few friends, and they got cats so maybe the word will spread.

Anyway, I liked the idea of having a pet again, but I wasn’t jumping on the idea to run out and get one. I figured we could get one maybe after we come back from out holiday leave. That way we don’t have to worry about a pet sitter. Well, Zach had different ideas. He was looking on craigslist right away for kittens. He was totally ready to have a cat. We started just looking around to see what there was and what it might cost us. We all know what happened when we went just looking at puppies. We checked the humane society, and they didn’t have anything. A mall pet store was charging $200 for kittens. I don’t think so! We checked several adoption places, but were a bit wary because many of the places out here take feral cats and kittens in. I didn’t want something like that.

Finally we ended up at a small pet store, and they had two 8 week old tabby kittens. Just the cat I was wanting. They had a female fluff ball that was going to be a long hair and a male with stripes and white on his body. The lady said that we could just buy $50 worth of cat supplies and then we could have the kitten. This sounded like the best deal to us because out here there is no such thing as a free kitten, and this way we wouldn’t have to buy the kitten and then the supplies. We couldn’t take it home yet though because it had to be checked by the vet the next day. We put a hold on the fluffy female, and waited to be called. At home I went into my, should we really get a cat? stage. I thought about how I kind of wanted a black and white one more. I really didn’t want a long hair, and I had thought the boy cat wasn’t very cute. Maybe we should just wait like I had thought in the first place. But we had also had a hard time finding such young kittens, and maybe this was our only chance. I was in turmoil over the decision so the next day I told Zachery to just decide which cat to get, and if we get one at all. I am an animal lover, and knew I’d love whatever we got. So he called the lady and told her we changed our mind to the boy cat. She called us later that night and we were able to pick him up.

He’s such a fun kitten. Tons of energy and loves to play. The first few days he was a bit skittish, and I was worried because I want a cuddly cat. He has calmed down and warmed up to us. He curls up in our laps and sleeps with us. He doesn’t have much to do with Jack except play. Jack likes to take the cat toys and play with him. Jack does help feed him that is his new job. Now, he’s always asking me if I think the kitty is hungry. The cat went several days without a name. I had thought of Milo, and Zach thought that was fine. Then we started thinking we should name him something to do with where we live. Something like beaches, sandy, or sunny. I also wanted something that went with our dog’s name Sam. So for several days he was just kitty. Then I said maybe we should name him Diego. Then I realized when you say Sam Diego out loud it sounds like San Diego. So that settled it. It was perfect. His name is Diego. Jack calls him Da Ego, or it comes out Ego. We love our kitten.

Here are a few pictures of Diego. Of course we get a new kitten, and my camera is in Irvine being check out. I hope to have it back by the end of the week. These are just a few point and shoot shots.

Jack and his new kitten

He has a funny tuft of white long hairs on his back.

Daily Life

2009-09-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

I have had several posts rolling around in my head, and I might just combine them into one long winded complainish type post. I’m sorry the Friday Five post didn’t get out. I’m just so busy, and maybe we got a new printer, and I had to spend time into the late hours playing around with it instead of posting. We haven’t had a printer for a few years, and frankly a computer is just silly without a printer. We have needed to print something time after time. My photography class is coming up, and I have to print my lessons. I had to send my camera into canon and I had to print some forms. I get coupon after coupon in my email for some great deals, but they all require printing. We bit the bullet and drove to Best Buy for a printer. I had planned on a canon printer, but we couldn’t find one we liked. We ended up with an HP one, and oh how I hope it is a good printer. I hadn’t checked the reviews on it, and I have to check the reviews on everything before I buy it. As long as it wasn’t an Epson printer. I know most of the people in the photography world swear by the Epson printers, but the one we got 4 years ago we spent like $300 brand new because I wanted a great photo printer, and it worked great for a while then started with the paper jams, and never worked right again. So we went the much cheaper route this time, and as long as it prints my documents I’m satisfied.

Okay onto the ranting and raving portion.

How often do you go the grocery store? What do you buy, and what do you spend? Sorry, too nosey? Well we go every two weeks, and every two weeks we stand at the checkout with our mouths agape at the total. $250. This is despite having $20 worth of coupons. Despite careful daily planning of the menu until the next grocery visit around said coupons. Despite shopping at the commissary where we are guaranteed at least 30% off prices. The thing is we don’t buy crazy stuff. We aren’t buying expensive cuts of meat, we don’t do fruit snacks, juices, or things of that nature that I consider extras. Our biggest extravagance is a Digiorno pizza with a coupon! Almost a year ago before Zach left for Iraq we weren’t spending near this much. Only around $180 every two weeks, and we haven’t changed our eating habits. Have food prices risen that much? Do you notice it where you are? While he was deployed I was home with family, and I didn’t have to buy that much stuff so maybe it just slipped by me. Maybe I’m not the only one because when I was in the vegetable aisle last week I overheard a lady mumble, “When did this sh*t start costing a dollar?” After our last shopping trip we talked about it, and decided that this is just what it is going to cost, and we have to get used to it.

