Blog Abandoned!

I abandoned my blog for a week, but I'm back! Devon "outed" himself as a big fan of the blog when he asked me everyday why I haven't blogged, and he informed me that my faithful readers are disappointed :) But I was busy with my mom, dad and sister in town, and my babysitting jobs, and Thanksgiving...


Here is a recap of our holiday (not in chronological order)--

This is a silly picture of Lucy-- she found Joseph's magnifying glass and pressed it against her nose, as you can see!

This is the family (minus me and Devon) waiting for dinner to be served. We had planned on going out to eat, since it was just the seven of us, but I waited too long to get reservations. So, we cooked and ate at home.

The kiddos.






Mom, Lucy & me.

Okay, my belly seems to have doubled in size over the past week! I am now 18 weeks along, and the baby is moving a ton. We have an ultrasound on Tuesday and hopefully we will be able to learn the baby's gender. I am officially in maternity clothes-- I knew that I was close when I couldn't button my jeans before I sat down for Thanksgiving dinner! If I look tired, it is because I am tired! Oh, and I colored my hair with dye from a box!!! It turned out darker than planned, but my roots are temporarily gone, and it only cost a fraction of the price of a salon visit. What will I give up next??!!

Aunt Molly is always a big hit with Lucy and Joe. They both love her very much, and she has a lot of love to give back!

Devon cuts the bird!

Molly was reading Twilight and it was very difficult to get her to put the book down!


We love pie!

We had a great visit with my parents and Molly. It was so nice to have them here. Devon and I even got to take advantage of our guests and we went out on a date-- ALONE (our first date since Donna moved-- we miss you Maga!)!!!

Devon, Joe and my dad playing a "Turkey Bowl" game of football with a group of friends, but other than that we really didn't leave the house on Thanksgiving, and, in fact, after we ate dinner, we all put our pajamas back on and settled in for the night with a movie and games.

I am back to my daily routine tomorrow, so I'll be a more consistent blogger-- I'd hate to let my readers down (wink wink!).

A Christmas Lesson from Joseph

This morning we awoke to a glorious, dark rain storm. Those of you in sunny California would have been jealous! Joseph came up to the living room and said that it feels like Christmas. He asked, "Do you think that Lucy knows the real meaning of Christmas?" My answer was that, No, I am pretty sure that she has no idea what Christmas means. "I think that I should teach her, " he said.

He walked over to where she was sitting on the floor playing with her toys and sat down beside her and said, "Lucy, you know Jesus, like, from the song Jesus Loves Me?"

Lucy looked up at him and said yes. I thought to myself, Hmmm, this should be entertaining.

Joseph continued, "Well, it is almost Christmas time, and Christmas is Jesus' birthday!" The look on his face was so sincere, like he really believed that she was taking in the information and would understand what he was teaching her.

She looked up at him and said, "Oh, Dora and Boots." Completely unrelated to the topic at hand.

He was undeterred. "No, not Dora and Boots. Do you remember my birthday? We had my friends come to the house and we made banana splits. Do you remember?"

No response.

"Remember, my friends and I went across the street to play on the playground? It was my birthday."

Silence.

"Well, you should know that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. That is what Christmas is about."

Ahhhhh, good effort Joe!

What the Hell?

