Meet our newest family member..

Ivy!


We had been walking around the humane society at least once a week, just to look. We would see a dog that we liked through the glass, go to visit him/her and although he/she was cute(aren't all dogs?), it didn't feel right. Or we'd find one that was sweet and go home to do our research and decide no. Or we would find one we liked just to get up to the counter for them to tell us he/she didn't like cats, or kids. We had nothing else to do on Saturday so decided to make our rounds, when we came upon a cute little black lab. The lady is sure to tell us she is scared and timid, but there could be worse things. We go see her in the visitation room and she runs right up to me and puts her head in my lap. And then she moves to Kele and does the same thing. And then she goes to C and kisses him on the cheek. It was so sweet. I grew up with a black lab who had to be put down due to a brain tumor when she was 11 years old. Gypsy was her name. (On a side note, I think she was the reason Katie and I cried so hard when we watched Marley and Me.) This doggy looks exactly like Gypsy. It is still taking her a while to get used to us, she usually just follows us from room to room and lays down. It's been a while since I've been around such a calm dog. I wish we knew her past. She is not very good at walking on a leash and isn't very friendly with other dogs, but lets hope that those are things we can work on. She lets Cayden walk all over her and is getting used to Chopper. She is only one years old and came to the shelter with her spay stiches still in her. If you just paid to have your dog spayed, wouldn't you go looking for her? And why the heck does she duck every time you put your hand above your head? I guess we will never know.

All you single ladies... put your hands up..

Love conquers all

I don't care that he frequently chews up goldfish and changes his mind and I somehow end up throwing away a handful of wet orange gunk. I don't care that he climbs up on the kitchen table and computer desk 800 times a day and I find myself telling him the same thing over and over. I don't care that I have to get up before the crack of dawn every morning, because who wouldn't love to wake up to this? I don't care that I know every word to every Sesame Street song and that I have seen every single episode of Thomas and Friends and know them by heart. I don't care that I pick up the house at least 10 times a day while being followed by someone just undoing it all.





I love this life, I love this little boy.

Dads

I am blessed to have an amazing Dad. I am blessed that my child has an amazing Daddy. I am blessed to say that I still have two healthy Grandpa's. I am blessed to have a father-in-law that is so caring. Thank you to all the Dads in my life, Happy Father's Day!



My wonderful husband and one amazing, patient funny Daddy to my baby! This will always be one of my favorite pictures. I love my handsome boys SO much.

My Dad, Cayden's best friend "Papa". My Dad had a hard time accepting I was pregnant, but the second he met Cayden it was all out the window. This picture is the first time he met Cayden when he was 3 weeks old after his first airplane ride to Colorado.

This is my Dad's Dad, "Pompa". He is so passionate to his great grandchildren, it is so neat to see that side of him.

This is my Mom's step-dad, my Grandpa Lloyd. He just turned 86 years old and you would NEVER guess he's a day over 70. Cayden loves him and associates boo-boos to "grandpa" because he once put a bandaid on an owie. He is an amazing, strong hard working man.

This is Kele's Dad (and mom!). He is one of the few men that Cayden runs right to! He is always so caring and always makes sure to ask how we all are.

I could not find one picture of my Mom's Dad anywhere on either computer =( Grandpa Chuck was a quiet and caring man. He lost his battle with cancer before Cayden has the chance to meet him. He is greatly missed by many many people.

Dresses

Yes, I am a dork. Yes, I sew. So here are a few more of my recent dresses :)
Did you notice I need a girl to dress up???

Lodge

We had a really good time at the lodge. I haven't gotten to go to the pig roast for the past two years because we weren't in time. There were so many people there, most who I didn't know, but it was a really good time. Food was awesome, especially the poor porker. My Mom, Dad, Kele, Cayden and I ended up staying the night at the cabin which is about 20 minutes away because there weren't any rooms left at the lodge! It was probably better that way because it was SO quiet and relaxing over there. Cayden got his own room and only woke up once, which was a much better improvment from the last time we stayed there. Kele and my Dad went fishing in the morning and then we headed back over to the lodge for my Grandpa's famous biscuits and gravy. Yum! We rode around on the ATVs and explored a little bit and found some really weird stuff.. We found some "leftovers" of either an elk or deer that was pretty fresh and pretty gross. We found an old camp that was set up in the back of some trees, lots of names carved in trees and even an old abandoned truck. If only the trees could talk, I bet they'd have some stories... It was fun, I am already looking forward to next year.


Check out that view!


Piggy races =)


Taking Papa for a ride.

No, David.

It's raining, it's pouring.. It has rained and stormed EVERY day this month, if not more. We are enjoying another thunderstorm right now. The weather has not been above 70, meaning not very many days of wearing shorts. When will it ever feel like summer??

