Life Imitating Literature

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Kindergarten Graduation

Well, he did it! My Itty Boo is now a big 1st grader! Jay's last day of kindergarten was on June 4th, but they had their ceremony on June 2nd. The kids sang a few songs for the parents, got their certificates then had a snack. That was about it. It was pretty cute, but they didn't do a big production by any means. Here is the video of one of the songs they sang.





If I could figure out how to edit video then I would post a short clip of him going up to get his diploma, but I won't torture you with the whole thing. Here are two more pictures. The first with two of his best buddies, Chancellor & Ethan and the other with his teacher, Ms. Krumpos.
Jay had a blast this year in kindergarten. He learned a lot, made some great friends and grew up too much as far as his mom is concerned. He had a great report card as well as having PERFECT attendance for the year! WAY TO GO JAY!! Love you the most buddy! I am so proud of you!!

*Sorry this took me so long to post. June has been a little crazy so far.*

What A GREAT Day!

Days like today are what my kids will look back on and remember when they grow up. We had so much fun ALL day today. I'm just bummed I left my camera at home.
To start off, Jay had a baseball game and the kids played the best they have ever played before. At the beginning of the season they were have a hard time hustling when they ran the bases. The coaches told the boys that if they didn't pay attention and RUN then they would make them wear a pink dress up to bat. Coach Brian actually went out and bought a dress and would hang it out in the dug out to entice the kids to play better. After they were consistent with their running, Brian promised the boys that if they ever scored 5 runs in an inning then HE would wear the dress. This morning Brian proved he's a man of his word. The first inning the kids scored 5 runs (Jay getting the last run in) and Brian put it on. There were a couple of wolf-whistles and the other team had no idea what he was doing. I am so glad that Jay is on a team where the adults enjoy being there with the kids as much as the kids enjoy playing. Being on a team like this is what childhood is all about. Not that it matters, but Jay's team ended up winning 13-2.
After the game, we went home and put Alyssa down for a nap. Jeremy was playing video games and Jay wanted to play on my computer. It was WAY to nice outside to play video games. I told Jay to get his swimming trunks on and we'd have some mommy/boy time in the pool. I had so much fun with him. We played sharks and rocket launcher (where I swim under him and then launch him into the air). Jay is getting to be a pretty strong swimmer. Today he dived to the bottom of the pool for the first time. We where throwing the keys in the water and he had to get them off the bottom...no feet allowed, only hands. After starting in the shallow end, he gradually went further and further to the other side of the pool until he was reaching the keys off of the bottom at the deep end. (It's only 5 1/2 feet, but that is still pretty good for him) I then taught him how to dive off the side of the pool and do under-water hand stands.
We got done swimming around 2:30, came inside and had a 2 hr nap. When we got up, we showered and changed then left for a birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza. They have a little indoor roller coaster and all the kids got unlimited rides. Jay would get off then run right back to the end of the line. Alyssa had fun on the carousel and the slides. Filled them up with pizza, cake, icecream and lots of candy.
On the way home, Jeremy said that he wanted to go see the new Pixar movie "Up". It was 9:00PM but we said lets get the kids in their pj's and go. I'm so glad we did. It was such a darling movie. The show at 9:25 was in 3D so it was an extra $3/ticket. I was not going to wait until the next regular showing at 10:20. Do for 2 adults and 2 childrens movie tickets for a 3D movie on a Saturday night after 6PM, it cost us $46. HOLY CRAP! That was expensive. Still, I'm glad we went. The kids were (mostly) good and it was such a good movie. We will definitely add this one to our collection when the DVD is released.
We are now home and the kids are passed-out! I am so glad we don't have 9AM church tomorrow. Not that we will actually be on time at the 11AM session anyway, but at least we'll make it! :)
And a little more good news (ok, FANTASTIC news) for those who haven't heard, Jeremy got a call from a recruiter for a job in Orem. He liked his resume and had Jeremy take some assessment tests on-line. Jeremy did pretty good on them I guess because the recruiter called back and said he wanted to talk to Jeremy next week about setting up a time for an interview!!!

