I Finally have more than two chairs

I Got a new table =) and it came with 8 chairs! I am hoping to have this one pretty much forever. And since it has the capacity to accommodate as little as four or as many as Eight, I think it will fit in just about any house we move to in the future. In the past I have usually just gotten some pretty cheap ikea furniture, Don't get me wrong, I do still like some Ikea stuff, But most of it has not held up to my little girls. So now I just need some guests to help fill the chairs.

Just that kind of girl

She picks up the frogs that frequently show up on our doorstep, as well as the interesting bugs she can find. Caterpillars are among her favorites, but she seems to get a little squeamish when spiders cross her path but she has no problem squashing them with her bare foot. Thats just the kind of girl she is

Advents here!

Bring on all the layers, tights, hats, music, cooking and of course those cute little baby Ugg boots, Rowan looks so adorable in.

Cameron is really enjoying her Advent calender....thanks Aunt Cindy!

Still looking for the answers

Me and Cameron have been seeing a Psychologist for maybe 2 months now. When I first decided that It might be a good idea to see someone, I just thought I needed some advise on how I could help Cameron. To make it short, The main issue that she has, is that she is severely oppositional, and I don't mean that she is just a "difficult kid" as a lot of three year olds are, but it seems to go much deeper than that. I have read many parenting books and have tried many different recommended technique's, and it never! works for me. Cameron also has some strange behaviors I am concerned about.

So anyhow after about three sessions with this doctor we have been talking with, he has concluded that he really thinks she will eventually need some sort of medication, mainly to help her with her lack of impulse control. I am a little surprised, considering when I originally went in to this whole process I expected that I might get some magical parenting advise I hadn't yet thought of that would eventually make everything all better, I sure wish it was that easy. So for now It just seems to be a waiting game, since most doctors wont give kids medications until they are four. I am very reluctant to want to medicate Cameron, however if I come to a point where I think It would greatly benefit her, and make the quality of her life much better I might have to try it out. I really hate that I am even having to think about any of this. I only want her to be happy and loved, and grow up to be a good person.

As for now I will wait and see how she gets along socially as she gets older, and hope and pray that she can learn to reason a bit more. She may be my VERY difficult little child but she is also, very sweet and lovable. Hopefully all her strong willedness will serve her a great purpose when she gets older.

Out of batteries

So thats why my three year old doesn't come when called, apparently she is "out of batteries." And she conveniently "ran out" when I needed her to get dressed. So of course I had to change them, but shortly after, her arm "ran out" as I was trying to get it into it's sleeve, and then what do ya know, the other one runs out to. figures, I'm always running out of batteries.

One year later

Nick has been gone exactly one year now. Rowan was 3 months when he left and Cameron was a little over 2 and a half. He is supposed to be back some time this January, just in time for Cameron's 4th birthday. 15 months seemed like an eternity to be away from my husband, and the girls Daddy. I wondered how I was going to get through it, but some how the days, weeks, and months just seemed to slip by, sometimes with ease and sometimes with great difficulty. These days I sometimes feel a little antsy, and melancholy, feeling like my husband should be home already. But now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and am very happy to say that it is almost over, and we can move forward with life. It all makes me very greatful to have such a wonderful loving husband to wait for. It has also given me much respect for all others who are waiting on there spouses, weather it be deployments, or just jobs that take them away from there family, as well as great sorrow for all those who's husbands or wifes will never return. I can only understand a fraction of that loss. I am praying these next two months fly by with ease and gods protection. It feels good to be preparing for our reunion now. We have lots of plans, that include, a late Christmas with Nick home, road trips to visit just about everyone, a wedding, and Disneyland. We are patiently waiting.

Just some tid bits

I will be giving all you faithful readers out there a Halloween blog soon, But I am waiting on pictures from a friends Camera since I forgot mine. But since I am a bit past due here, I will leave you all with some Random tid bits.

This cat decided it wanted to be part of our family about a week or so ago. I saw it lingering around the front of our house for a few days. One day while I had the garage open, getting ready to head to Walmart it slipped in our house, And we came home to a Cat in our house. Cameron was pretty excited. It was a little hard not to discourage it from hanging out because it was just the sweetest little kitty. Eventually it went elsewhere.

