Well, he did it! No pressure for me now or anything....

For Christmas, Kyle bought me a new camera and lens. I'm so excited and am sitting at the computer typing this with the camera sitting in my lap - kind of like a new baby. Although, I think Bryton's hospital bill was probably less than the camera and lens cost...but that's another story. (Granted - I loved my now 'old' camera..but just couldn't get it to perform in all lighting situations to my standards).

Anyway, I'm so excited and can't wait to build up my portfolio! If you live in the New Bern/Cherry Point area and want some pictures for homecomings, birthday parties, newborns, pregnancy, family pictures, etc...just let me know -and tell your friends, too. Also, I'll be in Birmingham for a week for Christmas and would very much like to include some familiar faces in my portfolio...so here's your warning - I'll have my camera with me every chance I get. :-)

So yes, Kyle just got back from Arizona yesterday - yipee! I'll post some of our 'mini-homecoming' pics on dropshots probably later today (taken one handed, holding a baby, with the 'old' camera). Well, I must leave you now to spend some quality time with my new camera - thanks, Kyle, for believing in and encouraging my photography! (Oh - and don't worry - the kids are asleep while I'm spending time with my new camera...I promise I won't forget the priorities!)

Oh - and if you have any recipes with rice and beans as the main ingredients - please send. Looks like we'll be eating a lot of that for a couple of months... :-)

Fun Story

So, within 10 minutes of arriving at home one night last week, we had no functional toilets. Here's how. Earlier in the day, Vivi had put too much toilet paper in her potty. I tried flushing it once, but it didn't go all the way. So, not wanting to plunge the potty, I figured I'd just let it soak for a few hours and hopefully dissolve a bunch of the paper. After arriving at home, I tried flushing again and no dice. It didn't overflow, but it did fill up. Anyway, after we got home that night, Vivi went to the potty (in our potty...the functional one) while I was getting Bryton cleaned up and pajamaed. I didn't hear from her for several minutes (usually means trouble) so I went into our potty to check on her to see several grapefruit sized tight wads of toilet paper in the potty. Not good. I pushed the lever a little to let some water into the potty to see if by some chance any water could go down. No such luck. Apparently I let too much water in and absolutely NONE was going down, and it was starting to come out the top. So, I grabbed towels and threw them on the floor and tried to turn the water off at the base, but couldn't turn it - too tight. So, I went to get a bowl (used a mixing bowl from the kitchen) and started getting water from the toilet and putting it in the tub. When I finally got enough water out of the toilet so that the plunger would fit, I sat Vivi down (not on the potty) and we had a talk about the logistics of the potty and how using too much paper breaks the potty. (Oh - and don't worry - I threw the mixing bowl away - it took one for the team). Needless to say, I quickly put the kids in bed and spent the next hour or so unstopping the toilets. I would plunge, then add water...the when it wouldn't go down, I'd start plunging some more. Anyway, it seemed to take forever. But, finally we had 2 working potties again. Then, I was finally free to clean up the dog's vomit from our bedroom floor. What a fun night :-)

That was several days ago. So Vivi's been very conscientious about how much toilet paper she actually needs. I figured we were over that set of possible disasters. Until today. I walked in our bathroom to find Vivi pulling her pants up after going potty. I saw another huge amount of toilet paper in the potty and asked her why she used so much because "remember, using that much toilet paper breaks the potty". She said that she needed to find the treasure. ? She told me that she was a pirate and needed a parascope (aka empty toilet paper roll) to find the treasure. So what's the best way to get a parascope when you really need one? Pull all the paper off and put it in the potty I guess. Thankfully we were able to get a successful flush. After that, I took the toilet paper from the dispensers and put it up out of her reach. I'm going to have to ration it out I guess.

Hope all is well - I'm watching the Army/Navy game - have about another hour of 'free watching' before B gets up from his nap. He'll need to join the Navy cheering section.

Have a great weekend!

Just a Little Sass...

Well, I know I usually blog about the kids and try to keep my personal reflections to myself, but hey - it's my blog and I'll do what I want, right?

I also figure that since Kyle's gone, I don't have him to impart with my daily thoughts of my experiences, so thus I'm forced to share them with you. So, here goes. Big issues about rules and guilt about breaking them.

