Uniqua! and Farmer? Stone

Tee hee.... How adorable is my niece M? VERY! Her mommy made her an "Uniqua" (I think I'm spelling that right) costume for Halloween. That girl LOVES this costume.. wants to wear it all the time! And of course, she is too cute in it. And, I'll take this time to brag on my SIL and her sewing skills... as I mentioned before, she MADE Mercy's costume! I'm so impressed! You go girl!

Stone, on the other hand, doesn't really want to be bothered with such a thing as a costume. So, my SIL and I thought he could be a farmer or train conductor. With either one, he could wear the overalls and then possibly a hat or something. Well, the overalls were no problem, but getting a hat on him was. So, I guess he sort of was a farmer! Ha!

Anyway, a couple of pics of them from last Saturday when we went to a local downtown fall festival.

Visit from Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa

**side note here, I have posted several posts, so scroll down after this one**

Oh how we LOVE visits from my parents! It's true that I wished we lived just a little closer so we could visit more often, but we take what we can get. Stone is finally getting old enough to recognize them a little quicker and bond with them a little faster each time. My parents came down on my birthday and stayed for about 5 days. My little sis also visited and we had a great time. Plus, it's always nice to be spoiled by them (they took us out to eat a lot and even bought us some clothes!)

Funny story: my parents got a hotel room since our house is so small and since my sister also wanted to visit at the same time. After about 2-3 times of driving up to the hotel to pick up my parents or to go there and hang, Stone would recognize it and say, "Pa-Pa's house." HA! Yeah, I'm sure my dad would love to live in a house that big! Stone really enjoyed my dad this trip... my dad claims that Stone wouldn't have anything to do with him while we went to the beach at the beginning of Sept. I'm not sure about that, but for whatever reason, he loved being with my dad this time. Of course, he also loves his "Pop" so maybe he's in that "bonding with the men in his life" phase. Doesn't bother me.. I'm glad he loves all his grandparents! Here are a few pics..



At the pumpkin' patch with Aunt Kerri

Blowing out candles on my cookie cake.. Stone thought it was for him! It was really for all of us, but had my name on it.

Opening a few presents... he loves T the Train, so this was a real hit!!!!!

I'm Published!!

Finally, after all this time, I get to see the end product of a long labor of love. In Jan. of 06, I got the opportunity to go to L*ifeway for a writer's conference to be a writer for 3rd-4th grade Bible curriculum. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. I had several months to write it, get it to where it needed to be and send it in. Even though I liked this experience and I'm officially published, I much rather write stuff for whichever church I'm serving in at the time. Problem is, I'm usually too busy doing other things to take time to write. Anyway, it was a blessing. HOWEVER, notice in the bottom picture that my last name is spelled WRONG! (missing an "l") I find this very disconcerting since they had my name a hundred times.. in person and through emails. I mean, they even paid me for writing and had to have my name, info, address, etc.! Oh well, a reminder that we are all human and we make mistakes. Thought I'd share my excitement. It's cool to see it all together and with the artwork (that they did, not me).

101th Post

Can you believe I have posted over 100 times? I tribute this post to my SIL's who encouraged me to blog last year. I remember saying, "But I have nothing to blog about." And they said to just blog about anything, everything, my family, etc. Well, I got started and took off with it. I have so much fun posting stuff and reading people's comments, so if you're out there and haven't commented, please feel free! I'd love to hear from you. I also enjoy reading my friend's blogs.. seems like we have a whole "blog community."

So, how do you get your carpet cleaned for free? Well, you first get real stupid and let a traveling salesperson in your door. (Who knew people still did this?) Well, I let that happen today, but got my carpet really clean (I have all the dirt in my trash to prove it) and even shampooed! HA! They kept trying to sell me this $2000 vacuum. I mean, if I had $2000 I would buy a mega-nice digital camera before buying a vacuum. Or pay off some bills. Or take a trip. Anyway, I told them before they even started that 1) we rented, therefore we really didn't have to be completely responsible for carpet in the first place and that this particular carpet was just pieces and we were trashing it when we moved out in a few months and 2) we weren't planning on buying our own house any time soon and 3) that my husband wouldn't agree to spending that much on a vacuum anyway, BUT they insisted on demonstrating. So, I thought getting some housework done for me was not so bad. Do you think there is anyone who travels and does laundry or dishes???

