The Quinn Report

Tavin Update

2008-08-14T07:02:00.004-05:00

I had my 26 week checkup yesterday at the doctor for baby Tavin! All is going well and things are looking to be on the up-and-up! His heartbeat is strong, the doc looked over my sonogram pictures and said that everything looks good/healthy, and all the various testing ( the blood work stuff you have to do while you're pregnant) has come back negative. I've gained 7 pounds, but I swear it feels more like 37. The humidity here is KILLING ME! I want to see what "normal" legs, feet, face, etc., look like again!

The closer the time comes, the more nervous I get about delivering. People, I have an over HOUR drive to Wilford Hall. My fear is that I won't make it and he'll be born in the car on the way there, I swear. I only pushed 2 x's with Salem, and expect this one to come just as fast. Oh lordy, what will I ever do? We need to plan out an alternate route/method for that day just in case. Meaning, we need to take a drive and find the nicest/nearest civilian hospital instead of the craphole we have here in NB.

With that, I'll finally leave you with the first and only belly shots I have taken this time around. I wish I had more, but it isn't something I think about on a weekly basis. Andrew snapped these for me last night after I had extreme case of the "sweet tooth". I had 5 bite sized pieces of chocolate ( I don't even like chocolate), 6 halloween sized boxes of gummy candy, a Keva Juice smoothie, and an ice cream cone from McDonald's. That wasn't even including the dinner I had (lemon chicken and salad)! I have no clue what my problem was. No matter what I shoved/inhaled into my mouth, I just couldn't get enough. I hate when you have "moments" like that because it only makes you feel worse the next few days. I'm sure all the sugar and salt will make my already oversized feet, swell up even bigger. Oh the joys of being pregnant!

Silly Salem

2008-08-12T08:56:00.003-05:00

Salem received these glasses in a goody bag at a friends birthday party last weekend. Since then, I can't seem to get them out of her hands and she's constantly putting them on to make mommy and daddy laugh. It's getting to the point where she wants to wear them in public because she knows it's humorous. She does make me smile :)

Wiggles

2008-08-08T08:18:00.003-05:00

OH YES I DID! We (Salem and I along with another mommy and friend), ventured out and took the kiddos to The Wiggles concert. The kids enjoyed it to its fullest and the moms, on the other hand, wanted to blow our brains out 20 minutes into the show. THIS was a once in a lifetime special treat for Salem that will NEVER be repeated. I'm trying to do some "special" things for/with her before Tavin comes, and this was one of them! I can do (and look forward to taking her to) Disney On Ice and what-have-you; but this, THIS, I cannot do again! It was, overall, a great show for kids but come on, who wants to pay $50 a ticket for nosebleed tickets to The Wiggles? Oh, and that wasn't for the two of us together, that was EACH! Every child over the age of 1 also needed a seat. YIKES! I also couldn't get over all the people that were going CRAZY over the paraphernalia they were selling. No way in hell was I going to buy Salem a $30 Wiggles shirt. Her friend, Tristan, was very generous and gave Salem a Wiggles puppy that she now won't let out of her sight...Thanks Sam!

Great Show

2008-08-04T07:53:00.008-05:00

My camera sucks, but yes, it is him!

The John Mayer concert was everything we wanted it to be and then some. It began by him walking out on stage and playing the entire set.....shirtless! I wouldn't say he's the most attractive man I've ever seen; however, there's something about a musician with a beautiful voice that sings "love songs", who also plays the guitar (very well), and sports a tattoo sleeve that covers his entire left arm...sexy! I think I find that sexy because you wouldn't necessarily expect him to have such a thing. Andrew and I always joke around that he's going to get one one these days. He won't actually do it (darn because he has nice arms and it would definitely look good on him).

ANYWAYS, Emma and I had a wonderful time together. We had seats directly in the middle and showed up 5 minutes before he walked out on stage. He sounded even better in person and I would for sure go see him again. It was, however, HOT AS ALL HELL, and we basically got all dressed up for nothing. We sweated are boobies off out there (YES, IT WAS OUTSIDE. IN HOUSTON. IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER. YUCK.) I was nothing less of a dripping wet mess. I even had to take my shoes off and walk barefoot because my feet swelled up so badly from the humidity and from walking on them all day long shopping...it was worth it! I didn't even recognize myself after the concert was over. My body (and feet) looked like someone who sits around and eats ding-dongs all damn day. I wanted to hit the gym after we finally walked in the door at 3 AM. Instead of staying the night in Houston, Emma and I both agreed that we would rather go home and sleep in our own beds. We didn't leave Houston until 12; which got us back in S.A. @ 3. Then, I got up with Salem @ 7. Yes, I was and still am extremely tired and feel like I could sleep for days. If only John could come over and serenade me back to sleep; now THAT would be something!

We went to babyGap and I HAD To have this outfit for Salem. They didn't have her size hanging up, so I took it upon myself to not bother an associate and get it on my own. It amazed me how many people found this to be appalling. The fact that people were staring at me in disbelief, made it all that more funny to me. I still don't get it. It makes logical sense to me on why I would do such a thing.

SHE'S HERE..........

2008-08-01T23:29:00.003-05:00

Yay, one of my BFF'S from Alaska, Emma, is here to visit this week! I'm so excited, that I can't even sleep! We're leaving in the AM to go to Houston to shop and then hit up the John Mayer concert in the PM! We've had this trip planned for 4 months, and I can't believe the day is finally here! I will post pictures of us (with John Mayer serenading us of course) within the next few days. I was trying to think of a clever shirts we could have made for the big night tomorrow, but I can't come up with anything worthy enough.

Ideas were:

* Jenn Who?
* He's just my babies daddy!
* Mrs. Douchebag! ( He is known for wearing a shirt quite often that reads Mr. Douchebag)
* People matter, but celebrity's matter more!

Ugh, instead, I think we'll just dress up and look like hotties!

Meet The Barkers!

2008-07-28T07:43:00.004-05:00

Gary, Michelle, baby Isa, and brother Tab

Last weekend, we had our beautiful friends Michelle, Gary, and Isa Barker, visit us from Alaska! I take that back, at the moment, they are living in Cali and are getting ready to move back to AK next month. Shel was one of my very best friends when I first moved to the North Pole (back in Nov. 2002). They also have 2 other children (Xavier and Elle), that were in NY visiting Grandma! I also used to have Xavier in one of my classes at the CDC when he was just a baby. They brought Gary's brother, Tab, along with them, and we had a wonderful weekend visiting, cooking, eating, shopping, and just catching up!

Recently, it seems as if a ton of our friends are moving back up to Alaska. I'm jealous and hope we luck out and get the same opportunity to get our bee-hinds back there. Until then, I'll sit here in 105 degree humidity and sweat my pregnant ass off. Oh joy!

Lovies

2008-07-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

Salem's Grammy and Papa bought her a lamb-lovie-blanket (that is known as "BAA") before she was born. I thought it was cute, but I NEVER thought it would grow to be such an attachment. I just went in and checked on her sleeping (she went to bed with a high temperature), and she still has her BAA! snuggled in tight up underneath her neck. She slept with it that way for over 10 hours. We also have to check on Baa's whereabouts throughout the day. She has to know that she's okay before she can go on with her daily plans. I will say; however, that she is very good about keeping her at home. She isn't one of those children that you see at the playground dragging their blanket (that they'll go home and take a nap with) in the dirt. Like I mentioned before, she sometimes checks on her and other than that, Baa is only for sleeping with.

Now that we have little Tavin on the way, it seems only fair (and likely), that he's going to need such a thing too. So, mommy drove out to Boerne, TX. last weekend, and picked up 2 (you HAVE to have a least one backup of each) blue elephant lovies for my sweet boy!

Did you grow up with a security blanket/animal/toy? Do your children have an attachment to something special other than mommy or daddy? If you have a child on the way or see children in your future, will you get something similar for them, or would you rather not?

How Often?

2008-07-22T08:03:00.004-05:00

Okay, there is no right or wrong answers to any of these, but I'm interested in knowing how often others do some of the various things listed below. For example, when I mop my floors twice a week (mop, not swiffer), I'm constantly thinking to myself, "Geez, I wonder if I should be doing this ass pain chore more often, less, when do other people do it?" It's always a difficult task to get done because I have to vacuum the entire house before Salem goes down for a nap or bedtime, then bust out the mop while she's sleeping. Oh, and keeping Lilly out of the tile areas in between all of that is also a chore in itself. So, with that HOW OFTEN:

*Do you vacuum?Mop?
*Change the tip of your mop out?
*Change your dish scrubber out?
*Wash your sheets?
*Clean and wash your vehicles?
*Dust your fans/blinds?
*Wash your towels?

Non-cleaning related ?'s

*Get your hair done?
*Get a pedicure?
*Massage?

There are a million and one ?'s I would love to ask, but I figured I would just ask a few.

My answers are:
*I vacuum and mop 2 x's a week. I change the tip out every four or five weeks.
*I change my dish scrubber out every other week; however, I put it in the dishwasher whenever I run a load to disinfect it.
*Wash our sheets once a week, towels twice.
*Oh, are vehicles are BAD. We wash the Subaru maybe once a month, and Andrew's every other month. I know, that's bad!
*Dust the fans and blinds once a month
*I get my hair colored and cut every 8 weeks
*Pedicure at a salon once or twice a year
*Massage-once or twice a year

Nashville Star

2008-07-19T07:07:00.003-05:00

Andrew was in Nashville last weekend for yet another Indy Race flyby. He had a wonderful time (as usual), and they were all stoked that they got to sit in and listen to the drivers briefing. To make things even better, Danika Patrick "brushed her body up" against his on her way out! Andrew had to immediately call and inform me of such greatness! Then, I had to inform HIM to stop getting his hopes up that she'll be leaving her husband for him anytime soon!

The guys also got to meet and have their picture taken with Cindy McCain. I guess she was there doing some press thing (obviously), and took a car out for a spin. She looks good for her age and I'm sure she's a nice lady, but personally, I'm not a fan of her husband, so I wouldn't have been all that jazzed to meet her like the guys were.

They love going because they get treated like royalty. One of pilots even gave an interview (about the race, not flying), on one of the radio shows that covers Indy. What the heck? They get to have pit-passes, sit, eat, and drink in the primo boxseat areas, get put-up in nice hotels for free all weekend, make money to basically party for 2 nights, and give autographs to little kids at the race....isn't that cute? Then, they come home and complain that they're tired and don't feel well....give me a break!

Andrew was very giving this trip and brought home an extra special gift for his sweetness! "Baby Luvs" just LOVES the pink guitar that daddy delivered to her! I thought is was so cute that he actually bought a pink one for her. He usually isn't to keen on buying her anything pink, and the fact that he did it own his own was quite shocking and sweet! She enjoys rocking out and really finds herself getting into it. It is "one of those" toys that we have to put up at the end of our jam sessions in fear that she'll turn into a metal woman and smash it into a million little pieces if we don't do so.

Would have been..............

2008-07-15T08:01:00.003-05:00

Tuli Elise Quinn (pronounced Tu-lee). I still love it and if, IF I can EVER talk Andrew into wanting another baby ( I wanted 3 and when we first met he only wanted 1; so we compromised on 2), and if it's a girl, I would name her Tuli. I think it's so cute and feminine. If Andrew does "tap out" after Tavin, I guess I'll have to settle on getting an english bulldog and naming her Tuli!
And yes, I came up with it and don't even think it's an actual name or has a meaning. There is a ski company called Thule, but I'm not quite sure if they pronounce it the same or not. The spelling of it throws me off. So, what do you think of it?

See you pink toile!

2008-07-14T08:24:00.005-05:00

No, the center photo isn't of Andrew and I....I just never got around to putting an actual picture of her in the frame...oops!

Salem's pink nursery is going bye-bye. She is getting ready to transition into her big girl bed! I'm excited, but fearful. I know she's ready for it because last week she tried committing "crib suicide" by jumping out and hitting her head on her wood moose rocking chair. It wasn't pretty and I forgot to get photos of the nasty bruise across her entire forehead. Her friends, Knox and Yana ,are in their big beds, and I can see the puzzled look on her face why they have them and she doesn't.

We've also decided NOT to put her in her castle loft bed and to hold onto it for a few years. We're thinking that we'll put Tavin in Salem's new bed (that I went out and bought for her at IKEA last week) when he turns 2, and by then, we think that Salem will be able to handle the loft bed. I think she is a little fearful of heights, and don't think she's ready to sleep that high off the ground. Plus, I LUWF her new bed and can't wait to assemble it! It's a daybed with 3 storage drawers and A TRUNDLE!
A picture of her bed taken at the IKEA store

I have SO much to do and I'm nesting like CRAZY. I'm refurnishing 4 pieces of furniture (yikes!), I need to remodel and redecorate Salem's, Tavin's, and the office rooms, and paint all of the above. I've decided to paint stripes in Salem's room that will be a huge pain in my ass. Why do I always pick to do things the hard way? Why can't I just be happy with one color? I guess I'm just difficult. With that, bye-bye pretty pink toile room.

" The List"

2008-07-10T09:22:00.002-05:00

I haven't slept in DAYS. The week leading up to the ultrasound, I stayed awake all hours of the night wondering what little "who's it" was going to be. Then, Tuesday came when we found out it was a precious boy, and do you think I've been able to sleep since, NO! Now, my days are spent decorating the room in my head, compiling lists of what I need for him, stressing out over the amount of money we have to spend on "necessities" alone. I think Andrew wants me to put him in all of Salem's pink sleepers, but I just can't bring myself to do that to him.

With all of that, let me share to lists with you:

* Baby bedding-CHECK. I bought a fish/bubbled theme set called MIGI Splash. It's funny because that's also my mom's nickname (Midge is her real name).
* Sleepers to get him through the first 9 months-CHECK.
* Socks-CHECK.
* 3 newborn/going home from hospital outfits-CHECK.
* Have a custom made canvas wall mural made to match his room with his name on it-CHECK.
* All the extra things to match the Migi Splash (extra sheet, blanket, valance, etc.),-CHECK.
* Name-CHECK.

