FAMILY FUN

OK, SO I WAS WRONG . . .

Turns out my parents changed their mind and drove all the way home tonight. So, they are there now for those of you who are looking for them. Happy reunions!

THE PARENT REPORT

The parents made it to Davenport, Iowa today. They are doing good. Dad even sounded a little energetic on the phone. I'm guessing he can smell the White Castles and the Pizza King pizza already! Lol! Don't expect them tomorrow though. They are going to start taking it a little slower now. I think it will be two more days before you see the whites of their eyes. I will keep you posted. Take care, N.

PONDERING MODERN DAY MIRACLES . . .

I took Jonathon to have a Well-check today at his pediatrician's office. He had to have two shots. He didn't like either one of them and he got a really insulted look on his face and cried really hard when the nurse gave them to him. I felt bad for him but only for a moment. One of the shots he received was the polio vaccine. That has given me reason to pause and praise.

I have spent the rest of the day thinking about the blessings that vaccine have brought to so many throughout the world. Thank you Dr. Salk and Dr. Sabin. Thank you Heavenly Father for inspiring these wonderful men.

I'm in kind of a unique position because I have had an intimate view of some of the damage Polio did to a human being who lived through Polio during a time when there was no cure--no such vaccine. I was born to that person after the vaccine had been found, but the scare of Polio still existed and they still weren't sure what caused all the outbreaks. My parents were cautious about a lot of things, i.e. where we swam, (no lakes, ponds, streams) only chlorinated pools, because there was a belief that some outbreaks had come through unclean water. Other kids and their families could take that chance but we couldn't. As children, we didn't understand all the caution. As a mom, the fear is much more clear.

Having gone through Jonathon's breathing struggles with him I would do anything to make him well. I'm sure my Dad's parents felt the same way. Their son had been a happy, walking, nearly eighteen month old when he was struck down with Polio--one of the first cases in Indiana. Suddenly, he couldn't walk anymore and was very sick. They were told he would never walk again. You know the rest of the story. He did walk but with a limp, one leg smaller and shorter than the other and he has always had some pain. One leg completely recovered and one didn't. In other words, he had one strong leg and one weak one. That didn't stop him from lettering in baseball and basketball. He has lived a good life and is very accomplished. I'm so proud of him.

The Polio leg now has post-Polio and it has made these later years pretty rough for him to get around easily. I can't help wonder how diffferent his life would be if he had been given this vaccine at Jonathon's age. But then, I guess our lives are what they are supposed to be. I know my Dad's struggles and challenges have shaped his character and made him who he is. I guess I wouldn't change that.

I still can't help but marvel at this modern day miracle--a cure for Polio. A blessing so big -- and so long gone from our memory that I don't think we even understand it. Love you Dad. :)

SPENT THE WHOLE DAY . . .

with my husband and kids. You have no idea what a treasure that was given what Rob's schedule has been like the last four or five months. He has rarely even had weekends off. We have the whole week together--TONS to do but still it's just nice to not have to worry about him getting called in or having to be away for hours at a time. Yay! Usually if he has time off it's because we are going somewhere. It's nice to just be home together getting things done on our own time schedule.

Grandma and Grandpa checked in tonight. They made it to Lincoln, Nebraska and are safely tucked in there tonight. They have been taking it easy in the mornings and taking off when they feel like it. So far they are having a good trip. Please keep them in your prayers. They need all the help they can get. Don't we all!

My little boy is walking all over the place. He's not really steady yet but what he lacks in "steady" he makes up for in "get up and go!" He just takes off and wobbles as fast and far as he can--which is sometimes pretty darn far. He cracks us up. He may fall down but he gets right back up and starts all over again. He's going to give us a run for our money. That's for sure.

Well, hope you have had a terrific day. We have!

ON THEIR WAY

Well, the parents are on their way back home. They took off today about 12:30 p.m. and made it as far as Cheyenne, WY. I think they are planning to take 3 or 4 days to drive it. I will keep you posted here on their progress. They didn't have any problems today and are doing well. They are excited to see all of you. I know they won't be able to come and visit everyone they want to see because Dad has to be careful getting around. (Don't tell him I said that!) Also, Mom's shoulder seems to be a torn rotator cuff. She probably hasn't told any of you that but she will probably have to have surgery to repair that when she gets back. (I tell all kinds of tales out of school when they aren't here to stop me. Yikes!) But, the good news is I hear they will be appearing daily at their old table at the local restaurant. So, please come out to visit them! I will post it here when they arrive.

K. Well, my video never did post yesterday so I still have to figure out what went wrong. I will try again another day. Have a great night or morning depending on when you read this. N.

Check back later today. Been trying to publish a video that's being stubborn! Grrr.

p.s. The parents are headed that way today.

A WEEK OFF!

Rob has a week off, a week off, a week off! Rob has a week off! La La La La La! Night all!

BUCKET-HEAD BABY

I'm not sure if Jonathon was picking out his Halloween Costume or checking out what it would feel like to play a sport or have a career with a helmet but he sure looks adorable! Think I will keep him!

LOOK WHAT UPS BROUGHT ME TODAY!

A Carly-in-a-box! Yay!

SO, IT TURNS OUT . . .