Fun Weekend

2009-09-01T22:39:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend out here. It was very hot outside, but still lots of fun. The place I was shopping on Sunday the car read 107 degrees outside. We were definitely having a heat wave. Where better place to go cool off than to the beach. That is where we headed Saturday morning. The place we go has a tiny parking lot, and it fills up fast. You need to try to get there by 10 in the morning. I have circled that parking lot for 45 minutes before just waiting for a parking space. All worth it though to spend the day at the beach. It was still in the upper 90’s there by the water. We put out our towels, chairs, and beach umbrella, and headed into the water.

Jack was the bravest he has ever been at the beach. He went way out into the water with us helping him, and then with one of us holding him. He didn’t complain, and he didn’t cry. He got excited when the hills (waves) came up and he could jump them. We’d spend a long time in the water, and then head back to the chairs for some castle building and snack time. Zach had his goggles with him so he and I took turns swimming under water attacking Jack. He loved that game, and I loved being able to swim in the water. I usually can’t do much but jump waves for fear of losing a contact. We spent 5 very long hours there, and we were all beat when we got home. Zach was the only one that ended up with sunburn despite everyone reapplying the sunscreen several times. It was a great time, and I hope we can head back this weekend.

I picked this little baby up for Jack on Friday.

I got a 40% off coupon on Thursday, and the sale only ran through Sunday. First thing Friday morning I jumped in my car to the local Thomas the Train store not very far away. The coupon was only for things in stock, and it isn’t a huge store so I figured they wouldn’t have very many tables. I had figured the coupon wouldn’t even be good for the tables since they are such a large item, but the lady reassured me it was for all the wooden railway stuff. We frequent this store pretty often, and they have a Thomas club and we are members. For every $200 you spend you get 20% off your next purchase. Knowing we wanted to get Jack one of those Thomas tables for Christmas we were working for our discount. We were only about $50 into it so it just made more since to get the 40% off now rather than spend another $150 just for 20%. This is the same table he plays with at Barnes and Noble and the Thomas store. The same table he cries about every time we have to leave it. I know he’s going to be super excited. I can’t wait to give it to him for his birthday or Christmas. I’m leaning more towards Christmas right now.

33 months

2009-08-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

It cracks me up that sometimes I still have to refer to him in months. That is how his school asks for his age. Sometimes it is very easy for me to say, “Uh, hold on let me think.” The other day when Zach had to do it after checking him in he asked me how many months he is, I told him, and he said, “Yes, I got it right!” Guess he has trouble remembering too.

He’s my busy little almost three year old. *sniff* He’s going to school twice a week, and loving it. He always says, “I play with my friends.” He has learned all of his teachers’ names, and they have nicknamed him Action Jackson. He’s only there 4 hours of the day sometimes 5. The other day when I picked him up one of the teachers told me he is really smart. I really take that as a compliment because I know they see tons of kids throughout the week. Then yesterday when I picked him up another teacher told me he has the best manners of all the kids that go there. I just swell with pride because we work really hard on all the please and thank yous. I put him on the waiting list for 3 year old preschool twice a week at another facility. They said it is pretty full, and if we don’t get in by February then it will have to be for next year. No worries because he loves where he is right now.
I tried signing him up for soccer for ages 3 and up. The team starts in October on the 24th and exactly a month later he will be three, but they wouldn’t make an exception. Darn. We can’t wait for all that sports stuff. I’m sure next year we will be very busy with soccer and baseball.

He amazes me every day with the things he says. He definitely makes for some interesting conversations. He’s started picking out letters when he sees them, and the other day told me tent starts with the letter T. He loves to sing songs. I look up new songs with motions so we can learn them and sing them. He’s even come home from school singing a few words to a song, and I’ve been able to find it on the internet so we can learn it together. His teachers say he’s really the only kid that is willing to sing along with them, and they said he sings really loud. I love it!

He’s been doing or saying some really funny things, and I’ve been trying to write them all down.
He comes up to me all the time and grabs me in a big hug and says, “Mommy you are my vewy best fwind.” Ah, that melts my heart.

He loves to go to church. After church the other day we were walking out of the building, and Jack had an extra hop in his step from being so happy to be there. I said to him, “Jack you look so cool.” He replied, “I am cool!” That kid doesn’t miss a beat.

He has taken to eating graham and drinking pink lemonade while he watches his shows. He must not be hearing the word graham quite right because he said, “Mama I want more of those damn crackers.” The first time he said it I said, “What is it you want?” and I made him repeat it several times because it just cracks me up. He thinks he’s saying right because he doesn’t say that about any other kinds of crackers. Every time he says it it gives me a little giggle.

No Friday five this week. Hopefully set to resume next Friday.

Earlier this month we were at the store, and Jack spotted single serving birthday cake. He lurves him some birthday cake. It happened to be Kennedy's 2nd birthday so I let him choose a piece. That night we lit two candles and sang Kennedy Happy Birthday. He loved it.

