A (Sparkling Cider) Toast

...to my husband.
This month marks his ten year anniversary with Goodman's Landscape.
Ten years ago when he quit his union job with crazy benefits, retirement, and blah blah blah other perks, to go answer phones for this landscaping company - I thought I was about to be engaged to a nut.

Ten years later - I think he is the most brilliant man that ever lived.

In ten years he has never once come home and said, "I hate this job..."
He has done nothing but educate himself and challenge himself to be better - and he IS - the best.

In ten years he has made some very good friends, had some heartbreaks, some set backs, many laughs, a lot of good meals and good company.
Many of his employees feel like members of our extended family.

In ten years he has put in more hours than I can possibly count.

He has been so fortunate to have a boss that believes in him, and trusts him endlessly. David has invested in him many times over, and been very generous in imparting his business savvy.

I have many times referred to him as a workaholic. It is nearly impossible to get him to take a vacation. But I think, even more impressive than his ability to design and sell landscape - is the fact that IN TEN YEARS - he has never even ONCE called in sick!!!

...to this, and to ten more years... I say... SALUD!

among several others

one of my excuses is that we have all been sick.

Today my son - clearly fully affected by a head cold, said to me,
"Mommy, you hear that something in my ear?"

"No, son, what is it?"

"It is a drum, drumming"

"There is no drum in your ear" (let's not confuse the issue - he is two)

"Mommy, you hear that something?"

"No, son, what is it?"

"A ghost ... in my ear"

Costco in September

...is no fun at all with a toddler.
He busted out all of the vocabulary that his tiny brain contains today:
"Please, Mommy"
"I want that"
"Please"
"I have that!"
"Over there, over there, over there!!"
"I need that train"
"Please, Mommy"
"Put it in the car, Mommy"
"Open the box"
"My Daddy... My Daddy... I want my Daddy"
"Please Mommy"
"I want that train..."

My Princess is 7 and some very bad news

Let us dispense with the horrifying news first.
My father-in-law, who is a wonderful person to put together a birthday photo collage for each of the 20+ members of our family... and sometimes anniversaries, too, did not know that I have been having a hard time finding the right words to tell you...
Bun Bun was murdered earlier this week.

I would like to make some ironic comment about his passing, but it was absolutely horrible. Karina was as white as a sheet when she witnessed a large gray tabby cat from the neighborhood... well. You know. Traumatic for me to even help her through, let alone the fact that she saw it.

Speedy is already here, otherwise, I would be adamant that there are NO MORE PETS allowed into this home. I think I made my case for "no more rabbits" at least.

To memorialize Bun Bun, I would like you to know that he was a really funny rabbit. He could not stand us (the adults), but loved the kids, especially JJ. He loved junk food. (he would carefully pick all of the "candy" or yummy stuff out of his alfalfa pellets)
He loved cool mornings. You could find him hopping around and playing in his yard. A couple of times I witnessed him grabbing one of JJ's trucks and flipping it into the air. He actually played with toys. This year the garden was over run with tomatoes, and we cherished every pepper that came up. Bun Bun never touched a tomato leaf, but ate every single stinkin' pepper plant to the ground. BunBun the Wonder Rabbit, you will be missed.

(See BunBun pictured above... just a few days ago)

But I digress...
Today is Karina's birthday.
She is a very special little girl.
She is the apple of our eye.
She is in first grade at an awesome school, with a fantastic teacher.
She is reading like a pro. She is in charge of reading our FHE lessons (preferably from our VeggieTales book)
She gets 100 percent on every spelling test - just like Mommy.
She is a true artist with a love of drawing - just like Daddy.
She is the best big sister that any annoying baby brother could ever have.
I would even go out on a limb and say that her baby brother is her best friend, which is truly exactly what I wanted for them.
She is so creative. Recently she designed her own earrings (looping beaded string entirely around her ear) for people that do not have pierced ears, and then wore them to Costco (SOOO opposite from me!)
She announced that she really wants to be a fashion designer like the people on the "Clothes making Show" (Project Runway). Which does make me very proud. (It may be in her genes - Tita is a trained seamstress)
Oh, and don't tell Daddy, he still dreams that she will take over the family business someday
She is a soccer player (new season starts in a few weeks)
She is too embarrassed to wear the Kai Lan shirt that I bought for her, but secretly loves watching Nick Jr. with her brother.

