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.

Back to the Blog

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!!!

Pictures

These are a few pics from Russell's first day of 2nd grade. Rachel didn't have school that day, but she packed her lunch and backpack just the same.

Rachel’s Week

No one disagrees, Rachel needs to be kept busy. She is at the age where she is truly interested in doing stuff. So, I started researching some classes and things for her in Vegas. One thing, private preschool is super expensive in Vegas. And the places that aren't – like a co-op or thru the city, fill up instantly. So, I decided to get her in preschool at the YMCA that is close by. Tracey's son, Jaime, goes there and they like it. It is reasonable, but only 2 hours, 2 mornings per week. It isn't ideal (the times make it hard for drop offs in the morning with Russ's schedule), but hopefully she'll be at the co-op next year. She has only been a couple of days, had no issues with the drop off and seemed to have a great time. It will do for now.

So, 4 hours per week, we've got school, but as I said before, Rachel needs to be busy!!! We tried out a dance class, which Rachel wasn't too keen on and at $40 per month, I wasn't going to pay that just so Rachel could stand there or be held by the instructor. I discovered that the City of North Las Vegas has all kinds of rec programs and they are really reasonable. Rachel is currently booked Monday – Saturday!!! Mondays we have a pee wee soccer class and that is so terrific. The coach is a mom who has coached her daughter's team for years, she is excellent with the kids and there is a real lesson in every session. I couldn't be more impressed. (And since it looks like I am coaching Russ's soccer team, I am going to start taking notes on her drills. More on Russ's soccer later.) Tu/ TH is preschool, Wednesday is gymnastics at the rec center. Again, another excellent class, tons of equipment and Rachel loves every second of class. Fridays we have 'creative ballet' which is more of a creative movement class. Gemma is her teacher and she is a free spirited kinda gal. But, I have to say, she is wonderful with the girls. She can captivate them with stories and then they dance the story, or like last week, they used instruments and danced their names. The structure is real loosy goosy, but they are always moving and groovin' and isn't that the real point? Saturdays we have ballet and tap. This class was sort of an unknown and we are trying it this session, but not sure if we'll sign up again. It is very structured and a lot of waiting in line. Which 3 year olds in tutus aren't too good at doing.

There you have it, Rachel is busy and loving it. I really am thankful to have a rec center so close that we can take advantage of all these fun things to do! I have met a couple of other moms too. One is an AF spouse who has a 1st grader who is going thru the same making friends at recess problems that Russ is having at a different school. So, it has been nice to have some other moms to chat with and learn from too!

Rachel has been an incredible big sister lately and lots of fun. Just want to write a few things she has been up to, so I can remember them later..

In the van, Russ usually sits next to Row (in the middle seat) and helps out/entertains him in the car. Now with Russ at school, Rachel is the only one back there in the other side seat. She'll stretch in her seat and peer over at Rowan and say things like "It's okay, Rachel's here. You don't need Russell, Rachel's here"

She loves to tickle Rowan and talk to him while she's doing it. She says things appropriately too. It is so funny to hear her repeat things I say to Row and I don't even think she is listening.

Rowan will be in his bouncy jumper/exersaucer thing and she line up across the room from him and say "I'm gonna get you, I'm coming to get you" Then she'll run across the room and stop in front of him and say "Gotcha!" and she'll tickle him and something like that. Rowan doesn't like that at all…. Just kidding!

If he is crying in his crib, she'll go right in and step up on the side rail and hang her arms in and give him his bink, talk to him, give him a toy and tell him that "Mom's coming, just a minute"

She'll sit with him on the floor and tickle him and say things like "Oh, you're such a cute baby! Who's a cute baby?"

Lately she's been my shopping pal. We grocery shop together, have been doing some clothing shopping and she's just so much fun. I remember when Russ was almost 4 and he started getting really fun too. I think 4 was my favorite age with Russ and looks like it will be with Rachel too. Just a great age.

What a Week… Russell’s Story

Well, time to blog about the first day of school and all the excitement surrounding that….

Most of you probably have heard about the chaotic first day for Russ at his new school. But, in case you haven't or you want more detail, here ya go! Russell's school has 2 starts times: Group A starts at like 8:37am and Group B at 9:42. Russ is in group B and that means he is released later than group A kids. So, 2 start times, 2 release times – can you imagine? And in all the classes, there are both A & B kids. So, it isn't like certain teachers start later than others, they all have students at 8:37 and go until the late release time of 3:53pm. Personally that isn't what I'd like as a teacher, but I don't work there so who cares what I think!

