Gotta Have My Popps

Breastfeeding a Dinosaur

2009-06-26T17:14:00.004-10:00

Here's a conversation from today that I never imagined (well... before I had kids I couldn't imagine it) I'd have with my 2 yr old SON:

Me: "I don't want to breastfeed your dinosaur."
Cohen: "Why?"
Me: (getting frusterated because my girls are soooo sensitive right now) "BECAUSE! He'll bite my boo boos off! You don't want that, do you?!"
Cohen: "No..." (now looking really sad)
Me: "Honey, you can give him YOUR boo boos if you want. He'd like that."
Cohen: "Otay" (so he sits down on the floor of my bathroom and proceeds to nurse his dinosaur)

What's funny, is that this type of conversation doesn't suprise me at ALL anymore.

Ahhhh, motherhood :)

Deployment Countdown Craft

2009-06-19T21:18:00.007-10:00

Conner and Cohen have had a bit of a rough time with Daddy gone, and they ask me constantly how long until he comes home. Last time he was gone for only a couple weeks and we had a calendar that we made X's on for every day he was gone, leading up until the homecoming. This time is a bit longer, so we decided to make a countdown craft. We could have done the typical paper chain style, but decided to come up with something a little more original and fun!

Inspired by this submarine craft, this is what we came up with:

The concept is that there is a fishie or an octopus for every day that Daddy will be gone. Conner decided that each morning one fish will swim up to live under the top submarine. When all the sea creatures have surfaced like the top submarine, its time for Daddy to come home! (**note, I took these pics with only a few of the fishies we actually have to put up. I can't show you all exactly how many days until Daddy gets home, due to military security regulations. Just imagine LOTS more fishies up there LOL.)

I suppose I could have cleaned the sliding glass door before taking these photos, but I'm just keepin' it real, yo.

Conner was feeling sick when I took pictures, so he wasn't in the mood to pose, but he's sitting here now and wants me to clarify that Cohen's submarine is the blue one, and his is the black one on top (because Daddy's submarine is black!)

I leave you with Cohen's now famous wink/smile. What a weirdo :)

Did Ya Miss me?

2009-06-19T20:12:00.008-10:00

Hey hey, its been awhie, eh?!

Last I posted the announcement of our impending Cletus the Fetus... and now look - I'm huge!

30 weeks along now (about 2.5 months left)! PS its ANOTHER smelly BOY! :)

SOOOO much has taken place since my last post, but I'm just going to start off where we are now.
Let's see... the man is gone. He went out on an EastPac with his sub a few weeks ago. I'm hanging on here, holding down the fort with 3 little kids (we have my nephew temporarily for those who don't know). Here's the last image I have of my hunka-hunka-burnin' love... bright and early one morning as we left him at the pier:

We went and watched the boat leave from Ford Island which was pretty cool because we could drive all the way down to the water and got pretty close to the boat.

Bye, Daddy! We love you!!

*sniff sniff*

In case you haven't heard...

2008-12-25T14:15:00.002-10:00

Curtis won the NEATEST prize at the USS Olympia Christmas party raffle!

Check it out - you'll need your sound turned up:

Glaciers

2008-11-16T18:38:00.005-10:00

Bathtime in our house has gotten a bit more fun lately! Introducing... GLACIERS!

First, you fill some plastic tubs with water. Then you add a drop of food coloring - DON'T stir it, just swirl once or so, so that the color doesn't mix all the way. It looks cool, trust me. Then you throw in a small toy or two. Here we have a pirate, a mideval guy, and an alien. Then slide them into the last available free space in your freezer; right next to the hot dogs and the frozen beans. Don't be like me and forget to wipe the freezer down first - its embarrassing ;)

I do this part first thing in the morning, so it'll have a chance to freeze before bathtime that night.

When the kids are in the tub, bring out the glaciers!

They're cold, they're fun, they float, but they melt FAST! I've been using bigger tubs than the ones shown here lately, to extend the melting time a bit. If you use bigger tubs, pour in only half of the water, freeze it for a few hours, then add the toys and top off with more water. That way your toys won't melt out in the first 15 seconds LOL.

