My week

This has been a rather challenging week for me. I haven't felt like blogging about anything since we got back from vacation because there was so much to say, I didn't know where to start. Now, I am not sure I feel like blogging because I have so much unpleasant news that I would almost rather not share it. But, it's not ALL bad...maybe a list in no particular order.....

1) My mom saw a dermatologist last week and it was determined that she has a patch of cancerous melanoma on her back. They tried to cure it with a topical treatment to no avail and she sees a surgeon next week. Bad, but hopeful.

2) A friend of mine called to tell me that her "mom" and my friend has liver cancer and that her plan is to refuse chemotherapy. No updated on that, but not good.

3) A different friend of mine called to say that a fantastic woman, and friend, passed away on Sunday from ovarian cancer. The funeral was last night. It was the most beautiful, inspiring memorial service I have attended--and unfortunately, I have attended quite a number. Sad to say the least...she was only 56.

4) Daniela called me this week and we planned a get-together for Thursday. We had a fun outing to McD's for lunch and then Target for some shopping. I am pleased to announce I spent less than $25 on things that I didn't need and a really cool life-sized puzzle of Winnie the Pooh for Jayden and a small 100 piece puzzle for myself that I have high hopes to work on someday. Then, we made plans to go to the park together on Friday. YES!! TWO outings in the same week! But, we changed Friday's plan to a playdate at my house because I couldn't get my butt in gear fast enough to make it to the park and as long as the kids played together, they didn't really mind. I sent out an email to the playgroup about the park just in case anyone else wanted to join. To my ultimate surprise, Vesna called me about 11ish on Friday and asked if we were still at the park. I explained the change in plans and she joined us here at the house as well. We had a mini-playgroup! The kids had a great time and the moms had an enjoyable visit. We pledged to make these playdates happen more often. I am really looking forward to it. Happy.

So, there is a lot going on, but I think it's all going to work out for the best. I am thinking about Eliana's birthday party. It has been decided that we will not celebrate on her actual birthday (except a little bit) and the party will actually be on Sunday, September 10 around 11ish I would guess. It's going to be very small...just family and a couple of friends. I was thinking about inviting the playgroups and all that, but really....that is too complicated with all the family around. I hope no one gets offended.

BACA

I just read the most incredible story about Bikers Against Child Abuse. BACA is an organization that started in Utah and now runs nationwide. They are all about making abused children feel safe and comfortable and healing. If I were a biker, I would love to join! But...alas...I am not a biker.

BUT---For those of you that are bikers here is the web link:

http://www.bacausa.com/

Family Vacation

So this was our first real family vacation since Eliana was born. I suppose you could say we have had vacations twice since Jayden's birth, but last year we went to Wyoming for Aunt Michelle's college graduation and because it was such a family thing, I am not sure it counts. Although, Wyoming was beautiful and I would love to go back there and see it again at my own pace.

Anyway, we took a trip down to SoCal. I drove down to Julie's house on Thursday 8/3 with just me and the kids. We made it there before the sun came up on Friday and all in one piece so it was a great drive! Poor Ellie got beside herself and cried hysterically for the last 1 1/2 hours of the trip, so we were a little frazzled when we got to Julie's house. But, despite the long drive, we had a great visit! We took the kids to Ontario for pictures. There are fantastic pics of each of the 3 individually and then of Jayden and Ellie together, Jayden and Rebecca together, and all three of them together. I am guessing of those that read this, you have already seen the pics so I won't post them redundently, but I have to say this. I got my free 16X20 today of Jayden and Eliana with the beach background and the pirate hat, and I am sooo proud! I love my beautiful kids and Jayden's love of all things pirate warms my little heart! :)

So, after a great visit with Julie, I drove to San Diego with the kids and checked into our hotel for the week. We got there just in time for dinner and the kids and I were HUNGRY! So, I scanned the local map for places to eat; chose the Olive Garden; and we set out. We got there pretty quick only to find that they (and all the other eateries) were shutting down (at 6 pm) because there was a report of water contamination in the main water facility. GRRRR!!! After some consultation with Dave and the locals I drove to a grocery store down the street and shopped for some frozen dinners, cereal and milk, and a couple of other things to put in our full-sized fridge at the hotel and set back for dinner. We dined on a lovely combination of Cheerios, milk and bananas. It was unfortunate though, because Jayden ended up with the green-apple trots! Not a result of bad water (which turned out to be fine) but too much milk and virus (I think) in his system.

We picked Dave up at the airport in San Diego on Sunday and spent the rest of the week as tourists. We visited the Maritime Museum (which was WAY SUPER COOL), the zoo, Sea World, and the USS Midway. All were good times. The best part of the trip to SD, though, was dinner Wednesday night. We went out with friends Lori, Garrett and the girls. It was good to see them and do some catching up and getting to see their great new house! The floors look AWESOME!

Anyway, I am off to my real life now with the two kids (all by myself because yet again, it is after 8 and Dave isn't home) both needing my attention. Still living at my parents' house means there is no place for them to be confined to play with toys and not get into trouble. I hope Dave gets it together soon and gets us home! It is long past time to move outta here.

Mastering the Art of Language

Those of you with kids know how frustrating they can be at times. Often talking non-stop or doing some annoying fidget that wears on your sanity. Driving around the southern part of this lovely state put me in one of those positions this past week. My darling little boy whom I love to death was spouting every sentence beginning with, "I want....". It went a bit like this:

"I want my toy!" "I want my shark toy!" "I want my little airplane!" "I want I want I want I want I want my this!"

OK...now that gets to be really annoying very fast, but when he got to his 50th sentence beginning with, "I want" I had had it! I told him, "I do not want the next sentence out of your mouth to begin with the words I WANT!" So without missing a beat....

"May I have my airplane toy?" as sweetly as he can ask!

Day out with Thomas!

Today we went to spend a day out with Thomas the Tank Engine. It was less specatcular than I expected it to be. And, I think Jayden was less than impressed also. He was AWED by the life-sized Thomas engine that they had on the track, but the train ride was not as much fun as I think it should have or could have been. It just pulled us on the track backwards for 10-15 minutes, then turned around and pulled us back over the same path to the "depot". The "depot" was wet and muddy, and there were no pretty SODOR decorations to give the Thomas feel.

The exhibits were not wonderful either. There were no exhibits there that showed HOW trains worked or let the kids play with real train parts or stuff like that. The exhibits that they did have were face painting (which was free and for good reason); temporary tatoos (also free); a display of all the Thomas tracks and roads and train parts you could purchase inside the store (as long as supplies last); and a big inflated Thomas that you could look at and touch but it didn't DO anything. They had the Opera house filled with Thomas stuff that you could buy at full non-discounted prices. And yes, we bought. They had the food stations open with limited, over-priced, stomach-churning foods. And, yet, I fought off a bee who repeatedly dove in for a bite of my burger.

All in all, I was less than impressed. But, I am not a huge fan of the Thomas craze to begin with. The stories tell of unpleasant, competitive, snide, arrogant engines who each think they are better than the other. They are always fighting or complaining, and they get told they really useful if they bully to get "it" done faster or better. No...I don't like the underlying messages in the stories at all. Never-the-less, we had a good day. We did everything there was to do. I think the highlight of the day was the puppet show/magic act that was there because of the Thomas event, but not at all related to Thomas. Jayden got to participate and was totally enraptured by the magic. Definately the highlight!

Will I go again?.....Ask me next year. It depends on how into trains and Thomas the kids are.

Happy Birthday Jayden!

Yesterday was my baby boy's 3rd birthday! I can hardly believe that he has been with me for 3 years already, but then I can't remember at all what life was like before he got here. For as frustrated as I get with him on a daily basis, I love him to death! Seriously, I would KILL for that boy! I would mutilate, maim, dismember, castrate,.....WHOA!!!! Who am I kidding....I would protect that child (and his sister too) for all I am worth, but I am not the violent horror-monger that the previous sentence implies! or Am I? hmmmm.......

Anyway, yesterday was a ton of fun. I took the kids to Bonfante Gardens where we met up with Debbie and her son William. The boys had two TONS of fun running around the park together, going on the rides, chatting over hot dogs and ice cream, and enjoying the comraderie. I have some really great pictures that I will post later because they are stuck on my camera with a dead battery.

When we got home from the park yesterday, I though for sure Jayden would fall asleep in the car and be ready for a LOOOOOONG nap. I was SO wrong! He was totally wired by the present that William gave him (a ripcord Lightning McQueen) that he was running around the house in circles playing with the toy. I decided to try for a nap anyway. I told him he could take his car with him, but they both needed to rest....if he was playing with it, I would take it away. Within minutes of laying down, he was sound asleep!

Luckily, Jayden decided to nap nicely for a while, because Eliana didn't. Something she ate did NOT agree with her. She puked on herself in the car (not too much...she was just warming up). She puked all over me (and I mean all over) 3 more times since we came in the house; she got my dad once; and she nailed Dave's pillow (we were trying to rest) but I took the pillowcase off it fast enough that it didn't soak through. Poor little girl! She was miserable for a good couple of hours. But, by dinnertime, she was ready to eat a little something. She was good for the rest of the night.

Grandma Tess and Brian came over for cake after dinner. Mom made a yummy white cake with chocolate frosting (homemade cake is the most important birthday present--it shows you care enough to take the time). Tess is going to get Jayden a subscription to Scholastic Books for his birthday. Dave and I decided he had too many toys and he wasn't going to get more....Grandma and Papa got him a HUGE sandbox and Uncle Jeff got him a HotWheels truck that carries cars and some cars to go with it. So much for the "no toys" thing!

All in all, Jayden had a great birthday!

I'm a Cheese Pizza too!

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting. You focus on living a quality life. You're not easily impressed with novelty. Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Got the above link from Julie. We are both Cheese pizzas. I wonder how they determine that and if being a cheese pizza is good or bad.....

