Happy Birthday Taylor!

We hope you have a wonderful day. May your next year be great as well! We love you!

Through the eyes of a child...

Bug received a kid friendly digital camera for Christmas this year. Here are a few of the pictures she took! She really liked taking self portraits.

Christmas Cheer

Tonight we attended a wonderful Christmas party. I had so much fun! There were lots of friendly faces, and nice toasty fires. Not to mention that Santa was there too!!! Bug was very excited earlier when we mentioned Santa, but when he arrived, she froze up and didn't even want to be in the same room. But bear took right to Santa and had a nice little chat with him. The kids all had a blast playing together too. It's occassions like this that make the holidays so special. Thank you Jeremy and Taylor, for inviting us and for hosting such a great party. We love you!

Oh, The Holidays...

This just proves that the Holidays can be stressful on everyone... Young and old!

Happy Holidays!!!

I've been working really hard on putting together a Christmas site for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately I didn't get it completely finished, and with Christmas so close, I figured I had better just give you what I had. I hope that by next Christmas, I will have everything done on it. Here you go... Christmas 2006!

A Good Time!

Today my parents called and offered to take the kids for the night. We agreed since this will probably be the last time before Christmas to get a break. But instead of just shipping the kids away, I decided it would be nice for all of us to go do something fun. We invited them up to go to the aquarium with us, and then over to Gardner Village to see the Christmas lights. The aquarium was great like always, and since Mom and Dad had never been there, it was a treat for them as well. The aquarium added a new section, where you can pet other animals instead of just the stingrays. You can pet Horseshoe crabs, urchins, starfish, and sea cucumbers.

Of course Bug had Papa tied up at the tide pool, petting the rays, but the rest of us enjoyed the other exibits. Bear was running around naming everything he could. I think we all had fun. We practically had to drag Bug away from the tide pool so we could go see Christmas lights. Then, her shirt was soaked, so we stripped her down outside and then put her dry sweatshirt on. We got over to Gardner Village and walked through, glancing into the stores, (which are not a good idea to enter with children...)

Then we looked at all the Elves and the pretty lights. When we were finished, we walked everyone back to the truck and gave the kids loves goodnight and then sent them on to Papa and Grandma's house. After that, Jeff and I headed back to the fudge shop. There were so many kinds to choose from, but if you bought 1 lb. you got 1/4 lb. for free. So we finally picked out what we wanted. Well worth the price since it's such a rare treat. I think we all had a great night!

Take 2:

I finally convinced Jeff to get the kids' pictures done again. But first I called the studio to find out if they had the disks. They told me no, and then they told me that they wont do them anymore because the company that makes them went bankrupt. But they said that if I brought in my own disk, they could make it for me. So that's what we did. Unfortunately I didn't make an appointment this time. We did a walk in. So we had to wait through 2 appointments. We were waiting for over an hour and the kids were bored, tired, and hungry all at once. They were whining and wiggling, and I thought "This is going to be another nightmare!" Then we were finally called back for our turn. Amazingly it went so well! The kids smiled like pros and we accepted our very first picture. There was only one pose that had to be retaken a couple times, but it was only because Bug wasn't looking at the camera. I bet we were done in 10 minutes! I am much happier with these pictures. I wish every photo session was this easy!

What A Disaster!

I have been waiting for weeks to get the kids' Christmas pictures done. But it seems that every opportunity was taken away by something like an illness or the wrong type of photo package on sale. Well finally I got tired of it. Even though we all still have a cold, I decided that the kids were well enough to get a portrait done. We had originally planned on doing it last night, but I called the studio about 7 times and they never answered the phone. Bug was very disappointed! First thing this morning I called the studio to ask about an open appointment. I called a studio that was a little further away, because we had plans of buying the photo disk so that I could make some address labels. We dressed the kids and when I tried to curl Bug's hair, it failed miserably. So I fixed it the best I could, and off we went.

We arrived at the studio and I signed us in. I asked the lady if they had the disks, and sure enough, she said "NO". Oh wonderful! That was the whole reason for coming to this studio! We went ahead with the appointment. We had to take the first picture about 6 times. After all, your first accepted pose is the one you get in your package, and I wanted it to be soooo cute. Unfortunately my kids had other plans. They would not smile, or if they did it was one of the cheesy teeth grinding fake smiles. Finally we got one that looked "ok" so I said yes to it. We then took the other 6 poses which of course turned out better, they always do. The studio changed their package this year, so instead of paying the sale price, we had to pay 20 extra dollars because the package didn't include the 10X13 that we keep for ourselves.