Health issues: yeah, I have them. Not only am I overweight (the obvious) but I've been having some pain in my chest. I have diagnosed myself with either a) cracked rib; b) heart issues; c) cancer. However, my doctor said that it probably wasn't any of those. I then told him that I wanted to know what it was so I didn't think of crazy things it wasn't. I do have a good imagination. So, he thinks it's either gall bladder issues or upper GI like an ulcer. I'm checking into all that. THEN, went to my OBGYN and she is running more tests to determine if I have some kind of syndrome that I can't even pronounce. Basically, I'm not having my monthly like I should and she wants to check into all that too. AND, she found a little lump on my upper half, in which I will have an ultra sound to check that out too. She thinks it's just a cyst, and wasn't too worried. I'm not really worried about all this, but it has been a wake up call. Time to get serious about losing weight and being healthy. Anyone who wants to join me on my quest, please feel free. I'd love the company and encouragement.

So, that's it for this little post...... more to come...

Future Fireman??

Future Firetruck DRIVER is probably more like it! This boy LOVES to be in the driver seat way too much! Here are some pics from this past Sunday. My SIL was out with her little family running errands and drove past a local home improvement store. She called us to tell us that in the parking lot were all these firetrucks, ambulances, police cars, and HELICOPTER! They were parked there so kids (or adults) could climb up in them and explore. So, we took off to see for ourselves. It was a lot of fun for us to watch Stone as he tackled these giant vehicles. We even saw a narcotics police dog, which Stone wanted to pet, but we didn't think it was such a good idea since that dog was pretty big! The coolest thing though, is that the helicopter started up and took off while we were there so we got front row seats to that. Pretty neat, loud, and windy!!


Climbing through one of the firetrucks....

That's one huge wheel!


In front of the helicopter...Help! Police!!

Birthday flowers

This beautiful bouquet of fall flowers greeted me when I came in last night from the church. K claims Stone picked out the flowers! Ha! He said he was going to try and hide it so it greeted me this morning, but seriously, if you knew our house, there isn't anywhere to hide things! I didn't care.. I loved them! The card was from Stone too.. I'm so thankful my 2 year old is so thoughtful for my birthday... hee hee..

Today was a good day. I had to work just an itsy bit, then met my SIL and M at Moes for lunch. My SIL treated for my birthday, which was sweet and the main reason we went there was to give some support to LTBM. Check out their website for more info.. but a pretty cool organization. After lunch, off to nap time.

Then, my parents arrived just before we finished our nap (yes, I took one too!) We met them at their hotel room and then went out to eat at CA Dreaming, yum!! Then, we went back to the hotel room and had a cookie that K got from the store (so I didn't have to make my own!) I then got a call from my friend Jen (childhood friend) and we caught up. So, it was a good day and pretty laid back. Another fun part was that Stone took to my parents pretty quickly this time... he doesn't get to see them that often, so it's nice that he got used to them so fast. He really enjoyed my dad (dad said that when we were at the beach last month, stone didn't have anything to do with him!) And, my little sis is traveling down tomorrow. Oktoberfest has been good so far! Thanks for anyone who has sent birthday wishes!

First 'driveway' chalk drawings....

Well, Stone had used chalk before and made drawings at his GiGi's house on the easel but he hasn't ever had an opportunity to make chalk drawings on concrete.. i.e. sidewalks. Well, these are pictures of drawings on our driveway, since we don't have a sidewalk to our house. Monday, we had a "stay-at-home" day since he has been fighting a cold since Friday. He usually goes to cousin M's house, but she was not feeling well either. So, we stuck it out at home and by dinner time, he was cooped up enough! So, I let him get out and enjoy some fresh air, since it was in the low 80's (what's UP with this weather????? WHERE is Fall?????? but that is a whole other post for another time). Anyway, we had fun!

Then, on Tuesday, we had a "take your child to work" day since he was still not well enough to go to school. Can you believe he lasted for 3.5 hours at the office with me? He's incredible! And then today, he played some with his Pop and then his daddy had him for the rest of the day so I could make up some lost hours at work... K was sick too and ended up going to the doc this morning. He has a sinus infection. I was worried from Stone's coughing this morning that he might have the croup, so got him an appt this afternoon too. Thankfully, just the rest of the cold doin' it's thing. The dr. gave us samples of a very strong cough syrup and it has already helped Stone a lot. Hopefully, he and Kevin will be well soon!!! We are just a bunch of sickys here!


Yep, that is Stone still in his pajamas!!!! We had a pajama kind of day!

Addition to "Our Sweet Neighbor" post...

I forgot that I had left out a vital part of the story about our neighbor who lost her dog recently. I had mentioned that it was run over by a car. Well, she actually witnessed the whole thing! Can you imagine? How awful! She said the car didn't even slow down. How heart-breaking. That is why I feel so especially bad.. she has been hurting all this time and I didn't even know it. I am going to try my friend's suggestion (posted on the original post) and invite her to dinner soon. I guess that will mean I will actually have to make dinner and clear a space for her at our over-crowded table. But, I know it will be worth it. I think everyone should adopt a "little ole' neighbor lady or gentleman" who needs some company once in a while.