The kiddos love to see what cool toys will thaw when the glacier melts LOL.

Last step: eat the toy!

Make some glaciers for your kids today :)

First Visit from the Tooth Fairy

2008-11-16T15:44:00.004-10:00

As some of you know, Conner was born with a tooth. You read that right. I remember gazing at my minutes old infant and saying outloud, "Is that a tooth in his mouth?!" and the nurses just shrugging me off, saying it was swelling LOL. Well, it WAS a tooth! They call it a natal tooth, or a milk tooth. Its rare, but it happens! Conner's tooth has always been loose, since it was lacking much of a root to keep it in place. It was also almost always yellow, because there was no way for it to get nourishment to stay healthy.

We always knew there was a good chance he'd lose it before the normal age of 6 or 7. I made it a point to never tell him his tooth was loose, so he wouldn't mess with it. Leave it to a kid's tv program to inform him about what happens when you lose a tooth LOL. As soon as he knew about that tooth fairy, he set out to get that tooth out! All day he was messing with it, and by the time Daddy got home from work that evening, the tooth was lying on its side. He realllllly wanted a visit from the tooth fairy! hahaha

This is the face of a kid who can't contain his excitement LOL

Before bed on Tuesday night, I set out to pull the tooth. He was SO excited. I tried to explain that it would hurt a little, but he didn't care! He was grinning from ear to ear :)

He was very brave, indeed. After a few attempts, the tooth was out!

And BOY was he proud! "Am I big now, Mama?"

We cleaned up the little thing, and put it in our very special Tooth Fairy Pillow that my dad had bought for him a long time ago. At the time I thought it was a little silly to give it to us soooo many years before he'd lose his teeth. I'm glad we had it on hand though, since we ended up needing it a couple years earlier than expected!

In the morning, he came running into my room, "MAMA! The tooth fairy came and brought me a GOLD COIN!"

This video is posted mostly for the grandparents, but you can watch if you'd like. Turn on your speakers and click below :)

Cohey's First Haircut

2008-11-07T13:24:00.006-10:00

Random people tell me almost daily how much they love Cohen's hair. Many liken him to a surfer-boy.

I love the long look, but it was getting a little outta control. His bangs were SO long... down to his nose. This created problems when he had a runny nose, as boogers aren't easy to clean out of little boy hair!

He constantly shook his head back and forth all the time, trying to shake the hair out of his eyes.

It was TIME.

So, I took him in last week for his very first haircut. Ohhhh how hard it was for me! In the end, I chickened out. I just couldn't have them cut off that beautiful hair! Its so pretty and wavy - I want it for myself!

So, they trimmed the front and the sides a little. And took about 2 inches off the back. They left most of the length alone, so it was much less scary to me than getting a real haircut LOL.

Its still long and purtiful, so I'm happy. And he no longer has to shake the hair out of his eyes, so he's happy :)

Look! I can see his eyes!

Oh my stinkin' heck... I love those eyes :)

And this, my friends...

2008-11-07T12:27:00.003-10:00

THIS is why you don't leave your pumpkin curry on a low simmer while you step outside to chat with a friend for 10 minutes.

Please friends, don't be like me... cover your curry! I didn't even realize until hours later that there was a far worse mess lurking under the stove's hood. It was bad enough that it took 2 of us half an hour to clean up the disaster that covered my entire kitchen, the floor, the ceiling, the walls, etc. *shudder*

Does anyone else think my soup has an uncanny resemblence to breast-fed baby poo? Oh good, so its not just me?

I assure you though, it tasted DELISH!

A Spooktacular Week!

2008-11-03T14:26:00.007-10:00

Shout out to Tip Junkie readers :)

WHEW! Where to start? Two weekends ago we went to a little Halloween party that was put on by the Navy MWR. Dubbed "Trunk-or-Treat," I thought the party was going to be crap-tastic because the children would be trick-or-treating from car trunks. Turns out, it was pretty fun in that the car owners went all out decorating the backs of their SUV's and mini vans.