Which will now bring me to the list of names we did have in mind followed by the name we picked

* Jasek..people would call him Jase or Jay..no thanks.
* Trevin...people would shorten the name to Trev...no thanks.
* Jevin....." " Jev....no thanks.
* Calen " " Cal.....no thanks.
* Jyan..."what, you're naming him GIANT?" No thanks!
* Tyber..."what, you're naming him TIGER?" No thanks!
* Vail.......mmmmm, just didn't like it after a while.
* Stian..........the kid probably wouldn't be able to say his name until he's 13; shit, it's hard for me to say!

Basically, we didn't want any name that could be shortened where people would suspect that his "real name" was something else. Example: Trevin, people might call him Trev; which would make them think it was Trevor.
Example: Tyber, " " Ty; which people would lead to being Tyler. Anyways, you get what I'm saying. So, we went with:

Tavin Andrew Quinn and we LOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEE IT!

Again, I will never shorten his name ( I will always call him Tavin), but if others choose to say Tav when he's older, I don't think that sounds so bad. Think of the pronunciation as Gavin, but with a T. I feel it's strong, unique, and it means TWIN; which if this one comes out looking anything like Salem did (JUST LIKE HER DADDY), it will be VERY FITTING!

I can't wait to hear all your thoughts on this!

Chinese Calendar.....

2008-07-08T15:47:00.002-05:00

predicted both of my babies right! I should give you the calculations/ fill in the blanks so you can figure it out; however, I am feeling generous today, so I'll tell you.....................................................................................................................................

WE'RE HAVING A LITTLE............................................................................ BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh, I couldn't believe it when she spoke of such words. I could have SWORN up and down that "it" was another girl. My pregnancy has been the EXACT same, weight gain:same, food craving:same (there are none), you name it, THE SAME. I've guessed 6 of my girlfriends genders correctly who are all pregnant right now, but I couldn't even get my own figured out!

We're obviously very excited to have one of each (exactly what Andrew wanted). I, on the other hand, was indifferent and leaning more towards another girl because it's what I'm familiar with and to reuse everything. We also had the girl named picked out, and now I will be banging my head against the wall all hours of the night trying to name "who's it". I went out shopping today to buy boy stuff (hello, are you shocked?), and it was incredibly awkward. I had to train my brain to look blue, instead of pink, to look in this section and not the one with all the cute dresses. WEIRD. I love it, but it will definitely take some getting used to.

So, in the next few days, you can expect belly shots, and more to come on the baby boy name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quinn 4th

2008-07-06T22:11:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July, and hope you all did as well! We celebrated the day by having a fajita/mexican potluck with all of our neighborhood friends! We also received a visit from Andrew's parents who will be here until the middle of the week! Salem enjoyed playing with her friends and most of all, wearing my shoes all over Knox's house. What can I say, she is defin. my child!

So, tell me this, do any of your towns have off the charts firework shows? The ones here suck SOOOO bad, that it's almost sad. In Phoenix and Tucson (where I grew up), they were awesome. They even had ones that made designs in the sky; how cool is that! Here, it was the same ones over, and over, and over; they would just change the color around..lame-o!

Just 1 more thing

2008-07-01T22:05:00.005-05:00

Just when I thought we had MORE than enough activities scheduled this summer, I went out and added another! I know, what the heck was I thinking is right! Now, Salem is signed up for a FREE NewBraunfit (get it, New Braunfels/fitness)class that is designed to give children toddler age on up the proper fitness activities needed throughout the day in an indoor setting (becuase it's too damn hot out). I like to refer to it as the proper running of my child to get her to nap routine! She also enjoys it and has a few of her neighborhood friends involved in her class.

Now, honest to God, this is IT! I could not, and will not add one more thing onto my plate, for it is full...overfull for that matter! Most days, it is wonderful and I love the fact that we're doing activities together before the baby comes; however, on random days, I could literally ring my own neck for doing this to myself. Adding the gym in 2 hours a day on top of it all, is sometimes an overkill. But, I try not to bitch because this was all my idea. Salem on the other hand, loves it all and that makes it all worth it!

Salem and Peyton doing jumping jacks in a hula-hoop obstacle course

B & B

2008-06-29T21:47:00.005-05:00

No, I'm not speaking of a bed & breakfast; although, that doesn't sound too shabby! Instead, I'm going to tell you about our AWESOME day yesterday BOATING with our friends in the AM, and hitting the town and having our BABYSITTER in the PM! Could the day get any better? Actually, it could have had I been able to throw back a couple beverages of choice out on the lake yesterday with everyone else, but hey, next year, right?

She LOVES her Barbie life-jacket and wanted to sleep with it the night before!

So, we headed out @ 10 AM to Canyon Lake that takes us less than 10 minutes to get to. The boys wake-boarded, surfed (yes, you can surf the waves behind the boat....look at photos); while the girls relaxed and caught some rays. Salem LOVED the "wa-wa boat" and didn't fuss even once. I couldn't believe it. She had an absolute blast, and keeps asking when we're going to go back out on the boat. I wish we could afford one, because it would SURE be a nice thing to have around here!

Josh surfing it up for us!

Andrew giving it a run for the first try!

Andrew ripping it up on the wake-board

Passed out on the way back

Then, a few hours after we returned, our sitter arrived. SHE IS WONDERFUL! Salem felt comfortable with her right off the bat, and Andrew and I were able to walk out of the house without a problem. It was THAT easy! Get this, Andrew and I had a talk about the "$3 money issue" that she was asking to get paid, and we just couldn't bring ourselves to pay her that poorly. It sounds like a steal of a deal, but come on, $3 an hour? Baby sitting is hard work and I sure as shit wouldn't work for that. So, we decided to pay her $5 (plus a little extra), and we still feel like we came out ahead! It gets even better, she didn't want to take the $35 I had given her, and said: "Mrs. Quinn, I can't accept all this money. It isn't right for me to take all of this, I would like to give $20 back to you." WTF kid? It's only $35, you watched my kid all night so I could go out and enjoy myself, it's 1AM, and my GOD, take the damn money, you earned it! She only lives 2 minutes away from me, she's a smart girl, and she bonded with my daughter; therefore, I will hold onto this one for dear life for the rest of our stay in Texas! Yes, she's a keeper!
We had to hit up Cold Stone after our yummy sushi!

WE enjoyed our evening with our friends Patrick and Heather who got married last weekend!

Water Lilly Monet

2008-06-26T07:47:00.002-05:00

A water lilly painting by Claude Monet sold for more than $80 MILLION Tuesday, breaking the auction record for the French impressionist. What I want to know is, who has that kind of money, and what have they done in this world to make such a large amount of cash flow? Can you also spread some of that love this way, please? You have over $80 mill. to spend on one painting, it wouldn't hurt you to share a little with an average blue collar family, right?

Last week in her art classes, Salem actually learned about this exact painting by Claude Monet. Here is her replica of the "Water Lilly". What do you think I could start the auction off it? It IS a masterpiece, look at it!

$3 per hour, SAY WHAT?????

2008-06-25T07:56:00.004-05:00

We decided to venture out and find ourselves a babysitter, instead of always relying on our neighborhood friends. My girlfriend, Janelle, watches Salem for me whenever needed, and I don't always get to return the favor; due to the fact that both her and her husbands parents live nearby and want to get their hands on their grandson as much as possible.

So, I have another friend, Jodi, that has a 13 year old daughter who recently graduated from a local baby-sitting course, who only charges $3 per hour!!! And get this, once baby #2 arrives, she only charges $1 extra per hour! Poor girl, I feel like we're ripping her off! I think I made more than that over 10 years ago. Her mother informed me that the course she went to told her to start off at that rate...crazy! We hired a sitter one other time for Salem, and we paid her $13 (per hour); we never did that again. Who can afford that on a regular basis?

This coming weekend, we're having her come over so Andrew and I can have a date night. I'm looking forward to time alone with my husband, and great daycare at an exceptional rate!

What do you think Ab?

2008-06-21T08:29:00.004-05:00

These are a pair of shoes I purchased to wear in my BFF's wedding this October. Her colors are brown, orange, and white. I really bought them because I fell in love with them, and then, I realized I still needed a pair for the big day. I'm not too sure what she'll think, so I put them on here for her to decide. The dress is a beautiful brown color, and I thought these would spice it up. Is it too much? If they are, I'll keep looking and find something else; oh, and keep these too! Sshhhhh...don't tell Andrew!

Abbey, if you want better photos to look at, I'm sure you kind find them on Nordstrom's website. The brand is Oh DEER! The dark brown color in the shoe matches the dress perfectly!

Dirty, Dirty

2008-06-19T15:23:00.005-05:00

We were driving home yesterday evening from Salem's art classes, when we came across this:

It reads: I wish my wife was this dirty!

Then, we hosted a dinner party with a group of our friends, and Salem had fun dressing up and hanging Yaya's earings on her ears!

Salem Picasso

2008-06-13T07:32:00.006-05:00

If you blow this photo up, you can see that Salem holds her pinky finger out just like I do(when I drink, write, etc.) It is so cute!

We've had a busy week. Sunday-Thursday we had two sets of friends in-town visiting. With the heat and all, we ventured out to Sea World, Shlitterbahn, and the Children's Museum on multiple occasions (hey, at least I'm taking advantage of all the season passes we have over the summer, right?) I must also report that Salem met with her gymnastics class again on Tues., and it was like she was an entirely different child. A major success! She followed directions, waited her turn, listened, sat in a line (WOW!), and enjoyed herself like no other! Keep your fingers crossed that this behavior continues because as of today, Yaya is here visiting for a week! We have lots to do and many of things planned over Yaya's trip! Tomorrow, Andrew is taking over Salem duties to give my Mom and I some time to go shopping and head up to Austin. Then, on Sunday, Andrew will have a relaxing Father's Day floating on the river with some of our friends....I'm jealous!

Also, Salem started her art classes this past Wednesday, and she loved, loved, loved it! It's an hour long class once a week where they'll be following an "art curriculum" guideline over the summer. It's very organized and it appears that she'll be doing some pretty cool activities. This past week, she painted in the painting room (and she wouldn't wear a smock for the life of her), the teacher read two books on mud, and then the children played and pounded clay, and eventually turned it into a hand-print that the teacher is going to fire for us! Salem will get to decorate it and along with next week's theme which is: Monet's Garden!

Ms. Picasso herself!

Sitting and listening to the mud stories

Getting her clay nice and flat with the rolling pin

Working on perfection with her hand-print

And this is how she looked when she was finished!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Yum.

2008-06-10T09:07:00.002-05:00

I came across this in the grocery store 2 days ago, and now, it is already gone. I will only allow myself that 1 and only can. I'm sure it's like crack, an addiction you simply can't break. Anything labeled white cheddar is just bad news. Try it, but don't say I didn't warn you. YUM!

Windshield Washer

2008-06-06T07:08:00.003-05:00

Every gas station should be equipped with at least one of these: a drive-thru window washer! How genius is that? We came across such greatness on our drive down to South Beach last month.

Gymnastics

2008-06-04T14:33:00.010-05:00

She was practicing her moves and loved being dressd up in her tutu more than anything!

Well, I wasn't able to take any photos DURING her class because I was breaking a sweat chasing after her for an entire hour! My GOD, while she napped yesterday, I literally just sat on the couch and starred into space for 2 hours because I didn't know what to do with myself....I was so damn worn out!

The beginning of it all started off a breeze. She was doing the activities, smiling, laughing, showing the other kids what was up; then, all hell broke loose. You see, she's been to OPEN GYM there before, which is a complete 2 hour free-for-all. The kids can do what ever the hell they wish, throw balls across the room, whatever goes, goes. NOT THIS CLASS. Changing over from a "do as you wish" to a structured class, didn't go so well. She didn't want to take or follow direction from anyone, wanted to run around and see what the "big girls" class was up to across the room, etc. She had about 7 complete meltdowns and other people just kept adding fuel to the fire. A couple instances, she was babied by a few adults who came up, rubbed her back, tried parenting me, and TOLD me that my daughter was just tired and needed a nap.

EXCUSE ME?????????

I'm her mother, you don't know her, I obviously do, and NO she does NOT need a flippin' nap. She just woke up an hour and a half ago, and the least thing I need is YOU TWO telling ME what to do with my daughter. She isn't tired, she's just being a little shit right now and she needs to straighten up and learn her lesson. PLEASE, MY GOODNESS! It was like they've never seen a toddler throw a tantrum before; give me a break. Maybe I should invite them over sometime.

Other than that, she did okay. I know and understand that it will just take some getting used to for her to adjust to the new, structured environment where she has to listen, follow directions, and wait her turn. I know she's young, but I want her to learn these valuable lessons at the age she's at because before long, she'll have to be more patient with the baby on its way.

Lastly, I got asked if I was coming back next week. Uuuhhhh....DUH LADY! What, just because my daughter was a little stink pot for half of the class means, in your eyes, that I won't be returning and that I'll just flush all that money down the drain? You're crazy, and sorry, I don't give up that easily!

After her class, I took her to the Children's Museum because like I said before, she wasn't tired and needed to burn off more energy.

Aaahh...money, it makes all women happy..... even at such a young age!

DJ Salem spinning nursery rhymes on the jukebox! She really got into it!

And no, THAT is not my hat from home!

The Summer of Salem

2008-06-02T14:31:00.006-05:00

We've decided to wear ourselves thin with activities this summer for Salem. We figured it would be more difficult next year to do such things with an infant, so we're going all out! This is what our schedule will look like:

* Tomorrow she starts gymnastics on Tuesday mornings
* Wednesday evenings-Art classes
* Thursday mornings-Family story time at the library
* Season pass to Sea World
* Season passes to the SA Zoo
* Season pass to NB Children's Museum
* And the new one we just added on Friday............
* SEASON PASSES TO SCHLITTERBAHN!!!!!!

