boogiesmom

So I took a break, a very long break from typing. What can I say - work is far too busy and life just happens. Today is a rainy day so I'm finally logging in again while everyone naps.

We took Boogie to her first movie last weekend to see Up. She did great, drank the liter of soda almost all by herself. I changed her pants....twice! Movie was great and I even cried. Look at me, crying - but what can I say, it touched me.  : )

Boogie's vocabulary is growing so quickly. She sings itsy bitsy spider and knows almost all the words - it's shocking. I find myself saying - where did you learn that, how did you hear that? It's fun. Now I'll tell her to do something and she says, "I'm fine, no I'm fine." Other commonly heard phrases: Robin's silly, Silly Vegas. She loves Do-do-do-do-Dora (she thinks Dora's name is part of the song) and Diego.


 

2009 - seems impossible, doesn't it?

This week has been pretty decent so far. We have movers moving the rest of our stuff from our old house on Saturday. I am going to hug my washer and dryer when they get here. I know, I am a complete nerd, if you were ever in doubt - there it is in plain view.  We've rented our old house (yeah) and now I just need someone to help us put all of our stuff that's going to arrive at one time away. Any takers?

I'm reluctant to put things away. I'm not quite sure why. I feel like as soon as I put it away I won't like it or it isn't functional. Soon our stuff will outweigh our space and I'll have to do something with it all. Can't hide it forever.

I had all kinds of things on my mind today but then I forgot what I wanted to say when I started typing. This is a common theme in my life - go to the grocery store, forgot what I needed, forgot the coupons, buy all kinds of useless stuff then realize I already have 2 bags of brown sugar in my cabinet when I get home. Sigh.

This week I also caught up on some things I've put off. I signed up at church to make a meal for a family (get this - I signed up in NOVEMBER) and called her on Tuesday and delivered her a ham, homemade mac & cheese, and chocolate gummy worm dirt cups yesterday. I was finally proud of myself. This family just had their 3rd baby and I felt like my Aunt Ann - providing a warm meal (although her food is totally yummie and better than mine!) and some help. My Aunt Ann helped us survive and thrive when our baby arrived - couldn't have done it without her that's for sure.

So it's good. Kris and I are almost over our strep throat and colds. It keeps getting better doesn't it? :) Work is stabilizing but busy...another blessing.

:) going to go warm my toes by the fire.

cheers to you and 2009!

Yesterday I was in a completely pissy mood, feeling bad for myself  - it was Monday all over again and I couldn't get motivated. I dropped Robin off at day care, went to the community center to jog, and while in the shower I heard "Good Morning to whoever you are!"  I said good morning back and thought - don't get caught up in the small stuff, this is what life is all about. What a great gift this woman gave me and I hope I can do the same to someone someday.

Here's a pic of Boogie on the swings at the beach.




Here's a pic of Boogie and our BFF Mel.

So I've happily gained back all the weight I lost in a short period of time, fun. No really it stinks, but I guess it will give me something to work toward again. Why can't I stop eating? Today I ran, figured it was a good day to start. Tomorrow I will run my  3 miles again and think *skinny me*.

Other than that, we had a great weekend. Got to spend time with my dad, the hubs, Robin, and best friend Mel. It was nice. I took some pics of Sylvan Beach too.

Oh and a big hooray to Jocie who made all state for chorus! : ) so talented!


 

Things are going well. We have a new house in progress, here it is. It's in a town about 10 minutes from here. We are psyched. We hope to close before December which puts us well, right in the middle of the holidays. As if they weren't stressful enough. Deep breath in, take a step back, forward, back and soon we'll be doing the cha-cha (yes, that's from Real Genius - MY FAVORITE MOVIE!) . So I'm not stressing, nope that's not for me. I am going to take the opportunity to get our crap together and get rid of the stuff we don't want and wa-lah, the moving fairies should arrive here in the middle of the night and in the morning we should *POOF* be in the new place.

Oh and our old house will have a "sold" sign in the front lawn too - right? Can the moving fairies arrange that?

Oh and I am working on Boogie's halloween outfit, stay tuned for pics.

