The story of my life

Daily dose of poison

2011-06-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Seem's my children think I'm trying to poison them each and every evening with what would otherwise be know as "Dinner". Why oh why must we go through this daily battle, just to find out that not only is mom not feeding them Rat poison, but to their surprise, It is almost always a delectable treat to there taste buds. Thank god I am the "mean" mom who insists it must be tried at least once, because by the end dinner I usually hear that moms food is the "best!" and an empty plate is to follow. And in case you must know what the daily "poison" I feed them this evening was, it just so happened to be Taco salad, just the way my mom used to make it when we were children and must have thought for a moment that we also in fact were being poisoned. The recipe is as follows:

lettuce of your choice
Ground beef with taco seasoning
black beans, rinsed and drained
grated cheese
chopped tomato
avocado
crushed up tortilla chips
And the secret ingredient... Catalina dressing!! (its a must)
Toss it all together and serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa on top if you like

Amazed

2011-05-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

I Just overheard Cameron talking to herself in her room, and thought it was to cute not to write.
She says: God is in my heart, and up in heaven......INCREDIBLE! I just love how amazed kids get at the wonders of life, and how open minded they are. Sometimes I wish I still felt like a kids.

Sleepovers and wedding bells

2011-05-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Cameron after much anticipation got picked at school to be the "marvelous me" basically that means she got to show case 10 photos on the wall along with a questionnaire paper all about her. She also got to carry around a bad of Winnie the pooh characters, and a "stinky" the skunk hat then write in a journal about what her and her stuffed friends did that week.

Rowan had her first real official sleepover at her best friend Katelyn's. They are just to darn cute together!

Rowan wore this newspaper bag on her head for about an hour and was telling everyone that she was getting married. Her smile is just so infectious. Cameron is almost through with Kindergarten! this is crazy to me, I cant believe how time just flys.

still here

2011-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well I guess, I've taken quite a hiatus here now haven't I. I really need to get back to this blog mainly because I am afraid I will forget all the cute an amazing things my babies are doing and learning because I. have the most forgetful mind EVER. They are growing soooo fast, I look back at pictures and cant believe how big they have grown. Cameron will be six in only 20 days!! she comes home from school and tells me things she is learning daily. So because art seems to be the favored past time around our house we signed Cameron up for an art class as a birthday present to her. She started her first class this past Saturday and she LOVED it so much. She draws great but she learned somethings that are new to her like shading and putting shapes together to make an object. The first day she walked away with a picture of a cat. Me and Nick were proud parents!

Its so cool to watch your kids excel at things. Speaking of excelling, Rowan is excelling at potty training. She is much slower to the whole process than Cameron was but she is really coming along. About 2 weeks ago I ran out of diapers and decided that I just wasn't going to buy anymore. That is when I realized her training was much more in my hands than hers. So I have had to train myself to remember to get her on the toilet regularly, and the more she goes on the toilet the more she remembers on her own, it really is an easy process, who would have thought. And she is dry most nights. I have learned to keep a water proof pad directly underneath her which makes for much easier clean up. So that is whats going on around here with the kids.

As for me and Nick we are pretty much the same Nick is in between semesters and is continuing to work in the slow trucking business but fortunately his buddy is working him in the tree business the days he has no trucking. I am ever soooo grateful to have friends near by. All the work he has gotten is through friend connections he has here in Santa Cruz and it is really keeping us going!! And me...Well I am still running the kiddos around daily, feeding everyone and continually trying to tackle the laundry , my job seems to be all the details, and the details are many! so that is where my forgetfulness comes in, hehehe. As a matter of a fact I forgot my volunteer day at Cameron's school just yesterday, boy did I feel bad about that. So I will leave you with some pics of our Christmas, thank you to our friends and family for making Christmas special.

My brother came by for Christmas.:)

Happy Birthday Rowan!! And other things in between

2010-08-30T00:24:00.000-07:00

Rowan turned three, So we put on a party dressed and Partied at Grandma and Grandpa's. I really meant to have a formal party with a bunch of wild children running around, but I just never got around to planning it and I figured when she's older and actually cares, then we'll go all out. But I still cant believe how big my not so baby is getting :] :/

And speaking of not so baby, this is what I found in the bathroom about 2 weeks ago. On one hand I am glad that she is growing and using the potty a lot these days, however, a whole Roll of toilet paper!!??? Sheesh! but it really was so cute how she hung her head in shame as soon as she saw me, and when I tried to take the roll out of her lap I then realized the whole thing was wrapped around her arm. I guess she tried, right?

Last week was filled with HEAT, hot hot hot heat, the kind that makes you feel sticky, lazy, and full no matter how much you eat. So we finally headed off to the beach with sand toys in hand. We had a blast Letting the waves beat on our Legs, and burying our selves until we were a sandy mess. And I might add that I miraculously got an awesome parking spot by chance, I could actually see the car from where we set up on the beach .

Oh there are many other things I would tell you if you were here. At least I am trying to keep up on this here blog even as sporadic as it has been lately. So Bis zum nächstes mal. (wishing I could actually speak German ;)

Shame shame

2010-08-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

Shame on me for completely letting my house go in the last few weeks, shame on me for not grocery shopping and instead going out to eat WAY to much, and Shame, shame, on me for waiting far to long to register Cameron for Kindergarten, and now she may not even be able to go to Brook Knoll where we had expected for her to go and she'll get stuck in the afternoon class from 11:30 to 3:15. Cameron pretty much predictably falls apart after Noon time and NEEDS a nap, so the morning class would have been perfect for her. things are not going as planned lately but here is to new more productive days ahead. So Tomorrow I will get up at 7am......or not, but I will clean my house and go grocery shopping for starters.
P.S. I must give a shout out to my wonderful husband who has been Picking up where I have slacked off.

Things we do

2010-07-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Spend Summer days at the boardwalk riding ALL the kiddie rides

Dancing around as silly as we can, because we are happy to see each other

Disguise ourselves with quarter machine mustaches

Lay in the warm beach sand, because we missed low tide and couldn't see the tide pools

Play in the river, because it's practically in our own back yard!!

And this one is just because I am always the picture taker, so here is the real me in my front yard

Watch movies with the cousins in Idaho.

Where's the manual when you need it.