Can you say busy?????? I took her to Schlitterbahn for the first time on friday, and sucked it up and bought a pass right off the bat because I KNEW she was going to fall in love forever more with the place. AND, I WAS RIGHT! She is such a little fish that can spend hours on end frolicking in the hot, hot, sun; as long as she has wa-wa's to splash in! My friend Kris and I took the kiddos (his wife, Dawn, was in New York and Andrew was cross country), and what a blast the two of them had together. The even funnier part, was that people thought we were married and that we had twins! Then, they would see my little baby bump busting out of my bikini, and get an even scarier look on their faces, like, "What the hell are they thinking?" It was great!

So, if you ever come to San Antonio this summer and wonder what we're up to, just check one of these places; I'm sure you can find us there!

Mr. Crocker

2008-06-01T09:27:00.003-05:00

Andrew went out of town this weekend, but before he left, he whipped up some homemade cinnamon rolls from SCRATCH!!!! He slaved over these bad boys for 5 hours!
The pros: They were super yummy and it was so sweet of him to do such a thing!
The cons: They were super yummy and I ate half a dozen of them over the course of 2 days!

Lilly Update and Colorado

2008-05-27T07:38:00.006-05:00

Thank you all for you thoughts and concerns for Lilly. We went ahead and gave her some chicken and rice with the advice from my dad and friend Heather. With that, and the constant changing of her water dish and making sure she stays hydrated, she seems to be getting better. She slept in our room last night, and we only had to get up and let her outside once. The doctors offices aren't opened yet this morning, but we'll hopefully get her seen sometime this afternoon.

Picking flowers for her mommy!

The Trolley (or Choo-Choo!) downtown Trinidad that we went for a ride on

Aaaaahhhhhh, Colorado! What a beautiful state it is! My parents live on ranch 2 hours outside of Colorado Springs in Trinidad, Colorado. Their home is beautiful, quite, and full of wildlife. Being out there for a week, made me realize how relaxing life can really be. Living in a city is always busy, busy, busy and on the go; out on the ranch, it is the exact opposite. We fished when we wanted to, hiked, rode atv's all over, fed the turkeys, played washers, had parties with old friends, ate yummy antelope, shot nasty cowbirds out of trees, and just enjoyed each others company. Andrew has now decided that he wants to live somewhere like they do, and is researching cheap property all over. The latest is a chunk of land is Bozeman, Montana.
Banging on the bell downtown with Butty!

Running through a hailstrom on an afternoon hike

Salem LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her Poppy (my dad), and constantly asks for him throughout the day. She wouldn't eat her dinner last night, but once I told her it was what Poppy was eating at his house, she immediately started inhaling. We've been trying to get her to say MeeMaw (my stepmom), but Salem has decided to come up with her own name for her..."BUTTY!" Which she pronounces BUTT-EEEEEE! We thought she was saying Buddy, but had dropped the dd's for tt's! They have their own imagination, don't they? The name has definitely stuck because she kept pointing to pictures of her last night and saying "Butty!"
Feeding the turkeys that come by all throughout the day

Practicing her fishing skills before we head out

Daddy teaching her the ropes before she does it on her own

Fishing with her Princess pole that Poppy got for her

Hard to see, but there is a fish on the line! Sshhh....Poppy caught it for her and we kept recasting it and letting her reel it in!

My daddy and my hubby fishing together!

Flirting with mommy over breakfast

Butty, Mommy, Baby Salem and Poppy!

Now, we're trying to get back into the swing of things and looking forward to staying put for the next couple of years. I'm sorry, but with 2 kids, we've decided that we won't be traveling anywhere for a least 3 years or so. It's just too much work. Salem does well on the plane, but it's a team effort keeping her entertained over long periods of time. I can't imagine doing it alone with a 2 year old and a newborn. Instead, we are extending our offer to family and friends to come here whenever their hearts desire!

Thank you dad and Sheryl for such a wonderful vacation! I can't even explain to you in words what an amazing time we had. We appreciate all that you did and all the attention you gave to Salem. She loves and misses her Poppy and Butty!

Kennel Cough

2008-05-26T07:57:00.002-05:00

We need help. We picked Lilly up from being boarded for 8 days yesterday, only to find her terribly sick with what we think (and hope) is kennel cough. She's been outside for 24 hours due to the fact that she throws up liquid junk every 30 minutes or so. Did I mention that it is 100 degrees here during the day? The earliest we'll be able to get her into the Vet. would be sometime tomorrow (thanks Memorial Day), and if I could, I would obviously love to give her something to help her out. Do any of you know of a remedy for such a thing? Any info. would be greatly appreciated!

1 bag?????????????????

2008-05-19T17:19:00.003-05:00

What is our world coming to? What do the airlines mean when they say you can only check 1 luggage per customer? I get it, but it can't possibly be true. I cannot travel with a lap child and fit everything for 2 GIRLS into one large bag. Sorry, but NO, HELL NO! I guess we won't be traveling via airplanes until the kids get older. I just won't be able to make that work and I'm sure as heck not paying extra fees for extra bags. Before we know it, we'll only be able to travel with a carry-on.

A little ME!!!

2008-05-14T22:17:00.003-05:00

I FINALLY see a hint of me inside my sweet, baby luvs! My heart skipped a beat when I came out of the house to see this!

Here, she is getting sassy with her daddy; yep, just like me!!!!!!!!

THAT, my friends, is me all over again! I know, for a fact, hands down, that all members of my family are having major flashbacks at this given moment. I always had to have bling and big shades, even when I was Salem's age. For Mother's Day, we went to Austin to eat at my fav. joint, buy new running shoes, and hit up the local REI. Little did I know that such a place would hold the key to my heart. They had the sunglasses in Salem size that match mine to a T. Who ever would have thought REI of such places? Maybe they are my favorite store! Even better, she LOVES to wear hers just like Mommy! Oooohhhhh....I love it! She even insists on wearing them inside the gym to show off to her friends and caregivers!

Fish out of water

2008-05-13T13:35:00.004-05:00

I'm afraid her quest for the 2024 Olympics Games has come to a halt. Her swimming career is in jeopardy. With all this damn ear infections and ruptured eardrums, it's highly likely that spending the entire summer in the pool, won't be happening. She has to follow-up apts. this week. One with her primary care from last weeks infections, and one with her ENT to check on the tubes. We'll see what they both have to say. I'm almost positive that they'll say that she needs to wear earplugs during bath time and whenever she is in any body of water. Oh, what fun!

Here are photos of her last pool outing while we were relaxing at Andrew's parents house before we left Florida. I guess I'll have to find another way to put her 10 bathing suits for the season to use.

South Beach

2008-05-10T21:48:00.006-05:00

First off, we are supposed to be in Del Rio at this very given moment to visit Val, Joe, and for HARB's air show; however, wouldn't you know that Andrew has now caught the terrible sickness that's been lingering our family for the past 2 weeks. My poor baby, I hope he doesn't get it as bad as we did.

So, SOUTH BEACH! I LOVED IT! What a place, what a place. I've never seen anything like it in my life. The only way I can describe it (which isn't very good), is Expensive 80's/90's. I came home with only a few pieces of street vendor jewelry because I couldn't afford anything in the stores. How do people survive there? What I want to know is how everyone makes their money. The atmosphere just screams richness and I definitely felt like we stood out like a sore thumb. I saw more ass and boobs than I've ever seen in my life. Women were lying on the beach almost naked all over the place and not a soul seemed to care. I mean, come on, what guy would EVER find that offensive, and what girl has enough guts to confront some half naked hottie (who not to mention looks better than you ever would in dental floss?) I couldn't believe my eyes. Not only was there nakedness, but women were running, RUNNING on the beach in their itsy-bitsy bikinis. How do they do it? They must have to tape their jugs to the inside of their suits. I just couldn't hack such a thing. My boobies would be flying out of my suit and I would have permanent scars in between my butt cheeks from my bottom riding up my ass crack. It just wouldn't be flattering on me and these women actually made it look good. I wonder who their doctor is?

What the heck, I like all 3 photos!

If you're military, $100 bucks buys you a sweet, boutique style, hotel room located right on South Beach. If you're not, it'll cost you $300 or more. We dined at Danny Devito's restaurant the evening we arrived, and OH MY GOD, it was the best food we both probably ever had in our lives! Very, very, expensive, but good! The guy knows his food; well just look him!

The following day we walked around Miami Beach and ran into the owner of Miami Ink. He's HOT! We also ate lunch at one of the many cafes and Andrew ordered a mojito that he couldn't even finish. HE WAS TRASHED! I wish you all could have seen it. They definitely live up to their expectations of being the best place for killer mojitos.

Size does matter! His mojito vs. my alci-free pina colada!

South Beach was a wonderful getaway; which we'd love to go back with friends and when I don't have a bun in the oven!

Valdosta & Friends

2008-05-08T07:39:00.006-05:00

On the 3rd day of our trip, we headed up to Georgia to visit some friends who are stationed at Moody. First stop was my girlfriend Angie Gilbert's house. We met while we were TDY there last year for 6 months and instantly became friends. She has a daughter, Abigail, who is 4 months older than Salem. Angie and I got to talking when we first met, and we had actually bought our house (in Texas), just 5 minutes away from where they were going to build here (long story....her husband is a Southwest pilot and also does a reserve unit that is now stationed in San Antonio; so, they were going to move to NB). I wish they didn't change their mind because we would have LOVED to have had them as neighbors!

After Salem and I spent some time with them, we headed over to, who other, than the OTT's place!!!! I LOVE Kelly and also wish she lived in my backyard! It was so, so, good to see them and baby Brady boy (a.k.a. "Salmon Slayer"). This was THE night when all hell broke loose and Salem and I both started getting sick. There were other people we wish we could have seen, but we had to shift our plans around when the illnesses kicked into high gear. The guys enjoyed themselves by staying up until 2AM drinking and playing poker. This was also a Monday night and all the other guys still had to get up the next morning and roll into work. At least none of them were flying that day! Thank you Kelly, Glenn, and Brady for your hospitality and shifting your schedules/plans around for us. We're all hoping to be neighbors again in Anchorage...one of these days!

Salem looks like a cancer patient with her headscarf on her head

Leo, Shredder, Wookie, LOBO, Kelly, and the kids. The "Old Alaska Crew!"

Salem cheated on Knox by taking a bath with another boy. I'm not sure how he'll feel about this; she has yet to confess.

SICK of being SICK

2008-05-07T06:53:00.002-05:00

I took Salem to the doctor (again) yesterday because she had ruptured her eardrum (again). Not only that, but she also has a terrible ear infection that has had blood draining out of the ear. You know how it is, all the medication she is on for everything, has also caused her a terrible yeast infection. Life is no fun around here these days.

On top of all of that, I've been so consumed taking care of her ( and the other baby that I had an apt. also for yesterday), that I forgot that I've been sick for a week and a half now. I've been hit with THE WORST sinus infection I have ever had in my life. 3 days into our trip it blind-sided me and I can't get rid of it. Needless to say, today, I'll be spending my morning trying to get into the doctor. I should just pitch a tent outside the front doors of one of the medical facilities (I've been to 3 of them in the San Antonio area in the past 3 days).

The hardest part of it all is taking care of a very sick child when you don't feel well yourself. It is one of those illnesses where if I didn't have a child, I would just curl up in bed and lay there; for almost 2 weeks now. Just when I feel like I'm starting to get better, I get worse. I don't know what to do because I don't feel like doing anything.

The other baby is doing well and I got to hear the heartbeat. The doctors want to change my due date and I won't let them (at least at this given time). My last ultrasound shows that the baby measures 6 days behind. HOLY COW, 6 days??????? I measured 5 WEEKS behind the entire time with Salem. It's genetic. Some people have large babies and some have small. My entire family, to include myself, were all very small at birth. So, my due date in now on Thanksgiving Day. I wonder if they'll be cooking up a turkey dinner for me that night while I'm in labor?

Magic Kingdom

2008-05-05T07:46:00.010-05:00

We ventured out and attempted to take Salem to Magic Kingdom. I say attempted because 3 rides, 1 tree house, and $152 bucks later, the experience was over. We went on a Sunday (first mistake) because Disney's website says that it is one of the least crowded days; but after seeing the lines at 90+ minute waits, I call major BS! I guess I set my expectations to high on how well I thought she would do at this age. She did exceptionally well, but when nap time rolled around and it was scorching hot outside, it was downhill from there. So, Grammy and Papa took her home and Andrew and I stayed, went shopping, and had dinner at Boma's inside Animal Kingdom, which was amazing! I know have found a new love with South African food. My palate had never tasted anything so good!

Andrew had to take a walk after dinner becuase he ate tooooo much food and thought he was going to get sick!

Salem rides included: It's A Small World, Flying Dumbo (with Daddy), and Snow White's Scary Adventure. We did Snow White's Scary Adventure because there was NO wait time for it. She did fine with it at this age, but a few months from now, I know we wouldn't have been able to get away with it (the scary Snow White ride). Katie, I don't think it's a ride Becca would enjoy! She would want nothing to do with Snow White ever again!

I'll post more of our adventures tomorrow!

Past 24 hours

2008-05-04T07:09:00.002-05:00

I've been awake, no sleep. We flew back to Texas from a trip to Florida/Georgia to visit Andrew's parents, friends, and a little mommy/daddy getaway. On the plane ride home, we noticed Salem's eyes were goopy and discharging green/nasty stuff. With all the germs and things she could have (and did) come in contact with at the airport, we decided to take her home, give her a bath, and try to flush the stuff out on our own. It seemed to get better, but only for a short amount of time. She was up and down all night long; so at 3 o'clock this AM, we drove her to the NB ER. Four hours later, the diagnosis is: PINK EYE. YUCK. We obviously knew she had some sort of infection of the eye, but we really didn't consider pink eye because they weren't red at all, just crusty green goo.

Now, both of my angels are asleep. I can hear the bed screaming my name, but how can I sleep when there is so much to do around here? We got the bags removed from the car, but that's as far as they got. Will update the trip within these next 24 hours that I'll most likely be up.