We decked out for the preseason game. First game we got to watch the same night it actually was played. We had fun, and Jack cheered on the Chiefs.

Look what came in the mail for me!! My photography workshop binder. With a lovely note from Karen. The class starts the 14th I can't wait. I have to send my camera in to be serviced in a few days so we will be lacking pictures. I want it in tip top shape. Plus my baby needs to be checked out because Zach dropped it at Disneyland. We don't speak of it, haha.

End of Summer

2009-08-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

We’ve been busy bees around here trying to enjoy the last bits of summer. Even though it is still super hot out here. We have been trying to get to the beach at least once on the weekends, and I am hoping to take Jack once or twice during the week. I want to take advantage of the warm ocean waters while I can. Not much new going on with me. I was having some serious headaches and pain that I thought was maybe my wisdom teeth. Praying it wasn’t I went to my doctor to see what she could rule out, and she said she saw some sinus issues. Not a full blown infection, but fluid in the ears and all of that. She prescribed some sinus rinse. That isn’t very comfy it feels like when you get water up your nose at the pool, but it sure worked. Took away all my pain, and if I feel more pain or pressure coming on I just rinse, and feel all better. She said I may have to go see an ENT for a CT to determine if I might need surgery or something done. I had told her that I had never had any problems like this before when my mom reminded me that 15 years ago I had all of this stuff done to me, and it was determined I had bad allergy sinus stuff. A few years of routine medications and I have been fine up until now.

Jack has been busy running around playing. We stay inside much of the day because of the heat. It was 101 today. It seems like the lifeguards here have gone back to school so the pool hasn’t even been open. I was hoping to get Jack there a few more times before it closes. We have been busy finding new songs with hand motions, and things like that to keep our day busy. Still trying to stick to his routine as much as possible.

Here are a few poorly taken pictures from the point and shoot camera from the beach the other day. It was sunny for the first 15 minutes we were there, and then the clouds rolled in, and the wind picked up. We stayed for another 4 hours anyway. Even though the water felt warmer than the air did, and you were shivering when you got out of the water. We ended up making castles, talking, and chasing Jack around the beach. We are hoping for better weather this weekend.

The Beach/Friday Five

2009-08-07T12:40:00.000-05:00

We went to the beach the other day late in the afternoon, and kind of impromptu. We just haven’t been very much, and our weekends are always packed with things to do, or we are super tired from the week. I didn’t gather up much a few snacks, something to sit on, and Jack’s beach toys. Of course the sunscreen, we have to slather that stuff on.

It was really crowded when we got there, and I couldn’t figure out why so many people were there in the middle of the week in the afternoon. Zach, reminded me it is vacation time. Duh! I forget we live in a vacation destination spot. It was super crowded, but we found ourselves a little piece of beach and claimed as our own. Jack had a fantastic time running, and playing in the water. The water was warm and felt great. You never know how he is going to react sometimes he hates the water, and other times you can’t get him out of it. Zach took Jack deeper into the ocean. Jack didn’t like that very much, but he was brave and didn’t cry.

***

He was soaked when they came back in. Jack said the water is salty, and tastes good.

***

I snapped some pictures, and relaxed in the sand. Jack came back to our spot to build a sandcastle, and we had forgotten his buckets and things in the car. Poor kid only had a ¼ cup measuring cup to use as a scoop because I couldn’t find the shovel before we left the house. He made do and got busy digging holes, and burying his pigs in the sand. We are hoping to head back this weekend, and really make a day of it. Take our beach umbrella, chairs, and all the supplies.

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It was the first time he was brave enough to chase the gulls.

***

Jack is really flourishing on our new routine. I hope it keeps up, but two year olds change on a dime. I’m letting him wake up whenever he wants to, and the other day he slept in until 9. He loves his sleep. I’ve put a time schedule on his two snacks, quiet time, and nap. I was having problems with him going to the pantry, and opening it begging for something to eat. He’d snack on different things at random times, or fill up on things like chocolate milk, and he wasn’t eating as well. His naps were getting shorter and shorter. So I just scheduled everything into my phone, and a little reminder goes off throughout our day. He’s figured out he has to eat at his snack time, or he won’t get to eat until the next meal. Knock on wood he’s even napping an hour longer. It was stressful the first few days. Lots of whining for food and such, but he’s over it now.

A Jack Funny: The other night we were eating smoked sausage, macaroni, broccoli, and salad for dinner. Jack turned to me and asked, “Mommy can I have some more ostwich (ostrich) please?” We had to bite our tongues to keep from laughing. He really just wanted more sausage. I had no idea I was making wild bird for dinner, ha-ha!

Friday Five
1. Who is making a positive difference in your life?
2. Where would like to be right now?
3. What is the first thing you would do with a $5,000 gift?
4. What super power would you really like to have?
5. What’s your favorite sound?