2010-06-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Cameron is getting very close to kindergarten and she is very excited. She is going to Pre-school 3 days a week right now and really loves it. It almost seems like she even needs the break from me, she comes home a little tired but refreshed and ready to see us again. But I can't help but feel a little nervous. It's not that I don't think she will do well, but lately she has been telling me really mean things kids have been saying to her. A few days ago she told us a girl at school told her that she was going to sneak into our house when we were sleeping and kill Cameron then Kill her sister and then her parents. My mouth dropped when I heard that. Is this a "normal kid" thing to say, I don't think so. And today another girl told Cameron that she hated her because she had brown eyes. What is with kids these days. I know kids don't always say the nicest things to each other, but I do know Cameron well enough to know that she doesn't just say malicious things to others for no reason, she's a pretty thoughtful person, and I don't think I am just being bias.
So now I have all these fears running through my mind about public school. I think Cameron will learn great but all I can think about is how other parents are raising there children and what impact that will have on my child if I chose to expose her to them daily. I'm not the kind of person that is always running to my kids defense or always holding their hand so they wont fall, but I don't like to hear about kids saying hateful thing to my sweet 5 year old.
it's almost overwhelming to think that Nick and I are responsible for molding Cameron into the person she will become. And we'll have to lead her and guide her in the right direction, what a huge Responsibility!! So I suppose it's just one of many many decisions I will have to make along the way, and hope it's the right one.

Moving again.

2010-06-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

I should be doing Laundry or Packing up things here, at my moms house, But I just can't find the motivation right now. We are moving back down to Scotts Valley sometime Next week, between the 16th and the 20th. I forgot how much the rental process sucks. Fortunately We are going to be moving into our old house we moved out of when we Left California. I am excited about having my own home again, and I love the property it's on, but I am not excited that the House really Needs some updating, as well as the leaking roof, and the Only Bathroom is through the master Bedroom. I just really can't understand how they can be raising the rent a hundred dollars! Living there is bitter sweet. I guess I should just be grateful my Kids will have a big safe yard to play in everyday. I am ready to settle in and lay my head on my own bed and walk around my own piles of mess I just don't feel like picking up, because that's just the way I am.

Were still here.

2010-04-30T10:36:00.001-07:00

It's been far to long since I have blogged here. Does anybody even read this thing? we'll I like to write here anyhow. We are still Living at my mom and dads house here in colorful Portland Or. but the good news is that We sold our house in Killeen TX, So Life is no longer in Limbo, lol, we have options! isn't that great. We also achieved becoming debt free, that is Awesome too. But living here for the last 6 months has afforded us a pretty decent savings account.....thanks mom and dad =) So We have decided to head back to Santa Cruz Ca. after this Semester is over in Mid June. So things are moving along well and The kids are getting bigger everyday. What more can I really say, I am still busy, busy, with I don't even know what, but it is wonderful.

Restless girls Road trippin in March. Just a little trip we took to Idaho to Visit our friends and family.

Happy 5th birthday Cameron!

2010-02-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Cameron getting "big girl" jewelry for her newly pierced ears.

And as part of her birthday weekend extravaganza she started her first Ballet class, and LOVED it of course.

Dancing Daddy

2010-01-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a cute video from about a year ago. I just thought it was soooo cute so I wanted to share it.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas 09

Here is the picture I mean to send out in Christmas cards to all our friends and family.....oops

One of my best presents of all times!

She loved this present that Nick picked out, now I am hoping she will stay out of my makeup.

Sweet new play kitchen! thanks Grandma and Grandpa

Cameron the poet

2009-12-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

Last night as I was putting Rowan to sleep, and Cameron was already tucked into her bed, I over heard Cameron whisper to herself "The last Colors in my world are fading" So Poetic I thought. Just wanted to capture that memory.

Recipe for a clean room

2009-11-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

first you must start by instructing your little one to clean there room.

then you must say "let the fun begin" and yes! you must say that first, or the whole recipe just might not come out right.
Start with the misplaced item and proclaim it's existence.
For example if it happens to be a favorite Doll that has lost it's place in the abyss of daily mess that has accumulated over the past week or so, you would say "Doll" "Doll" making sure to say it only twice and no less.
And here's where it gets exciting! then you say "Zoopity" then Say Doll again, only this time you will be adding a Z in place of the D so it will actually be Zoll. So when its all said and done in this case it would be "Doll, Doll Zoopity Zoll." And lastly, after you say the meaningless rhyme you must place the item in its rightful place. And there you have it. your child will have the cleanest room on the block.
Try this same Rhyming method to virtually anything you want your child to do, use your imagination and the possibilities are endless!

Note to reader: Be aware that this recipe does not guaranteed you a clean room, nor does it ensure that your child will be capable of preforming rhymes. And in some cases your your child just might completely hate the notion of Rhyming there way to a clean room, and think you are barbaric to even suggest it. Use at your own risk.

-Brought to you by Cameron Peterson (by way of her mom)-

Isn't that right!

2009-11-01T10:08:00.001-08:00

My Bee colony

2009-10-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

Thankfully my Little Bumble Bee's are peacefully tucked away in there bed since they were probably about to crash from there Halloween induced sugar rush. Not only did my girls both have Bumble bee's costumes but there cousin Amelia showed up in one and the dogs both escorted us in there best bee attire as well, and I might add that both those little Labradoodles were very proud to sport there stripes.
And, since I am way over excited to get a good deal on something I also must let you know that I only paid 20 dollars for both the girls costumes combined. Craigslist! gotta love it.
The only question I am asking myself at this point is do I just let the kids have a candy free for all tomorrow or do I dispense it at my discretion? hmmm I think I am leaning towards giving it all to them so we can just get it over with, Besides that's how we did it when we were kids.
As you view the beautiful picture of my Bee colony, notice that Cameron has a new hair do. We donated it to locks of love. I like the hair, she looks so grown up and cute with her Bob cut, but I think I liked her long hair a tad bit more. Her hair grows sooo fast, so before long I will be braiding it again.

This is how it went

2009-10-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

- We decided we really needed to leave Texas
- Hit the road on On September 21st (why did I remember what day...It was Nicks Birthday!!)
- Hauled a 24 foot moving truck (filled to the brim,) one car, one trailer with motorcycle, Mama, Daddy, two kids, and Grandpa for a helping hand.
- Spent three and a half days driving
- Arrived In Santa Cruz and was soooo happy to be breathing the beachy air again
- Stayed at our friends Kiley and Kims house for about a week and had tons of fun visiting
- Met up with the moving company that had moved some of our stuff from Texas and some how managed to squeeze it in our Uhaul
- Hit the road again headed for Portland
- Stopped in Central Point Oregon at our friends Kevin and Cherries for the night
- Arrived in Portland the next day
- Spent about 2 days unloading our uhaul into a storage unit, that I might add was 3 stories upward and down four long hall ways (don't get me started on that one!)
- And here we are as settled as can be in my parents house.