Herbert's Taco Hut

2008-04-24T07:38:00.006-05:00

I'll summarize our dinner for you last night at Herbert's Taco Hut:

* I ordered a Taco Salad
* The waitress dropped my Taco Salad at the foot of our table
* 2 minutes later, I had a new one (seemed awfully fast)
* Ate the entire salad because it was good
* Noticed a WAD (not a string) of what appeared to be black hair
* Informed the waitress who then took it to show her boss
* Waitress came back 2 minutes later and said these EXACT words to me:
* " No worries, it wasn't a piece of hair, it's only a piece of CARPET from the floor!"

Me: Holy SHit! Like having a piece of fucking carpet in my food is acceptable! She basically just confirmed the hesitation I had when I got the salad redelivered to me in such promptness. They reused the shell that had been dropped on the floor! The fact that she thought this behavior was okay, just floored me. She didn't apologize or anything and thought that I should be fine with it too. My girlfriend had terrible food poising from them last week, but we've heard many other fabulous reviews on the place that we thought we would check it out regardless. Andrew also didn't find it to be a big deal either which didn't help the situation. If it had happened to him, it would have been a different story, it always is. His response was: " Well, you know they didn't reuse the food (because it stayed on the floor the entire time we were there and people just kept stepping over it in the busy walkway), so you know they ONLY reused the shell." GEEZ honey, thanks!!!!! There's nothing better than having a tasty piece of carpet for a snack!!!!

Does anyone else see a problem with this? Some people I know are telling me to report them and others (my husband), say let it go. I'm upset, grossed out, and terribly disappointed on how the situation was handled. They took the salad off of the bill, but I feel that it was the least they could have done. They should have paid for the entire table (we had friends with us too). I feel that the owner should have come by acknowledged the fact that they were at fault.

I won't be giving them business again....EVER!

Viva La Fiesta!

2008-04-22T07:25:00.007-05:00

By Sunday, we were still itching for more partying, so went took Salem downtown to Market Square to celebrate Fiesta! I'll sum it up for you: from what I can gather, it's pretty much a party that goes on all across downtown San Antonio for 10 days straight! As you all know, I'm not the biggest fan of the state; but I have to hand it the Texans, you do know how to throw down and party!

Salem LOVED all that fiesta had to offer from the hispanic music being played in every direction you turned, to dancing, tasty foods, the random toy vendors, and wearing her traditional/authentic garment. If you're ever in the area during this time of year, I highly recommend checking it out!

We ate lunch at a Mexican Restaurant/Oyster Bar that was DELICIOUS!!!!!

Salad, quesadilla, and Las Margaritas oysters

Daddy bought her a push/pull duck and a nice pair of maracas

And about .2 seconds after we got in the car!

Aloha!

2008-04-20T15:24:00.008-05:00

Dawn, Janelle, and I. Janelle(Knox's mommy) and I are both pregnant and will have are kids just a few weeks apart from eachother again! Salem is 2 weeks older than Knox and her little one will be around 3-4 weeks older than ours!

Kris and Dawn hosted their annual "big bash" last night by having a luau. Last year, they flew in sushi from California and this year, we feasted upon a roasted pig that Kris shot a few weekends ago. Let me just break it down to you like this:
* 20 couples were invited
* 12 kids running around
* 8 pregnant mommies
* they HIRED a bartender for the evening and supplied EVERYTHING!
* had fresh hawaiian floral arrangements made and delivered to decortate the entire place
* ordered a roasting box from China to cook the pig in

* fresh oysters, king crab, shrimp, chicken and pineapple, pig, mango salsas, fruit bowles galore, pina colada machine, etc.
* limbo set
* boxes of cigars for all that were willing to partake...

....need I say more!???? They could have hosted someones wedding with the amount of effort, food, drinks, and cash they put into this party. They even rented huge tables and chairs and had them decorated. These people are NUTS.! Then, I get a phone call from Kris this morning asking if we would like to come over for breakfast tacos. WTF? These people just go, and go, and go; and that is why we LOVE THEM!

We only took photos right when we arrived; therefore, I didn't have any of the "good" ones once the pina coladas started to kick in. It was the best party I've ever been too and I was even sober....imagine that!

Andrew went swimming in their pool. I believe the water temp. was 60 degrees.

My Dream Home

2008-04-19T08:00:00.005-05:00

Ahhh....this is IT! If I could pick my dream home and the place to put it, it would be right where it is. This is Andrew's BFF's house in Eniumclaw, Washington, and where we stayed while we went home for a visit. The pictures don't do it justice. It is even MORE stunning in person. Mt. Rainier is in perfect view in their backyard and only a beautiful 40 minute drive away. The entire house SCREAMS Pottery Barn and I felt like they should have been shooting an add for their magazine in Mark and Megan's home. The surroundings are quite and all around breathtaking. Just the place where I want to be. If only Andrew and I were both lawyer's, then maybe we could pull something similar off; but I don't see that happening anytime soon. His Capt.'s salary and me raising the kids just won't cut it. I'm not complaining, just envious is all. In total there are: 5 bedroom with 5 bath, office, media room, 3 dinning areas, 2 living rooms, and basically 2 full kitchens. WOW!!! Now we're talking!!!

The media room

Master bed and bath the also views Mt. Rainer

They don't have chidren (yet), but they have an all girls themed living quarters!

The pantry is literally bigger than my bedroom and is equipped with an extra dishwasher and sink; which brings the total to 3 dishwashers in the home!

The view of beautiful Mt. Rainer in the backyard.

Uploading

2008-04-17T15:52:00.003-05:00

I HATE when you write out an entire post, only to find that blogger won't upload your freaking photos. What the heck? The post won't make any sense unless you have the images to view and compare. I swear.

Bluebonnet Air Show....

2008-04-13T21:45:00.005-05:00

with Uncle HARB!!!!! Yay, we had so much fun this weekend spending time with HARB and his family at the air show held in Burnet, Texas. For those of you who might not know, HARB is now THE A-10 west coast demo. pilot and will be traveling around to various shows for the next two years. This job was made for him. If I invision him working, it is doing exactly this. He knows how to work the crowd and at the same time, get his job done.
"Mr. Capt. Paul Brown"---as people were calling him!

Salem was saying, "Bye-bye HARB!"

I believe this is a A-1??????

Salem LOVED the air show and all it had to offer. Every plane was Daddy's and she had to say it loud enough for every one to hear. Every plane that flew over head was, "OOohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.............Daddy's high in his AIRFLANE!" It was very cute and she was very entertained by it all.

We miss you HARB and can't wait to see you next month in Del Rio!!!!
Adios and safe travels until then!

Phil & Teds

2008-04-09T08:52:00.005-05:00

We purchased a new baby for our babies! I am soooo in love with it and Salem gets compliments wherever she goes! I MUST give a shout out to Andrea for finding it for me. I wanted a Phil & Teds, but said I would only buy one if it was flaming HOT PINK. I didn't even know they made such a thing, until Andrea forwarded me an email to a site that carried it. I did some research, and ended up getting it for a smoking deal on ebay. For the moment, we're using it for Salem as a single stroller and when the baby comes, we'll attach the oh- so -convenient sport buggy on the back to use as a double.

Had I found the hot pink camo. one after I purchased a boring colored one, I would have been very disappointed. Thank you Andrea for helping me out on this one; I'm very, very pleased!

On another note, these are pictures from a play/lunch date Salem had with Yana today. They played in the back yard, and then had quesidillas, grapes and juice on her table set. They were both very sweet and kept trying to share their food and drinks with one another. I guess they didn't catch on to the fact that they were served the same food with the same amount of portions. Standard.

Gymnast Salem

2008-04-08T14:10:00.007-05:00

Ah, she is going to be my little, very own gymnast! I signed her up to take gymnastics classes this summer at the facility she goes to often for open gym here in NB. One of her girlfriends hosted her birthday party there this weekend; which solidified my reasoning to do so...SHE LOVES IT! The price made me fall out of my chair ($155 for eight weeks with 1 class per week), but I had to. I read, and did research, that it can help with (obviously) balancing, focus, and cognitive development now and later on in life. I also figured she needed some other form of structure in her life taught by someone else other than ME!

I can't pin-point it, but for a lack of less than appropriate words, she has been a little SHIT this week and I'm about to pull my hair out. Out of of clearing F'ing Blue, she has started hitting Andrew and I. With Andrew, I'm pretty sure she's only been successful at pulling a fast one on him once; for she freaked out when he raised his voice at her. Me, on the other hand, she could give a damn what I say or do. I know it's just a phase, but it's a phase I want to nip in the butt ASAP and get my angel back and in proper working order. Every reaction she gives me involves throwing something at me, Lilly, across the room. or hitting me on the leg, face (depending on which level I'm on with her). I hate it. I couldn't even take it any more last night and just broke down crying. It kills me and just hurts my feelings to look at my child, who I spend so much time and energy on trying to raise her properly, wacking me left and right.

Maybe she needs an intervention.

I also purchased her a black skirted leotard for her classes today. With her attitude lately, I find it very fitting. Maybe all the other kids will fear the evil as have I this past week and not mess with her. There was a pink one that screamed girly, frilly, I'm here to be cute and twirl around and then the black one: I'm a bad ass. Salem, is in fact, a bad ass.

Groovy

2008-04-07T07:17:00.005-05:00

I think this should be our next Christmas card photo!

Last night, we partied like it was 1968. Sammy, one of the guys in Andrew's squadron, turned 40 yesterday and his wife threw him a surprise birthday bash. Now, you know we love anything that has to do with a theme, so we HAD to represent. It was held at The Magic Carpet in San Antonio, and the entire staff dresses up and acts like specific characters. They sang to him, did tricks, acted out skits, and mostly made fun of Sammy in any way, shape, or form.

Katie, his wife, even had a cake made with his high school grad. photo on it..classic!

Sammy serenading us with some Barry Manalo, Copa Cobana, and he NAILED IT!!! He used to sing at the Air Force Academy and has a beautiful voice.

Okay.

2008-04-04T11:37:00.002-05:00

I was going to post about something else, but I know I would hear it from all of you. What? You're not going to tell us any more info. about your last post? Are you knocked up? Are you not? Is this a late April Fool's joke? The answer is.................

YES!!!!!, we are expecting in Nov. and are soooooo thrilled! We've been trying on and off since Sept. Not on and off because we couldn't decide if we wanted another child or not, but because of my best friend, Abbey's, wedding this fall and other random ski trips, etc. There were some obstacles we had to face, but we obviously over came all of them by now. I'll explain......

Since August, I haven't even had a period and they told me that I needed to cut back on running to get my body back in cycle. So, I cut back (a little), and it still didn't seem to change anything. Then more. And nothing. Finally, I said screw it all and went back to my old ways of doing 2 a days because I worked out just has hard before and while I was pregnant with Salem and didn't have these sorts of issues. Then, 2 days into our ski trip in Whistler, it happened! I finally had one and most likely, got pregnant immediately after. The same week I found out that we were +, they were going to do more testing on me and start hormones to see if my ovaries were even functioning properly. Thank goodness it never had to lead to that and I can't even explain to you how I am overjoyed with this pregnancy! It was like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders when we found out because I was so stressed out thinking that there might be an issue. Now, my mind, body, and soul are at ease and I'm just loving my life and family!

I'm sure some of you are thinking (because a year and a half ago), I said that we most likely didn't want to have anymore children and that Salem was IT. Well, as time went on, we found ourselves talking and desiring to have another child, and by observing Salem, realized that she would make a wonderful big sister that could only benefit from having a sibling.

I have my first OB apt. with the doctor next friday and will keep you all posted. They will also be doing an ultrasound on me in 2 weeks to make sure I'm not further along because of the the womanly issues I had. AND READ THIS CLEARLY:

IN CASE YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, ARE TRYING TO GET PREGNANT, I HAVE NEVER HAD A POSITIVE AT HOME PREGNANCY TEST WITH EITHER ONE OF MY CHILDREN. WITH SALEM, I TOOK 15....ALL -. WITH THIS ONE 11....ALL -. I EVEN TOOK ONE THIS PAST WEEK AND IT STILL SAID -, EVEN THOUGH I AM 2 MONTHS ALONG. I'VE TRIED EPT, CLEAR BLUE EASY, $1 GENERAL ONES,....IT DOESN'T MATTER. INFORM PEOPLE YOU KNOW TO CHECK WITH THEIR DOCTOR REGARDLESS. THE MORNING I FOUND OUT, I TOOK 3, WENT IN 1 HOUR LATER, DID BLOOD WORK, AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW, +++++++++!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-03T09:52:00.001-05:00

Copper State Vineyards

2008-04-02T06:33:00.005-05:00

Over this past weekend, our friends, The Munds, took us out to their "Ranch House" located in Gonzales, Texas. It's only about 45 minutes outside of New Braunfels and it was nice to get away for the evening. They have 500 acres of land, so Dawn and I drove the kids around on atv's, while the boys attempted to turkey hunt. They did see A turkey; however, I believe they had alcoholic beverages in their hands at the time, and couldn't get to their weapons quick enough....standard.

After we all returned, we grilled fajitas over a fire and kicked back. It was so relaxing to be in the company of friends, and feel like you're out in the middle of know where, even though your only miles away from town. They have various homes in the area, and sort of bounce between them depending on what they want to do at the time. MUST be nice!!!!!!

I had my hood on my head because it cooled off in the evening and 5 minutes later, Salem was running around with hers on too! I guess she just wanted to be like mama!

The main ranch has 5 bedrooms and we slept in the guest house that has 2. It was convenient that Salem was able to have her own room. They also have their own vineyards, and they found some local businesses that will be selling their wine starting next year. When we woke up in the AM, there were guys outside working on them.

Potty Training

2008-04-01T07:16:00.004-05:00

Salem has been showing interest in wanting to go potty like a big girl, so here we go!!!! I by NO means want to force it on her, for she is still very young and I would hate for her to regress down the road. She will often go #2 in the pink potty, but going wee-wee is a different story; maybe once or twice. But hey, it's a start! I love this stage and look forward to helping her along the way through this major milestone in a child's life!