I think overall the most important thing about my daughter that impresses me to no end is her love for her brother. He has hit a super super annoying stage. He can be so bad to her, it is literally on the verge of torture. (that is a whole other Oprah - I THINK he misses her and is just trying to get attention - reminds me of some other ginormous baby we have living in this house. Because seriously - he is home without her all day long, with no competition and could care less about any of her toys or her art work, but the minute she walks in the door - No Holds Barred). No matter what horrible thing he does to her, (don't get me wrong... there is a LOT of crying, whining and gnashing of teeth on her part...) she loves him beyond measure. She is very brave, quick to forgive and easily forgets where he is concerned. She is always ready to stick up for him, and make sure he gets his fair dues. I don't just love that about her, I really admire her. So does her brother...

Karina is Daddy's "Princess Daughter". She may be his polar opposite most of the time. But he knows how much she adores him. She is the ONLY one that will sit still through all of his "bed time stories". She deserves a medal just for that. He is bringing home an impressive present for his princess today. She still does not know about the surprise (so don't spoil it) but he got her a new (to us) Quad... for camping. She is going to be OVER THE MOON!.

I made her a t-shirt.

Overall, I could not be more proud of our Buds. I would have ten more just like her if I could.

Speedy Gonzalez

He is eating "a whole buncha mice guts".
JUST KIDDING (thanks Home Alone)
its shredded zucchini
and yes, that is a string on his back, another failed attempt at locating him in the dark. He had it off five minutes later. Nobody knows how...

This Post is Not for The Faint of Heart

or my neighbors...

Glendale credit union hit by robber on Tuesday

I emailed this link to my husband.
This credit union is walking distance (my kind of walking distance - less than a half mile) from our house.
Disturbing.
What is this neighborhood coming to?

An employee and good friend of my husband's told him that while he patiently waited in line at my Fry's (right across the street from my community), the bank branch inside the store was quietly robbed while he watched.

So my husband responds to my email:
(and I quote...)
By the way, the description sounds familiar who do I know that’s 5’9” heavy set build with prescription glasses in his 30’s?

What this Picture Says to Me:

blame my grandparents...

if possible...

This is how I would like to remember them forever
hard to make out because it was taken with my camera phone.
They are waiting for the "ding dong" microwave oatmeal before school this morning.

Happy Anniversary Husband, Dear

Happy Anniversary Husband, Dear.
Happy Days will come to you all year.
If I had a wish then it would be... another thirty years for you and me.

Nine years since that sweltering day in August when we were married.

You are still pretty cute, but you are a much better, and far far more annoying husband than you were nine years ago.

love you mucho, love wife

Not to Be Outdone

So it is 11 a.m. and I am ready for this day to be over.
Where should we start?
First off.
This is my daughter.She insisted on starting first grade today.
I was like, "Buds, you already know how to read, you don't need to go to school!... Please? Mommy will give you candy and take you to the park if you stay home instead?"
She insisted that by law she was required to attend first grade.
Whatever.

Then I went for a little retail therapy. Let me just say that I have spent a lot of time and a lot of money trying to save money on new MODEST school clothes. I seriously was a little annoyed at how much money I saved in shopping today. I bought a ton of junk on clearance.
I should have waited until school started in the first place.
Then. I call the dentist about the filling that I am supposed to get today.
(my first filling in about fifteen years).
I thought that they were ripping me off. The office manager insists that she is charging me correctly according to the fee schedule provided by my own insurance company. It is not until I say, "ok, well, I want to cancel my appointment, I appreciate your help, but I am going to find another dentist..."
"well, wait just a moment, Mrs. Gonzalez, let me check something. Oh. wait. I see here that you are only supposed to pay... (an amount LESS THAN HALF of what she was going to charge thirty seconds earlier!)"
uh. Now I don't even want you to do the work because I don't want crooks drilling holes in my face?