So there it is for you laid out as best I can remember minus the details. I think I can feel my eye twitching again just thinking of the stress I have endured over the past month or so. Its the wonderful game I call life, hehe. I am day dreaming of the day we will move into a place we plan on calling home for more years than I can count on one hand.

So If you are wondering what the future holds for us now, I will just say that it involves many text books, and minimum wage jobs. Yep, Nick is going to college in hopes of a degree in Civil Engineering. I might add that Moving to Oregon was only a plan hatched weeks before we arrived here. I'm Just grateful to be on the west coast, I think I'll stay here.....for now.

Labor day

2009-09-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice labor day. We decided to make the 45 minute drive to Round Rock TX to try the famous Texas Donuts at "Round Rock Donuts" And they were definitely delectable! I really can't say that I am a big fan of donuts but I can appreciate a good donut. Nick sayed they were about as good as Stan's donuts (the Stan's donuts" in Santa Clara CA) and those are his favorite.

Here is Nick and his 2 pound Donut! that's thing was seriously huge, and equivalent to a dozen regular size donuts. They even made it fresh to order, coated with Chocolate. He didn't even get through a fourth of it. So now we can say that we have experienced the 2 pound Texas sized donut. I just stuck with an apple fritter.

After our Donut experience I had to do a little shopping at the outlets since they were soooo close by, and after all how often are you close enough to the outlet mall on a labor day sale weekend. We all got a little something. But I think I scored the most because I finally indulged myself with a coach purse. You may be wondering how in the world I could afford a Coach purse on a soldiers salary..... well lets just say that after my purchase my receipt sayed I saved 230 dollars, SCORE!!! I'm such a sucker for a good deal, but I think that's a good thing, right?

The purse =)

Speaking of good deals Rowan got a new pair a Crocs for 4 dollars!, and Cameron got a new winter vest. And after all that shopping we had lunch at another famous Texas hot spot, called the salt lick Bar-b-que. yumm!! They actually smoke all there meat on a HUGE BBQ pit right inside the restaurant. We got the all you can eat family meal. They bring you heaping piles of brisket, sausage and ribs, along with cole slaw, and potato salad, and they keep the meat coming. they even brought out more meat when we asked for a to go box. And it was quite reasonably

priced. Now that's what i call a good day.

Just playing around

2009-09-06T21:04:00.001-07:00

Rowan eating here Birthday cake last month. I just wanted to make one of these animation things is all =) But here are a few more pics of here birthday party. It was just me Nick and Cam, but Rowan really enjoyed herself.

Make your own animation

First day of Pre-K

2009-08-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

Cameron has started going to Pre-K. It is fun and challenging.

She really enjoys taking the bus every morning and afternoon. She calls it the Cheese wagon because that's what Daddy called it. I can't believe my Little Cameron is growing up so fast.

The changing winds

2009-08-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Seems like our plans are always changing the closer we get to being out of the army. At first we were going to head straight back to the Santa Cruz area and Nick would get back into trucking as soon as the house sells here. But as of now we have completely switched gears. We made sort of a last minute (or should I say last months) decision to Move to Portland Oregon with my side of the family and Nick will go to school!! After alot of thought, with the new Montgomery GI bill that will pay us monthly housing allowance as well as pay Nicks tuition, we feel like we cant pass up the opportunity for Nick to get back to school. Its a little scary and pretty exciting. But it is comforting to know that we will be with family in Portland to help out in any way possible to make this happen for us. So as of now those are the new plans. I'll let you know more as it happens.

When you can't get up in the morning

2009-08-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

What happens when you just can't get up in the morning

your little one gets naked and tears the house apart while the older one takes your camera and documents the whole thing

and snaps a few of herself as well

Happy Birthday Rowan

2009-08-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Rowan!!

Dreaming of the pacific

2009-08-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's pretty hot here in Texas. My air conditioner has decided to work when it wants to. The thermostat doesn't regulate the temperature at all, so if I turn the air condition on it just runs and runs and runs, that's if the air conditioner even comes on. When I turn it to cool it usually starts to heats, so then I have to rattle the switch around for a bit and if I'm lucky it will start putting cool air out, but not usually, most of the time the fan will just kick on, so I have to rattle it around some more in hopes of cool air. Sometimes after I rattle the switch around I go and stand next to my bathroom window to hear if the air conditioning unit has switched on to cooling, I can tell when it has because it makes the louder noise when the cooling has kicked on. It really is quite a ridiculous game I have to play with the thermostat everyday, multiple times. I'm just a penny pincher is all and I don't want to have to pay for the repair, especially since I think it is just the thermostat, that we could probably replace ourselves. My house is three years old and I think I have had to call a repair man out every year. I am dreaming of the cool breeze of the
pacific ocean right about now.

Thank you Walmart for economy size boxes of "pop ice"

A great week

2009-07-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

On Monday I drove to Houston and Picked my Cousins Osanna and Ivanna up from there Cousins House, She and her Husband happen to have 7 children! I think. So of course Cameron and Rowan had a blast playing there all day. My kids didn't have a problem, complaint or fight all day actually I rarely even saw them there because they kept so busy. I guess her well behaved children rubbed off on mine a bit, and It was just such an exciting fun place to be. So that evening we drove back up to Killeen and got stuck in an AWESOME thunder storm, accompanied by countless amounts amazing lightening strikes, and thunder, on the way up. The rest of the week was spent at my house in Killeen mostly just relaxing and eating good food and playing cribbage. Yay finally someone to play my favorite game with! And on Friday we drove to San Antonio and spent the day at the VERY VERY hot zoo, it was a great zoo though, just wish we were in spring weather. I still don't like the Texas heat here even after 3 years. I dropped Osanna and Ivanna off to stay with there other Cousin there and Headed back to Killeen later than evening. So I pretty much had a great week.

This is a train we took at the zoo. Cameron was smiling pretty much the whole way, and Rowan loved it to but wouldn't let Ivanna take her arms off of her. Me and Nick sat in the back with no kids. That doesn't happen often.

The 4th and other exciting things

2009-07-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

We decided to park near the base to watch the firework display on the forth then decided to just go and have a peek on base, as we thought it might be to crowded for our liking, and it ended up not being as bad as we though, but what was even better was when we got there Dierks Bentley was playing live. That was a pleasant surprise. So we watched him on a horribly humid night, but it was worth it. Unfortunately my Camera battery died before we could even get one picture off.