At Target the other day, I happened to come across the cutest, most feminine, princess panties I have ever seen and immediately snagged them up for her; only to find her screaming next and pointing at the ones SHE wanted. I was not pleased when I looked up only to find that the ones she was having a blown out fit over were...ELMO. They scare me , are too loud, and even though they're girly ones, I still hate them.
You thought I got out of there with only the ones SHE wanted...WRONG!!!!

But, I did it. I bought them for her with a smile on my face and she held them in her hands the entire afternoon as if they were precious gold. It made her day, and that made my day seeing her eager to want to sit on the potty and not get Elmo dirty. I also purchased her an Elmo dvd on potty training, which seems to also be helping. She jumps for joy when I tell her we're going somewhere because she loves watching it in the car.

So what's next for me? Dora products? Strawberry Shortcake shoes? I won't be able to handle this.

Another day, another boil

2008-03-29T23:28:00.007-05:00

Aaahhhh....we JUST finished having some old (Alaska and Valdosta friends) and some new ( Texas buds), over for our very own crawfish boil. Andrew did an amazing job working his ass off and we enjoyed having the company of our friends.
Salem was an angel (unlike the BS that she put me through yesterday), and acted like a little adult all day and night. She just sat and hung out like she was one of us!

Me, Salem, Heather (Alaska), and Heather (Texas)

Lets just say that Andrew bought 40 POUNDS of crawfish...this is just one batch!

Tomorrow Heather, Heather and I are going shopping and out to lunch together!!!! Andrew, Pat and Nate are going to watch/hangout with Salem for the entire afternoon. They might even adventure out and take her somewhere. It'll be exactly 3 men and a baby!...I love it!

This is funny......

Heather (the blonde Alaskan one), reminded me this evening that the first time I met her was at the O' Club @ Eielson, and that I was up in front of everyone drinking and singing karaoke. Oh man, those were the days....not really because I married to a total douche at the time and I was only 19, but you know what I mean by "those being the days." I guess being young and free would be the best way to describe it...not to sure though.

Sleeping Beauty that needs an Orthodontics fund

2008-03-27T15:57:00.006-05:00

Not surprising. Not surprising at all, being that she came from me. I took Salem to the dentist this morning and even though her teeth are free and clear of cavaties, the doctor warned me to start setting aside dinero for braces in the future. WHAT? Are you serious? I didn't even know you could determine such a thing at such a young age, and I even used to work in the dental industry!

She did well considering that she HATES anything that has to do with adults shoving large objects in her mouth to clean or check her teeth. I also was unaware that the recommend first dental visit for a child is at 12 months. Oops!!!! When I called to make her apt., they informed me that I was behind and should have had her in here months ago. Again...What? Me not on top of things? It made me feel like I was a horrible mother and for what, nothing (other than the fact that she got stuck with my shitty ass teeth and will have to pay for it with braces, like I did, when she is a teen).

On another note, I took some photos of her sleeping so peacefully with her lamb, or Baaaa!, as she calls it. My very own Sleeping Beauty!!!

My bro!

2008-03-25T07:48:00.004-05:00

My brother came to town yesterday on a layover back home to Phoenix (he now lives in PA, and is going home to AZ for a visit). So, Salem and I met him at the airport for a quick bite to eat/coffee. He hadn't seen Salem since she was only 1 month old, and she just made his heart melt. She even called him Tanner.....it was so sweet!

I'm now looking forward to Monday, for he will be heading back through SA for at least 3 hours this time. We're trying to get his ticket changed so he can spend a few days with us. He has never been to this part of Texas before, so I would love to show him the area (River Walk) and the town we live in.

Happy Keester!

2008-03-23T09:01:00.006-05:00

The Easter bunny was very generous to baby Salem this year. I was confused on whether or not it was Christmas again around here because she received so many gifts! The bunny started off by leaving a trail of eggs that started outside her bedroom door and led to her assortment of goodies! In the beginning, she was more interested in what the bunny had stuffed for her inside the eggs, but later, warmed up to the toys,coloring books, lacing beads, etc!

How sweet! She kept giving her bunny lots and lots of loves!

Mmmmm...........a mouth full of bite sized fig newtons that were stuffed in an egg!

We had a yummy breakfast that consisted of pancakes, egg beaters, turkey bacon and 2 pots of coffee! Andrew and I are considering taking Salem to the park to do a picnic for lunch.....my fear is that it will be SUPER crowded considering it is Easter, nothing else is going to be open, and children in Texas are at the end of their spring break. In the evening, we're going to top it all off with a king crab dinner that we're going to make. Yum....just the thought of such deliciousness makes my mouth salivate!

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

Never in a MILLION years...........

2008-03-19T07:57:00.004-05:00

did I ever think that I would allow Salem to have a princess theme bedroom. Now, the time has come, and there is No turning back. For her upcoming birthday, my mom purchased her a princess castle loft bed (it's a white framed bunk style bed with the bed on top, and a loft area on the bottom. The castle part is pink and purple with stairs going up on one side and a slide coming off the top on the other). It is very cute and I KNOW Salem will love it. Okay, I couldn't pull the photo up, so I just took a picture of it with my camera.

For her bedding, I decided NOT to go with a princess theme. Too much of that stuff would make me want to vomit. So, I went with this set from Pottery Barn and I'm SOOOO in love with it. I also got her name embroidered on it for an extra special touch.
(I just took a picture of one of the shams to give you an idea. The colors are purple, light purple, teal, and green.)

Then, I found this lady, through a friend, that does custom paintings and dirt, DIRT cheap. I paid $89 and she did 6 custom drawings for me on canvas and even matched them perfectly to the colors in the bedding. I couldn't believe it and I don't know how this lady made and $. She lives here in Texas (in Georgetown), and ships anywhere in the U.S. If any of you are in need, please email or call me and I can put you in touch with her. Not only that, but all you need to do is give her a detailed description of what you're looking for, and she'll email you back and forth with sketches of possibilities. She can also make murals; which I think are even better, but Andrew liked the individual ones better because it allows you more flexibility on where to put them. The canvas's are 16x20, so they are a nice (large) sized paintings.

So, all of this wouldn't have been my first choice on room decor for Salem's "Big Girl Room", but I know SHE will have a lot of fun with it, and that's all that matters, right? I figure it's a cheap way to have a cute room, and after we get settled in one spot in the next few years, then we'll buy her "nice" bedroom furniture. Now, I just need to find the nearest IKEA to buy coordinating white dressers, bookcases, etc. I guess I'm more or less letting my kid be a kid. Salem acts older than her age, so at times, I have to bring myself back to reality and remind myself that she's only 19 months old and not 10 (not that she acts 10, but you know what I mean). If it were 100% up to me, I would already decorate her room in teeny bopper stuff (NOT Hannah Montana or High School Musical crap, but cute girly stuff), but what fun would that be for a 2 year old?

So, be honest with me with and tell me what your thoughts are on all of this!

The Morning After

2008-03-18T08:35:00.006-05:00

Gosh,my title sounds like an add for the Morning After Pill; which I'm sure local Planned Parenthoods are banking off of today after an evening full of too much boozing and drunken random sex with strangers. Anyways,...................

Last night was a blast! We had our neighborhood buddies over (kids and all), for a St. Patrick's Day fiesta! I served:

* Green beer...a must!
* Guiness....another must!
* Shepherd's pie, which they all said was "the best" they've ever head (courtesy of food network.com)
* Homemade cheese bread
* Homemade Guiness Irish french onion soup with Irish cheddar cheese
* And Cheesecake Factory cheesecake that was very, very tasty! (courtesy of Kris and Dawn).

My girlfriend, Janelle, brought Bailey's over (for those of you who think you know me very well, you should definitely know that IT is my drink of choice), and we didn't even bust it open; I couldn't believe it! With 3 pre-toddlers running around, you kind of forget about the important things going on around you that have to do with the specific occasion....like getting your drink on!

What's even funnier is that Dawn and I picked up the same sure at Target and didn't even plan it! We were the "Green Beer Taste Tester's!" I'm surprised that Target even sold a shirt that said such a thing. I'm glad, but was shocked when I came across such a thing there. I was expecting to find your average Target apparel there when I was searching for the perfect shirt: Kiss Me, I'm Irish, or their signature style plain tee with a sequined clover on the front. Not, Green Beer Taste Tester!!! I snatched that thing up so damn fast, and obviously Dawn had the same idea too!

She was puckering her lips up and waiting patiently for a kiss!

I'm hurting today and don't want to get out of bed. Not from too much green beer ( I didn't even drink), but I have a cold, it is rainy out, and I'm dreading all the crap I have to get done today. I need something to motivate me.........Aaaahhhhh, maybe the leftover cheesecake will do the trick!

Fascinating St. Patrick Facts

2008-03-17T09:03:00.002-05:00

* St. Patrick was born in Britian, not Ireland, and stout may be good for your heart!!

* In Ireland, they consider wearing the color green on St. Patrick's Day to be "unlucky".

* Patrick was kidnapped by pirates at the age of 16 and sold into slavery in Ireland. During the 6 years he spent in captivity, he began to have religious visions, and found strength in his faith. He finally escaped and went to France, where he became a priest and later a bishop.

* Patrick's real name is believed to be Macwyn Succat. He adopted the name Patrick, or Patricus, after he became a priest.

* Little is known about St. Patrick, including his birth and death dates. March 17 is traditionally considered to be one of the two, although there is no documentation to corroborate this.

* There were NEVER any snakes, or reptiles for that matter, in Ireland for St. Patrick to chase out.

* The phrase, "Erin Go Braugh" means Ireland Forever!

* The Irish toast "Slainte'!", pronounced SLAN-cha, means "health".

Heat Wave

2008-03-15T13:23:00.004-05:00

My God, it was 97 degrees here yesterday! Myself, along with a couple of my girlfriends, decided to get our little ones out in the rays and under some water, somewhere. So, we decided on utilizing our Sea World passes and make it a fun day for all! It took a short while for them to warm up to the water idea, but after short whining stint, we were well on our way to some much needed cooling off!!!! We had a wonderful, wonderful day, and hope you enjoy yourselves this weekend!!!!!

My very own Jackass!

2008-03-12T07:44:00.004-05:00

Let me explain. No, I'm not calling my daughter a jackass, I'm just referring to her actions to those of the cast of the Jackass show/movie. For those of you who are unaware, they basically do incredibly stupid, STUPID stunts that always involve hurting themselves. Salem these days, also finds it hilarious to do such things to herself. See below.

We go through this at least once a day. What is it with putting a blanket on your head and running into things at full force...like a wall, door, etc.? Usually she laughs and gets right back up to do it again; but at times, she will hurt herself and it still doesn't stop her. She'll cry for a few seconds, and then haves as it again. I'm not sure I understand this behavior, but what I am I to do with her? She loves it!

2 Pounds of 100% Pure USDA BEEF!

2008-03-10T21:40:00.003-05:00

THAT, is what my husband consumed this evening at (who other than), The Munds. Oh yes, Kris went out and bought the boys 2 34 oz. steaks (over 2 pounds for each one)! I can hear you all gasping and MY GOD!, is right!
I am convinced that only a real man could live up to such duties called upon him and devour such a thing. Hhhmmm......I guess that makes Dawn and I lucky gals because they inhaled the both of them by the time we finished our tiny NY strips.

Oh, and even worse, they were bloody, bloody rare... yuck!

Is it a Bunny, or a Rabbit?

2008-03-08T08:52:00.007-06:00

Once again, everything seemed to be going "as planned." Our little angel was peacefully picking up her eggs and placing them in her basket just as perfect as could be. She had on her special Easter outfit from her Great Old Granny and kept her bunny ears in tact the entire time.

That is, until this scary and hideous thing came along. Then, all hell broke loose.

Another day, another LOL story. These moments just keep getting better and better with each passing day!

On another note, Andrew has a student in his class right now that I went to high school with in Phoenix! Isn't that crazy?????
I kept starring and starring at him, until I finally worked up the balls to ask him where he was from and where he went to school. Yep, same high school and all; he was just one graduating class ahead of me. Even weirder, he is 26 years old and has 4, as in FOUR, children.....yikes, hes been busy!!!

Mud POOL, Not PUDDLE

2008-03-06T22:29:00.004-06:00

Before................

After...................

Oh YES she did! She fell right in a mud pool like you read about! I now understand the meaning of "play clothes" vs. "princess clothes.".....Meaning, don't take your daughter to the freakin' park in her $60 boutique outfit unless you want THIS.....

to happen to it and never be able to wear it again! I mean, come on, I did still get a good laugh in; but it would have been even better had she been in cheaper articles of clothing. A lesson learned on my part!

Busted!

2008-03-03T07:15:00.006-06:00

They wouldn't STOP! They are so in love; you can see it in their eyes! I wonder how long this is going to last, or if it's just a fling. During our days, she asks for him and he does the same for her. When he leaves, they both cry for each other. It breaks my heart because I know they deeply love one another. I'm not too sure how exactly feel about her being with a younger man (Salem is 2 weeks older than Knox). For now, I guess we'll just let it slide and see where this goes from here.

Andrew DID NOT find this cute nor funny in any sort of way. He walked in, took one look, and walked out shaking his head while he paced up and down the hallway. For the time being, I think it IS cute! For crying out loud, she's 18 months old! Anything and everything is cute when she's this young! Okay, not EVERYTHING, but close..and definitely this!!!!

Problem Solving

2008-02-28T14:08:00.004-06:00

I recently get fed up and couldn't take Salem throwing her food on the floor any longer. It is a constant battle between the two of us 3 times a day and I'm tired of the area under her chair looking like complete and utter filth.

So, we are DONE. When I worked at the CDC in Alaska, the children would have to learn to dump their own food after each meal by the time they were in the pre-toddler room...1 year of age. Salem is going on 19 months now, so I thought hmmmmm.........if a one year old can do it, then she is defin. capable of doing so. So, after breakfast yesterday, I let her dump the food that was left in the trash and guess what, not a single piece of food has been thrown on the floor since!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is her doing her Salem is "So Big" sign with 2 hands in the air!

