Why is it?

Why is it that new curtains can make a room so much more cozy.

Why is it that a sleeping child can make you forget all the anguish they caused through the day.

Why is it that I got all ready for bed but didn't brush my teeth so I could eat one last Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

Why is it that I wanted Owen to sleep in his own bed but yet I feel like sneaking him out and bringing him back to mine.

Why is it when we give a client a packet and tell them we need all the information in order to file their bankruptcy, they come back with half of it done proclaiming they didn't know we needed it. 

Why is it that I have been wanting to hang three pictures on a wall and have talked about it for two months rather than just buying the frames and hanging them up.

and the last pressing question on my mind tonight..

Why is it that pee cannot make it where it should go.  I have cat pee on the side of the litter box and child pee on the side of the toilet.

Digital Age = Long Line

I think visiting Santa in the mall is fun.  I think dressing up your kids for the yearly picture with Santa is fun.  I DO NOT think the digital camera with instant viewable prints is fun.  What ever happened to the time of: smile! click. k, you are taking a picture with Santa in the mall, you are done.  Nope, not anymore.  Instead: smile! chin down, open your eyes, smile! click. smile! chin down.  mom, do you want to go move his chin down.  smile! click. (pause from picture taking here - parent moves to tv screen to view the pictures, decides that is not a great smile, start over).  smile! smile! waive little Elmo. click.  open your eyes a little more. smile! click.  and it goes on and on and on and on. 

We waited in line to see Santa tonight for Owen.  I begged and pleaded beforehand.  I offered bribes of toys, books, cinnamon rolls, and ice cream. We waited for 40 minutes.  We waited in line to see Santa for 40 minutes to tell him Owen wanted a pirate ship, a treasure and a little boat. Then we were on our way.  

I do believe that if you are paying a million dollars for your picture it should be a good one, but I think the system should be revamped. 
1. Lower the price, give you two shots, take what you get. 
2. Have two Santas in the mall.  Picture Santa and What do you Want Santa.  (might confuse the kids a bit, but hey, no 40 minute line for a 30 second visit.)

If Only

There I was, in third place.  For some reason I couldn't run very fast, it felt like my legs were in jello but I was giving it all I had. It didn't look good for me.  The finish line was at the girl's house who was in first place! But what is this? She forgot how to get into the yard and took a wrong turn!!  My jello legs, although very sluggish, pushed through.  Suddenly second place disappeared and I was winning.  The girl in first place didn't have jello legs and was catching up to me.  Luckily, jello legs and all, I crossed the finish line first and won The Amazing Race.  1 million dollars!! (plus my entry fee back).  Life would be different from this moment forward. 

And then Ivy cried and Owen pulled my hair in his sleep.  There I was, in my bed of people without my million dollars (probably still had my jello legs).  And before I drifted back to sleep I smiled as I remembered what it felt like to have a million dollars if only for a second!!   

I choose to believe this particular dream is a sign!

(Not so much Greg's dream from the other night in which I was an extremely religious person able to play beautiful symphonies on the piano, as I am pretty sure that one means he is leaving me for someone far different than myself.)

The Little One

My sweet baby turned 5 months on Monday. It seems when I am in the moment of a developmental milestone, (ie sitting, teething, etc), I swear I will never forget.  Blame it on age, another baby, a busy life, whatever it may be, but I have no idea when Owen did anything.  I can’t find the unfinished baby book since the move and have therefore found myself looking through pictures to determine if he is sitting on his own or to see if he had any teeth. 
So to assist me in remembering  events I will never forget here are the developmental milestones worth noting.
First tooth – almost 5 months.  I first found it on November 23rd (bottom left)
Second tooth – December 2, 2009 (bottom right)
Sitting up all alone – 4 1/2 months
Rolling over (back to tummy) – 4 months
Rolling over (tummy to back) – she gets too mad on the tummy to try
Sleeping through the night – I am planning on never
Eating cereal – 4 1/2 months
Trying pears and hating them – 5 months
Laughing at the bad things Owen does – 5 months
Sitting in the laundry basket while mom showers – 4 1/2 – 5 months
Love you!

Lack of Posts

Moving and organizing a house is hard work.  We moved in on November 1st and just on Sunday we were able to enjoy the house.  Minus Owen's room, the house is put together and not only that, it is put together with Christmas decorations up. 

I don’t even know where to begin in Owen’s room and the idea of new Christmas toys overwhelms me!  So for now, since he doesn’t seem to mind, we will just close the door.

And because we moved and I have been living in chaos, I didn’t post about this:

 

or this:

or this:

 

or even this:

 

and I didn’t blog about this on purpose

I must be crazy

New Moon started at 10:00 tonight, I was there when it started.  I won't be there when it ends.  I am home in my pajamas now. 

A friend of mine was having a New Moon party.  25 of her girlfriends were coming over to eat and attend the much anticipated show. On a whim she invited me. 

After much contemplation, I went.  Now, when I say much contemplation, I am not kidding.  The decision to go easily consumed a good part of my day.  And finally, I made the decision to go. 