Please excuse my language! The View has a new segment called "What the Hell Wednesday," and I just watched this morning's episode. They brought up a couple of interesting topics...
First, the auto execs who are currently in D.C. begging for a bailout (is it a mere $25 billion?) traveled in private jets. What the hell? According to Whoopi, the CEO of Ford/Chrysler/GM makes $28 million a year and lives in Seattle (I wonder if he needs a babysitter!), so he travels from Seattle to Detroit each week on a private jet. I say spread the wealth, buddy, and while you are at it, check out the great rates that Southwest offers!
The famous pregnant man, Thomas Beatie, and his wife and beautiful baby daughter were guests on The View, and it was shared that his wife has nursed the baby. Huh? Her explanation was that she is so close to Thomas, and loves him so much, that while he was pregnant with their daughter, she began lactating. What the hell? Is that kind of like when girlfriends' periods all sync up?
Here are some of my own:
Obama is already getting hateful messages from terrorists. What the hell?
The Dow hit a five-year-low today. What the hell?
It is a total buyer's market out there-- I have been getting coupons, emails, and special offers from everyone including real estate offices, car dealerships, restaurants, hotels, department stores, etc. There are some great deals right now! But I have no money to spend! What the hell?
Hugh Jackman is People's Sexiest Man Alive. What the hell?
I just baked and ate a cheese strudel from Trader Joe's, only to look at the nutritional value after my last bite. One serving had nearly 300 calories and 14 grams of fat, and I ate the equivalent of three servings! Oops! What the hell?
All of my t-shirts have little holes near the hem in front, like a rodent nibbles every shirt at the exact same place. It has taken me years to figure out that the top of my jeans, above the button, is poking the holes! What the hell? Do any of you have this problem, and can anyone offer a solution? I guess a belt could work. Good thing that elastic waist bands are in my future!
Okay, I'm tapped for now. Does anyone else have any "WTH?" to add???

Tuesday Tip!

My Tuesday Tip this week is a product by Glad called Simply Cooking. I inherited these bags from my mother-in-law when she moved to Kansas, and though I didn't think that these were something that I would have bought on my own, they are now on my shopping list.

I prepare a lot of frozen veggies for my family (someone please tell me that frozen veggies are just as nutritious as the non-frozen type!), and I've always just put them in a bowl and popped them in the microwave. The Simply Cooking bags are microwave steaming bags that prepare frozen vegetables to perfection! The veggies truly taste steamed rather than "nuked" and are never soggy. The instructions are even printed on each steam bag.

In addition to the steaming bags, I'd like to give two thumbs up for Trader Joe's frozen Cut White Corn. YUM YUM!

Game Day!

My sweet husband LOVES football season. He especially loves watching the Seattle Seahawks, but he loves participating in Fantasy Football (much to my dismay), he loves to wake up early on Sunday mornings and turn on the pre-game shows, he loves to watch the games with his laptop nearby so that he can keep up with his fantasy scores, he loves to switch the channels between games... Does this paint a picture similar to what any of you experience on Sundays?
Devon is the typical fan who yells at the tv, stands up and cheers after great plays, and encourages the players as though he is on the sidelines with them.
The Seahawks are having a rough season so far, and the losses are really hard on poor Devon. He used to watch the games with his Hasselbeck jersey on, but the jersey has been left in the closet for the past two months (he is superstitious!).
When we were dating, I used to innocently make plans on Sundays, and these plans would take him away from the tv. Now that we've been married for over three years, I know better. He's fine with me making plans and getting out of the house--in fact, he encourages me to "go do something fun," but his only plan is to sit on the sofa and watch the games.
When I really want to make my husband happy, I sit down and watch the games with him. I was watching the game yesterday, and after the Seahawks made a 1 yard touchdown, I commented, "One yard? I could do that." Whoa! Devon was appalled by my statement!
"Yeah right. You could not make a one yard touchdown."
"Sure I could. One yard is three feet. I can jump three feet."
"Okay, well, try jumping three feet with a 6'6" lineman charging at you..."
He may have had a point. I heard him quietly add, "Well, you couldn't make a 2 yard touchdown."
The football games were finally turned off at 8:30 last night, but, hey, Monday Night Football is only hours away!

Flutter Flutter Kick Kick!

It is official! I can feel New Baby movin' and shakin' in my belly! I felt movement for the first time last night (no, it wasn't just gas!), and this morning our little Avocado must have been doing little, tiny, avocado-sized flips! By the way, avocados are pretty much my favorite food on the planet, so I was very pleased to see that week 16 marks the 4 1/2 inch height of the baby, the fetal position being comparable to the size of an avocado. I ate guacamole tonight to celebrate :)


Lucy really likes to go bye-bye in the car, which is a bit unfortunate because we don't leave the house very often. Yesterday she pulled out some shoes that are too small and she put them on her feet, and then she grabbed a Mariners bag that holds Grandma's slippers, and she kept calling me, "Mom, go bye-bye in the car!" By the time that I looked to see what she was doing, I had to grab my camera. The first picture is of her waiting on the stairs for us to go to the garage and leave in the car, and the second picture is of her reaction after I explained that we aren't going bye-bye. Poor Lucy! Life is rough when you have to stay home with Mama!