Kissin' Cousins

Jeremy's sister and her husband came to Las Vegas for their anniversary this week. They also happened to bring along their 18 month old little girl. After Jay's baseball game last night, we went to their timeshare to hang out together in the pool. It was nice to just sit and visit while we soaked in the kiddie pool then floated around the lazy river. Jay had a ball and once Alyssa stopped clinging to us for dear life in the water, she had a good time too.
(Sophie, Edie, Alyssa and Jeremy by the lazy river)
(All done swimming)
After we dried off and changed clothes, Edie and Curtis played foosball against Jeremy and Jay while Alyssa was giving Sophie lessons in air hockey.
(Jay scored the winning shot. Is it sad that a 6 year old shows up the adults?)
(This gets easier once you can see over the table)

We all went back up to their room to visit a little more. The kids were climbing all over the bed that folds down from the wall, cuddling and "loving" eachother. We got a pretty good blackmail picture of Jay and Sophie about to kiss and Jay's mouth isn't closed yet so it'll be a pretty disturbing picture for them when they are older. We shared Edie & Curtis' anniversary cake then came home. It was a long night and I am SO glad Jay has a ride to and from school today so I can go back to bed after posting this message!
(If you keep them up long enough, they will put themselves to bed. Jay was sad that he didn't get to spend the night)
(Give us about 15 years and this picture will be the cause of many torturous moments for these two)
(Happy 4th Anniversary Edie & Curtis!)

Mommy's Little Helper

I must say Alyssa is quite a precocious little girl when it comes to helping around the house. I swear she could do the laundry by herself if she had a step stool to reach the knobs. This is a good thing since she isn't wanting anything to do with potty training except for wearing undies.
Yesterday she was begging to wear her big-girl panties. The particular pair she was holding happened to be the pair sitting on the top of the dirty laundry basket in the hallway that she had peed in earlier that day. I told her that she couldn't wear them because she peed in them and anything that has potty on it needs to be put in the laundry. I now know that I need to choose my words better when giving her directions.
This morning I went to wash Jay's baseball uniform. I usually start the water in the machine first then add the detergent and clothes. I am SO glad I opened the washing machine BEFORE I started the water today.
When telling Alyssa to put things in the laundry, I need to specify laundry BASKET or she will put it in the washing machine. When I say anything that has potty on it needs to be washed, I need to specify that any CLOTHES that are pottied on need to be washed. Not only did she put her dirty panties in the washer, but about 4 peed-in diapers she dug out of the bathroom trash can. Nasty disaster barely avoided today.

Christmas Carols in May

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth....

He loves his new straw hole. Tooth #2 took a bit longer to fall out than #1. It was loose for about a week, barely hanging on for dear life. Jay's teacher absolutely forbids kids to wiggle loose teeth at school. She says it is a distraction from learning, but honestly I think the idea of a bleeding mouth grosses her out. Much to her delight, it was still hanging in there when I picked him up from school on Friday. Sunday night, Jeremy was going to do the whole "tie a string around it and slam the door" bit but Jay was having NONE of that. Big time drama after that! The next morning I told Jay that I just wanted to hold it between my fingers to make sure is other tooth wasn't coming in crooked. (I thought this because the back of the tooth was completely out, but the front roots were still hanging on) Once he let me grab a hold of it, all it took was a light tug and it was out.

The Big Hair Cut=The Big Disappointment

I WANT A REFUND! Actually, I can't blame Tana, she did exactly what Jeremy wanted. I just feel gypped that after nearly 2 years of begging Jeremy to cut his hair, this is what we end up with. Yes, I know that I can't tell a grown man how he needs to cut his hair and if he wants it long, hey that's his prerogative. Jeremy's hair actually does look better cut in a longer style, but this isn't exactly (ok, not really even close) to what he usually does. Oh well, I guess we'll just go back to they stylist ever 8 weeks on a regular basis rather than 2 years! Here are the before and after shots. Really, it isn't a bad hair cut at all, he does look good. I just need to make him realize he can't go that long between hair cuts again.