Usually I leave the studio so excited for the pictures to come back... This time, I don't really care all that much. They didn't turn out that great. And I didn't get my disk. I actually suggested that we take them to a different studio and just do the regular package again so I could get the disk, but I don't think Jeff will do it. I hope he at least considers it. I'll even call it my "Christmas present" from him. After we got home, both the kids decided it would be fun to get an attitude from Hell! Bug was screaming at Bear, stomping her feet, slamming doors and trying to tip Bear's chair over. Bear is breaking toys, shouting, and just being a rowdy little boy! To top it all off, I still have a severe cold and I am so tired if it. I can't breathe, or sleep, my throat hurts, and I can't stop coughing. I am so ready for tonight to be over now!

Turkey Dinner

Our Thanksgiving was great! We had way too much food, which is how it should be. There was turkey, and pies, munchies of all kinds, and even homemade eggnog! Yum! Everyone had a nice time, and the weather was great early in the day. The kids got some sunshine. It was just REALLY cold. The only bad part is that Bear and I are both sick with a bad cold. That was no fun, but at least it wasn't the flu!

Holidays = Family

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Holidays are for spending time with your family. Everyone needs to slow down, take a break from the chaos of the season and enjoy the people that you love, and whom love you as well. We know all too well that everyday could be our last and how tragic it would be if we missed it! Leave the shopping for another day and spend a nice evening inside a warm house, with your loved ones and some yummy food! Don't let life pass you by. Happy Holidays everyone, I love you!

Holiday outfits

Today we went shopping and we picked up the kids' outfits for Christmas pictures. We always get them a new outfit a couple weeks before we get the pictures done. We found a cute 3 piece outfit for Bear right away, but we were having a little trouble finding one for Bug. I was planning on getting her a nice sweater, but when we went to buy one, I found one I liked but they didn't have her size. They had cute little sweater dresses, which I'm sure she'd be adorable in, but they weren't really festive. So we went to another store and we found some fancy little dresses for not too much. They had one which I loved! It was a red silky dress, no sleeves, and it had a red velvety jacket that just covered the chest and it has white "fur" on the cuffs and collar. I wanted her to get that one, she would have looked like a lil Mrs. Claus. But instead we let her pick it out and she didn't pick that one... But she picked a beautiful Burgundy dress with a sash and a "diamond" buckle on it. The bottom of the dress has a sheer burgundy overlay with flowers on it. She looks gorgeous in it. Bear's outfit is tan khaki pants, a cream colored turtleneck and a blue zip sweater that goes over it with snowflakes on it. Very handsome! Now I just hope that they cooperate when we get the pictures done so that it will be as cute as they are! To be continued...

I WANT THAT!!!!

Bug and Bear are getting very excited for Christmas this year. Bug has Christmas music playing in her room all day everyday! She woke up yesterday and looked out of her window. Suddenly she came running out of her room yelling "Mommy it snowed!! Can we go outside and make a snowman?" I was a little confused, because although I didn't doubt that it had snowed, I highly doubted that it had snowed that much. I took a quick look out the window and there was no snow on the grass, and only a teeny tiny dusting on the ivy in the backyard. I explained to her that there definitely wasn't enough snow to make a snowman or any other type of snow creature.

Lately the T.V. has been playing all the new toy commercials trying to give the parents a hint of what to get the kids. When one of these commercials come on, one or both of the kids will yell out "I want that!". At first it was kinda cute, the way they'd get all excited and their faces would light up with the biggest smile. Okay, cute, yes... But after 5 minutes straight of listening to "I want that Mommy, can I have it, I want it." It get's kinda irritating. My reaction is the same everytime. Maybe if you're good, Santa will bring it for you. Then they got smart on me... "Mommy, if Santa doesn't bring it for me, will you buy it for me?" Are you kidding me?!?!?!?! They're not even 5 years old yet and they know that old line? Man, I'm in big trouble! So then I take a look at the toy in question, and usually it's something either not age appropriate, too big to fit in the house, way to expensive, or just plain useless. I usually tell them that they don't need it, they already have something just like it, I don't have that much money, or "I'll think about it."

I think this Christmas is going to be alot of fun though. Bug is now at the age where Christmas really is magical and she can understand the whole plot of it now. Bear isn't far behind though, he's been running around the house, dancing and singing "Santa Claus is coming to town." Christmas is my favorite holiday. It always has been. I think it was a little annoying to everyone around me when I was younger, and even now. I am always the one that pushes everyone into the holiday spirit, even when they want to be scrooges. I decorate early, and leave it up late. And my kids are just like me! I brought their little Christmas tree in from the garage. I had no intention of setting it up for display. However, the kids were playing with it so I moved it into the livingroom and up a little more out of their reach. They asked me to turn it on, so of course I did. They enjoyed the pretty lights for one day and luckily I have kept it off since then. I'm not quite ready yet!

Trick or Treat!

