She Really Does Look Like A Connie

Rachel is enrolled in a couple of classes thru the city of NLV rec center. The classes are awesome and super cheap. You can't ask for a better deal. She takes ballet and gymnastics. We ended up taking both classes with a little girl named Laura. I got to talking with her mom every week and she is just so nice. Her mom works for the vendor at the commissary, so I'd see her while grocery shopping on base- just a really nice woman. For example in gymnastics, she always reminds the teacher that Rachel is left-handed and afraid of heights, so when Rach is struggling with cartwheels or doing something on the high balance beam, she always speaks up before I do. Such a nice person. So as the weeks turn into months, I realize I don't know Laura's mom's name. At the commissary she doesn't wear a name tag that you can see and I always think to bring it up, but it never comes up while we are chatting away and watching the girls in class. So Tracey enrolls Jaime in our gymnastics class and she and I make this plan for Tracey to introduce herself and then we could learn Laura's mom's name. The plan doesn't work! And it backfires b/c she hears Tracey and I calling each other by name and now she knows our names and we don't know hers. Tracey sees her at the commissary too and we can't get her name. One day I decide, I am going to write down my name and phone number b/c we have talked about meeting up at the park with the girls so they can play, going to see Sesame Street Live together. I figure if I do it, she'll either call me and say this is Laura's mom, _______. Right? Or, she'll write down her contact info for me. As it turns out, they invited Rachel to Laura's birthday party. Rachel is so excited to have a bday invite, she won't let me look at it and I am dying to know Laura's mom's name. Her name? It is Connie. I tell you, she really does look like a Connie. And we are taking the girls to Sesame Street Live in a couple of weeks, so new friend for me too, hurray!

Do I Have Powdered Sugar and Syrup????

The guest suite seemed to have a revolving door from February through the beginning of April. Andy was here (I know I blogged about that already, I am not THAT behind) and the end of February marked a visit from Schelley Olhava, then in March a visit from Jess and Maddie Boynton and the end of March Christine and Brielle Rodrigues visited. All were great visits and I hate to condense down to one entry, but I am going to attempt it. Sorry gals.

We'll start with Schell, who came for a weekend and it turned into a pork filled weekend. It wasn't the plan, but we fed Schelley pork at like every meal! How is that possible??? Ribs, bacon at breakfast, leftover ribs for lunch, more bacon at breakfast and Schelley chose to continue the pork theme with a pork taco for dinner the last night!! I don't think Adam had seen Schelley for about 5 years. I saw Schelley about 3 years ago in Portland while on vacation with my dad, Pam and Adelle. It was a great visit. We showed Schelley the sites one doesn't normally see in Vegas – the Springs Preserve, Red Rock Canyon, the vast expanse of housing that covers the valley. Aka, the non casino trip! We tried to get reservations to a local Thai food place that Schelley knew about, but since they don't answer the phone during non business hours, we did not get to go. Next time we will feast there. (We went there Easter weekend, and a feast it was! Too yummy for words!) Oh and I'd like to make note in my blog that Schelley has crowned me Best Hostess since I emailed her to ask her what she likes to eat for breakfast. It is a crown I wear proudly and if getting it was that easy, what other titles can I acquire??? Any title from Schelley is a total compliment!!!

Next up, Jess and Maddie! They flew in from San Antonio. We haven't seen them since June of last year, so it was so great to see them! I really miss Jess, we traded babysitting a lot and is just all around a super duper friend. Definitely one of those friends you hope to meet while your husband is in the service – always there for you! I am lucky to have made a few of those types of friends since we moved away from home. We had a full week – something every day. One day we ventured out to the Las Vegas Zoo, which is in a residential neighborhood across the street from a non strip casino and the big Cox Communications building. It has no parking lot, you park on the street and chickens come out to greet you. Let me say this 'zoo' (and I use that term lightly) had more chickens and bird poop than I can even describe. We could have taken a chicken or 10 home with us. We go up to pay and I have a coupon – they didn't honor it. Flat out said they don't honor that coupon. This was kind of surprising and startling. Not that I am cheap, but I mean honestly, it was from the Entertainment Book, I didn't make the coupon or anything like that. I think honoring coupons is just good business, but what do I know??? We get our tickets and go in. In Florida, we had a little zoo that we all kind of laughed at b/c it seemed pretty hokey. Well, the LV Zoo makes the Panama City Beach Zoo seem like the San Diego Zoo. It was that bad. And did I mention the chickens? There were a couple of lions, a chimp that watches TV and a whole mess of chickens!! That was the low of the week. We ventured out to the Mirage to see their dolphins and lions, tigers, jaguars, oh my! Of course, the Springs Preserve, b/c we take everyone there! And it wouldn't be a visit with Jess if we didn't get out and do some shoppin'. Jess and I also got semi-addicted to a new game on the Wii – Carnival Mini-Golf. It was hilarious, we played it for hours while the kids played, napped, went to bed, etc. Also while Jess was here, Rowan had some major milestones – taking first steps, eating his first popsicle and I think cutting his first tooth too. I think he was totally showing off for Jess – stinker!

And then Christine and Brielle came for a long weekend that seemed too short. I haven't seen C&B in a good 3 years and Brielle was a baby. So this visit was such fun getting to know Brielle and of course, catch up with Christine. It didn't feel like 3 years had gone by, I felt like I just saw her last weekend. An awesome feeling. Since they flew in around lunch, Adam stayed home to give Row a nap and I took R & R to pick them up and we did some sightseeing on the strip. I have to note seeing C & B at the airport – Brielle is like Christine's Mini-Me, except her hair is shorter than Christine's and bounces up and down, so she does have a resemblance to Side Show Bob. And I say that with love; even Christine says she looks like Side Show Bob and can't wait to tease Brielle about it when she's older. We had lunch at the Rain Forest café, walked down to the M&M store, watched the 3D movie and huffed it down to the Bellagio to watch the fountains. Rachel did not wear socks with her shoes and got huge blisters. Thankfully there was a CVS on the strip where I could pick up a round of water for the gang and band aids. The strip has it all. We also ventured out to the Valley of Fire, which is so beautiful. Even more so than Red Rock Canyon. We picnicked a bit; the kids climbed around on the rocks and played in red sand. The weather could not have been better. Let's see, then Monday we headed to the Springs Preserve – I know, we take everyone there! Something fun about the SP is that every time we go, we enjoy something different. My kids have been lots of times, so when we go with someone new, they always are interested in something different so we experience the SP in a new way. It is so big and has so much to do, it really does happen every time. Of all the people that have come to visit, Christine and my mother in law, Jamie, are the ones that I really looked forward to taking. I just knew they would appreciate it maybe more than I do.

Let me also add that Brielle is a riot. First, she is total tomboy and doesn't like to be called pretty, she's 'cool'. Not even pretty cool, just cool. She had cous cous for the first time and loved it. She called it Blues Clues, which was so funny. She told me she really liked Blues Clues at dinner. She really is a fun kid that gets it. You can joke with her and tease her and she just gets it, there's no other way to describe it. I really enjoyed getting to know her. Of course, being the tomboy she likes Russell and Adam more than me, but that's okay!! Sniff. Ha!