In September, we had family portraits taken for the first time. I just got them back from the photographer, so I thought I'd share pictures of pictures, but I can't show the best shots because they are Christmas gifts for Maga and Tutu (Devon's mom and my mom). I wish our photographer was as affordable as Sadina's photographer!!

Working for a Living!

I have been a working mama this week! I'm running a little home-childcare business, and I am loving it! Since September I've been watching two toddler boys, and I just found a new job (on Craigslist!) to watch a 13 month old girl, and I started today. All of the kids have been fun to play with and take care of, and Lucy has been great at sharing her toys and sharing her mommy. I feel so fortunate to have these jobs because mamas are trusting me with their babies, and because I am earning money and contributing a bit to our bank account! But I should add that I am exhausted. I could use a nap and then a night out with Devon, which would require that I find a babysitter of my own!

Devon and I went to Joseph's Parent/Teacher Conference on Wednesday morning, and we learned that he is doing really well in school. This wasn't a surprise-- we weren't expecting any problems-- but it is still great to hear! I am always a little nervous for these conferences-- I guess that in a way, when someone is evaluating your child it feels like they are evaluating you too. So, I am happy to report that Devon and I are doing really well in the fourth grade!

Great job, Joe! I love you!

Tuesday Tip!

I've been thinking all day about what tip I'd like to pass along, and I've decided to share the book that I've enjoyed the most this year, Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas and Micah Sparks. I picked this book up off of my mom's bookshelf last July because I needed something to read while I sat by her pool, but two days later, after having barely looked up from the book to hold a conversation, change a diaper, help with meals, etc., my mom said that her bookshelf was now off-limits! This book consumed me-- I laughed, I cried, I cried, and I cried.


You should all be familiar with Nicholas-- he has written many top-selling novels, including a handful that have been made into movies, like The Notebook. Who doesn't love The Notebook? I have read a few of his novels (and seen most of his movies), and they are light, easy-read, love stories, but Three Weeks With My Brother is different. It is his memoir, and he has lived quite a life!


The book follows adorable Nicholas and his very handsome brother Micah as they take three weeks to travel around the world with a tour group. As they prepare for the trip, begin traveling, and then return home, they move in and out of past memories that ultimately tell the story of their childhood. I really don't want to share too much, because I want you all to read this book, so I'll wrap up by saying that their successes have been inspiring, their tragedies have been heartbreaking, and their story is one worth sharing!

(I am currently reading Sparks' The Choice, and so far so good!).

Hold onto your seats, because I have another tip! I have had so much success with Craigslist-- buying concert tickets, furniture (particularly from Ikea! I'll never buy Ikea furniture from the store again!), etc., as well as selling furniture, and this morning I got the idea to search for toy horses for Lucy. She is obsessed with horses, and every time that we leave the house she asks to ride on a horse's back. I am not sure if she is hoping for a real horse, like the one at the pumpkin patch, or a carousel horse at the mall. So, I was determined to bring some other type of horse into her life. Anyway, I found a steal of a deal, and tonight here sits in my living room a nearly brand new horse that Lucy has named Happy. Happy's previous owner is a four year old girl who is also named Lucy!! Was this meant to be or what? Would you believe that Happy only set me back $20?

I promise that Lucy is far more excited about her new horse than she looks to be in this picture. She is the most uncooperative photo-taker on the planet.

As Devon, Joseph and I sat on the sofa and watched Lucy rock on Happy and push the buttons on her ears that make noises and make her head and tail move, Joseph said, "It is really fun to see Lucy have fun." Exactly! I couldn't help but take the opportunity to say, "That is what is fun about being parents! We enjoy it when you have fun!"

So, my tip is to check Craigslist for those items that you are planning on investing in for xmas, because you might find something nearly new for a fraction of the price, and these days everyone is on a budget, and our motto in the Pacific Northwest is "Reduce, Re-use, Recycle"! I really should have saved Happy for a Christmas gift, but I couldn't wait!

