To Mama and Dadbert

Thank you both for your love for the Lord, your dedication to your marriage and each other.  Your children and grandchildren are so blessed to have you setting a thirty-nine year example of what love and commitment look like in a society where marriages fail more often than they succeed. 

We are so grateful. 

I love you both dearly, 

 

Happy Anniversary....You Are My Favorite

10 years.  

Wow.

In some ways, it feels like it wasn't that long ago that you made the brave phone call to ask me to dinner.  And for the record, I'm so glad you went against your better judgement and went ahead with our matchmaker's crazy idea!  ;)

In other ways, it feels like a lifetime ago.  Four moves, 7 job transfers (8 if you count my "retirement" from the bank), two little loves, nearly six years of parenting, and endless amounts of laughter. 

Like last night when we took the kids for a walk and I nearly wet my pants, I was laughing so hard.  

I've loved every minute--even when I haven't loved every minute. 

I'm so glad it's been with you.  

Love you so,
 

Bassinet Building

Just getting a few more things done today.....

like putting together the bassinet for our little guy.  This was Peanut's.  I guess I have already broken my promise to Hubs of no photographic evidence of the little guy using the girly bassinet.   But I can't, in good conscience, justify spending another $150-$200 on a "boy's bassinet" when we only used Peanut's for about a month. 

I simply couldn't sleep with her in the same room as me.  Babies make all sorts of little noises when they sleep and every little noise she made kept. me. awake.  So within about 5 weeks time, she was in her crib in her room and I was stealing sleep when I could.  And you know?  It worked for us.  Now with having a three and half year old and a baby, I know those precious moments of sleep will need to be embraced even more. 


And at the end of the day, a bassinet with flowers on it won't hurt him in the least. 

Plus, I think it's a good reminder to Hubs, that those bigger baby purchases should have been more gender neutral.  After all, he's the one that insisted on all things girly when registering for Peanut nearly four years ago. 

Hmmmmm........



 

A Little R&R

I am not even going to give a bunch of excuses of why I haven't been blogging.

Because I have none, except for the fact that I am lazy.  Isn't that sad?!?!?!?

However.  

My little silly attempt like the Pioneer Woman's hotel tours.  :)

Hubs and my birthdays were both last week and we were given a delightful little joint gift of a trip to the beach this past weekend.   What a treat it was!  We haven't been to the coast (at least in our state--because we did get a chance last summer on our little trip to see my in-laws) since probably around 2006 (?) and we definitely haven't had a trip without our Peanut since she was born over three and a half years ago, so we were long overdue!  Plus, with our new little arrival early this summer, this was a great time to sneak in some R&R before the little man's arrival.  'Cause when you breastfeed, you can never be too far away!  At least was the case with our Peanut.   But I digress. 

It was just a nice, nice weekend.  The forecast called for rain and wind at the coast (pretty typical of the Pacific Northwest) but it actually turned out better than expected.  It didn't end up raining at all during the daytime when we were out and about.  BUT, we got the perfect amount of rain storms during both evenings while we cuddled up watching movies with the fireplace roaring.  Isn't that just a nice word picture? 

Did I mention we had a great weekend? 


























 
Because we really, really did. 



 

The View From Here

My poor, sweet, innocent girl has no idea that normal people don't take pictures of their food before it is eaten.  She has an old digital camera of ours (no battery for it, so it's a play camera for her) that she runs and gets every time she sees me pull out my camera to take a picture of some new creation.  And then I am almost always requested to take a picture of her plate before we sit down.  Hopefully therapy won't be too costly....

Please ignore the she-just-had-a-nap-shortly-before-this-picture-was-taken hair. 

She is obsessed with her cell phone lately.  It's a toy one, lest anyone think we are those people.  Anyhow, Daddy made a phone call as he was sitting down to dinner the other night and she had to run and get her pink princess phone. And she proceeded to have a one sided conversation that included, but was not limited to, "Um, yeah [listens] mmmmm, no [listens again] 'kay, bye!"  Followed by a quick shut of the phone and then tossing it on the table.

Really, do I do that?  

Apparently I do.

Ouch. 

Oh, and check out Hubs' new goatee in the background.  I finally got him to grow one on our trip.  Corporate changed the rules at his work and now employees are allowed to have facial hair.  Verdict?   

Me likey.  

A lot. 

Nearly one year after she got her glamorous dress up trunk from Grandma and Grandpa, she is finally fully "into it."  She comes up with all sorts of new and interesting fashion combinations. It's a blast to watch.