New Routine/Friday Five

2009-07-31T14:47:00.000-05:00

We have had an interesting week. I changed Jack’s routine around, and we started it Monday. I wanted to add a little more structure. A few more planned activities and a little less movie/tv time. I researched some preschool activities for two year olds. Gathered up some craft supplies, and bought some play-doh. The first day was horrible. He spent the day crying begging to watch word world, and I spend the day pretty infuriated and ready to throw in the towel. It has gotten better as the week has gone by.

We played with play-doh for hours yesterday. Literally for hours, and let me tell you your day drags on when you do that. Unfortunately he is at that age where his imagination isn’t developed enough to make up his own little world and play by himself for a while. He still has to be entertained. I know he will love the art and craft stuff. That is some of his favorite things to do. We’ve been working with his building blocks, and working on puzzles. He just isn’t one for play. Even outside he just stands around unsure of what to do, until you give him some sort of direction. So I’m hoping to expand his imagination, and hopefully teach him a few things in the process.

***

Here are some of Jack's projects he does at school. I know I won't be able to keep everything he does so I decided to take pictures of it for our memories.

***

Friday Five
1. Who is your favorite actor/actress?
2. When was the last movie you saw at the theatre?
3. What do you get at the concession stand at the movies?
4. Why do the movies cost so much?!
5. Where do you prefer to watch your movies?

An adventure in canning

2009-07-30T19:49:00.000-05:00

The other night I made Zach some organic peach preserves. He loves homemade peach preserves, and hasn’t had them for a long time. I had always thought making preserves or canning was kind of a big deal, and kind of difficult. I came across a recipe from all recipes and was pretty shocked at how easy it looked. We got a deal on some organic peaches from our local farmer’s market, and I gathered up all of my supplies. I ended up starting the process at 8:30 at night when Jack went to bed because I thought my fruit might be too soft if it went another night. It was pretty fun to do. I won’t say it was easy, and I didn’t finish the process until 1:00 am.

Seems to be one of those things that you get better at the more you do it. I was a little nervous because the recipe I picked had many reviewers saying theirs didn’t turn out, or it came out runny. One reviewer even said, “Not for the first time canner.” I said I would give it a shot, and he had to eat it no matter how it came out, haha! I’m excited to say it came out perfectly. It is a great consistency, and tastes really yummy! It is a little chunkier than I would like it, but that’s how Zach likes his preserves. He even told me I’m the best wife ever. Thank you very much, I’ll take it! It made nine jars so I think we are set for a while. I’m excited to try out some new jam recipes.

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All chopped up

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After cooking for 20 minutes

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Finished!

2009-07-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

I have been having a mental block when it comes to blogging. Everything is just a summary of our boring day to day, and I’m a little bored writing about it. Jack went to school a few times this week. He loves it; he gets so excited to go in the mornings. His teachers have told me he is doing so much better. I can tell because I drop him off with no problems. Next week will be the last week he can go three days a week. They’ve implemented a new 2 day policy that kind of ticks me off. Apparently, they have 300 kids trying to get into only 175 spots a week. They said they tend to see the same kids every week, and this they hope will rotate kids in a little better. It just frustrates me because Jack loves to go, and we pay for it so I don’t think it should matter. It should be first come first serve. If you want your kids to go then maybe you should wake up and call at 6:30 in the morning like I do, and like I’m sure the other parents do that continually get their kids in. I love this place, but lately I’ve been having frustration after frustration with them. Soon it will be time to decide on a more permanent preschool program.

I went to the dentist this week after not going for a few more years than I would like to admit. Ick! I know, but I’m not a big fan of the dentist. I went religiously when I lived at home, and I slacked off when I didn’t have my mommy here to force me to go. I was having a few problems that indicated I needed to go, and I had put it off long enough. I had picked out a practice out here, and went to yelp.com to see if I could find reviews just to narrow it down to a particular dentist. Thank goodness I checked them out review after review was saying what an awful dentistry, and they couldn’t believe they were in business. So I just used yelp and found a dentist with some of the best reviews and made my appointment. I went and it was so much better than I thought it would be. I thought I’d come out of there needing 5 root canals and 5 cavities filled. Everything checked out fine no cavities, no lectures it was great. Her office even has tvs on the ceiling. I watched Paula Deen and Rachael Ray while I got my teeth cleaned, and it is a relief to have it done.

Friday Five
1. What’s something you will not eat unless you also have ketchup?
2. What’s something you will not drink unless it is served on ice cubes?
3. What’s something you will not eat unless it is served between slices of bread?
4. What’s something you will not drink unless you have a straw?
5. What’s something you would not eat as a kid, but love to eat now?

Friday Five

2009-07-17T12:27:00.000-05:00

We have been really busy around here. Trying to do all of the fun summer things. Getting outside more, and doing some swimming. I haven’t been able to find time to blog this week, and now that I am I can’t think of a single thing that I wanted to blog about.

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Eyeing the kids that showed up at the park. He wasn't very sure of them.