I drove about an hour from home today to go to a doctor's appointment and then have lunch with a good friend. Then I headed toward home and planned to meet my parents at a doctor appointment for my Dad. I went straight to where I knew the doctor's office should be (I had been there with my parents a few times before.) and could not find it! I drove around and kept looking thinking I'd made a simple mistake of a street or so. Still, no luck. Finally, I called my mom on her cell phone and got the address. I started climbing my way there. Guess what? It wasn't at that address! True enough. I checked it twice, thrice--drove to the other end of the street just in case I'd mixed up my North and South--(trust me folks, it happens.) Still, no doctor's office.

What in the Sam Hill?! I had already put the address in my GPS and it took me to the non-existent doctor's office address. I was at a loss. I finally tracked down the number for the doctor's office and asked for directions. So far, it sounded like I was on the right track. Yes, I was on Main Street. In what? Uh oh? I remember that, now that you say it . . .

So, it turns out that even a GPS (global positioning system) can't help you if you put the wrong town in the address field. Yep, it's true. I always get the wrong town for this doctor. It's just a few miles North of the one I went to. Ooops! Hate it when that happens. Me and my dad-gummed non-existent sense of direction anyway!
:}

WHAT A DAY!

Thank goodness for good neighbors and friends or I never would have made it through Church today. Julie, the babies and I were batching it since Rob had to work. So after Sacrament meeting I took Carly to nursery but she threw a tantrum and wouldn't stay. (All of the sudden she is shy after going for almost an entire year with no problem? Go figure!) So, I sent Julie on to her class and took Carly and Jonathon to my adult Sunday School class with the help of my friend Robin. She has a one year old baby herself!

Anyway, Robin's husband is holding Jonathon, Robin has her baby-Ellie and I have Carly. Carly is not happy. Church happens right in the middle of her nap time as it is and then to have to sit in adult Sunday School -- well, you can imagine--tantrum city! I decide to take Carly home and put her down for a nap knowing Grandma and Grandpa will be there. Robin and her husband watch Jon while I run Carly home and get her down. I get back in time for the very end of Sunday School and the last meeting. Jon decides to be rather loud, but happy (still disruptive) during the last meeting. I decide, "Oh well, he isn't the first baby they've ever seen. I give up." I came home, put him down for a nap and collapsed!

I like it much better when Daddy comes with us! :)

STEP BY STEP

Jonathon walked his first steps last night--eleven months to the day he was born. (I say last night because it's 12:27 a.m. Sunday morning as I write this.) He did it so quickly I nearly missed them. He's only doing 2-4 steps at a time but it's a pretty big deal around here. We tried getting him to do it yesterday and he was still holding onto our hands but he kept turning his feet funny after a few steps so I really thought it was going to be awhile before he got the hang of it. But, he apparently only does that when he's hanging onto us. He can be pretty flat footed on his own! Smart boy! Lol!

Uh oh! Mommy's in trouble! She's got two toddlers! :}

DADDY AND JON AT THE POOL

Jon actually went swimming for a few minutes with his sisters, Daddy didn't. Jon didn't really love it so much. But here he is just hanging out with Dad. He's still thinking over his pool experience. Cute little son of a gun, isn't he? Love these boys, I do!

LEARNING AT MY SISTER'S KNEE

Or something like that! Lol!

TIME OUT

Today, I took Julie to register for school. Eleventh grade. Junior. Wow. It's hitting me. She's really, really growing up. I DON'T LIKE IT. I think I've mentioned this before. Seems like I just got her yesterday. Her dad isn't having near as hard a time with this. He got her as a baby. I didn't. I think that makes it easier for him. I'm forcing myself to come along but it isn't easy.

Carly is big into the word "NO" right now and thus, she is learning all about "time outs!" She doesn't like the time outs at all but she hasn't decided to stop telling Mommy and Daddy "NO" about everything yet. I think it will sink in soon. Hopefully anyway. :}

We had a five minute thunderstorm that was really wild today. It had lightning and hail and everything. It came out of nowhere and Julie and I got caught in it. We made a run for it and got drenched. It was coming down so hard we just sat in the car and waited until it passed to even drive. We need the moisture but it would be nice if it would come in slower, calmer rains. Oh well. We survived and even dried.

Well, that's all the news for the day. Have a good one. N.

ANOTHER DAY

Jonathon had a much better day today. He seemed to be feeling lots better. He is getting around so well now. He one hands it around the couches and tables and can go pretty much everywhere he wants to these days.

We were all at the dinner table tonight and had just finished eating. Rob got up to leave and Jonathon had a fit when Rob didn't take him with him. So Rob turned around and started talking to him and Jonathon talked back in his own language. Rob would tilt his head to one side and say something to him and Jonathon would do the same. Rob would tilt his head the other way and Jonathon would follow suit. Finally, Rob came back to the table and picked him up. Jonathon was all smiles! He sure loves his daddy!

Being on this EAT TO LIVE diet the last little while I have been eating a lot of vegetables. I've especially enjoyed steaming zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and other similar veggies. Carly hasn't wanted much to do with them but Jonathon goes nuts if I don't give him bites of the broccoli and cauliflower. He loves them. It surprises me that my baby loves these veggies especially but I'm glad!

