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Saturday, July 31, 2010

First hair cut

Friday night we decided to take Will for his first hair cut. Honestly he's needed it done since 10 seconds after he was born. But it was his Grandpa Rex "offering" to do it for us while we in Alaska that really got us thinking about it.

I had actually gone home from work early with a fever and a bad cold but by about 6pm I was okay to leave the house. So, in pouring rain we went out to Cool Kids Cuts for Will's first haircut.

Let me also note here, neither of my girls had their hair cut before they were potty trained. So getting a boys hair cut so young was foreign to me.


As you can see this is before any cutting occurred. Will loves being in the yellow car.


This last picture shows that she's already wet his hair down. He suspects something.


He's actually being good here, not moving around too much but certainly not LOVING this.





Yes, his hair is in a Mohawk. We bought cookie dough scented hair gel just to do it like that. BUT even when it's not in the Mohawk it is much shorter and lays down much easier. He looks like such a big boy.

Next stop? Nose ring.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Bounty

So last night I could no longer put off harvesting two of my tomatoes as they were a beautiful, bright red which meant they were calling to me "PICK ME NOW! TURN ME INTO GUACAMOLE WITH A NICE AVOCADO!"

They are loud tomatoes. It's the red.

So I picked two of them and a large cucumber. I was hoping to extend my cucumber picking a little longer but this one was good sized and it looked like my cucumber plant was struggling to grow others while providing for this monster.



That is TOTALLY not an upside down happy face that I can't figure out how to fix.

Okay maybe it is. I put the quarter there in the middle for the "nose" to give you an idea of size. I think I did pretty good overall.

Something about sun ripened, on the vine tomatoes smells so earthy and wonderful.

And now I need an avocado.

PS - those are Roma tomatoes which are better for making sauces. In case you thought they looked weird because they aren't so roundish.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Pool Days

I never feel like I've had a "real" summer unless I've gotten sunburned. If you've ever seen my skin then you know that the term "fishbelly white" is a real color on human beings and I possess it. All over my body.

Being sunburned sucks is not fun but as long as I enjoyed the WAY I got sunburned then it's a good memory.

Also, I've been sunburned so many times that I don't really feel the pain anymore. I think the sun has burned out the nerves over most of my body. That or childbirth really puts pain into perspective.

Sunday Lizzie and I headed over to my sister in law Mel's house to enjoy some pool time in their complex. Mel was throwing a laid back pool birthday party for one of her friends and we got to enjoying knowing people who know people who have a pool key.

I had sunblock SPF 70 which was not nearly strong enough. Lizzie and Will got a mix of SPF 70 and SPF 100. Will seems to have a slight sunburn on one side of his face but otherwise they seem okay.



Lizzie and cousins Paloma and Myles enjoyed splashing and swimming. Lizzie insisted she wanted swimming lessons afterwards because she's not a very strong swimmer yet.


This is the group of kids. Plenty of friends to play with.




Will and I did a lot of swimming around. He got his face wet a couple of times and did NOT like it. He did however, enjoy kicking his feet and paddling around with me holding him.

After awhile though he ended up like this:



While not officially asleep he was sure hinting pretty hard that he would like to be.

So we got out and I dried him off and laid him in his stroller with his bottle.



After a few minutes of some intimate time with the bottle he ended up like this:


Which was fine because on the way home both he and Lizzie ended up like this:




I love summer pool exhausted babies. And big sisters.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Words

I'm constantly surprised by the feedback I get from my blog. Up until this morning it has always been very positive and certainly feeds my ego.

This morning though, I realized that I had hurt someone with my words, someone I hadn't intended to hurt, someone that I had no idea even knew I had a blog. And I feel bad for it, guilty even.

Not because what I said wasn't true. But because what I said hurt them and for that I am sorry.

My former mother in law read on this blog that I referred to her family as cold and WASPy. I was comparing them to the grooms family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The irony, to me, is that I was not the person to originally make that comparison. Their son was.

I am writing this now because of my sadness. I am sad that my words were hurtful and that I hope she uses that pain to take a long, hard look at her life and to examine why I felt that way, why I may not have felt welcomed into their family. I spent 10 years as their daughter and it was not always a smooth relationship. Hers was the approval I most wanted in my marriage but yet somehow I always seemed to feel like an outsider in their family.