One thing new is Jack has been wearing big boy underwear all week. We started it last Sunday. Zach went to get Jack some new pull ups and instead of the learning designs he got him the cool alert kind. I didn’t realize this or we would have exchanged them. We have had trouble with the cool alert in the past. They seemed to have upgraded them by making them softer and taking out the rough strips that used to be inside them so I thought they might be okay. He wore them on our trip to the mall, and a few hours later Jack was grabbing at his parts screaming that they hurt. So when we got home I had to put underwear on him. I had no plans to do it longer just for the evening. Then I realized he had a week that he wasn’t going to school so I figured we’d give the underwear and potty training a try.

He really still isn’t showing signs that he is ready, and I don’t want to push him, and don’t really mind if he’s not ready. He has done pretty well. He goes potty every time he sits on the potty, and hasn’t had many accidents, but I think that’s because I have to ask him or take him to the potty so often. He won’t tell me when he has to go, and doesn’t seem to mind having an accident in his pants. I’m going to give it a few more days, and if things don’t click for him we will try again later.

Friday Five

1. How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?
2. How many cousins do you have?
3. How many bones have you broken?
4. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
5. How many things that belong in the kitchen are in your bedroom?

Random Fun/Friday Five

2009-07-10T01:58:00.000-05:00

I’ve been trying to take Jack outside a bit more during the day. He isn’t your typical kid that likes to run around and play, he seems to get bored. Jack has had allergies or a cold all week. Just a runny nose that turned into a little cough, but the cough is gone now. He missed earlier this week, and every day since then he has been asking me if he can go to school today.

Due to his not feeling well he has been overly grouchy with the world. To get him out of his mood I have been letting him help me cook more. The other night he helped me make brownies, and then licked the bowl and spoon. He kept saying, “Mommy this is too great!” I’m glad something makes him feel better.

***

We played outside a few days ago, and he figured out we have a little curb he can jump over. He got busy running and jumping, and I just silently prayed he didn’t fall and break something open. Then he and I sat down to draw with some sidewalk chalk. I told him we were going to write his name so I started saying the letters, J. Then Jack piped in with the letters A,C,K. What the heck? When did you learn to spell your name? He’s got hidden talents. Thinking it was a fluke I asked him to spell his name, and he spelled JACK perfectly. He finally has his ABC song down too. He doesn’t annunciate all the letters, but they are all there. Then I decided to do something I used to do when I was little. I got some paint brushes and some water so we could paint outside. We got busy painting the driveway. This was hours of endless fun for me as a child, and Jack loved it too.

He painted this and said, "Look a hand!"

More pics on the flickr, and I'm trying to upload a little video. We will see if it works.

Random Friday Five

1. What is your favorite sweet treat?
2. What is your favorite store to shop in?
3. What is your favorite thing about Friday?
4. What is your favorite tv show?
5. What are your plans for the weekend?

4th of July 2009

2009-07-08T03:00:00.000-05:00

We had a very nice 4th of July. We grilled out the first half of the day. Stuffed ourselves with yummy grilled food, and then we lounged around the front yard while Jack took his nap. Then we cleaned up to head up north a bit to one of the local middle schools for fireworks. We gathered our blankets, chairs, pillow for Jack, and I popped some popcorn. I think this is our third year watching the fireworks from this middle school. I love it because everyone starts to gather about three hours before the show, and we just all spread out on the field. It has more of a small town feel to it. They sell burgers, hotdogs, ice cream, and cans of soda with the proceeds going back to the schools. I bought Jack some glow sticks early because I missed out on them last year, and he was upset. I just love it!

Hi Mom!

***

Silly Boy

We ate some more food, and let Jack fill up on treats. Zach and I ran around the field with him playing kick the ball to pass the time. It was fun. Then we snuggled together to watch the fireworks. They were awesome! Huge and they feel like they are really close. While we were waiting with just a few minutes to go Jack kept saying, “Here comes the castle!” Ha-ha, this kid has been to Disneyland so many times that he thinks all fireworks come with a castle! He loved the show. He didn’t get scared, and was busy shouting out the colors. A very fun and memorable 4th.

Looking Cool

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5 year anniversary

2009-07-02T12:25:00.000-05:00

It is our 5 year wedding anniversary today. 5 years seems like a long time, but it feel like less than that to me. Married 5 years, but we’ve been together for 9 years. How quickly time goes by. It seems like just yesterday we were in high school. Oh those were the days. We have had our share of ups and downs, but things seem to work out. I don’t think anything can prepare you for marriage and living with someone. It is very true that marriage takes work every day, but we get so much joy and reward from it. We aren’t doing much today maybe dinner and a movie tonight. That will be nice and relaxing.

Our wedding, we had a simple ceremony on the beach.