I finally got over to my gym today and worked my buns off (hopefully)! At least I tried to. Things have either been so busy that I haven't had the time to or I simply haven't had the energy to.

Mom and Dad went to a family funeral here in town today. It was really sad. We only met this family member a few weeks ago even though we've been communicating by email for a few years. Then a week after we met she suddenly had a stroke. I guess the blessing in it is that she didn't linger for a long time. We just feel really sad for her family and friends and pray the Lord will give them comfort. God bless you Maralee.

BUBBY'S VERY BAD, YUCKY DAY

Sorry I didn't post last night. We went to a funeral in another city and were staying in a hotel there. We had stopped to eat and were almost finished when Jonathon started vomiting. Poor little guy! Everytime we thought he was finished and started heading out the door with him he would vomit again. He was so sick and it just came on all of a sudden, too. I don't think he missed getting any of us when he spued and it happened six or seven times before he was finished. We felt so awful for him.

We thought he might have gotten some food poisioning because he seemed fine before he started vomiting and was fine most of today, too. But he got feverish again tonight so now we don't know whether it's just a little touch of the flu or what's really going on. So far, Carly is fine. We are keeping our fingers and toes crossed that she stays fine--along with everyone else.

Well, we finally got him to sleep tonight with the help of tylenol. So guess Mommy will go grab some herself. Nighty night!

MY TWO AND A HALF YEAR OLD IS A DIVA

Oh my goodness! Talk about high maintenance! Lol! I bought Carly a cute pair of sandals the other day. Brought them home to her and she loved them. She wore them for a few minutes and they rubbed her ankles wrong so we needed to return them. I decided I had to have her with me to return them and get the right size since these ones were half a size bigger than the ones she currently wears and still didn't fit right. I had an idea this might be a mistake. It was!

Megan and I took her to Target and found her size section in the shoe department. We started suggesting shoes to her we liked for her. I had something specific in mind. She didn't like it and let it be known immediately. (Now if I had just brought it home to her she would have loved it!) Anyway, she didn't want anything to do with the ones I was choosing and I hadn't thought to clue Megan into my plan. Darn. So, we tried on a pair of shoes they both liked and that was it! She was sold. I tried to get her to try on some others and nothin' doin!"
She would pull her feet away or move when we tried to put other shoes on them. I had to promise I would buy the white and blue (ick!) tinkerbelle sandals no matter what before she would try on any other pairs! Wouldn't you know it--none of the other ones fit. Now I am stuck with the tinkerbelle shoes that don't match the outfits I was trying to match. But, my little diva is happy. It's all good. :)

YAY FOR SINGLE MOMS WHO MAKE IT WORK!

I applaud all the single mothers in the world. I don't know how they do it but I think they are truly amazing! I've been without Rob and Julie for several days this week (and I've even had Grandma and Grandpa as back up) and it's been really hard to keep up with my toddlers, the housewor and my life. Hmmm. Maybe I'm just a wimp?!

Rob was gone overnight again last night after being in Denver for two days earlier this week so I am really, really behind and overtired to boot. Thank goodness our terrific daughter Megan came over for a few hours today and let me take a nap! I love you, Megan!

Rob is home now and all is well. He even insisted on cooking tonight. Wendy's was great! Hah! Perfect and no dishes! On to tomorrow! lol!

MY BIG, FAT RUN AROUND DAY!

Wow, I feel like all I did was run today and not get much accomplished. Jonathon had an appointment with his breathing specialist, who in realisty is an Allergist. We don't know yet whether he has any allergies or asthma because they can't accurately test him until he's at least eighteen months old. Although, the doc does think he's improving. When I asked what he thinks he has he called it "reactive airways." He said that's a general category but about the best he can do until he's old enough to narrow it down. He did cut down his meds today so that is a positive step.

As soon as I got back from his appointment, I put him down for a nap and picked up Carly and we ran to BYU and took Julie her new contact. Plus, I'd gotten a call from her EFY counselor that she wasn't feeling too well so we also took her some medication. That was about 4 hours round trip with traffic. There were several accidents on the way and way back.

Got home, took care of the kids till bedtime, put them down and then realized I hadn't returned Julie's library books that were due today. So, with everyone else in the house asleep, I tiptoed out and ran the library books back, mailed a bill and came back home. Then, I did the dishes. Blah. I'm exhausted. I think it's true--a woman's work is never done!

By the way, Julie is having a blast! Yay! :) More later.

HUBBY'S BACK! YAY!

After two days of single parenting it, I am SO grateful to have my hubby back tonight. I just hate having him gone! I always know it's necessary but I count the seconds until he returns. He had a training conference to go to so he had flown to Denver for a couple of days. I was really happy to see his face when he walked in the door tonight!

I am now into my second week on this EAT TO LIVE diet. I am actually not doing bad on it. I don't know that I have ever stayed on a diet more faithfully. I'm really not craving anything or feeling like binging; it's just a little boring to eat mostly fruits and veggies all the time. I'm hoping I will get to my goal by the end of this week and can just kind of taper off. I did walk 5 miles today on my treadmill and do a few other exercises. I haven't found much time for exercising lately but I just forced it into my day today. Trust me, A TON of things had to give to get it in there. But I needed it so bad! I feel so much better now that I've "moved" my body a little.