(Twylia - a hint would be how you acted when I wanted to stay with you the summer my mother was dying)

My blog readers wont know the drama behind our relationship and because it is such a sensitive thing I wont rehash our issues out on this blog. Her hurt feelings have made me reconsider what I say about others and I believe that is a positive thing.

I don't know if she still reads this blog. She may not. I probably wouldn't if I were her.

I found out she had hurt feelings because she posted a family picture on facebook and commented that she was having dinner with her "Cold, reserved and WASPy family". It's ironic to me to that in that picture is her other former daughter in law. Apparently she still gets invited for dinner. I haven't even gotten a phone call or email from her in almost a year except the one time she told me she couldn't be my friend on facebook because she never went on it.

Truly it's not that we ever had a bad relationship or that they are icy people. Indeed, I loved my former mother in law very much and always wanted her approval, desperately so. I wanted to feel like she loved me back.

And I am sure to others they are not icy people, they are not cold or distant. They are warm, loving people to others around them and to many, many friends and members of their family.

But our relationship did not start out well and I suspect it was always tainted because of that.

So, Twylia, if you are still reading this blog, I am sorry I hurt your feelings and that I called you cold and reserved and icy. You are not truly any of those things to other people. But I don't think you ever really liked my very much and your behavior toward me during my marriage to your son, during our divorce and after has never been very warm, accepting or inviting except in short instances. For my part in that I am truly sorry.

I still love you, even if you aren't my Other Mother anymore. You are the only other woman I ever called Mom.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Cart

Saturday William and I decided to let Micah sleep and enjoy our last few hours as a two some (meaning before the girls got home) to check out a store called "In Season" which only stocks food items from within 250 miles of their front door. Basically it's all Colorado food. Predictably it's a VERY small store. I had brought my stroller with me, not anticipating EXACTLY how small the store was (did I mention it was small?) and it easily took up half the walkable space on the floor. *sigh*

Afterwards we went to Sunflower Market for the rest of this weeks produce etc. and I had quite the quandry.

I could put William in the stroller, without the infant carseat, since he really likes that but my ability to shop would be severly limited.

I could leave William in the infant carseat and just put him in the shopping cart. He doesn't like this anymore.

I could put William in the front seat of the shopping cart. He's little and barely sitting up most days.

I elected to put him in the shopping cart seat.


At first he wasn't into it. The seat was a bit warm and well, it was new. Also, no functioning buckle.


He finally adapted to the idea, quickly I might add, in his normal William fashion.

I mean, look at all this space he has now to reach and touch.


Like this bar right here. He says "I can touch this cool bar. I wonder what it does...."


As with everything, he decided he had to taste it. That's what that bar does apparently.

8 months

Dear William,

8 months already? How is that even possible? I was looking at pictures the other night with your Dad and you were a tiny little baby with enough hair to be dangerous. Now you're a big boy pulling yourself around the house on your belly like a Combat Carl from Toy Story 1.

You're personality has really started emerging and you have begun laughing and being ticklish and earnest. I adore tickling you with your Moo Cow and listening to you just let out your Baby Belly Laughs. That is my crack and I live for it.

You are mobile enough to be dangerous and we need to baby proof the house. It's hard because I kinda like the house with it's accessible electronics and occasional crap on the floor like pennies etc. You've gone and blow that all to hell though and now we have to clean the house if we want to put you on the floor. More often than not I just put you in your high chair but I feel guilty about it all the time.

You also have really embraced sleeping on your belly this month which I find adorable. No matter what position I put you in you end up on your belly with your little legs under you and your butt in the air. It makes me want to kiss you and wake you up with my besos.

Your sisters are with us this week and you seem to really like them as well, especially Lizzie who insists she is your twin, not big sister. You have forgiven her it seems for dressing you up as the Prince to her Princess.



She has been a big helper and you and she played mostly quietly in her room the other day while I worked on dinner. Or was it laundry. In either case I wish I had gotten a picture of you attempting to eat her My Little Pony while she played with the other 50 and castle. I'm sure your father appreciates that I did not.

You continue to be an eager consumer of all things edible (and not so edible) and your routine is firmly established. You MUST eat your dinner of baby food between 5:30-6:15pm or you get EXTREMELY grumpy and there is no dealing with you anymore.