But here is something interesting...not sure about the truthfulness of it all, but...

Your Birthdate: September 9

You are a born idealist, with more pet causes than you can count. You prefer be around others, both when working and while relaxing. Generous and giving, you believe you can change the world one person at a time. You're open minded and tolerant. People feel like they can tell you anything. Your strength: Your go-with-the-flow flexibility Your weakness: Your flair for the over dramatic Your power color: Pine green Your power symbol: Circle Your power month: September

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

We had a great day! We went to the SF Zoo. Our thoughts on this trip were many...here goes:
1) Beat the heat! It has been so friggin' hot here, we figured San Francisco had to be cooler--especially near the water! We were right. It was still hot, but not HOT.

2) We needed a family day. Just the four of us to spend some time together. It would make for a nice outing. Well, indeed, we had a great time!

3) It's a practice run for our trip down south. We want to take the kids to the San Diego Zoo and to Sea World. We are now convinced that the kids can handle it and we can handle them there. So, I guess the trip is definately on.

We saw giraffes, gorillas, chimps, lions, tigers, and bears (OH MY) and a multitude of birds. We didn't get to see it all because believe it or not, the day went by way faster than expected! But, we decided on the way out we were going to upgrade our tickets to a full membership. That way we can go back again and again!

Our last stop in the zoo was the playground area. We ran into Debbie, Walter and William there. SURPRISE! That is the second time I ran into Debbie this week! She was at the library on Thursday too! While the boys played, the men chatted, we women chatted and the baby fell asleep! We hung around until they kicked us out of the park (the zoo closes at 5pm). So, we decided to continue our visit over a nice calm, quiet dinner at Fuddrucker's! Ok...if you've never been there....it's Johnny Rocket's meets Chuck E Cheese! OMG it was not the calm quiet dinner we thought we were getting into! What a crazy place! But, the food was good, the company was great, and the kids got well worn out!

Me...I had a great day! If only every day could be just this good! (HEY--isn't that a country song?)

Eliana Piranha!

Eliana is now getting a tooth! For real! No joke! There is an actual, real live, growing, cutting, sharp-as-hell tooth protruding from her tiny little precious, pink gums! Yep, she bit me with the darn thing, too!

We are going to have to go get pictures taken again this week because they will be the last ones to portray my adorable little baby with her great, big, toothless smile! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! MY BABIES ARE GROWING UP TOO FAST! WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! :(

:)

Feeling better today. Thanks for the chat last night, D. Much appreciated.

:(

Well, potty training is going well. We are having daily "accidents" but I don't think anything really unusual. Our area of difficulty is particularly the poop. I suspect we are typical in this problem.

In other news, I'm sad. I feel alone, friendless, unimportant, uninteresting, and ....well...sad.

POOPIES IN THE POTTY!

HE DID IT!!!!!! He went to the potty and POOPED all by himself! We now have both the initiative and the success! YAY!!!! With a few more days of practice and praise he may make it through the day with NO accidents at all! Super exciting!

Initiative!

At long last, Jayden showed his first successful initiative today. He actually came in from playing outside to go potty on his own. AND, he made it to the potty without accident! YAY! Now, I know that mostly noone is reading this, but it makes me feel good to say that I think we are finally getting somewhere. The book said, "...less than a day." It now feels like, "...a few weeks." But, the good news is, it seems to be working some.

I didn't want to be training Dave and me to rush Jayden to the toilet every hour so he can pee. Instead, I wanted to train Jayden to recognize the need to go and get to the potty on time. I think a few more days of intense practice and he will be there.

In other news, Eliana went to HER first playdate today. We went to a playdate with Las Madres '05 just for Eliana. Jayden was good there. He played with the baby toys without complaint. We didn't spend a lot of time there, which was good, so he didn't have time to get into too much trouble. The daughter of our hostess has the name of Jaiden. I guess I am starting to see how spelling the name with an i or dropping the e makes it seem feminine. In fact, I can imagine that I might give my daughter that name if I hadn't first had a son.

Given my new view on this, I have a little prayer. God, may my mind be open to new ideas; may my words be soothing to others; may my actions be mitzvot.

Potty Training--Day 5

Yesterday seemed like it would be the leap to success that I was hoping for. Today, I was proven wrong. With just 10 minutes of playing to himself, Jayden managed to waste a whole day of observing by pooping in his pants. I have been watching him like a hawk hoping to encourage him to poop in the toilet. I missed it by [-----that----] much. The rest of the day has been totally accident free. Now...if only that pooping could get under control.......

Potty Training--Day 4

"MOMMY!!!! THE POOPIES ARE COMING!", he cried as he hobbles down the stairs trying not to mess his pants.

"Hurry to the potty...here let me help you", the mommy said calmly, trying to bury the excitement of child-initiated pottying as well as the prospect of not cleaning the poop out of training pants! YAY!

With a terribly worried face, the tot sits upon the pot concerned about how the pooping will turn out. Mom sits idly by with a relaxed countenance for her young son to focus his attentions upon. They wait. The splash! Inner cheers are resounding in their heads. Neither mom nor son could contain the smiles and elation that came from that one small doody in the toilet. When the child's face broke out in a full-on grin, the cheering became external and they shared a hoot together!

With the wiping and cleaning of the butt finished and the restoration of the facility to adult-sized usefulness, the kinfolk shared in hugs and kisses and the "I DID IT" dance around the house! Phone calls to Daddy and Grandma commenced. Lunch was prepared.

The tally for the day---misses 3, on-times 5. Well done!

Potty Training--Day 3

Day 3 is off to a rough start. We had an accident first thing this morning because "we" were too busy watching TV in bed with sleeping Daddy. After breakfast, I took Jayden to the potty for a successful attempt. Then we had another accident after trying very hard. He pooped in his pants. I saw him trying to go, but Dave was locked in the bathroom with Jayden's seat. I rushed Jayden to another bathroom, but by then it was way too late. I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow for another attempt at pooping success.


Well...yes, we got off to a rough start today, but Jayden is doing great keeping his pants dry so far. He is napping in his big boy underwear and as of yet, they are still dry. I am being blessed by God right now for my patience. Both kids are blessedly sleeping at the same time! WA-HOO!! More later.

NEW UPDATE!! Jayden showed initiative! It is just after dinner and he ran to the bathroom all by himself without speaking a word. I was nursing Ellie or else I would have taken him there myself, but I am glad I didn't. I love the fact that he tried to do it himself. On the downside, he didn't get there in time, but on the upside, HE WENT BY HIMSELF!!!

We're on our way! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

Potty Training--Day 2

YAY!! We had a great day! When Jayden first got up this morning, he was wearing disposable training pants that looked as if they were holding in some liquid-turned-gel. But, he got to the potty and peed like a champ right away. Ok...Yes...I instructed him to pee in the potty and he followed my instruction. He is still not going willingly. This here is the key to our problems. I don't know the motivator we need to get this down well. But, anyway....

We went to Sit-and-play this morning after getting our change of clothes and extra training pants and the potty seat and...and...and...I felt like I was moving in rather than going for a 3 hour visit! Anyway, I intended to get Jayden familiar with the potty there right away, but stupidly, I lapsed in time just about 15 minutes too long and with a humongous poop, he messed his pants! We ran to the potty (of course, it's too late by then) and cleaned up and discussed how disappointed I was in his messy pants. After that, he has had clean and dry pants ALL DAY! He even kept dry during his nap! YIPPEE!!!

Poor Eliana has got to be feeling left out by now. I haven't given her nearly the attention she is used to since every minute is devoted to helping Jayden learn to keep his pants dry. Oh well...she will have her turn too! :)

Potty Training--Day 1

Unlike my marathon training day 1, I intend to keep up with the potty training. But, today felt like a marathon day! We spent the ENTIRE day working on the potty. Jayden is quite capable of taking himself to the toilet, fixing up his gear, lowering his underpants, and sitting himself on the potty. He is also quite capable of peeing and pooping (and knowing when he wants to poop) and cleaning up his pottying gear. So here is basically the run of the day...

Spend 3 hours working with Jayden on how to get to the potty, set himself up, get on, pee, get off, clean up and go back about his business. He peed in his pants twice and the potty once. No poop yet. But, he was practically falling asleep on the toilet at 1:30 so we diapered up and went to bed. His diaper was about as full as it could get when he woke up from his nap at 4. (yep...got a long one today...this learning business is exhausting!) But, we pottied and back into trainers. There was a lot of running around and playing while we checked for dryness. The minute he slipped under the table, though, Dave was after him to get out....we didn't want a pooping accident! Well....we caught him just in time to drag him to the potty and get that poopy in the toilet! YIPEE!! Our first day and we get pee-pee and poopies in the potty!

With only one more accident after dinner (but he tried) and a few more pee-pee attempts at the toilet, we can write today off as successful. Potty-trained...not yet. But, I think we are on the way. Hopefully, it will be as good as gold by the end of the week. He was pretty upset when he got his CARS underwear all wet. He got the poopies on his Mater undies and his after dinner accident got McQueen pretty wet. But, through the wash they go and tomorrow is another day! I hope the pile-up tomorrow is smaller than today. We went through about 5 pair of trainers and 3 pair of underwear today.

Fun in the Sun!

Sunshine; blue skies; warm, clear lake; soft breeze; and 23 of your closest family and friends! Yep...that was us this weekend! 4th of July is one of my 3 favorite holidays! (Halloween and Passover being the other 2). This is the holiday for the patriots! We drove up early Monday morning and were out on the water before noon. It wasn't long before we were suited up, sunblocked, and into the lake. Jayden was AWESOME in the water. He swam and swam all over the damn (place) and didn't once concern himself with what might be IN the water. He only took up his bug fetish when we were actually on the boat. Apparently, he took no notice of the bugs and fish IN the water. YAY!