The visit with Christine was a great one. I look forward to future visits and hope that we can meet up down in So Cal for some play time too. Oh, and in reference to the title of this post. Since I have my hostess title, I emailed the ladies to ask what they like for breakfast and the kids' fave foods. If the kids aren't happy, then no one is. So, Christine emails back, do you have powdered sugar and syrup, in regards to eating waffles for breakfast. Do I have powdered sugar and syrup? I mean honestly, who do you think you are dealing with here? Do I have powdered sugar and syrup?

The Rachel Update

Well, I am on the ball – Row went to bed early and Adam is packing for a trip to NM, so time to get this blog on the ball!

OK, Rachel's big fall. One day after Pre-K, Tracey suggests that we pick up the kids – Rach and her son Jaime, go to the park for a walk and the kids can ride their bikes. Great idea! Babies in strollers, preschoolers on bikes and moms can yap. I love a good yap with Tracey!

A side note… I don't know why, but my kids don't like to use the brakes on their bikes. Russ would rather fall or drag his feet on the ground rather than use his brakes. Rachel won't use them, even though all she has to do is pedal backwards.

So, we are walking and talking, the weather is great; kids are doing well until Rachel starts down a small hill. Of course, as stated before, she won't use her brakes. She starts to pick up speed and is screaming. I am yelling - Pedal backwards, use your brakes, etc. I park Row in the stroller with Tracey and start to run after Rachel. Just as I am catching up to her, she is headed for a curb that surrounds the planter. In my mind, I am prepping for the blood, the ER, the dentist, huge bump/scrape on her head, whatever may come. Just as I grab on to her, she hits the curb and goes flying over her handlebars, does like a somersault over the bars and lands on her back, barely a scratch. Well, you wouldn't know this from all the screaming and tears and DRAMA. I get her calmed down, get her back on the bike for a little bit until she tells me she just wants to walk. Okay, fine. I leave her and Row with Tracey, put the bike back in the van. Before I do this, she grabs her play cell phone out of the pouch on her bike.

While I am at the van, she leans up against a light pole and "calls" grandma. Tracey heard the whole thing. Apparently the conversation went something like this:
Grandma, it's Rachel. I just fell off my bike. (Pause)

Yea, it really hurt. (Pause)

Well, I was riding and my bike went too fast down the hill, I couldn't stop and I fell off my bike. It really hurt. (Pause)

I did cry, cuz it really hurt. And I cried and cried and cried. (Pause, looks up at me walking up to her)

Ok, mom's here, I gotta go. (Pause) OK. Bye. (Flips her phone closed)

And now, she doesn't like riding her bike some 4+ months later.

 

And while I am on the subject of Rachel, let's visit the Pre-K issue. With Russ, he qualified for ESE Pre-K in both OK and FL b/c of his speech and language delays. We paid nothing, didn't have to research any preschools, he just went to the appropriate elementary school. I did have to research the elementary school in FL, but that was a bit easier in a way b/c I could pick whatever school and not have to consider the cost. Also in FL, the pre-k schools (not at elementary schools) were much more accessible than they are here. Decent costs, plenty of choices, and most were all very good. (Think good Christian women working part time b/c they love kids and the extra money!) And the other element in both OK and FL is the state sponsored voluntary Pre-K programs. Meaning the state subsidizes one year of preschool for children the year before they enter Kindergarten. You just have to attend a licensed facility that participates in the program. So, the cost for parents is a lot more reasonable. Here in Nevada there are not as many great little part time preschools, it is all mainly full day preschools/day care and no state subsidizing for the year before Kindergarten.

When we moved here over the summer, we missed all the preregistration for any preschool, except for the YMCA. Tracey had Jaime enrolled there and I wanted Rachel in something, so I enrolled her there also. I wasn't crazy about it. The times didn't work well, the 'head teacher' (who was terrific) went on a leave of absence indefinitely without any explanations from anyone and I just saw a lot of yelling at the end of the session when the head teacher wasn't there. I can yell at Rachel all I want at home for free. So, I put her on the list for a pre-k run by the city and just waited. Well, the next day I got a call and she was in, which never happens, but with the foreclosures and people moving, they have had a big turnover this year. I like it better there – the teacher is very good, lots of experience with little children, very patient, soft spoken, more mature. The curriculum is the same as the YMCA, but the times work better and the parents are so much friendlier than at the Y. There is a nice group to chat with while we wait for the kids to finish up. But, still it isn't perfect and we don't want Rachel going there next year and doing the same thing. So, we decided we are going to have to buckle down on the finances and pay for the pricier pre-K. I started the preschool hunt.

First I had to narrow down part time schools in our area, besides the two she had attended; there were like 3 or 4. I narrowed down to two based on parent recommendations from parents I have talked to at ballet, soccer, etc. One was a Co-Op preschool and was a Lutheran preschool, Lamb of God. I toured both, liked both. The Co-Op is more reasonable, but parents work two or three mornings per month, filling in as the aides, therefore saving salary costs and tuition costs for all. Well, I don't have anyone to watch Rowan for me three mornings a month, so that ruled out the Co-Op. Lamb of God it is. Rachel's pre-k in FL was called Little Lambs, so I have a good feeling about it. I felt comfortable there and I feel like Rachel will get what she needs to be prepared for Kindergarten. I was there right before 8am on the day of open registration and had walked in the office and looked at their clock, not quite 8am. I asked, "Is it close enough to 8:00 for you?" The lady at the desk laughed and said, "You bet!"

I enrolled her in 3 days a week, but had to do the afternoon class, 12:30 – 4:00pm. I figure I'll take her and get Rowan back for a nap and then I can have some Aimee time to work out, blog, do whatever I need to do. Typically I would put her in the morning class, but it was full. However, the more I think about the PM class, the more I like it. I tend run errands in the morning and I can do that with Rachel and Rowan. She helps entertain him and me as we run around. She starts in September, has to wear a uniform (that will be an adventure, as Rachel loves her dresses and the color yellow!! A worthy future blog for sure), and I think it will be a good experience for her.

 

Finding the Time

So, Christine was here a couple of weekends ago and I was telling her all these stories about the kids and things that are going on with us and several times I heard something to the effect of - You should write that in your blog. (It sounded much better coming from Christine's mouth and not my typing!!) It has been really hard to find the time to sit and type some thoughts. I am going to make a quick list to look at and hopefully I'll just make the time to write about each item on the list. Sometimes when I sit at the computer I just blank on what I want to write about. I am hoping this list will inspire me!! Of course now I am trying to organize my thoughts – do I make my list chronological, alphabetical, or just go for it with no rhyme or reason??? I am going for it with no rhyme or reason!!!

Rachel falling on her bike and pretending to call g'ma – fall 08

Grandmas – mine, g'ma Rizzi, my mom wanting to be called g'ma pam, not g'ma Flippin

Russ not really liking school, sigh. Soccer (the mom who gives out way too much info, Adam not really liking the coach, probably our last season)

Our house in FL, tenants, stimulus money for active duty people caught like us

Rowan latest greatest feats – talking, walking, two teeth, so much personality

Connie – the mom whose name I didn't know for several months

Rachel – preschools for next year

Our Spring Break trip to DisneyLand

A new bed and a good night's sleep, too many gray hairs (trip to get highlights), weight loss, time to exercise, read, blog, write the book, do anything! I love DVR.