On another note my house is officially on the market. I hope it sells quickly. I don't really want to have any attachments here in Killeen by the time we are ready to go. Check it out here.

Just the happenings

2009-06-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

Nick put in for his terminal leave today, Hope they will let us go when his contract is up. So I have been working really hard trying to get the house extra clean and get super organized so we can get this house on the market and sold. It would suck if we got out of the army then got stuck here in Texas because we couldn't get the place sold.
lets see what elts.....(think, think, think,) Cameron is getting sooooo big, She walks around the house saying words that rhyme. She'll say "cat, hat, bat" "mommy that rhymes" Its pretty cute. Who says TV is bad, PBS has some pretty good cartoons, not like some other ones. I was listening to one she was watching the other day while I was doing the dishes And I kept on hearing some character say "I hate you" I didn't even know the context it was being said in but quickly I realized I wasn't to keen on Cameron hearing something like that no matter how it was being said. you just cant trust those programs to young innocent minds, so I think I'll stick to PBS cartoons, I haven't heard anything bad on there yet
Rowan is really starting to talk quite a bit now to. She really picks up on things her sister says, which is one reason she says "Rolly polly" (in the cutest sounding baby voice EVER!) Cameron loves collecting Rolly pollys. Rowan loves cheese, if she sees me take out the cheese, she comes running and says "chee" "chee" begging me for a slice. And she really likes to let me know that "yeah" she wants something I have offered her. It amazes me how great she can communicate now, and if she can't really tell me what she wants, she will just take my hand and drag me to what she wants and nudges my hand towards it. They grow way to fast. I am lucky to be there mommy.

Why why why!!!

2009-05-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

We are supposed to be free from the Army in about 4 and a half months, around the end of September. Pretty exciting for us as we planned on moving back home to California. Then yesterday before Nick got off work his whole troop was informed that is they were not PCSing or ECSing (Meaning re-enlisting or getting out) before September they were being "Fenced"in as they put it, meaning he'll be Stop lossed and redeployed the following year to Afghanistan for another year. So in other words if we don't re-enlist to go somewhere elts we are stuck here and Nick deploys again. I feel like we are forced to make a decision we don't want to make. We just want out of the army. Nick has fulfilled his contract, and already served a deployment to Iraq for 14 months. I hate having crappy things to write about! Its so frustrating. So pretty much as of now I have no idea what is next for us. I was just about to put our house on the market but now I don't know whether we are stuck here against our will or we will just cave in and re-enlist just to get out of Texas. Its hard to see any good in all this. I hope circumstances change soon. but as of now that's whats going on.

What kids do when theres nothing elts to do.

2009-05-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Some Days you just have to get creative and do the obvious. What child doesn't like "Making music"

Hulu it was so cool

2009-04-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

Me and Nick have discovered hulu. So far I give it a thumbs up. We missed Hells Kitchen last week, So Nick just logged onto the internet via the awesome PlayStation 3 Searched the web for hulu, downloaded the Hells Kitchen episode me missed and we watched it right through the PlayStation on our Television. It is pretty much as if we are watching it on cable. It didnt lag at all and the picture is very clear. Who knew is was so cool!

The best Lemon drop EVER!!

2009-04-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

How to make the best lemon drop EVER!

- make sure you have lots of lemons because you will want more than one.

- In a cocktail shaker Mix:
1 whole lemon squeezed
1 shot of vodka Citron
1 shot simple syrup
1 shot of cold water
1/2 shot of triple sec

Shake, shake, shake, shake, in the shaker with plenty of ice until very very cold, pour into a martini glass, enjoy.

if you like you can rim your glass first with fancy sugar. I don't bother buying that expensive rimming sugar. I just take a bit of regular white granulated sugar and mix it with a few drops of food coloring, any color, and mix it with a fork until evenly disbursed. Then take a small lemon wedge, put a small, shallow slit in it, and rim the glass with it. then dip your glass in the sugar, and give it a little twist. yummmm.

Amazing!

2009-04-19T00:28:00.000-07:00

Susan Boyle Rocks! Not much more to say about that, but check her out here

Monster trucks

2009-04-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

We went to see a monster truck show last Friday. It was so fun. I having been wanting to go to one for a few years now. Both the Kids loved it.

Four year olds know many things.

2009-03-27T22:49:00.000-07:00

My little Cameron has quite interesting things to say these days. A few weeks ago she asked me "mommy will you teach me how to shave my legs" I just love all her silly questions she asks. Her need for information and understanding is intangible. And sometimes she will just pretend she knows all about something she really has no understanding of, for instance sometimes when she sees Rowan signing something to me, see will choose an object or animal off the top of her head and make some strange hand movement and say "momma this is how you sign" whatever it may be. I really need to write some of these things down, I want to remember them when she is all grown.

He's so great

2009-03-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

So we are in Santa Cruz spending a little bit of Nicks leave time here. It's vacation although I really just feel like I'm home. I have been having a great time visiting with my friends and family here, then last night I came down with Mastitis again. I guess that probably makes about 6 times in the last year and a half that I have had it, grrrrrrr. I am very sick of it. Its such a good thing I have Nick home because he is the biggest help ever!

It just reminds me again of how great he is. So I'll brag about him a bit.
He gets the girls ready for bed at night and reads them books, he picks out there clothes, does there hair, he lets me sleep in and cooks them breakfast in the mornings. And on days like these that I am feeling pretty sick he basically does it all. I am so grateful for such a loving husband and Daddy to our girls.

Well I should be feeling quite a bit better by tomorrow morning once I have had the antibiotics running through me for 24 hours, just in time for the next leg of our journey. We are heading up to Portland on Thursday to visit with my family, I can't wait!

The story of my life.... continued

2009-02-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

I know, I know its been quite a while since I have posted here, but My husband finally came home for good! so I have been a little pre-occupied. It has been so so so great to be a family again. So I am going to try and put every thing in a "nut shell" here so I can catch you up.

I had surgery the morning after Nick got home to fix a umbilicus hernia I had, it was a bit more painful than I expected but I was very grateful to get it over with. I expected Nick to be home a few day earlier so I didn't have to have him taking care of me and the kids directly after her got home but It turned out to be best that way anyhow because he only got three days off then had to go to reintegration classes daily after that for about 2 weeks.

Since Nick has come home, Rowan is over joyed to have him back, I pretty much don't exist anymore unless she wants milky from me, but that's alright with me. I have actually been able to leave her and go run errands.