Anyway, it was raining, so the boys couldn't wear the costumes that I made for them (they're made from posterboard). So we made a last minute stop at the Navy's thrift shop and scored some super hero costumes for $.50 each! And at that price, I also stocked the boys' dress up costumes stash. NICE!

Shootin' webs at you!

And how CUTE is my little Batman??

You know you want to squish him :)

Then this week at preschool, Conner's class had a Fall party (not to be confused with a Halloween party). Curtis was off from work this week, so he was able to tag along as well.

Decorating sugar cookies

Aren't those paper bag pumpkins such sweet centerpieces?

After the cookies were devoured, the kids listened to a Fall-themed Bible story. Then they all stood up and performed a cute little song. I think you'll have to click the video at the end of this entry to play it. And don't forget to turn up your sound!

On Thursday, the kids played dress-up. Here are the Garnette's... my adoptive daughters. Conner was in school when I took this photo, and when he saw it later on, he was not too pleased to see his Jordie wearing his costume hahaha :p

Fast forward to Friday night - HALLOWEEN! And NO RAIN! WOOT!

Conner had long ago requested to be a chocolate chip cookie for Halloween. Then it morphed into him being a "silly cookie" (NO idea where that came from). And then one day he says to me, "Mama I want to be a silly cookie that plays trombone! Brrrrrr!" For probably 2 weeks he insisted that he would play trombone on Halloween. Curtis totally fell for it, and we exhausted ourselves one evening driving all around town trying to find a dang trombone - or any darn horn, for that matter. Turns out, toy horns are SO last year. The hot musical toys are guitars. THANKS Guitar Hero. We ended up getting him some kind of bike whistle/horn thingie. He called it a trombone and all was good.

My adorable little M&M

Yes, he's wearing little girl's tights. And a turtle-neck in Hawaii. And a shabby little home made costume. But gosh darn it, he's freakin cute if you ask me. Who knows how many more years my children will allow me to subject them to such torture ;)

Here we are with those pesky Garnette's again. They were all SO excited by this point!

Look how sweet Jordie's Belle costume is (from Beauty and the Beast). Her mama sewed it from her own old sub-ball maternity gown. Neat, huh?! When I grow up, I want to be able to make cool costumes like that ;)

Trick-or-Treat! Smell my feet! Gimme something good to eat!

Look at my -er, ummm- THEIR loot!

And to cap off the weekend, we went to see Wall-E at the dollar theaters, then headed to the carnival at Hickam AFB. The kids had lots of fun, but oh man my wallet is still crying. I took Conner and Jordie on the Scrambler (a big-kid ride!) and they had a blast! After that they got their faces painted.

PUMPKINS! :)

Click this video!

I've Been Tagged!

2008-10-20T17:07:00.002-10:00

10 Years Ago, in October 1998, I was:
1. a sophomore in high school
2. dating a sweet kid named Doug
3. babysitting most weekends
4. getting ready for Homecoming!!
5. going to football games on Friday nights

Five things on today's "To Do" List:
1. Go to work
2. Take Conner to speech
3. Realize there is no speech today when we're already there
4. Go to the commissary and FINALLY use some coupons!
5. Work on our costumes

Five things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Invest
2. Travel Europe with my hubby
3. Buy a nice but modest home
4. Visit family more often
5. Save

Five places I have lived:
1. Anchorage, Alaska
2. Poulsbo, Washington
3. Silverdale, WA
4. Bremerton, WA
5. Honolulu, Hawaii

Five jobs I have had:
1. Custodian
2. Busser in bowling alley restaurant
3. Caregiver to developmentally disabled adults
4. Nanny
5. Newborn photographer

Okay the five people I'm tagging are:
1. Lea
2. Chas
3. Rachel
4. Rochelle
5. Amy Jo

Need Some Inspiration!

2008-10-15T14:24:00.004-10:00

'Tis the season to think about Halloween costumes! I'm a frequent reader of Tip Junkie, and they recently discussed family themed costumes, so it got me thinking that I need some input! I like to do a family theme, but unfortunately this year, the hubster has duty on Trick-or-Treat Eve, so he won't be joining us this time.