I sent Kele to Walmart to pick a few things up for me while I put C to bed, and he has been gone for alomst an hour.. I noticed he forgot his cell phone so I'm hoping he's not walking around like a lost puppy around Walmart Supercenter!!

My Grandpa has a great big lodge in the mountains that he owns along with a few of his friends. Every year he has a big pig roast (complete with an entire pig.. eek). We are heading there tomorrow and I am so excited! Kele and Mom and Dad have talked me into staying the night so I am hoping we don't have a repeat of the other night we spent at the cabin. Let's hope the weather holds out for us and that we can enjoy some time outside. Is that asking too much??


Cayden loves reading books. His favorite book at the moment is called "No, David". It is a book about a boy named David getting in trouble all the time for being onery. When I read it, for some reason I always read it in a high pitched voice (I guess I'm trying to sound like David's Mom? Haha!) so now he reads it to me and says "no no no" in a super high voice. He even does it in the store sometimes, I guess he's thinking about his book a lot. It's halarious!

Bully

The other day, Cayden and I were at our favorite store (well, our other favorite store, Tantrums). They have a little play area for the kids with a slide and playhouse, so it's okay for the kids to play and have a good time. There was a little boy and girl in there. I'd say the boy was four and the girl was two. Cayden was just playing and minding his own business and then the kids started being really mean to him. They would call him over and then take his toys, or steal the toy he was trying to ride on. They were locking him out of the playhouse and not letting him on the slide. In nicer words, the kids were a little out of control. Their mom was off shopping and not paying much attention so I had to go over there a couple times and ask them to be gentle or to play nice. I was over at the books and I peeked over and saw this little boy literally grab C by the collar, spin him around and throw him on the ground. Alright, time to kick some little boy booty. The workers were all kind of just staring at these kids and their mother like "are you serious?" I should've said something to the mom but I just told him that wasn't very nice and took C, paid and got the heck out of there. Maybe that Mom was having a bad day and just needed to tune them out for a few minutes, but if my kids acted like that in public I would have a very hard time taking them anywhere. I'm sure it was his lack of discipline why he acted like that. It is hard to see your kid get picked on, and Cayden has so much to learn because it is such a mean world out there. Kids are mean! My Mom says this is why she homeschooled us. I mean, as a mom you want to protect your kids and stand up for them in every situation and it's going to be hard to learn that I won't always be there to make sure he is okay.

Humantoys

Please tell me this is not real!! Would anyone seriously trust a stranger to play with their children? Is it like a nanny?
http://www.humantoys.net/index.html

Friends

When I first moved away from home to Fort Irwin, I had such a hard time meeting anyone. It seemed like all my neighbors hid in their houses all day (or maybe just worked). I would smile at people everywhere I went in hopes I could stike up a conversation. I blamed not meeting anyone on the desertion of the desert. Maybe everyone felt the way I did?
I saw a nanny job listing on the bulletin board at the commissary, I called and she said the position was already filled. A few days later, she called back and wanted to meet with me. I got the job. As awful as it was (trust me, it wasn't a fun experience, I'll save that for another post) it got me out of the house. I took the kids to playgroup, story time, the park and I eventually started seeing the same people around. I was like 3-4 months pregnant and couldn't wait to start showing. Until then I was just wearing big maternity shirts and probably just looked like a fatso (just kidding, what I wouldn't do to go back to that weight). The point is, I wanted other Moms to know that I was going to be a mom too, not just these bratty kid's babysitter. That family PCSed that June and I was back to my lonely summer of taking Mollie on daily walks. I had been introduced to a wife from Kele's unit, and thank God for her (Kristie!). If it wasn't for her, I am not sure I would have ever made a friend or got out of the house. I eventually started meeting people, and then more people and I'd say by the time we left that place I knew a good amount of people and had my few close friends. It was such a small base that you always saw the same person twice and I think all the wives depended on eachother that much more.
Now we are at a new duty station and I am starting all over friend-wise. It is a HUGE base. I have resorted to modern technology and networks sites to meet people, but I haven't had much luck. Again, with the exception of kids playing outside I don't see any neighbors. I am sure that it is 10x harder since we live off base, but then again maybe not. I have joined meetup groups. I talk to people in the stores on base, I smile and try and appear friendly, but it seems like everyone is already content with how many friends they have and don't need another. Living close to family and getting to run away every so often definitely helps, but it also makes me think I am not trying hard enough for that reason. I am hoping and praying that the right friend comes along and that I can gain a network of friends like I had in CA. It's a struggle, I would love to have a friend or a buddy for Cayden.

There ya have it. That's whats on my heart today.