Now, why didn't I think of this 9 months ago? It sure as heck would have saved me many, many of Quinn Wars within our household. I love solving problems like this, but could bang my head against the wall because of how simple it was to do so and how LONG it took to accomplish such a task.

Whistler, "OH CANADA!"

2008-02-24T14:17:00.013-06:00

On top of the highest point on Whistler Peak

Our friends, Mark and Megan Gabrielson

In case you don't already know this, Whistler is MY FAV. place in the world that I have ever been to. I love Alaska, but Whistler is primo and even above Anchorage on my list. If I had a trillion dollars to live there, I would. Or, if I was 18 again with no hubby, or child in sight, I would totally live out of my car and be a hippy-ski-bum....I'd be all over that!

Andrew and I with his Grandma Quinn in Washington

The house that Andrew grew up in in Washington

Eniumclaw High...where Andrew went to school

A group of his friends from high school

Andrew and I just returned early this AM from spending 9 days in the Seattle/Whistler areas. We were able to visit his grandmother, friends, and his hometown of Enumclaw, Washington. His parents own a condo in Whistler Village (Creekside), so we try to utilize it as much as possible. He has spent many winter weekends there over the years, and back when we were dating, he took me there for a romantic week long getaway. This trip wasn't AS romantic (we had 2 of his BFF's from high school with us that are now also married...they actually got married the day after us which is Andrew's birthday!) , but had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful weather, slopes, beers, food, and company of such great friends!

Out the front door is the slopes and this is the view from the back of our condo

We spent most of the days skiing, but took 1 day off to visit folks and another day to check out the Village as they prepare for the Olympic games being held there in 2 years. We didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked, but walked away with a few classic Andrew shots!

We were able to have free VIP tickets to a concert in The Village while we drank, ate and sat on everything made out of ice.

Some random dude with the beautiful Whisler Village in the backdrop

Salem, once again, stayed behind in Texas not only with her Grammy (Andrew's Mom), but also with her Great Old Granny (Andrew's Mom's Mom). I can only imagine how much attention she soaked up and what an ass pain it is going to be for me this week to break. It is ALL WORTH it; for I know both sides enjoyed every second they got to spend with each other. I can hardly recognize my own daughter this afternoon. She has grown so much over the past 9 days and matured into this not little, but BIG toddler. She is learning her colors (everything is "Yellow") and talking more and more up a storm. She is napping right now, and I want her to wake up so I can play with her some more and see all the exciting and new things she learned while we were away. Andrew's Mom always takes such great care Salem and we are incredibly grateful that she travels all this way to take care of our Sweet Baby Salem.

My goal this week is to sweat out all the alcohol weight I have put on. I swear. I look like a balloon that is on the verge of bursting. My face, ass, thighs, BASICALLY EVERYTHING on my body is swollen and disgusting looking. The whole "You can eat and drink whatever the heck you want because you're burning a ton of calories skiing" saying is a crock of crap. It might be true if you only eat a head of lettuce with a couple walnuts on top and have just A beer. Ummmm, do you know us very well? We do things in excess in this family and there is NO such thing as just having A beer or eating healthy while you're skiing in THE most beautiful place in the world on vacation and what is that you say?...............KID FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We took all of our advantages to the LIMITS and now, we're paying for them. I'm afraid of seeing my girlfriends in fear that they might not recognize me.

Having a brew after a long day of skiing

You would find us here, at this bar, at lunch, or immediatley after our snow days.

Hooray!!!!!!!!!! Salem is waking up! I don't think I've ever been this excited about her waking up from a nap since she was a little bambina. Gotta Jam On It!

"Tank Doo, Yaya!"

2008-02-13T16:30:00.005-06:00

Yaya sent flowers and a Valentine's Day frog for Salem yesterday to help make her feel better tomorrow after her operation. She loves dragging ( I would say carrying, but it more or less gets flung acorss the entire house), the froggy around and yelling "NO!", at Lilly to leave her dirty paws off of it.

On another note, she has recently discovered makeup and follows me around asking for "lips!" Yesterday, she found my brushes and then kept wanting me to take close-up photos of her after she played with the brush on her face. I swear, is she 1 or 16?
Somedays, I just don't know.

Breaking Up

2008-02-11T17:04:00.001-06:00

I've decided to end my relationship with ALL Swiffer products; especially the Wet Jet. I'm tired of swiffering every night before bed, only to wake up to 1,000 square feet of tile sticky as all hell. All it does it make matters worse, so I am done, DONE I SAY!

I won't just stop there. THE most annoying thing to me in the ENTIRE Universe is STAINED GROUT. Did any of your builders out there also make the stupid decision to not seal your grout? Mine did, and now, I find myself cursing his name every day as I try to scrub the brown, turning black, grout in high traffic areas throughout my home. Honestly, what's the point of not sealing such a thing? It does nothing but make your floors look disgusting even after you've mopped. If I would have known I would be so upset and loose as much sleep as I have over it, I would have paid extra do seal the deal.

Instead, I now find myself stuck with no place to turn. You should see the area where Salem has her highchair. Sometimes, I look over and want to vomit just by the thought of what bacteria could be lurking underneath such filth. Am I the only one with this issue?

Anyways, I would like to know, from all of you, what bothers you the most in this wonderful world we're living in....make it good!

Salem's Boyz

2008-02-09T22:09:00.000-06:00

She had a day filled with attention from lots of boys in her life that "luwf" her. She spent the morning coloring and flirting with her #1 guy, daddy. Then, she had an afternoon with not only 1, but 2 boyfriends. I'm thinking I'll have her strive to be the next Hugh Hefner. Hey, these days, you have to start 'em young to prep. them for the future! I know what I'm doing here! Although, I must say, we already have Hugh beat. She has #1 boyfriend, Knox, #2 Peyton, #3 Tristan, and #4 Keyson. I guess we'll have to stay in NB to keep this going for the rest of her life. Damn.

The Verdict

2008-02-08T21:34:00.000-06:00

Tubes in both ears on Thursday for Sweet Baby Luvs. No fun.

Fat Tuesday

2008-02-05T13:24:00.000-06:00

Today has been a day, today has been a day. Salem hasn't been sleeping through the night very well. She has had an on going ear infection since, what feels like, the day she came out of my vagina. I swear. She has any appointment with the ENT tomorrow to schedule tubes to be put in her ears. THANK GOD. I can NO longer take a toddler who is in so much pain that she can hardly make it through the days. I have to keep her occupied 24/7 to keep her mind off her ears. She sticks her fingers in them and constantly says "ouchie mama". So sad, huh?

I, too, ventured off to "Photo Wonderland" (aka The Picture People) today with my girlfriend to have Salem and Knox photographed for Valentine's Day. Lets just say.....it didn't go as planned. Our intentions were in the right place, but the kids weren't feeling the love today. We couldn't even get a single descent shot of them together. So, we are both sending "Love Day" postcards out, with 2 separate photos of them on it by themselves. Lame. The photographer sucked ass, and shouldn't be working with children. Janelle and I thought it would be so cute to send pictures out of the two love birds together, and it just didn't pan out that way. I hate it when things don't go as planned. Why couldn't there have been at least just 1 okay picture? Just 1 people, that is all I'm asking. Is it that hard for you to do your flippin' job correctly? Seriously, I think I would have had more luck if I would have ripped that camera off her neck and taken them my damn self. I kept having to tell her over and over again just to take a freaking picture. I mean, seriously, WTF? WTF?

All schnockered out after 2 dreadful hours at the P.P.

Hopefully our day will only get better from here. It doesn't appear that that is going to happen any time her soon since she just woke up from nap and I KNOW she needs much more needed rest than that because she was up half of the night. Ugh.

Tonight we're going over, as family, to our friend Kris and Dawn's house for a crawfish boil to celebrate Fat Tuesday. Maybe a glass of wine will calm my nerves. 5 o'clock can't come fast enough, I swear!

I'll also be trying "King's Cake" for the first time this evening. I'm not too sure that I fully understand the concept behind it all. I mean, seriously, a choking hazard baby in a cake that you can't even eat? How can you enjoy eating cake if you're constantly worrying about dying on a little baby logged in the back of your throat?

One final thing:

CHANGE.

Get out there and VOTE!

*******************UPDATE***********************************************
The crawfish boil was a hit. Our friends, The Munds, go above and beyond for every festivity and I knew tonight wouldn't be any different. We had fresh (still crawling around) crawfish and beer straight from New Orleans. Kris also made his own "special sauces" (doesn't sound proper, but you get what I'm saying), along with LA rice and beans, corn, shrimp, fresh oysters, clams, you name it, they brought it to the table.

Yes, we also had the King Cake along with fresh chocolate moose that was all so yummy! No, I didn't get the baby ; however, Dawn, that watched me stuff the baby deep into the loins of the cake, got it in her slice that she cut for herself. Sad, but true. We'll just blame it on to many beers. What the hell, that's what you're supposed to do on Fat Tuesday...eat and drink yourself silly :0)

The Big Apple

2008-01-28T08:21:00.000-06:00

First off, I LOVE NEW YORK! I could live there. Let me take that back, I could live there if I didn't have a little one. You can't compare Manhattan to any other place in the world. I found the people there friendly, the city easy to maneuver around, clean--stinky, but still clean, and overall, just breathtaking. My girlfriends apartment was centrally located and I just about wore my shoes out by all the walking I did going to and from uptown to downtown and around. I did the whole subway thing, but I much preferred seeing everything from above. It was balls cold while I was there, but I didn't let that stop me from doing the things I wanted to do. New York was probably a once in a lifetime experience for me, so I took full advantage of the situation!
Here are some of the things I did during my 4 night stay:

*The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It was by far my favorite thing I did during the entire trip. He his hilarious and very easy on the eyes!!!!

James Frye..the fraud that was on Opera that wrote a Million Little Pieces

*This should have been first, but my very first morning, I went to the Today Show by myself. Every since I was a little girl, I grew up watching the news on NBC. I would pick Katie Couric over cartoons. I was able to meet the anchors and even got on TV (even if it was for only a few seconds :) Wait, did I also mention that Matt Lauer is easy on the eyes too? As you can see, the beginning of this trip was very difficult for me.
I love how Matt Lauer looks like a glowing angel because that is how I always invisioned him looking :)

I was able to meet Diane Lane, Ann Curry & Al Rocker

The lady across from me that had a sign that said, "Hello from Salem"...weird, huh?

* Marry Poppins Broadway Show. WOW! WOW! WOW! That is all I can say. The acting and music talent these people are blessed with is out of this world. I mean, 6 year olds memorizing lines to a 3 our play.....are you shitting me? When I was 6, I was lucky if I remembered to take my backpack to school. Oh, and I think I went to bed by 8; Mary Poppins didn't let out until 1130 and the kids were still going strong...flawless to be exact.
*Double Decker bus tour of the entire city. A great way to see everything in a short amount of time.

*Time Square and all there is to offer in that area.

Yes, the Toys 'R Us there has a ferris wheel and leggo land, crazy!

*Dinner at the posh Buddha Bar restaurant.
*Some dive bar Irish pub's.

*Ground Zero

All the letters are still up from people searching for their loved ones

*China Town--3 times. I couldn't get enough of this place. Great food, great shopping and pure fun!

I have no idea what we ate in China Town, but we were the only white people there and the food was delish.!

*SoHo and "The Village" ---the celeb. hangouts and apartments

*Walked around NYU Film School. I got some guy to let me, so I walked around and checked it out.
*NY Fashion District and Parsons Fashion and Design School.

*Wall Street
* UN Building

Okay, you get the point! I did as much as I could in the 4 day period that I was there. I didn't, however, do a tour of the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty because I wasn't that jazzed about them. So many people flock to the both of them, and I didn't care that much to waste so much time on either one. HELLO.......I had Matt Lauer to see and fine NY pizza to eat. Who has time for Lady Liberty?

The main highlight of the trip was seeing my brother and his girlfriend, April. They recently moved to Pennsylvania and live only an hour and a half away from Manhattan. So, my last day there, they drove up and spent the day with my girlfriend and I.

So, the pictures speak for themselves, and I absolutely loved New York. I would love to go back and visit, but with my family in tow next time. I missed being away from Andrew and Salem and wanted nothing more than to share all of those wonderful memories with them.

The FIRM

2008-01-26T07:50:00.000-06:00

Damn him. Andrew had Monday off (MLK day) and as always, Salem and I got up in the morning and went to the gym. My hubby, on the other hand, said he was going to stay back and do some "at home exercising." Little did I know that I would come home and find him using my FIRM aerobics dvd. I was able to catch a picture of him doing so, but he was able to force it out of my hands and erase it. Once again, damn him.

Thick, "TomKat" Bangs

2008-01-22T20:31:00.000-06:00

So, what do you think? I colored my hair myself and then had it chopped at the salon. I LOVE IT! I'll have to take better photos one of these days; but I thought I would give you a "peep-show" of them.

Luckenbach/Fredericksburg Trip

2008-01-20T12:30:00.000-06:00

Ummm.......first off, am I the only one who has never heard of Luckenbach, TX.? Actually, I know I'm not the only one because Andrew had never heard of it either; that is, until yesterday. You can't even call it a town because there is NOTHING there but a bar, corn-dog stand, gift shop, and concert stage. So really, it has everything you need to have a kick-ass party and I guess they do just that! From what I hear, Willie Nelson has a song written about Luckenbach and now I'm curious to hear what he has to say about it.

We decided to get the hell out of town this weekend and take to trip to Frederickburg with our friends, 'DA MUNDS, to hit up some tasty winery's! It's about an hour and half away from our house, and let me just say, that I will have to take a few more trips there because it is AWESOME! There are a ton of cute shops, brewery's, winery's galore, restaurants, and sometimes, you just want to take a quick trip that doesn't require much but just an overnight bag. Do you know what I'm sayin'? The winery's are also "kid friendly", which is a major +++++++++++++++++++!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only downfall to the trip was that it was balls cold outside; we're talking 30 degrees in TX. We thought it would keep people away, but no, it was the total opposite. I guess everyone had the same idea we had.....why hang out indoors when you could be out getting your drink on?