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

She is very much into the markers I picked up for her.  She draws nearly every day.  She's not naughty with them at all, but sometimes she gets a little um, over zealous.  Some got on the table (which is what happens when you color over the same exact spot on the paper 462 times and the ink bleeds through) and she got some on her hand, which she promptly wiped on her shirt.  Oops.  But it washed out no problem.  God bless the chemists that came up with washable ink.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

For the Love of Boo

I mentioned a long time ago on my little spot here on the world wide web that I love to play Boo, but I never fully elaborated on it.  Boo is a game that my mom and I have played for years.  From my teen years forward, at least--is as far back as I remember playing this wonderful little game.

It's a very simple game, really.

It goes like this: If you have the wonderful and grand chance to scare someone as they walk into a room, come from around a corner, walk past a doorway, etc., you take SEIZE that wonderful opportunity to scare. them. silly. 

My sister and father do not share this same love of Boo.

No matter how hard my mom or I try. 

So you can imagine my delight when Hubs and I got married.....as I now had a whole new victim player to add to the game.

To put it kindly:  He thinks my mom and I are deranged. Sigh.  But I force him to play anyway.  Not too often though--because a) He doesn't scare too easily.  Hmph!  and b) If I press my luck too much, he just might leave me.  I am so kidding on that last part, but why press it, right?  ;)  

Several years ago (well, gosh this was pre-Peanut, so this was at least three years, probably closer to four or five) I got him REALLY good.  And he was none too happy about it either.  I still can't decide what was better--scaring him OR telling my mom about my glorious success--it's STILL is my best Boo to date. 

Circa 2006 or 2007:  It was bedtime for Hubs and I.  I was doing my nighttime ritual in our bathroom--brushing my teeth, washing my face, putting on pajamas, and getting settled in bed.  Hubs was on the other side of the house in our "office" on the computer, probably watching SportsCenter highlights or shopping for music on iTunes.  By the time he came to bed, I was "asleep" on my side, and with the way our room was arranged, he couldn't see that I was actually still wide awake.  He went into our bathroom and proceeded with his nighttime ritual....brushing his teeth, taking out his contacts, etc.  He walked over to our bed and I could hear him putting his glasses in their case on his nightstand and then I felt his weight as he climbed into bed.  He fluffed his pillow and proceeded to settle in.  And mind you, he still had no idea I was wide awake.  So I gave him a minute or two to get comfortable and then the moment came that I was waiting for. I turned around as fast as I could and grabbed him and yelled "BOO!!!!" into the darkness of our bedroom.

Somehow the man managed to jump two feet in the air (while still lying flat) as he whipped around and rather angrily asked me, "WHAT on earth is wrong with you?"

Of course, I was laughing.  And that of course just irritated him further.  His irritation just caused me to laugh even harder, to the point of tears.  (And I don't cry easily--at least when I am laughing I don't.)  

Several days later I was on the phone with my mom and I could barely get the words out, I was laughing so hard.  And my mom, on the other end, was giddy and laughing in anticipation as she waited for me to get to the "punchline." 

Because she gets it. 

You see, it's never as fun for the Boo-ee.  The Boo-er always gets the biggest laugh and while those Boo-ees (that ones that appreciate it, at least) get a small amount of thrill from it, the Boo-ees know that their time will come.  It may not be that day or even that week, but if the Boo-ee is patient, they will get an even bigger thrill as Boo-er the next time.

And that my friends, is the beauty of the game.

I can count on one hand the number of times Hubs has scared me in our seven+ year marriage.  And half of those were unintentional (I am the polar opposite and scare VERY easily).  As I am recovering from his scares I try to explain to him See?  Wasn't that fun?  You know you got a kick out of that....?  Along with all other sorts of words of encouragement to keep the game going.

It never works though.

Besides, I have Peanut.  And I have been slowly breaking her in.  And you know what?   

She LOVES it.  She doesn't quite "get" it yet, but she LOVES it.

Case in point:  Several weeks ago I was cleaning the kitchen after a late dinner and Hubs had taken Peanut upstairs to start getting her ready for bed.  Somehow Peanut wandered downstairs and while I can usually hear her coming, I didn't this time.  I had my back turned as I was cleaning the stove and she walked in the kitchen and started to ask me a question.  Now it was my turn to jump two feet in the air and scream.  And Peanut just stood there like a deer in headlights.  And then I started laughing as I told her, "You scared me!"  Then she started laughing.  And she laughed and laughed and then she walked around the corner towards our living room and said to me, "Mommy!  Get Ready!  I'm gonna scare you again!"

It's like a dream come true.  

Public Service Announcement

I do the ironing 1-2 times a week and I starch Hubs dress shirts for work.

