What Have We Been Up To?

I really don't have an answer to justify the amount of time I have left my blog without any real, updated substance. Before I blinked last it was June 3rd and we were packing to head up to Omaha. I am not sure beginning this post (a post meant to tide you all over for another week) at midnight is the best idea either. (I have used the backspace key more than all the other combined. ahem) So let me just post a few pictures for now...keep in mind most of these are from about three months ago. Enjoy! Stay tuned, oh, and thanks for the nagging (nagging may be a little strong, let's go with persuasion.) :)

Visions of tokens, tickets, and pizza dance in her head.

Yes, that's pink eye. We all caught it, some of us twice. And then there was the Influenza B, the ear infections, strep throat, and sinus infections. That was a great couple of weeks. :)

After that, we spent some time just hanging around.





I think all children's movies are shown in 3-D now-a-days. 'UP' was our first family movie, and it still serves as many a reference point in our house.

Life requires bits of spunk.

I ♥ Faces - "At the Beach"

It has been quite awhile since I posted a photo for an I ♥ Faces photo challenge. Being the theme is week is "At the Beach," and I love the beach, I had to make sure an submit a photo. I have many, many photos from our most recent trip to the beach, however had not edited any of them. So, here is the next best thing!


So you haven't been to the beach this year? Or ever? Why not live vicariously through all the photo submissions at I ♥ Faces. Enjoy!

Boston is 9 months! (Again, 2 weeks ago)

At his 9 month well check, Boston was 22lbs 14oz. and right at 30" tall. (Cambry was three pounds and one inch less.)

At Nine Months:

• No more pacifier!
  
• His top two teeth are starting to show, and he is working on two others.
  
• He loves all the sounds his hands can make on different surfaces.
  
  
  
• He loves to talk to, and attempt to eat, the "bay-be" in the mirror.
  
• He finds being upside down thrilling.
  
• He is terrified of the vacuum.
  
• He enjoys feeding himself.
  
  
  
• He finds hic-cups to be hilarious!
  
• He is quite the comedian. He pulls on Papa's leg and chest hairs and then laughs. (among other things)
  
• Enjoys playing with Cambry most of all. He follows her everywhere, imitating her along the way. When she screams, he screams. When she laughs, he laughs. Their favorite game is to be pirates sailing on the ocean in the beanbag boat. He watches for her ques...she shrieks as the sea creature attacks the boat...just a moment later, in a sort of grumbly low voice, he yells "Ah!" So cute!

Friday Funnies - Go Ahead, Smile Out Loud

Can you believe it has been 23 days since I last posted on my blog? This is so unlike me. :D I have been pondering for three days now where I should even start. For now, I do a little Friday Funny and follow up with many, many updates and photos tonight and tomorrow.

Because it doesn't matter.

On a serious note: Why is it that women, strangers, particularly over the age of 30, find it necessary to point out that your child has their shoes on the "wrong" feet or that your child has their pants on the "wrong" way - as if it is a reflection of your parenting skills or lack there of? Because it's not the way you do it, is it wrong? As parents we hear enough whining, if the child were uncomfortable, clearly we would hear about it. Alright, I'm stepping off the soapbox.

Cam insists on doing everything herself...she is proud, regardless of the outcome. The other day when told that her Mommy takes care of her, she quickly interrupted saying, "No, I take care of myself." Of course she does. :)

Spending time with other children is an essential part of childhood. In doing this, we inevitably see what other children get away with and come right home to test our own parents. This was the case with Cambry during the first half of this week. She was displaying some rotten behaviors. Our trip to Target on Wednesday was a nightmare! A giant episode ended with her barreling (playfully yelling too) down the isle knocking down what seemed like 100 of these 'summer items.' I am uncertain as to how my body or face reacted. The only thing I could say, very seriously, was "Get in the cart." I finished my shopping and planned to talk about the issues in the car. As I was backing out of our parking space, she called to me. I answered, of course, and she said, "Thanks for not giving me a spanking...I know I needed it." Yes, you can laugh. I am not a perfect parent, and yes, she has had a spanking before - maybe twice - once for sure. It was not one of my prouder moments either. I just thought the self evaluation she made was hilarious.

Cambry has a new thing (for 3 - 4 months now) where if you don't know what she said, she will give you an example. She used to just repeat the word, enunciating more each time. For example, this past week she was asking a friend of my if she could type on her "Cunum-puter." My friend asked her to repeat the word. "Cunum-puter...you know, like Cunum." Oh, yes, we get it now. ;) Sometimes her examples don't make sense. So this week she was asking me for some type of cracker. Over the babies playing, I was not able to hear her. "Cream-cracker, you know, like the cream you put on your butt." I thought I did a pretty good job of keeping my post pregnancy needs to myself - guess not. Thankfully, I later found out she was referring to the cream we put on Boston's butt. Graham cracker is what she actually wanted.

My it feels good to have actually completed a blog post! Thanks for the therapy. :) Until later.

Boston is 8mos (two weeks ago)

(So the list of blog posts has taken the back burner lately - more on that later.)

My little guy started pulling himself up to stand just before we went Omaha in June (about 7 1/2 months). It all started one morning when I went to get him up and he was standing up in his crib - beaming of course.
By the time we were headed back home, he had it mastered - pulling up on anything that would provide even slight stability.
He has two teeth on the bottom now, and is not afraid to bite for comfort. He is doing well with his words too. He uses Ma-ma and Pa-pa to call for us. He also says 'Bay-be' when we talk about him or play in the mirror.
My boy is busy as ever now that he can get where he wants to go. Our church group used to ask "Where's Busy?" when I didn't bring Cambry along. I agreed with them until I had to chase Boston the last month. Wow! He won't even sit still on my lap to eat - too much to see and do out there. :D He loves to be with Cambry every chance he gets. It's bitter sweet to think of him running after her - soon my little bear, soon.