Eliana wore her spankin' suit with the froggy on it and wooed everyone! She LOVED LOVED LOVED the water. It was hard to float with her because she wanted to splash and be IN the water but she really liked crawling on the raft. Unfortuately, we did not bring her floaty up with us and there was not a vest (or floatation device) small enough for her up there. But, she had a great time anyway. The only "tragedy" was when Ellie and I swam a bit far out to fetch a runaway floaty. I tried to hitch a ride back from the waverunner and lost my grip. This caused me to fall of the raft backwards thus pulling Ellie over with me. I think she was more scared than anything because almost as soon as we came up and I got her back on the raft, she panicked and dove in again after me! Dave came rushing to the rescue, but we were fine. I took her in after that though. Dave and I decided that either the baby or the adult needed to be vested (wearing a life vest) when in the water together to prevent this uh-oh from becoming a real tragedy. I also decided that I won't try to hitch a ride on the waverunner again with my bad left hand (still having shoulder issues on that side and it is getting way worse) unless it is just me. I don't mind toppling over in the water, but I don't want to topple Ellie.

The fireworks this year were WAY too awesome to describe. Not sure what they did different. Maybe it was that there were many fewer boats/people on the lake that made the difference. Usually the lake is wall to wall boats for the fireworks show. (that in itself is always something fun to see) But, the fireworks were able to reflect off the water this year because there were not as many people there. Perhaps because the marina changed ownership and they jacked up the prices of EVERYTHING. But, I digress...The finale was so cool that it looked almost like daylight for a second! Jayden loved it when I sang Happy Birthday to America. He asked me to sing it again and again. Then he told me it was his "dirt-day". (He can't quite get a grasp on the pronunciation.) So I sang one last time with Happy Birthday to Jayden and America and Kayleigh (since it was on the 3rd) and Brianna (since we celebrated her birthday earlier that day. He did not like my changing songs though. America the Beautiful was out! The boat behind us was singing "Oh Susanna" over and over and over and over again. I don't think they knew another song, but clearly they didn't know that it was a folk song not a patriotic song either. I was highly amused when the sheriff pulled up to them and asked to speak to the owner of the boat. I know it wasn't because of the singing, but I'd like to think it was! :)

Happy Birthday, America!

Don't know why this picture is so dark. On Dave's computer it looked great! But anyway, here a snapshot of Eliana in her little froggy bathing suit and matching hat.


Wanted to post a couple of other pics too, but blogger is being difficult again.

We are off to the boat tomorrow. It will be Eliana's first trip! Hope all is well and everyone has a great 4th of July! Happy Birthday, America!

Also, a very happy birthday to Kayleigh! :)

Silly me!

I seem to pack a lot of activities into some days and leave other days with no outings at all. I am not sure how that always seems to happen! But, today we went to our last music class. I am sort of sad about it. Jayden has really enjoyed music class for the most part. He may not always seem to be paying attention to what is happening, but he always walks out with some song rolling off his tongue. We have been playing the hiding game a lot lately and he always wants me to sing the song we learned in class. I think he has demonstrated that the program had great value for him. Eliana seems to really like it too. I will continue to take her to class in the fall even if Jayden can't come with. Since Jayden is on the waiting list for preschool, I can't say for sure when he will get in and whether or not he is going to be attending music class or preschool. I guess we have to wait and see.

Anyway, I said we pack a lot in on some days...We went to Bonfante Gardens after music class today. It was a little warmer than I expected, but I don't know why I expected it to be less than hot. It was GILROY for God's sake! Nevertheless, we had a great time. We met Fernanda, Santiago, Xaree, Ivana, Marek, and Mira there. Sorry Cristina couldn't make it. Poor Vincent had a nasty fever last night. Well wishes y'all! We went on several rides (Jayden enjoyed the boat ride so much that we stayed on for a second go-around!); had a nice lunch in the air-conditioned restaurant; visited the water play where the kids had a blast and got absolutely soaked; played a game on the midway (Jayden chose to go fishing and he WON!); and decided it was time to head home. Well, stupid, silly, dinghy me!! I left my lights on when we got to the park. My battery was too low to start the car. So, I called Fernanda to see if she had jumper cables--which she did not. Then, I went to the Guest Services counter to see if they had a guy out there just for this sort of thing (I can't be the only moron out there!) but they don't. So, I called AAA and they said they would be about an hour. More time out in the hot hot sun! Luckily, I was smart enough to pack some water bottles. Eliana was a really thirsty girl. She drank about 1/2 a bottle while we were waiting. We went back and forth from the car to the shady benches a couple of times while we waited. Sure enough, the AAA guy showed up while we were on the benches BUT not until we were totally blocked from view by a big ol' school bus! NO, I did not miss the guy. I heard his truck and thought,"I bet that's my guy!" So I looked and there he was! He took my keys from me; put them in the ignition; turned it....and yep...it started right up!!!!! I was out there for only 30 minutes, but HOW STUPID!!! I could have done that! BUT IT DIDN'T WORK WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR!!!!! What an exciting end to my day!....

Oh no! Not the end! Just after I get home and unload the car, my brother announces that he needs to go downtown and pick up his car from the fix-it shop. Who gets to go?!? Yep!!! ME! So, Jayden and I loaded back up in the car (my mom volunteered to watch Eliana) and with Jeff, off we went on the most round-about tour of San Jose. The cool thing was that we were right under the flight path at the autobody shop. While Jayden and I were waiting for Jeff to take care of business, we watched several planes fly by at very close range. Jayden thought that was way cool! On the way home, we drove by the Tech Museum. That was awesome just because of it's size and the bright orange paint, but also because of the big Superman Returns advertisment on the front of it. Jayden is WAY into Superman these days. Not sure what sparked his interest, but he makes capes out of the most interesting things!

In any case, we also saw a lot of cars (which are very fun for Jayden) and I quote, "...a TRAIN ON THE ROAD!!" When we stopped for the lightrail to pass.

All in all, it was an extremely exciting day! The good thing about spending such an adventure-filled day with Jayden is that he provides about 80% of the dialogue. :)

Bite picture

So here it is. This is the picture of Jayden's bite about an hour after the incident. I got him home and laid him down for a nap then snapped the picture. He was almost totally unaware of this.

Last evening, Jayden was playing outside with my mom and me when Dave came home. When I prompted Jayden to tell Daddy what he had done that day he turned his back to Dave, pulled up his shirt (sort of) and said, "Boy scratched me and I cried and cried and cried!"

Dave: "You did all that crying?"

Jayden: "Yes! I did! I cried and cried and cried!"

Dave then pulls out a candy bar from the brown bag he is carrying and Jayden settled down to eat it as though the world were totally on hold for that moment when he was enjoying his chocolate. Oh if only I could have moments like that! To be totally free of any worries or cares and just living in the pure enjoyment of a candy bar!

A bit of this and a bite of that!

First things first! Thank you to Julie and Lori for the comments on my last post. I was venting some frustrations that I wasn't sure how to deal with and needed the input. The advice to put the group down lower in level of importance in my life was great. I polled the group to see what they wanted to do, and lo and behold! The group decided to get together and talk about it!

Lori--I will always treasure our special bond over founding this playgroup. If not for your outgoing nature, our little group would not exist.

Julie--Thank you for taking over when we needed you. Your efforts made our little group into a great group for the moms and not just about the kids.

In other news, we had a crazy busy weekend with Dave's siblings in town. Katie and Wes flew in from Texas Friday morning and Michelle flew in from Wyoming Friday night. They were coming out for the wedding that never happened, but we managed to spend the time having a great time, laughing, talking, swimming, bonding, drinking...oh and the drinking!

To follow up the out-of-control weekend, we went to Kayleigh's 3rd birthday party today. After all the swimming we did this weekend, I thought for sure Jayden would not be interested in the kiddie pool or the sprinklers, but he spent a good deal of time in the water again today! I should have known that just because it was overcast did not mean that water play would be cancelled. It was just as hot as yesterday....just without the sun! The kids had a good time playing with the other kids and I enjoyed visiting with the other moms. UNTIL...

DUM DUM DUUUUUUUUMMMMMM

Jayden got into a tousle with another kid at the party. I didn't see it and neither did the other mom, but the end result was that her kid BIT my baby! He came running to me screaming and holding his back. I didn't know what happened and he was too distraught to tell me. But, I lifted his shirt and there were two distinct rows of teeth marks. Clearly, he got bit! Poor baby! He screamed and screamed until I put the ice on him. That seemed to calm him down quite a bit and then we put an alcohol swab on it just in case there was a germ carry-over. There was talk of goodie bags (to Jayden that reads--presents) and suddenly he was over the bite and on to the next thing! What a trooper! And he bounced right back.

My heart goes out to Daniela and the mom of the kid who bit mine. They both apologized profusely for what happened, but neither were at fault. Unless you know your kid has a biting problem (which she didn't), you don't know what random thing is going to happen. And, I know Jayden can be rambunctious. He may have provoked the kid (not that biting is acceptable in any case) by being his usually exhuberant self! So, time to put it in the past and not worry about it any more.

for some reason, I can't post the picture of Jayden's bite tonight. I will try again another time. :)

Playdate frustrations spilled....

Ok...so here I am trying to decide how I really feel about this playgroup. On one hand, the playdates have been a consistent part of my life and Jayden's life for nearly 3 years. On the other hand, the group is sort of falling apart and there is very little if any participation on most weeks. Getting people to respond to "do you want to go to this" questions is like pulling teeth from a duck and then the response is usually "no".

So, why do I continue to put myself in a situation where I feel the need to keep the group going?!? Well, I tell myself that I need the others in the group as much as they need me, but I don't know that that is true. I think if I left the group no one would be the wiser and life would continue on. Then, I tell myself that the group is just going through some changes now with new babies and new houses and such; that I should be patient and see how things go. I don' t believe it though. I know that with small changes, big changes occur and nothing is the same as it was. When a new baby is added to the family, it gets more difficult for the family to get out and about. If things were challenging before, they are even more challenging after.