Hanging out at the Frederickburg Brewery/Beer Garden

Overall, it was a great trip filled with amazing food, wine, beer, more of all of the above, and hardly any sleep (that is why I'm having trouble putting words together this afternoon). We stayed in "'DA MUNDS" motor home that they "conveniently" keep parked in Frederickburg for trips like this. They are GENIUSES, I swear!

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

2008-01-16T20:48:00.000-06:00

I walked into the gym yesterday afternoon to pick Salem up from daycare, and one of her caregivers said, "You have quite the little doctor living under your roof!" Me: "Uuuuhhhhhhhhh......what do you mean by that?" I was then told that Salem RUNS to the stethoscope after she arrives, puts it in her ears, places it on Abbey's (daycare provider) chest, and makes the sound " bump-bump, bump-bump", like the beating of a heart. Now how in the hell does my child know such a thing? She must have picked it up from the older kids there because until today, we didn't play with such things because I thought it was a little advanced for her age. I, of course, had to put such a skill level to test today; so I purchased a complete doctors kit and let her have at it. Yep, she does exactly that! This evening, she followed Lilly around listening to her heart, and then she would run to her note pad and scribble down notes each time. What a crack up! I even captured the initial facial expressions of her realizing what greatness just happened to her when mommy gave her such prized possessions. Enjoy!

God, if she becomes a doctor later on in life, just imagine the shit she'll get being "Dr. Quinn."

Oh, and poor Lilly dog! She lets Salem do anything and everything to her.

Hot Mama!

2008-01-13T20:28:00.000-06:00

The truth is, Salem thinks she is something no matter what she is doing...popping popcorn, wearing her frilly dresses, putting my thong around her neck, etc. But, BUT, I must say ,that she really, REALLY, thinks she is something on her boyfriends motorcycle.

She knows right where it is and runs to it every time we go to Knox's.

Popping Popcorn

2008-01-10T11:35:00.000-06:00

Wow! Does Salem think she is something now! Lately she thinks it's fun to pop popcorn (we have a pretend bag) in her kitchen; which has a button that makes it sound like it's doing the real deal in the microwave! So, I pulled a fast one on her when she wasn't looking. I made "real" popcorn in my mommy kitchen, put some in her microwave while she played with a different toy, had her press the magic "POP" button, and OH MY GOD, I wish you could have seen the look on her face when she opened the door to find such finger-licking good, butter melting off the side of the bowl, movie theater popcorn!!! Her exact words happened to be: "OH WOW!!!!!!!"

I'm pretty sure she was more impressed with herself doing such greatness than the actual taste of the popcorn.

Leave it to Salem...........

2008-01-07T07:54:00.000-06:00

to put a pair of my thong underwear on around her neck and walk around as proud as can be!!! YES, THEY ARE CLEAN! I can just see and hear your heads spinnin' over that! These days, she is into dressing herself up and anything and everything she can find goes around or over her head. She kept them that way and wouldn't let me take them off until night-night time.

Hey, at least it was Christmas day and she found the matching green ones to compliment the festive red shirt!

Step 2 ROCKS!!!

2008-01-06T08:08:00.000-06:00

We busted the sandbox Christmas present out a week AFTER Christmas. Andrew's parents bought Salem the standing play-table from Step 2 (they make great products!) and she just loves it. It's hard to tell who's having more fun with it: Salem, Daddy, or Lilly? She has more fun shoveling sand out of it and onto the floor, and daddy likes to play with crane. I think it will be a great activity to have during our neighborhood playgroups because all the children can each have their own side instead of fighting over a spot on a table that has no corners (because of its octagon shape). I also decided on the standing sandbox because it will be easy to change it out to have different sensory activities in it. I'll just dump the sand out and put in water, foam soap, paper and crayons, rice with toys, whatever. I also LOVE how the umbrella folds down and is its own cover!!!
Tell me I'm not the only one who gets super excited when their children get awesome toys as gifts!

Dress Lover

2008-01-02T21:41:00.000-06:00

First off, don't ask what the blue bowls were all about in every shot. They were obviously very important to her today because she played with them (and would not set them down) for over 2 hours. I wish she would find them(or something) THAT interesting every day to keep her busy!

Seriously, do any of your children out there act differently when they are dressed a certain way? For example: Sleepy when they put their pj's on for bed? Ready to roll around in the dirt and be rough with the other children in the sandbox in their "park play-clothes?" Or, better yet, do they act like a princess the second you take them out of their "regular clothing" and put them in a tutu dress of some sort?

I'm having "these issues." She seemed dazed and confused today (maybe it had to do with the fact that her father dressed her like a pot smoking hippie). The outfit is adorable, but for sure hippie'ish. I'm the one who bought it because I KNEW he would love it and dress her in it (Naartjie is the brand and she wears it often...South African clothing boutique).

So, we came home and I thought, "What the heck, lets play dress up together!"
I put her in her cute tutu Kate Mack dress that her Yaya bought her and all of a sudden her personality changed. She was dancing and twirling around like a ballerina or something. Now, how in the heck does she know to do such a thing? She's never seen one. I can't even get her to watch a split second fo television. She's only 16 months old...can someone explain this to me? Does this just come with being a girl?

She LOVES dresses and I SWEAR she acts different (better in my opinion) when she's dressed to the nine. I can't keep up with her. She'll go in her closet and rip down all of her jeans and hide them in random places. Is she trying to tell me that she doesn't like wearing them? Is she just being rotten? If I open up a new bank account tomorrow, will you all support me by depositing "Salem's dress money" in it for me? Please?????? I don't think I can afford a new, frilly, princess looking tutu dress, (that just about knocks anyone over within 5 ft. of her because the damn thing is so puffy) on a daily basis just to keep the both of us sane.

Is this just me? Is my daughter "special?" Do you think she has already developed an opinion of what she does and doesn't like to wear? Have we had this conversation before; because I feel like we have? I need help here people!

A Very Merry Quinn Christmas!!!

2007-12-25T12:06:00.000-06:00

What a great, great day it has been and it's only noon. Salem slept in (8:45am), we had breakfast, and then dug into the pile of gifts. We weren't sure how much she would enjoy opening everything up; but come to find out, she loved it!!!
I hate to say or think that she has favorites, but don't we all????? She received a motorized car from her Grammy and Papa that goes a WHOLE 2 MPH!! Boy does she think she is something. We actually love it because we can control her driving from the back with a stick---genius!

Another fav. would have to be her stroller and ski bunny doll from her mommy and daddy. She runs that poor doll around the house like I've never seen before. At times, she'll decided that she won't want the doll in there anymore, so Salem will take her out and chuck her across the room. That'll teach her!

We haven't put it together yet (a project for us to do this evening), but I know she is going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her sand/water table. I wanted her to have more outside activity toys and what do you know, SANTA delivered!!!

I must say that Andrew went above and beyond for me this year. Not only did he buy me a slick, slick pair of heels from Nordstoms (remember when he took me there for my birthday...he paid attention), a new ironman workout watch that I've been wanting, Betsey Johnson perfume (smells OH so GOOD!), but he also bought me round trip tickets to:

NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my GOD people, I've been wanting to go there FOREVER!!! He is taking leave to stay home with Salem for 5 days so I can go by myself! I have a friend who lives downtown Manhattan (right across from the TODAY Show) that I'm going to stay with the entire time. She has friends that do Off Broadway shows that we're going to see. I'm going to run in Central Park every day that I'm there and park my ass in fron of the Today show every morning that I'm there. I want to go to SNL or Regis and Kelly, but those are hard to come by. I can't believe he did this all for me. I feel so blessed!

Now, we're on our way over to Salem's boyfriends house (Knox). She is going to drive her new car over there and park it in his driveway. Maybe they'll go cruisin' the streets of NB later this evening.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!

Maybe we should take a nap before we drive over there!

I am ,"One of THOSE Mothers!"

2007-12-21T12:05:00.000-06:00

It is true. I never thought the day would come when I would allow my daughter to play in such a place. Before I became mother, I always despised the parents who encouraged their children to play in such germ infested environments. And now, I have become one of "them." Yes, I let Salem play in one of the play areas inside one of the malls in Tucson when we were home for Thanksgiving. EEeeeeWWWW!!!!!!! I KNOW. Like my friend Kim has told me over and over again, "I was always a better mother before I became one!" I didn't quite understand the meaning behind that quote until I gave birth to Salem. I now find myself doing shit on a daily basis that I SWORE I would never do in a million years.

On a positive note to such grossness, she didn't even want to play in the chaotic area. All she wanted to do was carry around my purse in the mall. She would tell me NO every time I tried to take it back from her and wanted to just show off for all the people to see. For such a small purse, it was jam packed and was too heavy for her to carry on her shoulders. So, she did the very best she could and had a blast doing so!

Bow Snatcher

2007-12-19T11:57:00.000-06:00

If you're missing any bows around your house, you might want to check over here. I have a gazillion presents and NO bows. I do have 1 problem with this: Not only does she rip the bows off, but she takes the gift tags with them. Since I wrapped 80% of them in October, I'm having to guess what gifts are what. Oh well, it will make Christmas morning a bit more exciting!

*On this particular evening Salem played with these bows for 2 HOURS. She would drop, pick them up, drop, pick them up....over & over & over again!*

Automobile Setters

2007-12-15T21:23:00.000-06:00

We're back from the Bayou or Bijou....however in the hell you want to say it. We decided a few weeks back to make a trip to Biloxi and New Orleans to meet up with Andrew's parents in the middle ( they now live in Florida). Besides seeing a murder investigation take place on the side on of the highway in LA on the way there that made me want to turn my ass around and GHEW the f' bomb home....we had a wonderful time and enjoyed every other moment of the trip!

Hhhhmmm....who do you think drew this in the sand???

Daddy....what in the heck is that??????????

Salem was a TERRIFIC traveler and didn't fuss a single bit the entire way there and back. We stayed at the brand spankin' new Hard Rock Hotel right on the water that will one day get washed away by another massive hurricane. Speaking of, I couldn't believe the damage that Katrina had done. You hear about, hear about it, and have heard about it some more, but you have to see it in person to believe it. I've heard that Biloxi used to have beautiful beach front historical victorian homes and that is no longer the case. Many of the areas are still in the demolition phases, or haven't even been touched yet.

Salem had a blast and we kept her on her toes. She went to the beach, played in the sand, hung out in the heated salt water pool that other people must have not known about because as you can see, we were the only one's there. Andrew and I hit the casino a few times, walked away a couple hundred dollars richer, ate at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (that wasn't very good, but we've always wanted to try one), checked out one of the Gerber nightclubs ( Cindy Crawfords husband), and most of all, just enjoyed each others company. We had connecting rooms with his parents so Salem could run around as she very well pleased. She was spoiled by her Grammy and Papa (as always), and even ran into Grammy's arms and fell asleep on her right before we left. A terrific ending to a wonderful trip for the both of them!!!

Like I mentioned before, we also did a stop over in New Orleans yesterday to grab a bite to eat before we headed back to SA. We checked out the French Quarter's, had a tasty lunch at one of the cafes, and best of all, Salem had her very own Mardi Gras beads thrown at her and held onto them the whole way home. Andrew tried taking them from her and it didn't go over so well. I've never heard her cry like that before. Her feelings were SOOOO incredibly hurt that daddy was taking such prized possessions away from her. Well, her crying worked and she won the battle.

Salem checking things out on Bourbon Street

Daddy and daughter sharing a Po' Boy sandwich

So, we're home now, trying to get back into the swing of things. It was nice returning from a trip on a friday evening so that you still have the whole weekend to do as you please. It is 36 degress outside right now and I am loving every minute of it!
Andrew is going hunting with a friend at 5 AM and Salem and I are going to enjoy the perfect winter weather!!!!

A Weekend Full of Christmas

2007-12-09T12:39:00.000-06:00

All the kiddos thinking their dad is even cooler now because Santa came in on a jet

I wanted to send this out as our Christmas card, but decided against it. Now, I wish I would have

This would have also been a great pick!

Exactly that. Friday evening Andrew's squadron had their annual Children's Christmas Party. Santa flew in on the jet and you should have seen the twinkle in their eyes. Salem sat on Santa's lap and WOULD NOT let the chicken nugget go for mommy to take primo photos of her. Now, I have a memory card full of Salem eating away and more interested in her food than the random, furry guy whose lap she happens to be sitting on. She wasn't impressed.

Oh yeah, we're AWESOME!

All of us hot, sexy, red-eyed because my camera blows, mama's!

Then, the very next day, we attended the adult version of the night before. We hosted a pre-drinking shin-dig at Casa de Quinn to get the festivities started and a post drinking party at Casa de Quinn to really push it up. We staggered into bed around 4 am this morning and staggered out of bed at 8 to pick up baby Salem at her boyfriends house. Yes, she is already having sleepovers with her boyfriends. What are we thinking? Once again, we did a swap off, and my girlfriend Janelle kept Salem over night for us so we could enjoy ourselves. Andrew is dreading the fact that he enjoyed himself a little too much. He can't hang. His old age is catching up to him and has realized that he can't party like he used to...like it was 1999 again.
All of the hot, sexy, red-eyed because once again.. my camera blows, daddy's!

Our friends that kept us entertained during the hours upon hours of gift exchanging.

Uh, us looking and feeling pretty much wasted by this point

Me taking random drunken photos of every one at the party... I was bored..and drunk!

Andrew was in charge of the gift exchange that always goes on for HOURS!

Wassilfest/Austin/Birthday

2007-12-07T12:11:00.000-06:00

Daddy is looking so I'm not going to look at mommy taking my picture

Oh, Oh, Daddy looked away... hurry, now you can take my picture!!!

She loves her new Puma shoes and kept showing them off to every one at the park

Yesterday was THE BIG DAY. I turned 25 years old.....yikes!!! Even though the day SUCKED because I turned a year older, there were many, many more things to be thankful for:

1) My insurance went down!!! After having various criminal speeding tickets (25 over the speed limit) from back in the day and being hit by a drunk driver (yes, even though I was the victim, that jackass still made my insurance go through the roof); it will be nice to have a little slack.