Loving FaceBook and catching up with old friends, some of whom have blogs, super cool! (Kris – cooking, Debi – reading)

My cat Kadie, swiffer wet jet theory and how I don't think I can let go of her ashes or Riley's for that matter

Still not liking LV and possible assignment overseas next time around

All the visitors we have had and will see soon – Schelley (pork at every meal!), jess & maddie (the world's worst zoo), Christine & Brielle (valley of fire), Trina (coming soon), Pricers (in laws, Blake & Morgan, drama, Lotus of Siam)

Summer plans – get the hell out of Dodge! Well, Vegas for maybe a month – yes!

The cash only guy that fixed the minivan bumper for only $200.

OK, I think that is it!!! Plenty o stuff to write about and I think I have listed all of it.

Aimee According to Russell and Rachel

So, this is another note floating around Facebook….

 

This is a cute idea. Copy this note, ask your kid the questions and write them down exactly how they respond. Tag me back if you haven't done this, I'd love to hear the answers!

According to Russell, 8

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Do your jobs.

2. What makes mom happy?
Giving you a Valentine's card.

3. What makes mom sad?
Something that's not good.

4. What does your mom do to make you laugh?
Tickle, (smirk)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Dance

5. How old is your mom?
18

7. How tall is your mom?
10 cameras long

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
You tell me.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Always plays Cars recording (the movie on DVR)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
I don't know

11. What is your mom really good at?
Lego Batman the video game

12. What is your mom not very good at?
I'm thinking about it.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Wash the dishes.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Fiber One bars and tacos.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
By doing her best.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
I don't know, that's pretty hard.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Play Lego Batman and help each other.

18. How are you and your mom alike?
We are family.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Because you're a female and I'm a male, a young male.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

Cause I love you so much.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Target and probably Costco.

Now according to Rachel, 4

1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you

2. What makes mom happy?
a hug

3. What makes mom sad?
cry

4. What does your mom do to make you laugh?
we tickle

5. What was your mom like as a child?
you turn into a baby

5. How old is your mom?
14, no 15

7. How tall is your mom?
so big

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Clean up and build.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Run around with the baby

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
????

11. What is your mom really good at?
at the playground

12. What is your mom not very good at?
at the playground

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Um, I don't know

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Oranges

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
You did it!

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
a princess with me

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Eat a banana

18. How are you and your mom alike?
girls

19. How are you and your mom different?
Mommy's good

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
You give a hug

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
to the airport

Tennis Anyone?

Well, I have to quickly write about Russell's first tennis lesson. I signed him up for some lessons at thru the city rec center. So far everything we have done thru the center has been good, so I thought this would stand a chance at being good too. I was only a little bit wrong – it was great!!! We have only had one lesson, but it was worth every penny just for that one hour. Russell enjoyed every second. He just smiled the entire hour, even when they had to pick up all the balls all over the court. What really made me happy was just witnessing the pure joy on his face, it was amazing. It has been a long time since I have really seen that. Probably not since this summer. It was really cold that night and he had on a knit ski cap and it totally reminded me of when we lived in OK and Russ was about 3, playing at the playground and loving life.

As far as the tennis skills, I think he did well for never picking up a tennis racquet before. There was one game that they held a cone upside down and they had to catch a ball after it bounced. Russ only caught like 1 ball out 25, but he never gave up and he just kept trying and smiling. But as far as hitting the ball, he did well. The coach was so positive and had so much energy – you could tell that tennis is his passion and coaching kids really energizes him. That guy said something positive after every swing, hit, miss, try, etc.

On the ride home, Russ was on cloud 9. He really liked it. And one thing he mentioned that surprised me a bit was that he thought tennis was good for him because he had to really focus on the ball and nothing else.

By Popular Demand

Some of you are not on FaceBook and haven't seen my great creation..... Ha! Well, here ya' go! And here is the link to the recipe for the chocolate cake and frosting.... Thanks again Schelley!

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/

Sick City

Yeah, so you can guess, we are sick. It started with Rowan the day after his birthday. I thought it was the shots he got. Nope, that icky cold virus going around. Ugh. So for a week plus he has not been sleeping well, congested, cough, fever – the works. (On a positive note, it really is his first bad cold, hurray for breastmilk!) So, last Wednesday I took him in to the Dr. and the Dr. said, if he's still running a temp. tomorrow bring him back. AAAHHH!!! But I am here TODAY. So, we ended up back at the Dr. on Friday and sometime between Weds. and Friday Rowan got an ear infection. Now, I am a little suspicious only b/c it went from, Oh his ears are fine to Oh, definitely an ear infection. Whatever. He still isn't sleeping well and rubbing his ear a lot. Hopefully tonight will be better. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention that Adam is gone and so it is all me. Yaawwwwnnnn… achoo! Yep, I think I am getting the bug (just call me Aimee ZiCam Bright), Rachel has the bug and is complaining about her ear. She complained so much that she even let me clean it, look inside with my otoscope and put drops in it. It looked red to me; guess we where we are going on Tuesday? So far Russell is staying strong and healthy, but ever since Kindergarten, he rarely gets sick. Hopefully he'll miss this round of the crud. Adam doesn't get back until Saturday. Sunday I plan to sleep all day.

The Birthday Report

Well, time to report on the birthday festivities for the month of February. We started with Rowan's 1^st birthday on the 4^th. We just had a fun little day at home. Rowan loves whipped cream and waffles. So, he got that for breakfast and kept asking for more whipped cream. We made pizza for dinner and had yummy sugar cookies with lots of frosting. A great day all around.

Then on the Friday, the 6^th, Andy and his friend Rachel came from Portland. They came to do some run in the Mojave Desert, not for the birthdays, that was a bonus. Then my dad, Pam & Adelle also drove down Friday night, not for the run in the Mojave, but for the birthdays and to see Andy. It was cold and rainy all weekend and Andy & Rachel got up at like 3am to get ready and drive to the desert for a run in the windy rain and cold. That sounds like A LOT of fun, doesn't it? Weirdos. Rachel has a boyfriend and we always wonder about them b/c Andy and Rachel are always out doing stuff together – backpacking, running, etc. After this weekend, I am beginning to think her BF is a smart guy – who would want to run in the desert in the rain and cold? You know? Rachel was teilling us she's a runner and her BF is a cyclist and neither enjoys the other's sport. So, it works out for them. Back to the weekend…. Andy made a great pre-run dinner on Friday night with some wild rice called Oregon Jewel. According to Andy it is the best wild rice ever. Schelley, I had him bring some for you, it is waiting for your arrival in LV : )

While Andy & Rachel were freezing in the desert, the rest of us went to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. We had not been before and the kids loved it. It is small and crowded, but it was nice to get out of the house. Adam, Dad and the kids went back to the house and those of you who know this, Adam is horrible with directions and getting around. His report to me was – I don't think I impressed your dad with my driving skills. Ha ha. Pam, Adelle & I did a little shopping – gotta keep the teenager happy!! I did put the teenager on a time hack (military term) to keep us movin' along and not shopping all night. Adelle was pretty cute with the time hack – she'd check the time frequently and report how much time we had left. In fact, in Juicy Couture, I got a few weird looks when I said, "Adelle, 5 mninutes, Hack." These ladies looked at us like I was from Mars. Pretty funny.