There are times where I second guess certain aspects of my life (career, health, friends, being a mom - how am I doing?, foods we eat, etc). I guess it's the daily grind that gets to me and I try to make it more exciting and fun.

Don't get me wrong I am a true optimist. My cousin-in-law recently wrote about this and I know exactly what she means. Her entry leads me to question my authenticity. There are times when I feel like I am 14 all over again and questioning my life, who I am, how can I define myself, etc. Then I sit there and look at a picture of our family I think - hum, I'm the MOM. How did I get there? Crazy to think sometimes. Most of the time I am proud of my accomplishments, other times I think I should be doing better, than the less frequent times I think I may have done almost everything wrong. I need to realize I'm an adult and things aren't always easy. Some decisions I make are right and others, well - to put it nicely, not so right. : ) I am learning and appreciating every day and every lesson and opportunity that comes across.

I drove out to one of my best friends this past weekend, baby Robin in tow. Robin was all over the place (do kids ever run out of energy???) and the time we got to chat really meant a lot to me. The time I was there I didn't second guess myself or worry about anything, I was just me. Some friends just help you do that and are very grounding. I am very thankful for our friendship. I hope that someday I can lend myself to her and be there.

It was a beautiful fall day, one that started with good coffee and multigran pancakes with pure maple syrup.  We even slept in until 7:15. What a great start. 

We loaded up the car and went to a pumpkin patch near our house. This place is the best - they have all kinds of animals, fresh cider, and all kinds of things to eat. Oh and did I mention they have pumpkins? Oh yes indeedie, all shapes and sizes.  The hubs and I were psyched, after all fall is our favorite season (we were married in the fall and we both love being outdoors especially in autumn). After jumping out of the car we got Robin out and started out toward the pumpkins. Robin, on the other hand, must have had other plans. She wasn't remotely interested in what the orange round things on the ground had to offer. They were just in her way.

We then tried feeding the animals. She wasn't interested in the animals themselves but she was completely fascinated by the animal food dispenser. Who would have thought that pellets of animal food could be that fun? After I fed every sheep and donkey in the place, we decided to head for the pumpkin donuts and get out of there. It was a good time, I think we had more fun than Robin!

Robin is also talking, A LOT! We have absolutely no idea what she is saying though. I think I heard her say "outside" and "out there" but that's all we can make out.

At day care she loves reading books. She keeps bringing the teachers books to read for her. She's also bit a few kids when they got too close to her. That's a longer story... : ) 

Robin is growing so fast. She is learning sign language quickly; she knows please, more, milk, and sleep. She knows what noise a monkey, lion, bear, duck, dog, and cat make too. She understands so much and is way too smart! She's even using the potty here and there and I am one happy momma.

Today she was tired, started swatting and biting. So I used my Nanny 911 knowledge and made a naughty chair and put her there. She laughed and thought it was very funny for a while...that is until I kept putting her back there and explaining why she was there. So after 5 minutes she got the picture. She layed there and when a minute or 2 was over I was over, I explained why I put her there again. She gave me a kiss and hug and we moved on.

I still feel guily. Isn't that crazy? I probably shouldn't worry about it but in a way I'm proud of my disciplinary potential (snicker snicker). She'll be in therapy for her entire adulthood for this I'm sure....sigh...

:)

 Oh yes, it's been a long week and it's only Wednesday....sigh. I digress, I won't bore you with my crappy complaints or crazy thoughts. It is what it is - that's it - nothing I can do about it.  Deep breath. 

Onto all things FUN. Over the weekend we took Boogie to Flags (a local pub) and we met the Taylors there for eats and drinks. Our friend John has an iPhone and he took these pics (although John is in a band and is a talented musician he could be a professional photographer). I am not envious, I just really want one but don't want to have to change my service and go through the hassle. Still not envious. I digress!

Here she is emptying the salt and pepper shakers. Isn't she cute making a mess?
Oh yes indeedie.


 We then took her to the farm down the road to meet the goats.  She loved every second of it and wanted to be in the pen with them.