Big Day for the Green Men

First and foremost, today was Jeremy's LAST day of finals. Whew! I am SO very glad that those are over and done with. Just one more 4 week English class in June and he will have his AAS. He'll be taking a year off when we move to Utah so he can qualify for instate tuition but then will be going back for his Bachelors in the fall of 2010. Maybe by the time Alyssa is in kindergarten he will be finished with school! Wow, that seems so far away. But so did Summer 2009 when he started in 2006. For now I am going to enjoy NOT being a single mom for the next few weeks.
As for the other man of the house, Jay got to eat lunch at school today just like the big kids. They had the kindergarten classes go to the cafeteria today and eat lunch so they would know how to line up, pick out their food and pay for it so they will be ready for first grade. This was quite an exciting day for them.
When we got home from picking Jay up from school, I noticed that he was messing with his lip. He said something was poking it. I looked in his mouth to see if I could see anything. That's when I noticed my baby boy had his first loose tooth! He was playing with it ALL day. I swore I made him wash his hands about a dozen times today. Right at bedtime he ran out of his room to show me that he got it out. Here is my little guy's new smile.
GOTTA love those cheeks!

Saying goodbye to the old tooth and already planning on what to do with the money the tooth fairy brings tonight. To bad we got stuck with the cheapskate tooth fairy. He's only getting $1.

**I know that a few weeks ago all of my posts were about Alyssa, but now they all seem to be about Jay. I'll give you an Alyssa update soon!**

Dating A Younger Man

Jeremy has taken a few days off this week to study for finals. So on Monday, I put Alyssa down for the afternoon and took Jay out for some mommy-son time. We first went to Barns & Noble and read about a dozen books. We learned about Freight Trains and Farting Dogs and everything in between. Then I let him choose where we went to lunch. We ended up at Pick-Up Stix since Jay wanted noodles. Then off to the movie theater. There really wasn't anything out that was kid-appropriate that either of us wanted to see. We wound up seeing Earth. It was ok, but pretty much like paying to watch the discovery channel. After that I decided to take Jay to the batting cages since they cancelled baseball practice this week. It took him a while to get focused but after about 15 minutes, he was hitting the ball like crazy. We've been trying to get him to remember to take a step when he swings to put more power behind the ball. The batting practice helped with that a lot. On our way home we stopped at DI to drop off a bunch of old toys that were stored in the garage but didn't sell at the garage sale.
All in all, it was a pretty fun day. Jay had a blast and to thank me, he gave me the stomach virus I thought he had gotten over on Sunday. So Monday night, I was getting another taste of my beef yakisoba. I must say it was better going down than coming up. Gee thanks buddy. Next time I'll settle for a hug and a "thanks mommy".

Amputation Hesitancy

Jay is lucky to have all 10 fingers this evening. While he was taking his bath tonight, I heard him start to cry. I went to check on him and he had his pointer finger on his right hand stuck in the opening of a toy watering can. Being the mean mom that I am, I had to laugh at the predicament. I told him that it was gonna be awfully hard to get his baseball glove on tomorrow with that on his finger. He didn't appreciate my humor. When he started full-on wailing, I went to take it off for him.
***Wow, that thing REALLY is stuck. Here Jay, let's put some shampoo on it to make it slide off. Huh, I thought that would work. Stop squirming, I can't get a good hold on it. Lets twist it around a bit to work the soap in. HEY STOP SCREAMING IN MY FACE! Yeah, I know it hurts, I'm trying to HELP. Buddy, this really is stuck. I think we need to cut it off. (Leave to the kitchen and come back with a knife) I am NOT cutting your finger off, CALM DOWN. Now hold still while I cut the watering can. No, I am not going to cut your finger. Hey, stop squirming or I AM going to cut your finger. There, it's coming off now. No, I will not find you a band-aid, it's just dead skin, there isn't any blood. Fine, go ahead and tell daddy that I cut your skin off, you don't need a band-aid. Now finish your bath and get to bed. ***
The funniest part about the whole saga was when I was cutting the watering can Jay was sobbing and sobbing while saying "Goodbye finger" Of course that was AFTER the blood curdling screams that probably had my neighbors close to calling to cops on the abusive mother next door.