Cameron had her 4th birthday about 2 weeks after papa got home, and it just so happened to land on super bowl Sunday, so we just went over to a friends house and watched the game, ate some food and sang to The birthday girl.

Me and Nick finally have dirt bike. We have wanted to start riding together for a little while, so when Nick was on leave back in August he bought me the little Suzuki 125 and we just got him the Kawasaki 450 once he got home. so We are very an anxious to be able to go ride them.

Note to reader- If they are not "street legal" bikes, police officers still don't care if you are "just taking a spin around the block" nor do they care if you only have a licence and not a motorcycle license.

Note to self- Leave dirt bike in Garage from now on unless I am in the dirt on private property =)

Grandpa and Milena just came out this last weekend for a visit and to watch the girls while me and Nick went to his squadron ball. We got to stay over night in Austin by ourselves, what a treat that was. It was the first time I had left Rowan over night and It went pretty well. I'm ready to do it again!

Now I just need to clean out the other closet

2009-01-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

I am cleaning out the closets, cabinets, toy box, book shelves and I am having a much needed yard sale tomorrow. I hold on to way to much stuff that I don't need, mostly because I hate to throw out good things, especially things I could sell, besides who couldn't use a few extra bucks theses days. However I am still holding on to all those adorable little baby clothes I hold so dear to my heart, so that I can gift them to someone special one day. So hopefully if all goes well tomorrow I will be a penny richer (hopefully more) and much more organized.

I Finally have more than two chairs

2008-12-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

Yep, my kids love strawberries without a doubt!

Sea world

2008-10-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Missing package update

2008-08-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

Well this morning I just couldn't stop thinking about the troubling issue of my missing package, that still must be out "there" somewhere, when all at once it hit me like a ton of bricks.....well, maybe not a ton of bricks, but it came to me fairly quickly. I thought to myself, what if my package was actually placed in the parcel locker right next to the empty one it was supposed to be in. I was half dressed, but I had to go check immediately, So as quickly as I could I threw a shirt on and my flip flops and hurried out to the mailbox. Sure enough there was a package sitting there with my name on it. Hooray!! what a relief it was to know where my precious parcel package was. But to think it had been sitting there for 2 days completely unsecured in an open parcel locker, and all this anxiety and frustration could have been avoided. Well I guess we all make mistakes sometimes. I am preparing to leave to California this coming Wednesday and I am hoping that the mail situation stays peaceful.

The unusual post man Part II

2008-08-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

I finally caught a glimpse of my "unusual" post man. I had been pretty curious to know what he looked like ever since the visit to my neighborhood post office where I originally found out my post man was "unusual" He delivers the mail in his own small compact car. I cant remember the make now, but it reminded me of something like a Dodge Neon. I didn't get a close up look at him but from down the street about 3 houses away. I observed that he didn't wear the typical uniform I have customarily seen other post men wear. He simply wore white sneakers with tube socks pulled up fairly high, and long cargo type shorts, with a t-shirt. He was a black man and he wore a old looking straw hat something like the picture shown.

Mail has resumed pretty normally after the last hold on it back in may, aside from the occasional neighbors letter here and there, which I think Is pretty normal. Well last Friday I went to get my mail in our residential mailbox, and waiting for me was a key to the parcel locker which offers tenants a convenient way to receive packages. So I excitedly opened the locker to find that is was empty. Now that was pretty unusual. Why would the post man place the key to an empty parcel locker in my mailbox? was he irritated with me about something, and trying to get back at me? I wondered if there was actually even a package for me somewhere. I thought to myself that maybe there was a package for me and he gave me the key but forgot to leave the package. So I figured I would have a package waiting for me the following day, but nothing. Now that's a pretty cruel trick to play on someone. Everyone loves getting a package in the mail, and how unfulfilling it is to be led to believe there is something special waiting for you, and have your hopes dashed by a cold empty metal mailbox. I seem to have recovered fully from this latest incident, but I am not sure I am ready to forgive my very unusual post man.

Baby Slings

2008-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I love baby wraps and slings. Especially since my Little Rowan is only 11 months and her favorite place to be right now is in my arms. Rockin baby slings have some pretty stylish slings, that suit my taste quite nice.

The good and the bad

2008-07-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't make it through that day, I ended up taking myself to the ER. The intense headache along with the 103 fever was just to much for me! A very long wait was followed by two shots in the buttocks for nausea and headache and some Tylenol for the fever. After About 6 hours in the ER I finally went home with a prescription of Antibiotics for a sinus infection, which I am pretty certain I don't have. So as of now I am still fighting off constant fevers. I'll be going to my regular doctor tomorrow to hopefully get some answers.

Here are some better things to think about.

Nick got Internet in his room and I was finally able to see his face while we talked. It is so fun to be able to chat with him more often and for him to be able to see me and the girls.

Me and Cameron make a pair of pretty cool cats!

Couldn't resist the naked baby again. She takes her
diaper off any chance she can get.
Cameron Loves soy beans. She ate that whole bowl, and had a good time making a "mountain" out of the pea pods.

Sick again

2008-07-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

We are all sick. I'm the worse though. It started last Wednesday. I got a bad fever that Night, the kind where you feel like you are freezing, even though its actually hot, and your body just hurts so bad. So I took one of Nicks 800mil ibuprofen. Which eventually got the fever down. Then Cameron started getting fevers the next day. I wake up in the morning and Begin to get a fever , I hopefully take something before it hurts to bad then the fever is slow to come back but surely enough, by the evening I start feeling feverish again and I have to take another Ibuprofen. I am going on the 5th day of this. Today I woke with a real bad fever and an even worse headache, It was so bad I almost took myself to the hospital, but once the Ibuprofen kicked in I began thinking I could handle it until tomorrow when I could get to my doctors office. Did I mention I also have a real bad sore throat? Cameron's Fevers seemed to have stopped yesterday then Rowan woke last night with a fever. It pretty much sucks to be sick especially when I have two kids to take care of by myself. hopefully these fevers stop soon.

Making it all work

2008-07-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

I worked out with my personal trainer the last two days in a row. I am so sore! I am sore in places I have never been sore before. It really makes me feel out of shape, but good to to be working on getting back in shape. In a strange way It feels good to be sore, I suppose because It makes me feel accomplished. When I work out I get to drop the kids off in the kids club right there in the gym, It's kind of like mama time. The down side to it is that the moment I set Rowan down she cries and looks at me like she's begging me not to go, then cries for about 30 to 40 minutes until they decide to call me in to take her. And of course the moment I pick her back up she stops crying. Rowan is soooo attached to me, I cant even go to the bathroom without her crying or following me in. It makes me feel very loved by her, however I would just love to at least get a good hour workout, before being called back. I wonder how I can help her be okay without me for just a little. I guess she just needs a little more time to work on it.