The kids brought home a bucket full of candy last night! We only went out for about an hour but their buckets were so full that Bear had Daddy holding the bucket because it was too heavy, and Bug was saying "Please, no more houses, I'm too tired." After that, Bug helped Papa hand out some candy. They did great! Both of them knocked on the doors and yelled out "Trick or treat!"

My Pumpkins

These are 2 of the pumpkins I carved this year. Unfortunately our pictures don't turn out well in the dark, but you get the general idea. I also did a witch design, but we didn't get any pictures of it. Jeff did a gargoyle, an evil twin, and the headless horseman, which he altered a little.

Ewww "Pokin Guts!"

Bug and Bear just had to help clean out the pumpkins that we carved for our Halloween party this year. Last year, Bear was saying pumpkin pretty well, but for some reason he decided it would sound better pronounced another way. He now calls them "Pokins". While helping his Daddy with the cleanup, he yelled out "Ewww, pokin guts!" But they both had a lot of fun squishing their little fingers through the slimy gooey mess! Thanks for the help, kids!

Halloween Party '06

This year's party was a great one. We fogged up the entire street, spooked the kids, and partied until 3:00 a.m. I think it was a success. Unfortunately, there were a couple small drama situations, but otherwise everything was fun... Cold, but fun!

A Legless Lizard

About 2 weeks ago, Bug noticed that our little iguana "Anouk" had lost her tail... She had gotten it caught in her climbing vine and unfortunately she decided to drop the tail about 5 inches from the tip. Although we were sad about it, their tails do eventually grow back. We thought this was her only injury. We went on with our lives until a few days later when Jeff was misting her cage. He got a very concerned look and said in a very upset voice, "Oh, no..." When I saw the cause of his concern, my heart sank. Her back left foot had died. Three of the toes were completely black and dried out. Immediately we knew what had caused it. She loves to climb in her mesh cage, but unfortunately she climbs the top like monkey bars and in fact has declawed herself on one front finger. However, she falls all the time. The only thing is that she has never acted like she was hurt. We think she must have landed wrong and broken either the bones or a blood vessel. Either way, we knew what had to be done. Now just for the record, if Anouk was "just an animal" to us, we would have euthanized her immediately, however as strange as it is to some people, she is no different than any cat or dog is to anyone else. She is one of our babies and part of our family. She only cost us $25.00 at the pet store, but we easily spent over $200.00 on her comfort and well being. At first we were going to surrender her to an iguana rescue, but finding a good home would take a while and her foot needed to be taken care of now.
So I called a vet and we took her in. She was diagnosed with dry gangrene and her foot had to be amputated. When we dropped her off and I handed her to the vet's assistant, I almost cried. They told us that reptiles often stop breathing during sedation and because of her size they would be unable to insert a breathing tube. They said that most likely we would lose her, but we had to give her a chance so we agreed to the $200.00 surgery... Yep, that's right, $200.00 for a lizard to have a leg amputated. We left her overnight since the surgery would be in the morning, and let me just say that I really missed her while she was there yesterday. I waited for the call to tell us if our baby Anouk had made it or not. Finally the assistant called and the first thing she said was "Anouk is doing GREAT! She's already up and running around."
I could barely believe it, not only did our baby survive against all odds, but she was doing much better than anyone expected. We picked her up last night and even with half her leg missing, you can't tell that she's even hurt. And the best part is that the vet gave us a discount and it only cost $160.00 instead of the $200.00. I'm so happy that she's ok.

Rocky Point

Well let me just start by saying that I'll be glad to see this one go. I know it was voted the most popular haunted house in the nation, but it has been the same set up for the past 5 years. Jeff and I decided that we just had to go to it this year since it's the final year. We figured that they would go all out to make it awesome this year to give everyone something to remember. We got there at 9:00 last night and the line was to the back of the building. We stood there, cold, bored and with very sore feet for 3 hours! At midnight we finally got inside to pay. First the workers started yelling at everyone to move as fast as we could into the next room. They had a "museum" set up of all the hollywood costumes and effects that they've used there. As soon as we walked into that room, there was another lady yelling "Hurry up, keep walking, get as far into the next room as you can go... KEEP MOVING!" I mean my hell, you pay $16.00/person you should be allowed to actually look around before being pushed into the next room... right? The house was so crowded that we walked in a line through out the entire house. There was a traffic jam every time someone got startled and so the rest of us were stuck in the same place for about a minute at a time, so the spooks in that area would scare the same people over and over again. The first thing we noticed was that pretty much everything was the same from past years. However, their Pirates of the Carribean display was AWESOME! They had a ship built and when you walked through the ship, it would rock as if it was actually in the sea. It was so realistic that several people, including myself, felt "sea sick." Then when you walked through the next door, Davy Jones was waiting to jump out at you. After taking only 30 minutes to get through the entire haunted house, and not being startled even once, I think we should have saved our money and just took another trip back to Nightmare on 13th!