    

Russell was so nervous the first day of school. He's the new kid at a new school, who can blame him? We were nervous for him and all day I was watching the clock, waiting to go get him. Then at about 3pm I get a phone call from local number and it is a female voice asking if I was Russell's mom. Russ shouldn't be out of school until almost 4pm, so immediately I am panicking in my head? Did I screw up the time? What is going on??? Well, what happened is that he got released with the A group of kids and was walking towards where have parked at his school, he didn't see me and kept walking looking for me. He gets about a block away and these girls from the close by middle school find him. He was crying since he couldn't find me. They whip out a cell, ask Russ his number and call me asap. (Yea for middle school students and their cell phones!!!). I had originally thought it was parent that called, but later found out it was a teen. So, they offered to walk him to back to school and I sped over to school – furious. By then I had realized I didn't screw up any times, they did. I get in the office, no one has any clue about Russell being released early, where is he? Well, it turns out his class was on the hunt for him and met him out front and the girls let him go with his teacher, so he never made it to the office. They confirm he is indeed in class. I am so mad I am crying, in the office, with Rachel and Rowan. When the principal finds out what happened, her jaw just drops, like what??? So, the kids and I go down to get Russ out of class and bring him home. His teacher was embarrassed and very apologetic. After seeing how the kids get released at that school, I could see how Russ could get mixed up and think school was over. So, it was a crazy afternoon. What ifs play nasty tricks with your mind. It is over, I know Russ won't be 'lost' again and that is what is most important.

Okay, that was Monday. Tuesday was a great day all was well. Weds. – ugh he gets in the car and just starts crying. He has no recess buddies. They have about 15 minutes after lunch for recess. He's never had that before with like 150 kids. That situation totally overwhelms him and he couldn't find anyone to play with, he had asked some boy from his class to play, but he was playing with someone else and we think Russ got embarrassed and left before they could ask him to play (still not sure about that). Anyway, it was so sad – he said things like "All the 2^nd graders have their best friends by now and I am just the new kid" and the he said "Maybe if I wear my camouflage clothes like the other boys they will see that I like what they like". And then that night he was playing in the house and knocked out his front tooth. It was bloody. And by the way, the tooth fairy isn't afraid of bloody teeth that have been cleaned!!!

Thursday was better, he still played by himself at recess. And Friday was good, we think he played alone, but he had gotten fun Friday prizes in class, so he was thrilled about that! I wrote a note to his teacher and asked about recess and let her know our concerns when he went back to class on Tuesday.

So, here we are at Tuesday (day after Labor Day). On Monday night, Adam and Russ were playing soccer, barefoot, in the back yard. Russ jams his toes into Adam's foot. Mucho grande pain, swelling, etc. Tuesday not any better, looking worse actually, ugh. So, after many phone calls to and from the base hospital it was decided that he needed xrays. Then a day later (no broken bones) it was decided that he would need to see the podiatrist as Russ was still not walking right. He's fine and all is well. A funny about the podiatrist was asking him his pain level on a scale of 1 – 10 and Russ, without missing a beat, said that his pain level when it happened was 200. The doctor laughed and said no one had ever told him that before and said he was going to make sure he'd write that in his chart.

Okay… time to get this posted and write another about Rachel (ballet, gymnastics, preschool – activity galore!) and of course, all the fun and not fun things about Rowan.

If You Move Here, They Will Come

One thing people told us over and over again – if you move to Vegas, you'll have more visitors than you'd ever think! Everyone seems to always find a way, especially with free lodging. I can't say 'they' were wrong!!! In fact, we've have been here less than two months and my mom has been here twice, Adam's mom's 3^rd visit will be this weekend, and of course, my Dad & fam were here in July. My brother will be here some time in October and we have heard from lots of friends that travel to Vegas regularly to plan to see them too! It really is a lot of fun for us and we welcome everyone to come - especially after being so far away for such a long time. So, we are here and we want you to come!

I did get the chance to go to California last weekend. My mom flew in and we drove all 3 kids on Friday to my Aunt Kate's (mom's sister) house in Orange, CA. We stayed there Friday night and my Uncle Dexter, (mom's brother), his wife, Linda and their son Ryan came over to see us. We had a nice visit and it was good to catch up and show off the kids ; ) Some of you know, my Aunt Kate has incredible style/eye for design. Her yard is creative & immaculate and her home is beautiful and full of things that little hands like touch!!! Ha! Can you see where this going? Well, it is NOT going there because my kids did not break a thing!!! Well, we almost broke the fountain outside with bubbles – I know that sounds impossible, but it's true! Maybe I'll offer a prize to the reader that can guess how we almost broke the fountain….

Saturday we farted around at Kate's house and then went to see my Nana (90 years old) in Long Beach. Some of you may know that Nana is suffering from Alzheimer's. It has been frustrating for me because I have been far away and couldn't tell for myself how she was really doing. I call Nana faithfully every weekend, she repeats the same stories over and over, and she knows what answers to say to how they are doing – I still clean house (nope), I still make breakfast (no, again), we don't have a car, so I walk to Albertsons that's 1 mile away (never). My mom and Kate would both share their observations, but it is hard to tell what was really happening. I thought Nana looked good, healthy despite the fact she wears the same clothing every day and I don't think she bathes very often. I have argued over the last year to hire some in home help and even found a couple of agencies. But, what the hell do I know from across the country? Well, it was decided this weekend that they are going to hire someone to come in and help starting in September! Again, what the hell do I know? What has passed has passed and it is going forward. I think my mom has been the most forceful, making this happen, so I am relieved. It was good to see Nana and she loved seeing the kids and holding the baby. I look forward to being able see her again soon.