Here are some things to be grateful about:

Cameron is finally, completely Potty trained, she's even dry through the night,
Nick get's his leave sometime in August which is next month!
I have some pretty cool friends, And am still meeting and connecting with new people all the time,

So there is much to be grateful for!

Not again!!

2008-06-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Austin for this "half way party" (half way through deployment) for Nicks troop, which was not all that exciting. There was only a few family's there. but it was good to get out. And I got to stop at Ikea which I don't get to do often. Also yesterday evening I started feeling a little breast tenderness which I at the time figured was because I hadn't nursed Rowan on that side to much that day. Then I awoke in the middle of the night to feel that all to familiar feeling of Mastitis. So I have yet another breast infection! When will this end. I must have had about 5 since I first began nursing Rowan 10 month ago. Oh the things we endure for our children For anyone who has never experienced this. Basically as my mid wife put it, you feel as if you have been run over by a truck. I usually wake in the middle of the night with chills and body aching followed by a fever. Thank God that this was not one of the worst ones I have experienced. I was actually able to get myself to the doctors first thing this morning and on Antibiotics by 10:00am. I have had them so bad that I could hardly move, fortunately Nick was still here at the time to get me to the doctor and take care of the kids.

On a better note. While I was waiting in line at the pharmacy There was this sweet old lady behind me that was chatting with Cameron a bit about her cute little sister. She asked Cameron "Do you help feed your sister?" and Cameron's reply was "No I don't have breasts yet" hahahaha the Woman thought that was pretty funny as did I.

The unusual post man

2008-06-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

while I was away for the month of May I put my mail on hold, and checked the box on the form that said resume mail delivery after the specified date, being the 4th of June. So on the 7th of June I thought I better go to the post office and collect the mail myself. So once down at the post office the postal worker checked in the back for my stack of mail. When he returned he had the original mail hold form I had filled out. He said he had found it in my post mans garbage can, so if I hadn't already received my mail that it may be delivered that day. I asked him, is it unusual for mail of that sort to take a few days for delivery (for future reference) and this was his reply, mam have you seen your post man?" and my response was "no" then he says "he is unusual"

So I wonder what strange and unusual things I can expect for future mail delivery.

Why are naked babys so darn cute?

2008-05-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

I just had to share it with you.

Eat, drink, and be merry

2008-05-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

It was such a nice warm day today. I shopped around for a bridal shower present for my sister today, which was pretty fun, especially the going out to eat part of it and drinking a delicious ale, house brewed and all. followed by a great evening of barbecued fish at the formal dining table with the whole family (almost.) And a good pino grigio. Hogue was the name, and pretty reasonably priced (I'm a bit cheap on my wine selections.) I am really starting to branch out in my wine drinking. I pretty much used to only like drinking a red wine, usually a cab or a Merlot, but I have decided to just start experimenting with whites lately, and I have found a whole new world of delicious wine. I should have tried that a long time ago. And I just have to say also that Cameron has been so sweet and agreeable for the past few days. So today has definitely been good, so I will go sleep for tonight with a smile on my face.

Charming

2008-05-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

My charming little Cameron just told me "mama your like a Queen"

On a not so charming day last week we went to the zoo which was pretty fun except for having to leave early due to Camerons unwillingness to listen to almost every instruction I gave her, I just wish we didnt have those kind of days when we are doing fun things like that, oh well I guess thats the way it goes sometimes. but here are some fun pics I got before We left.

Camerons new and improved "listening ears"

Me Rowan and a camel. Aaron Insisted I take a pic with the camel for nick, (like he dosent already see enough camels)

Heres what the tigers were doing at the zoo when we arrived

It's good to be a mommy

2008-05-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

I went to church in the Boise hills, I had some yummy Thai food, and when I got home Cameron and Providence played very nicely in the bath for at least two hours while Rowan napped the whole time, so Today was a pretty good mothers day. My babies are the best!! Its good to be a mother. Now if I could just convince Nick to let me be a mother one more time, hmmmm.

Not a dull moment

2008-05-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a while now. I have just been busy with all my visiting. So here's whats been going on. I finally found a curtain that covers my back door before I left for my travels, I guess that may not be to exciting to most people but I am really excited about it since I have been looking around for the right one for nearly two years. I took the girls to a military children's fair also before we left Texas. Cameron enjoyed riding a horse, Petting farm animals, and jumping in a inflatable jumper, Rowan enjoyed hanging out in her stroller and eating pizza crust. And since we have been away from home. Cameron has played games with her cousin Amelia, and spent lots of cuddle time with grandma and grandpa in Oregon. Since we have been in Idaho it's been non stop excitement with her many cousins here, having tea time, fun in the sprinklers, and story time at the library, and Rowan is enjoying some of her first real play time with little Joy who is only 11 days older, they look so cute together! I still have much much more planned for the rest of the month, there wont be a dull moment.

Off again

2008-05-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

So here I am In Oregon for about the next hour or so, then I am off for Idaho, until the 13th then back to Oregon again. I keep meaning to write a little something but, you know how it goes when your out of town. Cameron has been slacking on her potty training a bit since we got here, but I think that has to do being away from home. It was my little nieces Birthday party today and It was My sister Jill's birthday April 30th, and my Birthday is the 12 of May. So this trip is packed full of birthdays, weddings, wedding showers, and just family and friend visits. Well I better Get to loading up my car if I plan on getting out of here by 5:00 o'clock.

Ciao

I'm off

2008-04-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Oregon, then Idaho, and California to. See ya

Hawaiian Roll

2008-04-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Cameron's at pre-school in underwear. She is doing so well with potty training that I figured I should send her in without a pull-up. I went to the gym the other day And while I was working out they called me into the childcare room. I was a bit nervous what they needed me for, maybe Cameron was throwing a big fit or got hurt, But It turned out she had gone to the potty all by herself and needed help getting her pants up, which they don't do there in child care at the gym. So it was good news after all. So Cameron is at pre-school right now and me and Rowan went out to sushi, yum. Rowan likes miso soup, and lemons. I think I will put the rest of my free time to good use now, since I have a long list of stuff to be done before I leave.