I've got Jonathon's appointment with his breathing specialist tomorrow. It's his three month check up. I'm hoping he can tell us something about how he's doing. That would be nice.

Well, not much else going on. Better get to bed. Night all.

JULIE'S BIG ADVENTURE

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS . . . OH MY . . .

Well, I dropped Julie off at BYU for her first EFY today. Sorry if it sounds like I am speaking in tongues. Let me clarify. Julie is my 16 year old, BYU is a university and EFY stands for a program called Especially for Youth. For lack of a better way to explain it; it's similar to a large "bible school camp" for teenagers. They spend a week studying gospel principles and having fun, spiritually uplifting and friendship buiding activities.

I hope she makes TONS of new friends. Good luck Sweety. I love you, Mommy

SMOOTHIE BOY

Julie and I were having smoothies the other day when Jonathon decided he wanted a drink of hers. No chance! She wasn't giving him a drop. I told her I thought that was kind of selfish and said "Come on, how much can a baby drink anyway?" And I was serious. So I put him on my lap and gave him a tiny sip. After all a couple of days before Carly had wanted some and I made her a small sippy of smoothier and she hardly touched it.

So, anyway, after Jonathon's sip his entire face lit up like a flash cube (for those of you old enough to remember those!) He reached for my cup and pulled it toward him. I thought, "What the heck" and gave him another sip. Well, it wasn't a sip; it was a sustained drink. Oh no! What have I done. Now, I don't mind sharing my smoothie with my precious boy; I just worry about the present he is going to leave for me in a few hours. Yikes. Still, he loves it so much and now pulls at my cup even harder and whines. Decisions, decisions. I gave in and let him have more. One sip for mommy, one long chug for Jonathon. Oh my! Julie ran to grab the camera. I'm guessing he drank about 1/4 of my smoothie. And yup, a few hours later there was an explosion in his diaper. Oh, but I wasn't home at the time. Oops! But Julie--who laughed and encouraged Mommy the hardest--told me ALL about it! Lol!

WHO MADE-UH THE SALAD?

Check out this beautiful salad! Ain't it gorgeous? Julie and I put it together this morning. It's filled with yummy fruits and vegetables and we didn't get to eat a single bite of it. Doesn't it make you want one, though? You should eat a salad today. We're going to. We took this one to a funeral luncheon so now we need to make our own. Thinking yummy thoughts! You do it too!

MY ADORABLE, TIRED BABY BOY

Jonathon fell asleep in his walker today before I could lay him in his crib. So sweet!

I MISS YOU MATTHEW!

I've never been one for dyeing my hair a lot. I've always liked my natural haircolor. But then those nasty grays start to show up. When I was single and working and they were fewer I let my hair stylist (Matthew--he's darn good) play around with demi-color. He would put blonde color on my dark hair and it actually lightened it just a touch to give it some nice highlights and covered the few grays that showed up.

When I got married and quit working I decided to be more frugal and stopped worrying about hair dye and all. It wasn't overly necessary and you can do those little rinses once in while that are just wash out with each shampoo if you really want to. All of this sudden, I see a lot of gray, all the time. I decided I had to do something hard core. But with 3 kids still at home I want to still be frugal. So, I got an off the shelf, name brand and I picked something that looked good. I picked Blonde. I did it myself. NO Problem. OK Problem. It gave nice higlights--lightened a little. Did not touch the grays. Darn.

6 Weeks Later

I pick another name brand. This time I go with something closer to my color but I don't want to be some bland "brown". I pick brown with medium red highlights. Sounds good to me. BTW. I hate the fake looking red hair color. Anyway, I put it on, rinse it out, dry it. OH MY GOODNESS! I have dark brown, BRIGHT RED HIGHLIGHTS. Durn! You know I mean worse than that, right?!

MATTHEW, I MISS YOU! Then, I look at my sweet 10 month old and my whiny 2 year old and I remember I would much rather keep trying to find the right box of hair dye and keep staying at home watching Gabba Gabba and Dora with my babies than working and being able to have my monthly hair appointment. No offense Matthew but they give me the best huggins and I love being at home every day with them even if I do look like I dipped my head in red KoolAid. Lol!

LONG DAY

Grandma and Grandpa started out early today. They took off for their vehicle dealership to have something fixed. I expected them back within an hour or two and we kept waiting and waiting and waiting. It was nearly 3:00 pm before we saw them. Pretty bad when they left here at 9:30 a.m. . I think they got the problem solved but apparently they waited in the waiting room for nearly four hours! Mom said the chairs were really comfortable for the first hour. YeGads! I told her she should have called me and I would have come and picked them up but she said they were fine. I would have gone stir crazy.

Julie and I have been on the "Eat to Live" diet for two days now. It's pretty strict but you are supposed to lose weight quickly. It's actually not supposed to be a diet but a way of life. After 6 weeks you add a few more foods in. Gotta tell ya. I'm not in it for the "Way of Life." I actually had promised myself never to "diet" again but I think there is something to this getting to a certain age and your body starts not to behave. So, I'm having to be a little drastic with it for a week or two to get some results. I only want to lose 1o or 12 lbs and I used to be able to just cut down and exercise more but that's not working for me very well. It's bugging me. In fact the whole gaining 10-12 lbs thing bugs me in the first place. Let's just say I'm Bugged! Basically- Julie and I are eating mostly fruits and veggies for the next little bit. It can get a bit boring but so far so good. It just makes for a really long day.