Tantrums Do NOT Work In This House!

I guess this all started with us getting home very late from a bar-b-que last night. Both kids were up way past their bed times. Jay went into his room and fell asleep in his clothes.
This morning I was trying to get everyone ready for church. Jay was still in his dirty jeans from last night. I got him to put his church shirt on but he was having a tantrum about finishing getting dressed because he wanted to play video games. I made him go sit in the corner until he could calm down, treat me with respect and act appropriately. Every time he asked to get out of the corner he was whining so I said no. Every time I said no, he would go into melt-down phase again and the tantrum would start over. He sat in that corner until we were ready to walk out the door. What is a mom to do? We were already running late, Jay is in filthy pants, no shoes and a church shirt. He still has a bad attitude going too.
Do I just stay home and make him sit in time out the rest of the day? No, my Nursery assistant is not going to be at church today and since church has already started, I can't call a sub. So I tell Jay to go get in the car, it's time for church. He said he needed to get dressed. I told him sorry, you used your getting dressed time up by having your tantrum, now it is time to go. He thought I was bluffing and tried to call me on it by walking out the door. When he realized I was seriously going to make him go to church bare foot and with dirty clothes, he was terrified. He is so sensitive to people laughing at him and this would DEFINITELY be something he would think they would laugh at. He cried the whole way there and was begging us to let him sit in the car until church was over.
Nope, sorry buddy, you make bad choices, you live with the consequences. I made him walk into the foyer and sit down on the couch and listen to testimony meeting. He was pretty unhappy about the idea of going to Primary dressed as he was. I then showed him that his church pants and shoes were in my bag and that he could EARN them back by having a good attitude, being reverent and being an example to his sister. THAT worked! By the time they were singing the closing song in sacrament, Jay was dressed appropriately for church.
For some reason I am thinking it won't be so hard getting him ready for church next week.

Magic Spit

This afternoon Jay was in desperate need of a nap, very whiny and cranky. Knowing that he has outgrown napping but still needing one I tried to tell him that he didn't have to sleep, just play quietly in his room. 9 times out of 10, this trick works. He's quiet for a 1/2 hour and when I go check on him, he has passed out. Not today!!
He peeked his head out of his room and asked if he could come out yet. I glanced at him over the back of the couch and said, no, you really need more quiet time. (Since he was not yet asleep) I noticed that his lips were blue. I just figured he was drawing on himself with marker and had blue lips. I told Jeremy to have Jay come out of his room to show him his face. When he came out we saw it was more than just his face and it was NOT marker. There was this blue/black stuff all over his hands, arms, face and feet. We asked him what it was and he said it was his spit. Huh? So I said "Jay, this is not spit. What is it?" He got really mad and said "YES it is my spit. It's magic!" (See, I told you he needed a nap) At this point I asked him to show me his magic spit trick. He ran back into his room and grabbed a black Color Wonder paper, spit on it, smeared it around to reveal the colors underneath. He said he couldn't find his "white marker" so he used his magic spit instead. Here is his artwork. He may not have put his blood, sweat and tears into his work, but close enough!

Thank goodness we always have OxyClean on hand. Took the stuff right out of his shirt. I threw Jay in the bath, but it still won't come off of him. Hopefully a long soak everyday will take it off completely before church. Too bad I can't just take him swimming all weekend.
Oh, and totally off topic, but I took a picture of him washing his hands in the bathtub. My little point-and-shoot camera is so awesome. I loved the way the water looks in this picture so I am sharing that with you too.

YUMMMMMM!