Sunday, we had planned to go to Red Rock Canyon and do some hiking, but it was still raining!!! Dad, Adam & Russell headed out to Bass Pro to fart around. Pam and Adelle went back to Juicy to shop some more. Rachel went back to Oregon and Andy and I stayed home with Rowan and Rachel. I made a hamburger cake which turned out AWESOME. During this time, Rowan caught a cold and was very grumpy. So that night we did the cake and presents for both the boys. Needless to say they had a very fruitful birthday.

Let me report on the cake. The cake was delicious!!!! We made hamburgs and hot dogs for dinner, so I had thought it would be fun to make a cake that looked like a hamburger. After reading endless tips online on how to make it, I realized the key to a successful hamburger cake would be Peanut Butter Frosting. I don't like to make frosting from scratch, I always screw it up. Unless, it has cream cheese, I can do that, don't ask me why. So, I searched for a recipe and didn't find one to my liking. So, I turned to Schelley, as I always do when in a recipe dilemma. Of course, Schelley has made PB Frosting and gave me a great recipe. Hello, BONUS – it was made WITH cream cheese. I didn't even ask about a recipe with cream cheese, I just wanted a good recipe. It was meant to be, I had to make the frosting. Can I just say – YUM. Yum yum yum. It like melted in your mouth, it was so good. It is now everyone's fave frosting. YUM. I also used fondant for the lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Whipped vanilla frosting for the mayo and red icing for the ketchup, All of that was pre-made or pre-colored. It was a really fun cake.

On Monday, everyone went home. It was a houseful, but didn't seem like it. Adam left on Tuesday for New Mexico and he'll be there until the 21^st. Russell's actual birthday is Feb. 12^th. So, I made cupcakes for his class – beach and shark cupcakes. The shark cupcakes had blue frosting with a grey cardstock fin sticking out of the water and the beach cupcakes had white frosting with graham cracker crumbs and little umbrellas for embellishment. The kids loved them. Russ's classroom has a beach theme too, so the kids really liked that. Russ had a great day – calls on the phone, emails, a video email from the McKinneys singing Happy Birthday with the cha cha cha and at the end a triumphant HI-Ya! Hi- Ya indeed, a great way to end the birthday celebrations.

 

As It Turns Out, A Super Sunday

So, this morning around noon, someone rings our doorbell. This hardly ever happens, except with the UPS guy. I look thru the peep hole and it looks like a potential holy roller, but I open the door anyway. As it turns out a 13 year old boy in one of the quadrants of our neighborhood/community was missing. 13. He had gone out about 9am to walk his dog and they found the dog, but no boy. So they were passing out flyers in hopes that someone saw something. Adam had been out jogging that morning, but hadn't seen anything.

Your heart just stops beating for a second when you hear news like that. 13. We offered our help if they needed more people to pass out flyers, whatever, anything. Although sometimes the best way to help is to stay out of the way, as there were probably 100 people out at the gate with the police. The helicopter was out, people were out on their ATVs searching the desert area behind our neighborhood; it seemed like a lot was being done to find him. Then around 2:30 or so, everyone was gone and the neighborhood was back to its norm.

Adam and I were worried for this boy and his family. As a parent, you can only imagine just a bit of the terror they must be going through. It was hard to get excited for the Superbowl. However, during the Superbowl, Adam was checking the Internet to see if any news had turned up. They did end up finding him all the way down near the strip, right around the time the police and everyone had left here. The article said that he was distraught, upset, and seemed unharmed.

What a relief! We have no clue what of the details are, but just glad that this had a positive outcome. News and situations like this just want to make you hold your children a little bit tighter, you know? We often wonder if we are overprotective of our kids and today the answer was and still is absolutely not.

We Finally Have Our Crawler!

Many of you may know that Russell & Rachel were NOT crawlers. Strictly rollers, (rolling around on the floor to get where they wanted to be), then they pulled up and walked. They walked along the couch, behind toys and then they just toddled off all by themselves. It was funny that they were both the same and they both started walking at 11 months.

Now, after what seems like weeks of trying, Rowan is crawling. He started right after Christmas. He would get on all fours and rock back and forth and then belly flop on the floor. He would get so mad and pissy and about it too. Then one day he started pulling up on the couch and we thought, oh maybe he'll skip crawling. No way, he doesn't even like to pull up any more – like it is a waste of his time. He crawls all over the place and it is so cute. That little diaper butt wiggles back and forth and he's making some sweet little sound as he travels about. He is pretty fast too. He loves to crawl upstairs from anywhere into Russ & Rach's room. I swear he is with me one second and the next thing I know he is in with the other two, loving life.

He does this thing where he crawls and then sort of kneels on knee and gets his other foot in position to stand up. We used to think that he wanted to stand, but no, that means "Pick me up". He doesn't seem to be too interested in walking right now.

Some other fun things he does right now – he points to everything. Tonight he was pointing to the counter. I thought he wanted a bink, so I gave him one and he shook his head no. How cool is that? The other day at Speech, he pointed to a poster he wanted to look at. So, I took him over to it and when he was done looking at the poster, he waved bye-bye at it.

He loves when Rachel will reach over and hold his hand in the car. He just laughs this big joyful laugh. Thinking of the car, he had to get a new car seat. I am a bit of a car seat snob, so I got him a big Britax that he can use until he's ready for the booster seat. He seems to really like it. Maybe it's just me, but I honestly think he likes it better than his old seat.

Oh! He says "Uh oh" all the time. He drops stuff and says 'uh oh' so matter of factly. Then you give him whatever he drops and he waits a bit and drops it again. Uh oh. You get the pattern, it could go on and on. He'll even look at you when he drops something on purpose and then tells you 'uh oh'.

I would almost swear he says "All Done" when he is done eating and you aren't right there with him. It sounds like 'aaaa duhn'. He still won't say "Mama", I have heard him say it recently, but nothing consistent. He is still all about the 'dadadadadadadaaaaaaaaaaa'.

And after taking a break from giving kisses, he's back at it. And lots of 'em. Good slobbery ones too.

Still no teeth. I got him this onesie that says "Teeth are overrated". Well, they are right now, he eats just about anything without them : )

Well, that is the Rowan update. He'll be one on February 4^th and Russell will be 8 on the 12^th. Where has the time gone?

I need to blog about Rachel and preschool, Red Rock hiking, Kadie, guitar hero, and more visitors – the guest suite is booking up fast!!!

The Holiday Report

First, I have to mention that one of my Fantasy Football teams won the Superbowl in our league. I love beating the boys and taking their money! Yea me!! This year's winnings will go towards the treadmill fund. Ours is broke and well, it is time for new one.