One more picture-- after we ate dinner, Lucy wanted to feed Happy, so she ran, literally ran, back and forth from her little kitchen (in our big kitchen) to the living room, bringing food to the horse. Once she felt that she'd transported enough goodies, she sat down and fed Happy. I love 21 months-- it is such a fun age (though all ages have been fun!!)!

Happy Wife, Happy Life

I woke up Saturday morning, enjoyed a cup of coffee, and then asked my husband what his plans were for the day. He replied, and I quote, "I'd like to vacuum the whole house." You did not read that wrong! It was then that I knew that it was going to be a great day!
You see, I've often explained to Devon that it is a real "turn on" for a woman when a man does housework. In fact, I once saw a humorous book at a gift store called Porn for Women (Yes, I threw the "p" word out there!), and the book was full of pictures of men mopping floors, dusting, folding laundry... This book confirmed that I wasn't the only woman in the world who really appreciates help with housework!
Anyway, Devon vacuumed, Joseph helped with dishes, and Lucy followed behind all of us and continued to make messes. Lucy plays "pretend," and we love to watch her. She has a paper doll house with paper dolls, and she is so cute as she walks the dolls through the doors, puts them in their beds, and has them talk to each other. This was a hand-me-down from Aunt Molly, and, Molly, Lucy loves it! Also, she put a baby doll in her booster seat at the table and then prepared a meal for her baby, and then climbed up to feed the baby (I know that this picture doesn't look like she is safe and secure on the table, but I was watching closely!).


Joseph had multiple play-dates with neighborhood kids, so he was in and out of the house, but Devon and I stayed in and were entertained by Lucy

I've had some furniture listed on Craigslist, and a lady and her husband came over on Saturday night to purchase a chair and ottoman. They were so sweet, and they gushed over Lulu (which we've all confirmed is a sure sign of a nice person, right?). While the men were loading the furniture, the woman sat down with me and told me that their daughter has been living with them, so all of their furniture has been blended, but the daughter is moving out in two weeks when she gets married, so now they have to replace the furniture that she is taking with her. THEN she continued on, sharing that their daughter was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer when she was 32, and she was only given 6 months to live. That was 4 years ago, and though the tumor is still in her brain and is growing, she responded really well to chemo and is a fighter. Wow! Okay, but the story gets more amazing! While she has been fighting for her life, she met the man of her dreams! She is getting married to him in two weeks! Wait, it gets better! For a reason not related to her cancer, she was told that she would never be able to have children. Well, the man that she is marrying has 4 sons (ages 3-16)! At this point, I am sitting across from this stranger with tears in my eyes, kind of embarrassed that I can't pull myself together (these darn hormones!), and I cried, "I am a step-mom too!" I was really touched by her story, and I nearly hugged her as she walked out my front door. It is nice to know that my chair and ottoman are going to such nice people!

I'm hoping that this blog helps me overcome my blogger-block-- I just haven't felt inspired to post anything!

Happy Anniversary Doug and Lisa!

Since those 1999 photo albums were already out, I thought I'd find some pics of the Blake wedding. I also found Doug and Lisa's engagement picture.
I always smile when I think of how Tanner left the stage in the middle of the ceremony to go potty! Look how tiny he and Molly are!
Happy Anniversary, and I hope that you can find some time to celebrate!

What Would Elisabeth Do?

The View was a love fest today, following months and months of election conversation and heated debates. The entire table is usually arguing with Elisabeth (the outspoken Republican/McCain supporter), and she has fought back day after day.

This morning Barbara Walters turned to Elisabeth and said, "All eyes are going to be on you. How do you feel?" Her answer made me cry for three reasons. 1) I am extremely hormonal. 2) As a parent, I get emotional when I think of sharing important moments and conversations with my children (as Elisabeth shares with her daughter Grace), and 3) I agree with what she says.

I didn't vote for Obama. I don't know what he is going to do right, and I don't know what he is going to do wrong, but I am hopeful!