Nightmare

Last night Jeff and I took advantage of the fact that the kids are gone for the weekend... We went to Nightmare on 13th. It was great. They've changed most of the props, and there were plenty of spooks around. There was even another guy who just decided to jump out at people and scare them even though he didn't work at the haunted house. Tonight we'll be going to Rocky Point. This is the last year that Rocky Point will be open so we just have to go to that one. I'm hoping that it's as fun as Nightmare on 13th is. I used to go to the haunted houses every year, but then for a couple years it seemed that they didn't change their setup, so I stopped going. We also have some Christmas shopping to do this weekend since Walmart is going to discontinue their layaway program this year. I'm hoping to get most of that done, as well as some shopping for props for our Halloween party next weekend.

Don't call the fire department!

Jeff and I have been getting ready for our Halloween party in a couple weeks. We're all excited. A little while ago we bought a fog machine. Unfortunately, we didn't try it out until last night and it didn't work. We exchanged it today and right away we tried it out. It says "For indoor use only" but it completely smoked us out! We had it turned on for less than a minute. We thought about opening the doors but quickly changed our minds when it gushed out the door like smoke. I thought for sure someone would call the fire department. So instead, we just turned all the fans on high and waited it out. Unfortunately for Mary, all the fog blew downstairs and stayed there. But it was fun and we all had a good laugh.

Red Butte Garden

Today we took a trip up to the garden for the first time. They've had a special "Jurassic" display for several months now and it will be over on the 31st, so we had to take Bear to see it. We waited until now so that the temperatures wouldn't be so miserable. As I said, we'd never been there before. I was in awe of the beauty there. Everything was so beautiful and the air smelled so fresh. The fall colors were perfect, and the many waterfalls were so relaxing. The kids enjoyed the dinosaurs, as well as watching the koi and the ducks. There were also a couple sections of Halloween displays hidden among the trees. We really loved the walk. We found some plants and trees that we fell in love with. I think my favorite part was walking through a cove, shuffling our feet through the fallen leaves, listening to the nearby stream and finding acorns with my family. It was awesome. We had forgotten the camera, so we're planning another trip just so we can take pictures. We couldn't have asked for better weather... It was cloudy, so the sun was not overheating nor too bright, and the air was crisp just as Autumn should be. We also observed a couple squirrels, and a bunny too. I can't wait to go again!

My Knight In Shining Armor

Introducing my brave little knight! Okay so technically right now he's dressed as a miniature king, but after we buy him a shield and sword, he'll become a royal knight... Or a royal pain! He was so excited when I showed him that his costume had arrived. He ran through the house yelling "YES! I GOT IT... YES!!!" I ended up buying it from ebay because I didn't win the original auction, which was selling it for .99 but I found this one for just over $20.00 so that wasn't bad. It was the next cheapest one. We searched everywhere for this costume and when we found it, it was too small and the stores didn't have any more because it was clearanced out. I'm so glad to finally have it.

Grrrr.

Okay, for the past couple days, I've been trying to look at my blog, but when it comes up, it shows a previous post and not my current posts. My sister in law's blog was also coming up like this for me, however now her blog is back to normal. I've already tried to republish my entire blog, but this didn't work either. Has anyone else had this happen? If so, what can I do about it? It's becoming very frustrating. I cleaned out my cookies as well, still no help.

UPDATE: Apparently adding a new post can fix this problem! That does make sense because my Sister in law's blog was like this until she added a new post yesterday, now I can see it again.

A Devil In Disguise

This is Bug's Halloween costume this year. Bear is going to be a knight, if we can find it... We went to the store to buy it last night and they said they don't carry it anymore. It's actually called "Heir to the throne" and it's adorable. We found it at a couple other stores, however it was kinda expensive so I'm watching it on ebay right now! Bug loves her costume, and it suits her well! I have to make a couple small adjustments to the costume but other than that it fits her great.