2) This should have been #1 but I got carried away there for a minute.
Andrew took the day off of work and took Salem and I to Austin for a day full of fun activities. We took her to a park where she had an absolute blast, and we had THE most delicious lunch at my favorite Austin restaurant, Hula Hut!

I want Salem to sport hair like this kid has....when she gets hair on her head!

3) After that, he took me to the mall....what isn't there to love about that? He even parked near the NORDSTORM'S SHOE DEPARTMENT. He must really love me to do such a thing. I'm sure, deep down, he was sweating it, but he wouldn't show it. I went easy on him and walked out of the mall bagless...can you believe it?

4) We raced home, only to have time to change for the local Wassilfest. For those of you who are unfamiliar what Wassil is, it is a cider and New Braunfels happens to shut down the streets one night a year to host an annual Wassilfest where all the local businesses compete for the title of #1 Wassil. I was super excited about this because we had heard from friends of ours that you could choose between "loaded" or "unloaded" wassil. I thought I was going to get schnockered on loaded wassil, but the rumor ended up not being true. So, instead, I drank a shit ton of liquor free wassil and had a great time with my family and some of our dearest friends! We've decided that we're going to make our own wassil loaded next year by bringing a flask with us. If only we would have thought of this sooner!

Not a great picture, but this house is BEAUTIFUL and one of the Wassil stops

Me and my girlfriend Dawn

This was my kind of Santa. He was carrying around a Santa bag full of beer!!

I love the way they did the lights on the Courthouse downtown

Now, these people we don't even know. We happened to be leaving Wassilfest last night when I ran into these two people who were making out against a wall. Talk about white trash. The man looks like he's old enough to be the elf's dad. Yuck...just the thought of this pretty girl sticking her tongue down this toothless, trailer trash, nasty ass looking guy makes me want to vomit wassil.
Even better, there were so excited that I asked to have my picture taken with them!

BFF'S

2007-12-05T07:34:00.000-06:00

I honestly feel that one of the best decisions that Andrew and I have made as a couple, was getting our Lilly dog! Salem adores her and is always fighting for Lilly's attention to play with her. As we come and go throughout the day, she can't leave the house without saying bye-bye to her BFF. I also, JUST LOVE, how her growing up around Lilly Girl has made her fearless of other dogs that she comes in contact with. I'm almost certain that if the tables were turned and we didn't have a carnivore living under our roof, she would be afraid.

These pictures were taken the other night right before Salem's bedtime. She kept trying to cuddle with Lilly...isn't that so sweet?

Salem Bathtub Tour 2007

2007-11-30T13:14:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving morning in Tucson at Casa de Clause--my mom's house

The Alaska Klan--our friends from AK who joined us for Turkey Day

Due to not feeling well, she didn't even eat a bite of Turkey

A kiss from her cousin who was trying to make her feel better

But this is how she really spent most of the days on the trip

Even her Mimi brought her a special bear for Christmas to cheer her up

What a trip, what a trip. We spent the past 2 weeks in AZ and what a joy it was! I mean that in both truthiness (Stephen Cobert's made up word) and also in complete sarcasm. As we were getting ready to leave for our trip, I came down with the stomach flu...bad, bad, very f'ing bad. Then, wouldn't you know, that as soon as we get there, Salem gets the same damn thing. After that, it was just a HUGE, HUGE chain reaction. Every one that we came in contact with on the trip got it. Andrew, my mom, stepdad, oh, and did I mention 25 out of the 40 people that were at my mom's house for Thanksgiving? Talk about feeling like crap. It's one thing for yourself to have it, but knowing that a shit ton of other people got it most likely from you.....makes you feel a little guilty.

This was her worst day ever on the trip at my cousin's house in Prescott. Pictured are my daddy and stepmom.

Anyways, besides Salem being sick for almost the whole trip and having the shits out of her car seat 10 x's, it was a GREAT TRIP!!! We called the week of traveling around to all of our friends and families homes across AZ: Salem's Bathtub Tour 2007 because she needed a clean rub down at each house we stopped at. It was embarassing. "Oh Hi Old Granny. I haven't seen you in over a year, but before we get to talking....could I use your nice, pretty white polished tub to clean the diarrhea off of my daughter from head to toe?" We spent days, upon days, reciting those exact words to every family member we came in contact with.

Just being in the presence of friends and family that you love and adore makes you forget about the humps in the road. I always wish I could have had more time to spend with each and every one of them. For those of you we were able to catch up with and those of you we wish we could have, we love you all and thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives and schedules to see us.

Aahhh....here we are dinning at my favorite Mexican food restaurant in AZ called La Parilla Suiza. This day we met up with HARB ( one of our B.F.F.'s that married us), his wife Teressa, Andrew's A-10 roomate in Tucson John Buske and his beautiful wife Lisa and thier baby girl. We laughed how I basically took up the whole picture like: Look at me, look at me!!! I had no S.A. that there were people behind me that needed to also be in the photo. Hhhmm...I'm sure you are all laughing right now that some things never change!! Hey, at least I can laugh at myself!

And Congrats to the Nelson family who welcomed a beautiful baby girl yesterday: Ms. Elliot Noel Nelson. We love you guys and it was great seeing you in Tucson! Give Sweet Elliot a kiss for us!

Our Cover Girl

2007-11-17T13:36:00.000-06:00

Last week I signed a contract with The Picture People for them to use Salem as a model for the holidays. It wasn't guaranteed that they were going to use her, but flattering to say the least. So, on Thursday I took a hike into San Antonio to look for a dress for the holidays, when what to my wondering eyes did appear......But beautiful pictures of my sweet, Baby Salem lined up and framed inside The Picture People!!!! Me, being the out of control mother that at I, hysterically ran in there, was screaming at the top of my lungs at Salem to look at her adorable self, was throwing things out of my purse onto the floor to get to my phone to call Andrew, realized he was flying and couldn't answer my important phone call, opted to call my mom instead, threw more things out of my purse onto to floor to get to my camera, took pictures of the pictures, and walked out of there even more ready to shop than I was 2 minutes prior to all the madness...SHEWWW!

It doesn't end there.

Then, yesterday, I hosted playgroup at my house with all my girlfriends, and one of them came across pictures of Salem inside a different store!!! OH MY GOD!!! Maybe we're on to something here. Maybe she can become rich and famous, and Andrew and I could sit around on our asses for the rest of our lives and live off her her income. What? What's wrong with banking off of your own kid? Everyone's doing it. We could live lavishly, travel to PRIMO destinations, get Nip and Tucked from all the fantastic food and wine we could eat, and never have to lift a single finger again around the house.....Aaaahhhh.....what a life.

But NO. Instead, we're stuck in a little SLICE OF HEAVEN here in New Braunfels, Texas for the next two years with not a single snow covered mountain in sight. I don't understand why Texans refer to the state they live in as heaven. If this is what heaven looks like, I definitely don't want to go there. Alaska is where I want to be. I miss it there...sigh.

Natural Bridge Caverns

2007-11-15T06:42:00.000-06:00

The bridge on the outside of the cave..where the name came from

If you are ever in the San Antonio area and looking for something to do, I highly recommend checking out the Natural Bridge Caverns. I took the kids (Salem + Andrew) there on Monday, and it was well worth it. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first...Caverns in New Braunfels, Texas, PLEASE! However, they were great and just as good as others I've seen in Utah and Colorado. If you have little ones, the only way to do it is with a hiker carrier..and that was even challenging. At some points, Andrew almost had to be on all floors to get through the low ceilings.

Salem, on the other, didn't much care for it. I think the darkness of it all, along with the rythem of Andrew carrying her, made her tired and she crashed out in the end game. Can't blame the poor kid. If I was as lucky to have someone lug me around like that, I would have fallen asleep too.

The Fern...only living thing inside the cave.

Bat dookie!

The best part about the whole experience was getting there right when they opened at 9:00 AM. We had our very own private tour and as we were leaving, lines of school buses were pulling in. I would have probably jumped over the 100 ft. railing in the cave and killed myself if I had to deal with a butt load of kids. Yikes!

13.1 Miles

2007-11-12T06:43:00.000-06:00

I did it! Yesterday I ran my first (and hopefully not my last) half marathon. I had a blast, loved every sweaty step of it, and now, it makes me want to do a full. There's always that next step to achieve. Oneday, I want to work myself up to an IronMan. Mark my word,even if it means doing it in my 30-40's..I will!

My timing was okay. Now that I know what I'm in for, I feel that I can do better next time. My total time was 1:55:46. I placed 29th in my age group, 154th out of all the women, and 590 overall (men and women). That put my average pace at an 8:58 minute mile. My original goal was 2:00, so I'm definitely pleased with my results. Having not ran that far EVER in my life, I didn't really know what to expect.

I wore a sports bar, so unfortunately ,I don't have any marathon boobie shots like Katie Holmes did last weekend. Now how in the heck did she run without a bra? I wore one and my boobs are killing me this morning. I don't care if all you have are ant hills; we, as girls, know that you still need to sport one. My goodness!

Andrew didn't catch any photos during the race, so these were all taken after. We were laughing because the whole thing looks staged with not a single other person in sight.

Noel Scissorhands

2007-11-08T12:32:00.002-06:00

Okay, it's been a few weeks since I took the plunge, so cut me a little slack on the photo. Let me just make it clear that up until almost 3 weeks ago, we hadn't trimmed our outside bushes...EVER. We have been in our home since March, our landscaping was put in in January, and it was the end of October by now; so you can only imagine what the front of our home looked like...CRAP. I was embarassed when I would be out front doing something and see a neighbor walk by. We have such a beautiful home and our yard looked ghetto. To even add to the ghettoness, we STILL have our trailer that we bought to move from AK sitting in our driveway with a HUGE FOR SALE sign on it. Andrew seems to think that it will just magically sell by sitting on our empty street with only 3 other neighbors on the entire block. Honey, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think so. If we had a vehicle that I could properly move the trailer to a for sale lot, I would do it for him.

Moving On.

I couldn't take the front yard any longer. Andrew didn't want to mess with it because really, he is lazy and afraid of what he might come across in such a jungle of a yard. He wanted to hire a crew to do it for us, but I wasn't about to pay someone $200 to spruce things up when we are perfectly capable of doing so ourselves. So, I got my ass out there and took care of business with these..... Yes, they are kitchen shears!

We don't own ANY yard tools, or other handy tools for that matter, so I did what I had to do with what I had. I really am proud of myself that I did such a thing and pat myself on the back whenever I am coming and going. People were literally driving by and watching what I was doing in their family minivans. It was by far the greatest forearm workout I have ever had.

Now if only I can get Andrew to move the damn trailer.....fat chance.

Wish you were BEER...I mean, HERE!

2007-11-05T12:03:00.000-06:00

I've never seen anything like it. More beer flows at Wurstfest than it does on college campuses during Saturday football games. And, I would have to stay, that the average age of all the wasted people were also in their 70's, not 20's. I couldn't
believe what I was seeing. Trashed grandma's and papa's livin' and partying it up! I hope that Andrew and I are that cool when we get to be that age.

Speaking of Andrew, he enjoyed himself so much, that he went back for more. He
went with his friends on Saturday, and went back with Salem and I
yesterday. He is even talking about hitting it up a few more days this
week. I honestly haven't seen him this excited over something in a very
long time. A man extremely excited over sausage...should I be worried?

Thank goodness this festival only lasts 2 weeks a year. We would go into serious
debt if it went on any longer than it does. At $25 DOLLARS per pitcher
of beer, we couldn't afford to keep up with that. Andrew, himself, went
through 6 in 2 days..you do the math; and that was just on the BEER! He
alo managed to pack in 4 sausages, cheese sticks, and bread pudding.
Salem, I must admit, loved Wurstfest too. She loved the music and also found her daddy pretty entertaining. We took her to a puppet show and she ran around with Knox while all the parents stood back and slammed beers. I'm pretty sure that you could
only find something like this in Texas. Maybe if I was from here, I
wouldn't be as weirded out as I am. Do you think? All you Texans out
there explain this to me!

I'll keep you in the loop if Andrew makes it back there this week!
Otherwise, SALUTE TO SAUSAGE!!!

Salem and her daddy flirting at the puppet show together!

Wurstfest Run, Purses, and X-Mas

2007-11-03T12:50:00.000-05:00

Random. I have been promising my mom pictures of a purse I bought for her for weeks, along with the cards I made for her for Christmas to send out to people. Hope you like them Momma!

Along with all of that, I did a Annual 5 mile Sausagefest Run this morning! Wurstfest is finally here which makes everyone in this huge sausage and beer craze-faze. For all the runners, they had free sausages and ALL YOU COULD DRINK FOR FREE (yes, you heard it right) BEER starting at 8 am this morning. I wish I would have taken pictures of all these tired/sweaty runners standing in line waiting for their beers. I couldn't bring myself to do such a thing. After 5 miles, all I wanted was some water.

My girlfriend, Janelle (a.k.a. Knox's Mommy), ran it with me and kicked my ass. I set a goal for 45 and ran it in 41 ....so, I was pretty happy with that. Next week is the 1/2 marathon; which I am totally DREADING by the way.

We are heading back to the Wurstfest festivities this weekend, so stay tuned for a crap ton of drunken photos of various random people. Hopefully I'll be able to capture a few classics!

Indians, Tigers, Dragons, Monkeys, Kittens, and Skunks....OH MY!

2007-11-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

Halloween was fun and Salem was the life of the neighborhood block party. She ran, laughed, laughed, and ran, for 3 hours straight. She doesn't try to get into anything, but more or less just enjoys running back and fourth. Some of the kids were crying because they didn't want to wear their costumes, Knox threw up from eating too many treats, others were sitting in spilt beer that their drunken parents spilled, one was eating play-doh that was being handed out, and Salem was..just running! What isn't there to love about halloween...seriously?

only months ago