I woke up with pretty bad neck pain (aka: can't move!) ... And spent the rest of the morning receiving little handmade "get well" gifts from the boys: paper snowflakes, books, pictures, and jewelry made out of paper & dental floss. I love their sweet hearts!

Tid Bits of Uselessness

I am sick! Although it is obviously just a normal cold, I'm still trying to be extra careful to not spread it to the kids with all this press about the Swine Flu. Which is virtually impossible, but I'm still trying. I had a stomach flu over the weekend... don't know if the two are related, but now I've come down with a regular ol' cold. Austin has a runny nose, but Jake is symptom-free. (Amazing!) Anyways, I've been using hand sanitizer and hand-washing like you wouldn't believe, being that I blow my nose every few minutes! And during the few in-between, I'm usually doing something else requiring hand washing, such as diapering, wiping toddlers noses, cleaning, or preparing food... this is more handwashing than I do at work!

Currently, the kids are enjoying wreaking havoc in a usually off-limits area... the kitchen. I've gated them in instead of gating them out! There are smashed chips & goldfish scattered on the floor, along with many pots & pans, wooden spoons, and misc papers from drawers. I can't believe I'm not stopping this nonsense. But it's a good little "quarantine" method. Feel free to take notes on my excellent mothering skills!

And, honestly, I don't care about the mess-- I'm actually happy!! (Don't tell them that!) This is the longest stretch of time that they've ever played together without having any tiffs or getting bored... maybe I should do it more often! And I can sit here & be miserable with my kleenex & chamomile and, ummm, have fun (window) shopping online.

Speaking of which...

Look at these darling bags! This company (Fleurville) makes products out of earth-friendly materials... all kinds of bags & totes, for example their diaper bags are made from recycled bottles! (Did you know that it takes 1,000 years for a plastic bottle to biodegrade!?!? I don't know how accurate that is... but crazy anyways. Maybe it's true, being it takes 500 years for a single disposable diaper!) Anyways, here are my 3 favorite (small) diaperbags... it's too bad that small doesn't really fit my 2-to-3-in-diapers life!

The Escape Pod:

The MicroPod:

The Re-Run Messenger Diaper Bag

SO CUTE!!!

Well, I just thought I'd just share! Have a great day & stay well!

Family trip to Solvang

My last trip to Solvang was to introduce Jake to his great grandpa. We were well over-due for another trip to introduce the other two new additions. (Austin, and my nephew, Finn.) So I just got home from a 4-day, 3-night trip with my family to Solvang. It was SO wonderful to spend time with family!!! I never see them enough! I will say, though, that I've finally realized that vacationing as the momma is ---> just . not . relaxing .

Especially with my toddler whose cold finally got the best of him and he got the full blown sickness (maybe even a touch of the flu?) while we were gone. At least it's finally over with!

But my biggest issue on vacationing with my toddler is his sleep location issues. He sleeps great good at home in his own room, in his own crib. Anywhere else, and I'm a basket case with an incredibly sleepy kid who WON'T SLEEP!

I love the freedom I have with my work schedule to spend a day or two in San Diego with family, and I absolutely love vacationing (who doesn't). But the after the last few times, I've come to dread it. I never get more than a few hours of sleep, and my kid is so sleepy and fussy the whole time that I almost always want to leave early (out of mere survival / fight-or-flight instinct!)

We did survive. We came home and slept (hard) lastnight. Both boys are ASLEEP right now, at their normal naptime in their normal places, and I'm feeling soooo relaxed... back home in our normal routine. Ugh... I tried sooo hard to raise flexible kids. I used to pat myself on the back at how Jake would sleep anywhere. Until he hit about one year old. I've also learned to *never* pat yourself on the back! haha

Enough complaining. Back to our wonderful pictures from our (otherwise) wonderful trip!