1. I did it. I was the english major who couldn't count...or maybe the math major who couldn't read...anyway, I got in the "15 items and under" line at the commissary (grocery store on base) when I knew very well that my cart had more than 15 items in it. Ha. I checked out hurriedly with 19 items, 2 quiet happy kids, sanitized cart handle (love the Target brand $1.00 sanitizer wipes...very convenient packaging that fits in my diaper bag perfectly), and bagged groceries in the back. Saved us at least 20 minutes. It was just a couple of days before Thanksgiving and I didn't need too many items...but everyone else in the store did. Had I waited in line with everyone else with 15+ items, we would have been risking being as happy at the end of checkout. Don't tell anyone - we might do it again, too. Ha-ha.

2. Following rules

If you know my family, you know that for the most part, we are rule followers. It's genetic. My mom is probably the ultimate one and her siblings are guilty as well. Here's what happened - one of my eye doctor appointments a few weeks ago was at Camp LeJeune - a large Marine Corps base about an hour from where we live. The opthamology clinic is on the 2nd floor. There's a stairwell near the clinic - the sign on the door reads "Fire Door - Keep Closed at All Times." So, Kyle decides that it's okay to open it and go down the stairs, but I questioned him because the sign said to keep the door closed at all times. Right? Anyway, I reluctantly agreed only to find that there were a couple of other people in the stairwell as well. I asked Kyle if I was the only one with this moral dilemma - he said that I was. Don't get me wrong - I understand the intent and purpose of a fire door. But I think the sign should read something like, "Fire Door. Do Not Prop Open. Keep Closed When Not Using It To Open And Close Immediately After Walking Through Quickly." Again, am I right?

3. Just Saying "NO!"

You know when you are checking out at Wal-Mart, and the credit card swipe machine asks you questions, like, "Was your store clean today?" and "Did your cashier greet you" ? Well, if the cashier hasn't greeted me, I always answer that she did and I give her a smile because I figure that she didn't greet me because she was having a bad day...or maybe her kids are sick, or her husband had to work late...I don't know. Anyway, I also don't know if the cashier has any idea if the customer is being asked a question and if so, what question is being asked, but I figure she can tell by the position of the stylus what my answer is. So, I NEVER answer NO because I don't want her to get mad at me, I guess. Am I really afraid of being grumped at while checking out at Wal-Mart? I guess the need-to-please disease runs rampant in my family too, along with the follow-the-rules disease. Anyway, I answered "NO" the other day - the cashier was not friendly, wasn't grumpy, but didn't greet me. And I felt sassy enough to answer NO. So there.

4. I love what?

I took the kids to Subway on base after picking Vivi up from preschool last week or so. I got them seated and got some Cheerios out for B and got Vivi busy with something...anyway, after getting our food and dispersing it out, I saw a guy and a girl (early 20s, probably) standing together in line. The guy was wearing a brown sweatshirt that said, "I love boobies" in bright yellow letters. I did a double take at first, wondering where in the world one would find a shirt like that. Then I remember feeling sad for the girl that was with him...I'm not a big fan of the graphic t-shirt, or sweat-shirt....although we do have a couple in our household. Kyle has a couple that are Jesus themed...not really a graphic shirt when its proclaiming a love of our Lord and Savior...Vivi has one that says something like "Everyone Loves a Princess" but she's 3 and not a big deal for her to wear one. I have one (don't ask me why) that says something like "Life is better blond." I haven't worn it for some time now, but don't really feel inclined to throw it out. Maybe it will serve as a mid-life crisis tee for me, or a 'my identity is lost to my kids' relief shirt. Who knows.

Anyway, I stared at this 'boobies' shirt a little too much - my bloodsugar was probably teetering on the verge of being low and I should have stopped looking at the other Subway patrons and eaten myself...but then I got tickled and thought that Bryton would probably enjoy wearing a shirt that said "I love boobies". There's an idea of a kitchy (sp?) onesie. I giggled for several minutes about that one. In fact, I'm giggling now!