I just made the most incredible dinner tonight. It was right up there with my chicken enchiladas and lasagna recipes. It's pretty easy to make too so that is even better. So the next time you are in the mood for some Asian food but don't feel like going out, try this:

Chicken Pad Thai
1 lb chicken breast tenderloins
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lime, juice of
10-12 sprigs of fresh cilantro minced
1-2 whole green onions, chopped
1/4 cup of lightly salted, crushed roasted peanuts
1 box of Annie Chun's Pad Thai Rice Noodles (sauce included in box)

Cook chicken in olive oil and add chopped red pepper. Cook until edges of pepper start to turn color. Add lime juice, cilantro, and green onions. Cook on low another 5 minutes . In separate pot, cook noodles according to box directions. Rinse noodles and add to chicken pan to stir fry along with sauce packet. Top with crushed peanuts. Serves 3

I doubled this recipe and we have some left overs for Jer to take work. (Or for a midnight snack)
The Annie Chun's Noodles were in the Organic section at Smiths. At $4.30/box it was the most expensive part of the whole meal, but it was SO worth it. I'll have to look for a coupon next time.

8 Years

In eight years Jeremy and I have:
*Moved twice
*Held 8 jobs between the two of us. (Not counting the babysitting or computer side jobs)
*Visited California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Florida and Canada.
*Seen the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls.
*Had two amazing children
*Had two agonizing miscarriages
*Owned 4 cars
*Stayed in the scariest/sleaziest motel in Seligman, Arizona and stayed in the most gorgeous/upscale hotel in St. Petersburg Florida.
*Met Yogi Berra
*Gone through the Palmyra, Toronto, Las Vegas, Redlands and Salt Lake Temples.
*Watched WAY too many movies.
*Had WAY too many fights.
*Discovered that I shouldn't scratch the back of my leg after the lights have been turned off.
*Had a psycho kitty that ran away. (My fault for leaving the front door open when I went outside for a few minutes)
*Learned that having our own computers was worth the extra expense.
*Gotten Jeremy 5 weeks shy of his Electrical Engineering Associates. (CAN'T WAIT til May 15)
*Plucked each others first gray hairs.
*Had every member of our family undergo anesthesia/surgery.
*Learned all about fatty oxidation disorders and how to deal with such a problem.
*Received a miracle when we found out Alyssa was only a carrier and not a victim of VLCAD.
*Had many prayers answered.
*Had many prayers unanswered.
*Fallen more in love than we were on our wedding day 8 years ago.

Lessons are Paying Off

Alyssa is down for a much needed nap. I am NOT going to wake her up but I do need to go to see the Realtor before I have to take Jay to baseball practice. I am planning on leaving as soon as she wakes up on her own. I thought I heard her playing in her crib and went to look in on her...fast asleep. Hmm? That was weird, I thought I heard her, oh well. Sit down to send some pictures to my mom and I hear her again. Go check on her...fast asleep. What is going on?? Go to ask Jay if he heard her too. Realize he is watching Curious George and what I thought was Alyssa was really a monkey. Glad to report I am not crazy, but realize how accurate Alyssa's monkey impressions are. (well, cartoon monkey impressions anyway)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!!

Yesterday was opening day for Jay's little league. After a very windy week (that made me sick yet again) the weather could not have been more perfect for a day at the park watching the games. This year Jay is on the Rookie B Yankee's team. His coaches are great and have worked a lot with Jay this year. In just one month of practices, Jay has improved a lot. His throwing arm is great (still a lefty) but for some reason he decided to bat right handed this year. He isn't hitting as far as he was left handed, but his batting average is a lot better. Weird. Here is Jay with a few of his teammates before the game:
Here is Jay hitting a single in the first inning:
He hit a double in the second inning then struck out in the third. They only play 3 innings each game. Each kid gets 6 pitches before they strike out and the inning ends when you get three outs or the offense scores 6 runs. First inning the Yankee's scored 3 and the Angel's scored 6. In each of the second and third innings the Yankee's got 6 runs and didn't let the Angels score again. Yankee's won 15-6. (Not that we are officially keeping score for the league, just so we know when the inning is over)
Here is a picture of Jay after the game; sweaty, filthy and having the time of his life:

The Road to Blogging Hell...