'Cause I am good little wife like that we can't afford to send them out.  (Although for the record, if we could afford it, I still don't think I would.  I would rather buy something fun than pay someone to do the ironing.)

All his shirts are darker colors and as I was ironing and starching the other day, I noticed the ironing board pad was getting all gunky.  Hmmmm, I should probably wash that I thought.

I thought wrong.

Apparently you don't wash and reuse these?  Or was it just my cover (that came with the ironing board)? 

My Peanut's Daddy

Like last year, we celebrated Father's Day a few days late (today), rather than on Sunday.  Hub's worked all day long on Sunday--helping others have special moments with their daddies and families.  Such is life in restaurant management.  So we had a special day today instead.  It was going to be a nice day, so Hubs suggested going on a picnic.  I said sure, as long as you don't mind having PB & J--a picnic wasn't something I had planned on, otherwise I would have prepared something a little (but, not much) more elaborate.  Ever the paranoid I guess PB & J was just as well, because then you don't have to worry about food borne illness.

We got to the park and as we were finding a spot to set out the blanket, I asked Hubs if he brought the camera.  He hadn't, so I got his keys and started back towards our car to get it.  When I was about 15 yards away from the blanket, on my way towards the car, Peanut called out to me (loudly).  "Mommy come back!  I LOVE YOU.....We're girls!"

What a funny girl!  (She's very much into gender these days...Dolly is a girl, Buzz (Lightyear) is a boy, Grandma is a girl, etc.)

As always, our little girl had lots of fun at the park. When Daddy showed her underdogs (apparently some call these underducks?!?!?!) while pushing her on the swing....well, it was all over from there.  She was permanently affixed to the swing.  She did wander over to the play structure at one point, however the swing got most of her attention. 

A little girl at the park quickly adopted Hubs.  She saw him pushing Peanut on the swings and made herself right at home on the swing next to Peanut and asked Hubs to push her too.  So he did....a little begrudgingly at first though, as he later told me.  This was his day to spend with Peanut and he felt bad giving some of that attention to this other little girl.  However, he told me Peanut didn't seem to mind at all, as each time Hubs started to "neglect" the other little girl, Peanut would let Hubs know.  "She wants to go higher Daddy!  Higher!"  Peanut got as much of a thrill from watching this other little girl have fun as she did herself. 

And can I just share how s*e*x*y it is to see my husband take care of our little girl?  Just makes my heart go pitter patter.  I just love the way he takes care of her.  It's not like he was doing anything extra special...but to see him watch over her and look out for her and put sunscreen on her and make sure no one is being mean to her on the playground--you know, just being such a good daddy?  Yeah, baby--that just speaks to me.  That's probably why my top love language is "Acts of Service."

Warning:  Huge Confession That Shows What An Egregiously  Self-fish Person I Truly Am:

Before we had Peanut, my biggest fear was that our children would replace me as the object of Hubs' love and affection.  I was scared that he wouldn't have enough love to still love me after loving our children.  That he would only ever show affection towards them.  That he would only have time for them.  Of course, he assured me that would never be the case--and it isn't.  He told me that he would love me even more as both a wife and mother to his children. 

And I was never prepared by how much more I would love him in watching him be a father to our little girl.  And as I said, it's just darn s*e*x*y.    And in all seriousness, it's just so wonderful seeing him be a dad and it's so nice to be able to lean on him daily in those tough moments. 

My daughter and I are truly blessed. 

Silly Me

About two months ago, I starting having this pain behind my left eye.  I had had this pain before, however it had come and gone and only ever lasted a couple of days at the most.  I would also go months at a time before it returned.  However this time, it wasn't going away.  In fact, is was getting worse.  I knew I needed to go see a doctor, but I really didn't want to.

You see, I am very much like my friends mom (she's actually Hubs and my matchmaker too if you don't remember).  I remember her saying awhile back that she was waiting for the "big one."  As in she just knows that she is going to get cancer or have a heart attack or suffer through some other type of serious health condition.  I am that way too--don't get me wrong, I am not a hypochondriac--I don't go see the doctor for every little thing.  I actually avoid the doctor as much as I can.  In fact, I joked that when I was pregnant with Peanut that I had been to the doctor more (prenatal visits, etc.) in that nine months than I probably had been during the last 10 or 15 years.  That's truly not an exaggeration.

However, several members of my family have very serious health concerns and although I have been healthy as a horse (aside from colds and normal stuff like that) I have a hard time believing I am going to get away Scott free.  Does that make any sense?   Plus, I have this irrational fear of me dying young and not being able to see the Peanut grow up.  I didn't really want to know what this eye issue was about, because I just knew I had this huge, incurable tumor that was putting pressure on my eye and I only had six months to live.