A little more about the graphic tees - while I am usually not a big fan but I do however, love the pregnancy ones! I never could talk Kyle into wearing one, but I did find some cute ones online. One of my favorites said something like "The impregnater" and "He shoots, he scores", etc. The drawings were cute and the phrases were cute too, but never could talk Kyle into it. They had cute ones for the mama-to-be too (arrow pointing to the belly saying "just kicking," etc, but it just never struck me to get one for some reason.

Well, that's all the wisdom I can give you for now...hope you are having a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! I've had lots to write about, just no time to do it. So, I have to first get to some documentation stuff - since I'll be using the blog to complete Bryton's baby book and to journal in the family scrapbooks. (Each kid gets a baby book that goes from birth to 1 year..then they join the family album. However, the family album from after Vivi turned one is essentially her 1st year album..all about her...anyway).
So, Bryton is almost 9 months! When he was 6 months and a couple of weeks, he had a check up and everything looked good. I started giving him baby organic oatmeal, mixed with breast milk. After a week or so of that, he started eating Gerber baby squash, sweet potatoes, peas, pears, carrots, green beans, apples, and bananas. I pretty much skipped over the 'size 1' baby foods and started him on 2s. He did pretty good with those. Then, I started making him some things - buying organic veggies and peeling them, boiling them, then putting them in the food processor adding some water that they were boiled in until the consistency looked right. He enjoyed that and it was kind of fun making it, although I'm not sure it was a cost saver. I made him carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, plums, yellow squash, and peas. He's gobbled up pretty much everything I've given him, but you can't give him a bite of apples followed by a bite of squash. He'll prefer the apples, of course. But, he's done okay. He'll go through a 'no green veggie' phase for a day or two, then a 'no orange food' phase for a couple of days. Sometimes I'll mix some baby oatmeal into his veggies to thicken them up some. Oh -he loves avocado too - and it's pretty easy to prepare - just split in half, take the pit out, scoop the fruit out of the peel, then mash it up. He loves it! Now, he's eating Cheerios like a pro, Gerber puffs and yogurt melts (seriously - those things are expensive!), and some various other Gerber baby finger foods. I've given him diced bananas and canned peas and carrots. He's doing pretty good with that, but still hasn't master his pincer grasp yet..he can get the food to his mouth, but it's more of a scoop with the hand-see what gets in my mouth type of thing. Lexie thoroughly enjoys post meal time clean up. I'll stand him on the floor and pick the gummed sticky leftovers off of him and leave them on the floor for Lexie to dispose of.

What else? Hm...well, I've been taking a Photoshop class. My great friends Kelli and Kelley make this possible by offering child care and car seats and preschool pick up! It's been great - only for another couple of weeks or so. Hopefully I'll know all the tricks of the trade (ok, well, at least the basics) by the end. The curriculum isn't too advanced, but the instructor is a professional photographer who has all sorts of tricks up his sleeves - and he's willing to share.

Also, Kyle's in Yuma. He'll be there for about 5 weeks or so, coming back just before Christmas. We're down about 2 weeks, about 3 or so left. So far, so good. The kids have been challenging the past couple of days, but everyone is clean, fed, and alive. That counts for something, right? I've been scrap booking since Kyle's been gone - trying to catch up before he comes back! I'm in April of 2008 now and going quick - just paper, cropped pictures, and a journaling box on each page. The cute, clever stuff can be used once I'm 'caught up'. I'm documenting Bryton's 'accomplishments' in a great little calendar that one of my Aunt's gave me - the calendar pages can be torn out and put in a scrapbook - they are 12 x 12! I'm going to use them as page headers for B's book to start off each month.

Hm..Vivi's said some pretty comical things...but I can't really think of anything right now. She's enjoying listening to Christmas songs and is getting ready for Jesus's birthday. We will be heading to Birmingham around Dec 23 and will stay for a few days. Kyle doesn't have a bunch of leave to take, so I'm not sure how long we will stay. Hopefully long enough to see everyone!

Other exciting news? I've had a couple of people hire me to take pictures! I'm very excited and can't wait for my upcoming events. If you know anyone who needs a photographer in New Bern (or Birmingham during the week of Christmas), send em' my way!

Speaking of pics, here's one of Bryton -I like the 'conductor' effect it has - especially when you are listening to Christmas music. Oh yeah - he's also been kicking his legs to the beat of the music he hears...pretty cute. I'll try to get some video.