An update from Baby land:
Rowan loves to try and get herself dressed up (notice that the strap to my shirt is hanging over her ear, I just thought it was to cute.) She attempts shirts, pants, socks and shoes, and it doesn't make a difference who's clothing it is.

She is also really starting to catch on to sign language. She can sign: Milk, More, Food, and Hot. And she waves hello and goodbye. It seems as if she is doing something new almost everyday at this age.


And she also has a major sweet tooth, very much different than Cameron. She will suck a lollipop until every last bit is gone, and she squeals if she sees you with candy.



I finally got to indulge my creative side, (to Cameron's benefit) It really has been longing to break loose for quite some time. I decided to make her a crown. all original and hand made. Don't be surprised if your little one gets one for Christmas.

Looking for the answers

So me and Cameron finally had our first appointment with a psychologist. I have sort of been at my wits end with her for quite a while now and figured what could it hurt to talk to someone about my concerns for her/us. I felt good about the meeting. I got some discipline ideas and got to hear a professionals thoughts on her behaviors. And for insurance purposes he said he would diagnose her with "severe oppositional defiance" hahahaha that made me laugh a bit, (like I didn't already know that) He also said he couldn't rule out ADHD but that she was to young to get a diagnosis. I guess she showed some signs of it. So for the next couple of weeks I have some assignments to do. the first is for disciplining. When she misbehaves I have to tell her what she did wrong then I have to put her on time out in a private place and set a timer for 3 minutes then if she gets up I spank her and put her back until she takes her time out for 3 minutes. My other assignment is to read a recommended book on parenting. So I am feeling hopeful about all this. On a good note the doctor says she has extremely good speech skills. I guess sometime we all need a little help finding the answers.

A nice day it was

Last weekend we went to a Pumpkin patch. We had a lot of fun. I was thinking to myself the only thing that could have made it better was if Nick was there. Cameron painted a pumpkin, we went on a hay ride, and we had lunch under big oak trees, and of course picked out a big pumpkin. And Cameron was well behaved on the hay ride. I was a bit nervous about it since she had quite an episode on a train ride a year or so back. What a nice day it was!

Before we left Cameron insisted on taking some of her own pictures all by herself. I thought they looked quite artistic.

The Strawberrie Chronicles

Yep, my kids love strawberries without a doubt!

Sea world

Sea world has a program called "salute to the hero's". They allow members of the armed forces and there immediate family, to get into Sea world for free. So last Saturday me and the girls and some of our friends went to sea world, down in San Antonio TX. We spent about 9 or 10 hours there. By the end of the day we were exhausted, but we really enjoyed ourselves.

Cameron was pretty captivated by Shamu

Some Fancy Flamingos that passed by. Not to long ago Cameron would have been quite frightened by the strange creatures.


A pretty butterfly, that washed off about an hour later with all the water festivities.











The water Festivities!

I got threaded

Recently While I was at the mall in Dallas, I came across this eyebrow/facial threading stand. As I walked by I was so interested by what was going on that I had to stop and watch. What I was seeing was a new method I had never seen before of facial hair removal. Practitioners use a pure, thin, twisted cotton thread which is rolled over untidy hairlines, mustaches, and so on, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing where a single hair is pulled out each time, threading can remove an entire row of hair, resulting in a straighter line. when the lady had finished the girls eyebrows they looked so much better than any wax job I had ever seen. It was so cool to watch! Me and my friend Sabrina, I was with decided to give it a try. It felt different than wax or tweezing. I could feel the thread rolling over the skin and plucking out the hair in rows very quickly. It was slightly painful as something like that would usually be, but not to bad at all. I was very happy with my results, and I have never liked the shape of my eyebrows. If you pluck or get waxed I would recommend trying the threading method instead if you ever get a chance.