Now, if I only had enough energy to exercise. They tell me I will get that the second week. Hopefully, I will last that long! :}

EZGO GEEZER PATROL--WE MISS YOU CHARLIE!

Johnny Carson and Charlie Brown

PARADE PICS!

Exciting things to see at the Independence Day Parade--Carly's first!

Daddy and Bubby got to see the parade but mostly just got hot!

Carly got a balloon and lots of candy!

Jonathon conked out near the end of the parade!

Grandpa got lots of phone calls from friends and family today! So nice of you to remember him! We had lots of food and a scrumptious banana pudding pie for dessert. Yummy!

Also spent the day cleaning the carpet and getting ready to get a little new furniture tomorrow. Nothing big but just nice to clean things every once in a while! So tired and ready for some sleep. Think there were some fireworks somewhere for Grandpa's big finale--but pretty sure we missed them. Lol!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!

It's after midnight here, so it's officially Johnny Carson's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad. I love you!

Tonight we watched The Music Man (the original version). My kids had never seen it. What a great movie. So much fun.

Tonight at dinner I had Carly bless the food. I was helping her with what to say. I started whispering in her ear and so she started whispering the blessing. Hmmm. Wrong tactic. So, I start talking really low in her ear and she starts repeating after me. Here's our prayer:

"Dear Heavenly Father=Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for this day=Thank you for this FOOD!" Wait, that's not what I said. Some little girl is hungry. Skip to the end. In Jesus name amen=Jesus name AMEN!

Two, what an age! So cute . . .

AND SO IT BEGINS . . . GRANDPA'S BIRTHDAY BASH!

All the kids and most of the Grandkids came today to begin this traditional 2 to 3 day celebration of Grandpa's birthday! I think his Mom told him when he was a kid that Uncle Sam was throwing a party for his birthday on July 4th even though he was born on the 5th and our multi-day event has been a tradition ever since! We had a great day! Had lunch together, opened gifts, ate cake, laughed and sang--what more can you ask for?!

Hey, if you haven't had the chance to celbrate this years' birthday with Grandpa--it's not too late! There are still at least two days left. Just write, call or stop on by! The kitchen's always open! LOL! He would love to hear from you!

P.S. Nice Decor Sally and Seth, Funny-Funny Card Uncle White Sox and Auntie Kaye--I'm still laughing!

-

WE DO LOVE OUR BUBBLES!

NOW ALL WE'RE MISSING IS A RUBBER DUCKY!

LIKE FATHER; LIKE SON

This was so cute tonight. Rob was working on something electronic and Jonathon just crawled right over and wanted to start helping. Rob wasn't exactly excited for his help but it sure made for a cute picture. Lol!

NOT MUCH TO BLOG ABOUT BUT I DID ANYWAY

Watching Invictus with the family. I think you have to get Rugby to love this movie--or maybe pay better attention than I have been. I actually have both babies in bed already. They've been in bed for nearly an hour, too. That's progress. That's amazing!

Rob and I neither one have felt well the last couple of days so it's nice to have them down a bit earlier so we can get some rest. Hopefully, we will start feeling better.

Grandma and Grandpa went out to eat with the McCammacks today and said their goodbyes. They will be taking off for home in the morning. Carly started crying when they told her they were leaving. She doesn't like anyone to leave her. It isn't allowed. She gave them both big hugs. Hopefully, they will come back again some time to see all of us.

We ordered pizza for dinner. It was much too hot to cook and I was too tired to think about it. That worked out well. Now we have leftovers for lunch, too. It's the small things that bring us joy, eh?

See, I told you there wasn't much to blog about but I did anyway--and you read all the way to the end anyway, didn't you? You are a very loyal person! :)

HOT, HOT, HOT!!

That's what it is--HOT! It's time to stay indoors here as long as you have air conditioning. I guess we have a cold front coming but it sure hasn't gotten here yet.

We went to lunch with a long lost cousin today. That was fun. Then we all came home and took naps. That was even more fun. Of course, I've been dealing with a migraine for 2 days so the nap felt pretty darn good. Rob came home from work today with a flu of some sort. He hardly ever gets sick but he was not doing well at all.

The McCammacks came by tonight to visit. They are leaving in a couple of days. I think they have had a really good time seeing the sights but I'm sure they are getting a little homesick. I know I would be.

Well, not much else to tell. Til tomorrow.

PICTURES OF OUR TINY ONES

JONATHON BRAND NEW AT HOME

CARLY BRAND NEW AT HOME

CARLY'S FIRST RIDE IN HER CAR SEAT

JONATHON'S FIRST RIDE IN HIS CAR SEAT

I just ran across these pictures I had taken on my cell phone. I'd forgotten how tiny my little ones had been. Kind of crazybut some really fun memories!