I went late.  On purpose.  I brought Ivy.  On purpose.  (I wasn't about to go alone.  She is only 4.5 months but at least I knew her and I don't like going places where I don't know anyone).  Luckily she cries when she is with Greg too long and she misses her mother.  They knew this part of the story, I left out the part that I am shy and wanted a friend. 

It was a dinner party.  I ate before I went.  Delicious cheese sticks followed by a dinner salad at Red Robin.   I ate two snap peas at the party with a glass of pomegranate/cranberry juice with gingerale.  That was good. 

Then the movie.  I held my friend close and we stood in line.  Upon the mad dash into the theater, I ended up near the only person I knew from the party (other than Ivy), not by her but near her.  I missed Angie at this point.   The movie started and I fed Ivy with the hopes of a quick sleep.  She finished eating, slept for 15 minutes and then woke up.  Now this was not just awake, reposition, back to sleep awake.  This was early morning, fully rested awake.  I took her to the side to rock her back to sleep.  Instead, she began to watch New Moon.  Yes, my small baby was intently watching a show about vampires and werewolves.  I turned her around and she turned her head back.  I want to be close to her in my life and do things together but I was pretty sure that watching New Moon together at the young age of 4.5 months was not appropriate.  So we left.

We left with her laughing and smiling all the way out. 

I came home to a warm cozy house.  The credits were rolling on the tv.  Greg and Owen were fast asleep on the couch (that is until I heard a thud, turned around and Greg was spread out on the couch and Owen was lying on the floor asleep).  Ivy was asleep in her car seat.  This was more my style. 

Angie asked me early in the night "What do you want to do."  I said that I didn't know.  I realize now that I knew.  I just went anyway. 

4.5

It is utterly amazing to me how much faster time goes once the baby is actually here.  The last 4 1/2 months of being pregnant felt like 4 1/2 years while the last 4 1/2 months of her life have felt like 4 1/2 weeks. (I feel like I am in a scene of The Jerk - totally recommend it if you haven't seen it (I digress, back to the point)). 

I figured if I am going to suck at blogging lately, at least she should get an update. 

Little Ivy is a sweet little thing.  She weighed in at 12 pounds 12 ounces at her 4 month check up, putting her in the 28th percentile for weight.  She was 24 inches long and in the 33rd percentile for height. Her head was in the 63rd percentile.  She has been rolling over from tummy to back since November 2.  She can sit up and loves to grab everything.  She is a busy little monkey.  We tried rice cereal last week.  She didn't seem too interested, which was weird because the way she watches us eat I thought she would be a big fan.  That is okay.  I am in no rush.  She LOVES her feet, especially to eat them.  It is nice to be 4 months old when your feet are actually cleaner than your hands.  She always smiles when Owen is around.  There is something so cute about siblings.  It is worth it to have two just to see the way she looks at him.  Melts my heart everytime.  She is a fan of her mom and does not like it when I teach yoga at night.  She loves to yell and hear her voice and for some reason it sounds even cooler when I am meeting with clients.

And just like those before her, she believes sleep and being laid down to rest alone are overrated. 

Today she and Owen played.  She was Quincy. 

Leaving the Nest

The time came.  After 3 years of living in the basement at my dad's, it was time to move on.  It is amazing how it is hard to move on when you are comfortable somewhere.  So, although I have a lot to say about the new place, I must pay tribute to the old. 

We moved in to the basement September, 2006.  It was meant to be a temporary place to stay while we transitioned into the area, found Greg a job, and decided where we wanted to live.  The market was at its peak and the options for a home were a little bit of space for a lot of money.  And so we stayed.  And stayed and stayed.  I am glad we did.

The basement room was a good room.  It was mostly messy.  How else would you expect a room to look that contained all your belongings.  It was our living room, our office, and our bedroom (and Owen's and later Ivy's bedroom as well). 

Despite the mess, it was a good room. 

I cannot thank my dad and Kristi enough for letting us move in, kids, cats and too much stuff included.  They let us move in with no date to leave.  I am sure it wasn't easy on them, with us invading their space, but we felt welcome.  It was our home too. 

And as we finished moving out, I looked in the empty room, the room that I grew to love, and I could not stop the tears.  They were tears of all kinds, those afraid of change, those of happiness, those of sadness as the place I called home was now part of my past, those of fear as I took Owen to a new house and away from his home, those that felt love for my dad and Kristi.  They were all there. 

Thank you to my dad for your open arms and heart.  I know that I always have a place to go.  Thank you for making me feel so safe.  I will miss sitting around the brown table while you are on the computer and chatting about the day or our crazy clients.  I will miss hearing your footsteps come home late and feeling glad you are home safe.  I will miss the avocados from Costco you always made sure to buy me.

Thank you to Kristi.  It could not have been easy having your stepdaughter and her family living with you.  You always made me feel welcome and it felt like our home too.  Thank you for taking such good care of Owen.  He adores you and I love the relationship you were able to form while we were there.  Thank you for loving him and Ivy.  I will miss watching Owen follow you around.  I will miss watching you stumble down the stairs after falling asleep while you read to your kids.  I will miss being a part of your everyday activities and plans. 