Homeschooling

Principal shot at Wisconsin school
3 Florida schools in lockdown
Gunman molests hostages and murders one before committing suicide in Colorado school
Student stabs another student
Teacher arrested on charges of molesting a student
Teacher caught with Child Porn on computer
Child suspended for bringing toy gun to school
Teacher arrested after giving birth to student’s baby
Teacher arrested after showing up to meet an undercover detective whom was thought to be a 13 year old girl
6 year old brings gun to school, shoots and kills 5 year old
One word… Columbine!
Now does everyone understand my reasons for deciding to homeschool my children? These, however, are not the only reasons I have made this decision. Bug has hyperactivity and she needs one on one attention in order to understand things quickly. This way she will not be competing against 20-25 other kids for one teacher's attention and help. And as for the school scandals, yes I understand they have been happening for years, and this is a very disturbing thing, but those top 3 examples just happened within the last 3 days. The principal at the Wisconsin school was just shot this morning. It seems like an everyday news story now. And I don't know about you but it sure doesn't make me feel like running out and enrolling my babies into these kind of situations. I do feel that it is very important for the children to be socialized, but this can also be done in other ways such as parks, clubs, the zoo, the aquarium, and many other places where a lot of children gather.
However, since I have mentioned the idea of homeschooling my kids, I have gotten nothing but negative reactions about it. I do appreciate everyone's opinion, but this is my choice, and I don't like my "Mothering" being questioned. I'm sure many other moms agree. I don't have to do what everyone else wants for my children, they are mine, I am their Mother, and I am an adult. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it does get under my skin when I feel like everything I choose is ridiculed and I am made to feel like I am doing the wrong thing or like I am being a bad Mom. I'm not saying that public school is bad for everyone. I survived it, but there were times when I wished I was homeschooled since I was bullied and was always a loner. I personally just feel like the violence is getting worse, and the schools are forced to hire teachers that are not that great since the pay is low and the good teachers wont work anymore. Sorry for the venting, but I needed it!

Sour Tomatoes

This is my little cousin, reminding us just how sour tomatoes can be to a baby! He was doing it for laughs, and was not bothered by them too much since he would keep munching after every expression. But he sure loved the attention he was getting. So cute!

Great Clips

I used to think that Great clips did a good job on haircuts... Not the best, but good. However, after today my opinion has changed. Jeff and I headed over there so that Jeff could get his hair trimmed. He didn't want it cut or styled differently, just a little trimmed off the bottom to shorten it up. He told the lady exactly what he wanted and she began cutting. She went on and on about how Jeff uses the wrong kind of shampoo and conditioner and that the kind they sell is the ONLY kind you should use. He tried his hardest to tune her out. A short time later, she was finished and I glanced back to see how it looked. I almost cried! His hair was so short and it just didn't look like him at all. I mouthed the word "short" when he looked at me and he immediately reached up to feel it. The lady had cut everything off the back! It doesn't look like the same style at all and it doesn't look good on Jeff. He was very upset, but what could he do...?

I can't believe that they are more concerned with selling their products than they are with making sure their clients are happy with their services. We're hoping that his hair grows out a little bit pretty quickly. This style just isn't for him!

A couple months ago, I had a post that said there were exactly 365 more days until my wedding day... Well for those of you that missed the more recent post about a change of seasons, today is the official one year mark. As of today there are now 365 more days until I'm married. Hopefully the weather will be a little better next September 22nd, but if not, we'll just make the best of it. That's why the rental companies allow you to rent really big tents! When I woke up this morning it was only 38 degrees outside and my future Mother In Law (Whom came home sick from work today,) was trying to convince me to change our date back to June 30th so that the weather might be a little better. We've definitely made up our mind on the date this time... Nothin is changing it now. I'm just hoping that things cooperate a little next year since this September 22nd, 3 of the 5 of us in the house are sick right now! I really don't want to be sick on my wedding day. I think I'll start taking vitamins every day next year! Let's keep our fingers crossed

Autumn is here

Okay so not officially for a couple more days, but I say it's here now. Last week was like winter, and although the temperatures rose a little this week, they have now settled into that nice chilly Autumn air, and the leaves are changing colors. I am so excited! Autumn is my favorite time of year. The nippy air reminds us that the holidays are coming, and give us an excuse to wear our warm comfy clothes, the colors are beautiful and our world seems so different. There are yummy recipes to be made, and wonderful activities to be enjoyed. Apples, pumpkins, vegetables of all kinds, ciders and wassail... YUM There are many more parties and family gatherings. Autumn is exciting to me because I have always been a big fan of Halloween and of all the wonderful sights of the Autumn season. I'm getting excited for carving pumpkins this year which is also a big hobby of mine! Next year I will also have another reason to love the Season since Jeff and I will be getting married. 1 year and 2 days from now...LOL. All this time it has just been Jeff and I planning things for the wedding, but now my parents are also getting into it and it makes it all seem real now. We've come up with a rough draft of our menu for the reception, and Aunt Robin would like to practice some of our recipes for the reception at her Fall party next week. I can't wait! Although I wish I had taken the above picture, I didn't. I found it on the internet, but it's beautiful so I added it. Happy Autumn Everyone! This is the perfect season to "Fall In Love"

A Case Of The Sniffles...

My little Bear finally caught the cold that I've known was coming for a few days now. The other day Bear refused to wear his big boy underwear, and instead wanted to stay in a diaper. I thought this was strange but I allowed it, and the next day, it was obvious that he wasn't feeling well and that was the reason for not wanting to potty train. I thought he just had an upset tummy and it was no big deal. The day after that, he seemed to be back to normal. But after waking from his nap, he was congested and ornery. I could tell then that he was coming down with something. That stuffy nose has lingered for a couple days and it was nothing more than that. But when he woke up from his nap today, he was screaming and crying. I ran in to see what was making him scream like that. He was very congested and coughing and he kept saying "There's something in my throat and it hurts me."