I left you with your Grandma and Grandpa for the first time since you were born this month. I cried when you went while you seemed pretty nonplussed about it. Your Grandma said you seemed a little confused every morning when you woke up and she was there and I was not but I suspect she was humoring me. You are far younger than any of my other babies when I left them for the first time but you seemed better able to handle it than they did.

Perhaps I just have less Mommy guilt about my third baby staying overnight with Grandma than I did back then. It's hard to say.

8 months has gone to fast. I miss your little-ness and soft baby smell. There is no denying you are officially a little boy with your penchant for mischief and all things electronic. I love when you talk to me and we have excellent conversations in the car while listening to NPR and wouldn't trade that tiny baby for my big boy now but I sure do miss it sometimes.

Love,
Mom

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Garden photography

The cucumbers and tomatoes continue to grown and now summer seems in full affect. I love coming home from a mediocre day at work and watering my plants, especially my tomatoes. I'm not sure what it is but something about them, warm in the sun, when I'm watering.....they just SMELL tomatoey but in an earthy way. I can tell you one thing, I don't ever smell that smell at the grocery store.

Of course, when I buy tomatoes at the grocery store it is strictly for guacamole purposes.

Here are some photo's I took of our growing bounty last week. I was originally trying to take photos of a spider that was hanging out on the cucumber plants but that didn't plan out so instead, I took pictures of the vegetables. And the flowers. Don't want to forget those.


These photos give you an idea of how out of control my cucumbers and tomatoes have gotten. Please try and remember, in that cucumber pot are supposed to be radishes and onions although at this rate I can't really seem to find either.


I adore this pictures of the baby cucumber and the flower. It's amazing blown up and I'm seriously considering framing it to hang in the kitchen.



I love these pictures of the tomatoes too. I feel like we could just do wall art in the kitchen and dining room of my vegetables.

See what I mean?


I love this picture too. I have some flowers hanging in the back yard, next to my topsy turvy tomato planter to encourage bees to come and pollinate. In the heat though they seem to be struggling but this little flower had it's face turned directly to as if to say "Bring it on!".

I love summer. And my tiny container garden.

And shy cucumbers who hide behind giant leaves in the sun.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

It's the little things

I did not end up eating caramel filled cookies. I still didn't post my goofy pictures either though. Sorry.

One of the best things in life, I think, is having someone you can be goofy with. A problem comes up though when your partner is in charge of the camera for the entire vacation and while you both are acting goofy together, only ONE of you ends up on film being goofy.

Without further ado....

Looking in a fake child's window at the Alaska Museum

I thought for sure that stuffed bear was going to get me

Aye Aye Captain

Not sure I can drive this wooden boat at the Alaska Sealife Center

Oh no! I'm falling! (not really)

Micah thinks he's safe because he had the camera for the majority of the trip. Little does he know...my iPhone had a camera. And he had one silly moment.

Look out! There is a moose behind you! At the souvenir store in downtown Anchorage.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

A few Alaska pictures

I have some better ones at home waiting to be posted. Maybe I'll get those up tonight. Maybe I'll eat Carmel filled chocolate chip cookies instead. It's a crap shoot.

By better I mean pictures of me and Micah (okay mostly just me) acting silly on our vacation because while I love the pictures of us standing in front of the glacier or in front of the ocean or in front of whatever I especially love the pictures of me being goofy while on vacation. I love that Micah loves them and loves to take them.

I have enough self confidence to be okay with goofy pictures and posting them on the internet.

BUT. Those pictures have to wait.

Instead let me show you Micah and Lacy at Beluga Point on our drive to Seward Alaska.





Also just me standing on a large rock at Beluga Point:


Behind me is Hope, Alaska. Population - not much.

Here is a picture of Micah and I in front of Matanuska Glacier. We were supposed to land on Ruth Glacier after a flight from Talkeetna to see Denali. That, however, was a failure and we did not get to fly or see the glacier. So instead we drove to Matanuska Glacier which is the opposite direction entirely. We paid an exorbitant amount of money and we got to climb all over the Glacier to our hearts content.



We did manage to enjoy our time in Seward and we visited the Sealife Center including a behind the scenes Marine Mammal Tour. This tour was so cool because we got to get up close with some Harbor Seals and a Stellar Sea lion named Sugar. I even got to feed the Harbor Seal Tik aka Tikani.