This year's holidays were a lot of fun. We drove to Yuba City to spend Christmas with my dad, Pam, & Adelle. It took about 9 hours to drive there in the VAN. I had to buy a roofbag for the van to load up presents. That actually worked out well. The kids did great, Rowan was done about 8 hours into the drive, but he survived and so did we!!! Ha! We had a nice week at my dad's house. They were thrilled to have us and that always makes you feel good. Adam finally got to meet my Uncle Denny & Aunt Michelle and one of their daughters, Sherilyn. He also got to meet my dad's mom and her husband Elmer. AND, as if that weren't enough, he got to meet all of Pam's immediate family, which is an experience in and of itself! The kids got to experience a big family Christmas, with 20+ people. Russ really loved it and wants to go every Christmas. He was really fun – helping set the tables for Christmas dinner, deciding that all the women should sit at the table that had the floral tablecloth and floral china. He even made a sign for the women's table! Ha! His seating arrangement didn't quite work out ; ) Rowan was appropriately cute and was the cuddly pass around baby. Rachel was tired, so she was Rachel. It was a full day, something we aren't used to having on Christmas. But, we enjoyed it and are glad we made the effort to go. Next year, I think we'll stay home. It is a lot of work to pack up all the kids gifts and such.

I think the highlight for me was taking Rachel to see the Nutcracker in Sacramento. My mom took me for many years to the Nutcracker in SF. I think we went every year with Schelley and Barbara Olhava. It was always such a special day and the SF Ballet's Nutcracker was (I assume still is) over the top. The stage sets, the dancing, the costumes – all superb. Now, the Sac Ballet isn't quite as spectacular, but for what they have as far as resources, I think it was well done. Rachel was so excited to go and she was wearing this adorable little snowman dress and leggings and she looked perfect! I was just so thrilled when the orchestra started playing and Rachel immediately exclaimed – It's like Little Einsteins! She pointed out the conductor and then had compared it again to Little Einsteins. It was so cute. Then the dancers started entering the stage and I have to admit I teared up. I never realized how important it was to me to share this experience with Rachel. It's something I'll never forget and I look forward to seeing it again with her.

The drive home was going well until we hit traffic in Barstow and that added 1.5 hours on to the drive. Yikes. We got home on the 27^th and it felt good to be home. It never fails, no matter how great of time you have away on vacation, it always feels good to be home.

Adam's mom, stepdad and Morgan came for New Years and we did Christmas all over again with them! That was fun. We stayed up until midnight (Russ & Rach included). We went out and made a raucous. The kids loved that and were all jazzed about what was next. Go to bed? What??? Ha! New Years Day Jamie and I hopped to Dillards for their 50% off sale and got some great bargains. Friday we went to Ethel M Chocolate Factory which wasn't anything too great. They have a wonderful cactus garden to tour. That was fun. Then we went to a BBQ place my hairstylist highly recommends – Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ. And since my middle name is Lucille, we had to go! They have fried pickles. And, if you haven't ever had a fried pickle, they taste exactly what you'd think a fried pickle tastes like! Pretty good, but not something you eat more than a couple.

So here we are back to a normal week. Russ went back to school Monday, Rachel on Tuesday and Rowan and I have colds. Adam back at work and is busier than ever. My New Year's resolution is one that I hope to accomplish. I have been playing with the idea of writing a children's book. I even bought a book about writing children's books. A few years ago Russ said the funniest thing to Pam – We could go to time out together! She had asked him if he wanted to get her in trouble by allowing him to do something I had already said no to. Then he said the quote. I have always thought that would make such a fun book. So, I have written a draft, it needs a lot of work, but I really hope to finish it and send it off and see what happens. Now that I have typed it and published it in my blog, I must really try to do it!!!!! I'll keep you posted….

Snow Day in Vegas??? Unbelievable.

Today, Thursday, December 18, 2008 is a no school day due to snow in Las Vegas. Have I now seen it all???? Maybe not, but what a surprise. Yesterday it did snow at our house, but this morning it is raining and I thought for sure the kids would go to school. But, I guess the district is so big that some areas of Vegas have a lot of snow and if you close one school in the public system, you close them all. It is weird that they closed school today and tomorrow is the last day before Winter Break.

Yesterday was such a great day. Russell had no school because his school had Parent Teacher Conferences. So, being the ultimate mom, I planned his dentist appointment the same day so he wouldn't have to miss school. Miss school for the dentist? Yes, because the children's dentist we are using is 25 minutes away (and so worth the drive) and Russ goes to school until 4pm, so he would have to miss school to go to the dentist. ANYWAY! Russ did great at the dentist, even had 4 sealants put on his first permanent molars, no cavities and a good cleaning. Rachel…. Well, she's another story. She would not have xrays taken and she pretty much did a scream / yell the whole time the dentist looked in her mouth. Which is typical for Rachel the last 2 times she went to the dentist in Florida. All that said, no cavities either and not worth the screaming for the cleaning. We'll try again in 6 months. But, no Happy Meal for the screamer. That was the deal and she broke it. We went to McD's and got Russell his meal and she was so sad. Russell kept trying to convince me to get her one anyway. She told me we could go back to the dentist tomorrow and she'd cooperate. I said No. Then she said let's go back today. Russell has been on this protect Rachel kick lately. If she gets in trouble, he's trying to tell us some excuse for her – she' scared, it was an accident, she didn't mean to, etc. It is very sweet.

We had a good conference with Russell's teacher. We all went to the conference, which was fun. During the conference, Rachel had to use the bathroom and Russ took her (by the hand) to the school potties. When they left, he said they'd be gone for a while and he was right! Too cute. Russ is doing a lot better than the start of school. His teacher is awesome and she really understands Russ and works with him to accommodate his needs in class. She said he's well liked in class and is the resident artist; they have his art all over the place. When they choose groups, Russ never initiates getting into a group, but someone (different every time) always makes sure he gets in a group. She said he is communicating in class well, everyone pretty much always understands him and when he's having a hard time getting it out, he has friends that will finish his sentences for him and Russ always thanks them for helping him. She said he doesn't talk a lot on class, but he is listening well and will tell Mrs. Cayer about a conversation other students have to get her up to speed. His challenges are turning in work timely in class and writing. He hates writing and he hates typing. He just can't get going on writing assignments and by the time he does, many times it is time to move on. Not sure how to overcome that. She suggested maybe we try a fun journal at home where we write a question every day – the sillier the better and have him write a sentence or two to respond. We will try that. We felt good about her observations and suggestions and feel good about Russ being in her class.

One other school story…. The kids in his class had to draw themselves as an elf and the directions were: the funnier looking you make yourself, the better. So, at school before the conference and not knowing the directions for the picture, we see Russ's elf and it is way different than anyone else's. Adam was a little worried, comparing Russ's work to the others. Russ's picture had a yellow face, shark teeth, huge pointy ear, goofy hair, etc. and all the others pretty much looked like themselves. In the conversation with Mrs. Cayer she had told us about Russ's picture and how he was the only one that could think and accept making himself look weird and he really got into it. Cool! Russ is a different thinker and he is always thinking.