So, what do I do? Stick it out and hope that we all settle down again and have our regular playdates? Plan activities that I want to do and go at them all alone? Dump the group and find new people to hang with?? HELP!!! I don't know what to do! What I do know is that I am frustrated and lonely spending all my days with little adult interaction. The playdates are as much for me as they are the kids.

For any of you that actually read this and are in the playgroup, please don't think I am directing my frustrations at you personally. This is just in general to about the group and lack of participation in it and a cry for help about what I should do about it. Patience has never been my strong suit.

Crash! Boom! Bang!

Well...If I thought Jayden had a record number of falls the other day, I was just fooled into thinking they were major deals. Today, he had a major head-on collision with is friend William. Apparently, they were playing separately and both decided to run into the other room. With great misfortune, that took them around the same corner but in opposite directions. I've been told that you could hear the from their heads colliding all the way across the house! Then, great pause as if the world had stopped turning for a minute...then the screaming began. But, thankfully, Mimi was there to cuddle Jayden and hold the bag of frozen peas to his swelling head for a long enough time for Jayden to relax and the swelling to halt. Phew! Could-a been worse!

And just when you thought the day was going to calm down and go smoothly with kids napping and peace and quiet.....

Jayden decided not to nap today. Instead, he was playing in his bed and dropped his pacifier off the top of the bed. I suppose he thought he could just lean over and pick it up off the floor because the house went from blissfully quiet to screaming at full-force from his room. Well, naturally, I took off running to find out what was up. When I got to the door way of his bedroom, I peeked in and all I could see of my screaming child was his tiny butt and flailing legs sticking out from the top of the bed where the head of the bed is supposed to meet the wall. The rest of him was stuck upside-down between the bedframe and the wall. Poor thing! No wonder he was crying!

Hopefully that will be all for today and the REST of the day will be calm and peaceful. WELL!! One can hope! :)

JUNE!

This week has been CRAZY busy! I didn't even realize that today was Friday because I am so busy running around spending the week! In summary, Monday came and went with Sit-n-play in the morning; Tuesday was workout day; Wednesday we went to Bonfante Gardens Themepark (which is a ton of fun, good for adults, and totally awesome for little kids if you've never been); Thursday was graduation day--Ashley's school celebrated the promotion from 5th grade to middle school in the morning and Max's High School graduation was in the evening. Today, Friday, finally, we ventured out to the park in the morning, fought over naps in the afternoon, workout was cancelled--thankfully, and Jeff took Jayden out to play baseball in the park before dinner. Phew!

But, wait, we are not done yet, after dinner tonight, my mom and I took the kids out for a stroll around the block. I decided that I am probably not going to do the half-marathon. I don't really have the time to train and I barely have time for outdoor (childfree) exercise now. I am not going to be able to generate the hours of running needed to be able to complete 13 some-odd miles for the event. However, I did determine that I will try to drag my mommy out for a stroll every evening after dinner so as to increase my endurance as well as hers and get us both some exercise. The biggest benefit I see to this for me is that it will help spend a great deal of time in between the completion of our dinner and the time that Daddy gets home to help with the kiddies! :) On bath nights, this should spend almost all of our time! What a great way to bond!

OH YEAH!!! I almost forgot the most exciting (even if not in a good way) news of the week! Well, as you are most all aware, Dave's cousin Tammy has been busy planning her wedding for well over a year. Jayden was designated the ringbearer as he would be the cutest little 3 yr old boy there in a tux! But, she has been living apart from her betrothed since late July. During that time, their love has failed to survive and she cancelled her plans to wed. BOO HOO! My heart goes out to Tammy and Chett that they may recover from this with whole hearts and few scars. But, mostly, I send much needed love, hugs, and good thoughts to Judy and Gary who are closest to the hot spot right now and are absorbing a good deal of tension from the aftermath of the cancellation. As a bright spot...here is the pic we took of Jayden in his tux last week when we had him try it on and one of Eliana just because! Ain't they CUTE!?! :)

Marathons!

Today marks Day 1 of my "half-marathon" training. Aunt Judy asked me to join her in the San Jose's Rock N Roll Half-marathon in October. I would love to do it, but I don't think I am physically ready for that kind of committment nor do I think I have the time to train for it with the kids and all. But, I asked Jeff to join me in training for it and today we started out to see where we were physically. We ran around the block twice. Well...the first time we took Jayden and the dog so I'm not sure how much that counts. Jayden ran more than halfway, but when he pooped out I had to carry him the rest of the way home. When we caught our breath, I sent Jayden in the house and Jeff and I took Shayna out for one more turn of the block. It wasn't too bad, but I got bored of going slow and sprinted the last leg home just in time to get to the potty to pee. I really need to see a dr. about my bladder. I have to pee every time I jump or run. It annoys me to no end! AND, I am sure you all wanted to know that!

In other "marathon" news, Jayden fell today the most number of times I have ever seen including when he was learning to walk. Ok...maybe not that many, but it must have been at least a dozen times today! I'm not sure if something is up with that, or if he was just being clumsy or careless, but he has bumps, bruises, cuts, and scrapes all over! Poor baby!

There but for the grace...

Supreme tragedy has got me thinking today. A 5-yr old boy drowned yesterday while swimming with his friend in the friend's family pool. The moms of the kids went in the house to watch through the window and chat while the boys played. I keep thinking...pools and bathtubs can be so dangerous! Living at my parents' house keeps me on my toes, but the pool in the backyard is really scary. Jayden LOVES to swim! I worry he will someday find himself tempted by the pool without enough supervision and.....

I know...I worry too much. But, all the same, better safe than sorry?

I guess I have a good sense of water safety and I am trying hard to teach it to Jayden. Perhaps I will have as much luck with that as I did teaching him about cars in the road. He is very conscious of cars coming and going. He often even remembers to look for them and PANICS when he sees them. Something went right there.

But, my oh my, my heart, prayers, and thoughts for strength and healing go to the family that lost their little boy and to the family who owns the pool.

Exciting news!

I am full of exciting news today!

First and foremost, Caroline is finally in labor! YAY! Hope baby Petal arrives soon and healthy and happy and at home the way Mama wants. May the labor be short, the delivery easy, and the baby healthy!

Next, I met with a woman today who has a very interesting job. She is an Educational Therapist. Basically, kids with learning difficulties take some tests to see how they respond to certain stimuli and answer questions. Then, she takes the results of those tests and applies them to learning math and language to find out what the student's strengths and weaknesses are. VERY COOL JOB! The end result is that the student will gain strategies to deal with the way they learn and will help them to most efficiently become fully-functional members of society. I think I want to research this to find out more. It is very exciting stuff! (For geeky-math-me anyway!)

In other news, Dave and I picked out French doors to go in our living room today. I was surprised at the variety of options that were available at Home Depot. Dave got there first s he scoped the place out. He then showed me. We went in order from the cheap ugly ones to the medium ones to the expensive pretty ones that we picked. I think he planned that! We looked at front doors and shutters as well, but not seriously. We are about a million years away from replacing front doors and putting up decorative shutters. I don't think I had seen a stucco house with shutters before, though. So, I looked around on my way home today. I saw a couple but not many. The ones I saw though, I liked! The front of our house will be very plain otherwise, so we will need something to pretty it up! :)

Lastly, we got our loan money today. That means we have enough to start the last legs of work that need to get done to the house before we can move back home. I am not terribly exciting about moving back home just yet, though. First, I love having all the extra hands here to help out with the kids. I am going to miss having family so close! But, secondly, and more importantly, we are going to be moving back home to a smaller actual living space than we eitehr have now or had when we moved out! The reason is, our upstairs room that we had before won't be available for use again until after it is finished. We will be moving back home when the downstairs is livable but upstairs won't be done yet. I expect it will be MANY MANY MANY weeks before the upstairs will be functional too.

That's all I can think of on the Stahl-front today. I am off to watch the season finale of The Apprentice! Gotta know who won! My guess--Sean.

It's finally happened!

My kids are old enough to play together! I just peeked in on them playing together in the family room. They have a video on the TV that neither of them are watching and they are sitting together pushing the buttons on the Incredibles book that makes noise. I know it won't last but a minute, but it was very cute to see them together.

Ah-hah! As I am sitting here expressing my pleasure of their shared play, Eliana begins to express her DISpleasure! Not sure whether it was Jayden that set her off or the fact that she finally had a decent poop! I started giving her Yo-Baby yogurt the other day. I am thinking that it loosened her up. YAY! And, as an added bonus, she likes it! Wonder what else she likes that we haven't tried yet?

hmmmm........

NUTS!

ok...I am ROASTING! Dave is telling me I am nuts. What I want to know is this....If I am the one that's nuts, why is my son the one running around looking out the windows for the spaceships? And, why is my husband the one chasing after him trying to see what Jayden sees?

Yep...it's a fun night here at Casa de Kaminsky-Stahl. Not sure what name to give the house right now since we are all living here, but usually this house is Casa de Kaminsky. Casa de Stahl is not yet done. We are waiting on a couple of windows, the French doors that will go in the living room, and stucco on the part of the contractors. As for our part....there is no end to the list. I started today trying to list all of the work we still need to do so we can start putting dollar signs on it and prioritizing. I am so overwhelmed I don't even know where to begin! We need to re-drywall the whole house--obviously the upstairs as it is new, but the downstairs too because there is so much damage. We found termite damage in the 2x4's in the living room and bathroom downstairs so there is that repair work to do as well. The ceilings in the bedrooms need to be replaced due to water damage from the construction during the rain. All 3 bathrooms are going to need plumbing overhauls and new bathing fixtures--basically 2 tubs and a shower. The whole house needs to be carpeted, but I think that is going to have to wait ages! And the list goes on....

So, for now, we are playing house at Casa de Kaminsky. And with that, I will take my leave and put the baby to bed....again!