Jake with my dad & grandpa. I love them! They both have such a strong sense of integrity. They are very much alike in their character, very admirable, & tender hearted at the core. I simply don't have the words (or maybe I have too many words) to talk about my dad. (Or my momma for that matter!) So I will stop there. Basically, I am so so incredibly thankful for them and their influence on my life (and my kids lives.) Oh, back to my Solvang trip and photos. Sorry...



Visiting Uncle Tommy. (My mom & her brother.) Let me just say that God is good!



Me & my sweet nephew, Finn! (7 months old)



Yes, I know that we ALL look a bit kooky here! (Especially my son with his fingers in his mouth!) L to R: My sis, Chris, Finn, Uncle Tommy, Austin, me, & Jake



Cousins! Finn with his proud Daddy (Jarlath) & cousin

Sweet Babies!
So, these are *NOT* cute pictures of my belly!!! But soooo cute of Jake snuggling it! He's been sick for almost a week now with a little stomach bug, on top of cutting his 3rd & maybe 4th molar, on top of yesterdays vaccines (YUCK!) So he hasn't slept on mommy's lap in ages, but he woke up from his nap yesterday and was so snuggly! He just wanted to sit on my lap while I checked my e-mail and he fell right back to sleep. He doesn't know it, but he's hugging his baby brother~* I just couldn't resist the photo op.

A quick cooking blurb-- this was dinner lastnight.

Another of the Pioneer Woman's recipes, it's called: Chicken Spaghetti, or The Only Casserole Marlboro Man Will Eat. (Click link for recipe.) It was pretty good, but not amazing. It's something I will definitely make again, especially (ESPECIALLY!) since Jake liked it. And it had CHICKEN! (I have a hard time getting Jake to eat meat!) I only wish I wasn't so starving when I was making it, because I got impatient and took it out of the oven 17 minutes early, thus the onions weren't cooked all the way! Kevin hasn't tried it yet... he got home late lastnight, and today he's at a football game. I know for a fact that he'll like it. He likes everything. (Lucky me!)

He's only dissed one of my homecooked meals, he actually couldn't eat it, and that's because I had put Vodka in my Spaghetti Sauce... we were still newleyweds and I was experimenting, thinking that it would be gourmet (you know, like cooking with wine)... it was NOT good! LOL We had a good laugh about it. Back to the Chicken Spaghetti... if you make the recipe, and if you're a wimp like me, even the 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper is *almost* too much for me. I don't want to taste ANY spicyness! I also substituted red peppers for the pimentos, couldn't find any at the store. So I can't speak for the pimento part. Best part of this is that it's SUPER EASY, and it's a casserole that can be frozen & baked later! Oh, AND there was tons of left over Chicken to make another meal with (chicken salad, tacos, whatever!)-- love that!

I started this post earlier today and was about to check out, but my day took a little interesting turn and I'm feeling like exposing the major pregnant moment/ordeal that I just had. I'm risking being laughed AT, but that's okay. {I'm also risking BORING y'all to death with a super long post, but oh well- I'm a bit chatty & wanted to share my drama with my sister but she didn't pick-up, so you get it. You can check out at any time and I won't be mad at you!}

Tonight's dinner wasn't such a success from Jake's standpoint. Just mac&cheese with pureed carrots mixed in... a quickie because I had a major headache & didn't have time to make anything special-- our routine is all out-of-whack today. He took a few bites & wasn't interested-- possibly because he's not feeling up to par, or maybe he didn't like it. But I had been craving ice cream SOOOO BADLY for DAYS, plus had a prescription to pick up. So I thought to myself... Jake's not acting starving, maybe we could make a QUICK (like 10-minute) run to the pharmacy to pick up ice cream & the Rx, before I try to figure out what else to make him. So we did. A bit longer than 10-min (more like 50) because Rx wasn't ready (like they said it was), so we browsed & picked up some things I'll need for birth/postpartum. Whatever-- here's where it starts to get interesting.