Worry, much?  

So I finally broke down (in tears, no less) and told the Hubby all about it.  The pain, the fears, everything. And he just sat there and looked at me.  Then he smiled at me and said, "A brain tumor?  Honey, have you thought about getting your eyes checked?  I mean, you ARE getting older."

Did he really just say that?  Isn't that on the top ten list of things to never say to the woman you are married to? 

I looked at him with snot tears running down my face and said, "Gosh, that never even crossed my mind."  And it really hadn't.

The next day I called and made an appointment with the eye doctor and about two weeks ago I had my eyes checked.  The doctor's nurse started with just a manual eye check.  She covered my left eye and had me read the smallest print I could manage with my right eye.  Read the smallest line with no hesitation.  Then she covered my right eye and asked me to do the same thing with my left eye.  Whoa.  All my fears suddenly went away--I could not even read the smallest line and I struggled to read the line above that.  Turns out my vision is certainly not what it once was.  Hubs was right, I am getting older--not that I didn't already know that, of course.  I just didn't want him telling me so. 

I had reading glasses from about ten years ago, which was the last time I saw the eye doctor--yes, I know.  I never wore my glasses as I didn't feel they made any difference.  This time I got a new prescription and I got my new lenses a few days ago and I have been wearing my glasses.  And guess what?  No more eye pain. It's like it never even happened.

And please ignore those crows feet that marching across my face.

I AM getting older you know. 

A Trip to the Park

The weather has been warming up here quite a bit.  Yay!  So last week on Hubs day off, we ventured over to the park to let Peanut burn off some of her massive amounts of energy.  We even went to the park that has all the play toys.  However with the flu going around (we found out she got it at tumbling class--tons of parents/kids were sick with it the same time Peanut and Hubs had it), Hubs broke out the HazMat suit as soon as we got back to the car wiping her down with wipes and disinfectant.

Look how much our little Peanut (can she still be a "Peanut" when she is 17?) has changed in the last year.....wow.  I mean I know she hasn't been a "baby" for a while now, but looking back at pictures sure gives a different perspective.... 

Here we are waiting for Daddy before we left for the park.  She wouldn't sit still until I suggested she hold her 'Rora {Aurora--her baby Sleeping Beauty} dolly.  She thought having their pictures taken together would be fun.

Oh, and she loves using her pockets.  She is so funny.

She was sure to see that Daddy was always close behind.

I think the slides were her favorite.

There was also this rope net thing (no, I don't know the athletic/proper name for it) to climb on.  Peanut's first response was "I can't."  Sigh--she is so my child.  Thankfully, Daddy would have none of that.  He calmly encouraged her to climb the net and after much frustration, she realized she could do it! 

Same was the response for the big circular slide--but once she realized she could, she was all over it. 

I am so glad I have the Hubs to help balance out my inadequacies. 

My personal favorite....now we just need to remember to include Mommy in the pictures next time. 

To The One Who Has My Heart

Is this really the eighth time we've celebrated this day together?  WOW.  Makes me feel so old.

Oh, no wait...that's you.   TeeHee.

 

 

So much has changed in these last eight years.  You called me after much urging from our dear match maker.  You wined and dined me (well, there was no wine, but you know what I mean) during our whirlwind courtship. You added me to your cell phone plan, after some ridiculous cell phone bills on both our parts.

You proposed.  I said yes.  We said I do.

We moved in together in a tiny little duplex.  We bought a house.  We did many a household project.  (We is a very loose term.)

We started thinking about babies.  You were more excited than I.  (I had never changed a diaper...I KNOW.)  We bought a family car.  The test confirmed what we suspected--"we" were pregnant. 

However, these last eighteen months have come with the most changes, or rather those that were the most life altering, and I am so glad that you have been right by my side as we followed His plan for us.

You went from having just one girl, to having your two girls, as you so fondly call us.  You not only "let" me quit my job, but you encouraged me to do so, despite not knowing just exactly how we would make ends meet. 

Your previous job threw several curve balls.   You withstood the pressure to provide with dignity.  You made the agonizing decision to move us for a better long term opportunity.  And this hasn't been an easy road for you--you left a M-F/9-5 job to one working nights and weekends, sometimes coming home at 3:30 am and going back at 10 am just to do it all over again.  Just so we don't have to do the baby swap and I could remain home full time with our daughter.   Let's face it...this one income thing is hard.  And you never complain. You come home each night with a smile on your face, grateful for the time that you can spend with Peanut and me. 

Thank you.  Thank you for being such a wonderful and caring husband, a doting father, and a loving provider.

You have my heart forever. 

Happy Birthday, my Dear Husband.