Hmm Hmm Good

I made Curry a few nights ago, (thanks to a good recipe from Ivanna) It was really good. It seemed to be a pretty healthy recipe. I think I still like Curry with coconut milk better. But it was still great and much lower in calories, which is a good thing for me. Here it is: The only variation I made on it was adding 2 potatoes chopped up in the last 20 minutes before it was done cooking, and I added chili power to spice it up a little


2 1/2 - 3 lb chicken, cut up
1 large onion, chopped
1 large apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced *I always use more because our family likes garlic (like about five or six cloves)*
1 1/2 Tablespoons curry powder *I always use more (1/2 or 1 tablespoon more) because I think it tastes better with a bit added.*
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt *I use less or none because there is so much flavor anyway*
2 cups chicken stock
3 Tablespoons corn starch *I don't measure this I just put a little in stir and add some more until I think it looks good, you can really make it as thin or thick as you want.*
3 Tablespoons water *I never put this extra water in*
1 Tablespoon lemon juice *I have forgotten this before and it doesn't make a very large difference.*

Place chicken, onion, apple, carrot, celery, garlic, curry powder, ginger, salt, and chicken stock in sauce pot. Bring to boil, turn to simmer and cook 45 to 55 minutes or until chicken is tender. *Remove chicken to hot serving platter. Combine corn starch and water. Stir into sauce and cook, stirring until sauce thickens.* Stir in lemon juice. Serve with condiments over steamed rice. Condiments: chutney, raisins, peanuts, coconut, chopped green onion, banana, etc.

A Bad Run In

I recently had a bad run with Rowans new primary care provider. It was the first time she has been in any medical institution. She was born at home, and was very happy and healthy from the start. And because I had decided against vaccinations, I hadn't felt the need to see a doctor. The only medical procedure she had was a newborn screening test done at our home by our mid wife a few days after birth. For her first year of life she had never been sick accept for one minor cold, nothing a little Tylenol couldn't remedy, which I have without a doubt attributed to breastfeeding.
After a year I thought I would take her in to meet her doctor for a well baby check up minus the vaccinations or course. mostly I just wanted to meet her and get to know her in case I ever did need to bring Rowan in the future for some reason. I jokingly said to my husband Nick on the way there. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was rude to us because we decided not to vaccinate". As soon as we got to the office the bad feeling started. there was a play area for the kids and the carpet had stains all over it, as I walked further in I noticed some sort of spill that had dripped down the wall that obviously had not been cleaned off and simply left there.
I filled out the new patient forms and the receptionist seemed almost shocked to hear that Rowan had never been to a doctor and did not have a vaccination card. Once inside the patients room. the girls started opening cabinets and drawers as children often do, only to find more strange spills that had just been left there.
The doctor came in after a bit and the first thing she says is - "So are you just going to make all the decisions concerning your daughter" I thought to myself well, yes I am, who elts is going to make decisions for my one year old daughter. Strange question. So I said "um yes" and she says "Well you are going to have to find a new primary care provider then"
She doesn't even need to say a thing more, I begin to understand she does not appreciate parents who think for themselves, who chose not vaccinate there children (no offense to all those who vaccinate, not to say you don't think for yourself.) She begins to go on and asks if she "has ever even been to a hospital" and I say "No" "she was born at home"and she say "so she probably hasn't even had a newborn screening" And I explain that yes she had one done at home by the mid wife. Then she begins to point out that Rowan is in the zero percentile for weight and she is "underweight" and "failing to thrive"
I am starting to feel a little angry at this point by her cold tone and accusations against all of us. And had she taken the time to ask a little bit about our family history she might know that it is very common on my side of the family to have very small children, why her older sister Cameron was just as small if not even smaller and she had all her recommended vaccines and doctor visits. My children are just small.
She starts in again saying "you probably don't want to run any tests on her either" So I begin to explain I don't have anything against the medical establishment and If I felt like she needed testing then I would be perfectly fine with that, and with that Nick rings in and Say's "so what are these tests you would have preformed on her anyhow" and the doctor says "hemoglobin and electrolyte test as well as other things" I guess because she is "failing to thrive" Nick says I really don't think she needs any tests like that done. And then I say to the doctor " I know shes small but when I look at Rowan she does not look underweight to me and I certainly don't think she is failing to thrive" "And developmentally she is right on target" "The doctor responds with "you never know from just looking at a child"
I should have just left then and there but I think I was in shock or something and still processing bits and pieces of the conversation. She takes Rowan and examines her a little bit, give her back to me and says "So what is it you want me to do for you then" All I really wanted to say the whole time is "why are you being so hostile to us lady" I explain that all I wanted to do, was come in for a well baby check, and get to know her doctor a little.
So that basically summed up our appointment, and she exited the room. Me and Nick sat there a little shocked and I said "wow can you believe that, I have never been treated so badly by a doctor" What a bad first doctors appointment, and so much for getting to know that doctor, I wont ever be stepping foot in that office again.