Then. I come home, drag in the groceries and try to switch the laundry before I put them away. When the phone rings I walk back into the kitchen to find JJ squatted on the floor...
with a heavy metal meet tenderizer

and a DOZEN and a HALF brand new extra large eggs. the evidence(JJ ashamed of what he did)

Then. I go into the office to post these pics to blog, of course. This day could not get any better, right? I go to reach for the little shoebox where I keep all of my cords and nonessential electronics junk.
Serendipity.
six inches from my mouse.
The cord for the pink dvd player. We have gone on two painfully LONG car trips without the (very expensive) pink dvd player
because I (Mommy) "cooooooouldn't fiiiiiiiind it. I loooooooooK eveRYwhere" (imagine a very whiny six year old little girl voice that we often imitate when things are "missing" around here)

I am going to take a nap. Hopefully the bed is still where I left it.

Something About The Way You Look Tonight

I really did plan on defaulting to funny. Then I thought to look up this song on youtube...
Then I forgot what I was thinking and got blubbery instead...
Remember this post from two years ago?
Fifty Bucks and Something to Drink

21st Century baby

This is how you know that you are raising a baby in the 21st century.

JJ's word for coins that he finds around the house:
"Mama, this is my 'thousand'"
not my penny... those are worthless...

From the back seat of the truck:
"Daddy, dot com! put it on! dot com!"
Guero turns to me and says, "what does he want?"
both Karina and I respond in unison:
"the radio"
after all, what do you hear THE MOST on the radio - commercials that end in "dot com"

Heaven forbid he sees the golden arches
"Mama, look right there - go right! go right! chicken nuggets! french fries!"

After a solid twenty minutes of silence in the car, he pipes up and says,
"Mommy, hot dog"
I looked over to Guero to make some comment about lunch, and of course - totally unexpectedly - we are passing a Costco.
All of my best friends know - Friday is Costco day. Or as my mother-in-law would call it, "our date with the hotdog"
I just said to Guero, "our boy knows how to read"
how else would you like to explain that commercialized marketing has even penetrated his two year old little brain. The basic red font on a brown brick building = hot dog.

...and don't let me forget. In the most recent developments in JJ's little life, the last vestige of being a baby is gone. I can't tell you what that was, because he, too is very embarrassed about it. We have also started working on potty training. If I lose JJ, the only baby I will have left is that grizzly bear that sleeps next to me.

A for Effort

In an attempt to not hurt my feelings, Karina just dug herself a hole.

I just told Guero that I was asked two weeks ago to teach Karina's Primary class. No problem. But when Guero found out, he said, "What about me?! Why didn't they ask me?!"

I know him.
I know why he wants to get the chance to teach those poor defenseless children. If you are one of his younger siblings... you also know why he wants to teach that class.

I think his motto is, "its no fun to pick on people your own size."
besides... its hard to find people his own size that don't mind being picked on.

So, as I was just putting Karina to sleep, I asked
"who do you want to teach you class? Mommy or Daddy?"

I can see her little wheels turning.
"well, the last time you taught my class... YOU EMBARRASSED me!"

oh. well.
by all means.
we cannot have that happen again.
we better have Daddy teach the class.

That'll teach her.

Count your Blessings

Yesterday I had a terrible, awful, no good, very bad day.Don't ask.
It was just bad.

It was not until the VERY end of the day that I literally ran out of the house to run two errands. Mind you, I never ever leave the house that late in the day (minutes before husband is supposed to arrive). We are very much morning people around here. My day just did not give me a chance to run early morning errands in the morning.The point is: my day was over. I did not expect the universe to tell me anything... for the Spirit to testify anything to me... to be touched whatsoever.As I rounded the corner for home I noticed this:That is the odometer on my nearly 11 year old car. I half expected to hear "ding ding ding", see flashing lights, and have coins rain out of the a/c vents. But no, just a happy number on an unlucky day that was starting to really turn around.