I get home, open garage door, load groceries onto stroller (less to carry!), haul diaperbag & purse onto shoulder, unhook Jake & heave him onto opposite hip while tossing his sippy cup into purse, hit door-lock and shut doors. Might I mention that now I have TWO babies sitting on my bladder, which is about to explode. As I step into garage, my (not-so)free hand is digging through my purse, and I'm wondering where my keys are. Why did I put them away? DID I put them away? And then, wham, I distinctly remember setting them down on the seat protector alongside the carseat as I unhooked Jake. My heart sank! I have ICE CREAM in my bag, and it's cold out and we're wearing tank top/t-shirt and skirt/shorts, my baby hasn't (really) eaten and it's almost his bedtime, and my bladder is literally about to burst! And of course my hide-a-key is not hidden, but is sitting nicely in the kitchen drawer, doing nobody any good! By this time it's probably past 7pm.

Long story (kinda) short, after trying all the doors/windows, calling hubby (who is still in parking lot of UCLA football game), and trying to make a plan... my neighbors pulled up and allowed me to use their restroom and then I accompanied her husband as he tried to get in the house for me. After giving up those attempts, I called AAA-- they're of course so busy that a normal wait time will be an hour- but I'm told they'll put a rush on it since I have my 15-month-old son out in the dark, cold night. By this time it's 8pm, so I have an ETA of 9pm at the LATEST! I'm reassured, though, that they will definitely put a rush for me & my baby.

If you think any of that is even a wee bit funny, you haven't heard anything yet. I forbade Kevin from telling anybody this, but what the heck! Everyone has an embarassing lock-keys-in-car story, but this next part brings embarassment to a different level. My ice cream is melting, and like I said, I had been craving it for EVER! I'll be here a while-- So after searching everywhere for a spoon (or the like), to no avail, I decided to make one. (hi, I'm PREGNANT!) I tore apart the cardboard box that Jake's infant tylenol came in, and proceeded to eat ice cream with this "spoon" (even taking the time to pour the chocolate syrup I bought over it!). Mind you, we are sitting at the patio table in.pitch.darkness... (I didn't turn on outdoor lights for a 10-minute errand- it was supposed to still be light out!) So, anyways, I went through two cardboard spoons, but after both got soggy I had to call it quits. {Meanwhile, Jake is munching on the Oyster Crackers & Goldfish that happened to be in his diaperbag.} Aren't we a healthy little family tonight!?!?

Anyways, we sat outside for over an hour! (1hr15min to be exact.) An hour into our waiting, another neighbor saw me changing Jake's diaper on my lap in the garage and putting his pants on, and it peaked her curiosity. She brought us some blankets (I refused offers to hang out at her house because I had just called AAA and they said they'd be there in a few minutes.) I love my neighbors! (Wish they had come an hour prior! Wait, then I wouldn't have gotten to eat any ice cream! LOL) So, needless to say, we got in the house, Jake had a quick little dinner (at 9:25pm!!!!!!!! WAY past bedtime! and even MORE past dinnertime!!!) He still only took 4-5 bites. He's sound asleep & we're warm and safe. Woo-ie!

Thank goodness Jake loves being outside-- he was happy the whole time, pointing to the moon and announcing "MOON!" a thousand times over. Watching cars and making car sounds "VVVVvv!" as they drove by. He makes my days so much fun- even times like those!

Okay, my LONGEST (?) post is coming to a close! Sorry for rambling... I hope the visions of a ravenous preggo eating ice cream in the dark with shreds of cardboard made it worth your while- lol! Please, you're allowed to laugh AT me, that's why I shared... just be sure to withhold judgement- pregnancy give us an excuse for almost any type of bazaar behavior, right? So, finally, goodnight my friends!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Not the best pic, but it's our last family picture of 2006... (at our New Years dinner)... I know it's only been 18 days, but so far 2007 has been AMAZING!!!! (Mostly because of an exciting announcement in my family!)