The first day of the rest of my life

2008-04-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

So I disconnected my cable and I went to the gym today, two things that are good things. Cameron might miss her cartoons a bit though. I usually let her watch a few cartoon throughout the day when I need her to keep quiet or give me a little space. No more backyardigans, or wonder pets, not even the mickey mouse club house. And the movie picken's are a bit slim nowadays ever since we drove to California back in December. While on our trip Cameron seems to have lost almost all of her movies. I don't think she threw them out the window, so all I can think is that she slid them into the window compartment of the door. I'm not sure I will bring the DVD player on our trip this time, but then again what does that matter when she has no more movies to watch anyhow. All I can think about is how much money Disney movies cost now days. And by the way Cameron is still going potty on the toilet. I'm still not brave enough to go out and about without the diaper or pull up on yet. But I believe it is in the near future for her.

Pondering Potty, Preparation, and Packing

2008-04-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

So Cameron seems to be making some fairly serious progress towards potty training. two days ago she was naked and had to go poop so she let me know, then went on the potty. I was pretty happy about that. So I had decided to let her be naked since then, and sure enough almost every time since then she has gone in the potty. So then I tried putting her in underwear and soon after she went pee in them, So my guess is she has just gotten used to the feeling of having something on her behind that she goes potty in. So for now she can just be naked until she gets used to going on the potty and can then move into underwear. She seems to be getting more excited about Potty training the more she does it. This is a great change, let's hope she keeps it up.

As for my traveling plans I have a ride to the airport now, so that's one less stress. I have started my travel list. It starts with all the things I need to prepare to leave and a packing list of things I don't want to forget to bring. my list is getting pretty long. I suppose that's the way it goes when you have children. I was just getting used to my daily load lightening a bit until Rowan came along , So once again I'm back to many diapers, creams, sippy cups, and don't forget the change of clothes. But I guess you could say it's been a welcomed load.

In honor of our earth

2008-04-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

Check out earth911 and sign up for weekly green tips, it's really cool. Did anyone do anything special for earth day? I just decided it was past time to get a recycle can, I feel like I should have done that a long time ago. Here is my weekly tip from earth911:

Eighty percent of plastic water bottles go to waste in landfills. That equals 1.2 million barrels of oil thrown away every year. Recycled plastic bottles turn into carpet, jacket lining or even new bottles. Think of that the next time you're at the pump.

A little bit of everything

2008-04-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Last week We had a birthday party, two playgroups, two spring party's and one day of pre-school for Cameron. So it's been busy but fun. One of the party's we went to was a spring party for Nicks troop. I usually try and go to all the troop events so that I can meet other wife's. And it turns out a friend that I made while there lives only a couple blocks away. So now I have a new walking partner. I have been walking quite regularly lately. I guess you could say I have decided that I really need to get down to the business of getting in better shape. I am doing very well so far. I have actually lost 10 pounds in the last month, hooray for me!! Well on another subject I am leaving on the 30th of April (my sister Jill's birthday) for Oregon to spend most the month there, with a little detour into Idaho to see my great friends. I cant wait to see Elisabeth and Providence and the new house of course, as well as Aaron, Kelsey, and there girls, one of which I haven't even met yet. On the down side I haven't found a ride to the airport here in Texas yet and If I put my car in long term parking it is going to cost me over two hundred dollars, so I thought I would just take a shuttle and it turns out a shuttle for all three of us girls will cost around two hundred and eighty. Sheesh!! darn gas prices. So my best bet is just to ask someone for a ride and pay them some gas money. So I hope I can find a ride soon. Oh and you don't even want to know about all the stuff I am going to have to lug to the airport by myself....well I'll tell you anyhow...Two huge car seats, one stroller, two carry-on's, I am going to try and keep our luggage down to one large bag (we'll see about that though) as well as two kids. I tell ya this parenting thing was really meant to be a two person job. Well I am pretty excited for all my travel plans. I think it will also break up some of my waiting time for Nick. Which is nice. So this is my crazy life that always has a way of working it's self out for the time being.

I'm a dork

2008-04-14T14:05:00.001-07:00

With all this writing I am doing lately, I am starting to get better at my spelling skills. I'm not such a bad speller it's mostly just my punctuation. It's a little dorky I know, but every time I hit the spell check and I see only one or no highlighted words I get all excited. I guess you could call blogging educational in some way. Okay let's give the spell check a try then......hooray no misspellings found!!

Just a little note

2008-04-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Cameron loves writing or drawing letters about as much as she loves getting letters. We are trying to be better about sending friends and family letters this year. Simple is offering readers a chance to win some very fun children's stationary from Mudpuppy. So If we win, you just might be getting some pretty fancy letter/drawings from Cameron.

Water babys

2008-04-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

Rowan loves the water, and Cameron thinks it's so fun to bathe with her little sis and I just think naked baby's look adorable!

Rowan's first teeth

2008-04-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Rowan Finally cut two teeth. I just noticed it yesterday. It was the two middle front ones. Rowan's seem to be coming in a bit more even than Cameron's did. Cameron's came in all over the place. First Cameron got one bottom tooth, then it was on the top to the side. I thought her snaggly teeth were pretty cute actually. Cameron also used to get a fever all day the day before she would cut a tooth. Rowan didn't have a fever the day before, but she had a fever a month and a half or two ago, which I am guessing was teething related, although she may have just been fighting something off. Congrats to Rowan on her first teeth!!!

Oh, the places you'll go

2008-04-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Rowan is getting really good at standing up on things. I suspect she will probably walk before Cameron did, but her hair is sure growing much slower than Cams did

I put them in matching outfits the other day. It is really fun to dress them up together. Also Cameron has just learned how fun it is to make silly faces at the camera

Rowan recently learned to open the cabinet and pull out all the dvd's, she very curious. The dress she's wearing is soooo cute to.

Cam likes to tell me "I'm not tired" It's just much more fun to sleep on a stair, when your three, especially when it fits your body perfectly.

Sisterly love

2008-04-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

Cameron and Rowan are really starting to enjoy each other a bit more now that Rowan is getting older. I at times am a little surprised at how sweet Cameron is to Rowan. Before Rowan was born I even thought Cameron might get a little jealous, because she had myself and Nick all to herself for the last two and a half years, and her personality just seemed that it might be so. Cameron wants to hold Rowan in her lap and gives her a little shhh shhh shhh to calm her if she's upset and of course she has to let everyone know that Rowan is "her baby" if they get to close. It's so sweet to see Cameron and Rowan together and watch there sisterly love grow each day. Rowan is mobile and quite curious now days as well, so I am also seeing the beginnings of sisterly annoyances, as Rowan tries to swipe one of the blocks off of the bridge Cameron has so meticulously constructed, nevertheless what a blessing it is to have a sister!