Looking up from my odometer I saw this... something I have been waiting to see for more than three months. Rain. on my windshield Such a welcomed site.
All the while... I was parked in front of this building... snapping photos like a crazy lady. Is this some sort of sign?
Please recall this blog post about my Dodge
Dearest Dodge, you have been better to me than I have deserved. I promise to replace you only in case of necessity for there is no "upgrade" for perfection.
Just a few oil changes, one set of new tires, two trips to San Diego, one radiator and 9,427 more miles since that last post nearly two years ago.The cherry on top was this guy took the ride with me. He didn't even mind that I was listening to my favorite a.m. radio show on the way home.

Count your blessings, name them one by one...

Where did I go wrong?

It all started with a certain "Spirit Week" at Karina's school.
You will recall this post... when I attempted to explain to Karina that despite her reservations - Mommy lived the 80's - and we all looked this ridiculous.

Since then, there have been some red flags.
The first... the side pony has reared it's ugliness on her cute little head over and over again.

The second... when I observed (the beginning of another concern - her possible inherited OCD) Karina sitting on her bed sorting about 100 thousand seed beads into individual plastic containers by size and color.

She showed me, "This is the cup for the '80's beads'".
I looked inside, and saw - some wooden beads that looked like they were decorated with hieroglyphics. ? She is confused?

Today was another day that I could not contain a spontaneous guffaw.

"Mom, did they have carriages in the 80's?"
mind you - this child knows fully well that the 80's = Mommy's childhood.

"Uh, what is a carriage, Buds?"
hoping that she could redeem herself.

"You know, like a carriage... with horses".

You know my motto: "It is never too late to start spanking."

BUDDY

I do love surveys. Maybe I just love contests which might explain my fascination with reality television. For clarification - I don't like to participate - too much anxiety - I prefer to watch.

So ten points to whomever can guess JJ's new favorite movie?
A hint: he has renamed it "Buddy".

They moved Sky Harbor?

Last night we came home from dinner with family at 8:30p.m. (that is at least 30 minutes past the bedtime of 75 % of the people in this house)

I said to Karina, "go upstairs and hang up your bathing suit and your towel. We are leaving early in the morning for swim." (her first day!)

"I have swim tomorrow?"

"yes, early"

"but then how are we going to have time to go to Florida?"

me - looking very surprised, on the verge of a great big laugh...
"What?!"

"You saaaaaid that we have to pick up Grandpa tomorrow!"

me - unable to contain my laughter any longer...

"From the airport!!"

Never say Never

I'm a genius.

Due in large part to the "chore chart" that I made up for FHE last night - which includes - "play a game with brother - no fighting".

I just heard this from the kitchen,
"Hi Sis"
"Hi Brother, go get your diaper changed, 'cause Sissy is gonna play a game with you as soon as I am done emptying the dishwasher".

Return to Sender

To Whom it May Concern,

Enclosed you will find a product purchased at your giant retail box store. I bought a set of these Lincoln Logs, and this happy thing came out.

I would appreciate a full refund.

Regards,
Your Loyal Customer.

p.s.
Guero wrote this post on his own, which I enjoy.
I also note that he has been listening to All Elvis All the Time on XM, hence the title. ick.

Dear XM,

If you cancel "All Elvis All the Time", and replace it with "All ABBA All The Time" - I will voluntarily sleep in the doghouse.

Regards,
Mrs. Gonzalez

I Still Got It

I was concerned that I might have lost the ability to be as slothful as a teenager after an all-night study session...

much to my amazement... I have discovered - I still got it.

Many thanks to my wonderful husband for making Mother's Day special. He and Karina made me breakfast in bed, he got the kids ready for church entirely by himself... when JJ screamed all through the Sacrament that he wanted to go "door" or "for a walk" - Guero took him out. He made lunch, and cleaned up afterward.

He was not then, forced to wake up with JJ twice in the middle of the night, but paid the price this morning when he had to iron his own clothes, and apparently went to work with no lunch because I did not wake up at all (until after he was gone, and I ran around the house with one eye open looking for him at 445 in the a.m.) I am going to blame that on Mother's Day, too.

During this time, I crocheted, listened to some books, napped, played on the computer, and got lost in a time warp that I have missed since before being a mom.

I have a wonderful husband and great kids. It was a good Mother's Day.

Mirror, Mirror

Time to tell something embarrassing about myself...