After the conference it started to snow. We did a couple of errands and went home! Once the snow built up a little, the kids went out and played. They managed to scrape a few snowballs together and throw them at each other. We also baked cookies. I had to make some for Rachel's class (no school, so now we have a lot of cookies…) and we made some for us. Typically we really have to supervise the kids when they decorate Christmas Cookies. Rachel always needed help spreading the frosting. But this year, they didn't really need us or want us the whole time. They sat at the table and did cookies, one by one. Some have mounds of frosting and sprinkles, some are carefully executed works of art, but all of them are beautiful! Adam and I did get to decorate a few, but we really just let them do their thing and listen to them talk and work together. When we were at the table, Rachel would always ask for help that she didn't need. So, while we would have liked to it there with them, it was fun to observe from 'afar' and appreciate it all. Such a great day!!!

Elf Yourself!!!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Lego Land Pictures

Thanksgiving & Lego Land in a Clean Car!

We'll start with the clean car bit b/c when you have 3 kids and am on the go like I am, typically a messy, dirty car is standard. I decided enough is enough! I am taking back this minivan into my own control!!! Ha! (Yea, right) So, after our last soccer game (HURRAY!) I cleaned my car. It was a beautiful day, great to be outside, Russ and Rach joined me and played in the front yard while I cleaned. Playing in the front yard is a rare occurrence in our neighborhood. Nobody is out front and there isn't much room to play. I CLEANED, seriously cleaned and it felt good. I took all that soccer crap out of my car, vacuumed all the grass from soccer shoes, cleaned fingerprints off the windows and readjusted the 3^rd row seats for the trip CA. And can I say I love the 'leatha'! It makes seat cleaning much easier.

Consequently, while being out front, we met some new neighbors, another rare occurrence. The house to the left of us has been in foreclosure and for sale since we moved in. Well, a young couple bought it and moved in. We had seen them a bit on the weekends, but weren't sure if they were even living there. They happened to be out front trimming bushes and trees, looking a bit clueless. Of course, Martha couldn't help giving some pruning advice!! Ha! They seem very nice, were eager and proud to show off all the work they have done inside the house. Boy, the previous owner was bitter and took weird things with him – oven racks, interior door handles, light plate covers, the garage door openers and painted in really weird colors. So anyway, it was nice to meet some neighbors and chat with them, maybe we'll get to know them better.

Okay, back to the real reason of the blog…. The Thanksgiving Trip! We spent Thanksgiving with my mom's family. My Uncle Dexter and Aunt Linda hosted at their house. My Aunt Kate brought my Nana over, my drove down from Napa and my cousin Ryan and his 2 children were also there. We had a very pleasant day. Adam, the kids and I hit the road about 7am Thursday morning, which wasn't as bad as we thought and while we were driving we saw 4 different rainbows. Of course, the van was clean and that made it even better ; ) The kids all played well at Dexter's house, Rowan was appropriately adorable and had smiles for everyone. He showed off his new skills of clapping, waving, and his almost crawl. It was good to see my nana. She is suffering from Alzheimer's and in the last month or so she has been moved to a private care facility. She is getting excellent care, looks good, and seems to be happy on her good days. When she was living at home with her husband, ray, neither were taking good care of themselves or the house. It was filthy, she was filthy and so was he. Unfortunately, she and Ray are not in the same care facility and I know that hurts her, but she is coping. I guess that is one thing you really have to think about when you age and remarry. All in all it was a nice day and we enjoyed catching up with that side of the family. A funny side note. My Uncle Dexter said the weirdest thing to Adam. He was commenting on how he hasn't seen Adam in like 10 years and he said that he thought Adam had only gained 10 pounds in the 10 years he hadn't seen him. Now, I thought that was weird. Adam thought it was one of those comments that meant nothing. But the whole thing is funny b/c Dex has had gastric bypass surgery – he was obese. He lost a lot of weight and has managed to put quite a bit back on. So, I kind of think, who are you to comment on anyone's weight???? Bizarre.

Thursday late afternoon we left Dexter's house and traveled on to Carlsbad to stay in a hotel near Lego Land. Friday morning we met up with some of my Dad's family. My Uncle Chuck (Dad's brother who is so funny, he's always been a favorite), his wife, Charleen (also a fave), their daughter Erica (lives in the Chicago suburbs, she is a blast and so funny!) and her family – husband, Mike, son, Tyler (age 4) and daughter, Ashlynn (age 2). We haven't seen Erica and Mike since like 2002 and Adam had never met Chuck and Charleen. We had a fun group, all with easy going personalities and we did Lego Land together on Friday. It was a great time. It was pretty crowded, but I think for having such a large group, we managed the crowds well. The kids had a great time; we rode quite a few rides, played at the playgrounds, admired the MiniLand USA, and just visited while waiting in lines. Chuck and Charleen waited with Rowan quite a few times so Adam and I could ride with Russell and Rachel. Rowan has started the whole separation anxiety thing, so I wasn't sure how he would handle waiting with them, but it was no problem. Chuck and Charleen had him wrapped around their fingers or maybe it was Rowan had them wrapped around his! Rowan loved Uncle Chuck. And why wouldn't he? The guy makes great funny faces and let Row play with watch! Good times for a 10 month old!

Adam, the kids and I headed back to Lego Land for a 2^nd day on Saturday. What a GREAT day! The weather was perfect. It was less crowded and we knew where to start and work the park from there. We got in all the rides we wanted and few extras. It was a really fun family day : )

Okay, a few funny stories and observations from Lego Land….. I think compared to any other amusement park we have been to, they have some of the strictest height and age requirements for rides. They also have small seating arrangement – like only 2 per row, boat, airplane, etc. That made it a little hard b/c Russ was tall and old enough to go alone on a lot, but he wants to ride with us, but one of us would have to ride with Rachel, while the other stayed with Rowan.

SO…Skipper School. This is a ride that you drive a little motorboat through a course. We thought the boats were on a guide underwater, like Autotopia in Disneyland. Russ had to drive his own boat b/c Rowan couldn't ride on it for some reason. The boats are super slow. Well, Russ is driving along and gets a little turned around – literally turned around! He is now going back the way he came while all the other boats are coming towards him!!! Adam is in another boat with Rachel and manages to turn him around. Well, he gets to another turn and almost turns around again. Then another turn, he gets turned around, Adam can't help him and Russ bumps this other family – who thinks it is very funny! The clerk has to come over and help Russ and get him to the end. I am cracking up, Adam and Russell are embarrassed. The mom whom Russ bumped was explaining to me about the delay in the turning on the boats and how she thought it was a little difficult. I just thought it was so funny to see him go the other way with boat traffic coming toward him

Rachel liked the roller coasters, but the whole time she rode she put her face down, like she didn't like it. She rode the Dragon Coaster, the Car coaster (that one is fast and has a the biggest drop) and the Coastersaurus. Russ didn't like the coasters; he rode the dragon coaster and looked like he was going to puke in the picture they take as you go around. Russ likes the action rides – Splash Battle – a pirate ship you shoot water at other ships as you go around. He liked the Land of Adventure ride – you ride in a jeep and shoot with lasers at the bad guys (like the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disney).

I think Russ was most excited about shopping at the Lego stores. We shopped on Saturday and he was thrilled!