Last year, when Conner insisted on being Buzz Lightyear, I decided we'd be a cast of characters from Toy Story. Our costumes weren't super awesome, but they were good enough to win us a costume contest at the mall LOL!

See? Conner was Buzz, I was Jessy, Curtis was Woody, and baby Cohen was one of those little green aliens from the arcade grabby machine hehehe. Can you see it? Most people couldn't figure out what Cohen was...

Maybe this split-screen will help. Seperated at birth, no? Freakin cute, either way ;)

ANYWHO...

So I need some inspiration for this year. I was throwing some ideas at Conner a few weeks ago. One of them was cookies and milk. So now he's got it in his head that he'll be a chocolate chip cookie. I figure I'd make 2 big cookies out of poster board and hang them over his shoulders by twine? Clearly, I'm only capable of VERY easily assembled costumes LOL (as seen by our Toy Story ensembles). Any other ideas? I think I'm going to be a carton of milk. Cohen... I know he won't tolerate a real costume. I thought about just pinning a bunch of cut out cookies to his clothes? But that's dumb, right? I dunno! Thoughts please!!

PS...

I miss fall...

I miss sweaters, and cute stocking caps, and cider, and cold noses, and pumpkins, and boots. Its just not the same when its 80 degrees in Hawaii ;)

It Has Been Brought to My Attention...

2008-09-17T13:53:00.005-10:00

That I am a boring blogger. My dear, darling, beautiful, and (most importantly) frugal friend Lea recently left this comment on my blog:

"Ok....so let me get this straight... I teach you overage, learn you the art of Coopon Recon, take you to Five Star Sunday Brunch, Car chase law breakers, and steal things from peoples back yards and you post about a ... R U G!! Seriously!?"

So to appease Miss Thang, here you go. A little more about myself you might find interesting.

Or disturbing.

Did you know that lately I've been saving an average of 80-100% off of my grocery bill? Oh yes, I do. Its delicious. I do it with coupons, if you must know. Just don't ask me how I get so many coupons, ok?

I said don't ask! Twist. My. Arm..... YEOWCH! UNCLE!!! OK, OK... Jeeze! Here it goes... its called Coupon Recon, or better known as Dumpster Diving!

THERE! I said it! I get into recycling dumpsters voluntarily and collect as many coupons as I can at a time. I go with 2 other friends (and I'm only outting YOU, Lea... mwa hahahaha!) on Sunday nights. Its a BLAST. Its an art-form. Perhapse one day maybe Lea will send me the pics we took at Candy Mountain. Leeaaaa?? You hear me? EMAIL! Blogs are better with photographic evidence, don'tya know? ;)

And yes, we've been busted before. The stories I could tell you would have you pee your pants with laughter. Or maybe only I pee my pants when I laugh... hey, I've had 2 kids, don't judge me. It really is good fun. Call me trashy, whatever... I walk out of the commissary with $80+ in free groceries every week, do you?!

And to touch on the other things that Lea talked about in her comment earlier...

* A couple weeks ago, Lea took me to a 5-Star brunch at a super swanky hotel on the beach. It was pretty much the most glorious day of my life (well, besides the times I pushed 2 little blonde monkeys into existance). I cried tears of joy atleast 12 times, the food was THAT good. We both went back for probably 5 plates of food. Oh yes, we did. And then she pushed me in her stroller back to the car. Because I was too fat/sick to walk. It happened.
But not the stroller part. I pushed HER.

* On our way home, we chased bad guys in our car (hey, we witnessed blatant child abuse, we weren't gonna let it slide). A couple of vigilante moms, doin' what was right. We made a police report and everything. I hope they caught that lady...

* And YES, I take things from curbs and back yards. Wait, wait... don't throw stones just yet! There was a SIGN saying I could! We kind of have a habit of driving the nice neighborhoods once a month to see what kinds of treasures people put on the curb for the bulk trash guys to pick up. Some things I've scored: a matching (but smaller) buffet to the one I already have, an outdoor climbing toy with slide for the kids, brand new bookshelves, an eliptical machine, stroller, a Razor dirt bike/motorcycle (!!!). Those are the main things, but there have been many more. Its great fun, if you ask me. Call me a cheapskate, I don't care! Those things would go to the dump if we didn't save them!