I hope you have all had beautiful holidays! We did! For my crafty friends, here are a few pics of my most recent creations. I made these darling little distressed 'brag books' for both the Grandmas. I didn't add much embellishment at all... had to keep them simple because of time constraints, but it turns out that I love them & wish I made one for myself too!

They have blank pages labelled months 6-12 so the book will be Jake's first year in review. So cute!

The shawl turned out nicely and I think my sister liked it. My mom's slipper socks also turned out cute, once I solved my yarn dilemma. (I was running out of yarn & the store didn't have the same kind, despite many phonecalls & visits.) I ended up buying a coordinating color and making the toe in that color, and to make it look more cohesive, I added a little drawstring out of that same color too. I wanted to take pics of them each wearing their gifts, but got too caught up in all of the excitement. (And by excitement, I mean *over the moon* excitement! Let me just say that a huge prayer was answered and this is going to be another amazing year!)

So I know that I've written before about being under the weather. Since I don't post very often, it probably seems like we're sick all the time! lol But this time, we are ALL *really* sick!!! I'm actually getting better, Jake is on his way, and Kevin is just at the beginning so he's still struggling. It's been horrible seeing Jake like this, though. It's his first REAL full-on illness. He still has a gnarly cough and no appetite. I can tell he's feeling better though, since he's not as listless and his temp is lower. Even though I'm a nurse & I teach people all the reportable symptoms, it's different being the momma! I keep asking,

"Should we call the doctor?"

This note might not be very fluid because I've been watching TV while writing it. (Grey's Anatomy... soo good!)

While I'm here (since I only publish posts like twice monthly!), I wanted to mention Juice Plus. I was telling my sister about it and was going to email her the links, but decided to pass along the information to whoever else is interested. (Click on the underlined, which will hyperlink you to their website.) Here is also Dr Sears' take on it. Dr Sears is not our pediatrician, even though he is located in our town. I wanted to choose a pediatrician that I work with, and we are soo happy with out choice- it's a great fit! But I do read Dr Sears' books and consult his website *all* the time! He is the one who gave me that last push in my choice to do cord blood banking with CBR. (Even though it unfortunately didn't work out in the end.) I really like his down-to-earth approach to parenting. His methods aren't for everyone, but it's nice to gain the information from someone trustworthy (he thoroughly researches everything he endorses and his practice is evidence-based).

I'll be back sooner than later!

Look Out Hugh!

Every time I put Jake in his robe, it makes me smile. He is so cute in it! I probably shouldn't broadcast this, because there's something not-right about using this term to describe a baby(!), but it's all in good fun... Kevin and I call it his pimp outfit, but baby-style. Which is why we say Look out Heff, there's a new little pajama boy in town, and he's waaayyyy cuter! LOL
Jake has been fighting off a cold for a few days now. I feel so bad for him! In the middle of his sleep he just starts wailing! He's been really congested and soooo sleepy. No temp today, and just a low-grade fever yesterday. So I'm new to all of this. I'm supposed to go to the grocery store and Lowes today, but if Jake is so tired and fussy, I want him to be able to get his rest. (Plus I don't want him to wail in the store-- nothing consoles him except maybe a little nursing, quiet snuggles, and some more sleep). Every time he wakes up from his nap I think we're going to have a feeding and then leave for errands, but then he goes right back to sleep. I thought he wouldn't sleep well lastnight (as he did the same thing yesterday), but he slept like a BABY (!) *giggle* I guess his body knows what he needs. At least he isn't as congested and snorty, but maybe it's at the expense of his comfort... my GUESS is that he has a little sinus pressure making his head or ears hurt a little. OR, maybe he's teething. But he's been around a lot of people who have colds, and right after his vaccinations (so his immune system was down). At any rate, he's a little under the weather and I'm giving him a low-key day at home today.
P.S. He also got his first (spider?) bite. He doesn't even know it's there, but I do! I took a picture of it! haha Another thing I probably shouldn't broadcast...

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