The kids really enjoyed MiniLand USA – various US cities made in legos. There were parts of Vegas, D.C., S.F., SoCal beaches, New England, NYC, New Orleans, Nascar, a really cute barn, Hollywood, etc. Those were fun to look at b/c the detail is incredible. A lot of the animated displays were broken and very faded, so that was a little disappointing.

On an airplane ride – you control it going up and down kind of thing – I was with Rachel, Russ was alone and Row was waiting with Adam. So every time we went around, I waved at Rowan and said his name. It took him a few times to realize what was going on, but then he'd anticipate that we were coming and he would just start clapping when he'd hear us and see us. It was so cute. It was one of those melt your heart moments.

And as if that wasn't enough for one trip, we met with Adam's family on Sunday at the CA State Historic Citrus Park in Riverside. We met there, walked thru the visitor's center, walked up the hill to see the view, and went to the gardens where the park can be rented for weddings and parties and such. It was pretty, we visited for about an hour and then hit the road back to Vegas with the van was still pretty clean!!! (It's just good when it all comes full circle, you know???)

The Christmas Spirit

I know, it is too early for Christmas, but for me it isn't…. Well, first of all our old computer got some Trojan bug that we couldn't get rid of and I didn't want to go thru the whole geek thing again. It just didn't seem worth it to pay for that all over again. So, it was last week when I figured that out. And I was bummed. Who wants to spend the money on a new computer? So, I decided to cheer myself up and get out the Christmas Tree. I have a fake one that I bought in 2002 in Oklahoma and I heart it! Perfect size, perfect shape, has the lights on it, I love it. But, last year I had to do a number fixing the lights, so I really wasn't sure what to expect when I plugged them in this year, especially after a move. Yea, it was bad. Like half the lights were out. This was supposed to cheer me up and I was totally bummed thinking I had to get a new tree too. Bah. Humbug - before Thanksgiving even.

Then I really started looking at the tree. Love the shape, love the size; it just needs lights. Look closer, well, the lights are strung on pretty tight, but I could clip them out….. I start my plan and Adam thinks I am crazy – just get a new tree is his suggestion. So, I look at new trees and I like mine best. So, I bought new lights and decided I would save my tree!!!!! I clipped out tons of lights off my tree. I ended up taking each branch off and taking the lights off from there. And once I got in a groove, it wasn't too bad. Another perk?? The bottom row of branches is too low on my tree. The presents always push them up and the branches are in the way. So, I took them off and kept them off – bonus! I started to think of a new goofy show – trick out my tree! It took me 3 days of a little here and there, but I stripped the tree of the old non working lights and put on new lights. Colored lights this year, we have had white lights since we were married. The kids are thrilled. Rachel likes the pink lights best and Russell likes the red.

So, of course, if I have the tree out, then I must get out the Christmas boxes. Last Christmas, when taking everything down, I took so much time to wrap all my precious ornaments and decorations, knowing we were moving and knowing that the movers would not pack it as well as I would. If I don't say so myself, I did an AMAZING job. I don't think anything broke! Phew. Saturday we started decorating the tree. I couldn't wait, I had to do it. Typically that weekend after Thanksgiving is when I do the whole Xmas decorating thing. This year we are going to Lego Land after Thanksgiving, so really, I have to do it ahead of time to stay on schedule ; ) It will be fun to come home to a Xmas house after Thanksgiving. That's what I keep telling myself to rationalize my early decorating. I always laugh when I start the tree – every year I have the same thoughts. I think when I first start: 'How am I going to fill this tree? I don't think I'll have enough. You always have enough, at the end you always think you have too many and you wonder how to put them all on.' And it is so true, I think the same things – Why don't I learn my lesson from the last year?

You know, I really enjoy decorating the tree. I love my ornaments. I really do. I treasure each one. I can probably tell you each ornament's history – was it a gift from one of my many thoughtful friends? Did I buy it after Xmas on super sale in Napa, FL, or OK? Was it one the kids made? (Easy answer there!) Was it an ornament from my childhood? When we lived in Napa, I used to always go to this store on Jefferson Ave that was a party supply store, but had lots of fun ornaments. I would run into friends that I worked with at Redwood Middle School. One in particular was Pat Caceres. Pat was my 8^th grade Math Teacher and then I worked with her at RMS. She is so sweet. After she realized that I was ornament hunting the day after Xmas, she would buy me snowman ornaments at other stores that she knew I was not going to. I could tell you every ornament she bought me. Steve Culbertson, another one of my 8^th grade teachers that I taught with told his wife that I was a snowman gal and she bought me a bag full. I still have every one of those ornaments. I have always loved those bulb ornaments that are painted on the inside of the bulb. How do they do that??? Christine sent me my first one, snowmen of course, and I really treasure it. I always hang it front and center and think of her when I hang it. I bought an ornament last year with a Santa holding a lamb. I bought it at Kohls and I bought it b/c Rachel's school was called Little Lambs in Florida. I knew that we would be moving and I knew when I hung that ornament it would remind me of Little Lambs and what a wonderful school it was and how lucky I was to have Rachel enrolled. And this year, I did just that as I hung it on the tree. Each one has its own story and memory, such a joy to remember each one and share with the kids. That really makes me happy.

One side note as we were hanging ornaments this year. I still adore my snowmen, but I seem to have started a new collection without realizing it. I have a new affection for Santas in red coats. Not a conscious thing at all, until now….

A Fun Comparison

So here are pictures of the kids all with the barn on their heads. Russ got the barn from Carol Teeters and it is the cutest toy - a Gund terry cloth barn bag and has 4 barnyard animals made form terry cloth to play with. And the animals each have their own special sound - squeak, rattle, etc. Well, Adam put it on Russ's head while playing and the picture was a big hit. So, we had to do one with Rachel. Since we had a bond with the toy, it was one I kept. I didn't keep a lot of baby toys after Rachel. And boy, are we glad that I kept it, it would have been sad not to get Rowan in it too. The kids are all about 6 months old and I just thought it was fun to see them all together.

Growin' Rowan 9 months old!

Hard to believe, but Rowan is already 9 months old, on Election Day no less! So, I am going to do a little motherly bragging and recording all about our little Row Row.

He loves to be out of the house. He is not a homebody at all. He is a shameless flirt while out and about. He smiles and does that shy look with the chin down to his chest and looks up, he is so funny. He has a real thing for the grandpas too. Today we were at JoAnn fabrics and he caught the attention of a grandpa in the store. So, that led to a fun conversation and lots of Rowan smiles and coos.

He has really just started all the jibber jabber. He was doing it a little bit, but now it is all the time. His voice is so sweet and cute. He loves to growl at stuff and breathe/pant loudly thru his nose. Then his voice can have a little high pitch to it as he babbles on and on. I try so hard to get him to say mamamamama, but it usually dadadada or bababa or blablabla and then he'll throw in a ga or goo, etc. He'll say MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMm while he's eating for me, but that is it. He will and has said the mamamam, but only when he chooses!! He clicks his tongue a lot, especially when someone clicks at him. Rachel will start talking in the car to him - babababa and he starts right in and talks back to her. He loves to be out in the stroller, looking around, feeling the air. Halloween night, he could have gone all night. Russ and Rach were done, but Row could have kept right on.