SO. There you have it. All my dirty little secrets. Did you learn something new about me? Did you lose some respect for me?? Hey, don't forget to lose some respect for Lea too... she was in on ALL of it!

Now, back to my regularly scheduled programming.... RUGS.

His birthday was dino-mite!

2008-09-10T11:36:00.003-10:00

Ok so his birthday was on the 4th, so I'm a bit late in posting this. Better late than never, eh? Here he is posing in front of our family's birthday flag. Too bad we don't have a flag pole to fly it on! He started his day at preschool, where he got to pass out the home made chocolate chip muffins with icing and sprinkles on top that we made together. He was SO proud, and got to wear a birthday crown while his classmates sang "Happy Birthday" to him!

Conner asked for a strawberry dinosaur cake, so that's what his mama made for him! I kept it hidden from him, so he was seeing it for the first time here. Awww, I love this pic :)

There was no big party; instead we had a few close friends over for cake and ice cream after dinner that day. It was perfect! Here's Jordie and Conner, the betrothed LOL. She's his bestie :)

Me and my boy... gosh I can't believe how fast he's growing up. FOUR already?! Since when was I old enough to have a FOUR year old?!

Oh, and here's my creation. Nothing super awesome, but I think he got a kick out of it! Maybe someday I'll actually put my Wilton cake decorating classes to use and make a fancy shmancy cake. We'll see...

Conner was thrilled to get all these cards from his grandmas and grandpa's!! And look at the neat pop-up dino book he got from my dad... we only read this one when Cohen's napping, otherwise he'd destroy it LOL. Last but not least, his new dinosaur tshirt from Grandpa! I think he wore this for... oh... 4 straight days? It was washed, and now he's wearing it again haha.

Happy 4th birthday, Conner Allen! We love you so much!!

Hale'iwa town

2008-09-01T12:11:00.003-10:00

Yesterday we spent the day up on the beautiful North Shore in Hale'iwa (the surfing capilal of the world) Our day started at 10am when our church met for Sunday service on the beach... how neat is that?! There we all are, nestled beneath the trees, with a gorgeous view of the ocean :)

Raise your hand if you can say the same LOL

After worship and the sermon, some ladies from our church came up to dance the hula for us. For me, it was one of those, "Wow, I really *do* live in Hawaii" moments!
SO neat.

After service, there was a potluck. With bellies sufficiently stuffed, we headed down to the beach to play, of course! I don't have photos from the beach... you'll just have to believe me ;)

Soon enough, we were hungry again and needed a break from the sun and fun, so we went up the street just a little bit and got some Matsumoto Shave Ice. Its world famous LOL. Its DELISH. I like to get mine with ice cream on the bottom and condensed milk on top. Some people get the azuki beans, but that's not really my thing. Conner and Cohen of course thought it was such a treat!These people here are commenting on how they can't believe Conner ate that whole shave ice all by himself. They must not have kids... kids find room in their tummies for junk!

Later on, we drove up the road a mile to Laniakea Beach, known better as "Turtle Beach." This is why!
Honu!

The honu (turtles) were out in full force yesterday. Usually I'll see maybe 3 while there, but this time they were peppered all up and down the beach. I counted 10-15 just in the small area I was standing with the boys, and there were tons more that were floating in and out with the lapping waves. Cohen had never seen them before and didn't really care, but Conner got a big kick out of it.

Great day!

Hero Worship

2008-08-24T11:57:00.002-10:00

This kid wants to grow up and be just like his daddy.

This kid wants to grow up to be... um... what exactly IS that?! Hmmm... maybe he'll compete in triathlons or something?

Saturday in the Park

2008-08-23T23:01:00.007-10:00

Today we decided to head on down to Ala Moana Beach Park to check out both the Greek Festival and the Chinese Dragon Boat races.

First stop was the Greek thing, which was set in this really neat closed in venue with odd shaped koi ponds and huge monkey trees.