***

not supposed to smile in Camis

Little baseball player

2009-07-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

We had a great day yesterday. Jack went to school in the morning, and I decided to get the grocery shopping done while I was by myself. I’ve started using coupons again, and I saved a bunch of money. Love that! After I got Jack from school Whittney and I ran errands to Target and Wal-Mart, and I was in a shopping mood. Not good. I didn’t end up doing too much damage, and Jack ended up receiving most of the benefits from my shopping urge. I picked him up a tee ball set. On one of the blogs I read the mom had posted a video of her son playing with one of those big plastic bats, and his dad was pitching him ball after ball. He hit nearly every one of them, and I think he’s just turned two. I figured if he could do it so could Jack. I hadn’t realized he was at the age that he might be able to do something like that. Zach and I have been waiting eagerly for the time when Jack can finally play baseball if he wants to.

Anyway, I picked up the Tee Ball set, and waited for Zach to get home from work. We set it up in the front yard, and watched him go. It was clear that he had no idea what he was doing, and needed a little direction. He didn’t want to stand still and swing the bat; he would run up to it and swing really close to the ball. Zach helped him out holding his waist so he’d stand still and swing. Jack just leaned his body as far as he could to try to get closer to the tee. He was doing great. He even hit a couple that Zach just pitched to him. Zach would say, “Aaaanndd swing!” so Jack would know when to swing when he pitched it to him. So whenever Jack would hit the ball off the tee he started to say, “Aaaanndd swing!” We kept the lesson short, and just let him play around. He loved setting it up, and hitting the balls over and over again.

***

At Target I got him the new Leap Frog Junior Book Pal. This thing is awesome. It is recommended for kids 2-4 years of age, but I think it would work for kids even a bit older. It is meant to encourage the love of reading. The book pal is a little knob thing that the child holds and then touches to the words in the book. It then reads the words to you. The neat thing is you can also touch anywhere in the book, and you will get some sort of response. Like you touch the elephant and it makes the sound of an elephant. Everything does several different responses. The neat thing is all of the books are board books so you don’t have to worry about pages ripping. The system comes with a book, and I got Jack an ABC book because that’s what we are working on next. You can even personalize the Book Pal to say your child’s name. Jack loves it, and I can’t wait to see what new books they come out with. It is on sale at Target this week until Saturday.

Also, I got into that photography workshop I was trying for. I am all registered. The course doesn’t start until September. I can’t wait! I am so excited that I actually got in.

2 1/2

2009-06-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

The little man of the house, he’s getting so big, and I love every minute of it. Although, we do have our trying times together. He is still very much a goof ball, odd ball kind of kid. He is busy all the time, and keeps us on our toes. I’ll do a little run down just for memories sake.

He has been going to school more often, this is what we call drop in day care. He has been going a few times a week. We have to talk about it the night before just so he’s prepared for the morning. The talks seem to help because we’ve been saying goodbye without a meltdown. My favorite thing to do is quiz him on what he did at school after I pick him up. His answers are funny.

Me: “What did you do at school today?”
Jack: “Played with kids”
Me: “What else did you do?”
Jack: “Threw the ball at kids.” “Went outside, slides.”

He knows all of his colors, he can count to twelve, and he knows all of his shapes. I joke that you know your kid knows his shapes when he says, “Draw a hexagon Mama,” while we were doing some coloring. We are working on the ABC’s. He knows them, but is just now starting to want to sing along. We’ve been doing silly songs lately. He loves to sing ones with motions to them like wheels on the bus.

He is getting pickier about his eating habits. Some days certain things are his favorite, and he might hate the same thing later that week. I have to watch his snacks, and calorie filling drinks like chocolate milk. He eats much better at dinner when we have a certain cut off for these things. It is hard to deal with his whining, begging for snacks while I cook dinner because he’s getting hungry, but by the time we sit down to eat together he eats like a champ. Most of the time.

He has several interesting sayings. One day he held up his drink and said, “Say Cheers!” Zach and I just looked at each other, and tried not to laugh. I think he’s picked this up from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Now, he wants to do cheers with everything. He loves to say, “My do it myself.” He is very independent; he wants to try everything himself. He loves to use the word, too. Everything is too, “Mama has legs, too.” “Daddy read books too.” Another funny that stuck out to me was when we were going over the shapes on his placemat. I pointed at the rectangle, and asked him what shape it is, and he told me it is the shape of the tv. At least he is right about that.

He still gets up every morning, and has to drink his chocolate milk while watching Thomas. He can’t start his day without it. One of my favorite times of the day is his bedtime. The three of us lay on Jack’s bed, and take turns reading books. We measured him right before bed tonight, and he’s 37 inches even, and as skinny as ever.
Something he started doing that kind of floored me was he can completely work his portable DVD player by himself. He can’t put the movies in it, but he knows how to turn it on, navigate the menu, and play the movie. He can even pause it when he stops to play. He loves to watch movies.

He is my crazy little boy. It is hard to believe he is already 2.5 years old.