Personal Trainer

Hi Moms--

I had to add a follow-up on this posting by Fernanda. She and I have been training with Ian for 3 months and I have lost 2 inches around the middle, bottom, and thighs in that time. I felt so good about my success, I finally went bathing suit shopping this weekend! This summer will be the first in 3 that I will not be wearing my maternity suit! Yippee!

If you think you might want to try a personal trainer, I highly recommend Ian Hernlund certified personal trainer 408 476 8828.

Lynda

Hi Moms,

A LM Mom recommended Ian, her husband went to High school with him. For a couple of months now, another mom and I have been working with Ian on a whole-body routine. He's a great trainer, very professional, on time and reasonable prices. The best part is he comes to my home to train us while the kids nap, or play.> > I asked him for a flier to attach to this email, give him a call, and if you have questions you can always ask me. > Note: You pay almost half the price if you do it with another person.> > Fernanda (and Lynda)

"HOLY HELL!!"

Most of my family and friends know that I am truly blessed that my children are generally calm and pleasant. I know we all think Jayden can be exhuberant and Eliana is tenacious. But, in general, my kids don't cry unless they are truly hurt or waking up from sleep.

So, Jayden managed to get a tiny little splinter in his finger. Unfortunately, fingers don't like to become homes to foreign objects. Hence, the area near the splinter is a little red and swollen. The finger is saying, "Get this thing outta me before I get really mad!" Well, I am not sure what sparked the terror in him, but when I try to get near Jayden with tweezers, needles, or medicine, he SCREAMS HOLY HELL! I have not heard him scream like that since we had to put Lidocaine on his mouth when he got herpes! He was SO LOUD I thought for sure the neighbors were going to call CPS on me.

I thought for sure that he would calm down later in the day and we could try again after dinner. OH NO!! I was seriously mistaken! I thought perhaps picking out the bandaids (he chose Batman) would help. NOPE! Not that either! Right now he is playing with his new toy boats in warm water in the kitchen sink so he can soak his finger. Maybe it will loosen it so I can pull out the splinter while he is sleeping.

Uh oh! I pee-peed!

Not a terrible thing to hear from your toddler during the potty-training period, but not great if your hear it right after you change the diaper and ask specifically if he has to go. He said no. I knew he was lying, but I let it go for just one minute. Silly me! He peed while I was cleaning up from diaper changes and missed the diaper. I am not sure exactly how that happened. He was still wearing it, but leaked only on the left side. Strange.

But, not funny. Here is funny. Last week I was changing Eliana's diaper. She had another little poop-nugget. So, I picked her up by her feet to get the dirty diaper out from under her. As it sometimes does, the poop was stuck to her butt. But it seemed to be just barely hanging on. So, I shook her a little to make the poop fall off....to my surprise, it bounced a little off her bottom but held fast. Clearly it was going to need a more aggressive approach to removal. I took a wipe and proceeded to pull the butt-nugget away. This is where it got really funny.....it was attached to her butt by a piece of hair. I assume it was mine, but I pulled and pulled and pulled...it seemed to go on for over a foot before it finally broke off and the poop was separated from my daughter's behind! HAHA!!

Ok...so I am still laughing about it...it gave a whole new meaning to "Hanging by a thread" to me. I couldn't help but giggle every time I thought about it...including now! hehhehhehehe

Oh well...who can resist a post all about the eliminations produced by my little loved ones!?!

Allergy season...

I have the sniffles and the snorts and the marathon-running-nose from hell! Allergies hit me hard this year. I don't usually suffer too bad except when I am pregnant and can't take anything, but this year I have been sneezing non-stop for DAYS! I have already gone through several boxes of tissue and am considering the use of handkerchiefs so as to lessen the landfill. Luckily for me, I am not allergic to the dog; but unluckily for me, I AM allergic to about 100 different pollens and plants!

It seems that the kids may have gotten a few of my numerous allergies as well. They have both been running their noses non-stop for quite some time now also. It's always clear and worsens over night. Those are the signs for allergies, so.....

I hope that our house will be more insulated against allergens than before. We will have foam insulation and double-paned windows and sheer-siding under the stucco. Maybe that will be enough to help keep out the sneezes. In any case, the progress is going fast. The second story is up and the roof is on. We are waiting on windows at this time. Then comes the shingles and stucco. The rest is up to us. Dave is actually going over there tomorrow to meet his cousin. Travis knows his way around the plumbing and has graciously offered to help Dave out. So, for Mother's Day, I get the peace of mind to know that my house will be plumbed and have electricity (that's what Dave is doing tomorrow). Then I get to spend the day running around visiting. Dave's cousin Casey is home from the Marine Corp Basic Training. We are heading out there to visit him. Then, we will be going to see Dave's mom for a bit. At some point, we need to get over to Color Me Mine and pick up the special ART that Jayden and Ellie created (with Jeff's and my help) for their grandmothers. Yep...we did the traditional hand/foot prints on a ceramic object. Dave's mom gets a heart shaped plate and my mom gets a tissue box cover.

I hear The Princess Bride playing in the other room. I haven't seen that in a while. I am off to see how many lines I remember! :)

I'm back in the saddle again....

Ok...so it's not a saddle, but my computer broke down and Dave just fixed it. How sweet he is!

So I have some cute pics...let's see if they come through.


And here is the story with these pictures:

It was the 4th time I chose to take the kids in for pictures since Eliana was born. I had yet to get a good picture of her. I told them that on the phone when I called them for the appointment. Jayden was a bit cranky that day although I wasn't sure why. He was whining in the car on the way to the restaurant we were going to have lunch at. Aunt Judy and Tammy were joining us for lunch and pictures. Finally, Jayden fell asleep in the car (I didn't think he needed a nap, but better that than the whining!) When I pulled into the parking lot for lunch, he woke up with more crying and whining...then.....He threw up all over the place! AND THEN HE DID IT AGAIN!

Poor baby! He must have eaten something that upset his stomach, because he was fine after he got it out of him. But, he got his shirt and pants covered in puke. NOT TO MENTION MY CAR...it stank for DAYS after that!

Anyway, so I cleaned up the mess as best I could, we went to TGIF and had lunch, then off to Penney's for pictures. I bought Jayden those pants right before we went into the studio and I happened to have the shirt in the car. I can't blame him for the wild hair. He did just vomit all over the place...luckily it didn't still stink too bad! We went in and got the best pictures of Ellie I have ever gotten...and the ones of Jayden aren't too bad either. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good one of them together.

Oh well....there is always next time!

Phew! Thank you....

...to all my supporters that came to my choir concert. Especially, Judy--who had to rush out and go to work after--and Fernanda who came both nights to get to see the whole performance AND came out on her birthday! And, at last, the concert is over. It went well albeit there were many mistakes made on my part. Nonetheless, it was a ton of fun and I am glad to be done with it. Our next season of music starts in just a couple of weeks. This summer we will be singing '50's music. I am expecting to know quite a few more of the songs to begin with than I did the folk songs we sang this time around. Although, we did have a couple of sing-along portions of the show. Those songs I knew well. It was a lot of fun to see Jayden out in the audience singing along with "She'll be coming Round the Mountain" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad". He did the "O" in banjo the same way we always do in the car....like a wolf howling at the moon...and I couldn't help but do it too! SO MUCH FUN! I think he really liked the concert too. Ellie was there, but she did a lot of fussing during the show. She was just too young to appreciate it. Dave was too. :) And my dad said he might be interested in joining the choir, too! That would be lots of fun!

If I get some pictures, I will post them, but there really wasn't much to see. Maybe I will hunt up pictures of our house or the kids instead! :)

High Anxiety!

My choir is performing our Annual Spring Concert this weekend. I am pretty anxious about it. I don't mind participating as part of the choir, but I am standing near the front and (here is the big part) I have a "solo" that another woman and I are singing together. I really don't know why I decided to audition for it ( ok...it was probably just to see if I could get it--and obviously I did), but I don't like to stand out or be noticed (probably for fear of screwing up). I am just a bit out of sorts about this solo business. Oh well...it's not like I profess to be some great singer. I am just an average tune-carrier trying to have a creative outlet in a place where I can go without my children! :D

Jayden is refusing naps these days. We are trying "quiet time" but I think I am done with that. We will be pushing naps from now on! But, yesterday while he was wandering around, he found a magazine. He flipped through it, found a toy that he wanted, took the magazine to Dave and said, "That be fun!". When Dave said that we didn't have that toy, Jayden prompted, "We got to store and buy it?" Such a cutie!

Wireless SUCKS--But I look great! :)

There is nothing more that needs be said at this juncture. WIRELESS INTERNET SUCKS!

All night, I have been wanting to play Everquest with Dave. Both kids went to bed relatively early (for lack of naps) and there was lots of time to play. BUT, the stupid wireless connection kept pooping out on us! GRRRR!! In case anyone wonders, THIS IS THE REASON WE HAVE A T1 AT HOME! So enough about that... Clearly by the fact that this post made it to your eyes, the connection is up and running again. My genius hubby managed to fix it while I was off trying on my new clothes....yes that's right! I finally broke down and bought clothes that fit me in my (yet again) new size. Although I have been working out regularly with Fernanda and our enthusiastic, slave driver...I mean personal trainer, Ian, I am not dropping in size as fast as I would have hoped. The hole in my only pair of blue jeans and the fact that I have no shorts that fit led me to the conclusion that I need to go shopping. I did manage to find some very cute things in my new size that I would be sad to leave behind should I ever mangage to find my old sized body again. But, since I have had 2 kids in 3 years, I don't expect to be seeing that body any time soon---at least not on me. Even so, I do have some great muscles building up under all the extra me. My arms and legs are starting to look quite toned and my middle largess is waning. Perhaps by the time I am done with round 3 of Ian's workouts, I will be ready to brave a swimsuit. I will certainly have the strength to water ski!