Anyway, I've got to go get ready for our Thanksgiving plans! Hope everyone has a great day!

Catching Up! (Warning - some eye surgery vague description below)

Well, what have we been up to the past couple of weeks? Hm...kind of...a LOT! I had to read my last post to see where I had left off. When I left you last, Vivi was having a very hard time getting over her fear of potty-ing anywhere but at home. She did good at Chili's that one time (picture on Dropshots - Oct 17 date I think..wait...the actual potty experience was not pictured...the celebratory cake and ice cream was), but had trouble for several days after that. Anyway, we are finally over it, about 90%. She is still apprehensive about the auto flushing potties, but isn't hysterically terrified anymore. She gets pumpkin (you know, the ones that are kind of like candy corn) every time she flushes the potty while she is sitting on it - just to teach her that even if a potty does flush while she's sitting on it, it's not dangerous (a little gross, but not dangerous). It seems to have worked.

Other news? Well, our family has had 2 eye surgeries, visit from Grandma, Trick-or-Treating, visit from a great friend from Yuma (who lives in FL now), finished 2 (or 4...they are reversible) outfits for Bryton, and flu - h1n1.

Where to start? Eye surgery - one night, over the course of 3-4 hours, I went from seeing fine out of both eyes, to floaters appearing (you know...black lines that float around your visual area) and blurriness that reduced my vision on my left eye to just about nothing. I spent the next afternoon at the optometrist's office on base who thought that my retina might be detaching due to too much tugging from new (and weak) blood vessels that had formed because my eye wasn't receiving adequate oxygen. That is due to 25 years of type 1 diabetes. It really affects the vascular system and diabetic retinopathy is a side affect. Anyway, the doc on Friday made sure that my retina was still attached and talked to an opthamologist who scheduled an appt for me the following Monday. Over the weekend, she said not to do anything that would increase blood flow - no exercising or running around...hello...I have 2 kids...ANYWAY, I took it pretty easy and went to the doc on Monday who confirmed the diagnosis of the doc I saw Friday - a hemorrhage in my left eye - the newly formed blood vessel had burst leaking blood into the vitreous (vitreal?) fluid causing the floaters and the blurriness. She set up an appointment on Tuesday with a retinal surgeon - in Wilmington. At this time, she still thought my retina might be detaching, and wanted me to see the surgeon asap. After talking to the nurse at the retinal surgeon's office, she told me some post op instructions for retinal detachment surgery - no stooping, bending, lifting, exercising, possibly being face down (if they had to put an air bubble in) for 2-3 weeks. Keep in mind this is Monday after we left the opthamologist's office...the retinal surgeon still hadn't seen my eye and still hadn't done an exam. So, Kyle called his mom and I called mine - to see if anyone would be available to help with the kids during the 2-3 week 'down time' I would have post op. Kyle's mom was able to come up on Wednesday and stay for several days. (note - my mom was available too, but our cell phone call got cut before we could confirm anything b/c as we were talking, their carrier was updating her phone...). At the surgeon's office the next day, he looked and poked and prodded and took pictures and injected dye in my veins to map out blood supply, etc. He didn't see retinal detachment at all - just new blood vessel growth that he wanted to zap ....with a laser... in order to kill the growth of these new blood vessels. New blood vessels sound great when your eye isn't receiving adequate oxygen, but the new ones that form are very unstable and very leaky - and prone to hemorrhaging - which is why he wanted to cut their growth, preventing them from leaking again. So, he deadened the eye (took 2 shots to get the rights nerves deadened) and went to zapping. Of all of the millions of shots I've had in my lifetime, I will remember this one. Not really pleasant, but not unpleasant. 975 lasers later (new record for the office), surgery was all done. I was doing okay - just feeling a little uneasy...you know, kind of yucky, but very much thankful that the retinal detachment wasn't an issue. That was scary to think about. Plus, the laser surgery didn't have near the post op restrictions that the retinal detachment surgery would have had. Keep in mind though that I still had almost no vision out of my left eye due to the blurriness. The good thing is that now (2 weeks later) most of the blurriness is gone. I still have a few light floaters, but have a good percentage of my vision back. The floaters are in my central vision area, but my peripheral is pretty good. Ok, so where was I...Anyway, being that my post op period wasn't going to be as restrictive as we thought, we told Kyle's mom that we wouldn't necessarily need her at the extent that we originally thought, but she had already made her plans - we were so glad she was still coming, just didn't want to inconvenience her more that we already had. Anyway, while we were running all over eastern NC to the eye docs, a wonderful friend kept Vivi and Bryton, and another friend took her little boy over to play with Vivi and yet others offered to keep the kids, let the dog out to go potty, pick Vivi up from her preschool class...we were engulfed with support!! She says that they didn't fuss once...Vivi talked and talked about her fun filled days - she had a great time!