Also another notable note, she's learned what a monkey says and how they act (scratching their arm pits). Now when you ask her, "hey Robin what does a monkey say" - she'll respond with "ooh ooh ahh ahh" and curl her arms behind her.  Just like a monkey. I swear she's the smartest kid on the planet!

I love Saturday, I don't think I've ever had a bad Saturday...well, maybe one years ago when my husband and I decided it would be a good idea to plant 12 big (HUGE) pine trees in a single day. That was indeed, a bad, argumentative, painful, soil-filled, sappy day. I'll spare you the horrible details. We got through it, but it was tough. Moving on....

Today Robin and I went to the local farmers market, the library (where I realized I have absolutely no idea where my library card is), and then drove around looking for garage sales. She feel asleep in the car on the way home so I have a little time to myself. Where's the hubs? Well, he's at work. He's got a big deadline and too much to do - so he's trying to get ahead of the game. 

Last week a vendor came into town from California and she brought me the best present, EVER.  A beautiful bag of Peet's kona coffee, whole bean, freshly roasted. I had all I could to not hide it from the hubs. I considered creating a secret compartment in the kitchen, but decided to SHARE (after all I want to be a good example for our 17-month old!) it. So this morning I threw the beans in the grinder and brewed us some yum-o coffee. Then I made some blueberry pancakes on the griddle and away we went.

I am just a big nerd to actually take a picture of it. : ) But call me what you will, nerd, geek, coffeeaholic, I don't care. I am one happy momma. 

Hope you had a good Saturday too!

 Anyone that knows me knows that I love a good Gin & Tonic. I honestly think I'd like anything with Gin, really. Maybe I should change my profession to an expert taster. There are so many brands to try: Hendricks, Silver Dry, Whitley Neill, BOLS Damrak, etc. I don't know what the point of this entry is...so I thought I'd start there. 

This week has been a good, busy one so far. I had my review at work  (where I was pleasantly surprised) and feel like I want to change the world (as it pertains to work) but don't know where to start. In addition I finally am beginning to feel more comfortable with my job (which always makes me wonder if change is right around the corner). So I am trying to embrace not being completely overloaded with work at the moment - meet my deadlines and the big projects will come and I'll have new ideas. 

We have a new book for the August book club (The Lovely Bones by Alice Seybold) which I'm looking forward to reading. I think I may even buy it online and download it to my iPOD. Who's hip? Yup that'd be me. : ) heehee.

I wish I could summarize how I'm feeling in a single word . I just have no idea what the word would be. I've got a million thoughts/ideas floating in my head. Some thoughts are my to do list (paint the walls, what to make for dinner, are their clothes in the washer?....) and others are of life, vacation, my to-do list for tomorrow.....BLAH.

Blah, hey there it is. That's the word! Evil grin....I don't know. Who does? I am going to go enjoy my evening - you go do the same. SMOOCHES.

...I'm staying in my PJs
...We're eating chocolate chip cookies for breakfast (except for Vegas)
...Vegas is eating his special peanut butter cookies I made for him this morning (you can't leave out the best dog)
...Cartoons are on and most likely will be all day
...I'm smiling.

I am almost technology savy. 

I say that because I am a proud new owner of an iPod classic. I've been busy importing music, downloading games, and playing with all the fun stuff  I've already bought Sudoku and played a bunch of other freebie games. Today I created my own iMix  called "Strange but true" it's available at:

So I generally prefer writing as opposed to posting pictures but not lately for some reason. How can words describe Robin's first car? This is one from my Aunt Ann and Uncle Bob that their grandkids used. It's soon to be Robin's too. 
Squells of delight all around. 
















We, the parents, also bought a new car. Well, it's new to us anyway and I love it. It brings back memories of my 1991 VW Cabrio that I had while living in CA. Ta-dah, here it is - a 1980 VW Rabbit. So what if it's missing some amentities, it's cool man. I have to re-learn how to drive standard but it's all good.

So what do a few busy weeks and lots of work to catch up on get you? Your inability to remember what day of the week it is AND what month it is. I swear I woke up today and realized that it was July. Oh no, not the 1st but the 2nd. Interesting that I didn't realize that yesterday....