Tomorrow I return to my regular routine save one MAJOR change. My poor Maxwell is sick. He is up at Aunt Judy's letting his mama take care of him (which is what everyone wants when they are sick--Mama). I hope he is back to his normal self soon. As for me, I may be hunting up a substitute baby-sitter. Feel better soon Max!

Whoa! Put on the BRAKES!

This week just FLEW past! I have been up and out of the house every day this week by 7 AM. It's almost like old times except I have 2 kids and my husband is taking them to the babysitter and I never worked full-time at this school before and WOW--I am having a great time teaching again! I do love the work. I didn't even mind grading the papers! BUT--and this is a big BUT (not unlike the one I am sitting on -- hahaha)--I miss my life at home with the kids and the art class and music class and playgroup! I really miss playgroups! I miss the mommies and the other kids and the slow and easy life that I took for granted before this week. I need weeks like this to appreciate what I have at home. Yes, I still think I need a vacation. But, I want to take a vacation with my kids that we are all going to enjoy and not one that I want to get away from! :) Someday, when the kids are bigger and in school themselves, I will go back to teaching. Right now, I am going to focus on renewing my credential so I don't get screwed when that day comes and I am going to enjoy being the mommy my little ones deserve.

Bold statement from Mrs. Has-new-mood-every-three-minutes-or-so! But, by writing this statement down, I can start to take ownership and maybe live it a little! :) In the meantime, I think I need to go wash the throw-up out of my hair. Gotta love being a mommy! :D

What a CRAZY BUSY week!

So the week started with Jayden being sick from Thursday last week until Saturday. Then, of course, Eliana got it and was sick from Saturday until Wednesday. But, that's not all...no. That would be too easy! I also got it (Tues thru now) and with a sore throat that makes swallowing water more painful than childbirth!----Enough about being sick!

So, Dave's birthday was Wednesday and for a special treat, his softball team at work was playing their first game. Naturally, I took advantage of the easy gift and bought him a glove (which he didn't have) and as the surprise gift, I gave him one for Jayden too. He liked that! Jayden has played with his every day! So cute! Oh yeah....and they won the game! :)

Jayden and I planted tomatoes in pots outside the back door today. I wonder how they will do....The plants I have put in my yard at home have always done fantastically. I have never grown anything in a pot before, but I couldn't resist having some fresh homegrown tomatoes. Jayden enjoyed the outdoor activity and the little science lesson too. He now knows that water will seep down into soil and the plants will drink it up like through a straw. So cute to here his accounting of it! :)

Anyway, until next time...silently yours (because my throat is killing me!)

L--

It's raining again!

I'm having another one of those days where the depression is sinking in and nothing feels right. I went to a wine-tasting dinner with my parents tonight and the idea was that I would relax and enjoy myself and have an adult night. But, I was bored. I kept thinking about Dave and wishing he was there to talk to me. The wine was good, but I was not overwhelmed with GREAT wine and the food was ok, but nothing wonderful.

I got to visit with an old friend today and Jayden stayed home with my parents to nap. He had a great nap while I was gone, but still...I am bummed.

Not sure what the deal is, but I hope I get over it quick.

:(

Pre-Easter/Post-Seder Update

So, the lake that was forming in the hall and bedroom spread throughout the whole house. There is not a single room left untouched by the tornado known as Operation HouseWreck. But, the contractor is going to replace the drywall damaged by the flood, so that is good.

Jayden came down with a huge fever today. I hope he kicks it pretty quick. It came on rather suddenly and grew throughout the afternoon. Tonight he fell asleep watching Survivor with me. I have to say I am rather disappointed that the people on the show are aligning themselves the way they are. I personally think Shane should have been booted ages ago, but I only get to see what CBS wants me to see of him. I am sure he is much more stable than I give him credit for.

Anyway, when Jayden fell asleep early, I knew he was sick. So, we are not going anywhere tomorrow or Saturday. I hope he is well by Sunday so he doesn't carry this on and on. I also hope he doesn't share whatever bug he has with Eliana. That would really stink!! Ahh...well...wait and see I guess!

That's it from me today...Happy Pesach and Easter to all those who observe! Thanks to the Shuman family for helping us celebrate our Seder! We loved having you!

Rain Rain GO AWAY!!!

They started working on my house on Thursday. The first clear (and beautiful) day in our massive rain spree. So they completely took the roof off and tore up our upstairs room. They were out there working again yesterday in blue skies and sunshine....THEN! In early afternoon, the rain started. Just a sprinkle at first. But it just kept on coming! It rained and rained and rained. Dave stopped by the house to pick up the mail and found that Lake Stahl has grown. It actually relocated itself to the hallway and master bedroom. He found a waterfall onto my oak desk (and all the crap we were stashing there) and a swamp in the hallway. The ceiling in the bedroom is ruined and will need to be replaced now. I am hoping that there was no actual damage to my desk. I love that desk! And, we are going to have to replace the carpet in the hall and the bedroom. We will have to check the subfloors too and see if they are damaged from the water or not. My, oh my! This is getting fun! :)

In the

I'm Back!

Has it really been 2 WEEKS?? I guess so! But, I now finally have internet access again on my computer. It is rather weird to have my computer in the middle of the living room at my parents' house. Usually this room is so neat and pristine. There is only stuff in here when we are having an event or a holiday or some such thing. Now the room is littered with our stuff--toys, computer parts, boxes of stuff from my desk and Dave's desk, and did I mention toys?!

Our move has been difficult and wearing on everyone. I would like to say we are settled, but the jury is still out on that. Of all things to worry about, Sunday night someone broke the window in Dave's truck and rifled around in all the stuff that was still out there. As far as we can tell, the only thing they made off with was an old 15" LCD monitor that we were using for Jayden's computer. The suckiest part of all this, is that we have to pay our $100 deductible on the car to fix the window (which is on back-order until Friday) and won't be done until Saturday and Dave is driving my car in the meantime; and we have to pay to replace the monitor because it is covered under our homeowner's insurance which has a $500 deductible...the monitor wasn't even worth that much! GRRR! I know things could be worse and today I am counting my blessings...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ....

All in all, I think we will settle soon. If not, at least I am enjoying the time I am dreaming about the vacation I want to have ( not that I will get it, but I am planning one anyway)!

Oh yeah...no they haven't started on our house yet....the rain still pours! The new expected start date is the middle of next week. We'll see!

This is it!

So after a couple of weeks of packing, I think I have done all I can do. The rest is up to Dave to lug downstairs and over to my parents' house. I have to say, though, I REALLY like the house empty and devoid of all our STUFF. It feels so clean and open and fresh! Maybe the blues I have had all winter are due to the overwhelming MESS that accumulated over the 6 years we have lived in this house and with 4 people and a dog, I couldn't take it anymore! I am looking forward to having a large and spacious home when we are done with the work.

Happy Days are here again! (I hope!) :)

Conflicted

I am so conflicted about our moving. On one hand, I am thrilled that we are going to be getting a much bigger house and have tons of space to spread out. Our plan for the addition to the house should make it big enough to live in for the rest of our lives. We also get to move in with my parents, which is also a mixed blessing. I love that my parents are going to be around to help me out with the kids (because I am on the verge of losing what's left of my little mind), but I am going to be living with my parents! I haven't done that in YEARS! There will be a lot of compromising going on. I guess that is the other hand. I am experiencing a great deal of stress from lack of communication with Dave and the weather being so inconsistent and the contractors waiting out the weather to get started and not having an exact date for being out of the house and .... I could go on for pages...but I won't. The point is I have great anxiety about our situation.

The good news is that I found a new babysitter. Dave's youngest cousin, Max, is going to come over twice a week to watch the kids while I tutor. The extra money will help pay for the really cool part of a new house....walls, carpet, electricity, toilets, and yes...my favorite part...A BATHTUB!! :)

Off to pack up some more stuff that should just get thrown out.........

Normalcy returns...I hope

So far things seem to be pretty calm. I keep waiting for the second shoe to drop, but my tension is lessening as the time passes. We have had a couple of incidents, but nothing very out of the norm. I ran a red light on my way home Sunday afternoon. Yes, I was sooooo stupid I did it right in front of a police officer. He pulled me over (no surprise there) but told me that I should have just stepped on the gas and gotten over the crosswalk before the light changed. He said he had to pull me over because others were watching and he didn't want to look bad, but he let me go with advice on how to be more successful in running lights. :)

We also attempted to get our first inspection on the house. Typically, Dave let it go too long and our permit expired. So, he had to go downtown to City Hall and renew it and then schedule the inspection. The inspector came yesterday and decided to call his visit a "consultation" rather than an inspection so we don't have a negative report on the record. He gave Dave some tips and suggestions on fixing the problems. It was all pretty simple stuff to fix so hopefully Dave can get it done pretty quick.

I have been trying to get our stuff moved for the big demolition and rebuilding of the 2nd story. I packed up the movies (for those of you that don't know we have a lot of movies--6 boxes worth in both DVD and VHS format) and moved most of the books from upstairs to the playroom. I still have so much to do! I would love it if a work party just showed up at the door and said, "We're here! Let's do it!" Oh, well...I better get some more boxes and get to it.

The good news about this remodel is that our new upstairs will have a pre-school playroom. I would like to start a Preschool At Home program here where a couple of days a week (like t/th) some moms and I run a preschool for our kids. I am working on a whole plan for this, but I don't know if any other moms would even be interested in something like this. Almost ALL of the moms I know around here are talking about preschool or have their kids in one already. Well, more on this later if anyone shows interest in it. :)

A Calm in the Eye of the Storm

Not sure what it is about today, but I have a feeling that the string of bad luck is not yet over. Today was unusually calm though. We had no catastrophes and though Jayden was typically Jayden and Eliana was acting a little different, it seemed like a pretty good day.