Neither vanity, nor aesthetic, nor peer pressure has ever coerced me into giving my eyebrows a second glance.

HOWEVER, a dastardly gray hair (my first ever gray hair) repeatedly returns to my right eyebrow... and I turn into Joan Crawford.

Pinching your Pennies?

I have a survey for you.

But, first, the setup:
We are humble folks. If not for the fact that I spent a great deal of my time attempting to save us money... I probably would be working instead of posting to my blog.

We don't have a lot of money, so I pinch every penny that I can.
Who knows how I acquired it, but I have a mental image of Hugh Hefner. No doubt this was so shocking to me, I would have put it on the prime time news.

He was sitting in a hot tub, in his well-known smoking jacket... smoking a cigar made of rolled up bills... twenties? Fifties? Does it matter?

This has now become a metaphor to me for a colossal waste of money. When I see an opportunity to spend in such an irresponsible way, I have been known to say, "why don't we just roll it up and smoke it?"

I don't vacuum up pennies.
I don't use CoinStar (they take a percentage to count it, and I'd rather roll it myself)
I don't buy things that I KNOW I have a coupon for... I am nauseated by the idea that I could have saved a little more.

I pinch pennies.

So here is the poll:
How much money would have to be in a poop FILLED diaper for you to be motivated to "save" that currency?

Apparently twelve cents is NOT ENOUGH.
one dime. two pennies. Not digested... just added "after market" if you will.

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
...nor his Mastiff.
Guero taught an impromptu lesson on Sunday, and chose the topic of "The Ten Commandments".
It was a good lesson, but apparently this guy doesn't look enough like an ox, or a "donkey", thank goodness he doesn't look like the neighbor's wife, or I would be in trouble.

Motif: Recycled Mod

So, apparently "People" came to talk to the kids at school about Recycling.

Karina walked in the door on a mission to rid our family of all of it's bad habits.

The first thing that must stop, Immediately:
No more throwing paint and gasoline down the kitchen sink.
She told me (I was completely unaware before) that the kitchen sink water goes into the ocean and all of the paint and gasoline chokes the fishes and they die. She told me this as she grabbed her throat with two hands and dramatically fell backwards onto the couch.

From now on - I am throwing all of my paint and gasoline away in the neighbors trash can.

Second, she informed me that she is going to take the recycle can and all of it's contents to her room. From now on we can throw all of that stuff into the can... in her room. She can, "USE THAT STUFF, Mom!"
She can make "toys and art projects".
"Like what, Buds?"
"Like I can take that milk container and put my bouncy ball in it, then I can shake it like this (she demonstrates) and it will make a noise, and that will be fun for me and JJ."

From now on - I do not purchase toys or anything else that might contribute to the overfilling of the City of Glendale landfill - I give my kids garbage. Do not pass go - I am loading the trash (apparently) straight in their rooms. Let them figure it out.

Sounds good to me. I love it when I can learn something new from my kids.

Crabtree and Evelyn

a brief quiz:
What is Crabtree and Evelyn bar soap good for?
a. reminding you that you stayed at the Hilton and pilfered a few bars to put in the upstairs bathroom (can't leave it in the guest bathroom - then all the guests would "know".)
b. making you feel less like a mama that has pushed out a litter and now can't hold it through the night, and a little more fancy at 2 a.m.
c. getting gum out of your six-year-old's hair.
d. all of the above.

If you guessed "d" - you were right!
here is your prize!
If your six-year-old mysteriously emerges from her bedroom with no less than a WAD of gum attached to no less than HALF her head...
put her head in the bathroom sink, scrub the wad with your best bar of Crabtree and Evelyn soap... (silently grumble about how you can't believe you are "wasting" the good soap on this)
rinse
repeat

it totally worked.

What Dreams May Come

I have probably been too tired lately to remember my dreams in the morning.

This morning I woke up laughing to myself a little.

I am now more fully convinced that dreaming is the brain's way of working out whatever is on your mind from the day before.

So here is the riddle.
WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING?!?

(remember - this was JUST A DREAM!)
In the dream, I was clearly observing a backroom, totally illegal, inappropriate transaction happen - where all illegal and inappropriate things begin... Wal-Mart.