There was a live band playing some really great Greek music - I told Curtis it made me want to go to Greece and dance at twilight in the town square with the locals LOL. Someday, someday.

There was also a troupe of dancers who performed traditional dances. I think Cohen loved it more than any of us... or maybe he just loved clapping along with everyone at the end of each dance. Either way, he was into it!

After the show, we got some Greek iced coffee -they called it a Frappe- but it wasn't like what Starbucks serves. It was sweetened iced coffee with condensed milk poured over the top and it was deeeeelish! We got the kids some gelato and a pita to share and they were happy campers!

Once we had our fill of "Greece," we walked out towards the beach to look for the Chinese Dragon Boat races that were going on.

Unfortunately, we got there during some kind of break, or maybe they hadn't really started yet. There was only one boat to be found, and it was pulled up onto the beach.

But it worked out because we were able to get nice and close for pics :)
Neat, huh? Here's Conner throwing up his best "Shaka."

After waiting around awhile, we decided to grab a drink for the road and head back to the car. He's an addict, like his mama!

By this time, the kids were tired and hot, so we started heading back to the car. Of course, that's when they bring out the other boats for the races LOL.

We didn't stay to watch, so thanks to Susan for these 2 pics :)

Just as we were leaving the beach, I got inspired and took this shot. I lurve it.

Lucky we live aloha :)

The price you pay to live in Paradise...

2008-08-07T22:50:00.003-10:00

I had to pick some stuff up at Safeway today because the commissary was closed, and well, Safeway wasn't LOL. Let's just say I don't shop much out in town.

This is why.

Can you belive it was actually $10.74 a couple weeks ago? Too bad I didn't have my camera on me then... its ok if you don't believe me LOL.

I know what you're thinking. This is INSANE. Thank goodness I can utilize the commissary most of the time and get away with paying just under $6 per gallon instead. I wonder if housing would get mad if I got a cow for my back yard? Not only would I get my milk FREE, I'd have a built in lawn mower!

No wonder there is so much poverty here...

Marketing to Kids

2008-08-02T16:36:00.003-10:00

Man this marketing/catering to kids thing is getting a bit over the top. I mean, I can KINDA understand when you see images of Disney characters on fresh fruit, or other characters on canned veggies. I guess it makes healthy food more appealing to kids? Whatever.

But to see movie advertisements on my bananas? Really? I took a Chiquita sticker off of a banana last night that had a pic of a chimp from that new movie (Space Chimps?). Under the pic were the words "In Theaters Now!" WOW. Was that really necessary?

OH! Or how about the new Burger King Apple Fries?? Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad that fast food restaurants offer healthier options for kids meals these days. But to disguise the apples as fries?

As if the only way that something healthy would taste good is to make it look like junk?

Lame!

When I grow up, I want to be a doula.

2008-06-19T15:38:00.008-10:00

Last night, I attended the birth of a very close friend of mine. I was there as her doula, a support person who's main objective is to mother the mother, to provide emotional support during labor, and to help make the birth experience as wonderful as possible. This was the second time I've had such an honor, and even though I'm not certified yet, I hope to be in the next couple years or so. Birth has become a passion of mine, so becoming a doula just seems so natural to me. Last night I got to see just how strong women can be; it was truly amazing. Seeing as how it was only the second birth I have attended as a doula, I don't know how helpful I was, but I hope that my presence helped her and her husband to have the birth they hoped for!

Now I just need to wait for the next doula conference so I can attend. I had to miss the last one, and was so disappointed!

While I'm at it, I encourage anyone who is having a baby, or plans to have a baby to see this film. It has rocked the birthing world recently and is SUCH an awesome documentary. It really opens your eyes to what the medical community has done to the institution of birth. You'll definitely never view birthing in a hospital the same again. ;)

The Business of Being Born. (be sure to watch the trailer for the film)

Cute, no?