I made him some chicken broth and dressed him comfortably so he'd stay warm, and things seemed to get better. His only complaint was his runny nose and an occassional cough followed by whining about his throat. After his bath tonight it hit him full blast. My poor little guy can barely breath. I have an humidifier, however if I hook it up in his room, he would get up in the morning and pull it off his dresser, spilling the water everywhere. So, I'm just gonna have to hook it up in the livingroom tomorrow and leave it on all day. A cold is no big deal to us. It's no fun, but nothing to worry about. However it does come at a bad time, since we have a handful of parties to go to in the coming days. My immune system sucks, and I get sick very easily. So most likely myself and Bug will be coming down with this cold by the weekend. Fun fun! Welcome to Sniffle Season!

Fair Fun

Yesterday we took the kids to the fair for the very first time. They had so much fun. A couple of days ago, my back went out on me, and I couldn't even move. I felt so bad because I was worried that we wouldn't be able to take them. Yesterday morning my back was feeling much better so I promised the kids that we would indeed take them to the fair. We were getting ready to leave and as I reached down to get a pair of socks, guess what happened..... That's right, my back went out AGAIN! I was pissed. I didn't know what to do. I sat down for a minute to think and then I was like "I promised we're going, WE ARE GOING!" At first, Bug was a little disappointed because she didn't think there would be so much walking around. But after we had almost an entire bag of cotton candy, and rode the ferris wheel, then we got to see the giant hog and the giant alligator. Bug was there strictly for the animals.

After we doped the kids up on sugar, we also added caffeine to that, and we were all ready to jump off the walls. We ventured through the livestock barns, and the kids got to pet cows, horses, pigs, (including baby pigs that were beating the hell out of each other!) goats, bunnies (there were babies in this area too! SOOO CUTE!!!), and sheep! Since my back was bad, I couldn't ride many rides, so Jeff took the kids through 2 fun houses. They loved it. After we had been there for 4 hours, my back and feet had had enough. Besides, there was a pretty bad dust storm blowing in and the wind was horrible, so we called it a day and we left. I'm sure the kids will be excited to go again next year!

Cabin Fun

We spent the weekend at the cabin and the kids had so much fun. After all the lizards, rock climbing, caving, hiking and catching grasshoppers, they were worn out! They went to bed super early last night, and were both asleep by 7:45. As you can see, we had many adventures. Unfortunately, Bug kept getting hurt so we made the decision to keep her in long pants all weekend even though the weather was very nice. She still came home with a huge bruise on her leg from falling down the back stairs at the cabin. Poor girl.

The New Bear

Okay, don't tell Bear that I posted his picture... He was sleeping, so he'll never know. His hair is starting to grow back and it doesn't look so bad now so I decided it would be okay to post a pic. I've also noticed that his hair seems to be coming in alot darker than before. He's to the stage now that his hair is looking shaggy and you can see the longer hairs. I'm a little surprised by how quickly it's growing in, but that's fine with me because I was worried that it would still be really short by Christmas pictures this year. Now I think it should look okay... I hope!

Goodbye Sweet Friend...

I have some sad news tonight. Our wonderful sweet horse Dino passed away today. No one is exactly sure what happened. My parents went out of town and had a neighbor feed the horses. Yesterday he noticed that Dino had layed down. He tried his hardest to help Dino up, but Dino was too weak. He couldn't get his legs under him. After a while he gave up and didn't know what to do. He thought of calling a vet but the vet may have euthanized Dino and taken him away, so he decided to just watch him. This morning when he went back, Dino was still alive, yet by the time my parents arrived home, Dino was gone. He had collapsed by the feeder. Horses have a life span of about 29 years, and I believe Dino was about 27 or 28. It still doesn't make it any easier though. Dino was my Dad's horse, and he is heartbroken! I now have the task of explaining this to my children, whom were just playing with and feeding Dino on Friday. I already know that my horse, Pantabarr will now be very lonely. Even though Dino was a bully to Pantabarr, he was there with Panta for many years and now Panta will be alone. Pantabarr is only a year or so younger than Dino, but hopefully he has a few more years left. Goodbye Dino, we love you and we'll miss you. We will always remember your fun personality and all the great times we had!