We think he's a daddy's boy thru and thru. He just stares at Adam while he is talking and listens to him - which is probably a good thing b/c Adam can talk a lot and we all don't have time to sit and listen ; ) So, it's good he has a captive audience in Rowan!!! Ha! He'll hear Adam's voice and just right in with the babble. There was a time period that he would only go to bed at night if Adam rocked/walked him around - he would just squirm with me. He gets a little pissy if Adam doesn't come over and pick him up when he comes home from work. He'll whine and look at Adam, like Hello, I am right here.

Rowan has loved the swaddle like no other baby I have known. I bought him these velcro swaddle blankets and he just recently stopped using them. We would swaddle him and sometimes he'd fall instantly asleep, like he was waiting for that blanket to tell him it is sleepy time. We were a little worried about how ling he might want the swaddle, but one day he just didn't want it anymore. Which is kinda weird b/c I read this book ("The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems") and she said some babies will love the swaddle and then at about 9 months they give up overnight. She was right. I love the title of that book by the way. I had to buy it just b/c the title was so great - how could you go wrong with a book like that??? Ha! I am passing it on to Tracey who has a 2 month old that nurses a lot at night. She needs all her problems solved!!!! Ha!

Rowan loves his crib bumper. He rubs his face in it now when he is falling asleep and he loves his crib toy that plays music and sounds and has some lights and movements. It's like a little rainforest scene and the lights look like a waterfall and there is a little monkey that moves and fish. Of course, it makes 'rainforest' sounds too.

We are working on Rowan playing peekaboo alone. he really tries - he puts his hands on his forehead and pulls them down to his tummy for peekaboo. It is pretty cute. And he is clapping a lot. He hasn't quite the patty cake thing down yet, but we play that too. He also has lots of fun pulling toys out of baskets, bags, etc. For a while I'd put a load of Rachel's plastic tea party plates in a little plastic bin and he could spend like 10 minutes pulling out each plate and waving it around, throw it down, get the next look at it, wave it, and on it went.

Of course Russ and Rach really can get him worked up doing anything. Brushing their teeth, dancing around, pretty much anything they do is hilarious and gruntworthy.

Rowan doesn't like cold anything. Cold bathwater - he's done. He doesn't like cold food, cold bottles, cold juice or water to drink; basically if it's cold he's not having it. It is so funny that he's that opinionated about so consistently. Rachel would take anything any temp and could stay in the bath until she turned blue. Not Rowan.

And Harry, our orange cat, seems to be Rowan's. Anytime Row is in the floor playing or drinking a bottle (oh yeah, he does that by himslef too - yay!) anyway - Harry is all over Rowan at bottle or play time on the floor. He'll rub up next to Row and purrrrrr. Rowan loves it. Row will grab Harry and surprisingly, Harry doesn't flinch or anything. He sits there happy as can be. Row tries to pet Harry too, it is sweet. Sometimes Harry will hide in Rowan's room and then get in bed with him while he's sleeping. I have never seen anything like it.

He also starts doing new things and then stops. Like those super sweet juicy open mouth 'kisses' that babies do. he did for about a month or so and has now stopped. One day at Rachel's gymnastics, he was sitting in my lap facing me and put his hands on my cheeks and must have kissed me 20 times. It was so cute and funny. I'd try to watch Rachel a bit and he'd try to pull my face back and giggle. It was such a hoot. Rolling over - he 's like been there done that, don't do it any more.

He doesn't seem very mobile right now. Russ and Rach were rolling all over the floor to get where they wanted to be. He scoots a bit on his back and sitting up he can scoot on his tush, but not very far. I kinda think that may be due to the fact that Russ and Rachel always get him things when he fusses for something, so the need to get around isn't there.

Okay, there you have the Rowan Fix!!!! Let me put in some pictures and get back to my domestic goddess duties.

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Well, it has been a while and I am not sure how much I will get written in this post, but I'll try to update as best I can : )

Our computer crashed, not sure why, but it did and The Geeks had it for like a week. It ended up being cheaper to repair this one than get a new one, which was surprising, but good, I guess. However, it was a pain to get everything back on it. We did get a new external hard drive out of the deal. I really like that and now I can back up things properly. It really sucked being without the computer for sooooo long.

The first weekend of October, Andy came for a visit from Portland and we had a great time. He brought all kinds of fun toys for the kids, so they love Uncle Andy! He got to experience Russell's first soccer game of the season and I think we definitely reaffirmed that Andy does not want to have children, what with the tantrums, crying baby, lugging shit all over. Yea, he's probably never gonna ever have kids! Ha! Not that there's anything wrong with that, I am just saying our chaos can be convincing one way or the other! Andy is big Miami Dolphins fan and the game was on while he was visiting and they actually won. I have never seen Andy so emotional..... We also took him to the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas. A great desert living and green living museum with acres of trails and gardens and indoor exhibits, classrooms, etc. A very neat place. Oh, it also rained like 3 times while Andy was here and it never rains, so that was bizarre.

Rachel turned 4 on October 11th. We had a soccer game that day, which the opposing team did not show. So, our team scrimmaged itself. It was very cold - 50 degrees, rainy, windy, i can see why the other team didn't show. Did I mention I got suckered into coaching Russell's soccer team? Well, I did. I volunteered to co-coach with the guy that stepped up to coach and he flaked, so it is all me. There are 2 other dads that help a lot, so that makes it easier, but they can't always be there and they don't want the responsibility of being the in charge or the decision making. So, I have help, but limited. We are the Jedi Tigers and I'll be glad when it is over.

But back to Rachel turning 4. We had the game, that wasn't a game. So, we invited the Cannys to go with us to Chuck E Cheese and had a small celebration there. It was fun, bought tons of tokens and let the kids go nuts. I think Rachel went a little too nuts because she barfed in the car on the way home. Like all over barf - all over Adam, the car seat, the van. Adam finally appreciates the leather seats - so much easier to clean!!! So now Russell thinks that Rachel is allergic to pizza b/c she barfed it up. And she isn't a real fan of it either now.

She was so cute opening her presents and cards. She really took time to look at each card and admire the pictures on it. And every envelope and every package she'd say "I wonder what's inside? What could it be?" and then was genuinely thrilled to open each thing. "A dress!!!! It is so beautiful" "Oh, I love this fancy hat" "Little Pet Shop for me?" It was so cute.

Adam left for Oklahoma on the 14th of October and he is still there. He has to be requalified on the AWACS jet. So, he is there trying to get qualified. he's been there almost 2 weeks and hasn't even finished 1 ride and he needs to have at least 4. This has been a really hard time having him gone. 3 kids (well the baby) makes it harder, my cat, Kadie has been sick and she died this morning, not having very many friends here, trying to coach soccer and make sure Rachel and Rowan are being taken care of (Rachel goes to the Cannys and Rowan comes to practice and an older sister of one of my players helps me with Row). It has been rough.

And now Rowan is up, time to get dinner going... you should all feel lucky that I chose to spend 'my nap' time writing to you!!! ; ) More later.... If you haven't already - find me on Facebook - what a blast that has been!!!