Thank you to Felix and Robee.  I told Felix I would never move out because I loved her drama and emotional breakdowns.  I miss you both already.  You were both always so good to Owen and you both instantly loved Ivy.  I will miss hearing Robee singing Taylor Swift's Love Story song with the radio early in the morning.  I will miss seeing Robee eat noodles everyday.  I will miss watching America's Next Top Model with Felix while she held my cat.  I will miss hearing about Felix's day at school. 

I will miss it all. 

While the new memories await, the old will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Thank you to you all, thank you to the house, thank you to my room. 

True Love

How could you not love this.

In One Second

I swear I only turned my head for one second.

Um?

I was putting on my make-up today, as I always do.  I was getting the make-up out of the same bag that I have for years.  It was a typical day.  A typical day that is, until I noticed the DEAD POTATO BUG in my make-up bag.  Um, what is going on here!! How in the world did he get there?  I hardly find this funny.  I threw him in the garbage and I am left perplexed. 

Lost (or Hiding) in a Corn Maze

A Post for Ben

Dear Ben,

I decided to post for you and share the good news... here it is:

My brother is getting married!!

I am so happy for you and want you to know that.  I am so glad that we have so many good memories in our life and that the bad memories are behind us.  I am proud of you everyday for the struggles you have overcome.  I realize each day how lucky I am to have you as my brother.  We have always laughed together, in fact, I am sure it drives Greg crazy, but you seem to make me laugh harder than anyone else can.  Those nights playing video games into the wee hours of the morning will always be some of my favorite times, even if we never made it through Ferris Bueller.  (I mean honestly, who decides to put on a movie at 3 am.).

I am happy that you have found someone who loves you so much and who will be there for you. I am glad that you found Kelsey. 

Love,
J

Top 6 Reasons.

I have good reasons for neglecting my blog.  Here are a few of the reasons.

6. I got a new computer.  First, I got a new camera which wouldn't work with my computer.  I figured that was unacceptable and therefore I needed a new computer.  It has taken a fair amount of time to transfer all of my music and pictures on to the new computer.  It also took awhile to find the time to sit down and plug in the new computer.  The new computer is now up and running and can see my new camera.  Hooray for that.

5. We started preschool.  Figuring out the schedule that allows for preschool three days a week, Kindermusik for Owen (and possibly Ivy) one day a week, yoga two days a week, and work any day that will allow, took a little bit and threw me for a small loop, but I think we just about have it.

4. A quick trip to Utah.  We went to Utah for the annual State Fair trip.  It was a wonderful time.  We saw everyone on the list, had fun at the fair, enjoyed the Saturday Farmer's Market, had a delicious BBQ with family and flew back.  It was fast but quite enjoyable.

3. Grandma Jayne came to visit us.  Greg's mom came out for the week.  She spent a lot of time looking at the 4 new baby chicks we have living in the house.  The crew of chickens outside is about to increase to 19.  Owen loves looking at the little guys.  He and his grandma must have looked at them 8-10 times a day.  We spent a day at the children's museum, we went out to eat, we visited and had non-stop amusement from Owen.  The trip had to come to an end and Owen cried.  He didn't want his grandma to go.  It was a nice visit.

2. We have been sick.  However! we have not had croup.  I gave Owen the steroid medicine the other day and we made it! He has a lingering cough and I have a terrible cold.  Runny nose, sore throat and a fear of the swine flu.  It is causing me some anxiety.  Hopefully this cold will come and go.

1. And the number one reason I have neglected my blog: We bought a house.  Yes, that is right.  We move in on November 1st.  We signed all the papers and closed on the 1st of October.  Things moved so fast that we were more than willing to have the move-in date later. 

We wanted to make sure that we received the home buyer's tax credit and wanted to buy something before November 30 when the credit goes away.  We started where any normal person would start looking for a house now days: Craig's List.  We saw a listing for a house, it had a few pictures, the area seemed good and so we called.  This was on a Saturday.  On a Sunday we saw the house and by Monday night we emailed off an offer.  Some negotiating emails back and forth and it was done.  It was a sale by owner.  No pesky realtors involved, I drew up the documents and now we have a house and a big weight lifting rack with attachments and a treadmill - that was part of the offer.  We are so excited, a little scared at times, but mostly excited.  Now comes the packing!

So there it is.

Coughing and Worrying

Owen has a cough tonight.  He has that same familiar cough that puts a knot in the pit of my stomach.  That same cough that leads to a long restless night, a night with croup.  I am so worried to go to bed.  Worried for him to fall asleep.  The humidifier is up and running, this morning I gave him a dosage of his steroid medicine which takes 24 hours to work, and before I head off to bed I will make sure the shower is ready for us. 

So it is off to bed for me soon, off to bed to listen to him breathe, off to pray the barking cough away. 

Goodbye Baseball

That time of year has come, the last game of the season. 

Some might say it is bitter-sweet, what they mean by that is: Bitter for Greg and Sweet for Me. 

So now dear baseball, I bid you farewell, and know that while you caused me some grief, you made Greg happy and that is all that counts. Until next time.