The King of Pop, Swine Flu, and Disney

2009-06-26T02:16:00.000-05:00

It has been a sad week for celebrities. It is very sad about Michael Jackson’s death. He was an icon to so many people. I sat and listened to a few of his songs yesterday afternoon. I had forgotten how much I enjoy his music.

We have a bit of a scare around here. A few of the guys at Zach’s work have the swine flu. It seems to be spreading. I thought all of this was over. We are doing tons of hand washing, and at the first sign of a sniffle we will be at the doctor. It is kind of scary because Miramar is so small it could really spread if people don’t take the right precautions. Not much is going on around here. We’ve been spending too many days cooped up in the house. I need to get outside and enjoy the summer.

Monday I am going to try to get into the Karen Russell photography workshop. There are 725+ people waiting to get into this class. Registration starts at 9 am and the courses sell out in seconds. Please say a little prayer that I get in. The courses we can register for are in September-November, and then another one in January-March. If I don’t get in then I will have to wait for more to be scheduled. That is a long time to wait! I have two chances the early registration is on Monday where she is filling 75% of the spaces, and then she’s filling the last 25% on the 13th. I’m crossing my fingers!

We had this made at Disneyland. We had to wait to get it back from the framers. We had wanted something like this done for a while, and they do them at the zoo only with animals. The Disney characters just made this more special since we love Disney.

**

A few of the letters up close.

Friday Five

1. Where do you get most of your information about current local events?
2. Where do you get most of your information about current national and international events?
3. Who in your family always is most likely to know what’s up with everyone else in your family?
4. Who at work (or school) always seems to know what’s going on?
5. What other kinds of news do you try to keep up-to-date on and where do you get it?

Bit of an update

2009-06-24T02:40:00.000-05:00

We have had a great past couple of weeks while Zach was on leave. It was very relaxing, and time seemed to slow down. I think Zach had a nice Father’s Day. I made my first attempt at biscuits and gravy, and they came out really well. I had a McCormick’s packaged gravy on hand just in case my gravy didn’t turn out, but everything turned out fine. I got him a couple of Wii games for Father’s day. One game that we will have fun playing together, and the other is Tiger Woods Golf 2010. Shoot me now for buying that game. There is nothing more boring than a golf video game, or watching someone play a golf video game, but he enjoys it so that’s what counts.

We have been to the fair a few times. We love the fair out here. They have some animals, but mostly it is just building after building of crafts, and gadgets to buy. Things you probably thought you would never need, but you walk out with one because man it was a heck of a deal. It has more of a home show feeling to it than a fair. Jack has enjoyed seeing all of the animals. Mostly, they just have cows and goats this year. He was actually brave and petted them without being scared at all. It got to the point of him calling the cows to him.

Despite it being kind of silly I have to write something about Jon and Kate’s decision to divorce. I have watched this show since it was just the small TLC special. I watched their announcement show the other night with Zach, and I was just deeply saddened. In fact I had a fitful sleep because I couldn’t get them off of my mind. Zach and I both thought it was awful that there has been no mention of them trying any methods to reconcile their differences like counseling or something. It just seems to be like that’s it, it is over nothing we can do here. Yes, Kate can be a bossy bitch, and she does need to relax a bit. That would have helped the situation greatly, but I think Jon just came off looking like a self centered jackass. His “I’m only 32…” and “I’m excited” comments just made me furious. He seems to be a man that feels like he’s wasted 10 years of his life, and he’d rather be 22 than grow up and deal with the things around him. I feel so badly for those kids. It sickened me that they felt they had to have a show to announce this to the world. I wish someone would pull the plug on the entire thing. Things have gotten too out of hand. This used to be a sweet show about a family struggling through the day to day tasks while trying to raise multiples. I found it much more interesting when I watched Kate do mundane things like do the laundry rather than watch them receive trip after trip, and now every episode has to have a theme and a free gift attached to it. It is all for the ratings forget that these are real kids that have to live their lives after this whole mess is over. To add insult to injury TLC says Monday’s episode will be a retrospective clip show on their 10 year marriage. Yuck, no thanks!

Concert Fun and Friday Five

2009-06-19T03:33:00.000-05:00

We went to the David Cook concert last night. It was great! I was coerced into making a sign saying that I am from Blue Springs, his hometown, and that we all love him from there. It didn’t do me much good in the way of autographs or moving up in seats, but that’s ok. It kind of stunk because we were in a bit of a dead section. The people around us were all just sitting there. I thought it was weird because most of them were teenage girls who the entire time we waited for him to come out talked about how much they love him. Hello? Have you never been to a concert before? This is supposed to be fun! I heard he will be on the home turf in a few days for Red White and Boom. Hope you get to see him!

Zach has had the week off this week. We haven’t really done very much. We’ve pretty much just wasted our days away. It did take us a few days to recover from all the going the week before. It took another day to catch up on all the cleaning, laundry, and unpacking. Jack went to school twice this week. He did awesome no crying or anything. He has loved being there with tons of stories to tell us when he gets home. I’m still trying to get through all the vacation pictures. I’ll be popping them up on here from time to time, or be sure to check the flickr. As always feel free to leave your comments here or on there.