...is paved with good intentions. I really HAVE been meaning to post about my weekend in Utah, but haven't gotten around to it yet. If you are interested in seeing what we did, check out Christy's blog here

The Story of My Life

I think the worst and most annoying habit I have is the ability to lose anything and EVERYTHING! It drove my parents crazy that I lost my brand new coat the first time I wore it in Kindergarten. They had to deal with frustrated teachers because even though I did my homework, I would always misplace it. I think the one that baffled them the most was the time I lost my shoes at Magic Mountain. Seriously, I am not kidding. We had to walk around to all of the gift shops looking for flip flops for me to wear for the rest of the day.
As an adult, it's only getting worse. I can't tell you how many times we have had to have a locksmith come make new keys for our car because I have lost them. I think a good 20% of the fights Jeremy and I have would be resolved if I didn't have this particular trait. (And it sure would be cheaper for us too!)
The latest drama I have been trying to solve is where I put my drivers license, debit card and camera; all things I need for my trip next week. They aren't in my purse, in the diaper bag, in the car, on the table that somehow collects all of the junk mail by the front door. Ugh! I'm all for "a place for everything and everything in its place" but that never really works out for my personality.
I actually have been wanting a new camera anyway, so this is a good excuse to get one. When we do find the old one, it will be nice for Jer and I to have our own separate cameras since we are always fighting over the one we have. On the other hand, I am not looking forward to spending my day tomorrow at the DMV. I am also HOPING that if I go to the bank tomorrow they can express mail me a new debit card so I can have it by Thursday.
Oh and not only do I still lose my shoes on a daily basis, I have passed the trait on to Jay. Double the frustration!

Adrenaline Rush

I used the excuse that my friend Jen needed a fun girls day out so I could get out of the house without the kids or Jeremy. My friend Deanna is visiting us from Utah for the weekend so the three of us went to the Stratosphere to go on those crazy rides about 1000 feet up in the air.

The first ride we went on is called the Xscream. You sit in a roller coaster car on a 50 foot rail that hangs over the edge of the tower. When it tilts like a seesaw, the roller coaster car shoots forward to the edge of the rail and you are hanging over the strip with nothing beneath you. Here is a video of the ride. We aren't on the video but you can see how the ride works.




The second ride is called the Insanity. When they built it I remember saying that I would never go on it. I am glad I did. It was SO much fun. You basically are sitting on a swing positioned in a circle, facing the other riders. The arm that it is all attached to then swings out over the edge of the tower and starts spinning you. The G forces cause the swings to fly out so you are looking straight down.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Ok, so I post the adoption link yesterday and go onto facebook this morning and see that Duane and Meka were shocked the other day by their social worker. They were told a few days ago that there was a baby girl born on Valentines Day and the birth mother had signed the papers the next day. Their new little girls is absolutely beautiful. Welcome Eden Irene Hilton! Can't wait to meet you.

(Due to these new circumstances the adpotion blog is now private...my link will no longer work)

Adoption

My friends Duane and Meka have recently started the adoption process. I know many of my friends and some family have been personally affected by either adopting a child, being an adopted child themselves or giving up their own baby for adoption. You know what a blessing and what a heart ache this opportunity means for them.
I just wanted to ask everyone and anyone that reads my blog to link to their adoption page and spread the word. It's hard to "market yourself" to birth mothers on your own. Let me just tell you that this couple is amazing. They are very kind and compassionate and are incredible with kids. (Jay can't get enough of them...he wants to go over to play with them, Charlie and the rats all the time) Both are on the shy side but are very smart and fun people. The will be amazing parents some day (hopefully soon).
If anyone knows of a girl making the horrific yet selfless decision to give up her baby, please let them know that there are wonderful people out there that desperately want to give their child the best life possible.