We stayed at the worlds most awesome Bed & Breakfast, Berry Patch B&B in Seward and I highly recommend it.

Micah enjoyed the Hammock.....



which may remind you of our trip to Cancun last year...

I did some reading....

Overall we had a good time in AK, it was predictably too short and I enjoying seeing my Uncle Larry as well as Nana.


We did miss Will a ton though and luckily he does not seem to have learned to crawl in our absence. Or he's hiding it well.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Anniversary

I wont be able to write this tomorrow because we will be on our honeymoon. I realize that must sound odd since we got married a year ago tomorrow but I was all pregnant and freaking out constantly about money and we had the girls full time and blah blah blah, we never took a honey moon.

So about a month ago, maybe a month and a half we decided to go to Alaska for our honeymoon.

Internet, if you are thinking about going by my house to rob it be warned. I have booby traps set up. And a killer cat. And rabid attack guard dogs. And someone checking on the house everyday. And an ex husband who needs extra cash and is willing to kill for it.

Just sayin'. Don't try to go by my house and steal stuff.

Micah and I will be flying tonight to the state of my birth. I'm excited to show him ME and where I CAME FROM and where I went to school and tell stories (because I am AWESOME at story telling, as you all know) and just being with my husband in general.

On the flip side, this is the first time I will be away from the boy since he was born. Ever. I feel physically ill just typing that. I was exhausted last night and yet I still picked him up and rocked him for as long as he would let me looking at his face and telling him to stay small for me. No growing.

I also left strict instructions with my mother in law, who will be caring for him while I'm out.

Do not put him on his belly. Or back. Because he will flip over onto his belly. And from his belly he has figured out how to get his knees under him. It's only a matter of time until he will figure out how to go forward. So no crawling until I get back.

She has informed me that she will follow my instructions to the letter. OR, in the worst case scenario (read: most likely scenario) she just wont tell me and when we get home and he starts crawling all around the house she'll act shocked and say he never did anything of the sort at her house.

I love a mother in law who will lie to me.

Also, Happy Anniversary Micah.

When I was married the first time I swore I would never get married again because the first year of marriage with Brian was so heinous I wanted to kill him. The entire year. And into the second some.

Thanks for showing me that not all first years of marriage suck.

You're awesome.

Lauv.

Monday, July 5, 2010

PHR

That means "Professional of Human Resources". It's a pretty big deal in my line of work, something that people study and study for. There is something like a 49% failure rate of those who take the test.

It also means that you know what you're talking about when it comes to HR. It is my professions "gold star" when it comes to knowledge base and having it tells people that know your stuff.

I decided at the beginning of this year that I was taking it. I was eligible since I had worked at my company for over 2 years which is an eligibility requirement. (Must work in HR for over 2 years)

I paid my $300, bought my study materials for another $300 and then waited. Because I don't know how to study. I've never had to study for anything in my life and I have no idea how to. Which, at 31, doesn't seem like it would matter anymore but this time it did.

Don't get me wrong, I tried. I opened my flash cards, I cracked the first book. Twice. But in the end, I just couldn't focus and study.

A friend of mine gave me a study guide that had chapter questions at the end of each chapter. I used that, plus two assessment tests as my study material and studied the HECK out of those questions.

To say I felt confident going into the test would be a lie. I had stayed up late studying the night before, completely skipped breakfast because I forgot about it and was at the testing center WAY early.

While I was taking the test I was trying to decide if I should bring my study materials with me to Wyoming or if I should wait the weekend and begin studying again for the next round of testing which was in December. That's how sure I was that I was going to fail this test. I had decided to wait and study when I got back by the way.

After the test you get your preliminary score right away. I competed the course, took the post test survey and reviewed the results. Much to my surprise I passed. I was so shocked at the results I actually scanned the paperwork looking for the word "Fail" because I was sure that I hadn't read it right.

Indeed, the test center verified I had passed.

So now I'm a PRH certified Human Resources person.

Which did not mean I got any more money at my current job. *sigh* No raise.

But it means that when I start looking for another position I will be a stronger candidate BECAUSE of that certificate and those letters.

I always wanted letters after my name.....