Remembering a Legend

Say what you may. I do not choose to, nor it is my style to follow the personal lives and endeavors (positive or negative) of celebrities. My conservative upbringing did not endorse following his work either. I imagine my parents thought of Michael Jackson much like their parents thought of Elvis. Nonetheless, the music of Michael Jackson could quite possibly serve as a soundtrack to my life. His music has been with me everywhere for as long as I can remember. His talent and title of the number one selling music artist of all time leaves me speechless.

Please enjoy the below video, what I believe to be one of his greatest performances ever, as a celebration of his career and my condolences to his family and loved ones.

Wordful, I've Been Warned, Wednesday

Over the past few days, a few of the writers on blogs I follow have been informed that their images and content have been stolen. Images of their children and work have been seen posted on other blogs / websites and even on Ebay to help sell things. YIKES! I keep my blog mostly for the pleasure of family and friends, as well as the therapy aspect of it for myself. It never occurred to me take precautions so that my blog is not preyed on by pirates.

I am still trying to recover from my third computer crash in 6 months (Go PC! Ahem.) so, I do not have the man power, or the dedication to go back and fix all the previously posted photos. From this point on however, all images will be low resolution, watermarked, web ready images.

So, what do you think of my little (text only) watermark on this dreamy photo I took at the park the other week?

I ♥ Faces - "Let's Hear it For the Boys!"

I can not believe the amount of work Angie and & Amy, co-founders of I ♥ Faces, have cut out for them each week. As always, there are tons of amazing entries this week. You can check them out here I ♥ Faces. My entry will be #390 (or something like that) in the kids category for Wk. 24 "Let's Hear it For the Boys!"

This photo of my little guy was taken a couple of days after he turned 8 months old. Can you believe how time flies? Clearly it slips by, right under my nose, as I have not even posted yet about our trip home or him turning 8 months. Soon, really.

He has these captivating, dark chocolate colored eyes and this brilliant caramel colored skin. I can't help but want to squeeze him all day long. I love you, my handsome little man!

For Their Dad

I found my self digging deep for some creative juices this year. I didn't feel it appropriate for me to say "Hey Papa Joe, can I have some of the money we don't have to go and buy you a gift?" I am not great at gift giving anyway, because I feel that I need to give something meaningful or nothing at all. I eventually came up with what I thought was a wonderful idea and it would only cost me some time an a couple of dollars in change. The idea was to make a print similar to those motivational posters but have the photo be of Joe and the children. One print of Joe and Cam and one of he and Boston. (I was inspired by this post by Little Birdie Secrets.) The trouble is, I did not have a photo of Joe and Boston that matched what I wanted and, well, Papa Joe will take about one picture a week if you are done in less than 10 seconds. Now that he knows what I am up to, he assures me he will cooperate at his next available free moment, that is during peak outdoor lighting time. (So I will post Boston's poster in a couple of months. hehe.) For now, here is Cambry's - click on the image to enlarge it if you like.


For the inside of his card, I decided to interview Cambry about her Papa. Here is how it turned out:

What is something Papa always says to you? – He calls me his little girl.

What makes Papa happy? - When I give him a drawing.

What is Papa really good at? - Taking care of me

What is Papa not very good at? - Jumping

Where is Papa’s favorite place to go? - Work

What to you like most about Papa? - I like his shoulders, his back, and his hair.
(Shoulders and back because she like to climb on them...just a guess)

What does Papa do for a job? - Work.
What kind of work? - He makes food and drinks too.

What is Papa’s favorite color? - Black like his hair.

How tall is Papa? - He sure is a big man guy…isn’t he.

What is your favorite thing to do with Papa? - Play. Play horsey, play hide and seek. Those are Papa’s favorite games.

What is Papa’s favorite thing on TV? - Baseball, football, and golfball.

How old is Papa? – He’s older…same as me.

What is Papa’s favorite food? – Noodles

If Papa were a cartoon character, who would he be? - He would be Scooby and I would be Shaggy. We would jump right into the TV.

How to you know Papa loves you? - He makes it like *this* with his hand.
(He signs 'I Love You' to her.)

Happy Father's Day Papa Joe! I am so blessed to have you as my partner in our walk as parents. Thanks for all you do!

For My Dad

My dad is incredible and very special to me; someone that I admire, respect and always look forward to spending time with. My dad has taught me many things throughout my life; I thought today would be a great day to share some of them here.
- Be consciously competent; work purposefully and with all your being.
- Jokes are mostly for the enjoyment of the joker.
- The health of your body is a daily, life-long dedication.
- Always act in such a way that if a person said something negative about you, no one would believe them.
- It is not ever effective or necessary to raise your voice when communicating.
- Remain consistent and dedicated even when you are not given the recognition or pay you may deserve.
- Do not excuse good ideas or goals just because they can not be accommodated today.

(Please excuse the poor quality of these scanned photos.)

Thanks for a lifetime of inspiration Dad, Happy Father's Day!

Friday Funnies - Go Ahead, Smile Out Loud

Because My Family ♥s Videos

I did create one final Mommy Madness video too. (A Final Walk Around) It is more informative and less entertaining so I didn't post it here. If you really want to see it, let me know. :)