The final cut

Well this morning I had to finish shaving Bear's hair off. After yesterday's haircut, I just couldn't do anymore and I stopped. Unfortunately his hair looked bad because there were still areas of hair that were longer than the rest and he had "spots." So today I shaved it as short as the spots of already short hair and now he looks completely bald. After I finished shaving his head this morning, I looked at the photos from yesterday, that I thought looked horrible, and actually, he looked so much better than he does now. I'm not posting any new photos for his sake, at least until his hair grows a little thicker again. My poor boy. At least now I don't have to cut his hair anymore... For a long time! Bear looked in the mirror and said "I look like someone else." Bug wont stop rubbing his head. She says it feels good.

OH NO!!!!

I had to, I didn't have a choice! While I was cutting Bear's hair today, I decided to shave the back of his neck a little. Normally he sits really still but this time he decided to move. I had a nice even line going and when he moved, the electric razor shaved about an inch into his hair. The only thing I could do was shave up that high all the way around the back. After I fixed this problem, I had a new one... IT LOOKED HORRIBLE. The only other thing I could do was shave his head and give him the spikey look. Unfortunately Jeff's razor doesn't work very well and the attachment wasn't catching Bear's hair. It was only cutting it in clumps and it was cutting it too short. So Bear ended up with this horrible haircut... And I ended up in tears. All his beautiful curls are gone! When Bear was a baby, Jeff taught him to say "Shave it bald" because he knew it bothered me and I would never do it. Well the other day Bear was pulling his hair out and we told him that if he didn't stop pulling it out, we would have to shave his head bald. He freaked! He cried and screamed and told us he liked long hair. And now this! I cried for hours! Luckily Jeff didn't freak out too much and he showed Bear a picture from when Jeff was in the marines and had his hair shaved. That way Bear would see that it was ok and that he had hair like Daddy's. Too make everything worse, Bear says he doesn't like it and he told Jeff that he hates me because I cut his hair like that. He eventually apologized and said he loves me again. I am never shaving his neck again!

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Happy Birthday Jeremy. I hope you have a wonderful day. We love you very much!!

Rock-N-Roll

The kids love playing with their new guitars. They think they know everything about them already. They look so cute when they play them.

Growing Up... Too fast!

When Bug changed out of her new outfit into an old one, she said she wanted her robe on because she was a little cold. Well she finally decided that she was warm enough and took the robe off. I noticed her playing with the tie inside the robe. She was attempting to tie it. I started playing with her and I showed her the "bunny ears" way to tie. She picked it up right away this time and successfully tied a bow. I've tried this way on her several times but I think she was too young to remember the steps. I don't use this method of tying, but for little kids, I think it's the easiest. She was so excited to have finally mastered this trick!

Little Red Riding Hood

I bought this outfit for Bug for this winter. I found it in the ABC catalog and I absolutely couldn't resist! I think it's adorable. I wasn't keeping it for Christmas, just for when the weather turns cold, but I just couldn't keep it hidden for that long. It was calling for me to try it on her. She loves it! She said it was too hot and when I told her to go in her room and change her clothes, she said she wanted to leave it on. But luckily I won the battle and I convinced her that we should keep it clean so she could wear it later. I did however, promise her that she could try it on later to show Daddy. I think she looks adorable in it. I told Bug that she looked like Little Red Riding Hood and she really got a kick out of that. It's a 3 piece outfit consisting of a fleece poncho, black velvet pants and the red and black fleece handmit. Nice and cosy warm!

Heads In The Clouds!

While we were outside enjoying the weather today, I took my blanket out to lay on. I have a pulled leg muscle right now, so walking is kinda difficult. As I was laying there taking pictures of the kids' adventures, Bug came and stood over me. I took her picture with the sky as the background. Then of course Bear had to copy her. Unfortunately, his picture turned out a little blurry but it is still cute, so I just had to post it.

Nice Day

The kids went outside to play in the sprinklers today. The weather was great and we know that by this time next month, it will be too cold to play in the water anymore. Even today was a little to cold for Bug. She ended up shivering and her lips literally turned blue! Each of them took a little time to relax and enjoy the green grass. Our yard has been dead all summer and finally with the extra rain and cooler temperatures, it came back to life!

Happy Birthday Shane!

Today is Shane's 27th birthday and I just want to wish him a good day. Shane, we've been friends for about 7 years now, and you're such a wonderful friend! Thank you for everything you've done for me over the years. I hope your birthday is the best so far.

Bananas

My little Bear is allergic to bananas. It took us quite a while to figure out this allergy. When he was a baby, we noticed that he often had very red and raw looking cheeks. I asked his pediatrician about this rash several times, and he always said that it looked like dry skin and just to moisturize his skin often. But his poor cheeks just looked so painful and nobody wants to see their little baby in pain. Well I really started paying attention to when his rash would appear and I noticed one day when he was about 1 1/2 that his rash appeared. I sat down and wrote a list of everything he had eaten that day. The rash lasted for a few days and then the next time it appeared, I again sat down and made a list. The only thing that was the same was bananas. I had never heard of anyone being allergic to bananas before... I tried this experiment again one day and sure enough the rash came back. So I told everyone of this problem so they knew not to give him any.