SUNDAY AT OUR HOUSE

We had a lovely Sunday. Off to Church where Carly was excited to go to nursery. Came home and had a quick lunch and then a wonderful nap while dinner continued to cook in the crockpot! I had put a roast in there early this morning. I talked Julie into making homemade buns. It was her first excursion into yeast bread but she did a great job! Anyway, we had French dip sandwiches for dinner and they were fabulous!

We just hung out and read books to the kids, watched TV and didn't do a whole lot else the rest of the night. I don't even think the phone rang. It was really a slow Sunday. I just got junior to sleep so think I will head that way myself. Night all. :)

WE'RE DONE! WE'RE DONE!

It's time to do a big rain dance! We finished our flower beds and gardens today and they look fantabulous! I didn't get any pictures because it was near dark when we finished but I will try to take some tomorrow. Wow, what a project! We are getting lots of comments on how nice they look, though. My mom deserves the most credit--even though my Dad is the architect, my mom did the hardest work. The ground out here is so hard and full of rocks that it has been a real tough project to get the dirt ready to plant anything. Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into making these gardens look nice. Thanks Dad and Mom (and Julie!)

I did something fun today with Rob and his brother Steve. We went shooting. The last time I shot a gun I was 18 years old--so it's been like 20 years. Lol! OK, just kidding. It's been a lot longer than that. Anyway, we went target shooting and I actually didn't do that bad. I'm not saying I'm going into police work anytime soon but I managed to at least hit somewhere on the target once in a while. Lol! I do think I may be a little sore tomorrow from the "kick" of the guns. It definitely won't be an everyday activity.

On the way home, we stopped and bought a kid's sprinkler we could let Carly play in. I sprayed the hose the other night in a way that she could run through it like a sprinkler and she loved it. So, I thought I would get her one of those sprinklers she could run through and play in. Sure enough, she loved it! She didn't want the fun to stop! But, bedtime always comes--just like now. It's time. Catch you tomorrow. N.

WE'RE HAVING A HEAT WAVE; A TROPICAL HEAT WAVE!

Wow! Today was hot! The kind of hot that makes you want to take a nap. And so, I did. The last few days have been like that. Seems like it's all or nothing here. So cold it's snowing or so hot you're melting. It's June, for goodness sakes! We are not in February or August! Where is our decent weather?

Rob got to come home tonight. He was stuck in Nevada overnight on a call. Hate it when that happens. He's had a long few weeks--working lots of long hours. We were all glad to see him when he walked in the door tonight. Jonathon even looked up and said "Da Da!" It was so cute.

We finally got our vegetable garden planted at the beginning of the week. Can't remember if I told you that already or not. It's a good thing, too because we were right at the end of planting season. Of course, it's a good thing we hadn't planted early either. Lots of people had to re-plant because of all the cold weather. Their gardens got frozen out. Hopefully we didn't get ours in too late though to have some good veggies come up.

Well, nothing new going on here. That's it for today. Have a great weekend.

RIP VAN WHO?

OK, so you have seen this picture before? I'm not trying to pull something over on you, in fact, just the opposite. Rob just looked at my blog today and lovingly corrected me on my children's stories. Turns out I had this labeled Rumpelstilt . . . Who? He reminded me it was Rip Van Winkle who slept for so long not Rumpelstiltskin. How I got that mixed up I have no idea. And no, you don't need to start making suggestions. I'm sure you can come up with lots of ideas of how I got that so mixed up at my age. I'd rather stay in the dark about it, thank you! And keep in mind that none of you caught the mistake, either--or if you did, you were at least kind enough not to correct me in cyberspace!

You know, even when he told me I had to have him remind me what Rumpelstiltskin's story was all about. And to tell you the truth, I'm still a little fuzzy on it. I guess I will have to go read it again--maybe this time to my kids. In the meantime, I'm going to make like Rip Van Winkle for several hours . . .

Oh yah, why are you seeing this picture again? Because I don't know how to fix the title without reposting it again. Otherwise I would have been really sly and never admitted my mistake publicly! Lol!


Original Post
Jonathon fell asleep just crawling across the floor the other night so Julie stuck a pillow under his head and covered him with his blanket. What a cutie. Such a tired boy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBIN!

Today (Wednesday) is my friend Robin's birthday. I took her to lunch to one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Rio! It was so good and we managed to sneak off by ourselves sans our little ones. No matter, we weren't gone long! Isn't this a cute picture? Ellie is on the left--she is Robin's little girl, Jon on the right. This is from a few months ago. I can't believe how much they have both changed! Wow!

It's been a good day. It was 96 degrees around 5:00 p.m. and tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. Yikes. Here's to air conditioning, swimming pools, cool breezes and popcicles! Have a beautiful day tomorrow!

OUR DAY

Julie and I had Galvanic spa treatments this morning. A friend came to the house to show us this new technology. It's a sort of anti-aging system--so to speak. It was interesting and I'm sure we each look at least ten years younger. Unfortunately, Julie now looks only 6 years old, while I look a marvelous 26! Lol!

Early afternoon, Mom, Dad and I headed out to vote. It was a Primary Election Day here. Only a couple of races on the ballot but we made sure we got our votes in and counted.