Duane and Meka, I have been meaning to do this post for a while and feel like a punk for not doing it long ago. Sorry guys for being such a slacker. This really is important to me and as a friend that loves you I want to support you in anyway I can.

Jay Stuff

I seem to have a lot of posts about Alyssa, more so than Jay anyway. I promise I don't have a favorite kid (well, actually I have two). I just thought I would post an update on Jay since he is getting smarter, cuter and more mischievous every day.

1. He counted to 109 for me today. Twice!
2. He actually likes to do his chores (emptying the dishwasher, taking out the garbage and separating laundry) but getting him to clean his room is nearly impossible. Any suggestions?
3. His reading is getting better everyday. He has Green Eggs and Ham memorized but will read each word when I point to them out of order. He also has reading worksheets for homework and can do them by himself. (Read the sentence then circle the picture that goes along with it)
4. He LOVES to create works of art with construction paper, scissors and glue. His specialty is jack-o-lanterns but also makes hearts, snowflakes, masks, and much much more.
5. He draws some pretty funny pictures and has a great imagination. We have had many family portraits of us on a rocket or pirate ship.
6. I have to find another storage system for our extra bedding and throw blankets. They were all in storage bins under his bed but he took them ALL out and built a massive fort in his room. I really don't want to clean that up again.
7. Unfortunately he inherited my ability to lose his shoes on a daily basis. Now I know why my parents were always so frustrated with me.

Funny Jay Story:
The other night Jeremy and I were talking about things we need to do while we still live in Vegas. Things like visiting the Hoover Dam, riding the crazy rides on top of the Stratosphere, or spending a night on the strip with out the kids. Jeremy said something like "I guess we really should see our back yard before we move." Jay piped up and said "Daddy! We don't HAVE a back yard. Duh!"I suppose he is as sick of condo living as I am.

Personal Day

I thought those were a thing of the past when I stopped working outside of our home. Today, I reclaimed some "me time". I took a friend out to lunch then went to see a movie. I got some much needed time away from home and scored bonus points by paying for my friends lunch and movie ticket. That allows us some free babysitting on Valentines Day. Wahoo.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to get these on a regular basis.

Alyssa's Birthday Portraits

We did these today since last week was so crazy. She sure has changed from just 6 months ago. Why do babies grow up so fast. Can't they be our sweet little babies a few years longer and be mouthy teenagers a few years less?

The Epic Elmo Cake Saga

For those of you that are my friends on facebook, go ahead and ignore this post. I am just reposting the cake journey on here for those who haven't seen it yet (So I am thinking there are only two out there that read this but aren't on facebook...this is for you!) Anyway, here it is:


If you are interested in HOW I made it, here you go:

Step 1:
Make a batch of rice crispy treats and shape into Elmo's body parts. "Glue" the body to a cardboard base with royal icing. Allow to dry overnight.
Step 2:
Cover Eyes and Nose in fondant. Attach arms to body and feet to legs with royal icing and toothpicks. Make sure feet and arms are supported so they will dry at the correct angle and won't droop. Allow to dry overnight again:
Step 3:
Attach head and legs to body with more toothpicks and icing. Pipe on black icing for pupils and spread on bottom half of face where the mouth will be. Lay down and AGAIN allow to dry overnight. (Are you now getting why I am calling this the Epic Elmo Cake Saga?)
Step 4:
Roll out fondant and cut into shape for Sesame Street sign and letter blocks. Assemble sign and mount on cardboard support. Press letters onto back of Chessman cookies, and you guessed it, allow to dry overnight. (Actually about two days would be good for the sign You can do this step the same day as step 2 or 3)
Step 5:
Bake and decorate cake. I made a chocolate fudge cake with a peanut butter cream filling. I used vanilla butter cream and orange & yellow fondant for the icing. Designs on fondant where created with impression roller.
Step 6:
Sit Elmo upright and apply red butter cream frosting with Wilton Tip #233 (I think?...it's the grass tip) Make sure you have enough icing before you start. Make 3-4 cups, not 3/4 cups (I got this recipe off of a Canadian website, I guess I can't get mad at them. They are on the metric system and don't use pesky fractions like us crazy Americans) Just a tip, red icing is HARD to match exactly so make sure you have enough to finish the job before you start or your Elmo will look like this:
(Don't you LOVE Elmo's pink speedos?)