So here's only one of my many reasons for being busy. Yes, that's me last week in Orlando working at Ciscolive. It was a great experience. I learned a lot and that's one of my reasons for liking my job. Although some days I'm more receptive to learning more than on other days. So there you have it, a nerdy picture of yours truly.









I did have some fun though. My sister and 2 (of 3) kids came to visit.  We dragged them to the Magic Kingdom and then they returned the favor and dragged us to the Dumbo ride. Here's Liliana (4 years old) waiting......and waiting....for 45 minutes to pick her elephant. 










Below is a pic of Samantha (she's 3) smiling. She looks like her dad more than Liliana does, but both are completely adorable. Ryan (oldest) and Adolfo (dad) were MIA as they were in Mexico visiting familly.



 

Being 25 (again) is always so new and exciting. : ) evil grin. It's not easy being away from home on holidays or birthdays but this one went by pretty smoothly. My sister and 2 (of her 3) kids came up to Orlando to stay with me. We went to the Magic Kingdom which brought back lots of childhood memories. It was fun. 

Her kids (Liliana, 4 and Samantha, 3) bought me a small white cake with sprinkles and shouted "Surprise, Happy Birthday!" repeatedly. They are well-behaved too - I love being an aunt.

Tomorrow is a day at the pool for me. A little R&R...

 Caterpillar City....
We went camping this weekend at Fillmore Glen State Park. It was freaking hot out but this park had great trails with waterfalls so it wasn't bad. 

We had never been there before so I just picked a tent spot at random. Turned out our spot was right next to the road and across from the bathrooms. We didn't love it. Then we looked up and the tree right above was LOADED full of caterpillars. They kept dropping on us and our tent was their new pad. I hope I don't have nightmares about them. I was just thankful I didn't wake up with them all over me. I would have SCREAMED.




Moving on.....
What would a camping weekend be without smores? Here's one of my perfectly toasted marshmellows. I guess they could be toasted any way, really. I mean I never met a marshmellow I didn't like. This one was particularly puuurrdy.








Just in case you never make it to Fillmore Glen, here is some scenary from our hiking trail. 














We don't generally talk to our neighbor campers but this trip was different. Our neighbors had a 7 month old and were cool. The husband was from England, his wife from Albany area, and their friend was from New Zealand. They invited us over to share in a bottle of single-malt Scotch. How can anyone resist that? We had fun. Turns out the guy from England is in  a program at SU to teach US history. Fun was had by all..... : )

Yes, that is our dog (Vegas) drinking from the bathroom sink.  He refuses to drink from his water dish, even if it's sparkling clean. He stands by the bathroom door and waits for someone to give him water from either the tub or sink faucet. When guests come over, they don't understand why he just sits there or worse yet when they get up to go to the bathroom - why Vegas tries to beat them there so he'll get a drink. Vegas is practically human. I'll let him continue to think that too....

So here I sit watching Ultimate Fighting, fun. I am practically asleep as I type this, but somehow I keep finding other things I need to search online for.  Like a new house or camping site for next weekend. Yes, we are camping. I am psyched, it's been so long for us to be able to get away by ourselves (wait, we'll probably bring Vegas with us....).
Don't get me wrong I love my life, but the daily grind sucks. Plain and simple. Maybe I feel this way because we've been sick this week. You don't know just how much you appreciate your good health until you feel like crap. We'll be camping and hiking. Or maybe we won't be doing a lot of hiking, I do know I'll be sleeping in......and....eating.

We've had a good weekend so far. Planted window boxes, weeded the asparagus bed, blah blah blah. It's been so nice out. I'm also working on my next grand travel plan, a trip to Italy. I am trying to convince the hubs that it's a moral imperative we go. There was a very slight possibilty of a trip to China for work, but it didn't shake out....bummer.

Oh and my new favorite song?  Weep You No More, Sad Fountains by Sting & Edin Karamazov (Songs from the Labyrinth). If you haven't heard it, get it - it's beautiful.

My dad has been going out to see the Billionaries. He loves them and is having a great time, for that I am glad.