Tonight when Rob got home I went with him to vote and then we headed off to Home Depot and got some neat rock to do a border around one section of the flower beds. Rob is really talented at building things. No sooner had we gotten home than it seemed he had it together. He still has to add some mortar to it but it looks great. When we have it all finished I will post pictures.

Well, goodnight all.

SOMEONE IS GETTING BIG

I can't believe how big Jonathon is getting and it's happening so quickly. There's a huge part of me that wants to keep him as a baby for as long as I can, even though I know that's not possible. Even if it was, he wouldn't let me. He''s in such a hurry to be a big boy! There is just no stopping him. He is such a sweet, lovable little guy and I feel so blessed to be his Mom! Speaking of that, he is now saying "Mom" a lot! Here's a picture of Jonathon I took today. He's determined to walk on his own and I know it won't be long. Isn't he a doll? I just love this boy so much!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there! It's been a really nice day here. It's the first time in a long time I got to spend it with my Dad. And it's the first Father's Day Rob has had a son to share it with! That's pretty cool--not to mention his five nifty daughters. However, only three of them could be here today. Those were still pretty good odds.

The girls and I made homemade Lasagne for dinner for our guys. We also made a really nice salad and had french bread, watermelon and a delicious chocolate cake. (You're hungry now, aren't you? Go on, go get a sandwich and come back. I'll wait for you.)

Well, you'll never believe it but Jonathon actually slept through the night last night. Yep, it only took three nights in his own room. I told Rob he isn't allowed to say I told you so or I'll smack him. Hopefully, it wasn't a fluke and we've broken our young buck of his need to get up several times a night to be fed. I'm already feeling more rested just at the mere thought that I am going to begin getting to sleep through the night! Yay for Mommy!

Well, I need to head to bed myself--so let me just say Happy Father's Day to the two best Fathers I know--My Dad and my Husband. I love you guys.

THE GARDENING GOES ON . . .

Grandpa and Grandma planting flowers

Grandma working hard

Grandma, Julie and Carly

Hey, what's Grandpa doing with that pick-ax?

JONO'S FIRST NIGHT ALONE

Jonathon spent his first night alone in his own room. He only woke up once that I know of. I heard him on the monitor about 4 a.m. and after a few minutes of him crying I took a bottle in to him. He was crying really hard and wouldn't take the bottle. He just wanted to be held and comforted. I felt really bad. It took about five minutes of just holding and rocking him to calm him enough to get him to take the bottle. Then he drank it straight down and went back to sleep as I rocked him. When he was sound asleep I put him back to bed. He started to cry a little as I left the room but since I knew he wasn't hungry I went back to bed and listened on the baby monitor. Poor baby and poor Mama. This is hard on us.

Today we had a playdate at Robin's and Isaac's. Robin is my friend. Isaac is Carly's friend. We went over for lunch and play. Actually, Julie, Megan, Carly and Jonathon came too and Robin fed us all. Then the kids played and had fun. When we finished we came home and put the kids down for a nap and then went out to garden a bit.

Grandpa and Grandma were out gardening when we returned so we jumped right in. We are getting really close to having the front yard done. It is looking so nice. Tomorrow we have a bit more planting to do in front and we need to get the vegetables for the veggie garden in the back. We are really late getting the veggie garden started but it has been such rainy, snowy, cold weather here we haven't had a lot of choice. Hopefully, we will get it bought and planted tomorrow. That's the goal!

Well, that's pretty much all the excitement for today. Maybe tomorrow I will take some pictures. Lucky you! Lol!

GOODBYE THURSDAY. I HARDLY KNEW YOU WERE HERE.

Wow, I had to look at the calendar just now to see what day it was. Who knew it was Thursday already? Certainly not me! This week went by quickly! At least it did for me.

Grandpa had a check-up with his regular doctor today. When he got home I asked him what the doctor said and he told me, "She likes me." "Duh," I said. I had to wait for Grandma to get the real story which was pretty simple. Grandpa is doing fine. The doc was impressed with how well he is doing--and truthfully (this is me speaking now) she does like him. He makes her laugh.

The weather straightened itself up today and got really nice outside. It was a gorgeous sunshiney day! Of course, I didn't go out into it until evening but it was still really nice tonight.

I walked ten miles on my treadmill today after I made the mistake of getting on my scales this morning and finding I was two pounds heavier than yesterday! Does that sound a little obsessive? Okay, a lot? Yah, I know. But I'm having some of those days when no matter what you do you can't seem to lose weight. In fact, you wake up and you are two or three pounds heavier than the day before even though you didn't eat enough calories for that to happen. It is so frustrating! I just thought I needed to do something to shake my body up a little. I'm hoping ten miles is shaky enough.

When that happens to Rob he just waits a day or two and re-weighs himself and the weight is gone. He doesn't have to exercise or eat differently. What would that be like? I want a metabolism like that!

Well, tonight is the night. Rob moved Jonathon's crib out of our bedroom this afternoon. I don't know who this is going to be harder on--Mommy or son. I know it will make it so much better and easier when he learns to sleep through the night on his own. It's just that having him in another room and all is going to be both good and bad when he crys and I am not there to soothe him. He is going to be really sad and that makes me sad. I guess this is all part of growing up. Well, wish us luck. I think we are going to need it. Tomorrow is a new day--and apparently it's FRIDAY! :} Have a terrific Friday everyone!