Anyway, Tuesday after the surgery, we had to stop for formula. The drugs they gave me for the surgery aren't proven to harm infants that are nursing, but they aren't known to not harm them either. The doc advised that I not nurse Bryt for 48 hrs post op. I had some milk in the freezer but not enough for 2 days of feeding. Note to new moms - pump any extra while you can and do it for as long as you can - you never know when you might need some. I'll have a good pump to sell in a few months. So, there Kyle and I am in Target looking at scads of formula bottles. I in my eye patch am trying to read the labels on the formula. They are a little overwhelming - there's a formula for everything - brain development, eye enhancement, soy option, etc. I just wanted one that said "This one is safe for your baby to eat." Haha. Anyway, formula was purchased and he did just fine. Had to put a level 1 nipple on the bottle - those are the newborn sized nipples. He about chokes with level 3 (the 6 month size).

On to grandma's visit! She arrived played with the kids from sun up to sun down. It was so helpful having her around - Vivi and Bryton loved the attention, too. The house was pretty clean and with her entertaining the kids, I was able to stay on top of everything while she was here. A couple of days before she left to go back home, she asked if I needed her to do anything or keep the kids while I did anything...and for the first time in..well..months (maybe even years), I honestly didn't have any items on my 'to-do' list. Really. It's a great feeling. Grandmas and anyone who loves to play, please come visit.

Another visitor? Yep - my good friend from Yuma came to visit...kind of. She is a photographer and was scheduled to photograph a wedding for a client within driving distance of New Bern. I had planned to go with her prior to the eye stuff..play with some great photographic equipment, get some good girl time with my friend, take some fun shots at a wedding...but only have good vision out of one eye at the time, I didn't think traipsing around at an outdoor wedding in my clumsy state would have been the most discreet way to be a 'guest' at the wedding. Well, my friend took some family photos of us...I'll post more later on dropshots. I got to play with her camera and a couple of lenses some...and I am now officially in love. With a camera. And a lens. And taking pictures. And fall colors. Her visit and tips really inspired and motivated me one step closer to having a photography business. I just love taking good photos...and even love taking bad ones - that I learn from. (Another good part of having Kyle's mom here was the assistance with taking pics...I played and played with my camera downtown one day...she played with the kids, I took pics. I wasn't going for expressions in the photos as I was just trying new things with my camera (even though I'm in love with a new camera and lens, I do pretty good with the one I have...it's a good one). Photos are just great - I mean, you only get one chance to capture a certain place in time....one chance to remember your little ones as they are little...spend as much time with them as you can (while still maintaining your sanity...)...there's just so much to remember...and capturing those times with photos makes it so much easier to remember the good, funny, inspiring, bad, and growing times.

So, it was great seeing an old friend again, even though it was brief. Maybe I'll be able to head out of town for a few days and schedule a time to see her. :-) Although that's not too likely anytime soon...this current weekend is the only weekend in several that Kyle hasn't had to work...either mandated by his squadron leaders, or just catching up on 'paperwork.'

That brings us to...Halloween? Vivi wore a Gingerbread girl costume that my brother wore long long ago...and Bryton had a lobster costume...He didn't wear it on Halloween b/c it was 80 degrees here Halloween afternoon - he would have been a cooked lobster had he worn it! Where's the drawn butter? Anyway, we spent the afternoon with friends (thanks for the great Halloween party!) and evening Trick-or-Treating. Vivi had a 'big girl' time!