Our sweet neighbor

I've never blogged about our sweet, little ole' next door neighbor, Ms. Dot. She's 92 and lives alone, although you'd never know she was closing in on 100. She does all these projects by herself in our house, outside her house, around her house. I often worry about her physical safety, as she's doing things that no 92 year old should do! Anyway, I've been a bad neighbor as of late; it has been almost a month and a half since I actually talked with her. And now I'm super sorry I haven't taken the time to see how she's doing.....

Last night, we went outside to play with Stone in our driveway and let him get some fresh air. She was out back in her shed and I walked over with Stone to say hello. I noticed that her little dog (a chiuaua named Mitzi) was not around. Every time I've seen Ms. Dot outside, she had her little Mitzi with her. I mean, that dog was her child, since she was alone (outlived 2 husbands, has no children of her own, and has very little extended family here in town). So, I ask where Mitzi was..... well, you've probably guessed it by now, but she goes on to tell me that Mitzi was run over by a speeding car on the road in front of our houses not too long ago. AGH..... I really was heart broken for her. Mitzi was her constant companion and comfort and now she has nobody with her in that house. I know she has many friends and is very connected at the church (tfbc) but it's still lonely by yourself all the time. I felt so bad that I didn't even know, nor had I even taken the time to just see how she's doing during the past month and a half.

So, I ask for suggestions on kind things/words I can give her..... anyone?

It's coming!!

Create yours at BlingyBlob.com!

The Big 3-0!

Well, our internet problems are still not fixed, but I found a spare moment to update my blog. Here are a few pics of K, while celebrating his 30 years at Stone's party last Saturday. Love you K! Hope you have many more years!

Internet problems

For the past couple of days, we've had internet problems (it's been not working). I called our cable/internet company and they said there was actually an outage in the area. Hopefully it will be up and running soon, so that is why I haven't blogged more nor been able to check emails except for when I'm at the office. Hope to be back soon.. I have many more birthday pics to share.

When it rains, it pours PART 2

Just a quick note here to say that at MIDnight last night, we had to pack up essentials and drag a sleeping Stone to go over to our in-laws last night to spend the remainder of the night. Why you may ask, at such a late hour? Well, we had some major plumbing problems. A huge clog, somewhere in our pipes. I finally cleaned up my mess in the kitchen and started the dishwasher. I sat down on the couch to blog aboug Stone's birthday fun, Kevin was also on the computer doing a little work and so it was another hour or so before we got up to go to bed. I start into the bathroom and see all this water in the tub. At first, I thought maybe K forgot to drain it after S's bath. But no, it was GROSS water and then the toilet had water in it too that looked like something had backed up in it. I had guessed that somehow running the dishwasher had caused this, after K said he drained the tub. So, DUMB me thought, "well, if we can just use the toilet, we can stay here cause we can take showers in the morning at our in-laws or at gini's." Did I mention that this was DUMB? Yeah, so the toilet overflows all over the bathroom floor. Double gross. So, that is why we journeyed in the middle of the night to my in-laws, to escape the nastiness of a clogged up pipe.

Funny thing was, when stone woke up, he was kind of confused as to where he was! But, nonetheless, he enjoyed breakfast with his grandparents. So, happy birthday Kevin.... sorry it has started out so horrible!!

Birthday BOY!!!

Well, it is true... my little boy is TWO! Nope, I can't believe it! Where HAS the time gone? I didn't believe people at first when they said that the time would go by fast. I mean, how could it when you were up at all hours of the night? Worrying every minute if he would take his next breath? Trying to figure out what in the world is wrong with him and why all the crying? So fatigued that you'd PAY someone just so you could sleep?! Well folks, it is true. Time does fly. I can remember like it was yesterday being in the hospital the day he was born. I had a c-section, so I'm laying on my back asking Kevin for minute-by-minute details. The first question I asked Kevin after I heard Stone's first cry was, "Does he have hair?!?!?" To which Kevin said, "I don't know." So I was like ordering him around to go find out if the boy had hair (mind you, strapped down on my back cut open, nonetheless). Tee hee.... the funny things we do and think of. You're probably wondering why I didn't ask if he had 10 toes and 10 fingers, etc. Well, I knew all that because I'd had many ultrasounds during the pregnancy, so I knew all that stuff was there and that he was healthy (he did, after all, weigh 9lbs and 5oz). What I didn't know was what he looked like or if he had hair, so that was the first thing I wanted to know. Anyway, I still remember the nurses bringing him over to me and leaning him down to my face so I could see him, talk to him, and give him his first (of many) kisses.