Step 7:
Finish icing Elmo and place on top of cake. Secure with cake dowels. Place cookies along bottom of cake. Rearrange the entire contents of your refrigerator and remove a shelf in order to place finished cake in fridge so the butter cream doesn't melt before the party. Sit down and rest for 1/1000 of a millisecond before your husband starts complaining that the table is such a mess. Tada...Now you are finished!!
**EDIT**
For all of you Canadians out there, that is one one-thousandth of a millisecond, NOT 1 to 1000 milliseconds.

Little Miss Pookey-Loo is TWO!!

Our little princess has gone from this:


To this:

I have had some of the sweetest moments of my life being the mommy to this little girl. From the joy of her mercifully making her arrival 10 days early, to the utter fear of a rare medical condition that required flying specialists in from Stanford to treat her, my highs and lows have reached new peaks. In two years she has gone from recognizing the lullaby I sang to her when I was pregnant to singing it to me. (The song you are probably listening to right now as you read this) After having Jay, I thought I knew it all, however, having a daughter has forced me to learn new skills such as getting a squirming toddler to hold still long enough to put her hair in pig tails, painting teeny tiny little piggy toe nails, and checking for a messy diaper while she is wearing tights AND a onesie. I also have a new appreciation for shoe shopping. Watching her in a shoe store is one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed.
Stay tuned for birthday portraits and pictures of the Epic Elmo Cake Saga...

Validation

My Junior English Teacher posted this on her facebook page and I loved this video. After the rut I have been it it was kind of a kick in the butt to snap out of it. Plus TJ Thyne is in the video so that makes it worth it too. Prepare to smile!

Oh Happy Day!!!

Alyssa just made a BIG step in her potty training process. (Those of you squeamish about such issues, I would advise you to stop reading now) She came and stood by me and starting "concentrating" really hard. I asked her if she needed to poop and she said "Yep, Stink!" I took off her diaper and told her to go sit on the toilet. She actually pooped in the toilet! I was shocked that she actually did it. I know this is just the beginning of potty training with her and we have a LONG way to go, but WE ARE HERE! She is finally ready to start! We've been hootin'& hollerin' for the past 1/2 hour. Lots of hugs, hi-fives and way-to-go-princess'. We just might be getting some big girl panties for her upcoming birthday. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it won't be the same 2 year battle that is was with Jay.

Shoose

Rhymes with goose and Alyssa's eyes light up when she is talking about it. This one word excites her more than Elmo, more than snacks, and dare I say, more than SILKY!!?? I am pretty sure I have a force of nature to be reckoned with when it comes to Alyssa and her shoes. If she is getting cranky about getting dressed in the morning, I just bribe her with "shoes?" and she will start throwing her clothes on as if her life depended on it. This morning as we were getting ready for church Alyssa was ready to go out the door except for having her shoes on. I told her to go get her shoes for mommy. She came back with an arm load of 6 different shoes (pictured below) and then put two of them on and wanted to carry the rest with her to church. None of them matched of course. I just have to say how thankful I am for friends with twins a year older than Alyssa and all of their hand-me-downs. This isn't even 1/2 of her shoe collection that currently fit her, let alone the ones she has yet to grow in to.

Can't Stop Laughing...

Not sure if it is due to my 10th day in a row staying up past midnight and I am just laughing at anything and everything due to lack of sleep or if this blog is the funniest thing I have seen on-line. For those of you with some time on your hands and have a sense of humor check out http://myregisblog.blogspot.com/