BLOWN AWAY

We've nearly been blown away today. We've had heavy winds all day gusting at times up to 74 mph. It's been kind of crazy because we did some work outside so we really got to feel exactly how windy it was. It even blew a semi-trailer over on the freeway. It also got really cold about 4:00 p.m. I think the wind is supposed to continue through the night and part of tomorrow with a little rain before it subsides. This has been the wierdest June I can remember.

Carly got to go to her first birthday party today. (At least it's the first one I remember her going to.) It was her best friend Isaac's 4th birthday. Yes, she loves an older man. I'm hoping she will grow out of it. Lol! Anyway, she had lots of fun and as always was sad when it came time to go home. My baby girl loves to go bye-bye!

I am having a horrible time keeping Jonathon out of the dog's dishes. First it was the dog food. Now, it's the dog's water. I remember with Carly--she used to dump the dogs water all the time. I am determined not to go through that again. Bubby is just at the "splashing his hands in the water" stage right now. I don't know what the fascination is unless it's just the fact that it is down on their level. Grrrrrr.

Well, not much going on here. Just hoping to stay put amidst all these winds. Till tomorrow--I'm just hanging on tight!

IT'S BEEN A WHILE . . .

Since I've let you see these two people. So, I thought I'd show you that they are doing pretty well. Here they are just back from doing some sight-seeing with the McCammacks and they aren't too worse for the wear. They actually seem to be thriving in their new home. Although, without the telephone, Grandpa would go crazy. I know he talks to a lot of you and that's what keeps him going! Thanks for all you do for us. Love to all of you, Nancy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSAN!

Today is Susan's birthday. She is my OLDER sister. O.K. but not by very much and she doesn't let me forget that either! Mom and Dad went down and took Susan and her family to dinner. Sounds like everyone had a good time except maybe Alyssa, Susan's oldest who had just had her wisdom teeth out. Anyway, Happy Birthday Susan! We love you! Hope you had a terrific day!

The sun came out again today after a week of rain. We may actually get to finish planting our flowers tomorrow. The one's we've already planted look really good but we've had several flats sitting in the garage since the rain started and have just been keeping them watered until we can plant them outside.

I think the pollen count is really high right now. At least that's what my nose and eyes are telling me. I sure have noticed it the last several days. I guess the rain really kicks it up into the air. Whatever the reason, let me tell you it's just no fun!

We had some friends over tonight and watched some family friendly movies together. It was kind of a zoo between their family and ours. We have kids about the same age. Lots of noise and action. Jonathon dumped a whole bowl of popcorn and got chocolate all over the couch. Luckily, we stain-proofed the furniture when we bought it so it wiped right off. I'm surprised we have any hearing left after our babies decided to see who could reach the highest decibel level--several times. They weren't even upset. They seemed to be doing it just because they could. Lol! Still, we had a good time and ate way too much!

That's all folks . . .

A SLOW, SLOW SUNDAY

Grandma and Grandpa have been all over the state today with Richard and Nancy. They finally came home tonight around nine. They have been staying about an hour from home in the same hotel the McCammack's were staying in for the past two days and they would take off sight-seeing from there. I think they all had a good time and got to see lot's of neat things. It's been great to have some GC friends in the neighborhood.

Today was really a slow Sunday. I blame Jonathon. Probably because he didn't let me go to sleep until 3:00 a.m. and then got me up a few times in the night for a bottle. That meant I didn't feel like getting up and going to church but instead slept most of the day away. I hate it when I do that but it's about the only way to catch up and have any energy for the week.

Steve, Emily and the kids came over tonight and played games and made fudge. Megan and I stayed upstairs and watched a scary episode of Medium I had DVR'd. Other than that it was just a lazy old day. I wish I had something exciting to report but alas, I'm fresh out of exciting news. So, just like Jonathon . . . think I will crawl toward my bed and hopefully fall asleep mid-crawl! Lol! Til tomorrow . . .

HAVE YOU BEEN TO NANCY PANCY'S PLACE?

Richard and Nancy have! What's your excuse? We had a great time tonight with Grandma and Grandpa and the McCammacks. We had dinner and then just hung out and talked. Great company and good food are always a good recipe. You are all invited. Y'all come by now!

MY CUTE KIDS CLOWNING AROUND

Shhhh, I think they like each other. Don't tell them most siblings usually fight and maybe we can sit that one out! Hee, hee, hee!

CARLY'S NEW 'DOO

I decided to walk on the treadmill this afternoon so I took a late shower. I was still doing my hair and makeup when I realized it was getting close to time to start dinner. Since I wasn't quite finished getting ready I left my curlers and curler picks out so I could finish afterward.

Dinner was pretty close to ready when I heard Carly say something several times about "doing her own hair." I fixing my hair, Mama. Doing my hair, Mama by myself. My hair pretty Mama" When I finally got a look at her it was pretty funny. Her hair is pulled into puffs ( or ponytails) right now so she couldn't get the rollers in. I guess this is the best she could do. She watches me do my hair with hot rollers every day. I guess this is her interpretation of it. Not too shabby--just pretty darn funny!