I told his pediatrician about my discovery and he told me that there are plenty of other foods with the same nutrients, so it wasn't a problem if Bear never had another banana in his life. But I just can't live with this. I absolutely love bananas and there are so many yummy foods that Bear would miss out on. I just can't allow this. I know that some people outgrow food allergies. My Dad used to be allergic to walnuts, and now he's fine. I used to be allergic to tomatoes but they are my favorite food and when I was little I ate them all the time. I too would get an itchy rash around my mouth from them, however I kept eating them and now I don't react. Some foods you just can't live without. I'm also lactose intolerant, but I can't live without milk and soy is not for me. I'm willing to live with the stomach aches and nausea just to have my milk.

Occassionally we try Bear on bananas just to see if there is any new developments. My parents gave him half a sandwich with peanut butter and banana a couple weeks ago and nothing happened. So today I decided to let him have a whole banana with his cereal. He has looked fine all morning, however when I sat with him at naptime, I noticed that the dreaded rash has arrived. It's all around his mouth and on his chin. His lips also look red and a little puffy. I'm not afraid to test this again maybe in a year because luckily, his allergy isn't too dangerous, mostly just uncomfortable. I've altered the picture so you can see the rash better. It was a little hard to see because of the flash on the camera. I was doing some research on the internet a few months ago, and I saw that bananas are actually one of the most common allergies, and many people who have this allergy are also allergic to latex. Now I always alert the doctors about this other possible allergy.

Living Planet

Today we took the kids to the Living Planet Aquarium. We go there pretty often and we have passes so we get in for free. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Bear got so excited and started yelling "We're at that aquarium now!!" We walked around and looked at all the familiar exhibits. The octopus was extremely active today. That was really neat to watch because normally he just sits there and does nothing. Of course the most exciting thing is always the petting tank. The kids are allowed to reach into the water and pet the stingrays. The rays don't always cooperate, but the kids almost always get a touch in. The adults can easily reach to the bottom of the tank, as long as we're willing to get a little wet. Bug and I had gotten our stingray fix, and we decided to watch the sharks. The shark tank is located just behind the petting tank. Jeff and Bear were still over at the petting tank, when something happened.

There was a man there, with his children. He was wearing one of those backpacks that a baby can sit in, and he was trying to help his Daughter touch one of the stingrays. She looked like she was about 7 or 8. The man held his Daughter out over the tank by one arm and one leg. Unfortunately this made him top heavy and he slipped. His Daughter went under water and the man tried to catch himself with his hands. The baby in the backpack shifted and almost fell into the tank. This made it impossible for the man to push himself back up. Jeff walked over and pulled the man out of the tank and after about a full minute, the man was able to pull his Daughter out of the tank.

That poor girl was so shocked. She didn't know what to do, so she was just sitting in the middle of the stingrays not moving. After they all got out of the water, a lady had to walk up and fix the baby because he was falling out of the backpack and his leg was stuck inside. I think the baby was the most shocked out of all of them. One moment his world was peaceful and great and then he almost went swimmming with the stingrays! It's times like this that I wished I had the camera with me. What a great memory!

A change of plans... and seasons.

Jeff and I were talking tonight and I mentioned that I saw a really cute Autumn wedding idea on the internet. I told him all about it and he agreed that it sounded nice. Then he made a suggestion that we change our wedding date to sometime in the fall. I said "Yeah, but we've already told everyone the date..." He said "Yes, but it's not in writing yet, so it's not official." Okay true... So we started thinking about the pros and cons of a fall wedding. We thought about how it would be cooler and more comfortable for us, since Jeff, Bear and Dad will be in black, and long sleeves too. And if I get the dress that I've had my eye on, it too will be long and lots of layers. Not to mention lace, which tends to be itchy on hot skin. We'd be able to pick whichever frosting on our cake without fear of it melting. And we wouldn't have to change our wedding colors since Burgundy is also an Autumn color. Bug's dress will still be suitable since it doesn't get that much cooler by then. Plus, we could start the wedding earlier so that the "old folks" aren't out past their bed time. The only obstacle is that while we're on our honeymoon, my Parents would have to take Bug to and from school for a week since she will be starting Kindergarten next August. So after much thought, as well as checking the Autumn temperatures for Maui, (low to mid 80s) we've pretty much decided on September 22nd, 2007. We originally picked the 23rd, which is the Fall Equinox, but it's a Sunday next year so we had to change it so the date would fall on a Saturday. But the Equinox floats, and ocassionally lands on the 22nd. Nothing is official yet, but this idea sure makes things seem easier. We'll see if it sticks.