On the Wednesday after Halloween, I had eye surgery on my right eye. The doc saw some blood vessels growing that needed to be killed off before they had a chance to hemorrhage. So, we went in to have the same procedure done on the right eye. This time, the doc wasn't able to fully deaden the nerves that service the eye...but they did the procedure anyway. No more details about that unless you request them...but it wasn't pleasant. I'm seeing like normal out of that eye...just waiting on hemorrhage from left eye (first one) to clear up...they say it could take months. But, its getting better. I have to sleep on three pillows to keep my head elevated to let gravity do its work to clear out the blood particles from that eye. If I turn upside down, it can have the 'snowglobe' effect and let everything that had settled come into my central vision area again.

Now - more outfits for Bryton. I was able to finish 2 outfits for Bryton that I had started pre-eye drama. They are finished - pictures will be on dropshots soon. They are from a size 18 month pattern, piped around the top, reversible, and embroidered with his name. Oh yeah - and thanks to Kyle's mom, I can successfully use the button holer attachment on my sewing machine. (on previous outfits I hand stitched the button holes. Trust me - much easier with the attachment).

Yep, Vivi has the flu. She's been coughing/sneezing for a couple of days, but that was it...until this morning. She was burning up - fever was 101.2 -not that high, but we still called the pediatrician and they got her in this morning. Pediatrician said that it was flu, and probably h1n1. The only way to tell for sure would be to send a blood sample (from a 3 year old...not easy to get) to the CDC and then hear back from them 2 weeks later. Vivi and Bryton have had the seasonal flu vaccine, but not the h1n1. It's only recently been available, but I have some apprehension about getting it for them. I can't really explain why...I mean new vaccine, came out in huge quantities relatively quickly...just makes me wonder if enough research was done. Oh well...a little late now. Vivi's been a little trooper today - just more tired than normal. Doc said to give her motrin every 6 hrs for 2-3 days and she'd start feeling better soon. She did well today - just real sluggish and decreased appetite...but really well for having this. B might be getting it too = he's been congested the past few days, but no fever and appetite is..er...very much hearty...mr. chunks.

Ok, ok..while I'm typing this very lengthy blog, I'm watching the LSU/Bama game....we're 2/3 in our household today...Navy won, beating Notre Dame in a good game; Auburn won (well, it was homecoming) and LSU/Bama is proving to be a good game. Not sure how it will end!!

Anyway, hope everyone reading this is doing well! I'm going to try to post more often so the next post isn't as long. Sheesh!

Oh one more thing - Kyle's going to Yuma this week and will be gone until around Dec 20 :-(. Any nanny or maid services very much welcomed! ha! I'm very glad that this eye stuff happened while he was still here.

And, I'll be in Birmingham for Christmas - not sure exact dates yet. I'll bring my camera and would love to have some beautiful subjects to 'expose.'

Have a great day! (oh - no time to proof read this one...sorry for typos/incomplete sentences/thoughts!)

Definitely Football Season

At the grocery store today, Vivi starts saying the Pledge of Allegiance, something they've been doing at school every morning. When she got to the final part, this is what she says, "liberty and justice for all. War Eagle!"

I'm not sure why she put the War Eagle at the end, other than I guess it just felt right.

Hope you have a great day!

Triumph!

Ok, well, here's a quick run down of our past couple of weeks:

We went to Destin with my mom, dad, aunt Martha and Uncle Jim. We drove, stopping to see friends in Jacksonville, FL along the way. Kids were great in the car and had a blast with our FL friends.

We got to Destin and spent a couple of days there - then B got yucky sick. We took him to a doc there in Destin - he had a nasty virus - rosieola (no time to spell check that one). We left the beach early and drove back to NC to let him sleep in his own bed and let everyone else in the condo buildings get some sleep. I'll blog more about our trip later - watching my Tigers play as I type. Thank goodness for the Mac and HDTV/DVR in our room.