Rowan Likes

2008-04-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

Rowan Likes to:

Scoot or do the Army crawl on the floor

Pull herself up on her feet holding onto the futon

Eat solid food, specifically Rice puffs, pizza crust and biter biscuits. (No jars of baby food, she wont have it!!)

Screech like she's in pain when she wants your attention, or she see's you eating food.

Sit up all by herself with one hand still on the floor to balance.

Smack her lips together to make a new noise.

Smile, she loves to smile at you. All you have to do is catch her attention across the room and give her a smile and she will give you a huge smile back.

Take baths. She just loves the water.

And lastly she loves to Nurse of course

"Roni" the polite

2008-03-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I call Cameron "Cameroni" and from that has stemmed "Roni" and on seldom occasion even "Cameronian" Sometimes I call Rowan "Rowan baboan" But I didn't like that so much so I just started calling her "Rowan Pie" Because she is sweet as pie, that one seemed to stick.

Well my Little "Roni" Went to pre-school/daycare on base today. I let her go a few times a month. I have to tell them when I get there that she is still (unfortunately) in diapers, because all the other kids in her age group are out of diapers or at least in pull ups. So when I went to pick her up I asked the teacher how Cameron was, and she says "she is a little antsy" "she's a handful isn't she" and my reply is yes she is. Then she goes on to tell me "well now... she (Cameron) came up to me and asked me (the teacher) to "please change her diaper" then the teachers eyes bugged way out and she says jokingly "oh no! if she can ask me to please change her diaper then she can go on the potty" "Then she says at least she was polite". So now I know I can teach her to be polite but she is still not going to go on the potty until she darn well feels like it. Later when we were driving home Cameron tells me "That lady changed my diaper and, and she put gloves on" and I thought to myself I don't blame her"

"Bugs" and "Knee pits"

2008-03-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

Cameron frequently tells me she has a bug in her diaper or on her arm, really meaning she has an itch. I guess that's just a 3 year olds far more interesting way to say she's itchy. Unfortunately for her she has inherited her mommies itchy dry skin, except she has it even worse (poor girl.) her eczema is acting up again. well what can I do but slather her in Aveeno after her baths, but even that doesn't completely clear it up. I have yet to find something that actually does. Any suggestions anyone? And on the subject of interesting ways to say things. I can't remember how this came up but she calls the spot behind her knee, a "knee pit" like arm pit but different. I thought that was pretty funny. I just love the things a 3 year old comes up with. why can't I get my mind to think like that more often, but then again who need to think like that when you have Cameron. I sure wish Nick was here to see all these wonderful and interesting things our children do and say.

Easter at the farm

2008-03-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

For the second year we spent Easter at our friends goat farm with people from our church. We enjoyed a delicious pot luck style dinner, and a big easter egg hunt for the kids. I can't help but remember our last snowy easter (yep, a snowy texas Easter.) It was pretty amazing really. The last time it had snowed in April in Texas was 60 years ago. This year was acctualy pretty warm. We brought our neighbor kids along with us since there mom had to work.

I also have recently started watching the neighbor boys we brought with us to the goat farm, on sundays or saturdays. I'm not usually one for watching other peoples kids. But they are just so sweet and Cameron loves them, I addmit, it also keeps Cameron out of my hair for the day, so It works out for everyone.

Cameron, Caden, and Jansen or "The boys" as Cameron calls them

Home improvement

2008-03-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been trying to do some sort of home improvement project every time we get paid, weather it is just working on organization inside the house of fixing up the garden outside. So I finally got around to fixing up the flower bed in the front yard with the help of my brother of course, and Now I'm fixing on staining and sealing the fence this week, again with the help of my brother as well. Since owning our first home the list of improvements seems never ending especially since it was a brand new home, It needed a bit of character. The improvements are very gratifying though. I already have the next biggest project lined up for the near future as well...wood floors in the downstairs, I can't wait for that one! I'm thinking of doing some sort of garden in the back yard, But I'm a little scared to go tearing up the lawn, since Ive never really made a garden, and I don't know how it will come out. I have a few Ideas though. I guess I'll just have to do it and find out what happens

I Put a little work bench together for nick

Busy, Busy

2008-03-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Well, life seems to be carrying me along these day's at a very fast pace. I rarely even have a minute to stop and just sit for a moment. As I write this I am even thinking of all the things I should be doing rather than writing this, but this is the more relaxing of my choices. So for tonight, Blogging it is! So my friend and I made the most delicious enchalidas and spanish rice this evening from scratch, yum, I am stuffed. Unfortunatly she leaves tomorrow for north carolina, we've had fun. This weeks been filled with cooking, play groups, library trips, and even a weekend getaway to the texas coast (corpus christi) for an aquarium trip. I think I might need a vacation after my little vacation. Oh and my little Rowan is nearly crawling. She get's up and moves her knees a little bit but is still trying to learn to coordinate her legs and arms together, I'm sure that will come before I know it. Cameron is getting closer and closer to potty training. This week she even went poop on the toilet, all by herself while I was busy doing something elts, I noticed the toilet paper still stuck between her buns and was delighted to see that she could really do it if she wanted to, and to think that all I had to do was stop trying to get her to go on the toilet, If only every lesson was that easy. Hopefully she keeps it up. Well it's back to cleaning the days neverending dishes, and toy mess.

morning time

2008-02-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

It usually starts out the same. Cameron wakes up sometimes before me and Rowan, and comes and peeks through the crack of the bedroom door as if she's doing something she's not supposed to do even though I always gladly invite her in as soon as I hear her breathing or whispering that she's either hungry or has gone poop in her diaper. We usually all snuggle for a bit and play in the covers, Rowan usually enjoys this very much. This morning Cameron told Rowan "I love you so much" what a sweet big sister she is. Shortly after I try and resists getting up Cameron will usually convince me to get up and change and feed her "very hungry" self. So I'm finally up. Rowan will play around on the living room floor while I make Cameron something to eat, all the while Cameron is continually asking me for something to eat, I usually have to remind her, "I'm working on it" " patience please" I think she thinks it will happen faster. so between making sure Cameron gets what she needs and feeding and changing Rowan I am lucky to get myself something to eat as well. They do start differently from time to time. You just never do know what the day will bring especially with babies, and mine seem to be very much the same yet vastly different.