This is Elisabeth's quote:

I woke up this morning, and I put Grace on my lap, and we watched Barack's speech last night, and as we sat there she said, "That's Barack Obama," and I said, "Yeah, Grace, it is. He won the election, he is our next President of the United States of America-- he's going to be our President." And she said, "He won, that's cool. Who lost?" And I looked down at this little face, with her big cheeks, and I said, "You know what, Grace? No one lost today." Today, seriously--and God knows I fought hard on the other side-- but today is a victory for this country to have Barack Obama be our next President-- the first black President, the first black First Lady and family, to have the amount of voters-- 14 million more voters in this election than the last present themselves and vote for their country-- today is a victory-- I haven't felt this good throughout this entire election process... What a day, it is emotional to hear him and to see the people he's been able to affect and the power that he has. I will get in a long line of supporters, because I wasn't at first, but I will jump in that line and support our President because that is what, as an American, I believe we should do.

History

President Elect Barack Obama-- what do you all think?

As I watched McCain give his concession speech, I felt sad for him. No one likes to lose. However, I really liked that he rallied his Republican supporters to now support Obama. I'll admit that I cried just a little bit, just because it was moving--not because I was sad (Devon might think that I was crying because the Republican candidate didn't win!).

How amazing was it to see 500,000 people waiting in the park in Chicago to see Obama speak? What a crowd! And the crowd at Times Square? That isn't usually an Election Night party place, right?

Was anyone else moved to see the Obama family take the stage? Or when he thanked his "best friend of 16 years, " his wife? More tears.

Devon and I were watching the 11pm news from bed, and we saw thousands of people celebrating in downtown Seattle. I asked, "What is going on in Seattle? What are all of those people doing in the street? Why aren't they in bed?" Devon said that they are excited-- this was a historical night, and all of these people feel hopeful that we have a new leader. I think it is cool to see people feel hopeful. I feel like we haven't seen hope in a while, you know?

My bank account sure hasn't seen hope!

Tuesday Tip!

I am enjoying the tips, Ladies!

Here's where I've got to share-- it's a tip from my mom.

I keep this Clorox product in the house and use it to clean the bathrooms and kitchen. Well, I also use it on my white laundry with stains. Because it has bleach, it will remove any stain from white cloth, and then washes out great in the laundry. I have tried MANY different stain removers, and this product has saved many stained items from being tossed in the trash.

Obviously, don't use it on any colored or printed items, because it will ruin them. Only solid whites :)

We've Made Contact!

We had a doctor appointment today, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat! That was pretty much the main event (other than a blood test, poor me!), but I was really excited to hear the thump-thump-thump because, as you mamas can relate, sometimes I wonder how the little "lemon" is doing in there.
Lucy and Devon were there too, and as we were listening, I asked Lucy, "What do you hear?" and she said with a big smile, "Horsies!" It does sound like horse, right? Cute.
Joseph is on a field trip to the Water Treatment Facility today, which translates to The Sewage Plant! I can't wait to hear about his day and learn just where does the poop go! I'm sure he'll be anxious to tell. If any of you are curious too, I could do a blog about the sewer!

Now, I realize that by posting this blog, the awesome picture of Lisa will no longer be my headlining news. I'm glad that you all enjoyed the picture! Yes, my photo vault runs deep!

Party Like Its 1999!

Lisa, you left me no choice. I warned you that there would be retaliation!

Trick or Treat!

Devon and I took the kids out to Trick-or-Treat on Friday night, and it was totally entertaining to watch Lucy try to figure out what was going on!

She went with us last year too, but she looked like this:

She was too little to participate. So, this year, we dressed her up and we set out on foot, trying to keep up with Joseph and his friend. It took a while for Lucy to realize that she wasn't going to enter the homes. She tried to enter, which makes sense because why else would we be knocking on doors? But once she figured out that you get candy and then walk away, she would no longer wait for her candy before she would turn around and follow the boys to the next house. Anyway, it was adorable and heartwarming for me and Dev to watch. One house gave away little glow sticks, which was Lucy's treasure for the rest of the night. She called it her sword (Gladiator Joe was carrying a sword, so Lucy must have figured that she needed one too).


I was able to snap a few pictures of Lucy, but I was having a hard time keeping up with Joe to take more pictures of him!

We came home with tons of candy, which makes me very happy!