And since I am on the subject of Vaccines, I came across an interesting article of scary facts I thought I would share.

Vaccines are a potent cocktail of ingredients that most people take without thought or hesitation. I am thankful that my wife started the research that eventually lead us to the decision to no longer vaccinate our children. As such, I thought some would benefit from our findings and help you understand why we don’t vaccinate. Here is a list of some common ingredients found in vaccinations:

Formaldehyde
Found in: DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), Biothrax (anthrax), DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), IPOL (polio), Tripedia (tetanus)

While it is safe to assume everyone knows that formaldehyde is a bad thing, I thought it necessary to back it up with a list of the dangers. Studies have shown that short term exposure to the chemical produced burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat; wheezing; nausea. Research has also been done that suggests it is linked to cancer in nasal sinuses, nasopharnyx, brain and possibly leukemia. In 1987, the EPA classified it as a possible human carcinogen.

Thimerosal
Found in: DTaP, DPT, Energix-B (hepatitis B), FluShield (influenza, flu shot), HiB Titer (influenza), Menomune (meningococcal), Rabbies vaccine, Recombivax (hepatitis B), Tripedia

Thimerosal is used as a preservative in most vaccines. The major concern with its use is the high concentration of mercury, which has been linked to mental disorders. Several alarming studies showed a significant increased odds ratio for autism, mental retardation, speech disorder, personality disorders, and thinking abnormality in children who received thimerosal-contained vaccines as opposed to those who did not. This is a huge controversy in the medical world, as other research suggests there is not a link between the two. It is also interesting to note that ethylene glycol, also known as anti-freeze, is a major component of the chemical makeup of thimerosal.

Phenol
Found in: Dryvax (smallpox), Imovax (rabbies), NYVAC (smallpox), Pneumovax (streptococcus), Typhim Vi (typhoid)

Also known as carbolic acid, it is often used in weed killers and disinfectants. In some cases, it can be used to clean wounds. However, it is considered extremely toxic if digested.

Human Diploid Cells
Found in: Biavax (Rubella), Havrix (hepatitis a), Imovax, MMR, M-R-vax, ProQuad (MMR), RotaShield (rotavirus), Varivax (chicken pox)

This is more of an ethical concern than a health concern. Basically, a human diploid cell is one in which two chromosomes (one from each parent) are present. The bad news is that some pharmaceutical companies are extracting these from aborted fetuses such as the WI-38 and the MRC-5.

Other Factors
It is also alarming to note that in 1986, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Act which set up a fund to reimburse parents who lost their children due to vaccinations and effectively shielded pharmaceutical companies from being sued. I can’t imagine the guilt of losing my child because I let someone inject them with micro-doses of viruses.

We also see a rise in super virus strands such as the ever-evolving flu virus. The U.S. Center for Disease control has noted that the flu vaccine has become increasingly ineffective. This is because the flu viral strands are adapting, becoming stronger. I personally attribute this to the mass inoculations that people often take without regard.

Be Informed
My whole point is that I want you to make informed decisions. I would question every thing the doctor prescribes so that you can make an educated decision about what you allow in your body and your childrens’ bodies.

Just take the picture already

I hate it when people take forever to take your picture. I can actually feel my smile going bad. My lips start feeling funny and twitchy, and I start getting all self conscious. I feel like I have chandler syndrome or something. The funny thing is, I notice that Cameron does the same thing. Of course I still think she is cute as can be!