Time for Friday Five! Sorry I missed last week. In the comments answer as many or as few as you would like.

1. What is your favorite band?
2. What is the last concert you went to?
3. What is the majority of the way you listen to your music?
4. Do you have a favorite golden oldie?
5. If you could see any band together/broken up alive/dead who would it be?

Disneyland Recap

2009-06-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of catching up to do since LeighAnn’s visit. We had an awesome time! We got to do so many things, but mostly I think I loved having a friend here for Jack everyday for a week. The kids got along pretty well. We had the usual problems with trouble remembering to share, but they got over it quickly. We filled the week with the zoo, the wild animal park, Disneyland for two days, California Adventure, and an afternoon at the beach. Be prepared for a very long post summarizing each day so that I can remember it all 20 years from now.

We had a great time at Disneyland. We drove up Wednesday morning, and checked in early to the resort. This was the first time any of us had stayed at the resort. We started off doing all the little kid rides for the little ones. Those rides were pretty fun; I hadn’t ridden most of them. Jack seemed to like most of them. While we waited in line he would be very excited, but when it came to be our turn he freaked out. He enjoyed the ride part, and by then end of it he would say, “Yay, do it again!” The only ride he didn’t really enjoy was Dumbo. He screamed his head off for that one. That day we just rode rides, ate food, checked out the parade, and left the park early for our hotel. We were all very tired from getting up so early in the morning.

The second day at Disney we were able to start the day when the park opened. We rode a few rides until toontown opened up. Jack, loved the teacups. In toontown we were able to get the kid’s pictures with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. Goofy took a liking to Jack. He walked him all around, and played with him for a bit. It was very cute, and Jack was just had a shocked look on his face. I was glad meeting the characters was going so well because last time we saw Goofy Jack burst into tears. After that we had to race back to the resort for our breakfast with Goofy. A buffet where the Characters come around to the tables for the kids. Zach had the great idea to get the kids autograph books before we went to the breakfast. Out of all of the times we have been there Jack has never had an autograph book. The food was delicious and we were able to see Belle, Pluto, Goofy, Baloo, Chip, and Dale. Jack, even got to dance with Goofy. It was a perfect chance to get autographs for the kids.

After breakfast we headed back to the park for more rides. We also stood in line to meet with the princesses. We met Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. After the long line Jack wasn’t really in the mood to meet them, but we got a few pictures. The rest of the afternoon is a blur to me, but we did ask two park workers if there were fireworks that night, and the both said no. LeighAnn and I knew that we had read that there were going to be fireworks that night. So, Zach decided to ask one of the parade workers, and he confirmed that yes there were fireworks. I was glad we hadn’t left early. We staked out our usual fireworks spot, and enjoyed the show. Back at the room we were all so hungry so we ordered pizza, and then passed out.

The third day we headed back to Disneyland for more pictures with Mickey and Minnie. We wanted the kids to have their autographs too. Then we headed over to California Adventure. We grabbed some lunch, and then went to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. After that the kids fell asleep until the Pixar Parade. That is such a fun Parade. Jack loved it because he knew all of the characters. We went to all of the kids rides in the Bugs Life area, and then we walked around because we were all too tired to stand in line for anymore rides. That night we got to see the Electrical Parade, and that was really neat. We had never been able to see that one before. After that we went home finally getting home about one in the morning. It was a very fun filled, but also very tiring three days.

Frustrations and Friday Five

2009-06-05T12:34:00.000-05:00

Things are busy as ever around here. Still trying to catch up on the laundry, and get ready for company. They arrive tomorrow. Very frustrated because I just got a courtesy call from Jack’s daycare telling me he has been crying since I left. Then they add you don’t have to pick him up, but we wanted you to know. Gee thanks. I can go get him and relieve you of a screaming kid, or leave him there and feel like a crap mother. It just drives me nuts that they can’t control the situation. I worked with kids all the time I know what it is like, and yes my kid can be difficult, but you figure it out. You get through it, and you help the kid get through it too. It is your job. If I was at work they couldn’t call me hoping I’d just come pick him up they would have to figure out how to deal with it. Ugh! Sorry, it just frustrates me, and makes me feel bad for Jack. He has to go though to be social, and get away from mom for a minute or two.

I am going to try something new called Friday Five. I have been meaning to do it for a few Fridays but can’t seem to get to it. I’m going to list 5 questions, and you answer them however you would like to in the comments. You can answer as many or as few as you would like. Just please play along it is fun to read the comments. I have faith in you. You can do it!

Summer Friday Five
1. What is your favorite thing to do in the summer?
2. What is your best summer memory?
3. If you could go on vacation anywhere this summer where would it be?
4. Do you have a favorite summer food?
5. Do you do anything special during the summer that you don’t do the rest of the year?

Have a fantasitc weekend!

Sleeping while bike riding.