What a blessing he has been to me, to us, over these past 2 years. He truly is a joy to be around and is constantly cracking me up with things he thinks of to do. He is now really starting to repeat words and short phrases and that's always fun (but scary knowing he'll say anything we say!) I am thankful!

So, here are just a couple more pics of yesterday's birthday fun. Here's a picture of the cake I made for him.. a train, since he LOVES trains and really anything that has wheels (cars, trucks, planes, etc.) He couldn't WAIT to get that cookie down his tummy! So, this first picture led to the last two!!




So, we had fun celebrating and I was thankful to have family and friends there with us. Stone seemed to enjoy his day and all his gifts. Will post more pics soon...

When it rains.....

....it pours, as the saying goes. So, not only did it actually rain today, but, as I was leaving from picking up Stone from PDO, my car died on me! Literally, just up and died. Thankfully, I wasn't too far from the church and Gini hadn't gotten out of the parking lot yet so she picked up me and Stone. All this in a steady drizzle and I didn't have a rain coat or umbrella. We even had to push my car off the road (I was on the road behind the church, as I was heading to Gini's house to help with a cake project for her friend Sarah.) I called my inlaws to see if they were available to help, especially since my MIL knows a lot about cars (really.. she is the one to call if you are ever in a car problem!) Thankfully though, after all was said and done, it didn't cost much.. just the towing cost. It comes down to this: apparently our car doesn't like too much moisture and somehow that messes up all the electrical connections. It is easily fixed by flipping a switch in our trunk, so the mechanic says and showed Kevin. I seem to be skeptical and think it's more, so we'll see.

Then, on top of that little mess, I had to be a my church job tonight to help out with some childcare for a dinner. Long story, but our church is having a missions awareness week and so there were just about 5 kids we needed to watch. I had help, but the youth girls were almost more trouble than help. And then one of the youth girls stepped on a toy car and fell and hit her head against a table! We had to get her mom (who was at the dinner meeting) just so it was documented and that her mom knew right away. She was okay, but really had a huge knot on her head. I was really worried at first because she didn't get up very quickly. Thankfully, that turned out okay and none of the little kids were hurt in the process. However, in her fall, she dropped her cup of sweet tea and it went everywhere. After we made sure she was okay, we had to move the kids to the next room so they wouldn't be playing in the mess. Then one of the girls and I played janitor and did the best we could with what we had to clean it up. I was pretty exhausted after all this and was glad to head home. And it was still raining when I left the church! I am ready for bed!

The truth...

So, for the past couple of days, I've struggled with this: why is it that as a society, we fear the truth? Is it because we can't handle the truth? (not to quote that movie, but that line definitely has truth to it). I think it's because when we discover the truth (no matter what subject it's about) it means we have to make decisions with what to do with that information. For example, when we get honest with our sin and get to the truth of the matter, we are then at a crossroads as to what to do next.. truly repent and turn from that sin, or keep on doing it?

I bring this up because I admit that I'm frustrated as to why nobody wants to know why my FIL was fired from his position at the church. Many people have expressed sorrow and have even said to me and my family members "We're praying for you" but they don't ask anything further. How else do people know how to specifically pray unless the hard questions are asked? Because of the way it was handled with the omission of details, it has led some people to believe it was a moral issue. I will state it clearly: IT WAS NOT, which was even said from the pastor to my FIL. I guess I feel that my FIL's name needs to be cleared because nobody bothers to ask the all-important question of "Why did this happen?" If anyone reading this wants to know, ask. It's that simple. Ask me, my SIL, or my in-laws. We have the freedom to talk about it. I hope the REAL truth sets people free.

So how can people specifically pray? My family is dealing with a lot right now.. mostly emotional pain. But there is also a lot more to be considered, from finances to relationships to what direction to go next. I know God has a plan, but it's still hard being on this side of "not knowing" and allowing Him to supply all our needs.

Anniversary flowers and fun with Stone

So, our anniversary came and went, but it came with some beautiful flowers, an evening dinner at californiadreamin' and fun with stone after we returned from our date. Here's a picture of the flowers K got me.. 3 sets of 3 different colored roses for the 3 years we've been married.


And then, after we picked Stone up from his gi-gi and pop's, we got home and apparently, stone was in the mood to play a little baseball. I think I posted earlier that he likes to mimic everything K does so K taught him how to wind it up like a pitcher. It's quite hilarious in person, but this is the best I could do. Also, he'll get down and "squat" like a catcher. Fun times!

Winding up....




And playing catcher... in this one, he not only makes the stance as a catcher, but he also actually catches the ball towards the end of the clip.. you can't quite see it, as he's turned slightly, but, notice that the ball doesn't fall to the ground!!