A series of unfortunate events

Cameron got her first haircut yesterday. It looks about the same actually, just a little shorter. I guess you could say it was more of a trim, but they cut a good 2 inches off, enough for me to actually save a small lock. And while we are on the subject of firsts, Cameron made her first Emergency Room visit from a self inflicted wound yesterday evening. It was pretty horrible, She required 6 staples in her head. And to make it worse I am partly responsible for the series of unfortunate events.
So the story goes: I had agreed to play a game with Cameron where she stands on the arm of the couch and I push her over onto our luv sac (our huge bean bag like chair) This has been a frequent game in our house. Basically the luv sac had been pulled away from the wall exposing a corner and one round I was distracted and didn't give her a very good push and she didn't quite make it all the way onto the luv sac and fell over the side of the luv sac backwards and slammed the back of her head right on the corner of the wall splitting it wide open. There was lots of blood and tears, and then an immediate trip to the ER. I felt horrible for Camerons pain and being partly responsible to. And of course she made it known that "mommy pushed her" I'm just glad she also let it be known that we were playing a game. my poor little Cameron. So heres to hoping my babies never ever hurt themselves ever again. yeah right. And now I can truly say I understand how our parents must have felt.

18 days to short

So here's whats been happening. We recently enjoyed 18 days of mid deployment leave with Nick. Which was wonderful!! The only complaint I had during that time was saying goodbye again, and maybe our air conditioning unit breaking again while Nick was here, but I didn't even have to worry one bit about it. Nick made all the calls to have that fixed ASAP. What a nice change not to have to worry about things of that nature. There is almost to much to write about the last 18 days. So I will just leave you with pictures and highlights.

We visited with Grandma, Grandpa, and Milena first for a few days before Nick arrived in California. As always, Grandpa is more than willing to give in to the requests of cute little 3 year old no matter how difficult the task. After all what are Grandpa's for?

Nick arrived one day earlier than we expected, Right in time for Rowan's first birthday. Happy first Birthday Rowan! We had birthday brownies instead of cake.


One morning we had breakfast out in moss landing with Nicks dad. We just though that boat outside was cool looking. There was a newer little market and coffee house within walking distance, that had a pirate statue out front that Cameron and Grandpa enjoyed looking at. But once Cameron Saw the heavily bearded man inside the Coffee house she also enjoyed looking at that "Pirate" to. Grandpa thought to tell the "Pirate" what Cameron thought of him and it turned out he actually belonged to some sort of pirates association. Go figure.


We were also able to attend the sons of California poker run his club put on this year. And Nick was also pleased to be able to ride there on his buddies chopper with a little persuasion of course.

Rowan wasted no time showering her Daddy with lots of Love. She said "da da" for the first time and quickly grew attached to him. She would squeal with delight whenever her "da da" walked into the room.

After about a week in California we headed back to Texas to spend the rest of our time together doing nothing but whatever we felt like doing. hear is a rocky mountain going though Arizona we though looked very scenic.













Daddy and his girls, pure cuteness

Picture day! I finally have a picture of me and the girls.


Play-doh fun. Mommy's and Daddy's usually give into the requests of little 3 year old to.




















We pretty much just enjoyed lazy days around the house, playing with the girls and watching movies. Cameron was happy to continue learning all there is to know about star wars with her papa on many occasions.















While Nick was packing back up the day before he was to leave, Rowan just couldn't stay out of his back pack. She was actually trying to zip herself right in, I guess if Daddy had to leave again she wanted to go right along with him. Believe it or not, Cameron actually fit in his back pack to.





And then we had to say goodbye again. But at least we are two thirds of the way done. The end is almost in sight now. We love you Nick and already miss you tons!!

2 Days, 2 Babys, and 1750 miles later

So here I am in California again as I often am, 2 day, 2 baby and about 1750 miles later. I left at about 5:00 am on the 6th, stayed in Tucson, AZ that night after about 17 hours of driving and stopping for diapers and feeding of course. I left Tucson, AZ at about 5:00 am the 7th and Made it into Santa Cruz at about 8:30 pm, about 15 and a half hours later. Now that was some pretty good timing. The best part besides being able to visit my friends and family will be seeing Nick some time this coming week for his leave time. We are so excited! It's been 9 months since I and the girls have seen there Papa. We are anxiously awaiting a call or an email from Nick to get more precise details on his arrival time and date. you all may not hear from me much for the rest of the month because I'll be busy doing nothing at all except relaxing with Nick and the girls.

Exlporation

What fun it is to open every drawer you find just because you can! and even more fun when you are playing "princess" with your sister.