What have we been up to?

HANGIN IN FLAGSTAFF!!!! Ahhh, on our vacation we have....


....spent time with Grandma and Grandpa

...jumped on the trampoline!



....gone swimming, lots of swimming

...bonded with Jana, a Flagstaff legend!

...CHILAXED!

Proof that it really does take a village to raise a child, or at least get one to nap!

...learned to swing


...worked on the garden

...almost become victims of Janalie cannibalism

...played with the wii

....had our first real encounter with a dog

.....learned to drink from a hose

....survived the first boo boo, a fall from the couch!

.... caught a cold.....
...and learned how to "gum" solids via cheerios

AND IT ISN'T OVER... we still have 5 more days to PARTY!!!

SOUL MATES!

Approximately 2 years ago I had a conversation with my friend Lesley about how she couldn't have a baby until my body figured out how to get pregnant so our kids could grow up and get married. As I am typing this it sounds really weird, but oh well!

Approximately 14 months ago Lesley and I discovered we were due within a week of each other. After her doctor moved her due date up and mine moved mine back we were due within a day of each other.

The day I found out I was having a girl, Lesley found out she was having a boy.

The morning I started having contractions, I discovered Lesley's water had broken and she was at the hospital. Though our deliveries were very different, she delivered her sweet boy 20 minutes before I delivered Kerrigan. Both babies were a week early and very tiny!

COINCIDENCE...WE THINK NOT!!!!

Last week the 2 future lovebirds got to meet. It was so fun seeing how different they are despite their similar entrances into the world. K LOVED Carter...and while he was cordial, he was not as fond of her : )

2 things worth noting...Kerrigan's hair & her failed attempt to cuddle- Carter is already such a man : )

What's that? You can't believe those sinfully good looking women had babies a mere 7 months ago!

Bless Carter's patient heart!

I love this one...that's all there is to it!

We also did a little photo shoot of the cuties...I love them!

And they lived happily ever after...

My Little Fishy!!!

Kerrigan LOVES to swim...she flails her little arms, kicks her chubby legs and giggles. It doesn't matter the temperature of the water, or who she is with, the pool is where she is most happy!

This picture cracks me up! Orson would go under the water then come splashing out...she loved it. However, the best part of this picture, Grandma's face!

Please enjoy the eye candy also known as my FARMER TAN, owww owwww. Also, take special note of K's bulging diaper (I really need to get her little swimmer diapers) and the sheer size of her legs...I love my little Thunder Thighed Baby!

Grandma gave K her first "swim lesson" yesterday. Please don't read alot into my seemingly cruel laughter after she got dunked...ok, more cruel, less seemingly.

4th of July

(Sorry if this popped up on google reader a bunch of times...I have had to adjust the pics so they fit)
This was the first 4th of July that I have actually thought of why we celebrate it (I know, it took a quarter of a century for me to realize....go ahead and call me a late bloomer). I guess having a kid makes you think more about stuff like that.

As I sat, huddled with my husband and child, watching fireworks I kept repeating the words of our national anthem in my head. I tried to imagine how people felt when the smoke cleared and they saw their flag still waving in the air!

I had feelings of gratitude and pride rush over me. Being part of this nation is something to be so proud of, we are part of something AMAZING!

I am especially grateful to live here now that I have my sweet daughter. I am grateful for the endless opportunities she will have, that she can choose who she will be.

I am grateful she has the freedoms that many have fought and died for! I look forward to teaching her how lucky she is and to never take it for granted (hopefully it won't take 25 years for it to sink in : )

WHAT AN AMAZING COUNTRY WE LIVE IN!!!!

Terror in the Dressing Room

Not even a month after my traumatic swimsuit episode, fitting room catastrophe again reared its ugly head. However, this time was not in the form of a terrifying reflection in the mirror.

No, this time the danger was real...tangible...physical!

I have been craving a dress. Not just any dress, I have an image in my mind of EXACTLY what I want. Knee length, button up...nothing too fancy, but for some reason I really want it!

I found something similar to what I was looking for at Charlotte Russe today. I grabbed the size 9 (since clothes fit small there) and considering the fact I have been working my bum off (hopefully literally) to get back into shape, I mustered up the courage to also grab it in a 7.

On a bit of a valor high, I decided to try on the 7 first and...WHOA, WAY TOO TIGHT!!!! It was a little difficult to get on which, let's be honest, should have set off a few red flags.

The real battle began when I attempted to remove the dress that was currently cutting off all blood flow below my waist.

I was able to get the sleeves of the dress to my elbows when all progress came to a screeching halt.

The dress would go no further. However, considering my arms were stuck in a straight up position, I was unable to grab the dress with my hands to pull it up any further.

RETREAT, ABORT MISSION ABORT MISSION was my initial thought. Unfortunately, the hands that were unable to pull it up were also unable to pull it back down. So there I was, completely stuck.

I began whipping my entire body around the dressing room, with the hopes that one of my frantic movements would prove helpful to my predicament. It seemed the more I struggled, the tighter and more tangled up I got...kinda like a Chinese finger trap.

At one point, I had scenes from National Geographic channel flashing through my mind. You know the ones where the anaconda is slowly squeezing the life out of its dinner. I now feel like I can empathize with snake food.

Finally, just as I was about to open the dressing room door (which I won't even go into my plan to accomplish that), I caught a glimpse of Kerrigan through one of the armholes.

She had the best look on her face, that can only be described as a smirk. It was as if she knew exactly what was going on, and getting a kick out of it. I could almost hear her say, "Guess ya won't be laughing the next time you get a onesie stuck on my head, will ya?"

My panic attack subsided, and reason returned...20+ years of dressing myself had prepared me for this moment...I could do this!

Success did not come easy my friends...I earned every inch of freedom, one centimeter at a time! I only wish I had thought to take a picture of my smeared mascara and disheveled hair.

The lesson I learned...NEVER take risks in the dressing room if you are shopping alone...NEVER!

Retraction

I stand corrected...thank you Erin! The last post should have been entitled KABOOM!

I guess the conversation we had with Ben regarding Shamwow was stuck in my head. My mistake.

ShamWOW!

Today I found out that some one's death had been overshadowed by that of Farrah and Michael.



His voice filled my house more than Michael Jackson's Beat It.



His face appeared on my television much more than that of the blond beauty.



I must say this man has influenced me much more than either of them combined.



He kept me company in the wee hours of the morning as a new mom. He had more energy than any 5 people I have ever known combined. He had something about him that you just trusted and above all, he could sell ANYTHING.



When he would say, "Aren't you tired of coffee stains on your clothes" I would think "YES", even though my hands have never held a cup of coffee.



When he would say, "Does your wrist hurt from digging in hard soil to plant your garden?" I would reach for the phone, even though my yard consists of a 5'x3' concrete balcony.



When he would say, "Is your back tired from hours and hours of scrubbing your bathtub", I would reach for my credit card...and anyone who takes a closer look at my bathroom could see the humor in that!



On Sunday he died. All week I have been hearing about the deaths of Farrah and Michael, which are tragic. However, I only heard of his death today as I watched a few episodes of "Pitchmen".



I like how Washington Post staff writer Frank Ahrens described him as “a full-volume pitchman, amped up like a candidate for a tranquilizer-gun takedown.”



I am sad, I feel like I knew him. I will miss the high volume and energetic voice saying, "Billy Mays here!"

Found photo at http://treesflowersbirds.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/billymays.jpg