Jayden has a bit of a rash on his rear...we think it is scratched from the diaper rubbing it and then he scratches it and it looks worse. I put some Hydrocortesone on it to make it feel better. So he bumped his leg and to make it feel better he squeezed about half the tube of cortesone on it. He got it EVERYWHERE! But, all in all, not a disaster...just a big mess.

It was a cold day in hell!

Yep! Yep! The bad news continues here at Lake Stahl. Well, it's not all bad. Dave managed to fix the kitchen sink and we have agreed to move in with my parents. So that's the good part. But, because we have dilly-dallied so much on the work we are doing, our permit expired. We are supposed to have an inspection at least once every 180 days in order to keep the permit active. But, Dave in his infinite wisdom, tried to save money and wanted them to inspect it all at once (it costs $100 every time they come out) and he waited too long. So, Dave has to go downtown tomorrow and renew the permit then get an inspector out here. In the meantime, we need to pack to move out.

In other news, I went to the park today thinking that it would be nice to get some fresh air and let Jayden run around a bit. Well, the fresh air was nice, but GOOD GOD IT WAS COLD! And, to top off my day, I took a wrong step and twisted my knee. I am in a lot of pain right now, but it seems to be subsiding throughout the day and I suspect it will disipate altogether in the next couple of days.

Enough of today's episode of "You're in hell and you can't get out!" Tune in next time and find out if the Stahl family can find the hidden escape pod.

If things can go wrong....

They still will! After all that has happened so far, one might think that the reign of hell is over. BUT, NO!!! Tonight as I was making dinner, I stepped into a puddle of water. Hmm...how did that get there and why is it getting BIGGER???? The frigging pipes under the kitchen sink separated from eachother and water was leaking EVERYWHERE! Yes, Lake Stahl is located under my kitchen sink! Lifejackets required; no lifeguard on duty!

Other than that, Eliana's dr. appointment went well yesterday. She is healthy save for a yeast rash that we need to get ointment for. Her height (26.5 inches), weight (17.5 lbs--seems to have dropped a bit), and head size (43 cm) are all in the 75th %ile. Dr. A says she is big and healthy but won't necessarily be a tub-o-lard when she gets older, so stop worrying Lynda! She is such a chunk that I get concerned. I was nothing but skin and bones but largess runs in my family.

Everything else is going same as before. Perhaps with the exception of our plan to rent the neighbors' house. We are seriously considering camping out at Casa de Kaminsky (my parents' house) instead of spending needless $$ on rent. Bummer, though, I was rather hoping for all the super amenities of the ExtendedStay Deluxe. Oh well...not my luck, ya'know?!

Things haven't changed much around here, but yesterday was fun. I had a Pampered Chef party (presented by my cousin--well, my husband's cousin's wife--Katie) here at the house and we had a good time. I am lookig forward to seeing what neat litle gadgets everyone ordered! They will be delivered to my house....OH GOSH! I hope the roof is still on when they get here! I just thought of that!

Anyway, as for all the things in my last post, there is no advancement on those issues....including the rain. It was coming down in sheets last night. Today is beautiful, but it's very wet outside. I don't know if it is going to stay nice or start raining again. Nor do I know if they guys are coming out to work today. I am not really sure what they need to be doing before the roof comes down, so, I leave it up to them.

Eliana goes to see Dr. Armstrong today for her 6 month checkup. I suspect all will go well. I don't have many concerns. She is growing very well...I can tell by her height and weight! She is every bit of tank that Jayden was at that age. I am concerned a bit by her inablility to sleep through the night, but I guess I am just unlucky that way. And the other thing I want to ask about are her eyes. She seems to be a little cross-eyed. I thought that should have straightened out by now. Oh well, we will see what he says!

Here's hoping today is a good day!

Murphy's Law is in Effect!

Yes...If it can go wrong, it will! As of yesterday, the compressor for our air conditioner was frozen over, the furnace wasn't working, the T1 went down, there were termites searching for a new home in our bathroom (since their old home was disturbed by the stucco removal), Dave's tooth is broken and may need a root canal, one of the two lamps in my kitchen is not functioning, the neighbors are asking way too much for their house to rent (but we will probably do it anyway) and they don't allow pets (what are we going to do with Shayna?), and Jayden threw up all over himself and his carseat and my car yesterday on our way to get pictures taken.

Yep! Fun times around here!

Oh yeah!! And it's RAINING!

Amendment--Not 30 minutes after the original posting of this message, we got a call from our bank. Someone has accessed our online information and stole $19,000. Yes...there is more going wrong still...How much more can the Stahl Family take? Tune in next time with "You're in hell and you can't get out!"

Bang Bang Bang goes the Hammer!

Well, construction did not begin on Monday as planned. Rain poured from the sky for two days before the sun broke through and dried up the air! Bright and early this morning, the crew showed up and now it's "BangBangBang goes the hammer! Crunch crunch crunch goes the stucco!" They are ripping the stucco off the side of the house. I am going to be living in a mess of tarp and mud! :(

Still no answer from the owner of the house next door. We are hoping to rent his house for a couple of months, but we can't seem to get him on the phone. All we have is a voicemail number. He has to be around though. He had workers over there for the last couple of days.

Well, here's to construction! :-)

Wow! What a busy weekend we have had! It was a whirlwind of activity and we are all pooped! Jayden went down for a late nap today around 4ish and slept until 7 when we forced him to wake up. He nibbled a little and had a glass of juice, but at his normal bedtime, he was asking to go to bed. He was really tired. I hope he is well and just tired and not sick. I guess we will find out soon enough though. Ellie had a nice long nap today too. I hope she goes to bed soon and decides to sleep all night. It will be nice to get ourselves on a regular schedule again.

Ahh well...it will just have to wait. We have construction starting tomorrow....

Life's a beach!

Today we went to the beach! What fun! We drove out to Capitola and spent some time soaking up the sun and the wind and the waves. Jayden had a blast running in the sand, collecting rocks and shells and sticks, and playing in the water. Grandma Tess had tons of fun taking pictures and more pictures and more pictures! Eliana enjoyed hanging out in Aunt Katie's and Uncle Wes's arms. I enjoyed not being the one to have to chase the toddler and hold the baby! :)

After we spent a good amount of time on the beach freezing our little butts off, we had lunch/dinner at Paradise Beach Grill. The food was good, but the service was seriously lacking! We must have been there for 20 minutes before the waitress started to bring out drinks and I never did get mine! I had to remind her that she didn't bring it. Then, she brought me a dirty glass....and the replacement drink was ALSO IN A DIRTY GLASS! You would think that she would have paid particular attention to the second glass! Oh well, like I said...the food was good.

We strolled past the stores where Aunt Katie bought Eliana the cutest bathing suit! Like she needed it! When I get her in it, I will take pictures and post for your "awwww" ing pleasure.

The day must have been quite stimulating for both kids because even though they were exhausted, they didn't sleep on the ride home. Eliana screamed all the way home. I think she just didn't like her carseat, but she may have been hungry. If so, she surely didn't eat as much as I would have expected when we finally got home. And, Jayden talked all the way home! He did get quite whiny at times, but it was hard to relax with Ellie carrying on so and his carseat in the truck is not very comfortable. Needless to say, we were all glad to be home.

Dave gave Jayden a bath while I let Ellie get some exercise (she was held almost all day!) in her jumpy chair and on the floor. Then, Jayden, desperate to get some TV time, fell asleep on the couch and I just put Eliana down in her bed. I hope they sleep all night! Dave and I are still up, but I don't think we will last much longer! At least, I won't!

Hopefully, pictures tomorrow!

Here fishy, fishy, fishy, fishy!

Yesterday we had a really big day! Because Dave's brother and his wife came to visit, we went to the aquarium. That always makes for a big day for us. I don't really know why it takes ALL day, but it does. Anyway, we made an early start at 9:00am for breakfast with the gang. Jayden sat next to Grandma Tess and Uncle Wes and Aunt Katie played with Ellie. Then we piled up in the cars (girls in one and boys in the other) and headed down to Monterey.

The aquarium was not very crowded except in the area with the little kids place ... splash zone I think they call it. Jayden was not terribly interested in the touch pools. He did like to look, but he didn't want to touch anything and the more everyone asked him if he wanted to, the more he DIDN'T want to. We all enjoyed the Jelly Fish display (which I understand is leaving in August) and the shark exhibit was nice. The best part was the tuna tank with the sea turtle. He was just hanging out at the window and giving us all a really nice view of him. It was a surprise because every other time I've been there, he has been really elusive.

I remember that the last time we took Jayden down to the aquarium, he was calling all the animals "shee-shees" because he couldn't wrap his tongue around the "f" for "fishies" and had a very limited vocabulary. Yesterday, he was trying out all the words, "Jellyfish, tenticles, shark, turtle, kelp, crab, penguin..." He was a veritable library of marine vocabulary.

After lunch at the FishHopper (at the end of the pier on Cannery Row), Katie, Eliana, and I visited the silver shop (they have some really pretty things there), while the others went down to the beach. Jayden managed to get soaked to his waist so we stripped him down and wrapped him in my sweatshirt. He stayed there nice and snug for all of 5 minutes until we got to the candy store and he just HAD to get out! He was the cutest thing running around the store in his diaper and filling up his bucket with candy. I wish we had gotten a picture of that!

Speaking of pictures....since Jayden is so fond of taking them, the battery in my camera lasted for only 30 minutes of our trip! So, I don't have many pictures, but I will get them from Grandma Tess who brought her brand new camera (the Rebel or somthing like that).

Anyhow, at this point it is needless to say, but...both kids were sound asleep long before we got back on the freeway to come home and they slept like...umm...babies ;). Jayden actually slept from 7ish pm until about 5 am (when he came to me for the second time in the night only this time he was NOT going back to sleep). Eliana in true form, woke up several times hungry. I don't know why she won't sleep through the night anymore...she did it for about a week or two in December and hasn't done it since! The book says she is supposed to sleep through at 3 months! Gonna have to bring that up at her dr appt next month.