We drove home Saturday to give Russell the day on Sunday before he headed back to school. We had intended to stay another night at Kate's but decided to go on home. Now…. Russell's first day of school is a whole other entry, maybe I can do that tomorrow.

The Move Part III

Okay, I think I will get the rest of the move stuff into this post and then move on with the blog!!!

 

When we arrived in Vegas, we stayed for about 4 nights with the Cannys. Tracey was one of the first spouses I met in the Air Force that knew what Crate and Barrel was. So, I knew she was cool from the start! We had a great stay with them; they make you feel right at home! Tracey and I got to shop for some new furniture for our house and show me around our side of town so I'd know where everything is. We left Adam home with the kids and made him the manny! Tracey also looked at houses for us and helped us pick out the house we live in. She did a great job! We really like the house. It is big – 3100sf, 4 bedroms, 3.5 baths, gated, 3 car garage, huge closets, 2 living rooms (one and one down), and a built in grill/smoker outside. The neighborhood has a lot of foreclosures, including both houses on each side of us. Wish we were in a place to buy. Oh well!

We moved in on July 10^th and had the best crew we have ever had deliver our stuff. They were so nice, courteous to us and each other, and also pointing out what type of stuff was broken coming off the truck, (instead of trying to hide it). We had some broken stuff – not that long list that I had dreaded. Our computer desk got banged up and a few other things were broken, but not like we were expecting. The labeling of boxes was what was so annoying. The box marked bedding had maybe one sheet in it and the rest of the contents were like toys or books. The box marked pillows had 1 pillow and random stuff from all over the house. They dumped some of our files into boxes, so that took a lot of time to sit and go through and refile. You get the point. It was like every box was labeled like that, so it was hard to unpack b/c you never really knew what was in the box you were opening.

My Dad, Pam, Adelle and Pam's nephew Caleb came to Vegas on the 12^th to help and visit. They stayed in their RV at an RV park near the strip for almost 2 weeks. Caleb is a year younger than Russ, so that was great for Russ to have an immediate friend to play with. It was really fun having them here. We got a lot done, but also had to schedule in some play time too, which helped break up the monotony of unpacking boxes. We had all kinds of adventures – shopping of course, Adelle LOVES to shop, Circus Circus Adventure Dome (Rachel loves the rides and seemed to be a bit of a thrill seeker), visited the MGM lions, M&M World and the carnival games at Excalibur. We fit in a lot of swim time too, both at the RV park and our house has a community pool.

Adam and I also managed to sneak away for one night and celebrate our 10^th wedding anniversary early whil Dad & Pam stayed with the kids. We stayed at the Trump Tower – a 5 star hotel that we booked for super cheap on Hotwire.com. What fun! When we checked in and the clerk was asking us all kinds of questions – what brings you to Vegas, why are you staying, that kind of thing…. He gave us a major room upgrade, so we had a very posh suite facing the strip, outstanding!!! We went to dinner at someplace at Caesar's. We didn't make a reservation and should have. But, we managed to sneak in and get a table and it was fine. We wondered around the strip for a while, but really couldn't wait to soak in the huge tub with a strip view back at the hotel and drink some champagne. So, that's what we did! We ordered a ridiculous breakfast from room service and when it came, the attendant set the table with a tablecloth, centerpiece, china, etc. It was very relaxing and romantic and we were so thankful we had the opportunity to celebrate with some free babysitting to boot!

So, now as it stands…. We are pretty much unpacked. I am still hanging stuff on the walls. The kids' room isn't done yet. We ordered bunk beds for Russ n Rach, which came without the hardware. So we are still waiting on that. The guest bedroom has already been used – my mom and Blake – and it's ready for anyone else headed our way!!! So – I say so a lot, I need to change that… ANYWAY….. the finishing details will eventually get finished, but we have to live life too and not get to caught up in the house. On our agenda this week are doctor's appointments for Russ & Row, private swim for Russ, enrolling Rachel in dance and gymnastics, a new psychologist for Russell (who goes by Tom, not Dr. Jensen, I like him already!) and getting ready for school to start. Oh, real quick… Monday we went to enroll Russ at his new school and the records secretary was assigning him to a class and I said "We want a really good class!!". She says "Well, I have only 2 classes open. One in the A start, Mrs. Whoever. Or, you can have the B start, Mrs. Cayer". I look at her like I don't know, who should I choose???? She gets my look and mouths to me "You want B". So, I picked the B start and Mrs. Cayer. She nods with great approval. So, I was hoping we got the hook up and I think we did. I looked up Mrs. Cayer on the school website and she has her own website filled and ready for the new year. Yea! She seems really enthusiastic and creative and organized. I am liking her already!

Russ lost his 4^th tooth last night and it is truly lost. It came out, fell on his shirt, he stood up and we can't find it anywhere! The tooth fairy still came though, boy is she smart!