I dreamt that I was in MY local Wal-Mart, when in walked a scraggly looking Rod Blagojevich, with his family in tow. I was a little star struck.

Then (an un-named) member of my local school board approached him, and said,
"Hey, Blag-o!, What's goin' on? Listen. We have our three guys, (other members of the school board) We need two more guys. You wanna be on the board with us?"

To which, Rod Blagojevich, disgraced former Governor of the state of Illinois, replied, "Yea, Man, is it a big school district?"

The board member then asked him, "Ok, we just need one more guy to get the votes. Do you know anybody that wants the job?"

"Oh, yea, my buddy is waiting in the car"

(so Rod Blagojevich whips out his cell phone, and calls his buddy... presumably to join him in the store)

I stood right there in the front entrance, observing... halfway between the registers and the day old pastries, hoping this would be another celebrity citing!

Then (with all of the "hollywood" of a movie set) cue the spotlights, and the wind machine, with the choreographed obnoxious swagger... in comes Donald Trump."

(yes, this will be reclassified as a nightmare, but in the meantime - it just cracked me up - how "disturbed" I must be?)

Carly

Carly The Cottontail b. a few weeks ago, d. April 6, 2010

A Eulogy:
Our Beloved Carly the Cottontail passed on today. Found under a garbage can at a customer's home, Daddy brought her home in the pocket of his shirt.
Carly lived in the virtual Eden that is our backyard. She partook of the finest cuisine that Pratt's Feed had to offer. She slept on the finest linens with fluffy cotton ball pillows that were hand stapled by Karina... a true artiste. Dearest Carly was called to the grassy, dandelion filled fields of the great beyond yesterday - some time after we left for school but before we came home.
A graveside service was held in her honor where Daddy buried her next to the vegetable garden. She was interred with all of the possessions she held most dear.
The appropriate mourning period was observed with seemingly endless tears, the grief broken only by the free "day after Easter" mylar balloons at Fry's, and the gift of "you can pick anything you want for dinner". A feast of pizza and wings was held in Carly's honor.
In lieu of flowers, we are asking for donations as her grave marker was promptly stolen, and eaten by a dastardly BunBun.
Dear Carly, Rest In Peace.

I could cry...

The bad: It means that summer is VERY near.

The awesome!: Summer Movie Fun schedule is HERE! (tickets go on sale in April, OF COURSE I will be buying en masse - I will let you know when)
Looks like a good line up. But showing the same movie two summers in a row is kind of a rip?

If you live in Arizona, you are a Mommy of little ones, and are so cheap you squeak - you get it.

Let me know what day you want to go - I am taking a poll. I regret to inform: if it is available, I think I am doing Fridays this year.

Elder Barnum and Elder Bailey

They are going to be my new Home Teachers
(very sad that our current home teacher is in fact moving)

They are probably the only ones that could appreciate all the color that has gone up in my house. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

Honestly, I am not sure if I should be forthcoming with pictures. I might humiliate myself.

Like... Totally

No thanks to you Elementary School Student Council, no doubt, for making me feel so darn old.

Karina has spirit week this week.

Today was 80's day.

"Mom, what does 80's day mean?"

"It means that you have to dress up like Mommy when Mommy was a kid."

"Don't worry, Buds, I have it all planned out. I even bought you a few things at the store today."

I laid out her outfit this morning (just as I always do).

She looked at it really incredulously.

"Uh, mom. That is silly"

"Buds, seriously, I don't have time to argue. Put it on. Trust me. I was there (in the 80's)."

She pouted through the morning. She fought me tooth and nail on every piece of the outfit... saying that it was embarrassing and silly.

in the car, on the way to school...
"Buds, I promise you - every single girl at school that dressed up today for 80's day is going to be wearing leggings, a fluffy skirt, (their basketball shoes - because her look TOTALLY 80's), lots of plastic jewelry, and a side pony with a big bow"

TRUST ME!

We pulled up to the curb to drop her off. As we were inching our way up to the gate, I swear I counted no less than twelve girls wearing the SAME THING that I just described. I pointed them out loudly, and made my daughter hi-five me twice.