2008-06-18T10:29:00.004-10:00

I'm workin on his dad. Curtis is allergic to dogs and such but we've heard there are low-dander breeds that are available. It would be great if he could just take a prescription for his allergy, but it would disqualify him from subs. So either we find a dog that is dander-free, or we have no dog. Its gonna kill me too - I'd MUCH rather save a pooch from the pound than spend $1500+ on a dang pure-breed. Actually, I refuse to spend that kind of money on a dog LOL its SILLY to me! Unless of course you're going to breed the thing, but that's not why we want a puppy. Guess Conner needs to wait until Daddy is done riding submarines. I think every boy needs a dog, so I hope we don't have to wait too long!

For the Dads

2008-06-16T11:46:00.012-10:00

Yesterday was father's day, so I thought I'd take a moment to cheer on some of the great dads in my life.

I'll start with my husband. I love you, Curtis and you are an AMAZING father. Our babies look up to you so much and absolutely adore you.

They love their routines they have with you. From going outside to the playground and riding bikes right when you get home every day after work, to showers before bed. I am so lucky to have a husband who is such an active father figure.

I love that you don't balk at diapers or barf or setting up the train track for the 5th time in one morning. And I'll forgive you for making them Bear's fans instead of Seahawks fans.

I'll even forgive you for making them look just. like. you.

You even had to go and give them your big ol Popp feet!

I love that you'd dress up as a cowboy for Halloween because Buzz Lightyear HAS to have his sidekick Woody.

Our boys are so lucky to have you in their lives :)

Now on to my older brother Devan. He had quite the suprise when he found out he was expecting a baby last year with a really great girl I can now call my sister, Stephanie.

I got countless calls from him in the beginning when she was first pregnant. I advised on the best diapers, the best baby wash, and (probably Steph's FAVORITE part hahaha) her diet as a pregnant woman. I suggested that he lay off and let her eat what she dang well pleased LOL. Never anger a pregnant woman! ;)

He always said he'd never change diapers, and that made me sad, but I just knew that as soon as his son was born, he'd change. I'm happy to report that now that his son Haiden has arrived, he's a diaper-changing fool! He has really stepped into his role as a father, and it has been SO neat to watch from afar (mostly through photos Steph sends).

Welcome to parenthood, Dev. Its amazing, huh? :)

Next up is my little brother Kaid. Boy howdy did I never think I'd be wishing him a happy Father's Day this year, but here it is. This October, Kaid will become a father of twin boys. I have NO doubts that he will be awesome. He's so good with my kids, and really gets down on their level. They adore him!

Congrats, Kaid! You're in for it now muahahahaha!

Last, but certainly not least is MY daddy. He may have been away a large part of my youth, but I always knew that he was there for me, just a phone call away. I think myself to be very lucky to have had such a hands-on dad when I was little. Its a standard I looked for in a husband and was fortunate to find in Curtis. My dad is one of the most patient, kind, and thoughtful people I've ever known. And he's a fabulous grandpa. I can't put into words how happy it makes me when I see my dad with my kids. Makes me all squishy inside!

Love you, Daddy :)

2008-06-04T14:08:00.007-10:00

Cutting a Rug

2008-06-01T16:53:00.008-10:00

I got a new rug today! It doesn't really match my decor, but whatever. There isn't much to my "decor" anyway LOL - it'll only take a little tweaking to make it work. Normally I go for plain colors and neutrals. Which means easy and boring LOL.
"Safe" may be a better term.

But oh, my. Ah yes... this is cool.

And when I saw it for sale at such a steal, I knew I had to have it!

$35 to rock my socks off.

Consider them rocked. :)

To the Nine's

2008-05-30T16:54:00.005-10:00

This is us at my good friend Rachel & Adam's wedding in April. I was a brides maid, and Conner was the ring bearer. It was freakin' cute :)

Doin' his thang. He was SO confident!

A rare moment of tranquility LOL.

Cohen wasn't in the wedding, but the bride still bought him a little suit. I just wanted to eat him up!

This photo is so sweet, it makes my teeth ache.

My Bucket List

2008-05-19T12:47:00.010-10:00

While the term "Bucket List" is somewhat new to me, the concept is not. For awhile now, I've had a running list of things I'd like to do before I die (some of them before I'm 30 LOL). Slowly but surely, I'm knocking them out, one by one.

Here's a short sampling of my list:

*Sky Diving

*White Water Rafting

*Swim with Sharks (check!)