So....we've been busy...wonder what we will get to today!

Getting caught up!

What a great weekend! Dave and I really like playing an online interactive game (Everquest II) but there is usually so little time to play together that we feel dissatisfied with our version of "quality" time. But, we made special plans this weekend to play and play and play. SOE (Sony Online Experience) has been working hard at changes in the game to make room for a new expansion on the upper end. Because of this, they offered a special "double-experience weekend". So, we played all weekend long. I feel ready to face the day today (of course it is only 9:30am) and get an active start on our week.

A set-back to that active start is that Jayden is coughing now. Since we have been sick in this house (ok....I have been sick) since February 2, I am concerned that he may have a bacterial infection now. We will be seeing our favorite pediatrician in a couple of hours to check things out. Maybe my upbeat motivated attitude will help me to get some cleaning done around the house! I can see how that would lead to the possible health of my household. I haven't gotten ANYTHING done since the beginning of the month and the house is a MESS!!! Julie, I NEED YOU!

Speaking of Julie, I can't wait to see your new house! I suspect that by this time you are all moved in and LOVING it! There is something about moving into your own home....oh yeah! It's yours! :)

Ok....what about the kids? Jayden has been learning to take pictures. He LOVES to play with my camera. He takes 30 pictures at a time and wants to do this 2-3 times a day. Some of his pictures come out good, but many many of them are of things like his toys, the TV, coke cans (he makes us look really bad), and the couch. He is working on framing though. Sometimes he can even get the thing he wants to take the picture of inside the frame and it comes out. Other times, he say "taking picture Ellie" and he gets her sleeve. I seem to be inept at adding images or else I would post them here for you.


And Just for fun...here is one of Jayden:

But, now Ellie! She is getting good at sitting up. If I sit her, she can stay that way for a couple of minutes before she folds over in half. She is rolling over on a regular basis...."Mama, I want to be on my tummy!!" For every play time, sleep, and yes...diaper changes too! She is so full of personality! I love watching her play and interact with us. She thinks Jayden is all that and a bag of chips! She will watch him play and stare in admiration of her big brother. When he plays with her she is full of smiles and giggles. It's fun to watch them together. She also likes to watch me play EQII (see above) and she is chewing on EVERYTHING! No teeth yet! I thought she was going to pop them out early based on the one showing, but it has since receded into the gums again and there is no sign of any new teeth. (I am just as glad too...as I said...she chews on EVERYTHING!)

Well, I am not sure what I have forgotten, so....what ever it is, you will find out tomorrow or the next day! :)

No-News is Boring.

Today we had our first real outing since I got the cold from hell. I am still a bit congested and have a headache for the third (or fourth) day in a row, but we needed to get out and I couldn't just keep hiding Jayden inside. He needs to get out among his peeps if you know what I mean! :)

So we had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. As usual, we passed an enormous amount of time lollygagging over a myriad of foods only a few of which actually got eaten. But, Jayden suprised me and ate more vegetables than I have ever seen him eat! He dipped them all in ranch dressing which, as some of you may know, is his favorite way of eating absolutely everything! What really surprised me, though, was that as soon as we got out of the car, he was asking for the ice cream....but, when he finally got it, he took 2 bites and was done! I think he was just enjoying being with the other kids so much that he didn't want to waste time eating anymore.

I relished this opportunity of going out to get Eliana dressed up in a cute little denim dress that I bought her at Osh Kosh on Friday....ok, I went shopping on Friday, so today was a second outing for us. She was STYLIN' in her new duds and her StrideRite shoes! Yes, I finally did it! I spent the money to buy the expensive shoes! But, in my defense, they were on 50% off sale and I bought her a size too big so they can wear them longer! Also, my MIL paid for Ellie's shoes and I paid for Jayden's. That was a convincer too...I would not have bought them both shoes there even at those prices! Maybe when they are older and will stay in the same size for a year or so, but not now!

Speaking of fashion, you may have noticed that I added a new link to the link list. PoisonedSweets is a friend of mine and she has the coolest clothes. I am not sure I would wear them if I had the body it takes to pull them off, but I wouldn't know where to buy 'em anyway. I just think some of them are great and then again...some of them are so out there, I wonder what she was thinking! :)

Until next time...

Poopy-Head is on the mend!

The good news is that I FINALLY feel healthy(ish) again. I am still congested, but at least it isn't debilitating as it was last week. I couldn't breathe during the day or at night. I couldn't sleep. It was awful. But, I am feeling much better.

The bad news is that Jayden called me a Poopy-Head the other day! I asked him where he learned that and he said, "hmmm...Let me think....I dunno!"

Sick, sick, sick, and not sick!

Dave, Eliana, and I are all sick. Well, Ellie started it with a drippy nose on Wednesday. Dave and I picked it up yesterday morning. Now, Dave and I are pretty miserable, but Ellie seems to have shaken the worst of it. Jayden seems to be immune to it.....THANK GOD!

I wonder if one of Jayden's grandparents would like to take him to the Discovery Museum tomorrow....That would be soooo nice!

Until I feel better,
Lynda

Bye bye Gymboree! Hello Tumbling!

We finished our membership at Gymboree last week. I have chosen not to renew because Jayden was not getting anything out of the classes and it was WAY too expensive. He needs something that is much more physically involved than what Gymboree has to offer. So, we signed up for a parent-toddler gymnastics class. It is not really gymnastics, but there is a little stretching, some tumbling, and some playtime on their meager equipment. I think this round is a good start to tumbling and if he shows an inclination or aptitude for it, we will look into something more structured and involved.

No pictures becuase I still can't find the charger for my camera battery. :( Maybe next time!

One of those days...

Ever have one of those days when you feel superfluous? Like no matter where you are, who you talk to, or what you are doing, that none of it matters? Yep....that's me. I am poor pathetic me today. Of course, I have been poor pathetic me for many many days, but today is the first time I felt like writing about it.

Then, of course, I am watching my son play and holding Eliana and I know that I am loved and needed. I am especially enjoying Jayden who is playing Buzz Lightyear....everything is flying "to infinee and b'yon". Gotta love his imagination! And who can resist Ellie's cute little smiles that light up her whole face?! Yep...my kids are cute. And today, that is a really good thing! (for me)

Maybe tomorrow will be a brighter day!

More about teeth!

Today was a unique experience for me. I got a crown on my back tooth. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it feels funny now. I have the temporary crown in and I wonder if the permenant one will be as strange feeling as this one is. I don't know...I am supposed to be able to chew properly now though...without the pain. The dentist said the crack in my tooth went on and on. But, the crown should hold what's left of it together so that it is normal.

Clearly, there is nothing to note today in the Stahl family.

Welcome to the world!

Welcome to the world, Ryan Philip Shuman! We got news just this morning that Daniela finally had her baby! Only a week late, but here at last and expected to go home tomorrow.

Can't wait to meet the new Shuman!

Toothy-Teethies!

I had a dental appointment for a cleaning and a check-up last week. I took Jayden with me thinking he would be interested enough to watch and maybe...just maybe...he would let the dentist look in his mouth. Well, not only was I right about his interest, but his excitement and enthusiam overwhelmed the whole office. He was playing with the buttons on the chair, looking in the little tooth mirror, playing with the call buttons, you name it...he did it.

After the dentist looked at my teeth (and Jayden got to see what would happen), he claimed that it was his turn in the big chair. When he got in, I put the bib on him and he opened his mouth for the dentist. She was so good with him,too. She counted his teeth (he has 16) and he was soooo good! It was way cool!

Speaking of teeth...yeppers...it's time for Ellie. She is cutting the 2 bottoms. Way too soon! Everything is just flying by with her! She is going to be all grown up before I know it!

Family and friends

I hope everyone had the holiday season that they hoped for. Personally, I enjoyed visiting with friends and family and spending time locked up in my house hiding out away from the world. I guess you could say I got a taste of it all. We spent Christmas eve and Christmas day with Dave's side of the family. How blessed we are to have so many loved ones nearby. We then had 2 Chanukkah parties with my family--one at my parents' house and one at mine. We invited some non-Jewish friends over to the party at our house so they could get a feel for how we celebrate the holiday. For the rest of Chanukkah, we had a quite celebration at home lighting candles and giving Jayden presents. Yes, I spoiled him and gave him a present every night. I probably won't do that again when Chanukkah lands right near Christmas because he got very present happy! He opened 3 presents that were not his during non-present opening times because he was over-zealous! Well, perhaps when he is older he can show more restraint...heaven knows I never could! :)

I got Dave a magnetic dartboard that Jayden loves, and Dave got me an iPod that Jayden loves. I would love to say that we love our gifts as much as Jayden does, but is there anything a 2 year old boy doesn't like? If so, I haven't found it except perhaps sleeping...and even that he likes when he is pretending!

Someday I may post pictures of Jayden and the candles and the presents and the other holiday things we did, but for now, we lost the charger for my camera battery and the pictures are stuck there for the time being.

Anyway, I mentioned that I got to visit with friends too. I did indeed! First, my sister-in-law came out to visit us. That was really nice. I'm glad she came out. Then, the day I took Michelle back to the airport, I picked up Bridget who came to town for terribly sad reasons, but we got to visit a bit after the funeral and that was nice, too.

Out of the blue, I emailed an old friend just to say hi. She emailed me back and for the first time in 2 years, we got together for a cup of coffee. We probably had lots to talk about and could have spent a great deal more time chatting away, but due to babysitting constraints on my part, we had a very short visit. But it was nice.

Then, my long-time friend Elizabeth got into town and we spent a couple of days hanging out and talking and visiting. I do love visiting with old friends.

Golly, I didn't know I had that much to say! I hope you all had as much enjoyment in wrapping up last year and bringing in this one as I did and may the year be all that you make it and more!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy new year everyone! May you all have a year full of peace, prosperity, and joy. May you find what you seek and what you find make you happy!