"See. Mommy was LIKE, TOTALLY there."

News of the Day

...bad news for the bathroom upstairs: JJ sat the potty this morning. He sat on the potty and peed on the floor. ? Little boys?

... good news for the bathroom downstairs: it is so nice to enjoy a fresh new bathroom. I find myself in there even when I don't have to be. (pictures to come, as soon as the shiny new baseboards are installed)

...bad news for Cox. We are attempting a little experiment during this construction period. No t.v. downstairs. I have a dvr upstairs practically bursting at the seams. Please don't spoil Amazing Race for me, thanks.

...good news for XM. We have been listening to satellite radio non-stop for days downstairs.

... bad news for the office: I cannot clean you. You are a black hole for time and space and all things productive.

...good news for the ancestors. Family history work has been amazing lately. Every time I go to clean the office, I find somebody new!

Whats Good?

...Karina is going on a fun field trip today.
... My husband makes sense, even when his point of view is hard to accept.
... Mom is safe, even if she is not having her surgery today.
... JJ cannot possibly die from a runny nose, a low-grade fever and being whiny.
... I am willing to bet money that if I walked outside, stuck my key in the ignition - the car would start. No questions asked.
... When Guero gets home from work, he will install our very first official vegetable garden. We already have the plants, and the plants are already producing the very best cherry tomatoes I have ever had.
... we have official legitimate 72 hour kits. Even if I did decide to invest, instead of gathering over time.
... Elder Done, whether honestly or not, told me that I made the best turkey he had ever tasted.

The bad news: I might have to do this every day.

Seriously Cute

This is one seriously cute kid
and now he is TWO!

Joseph Jonah was born two years ago (yesterday).

Things JJ loves:
Da-eee (that big stinky guy that keeps coming back here)
Es-sitzee (smaller, cuter, better smelling kid - also keeps coming back here)
Gogurt (any kind of yogurt... three times a day - is that bad?)
Twucks
ow-side (where many muddy things happen)
free rides (when he is too lazy to climb the stairs himself)
his own artwork
bun bun - their new bunny
bob bob - that brain-sucking sponge on t.v.
3 o'clock - when Sissy gets home to more important things - like baby brother time.
That big blue sucking machine with the fancy lights and buttons.
JJ loves Ga-wama and Tita House. Ga-wama means playing toys and putting on a show to entertain her, Tita House is full of a lot of fun stuff to break.
singing! - JJ loves to sing. He is learning new words everyday, but a little slow to speak. That does not stop him from belting out the hits.
He favors us with such classics as:
Bingle Bells
Happy Day (toddler-ese for that birthday song)
jibberish, and hand-rolling to the tune of "Do as I'm Doing"
Many many thanks to his nursery leaders for helping in that effort.

Things JJ hates:
stinky diapers.
running out of milk
missing a nap
being told "no"
When Daddy leaves for work.

We all love our Ton Boy! We wish he would stop growing up so fast!

Remember Christmas?

Well besides
shopping, wrapping, scrubbing, cooking, cleaning, baking, delivering, sleeping, decorating, organizing, returning, re-wrapping, re-gifting, reading, and relaxing, I accomplished a few things.These are my thank you cards for the WHOLE year. So, if you do anything wonderful... well, I know I am going to run out.
This was going to be my everyday card for the WHOLE year, I don't love them, though. So they will probably never make it to the mailbox, but I made a bunch.
I crocheted a border on a newborn bib, a baby bib and a burp cloth (for a darling friend that I have way more in common with then I could have imagined). I wish that you could see that better -but the fabric is dang cute? right?
which, btw - if you have a baby girl in the next twenty years - you might be the lucky recipient of one of these, too!! (oh who am I kidding - you people are reproducing like bunnies?!) I also read almost all of this great book. I highly recommend it, but it is PG-13... so buyer beware.

I did some other things, too (like made a darling nativity scene craft, and made a very sophisticated shepherd costume for JJ) that I wanted to show off, but even I am making MYSELF nauseous.

Good News, Husband

Alec Baldwin finds marrying younger woman unappealing

no point in linking to the article, it makes him sound like an even bigger dummy.