*Swim with Dolphins (check!)

*See Venice

*See Paris (check!)

*See Rome

*Sing on Stage at Carnegie Hall (check!)

*Fly a Plane (check!)

A couple weeks ago, I was visiting my dad in Cali. His bucket list has always included driving a train, so we went up to this little po-dunk town where there was a train station that allowed you to drive one for about an hour. After my dad got his kicks (even Conner too... does it get any better than that for a 3 yr old boy?! Driving a train with his grandpa?!), I had the opportunity to give it a whirl. Reluctantly, I drove the train. How many people can say they did that anyway?

This is the beast we drove. Conner was a very excited little conductor man - so was his grandpa!
Me and Conner... sorry its so dark!
Yeah, yeah... so I'm not the most attentive driver LOL

Since I drove a freakin' train, I decided to add it to my Bucket List (you know, to make the list look cooler LOL) and then cross it off.

*Drive a Freakin' Train (check!)

So now that I've driven a freakin' train, and flown a plane, the next obvious step is to drive a ferry, no? And since I'm gonna do it, it should be something huge like the Hawaii Super Ferry, right?! Go big or go home I say!

*Drive a Ferry

Strike That, No New Hair For Me

2008-04-09T09:07:00.001-10:00

Friend gave away my hair appointment slot to somebody else, and there are no more slots open before I leave for my trip. Why? I'm not quite sure. I'm SUPER disappointed about it. The ONE time in my life I decide to grow a pair and do something drastic-ish to my hair, it doesn't work out. *sigh*

Conner, what will you do without me when you're big?

2008-04-08T15:40:00.002-10:00

His response:
"I'll be big and ride away really fast on my bike and you say 'Stop Conner time out' but I'm big so I don't have to so I go really really fast and say 'NO MAMA, I'm big now, you not tell me what to do!' And you'll be MAD."

LOL kids are so funny :p

But to make up for that, about 2 minutes ago I was sitting here cruising the net and behind me I hear the Blue's Clues guy ask "What makes YOU happy?" and Conner said, "My mama."
I'm happy I heard it... I usually tune out those kids shows ;)

My Rebellious Streak hits at 25

2008-04-08T13:30:00.006-10:00

I think I may be having a mid-20's crisis hahaha. I never went through a crazy stage as a teen (well, I got a heart tattoo and my belly pierced but that's what EVERY girl did LOL). I've never dyed my hair, or really done anything drastic. I have a chance to have virtually ANYthing done to my hair by a girl I know for FREE. That's right... services that could potentially cost hundreds of dollars for FREE. So I should take this chance and run with it, right? I've had straight, boring hair all my life. While I like my hair, I also would love a change. A perm, perhaps? I'm thinking a body wave (see pic ^) would be rockin, but I'm scurred at the same time! Heck, if I do it, I think I'm going to go balls to the wall and even get a hot pink streak through my side swept bangs. I'm not telling my family and friends back home. I'll be there in a couple weeks, so it should be fun to see reactions. Hopefully I can figure out a sitter and get an appointment with my friend to do my hair. I'm excited!

Tiny Tornadoes

2008-04-07T00:21:00.004-10:00

I often feel as if by mid-morning, a tornado has come through my downstairs. The 3 yr old boy likes to build castles with the couch cushions. The 1 yr old boy can empty a box of butt wipes faster than I can speed pee. They both throw giant Lego's all over the floor. Puzzle pieces, army men, mashed bananas, and jammies get strewn about as if that's where they're supposed to go. I think I missed the memo that came out saying I'd step on the letter G twenty three times a day.

By the time the kids are in bed each night, I'm too exhausted to clean up again. What's the point, anyway? I live every day on repeat it seems LOL...

Bloggity Blog

2008-04-07T00:06:00.004-10:00

Hey look, its my first blog!
My intent is bore any poor soul who happens upon my ramblings with tales from Toddler-Town, my latest obsessions, and adventures in Paradise. I can't guarantee consistency, perfect spelling, grammar, or even that you'll want to come back for more. But I hope you do.
Enjoy :)