After we got home, B started to feel much much better. So, we decided to head to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. They let military families in free once each year, and since B was better and Kyle still had another couple of days off, we headed up! Had a great time at the park ....but, it was very much dampened by the dreaded automatic flushing toilet that scared Vivi into hysterics upon first arriving in VA. We first got into downtown/ Colonial Williamsburg and I stayed in the car to feed B and Kyle took V to walk around for a few minutes and go potty after our 3.5 hr car trip. The potty that she sat on started to flush when she was on it...now, this has happened a few times before, but this time she was scared to pieces - I mean hysterically. Anyway, I tried taking her after I was done feeding B, but it was no use. Anyway, long story short, we had to physically hold her on any toilet for the rest of the weekend. We tried bribing her, let her see the potty flush when mama was on it, let her flush it, put Wooly (her trusted night time companion) to use the potty, etc. We said our prayers, everything - still, hysterics. We even told her that it was kind of a game and if the potty flushed while she was on it, then her hiney would get sprinkled with princess water. She didn't buy it. Long weekend with potty trips. Poor little thing tried standing on the side of the potty....sorry little girl, it doesn't work like that for us - no hose attachment. So, since then, she's confirmed that our home potty isn't going to flush by itself, so it's pretty safe. She's gone to the potty fine at preschool and playdate (an hourly drop in play center in town). But strange potties still spook her.

Here's the triumph part:

We went to the Jacksonville Mall today. There was an add for Crystal Coast Parenting Magazine - send in a photo, your kid could be on the cover of the magazine! Anyway, I got a call last week that she was one of the finalists and she would get to meet the judges at the Jacksonville Mall Saturday afternoon. So, we went to the mall... (fyi Jacksonville is about a hour away...but there's a Sam's Club, Babies R Us, and Chuck E Cheese...and Chili's...so it's worth going every so often)...just made a day of it.

Anyway, after the Magazine's walk-on-the-stage-meet-the-judges-thing, I knew she'd need to go potty...so we went to one there in the mall and the hysterics hit her again :-( She was SOOO scared....I held her on the potty - her torso was not bent and legs were locked straight...but she teed and pooed...getting most of it in the potty...some on her dress and pantyhose, etc...Anyway, it's just physically and emotionally draining to have your angel go through that :-( So, I was discouraged.

After leaving the mall, we changed her clothes (yep, naked little girl in the parking lot) and washed her up. Then went to Chili's. She ate a corn dog (she brought up that Granna likes corn dogs at the Tip Top and that she ate a corn dog with Sonny at his new house) and some mandarin oranges. She said that she wanted some ice cream....taking advantage of this, I told her that I would order her some if she would go with Daddy to the potty and use it like a big girl. And she did! They were only gone from the table a couple of minutes and came back all smiles! No tears! I was SOOO excited! Anyone who has gone through this can probably understand the overwhelming sense of relief I had seeing them return after a successful trip! She then enjoyed some chocolate-chip molten cake with ice cream. Well deserved, little girl!

It was a very triumphant experience!!

Oh - and she won the cover contest for the magazine! She'll be on the cover of Crystal Coast Parents Magazine! They had like 50 finalists divided into three age groups - 6 mo-3, 4-9, 10-15. They announced the winners for her age group - I was shocked! I mean, I know she's so adorable, but she's also a naughty little thing at times (especially when she crosses her arms and says, "hrumph!"...well, that's actually pretty cute). Anyway, they had a winner for each age group, and then were going to announce the cover winner - which I thought would be someone other than the semi-finalists...So it was such a shock! She won a couple of gift certificates to places, and was invited to be in a couple of Christmas parades. I don't know that we'll make the parades...Kyle will be in AZ for both of them, and I don't see me lugging V and B onto a parade float when it's freezing outside...we might just pass. But, I think V might like it, so we'll see.

Anyway, I'll be sure and post photos on dropshots soon of our past couple of weeks. I should have some photo software arriving Tuesday, so I'll be able to post beach pics, etc next week. iPhoto and dropshots don't agree about some things, and I can't figure a way around it. SO, hopefully my new photo software will alleviate that problem.

Well, that's all I have time for right now...gotta get going and unpack my prizes (well, diapers and white turtlenecks for B) from Babies R Us.

I'll post more later about our Destin trip, gorgeous Colonial Williamsburg, yummy blueberry bread recipe, and cute snowman fabric I have to make B more outfits!

Lots to Blog About...

Just no time to do it! I'll try this weekend!

Have a great day!

Crock Pot Season

Well, I know that in a previous post I said that I'd post Buchina family well-received crock-pot dinners we'd had recently. I have a couple to share.

I've made three recently, but will only share two. The third, although seemingly delicious in the recipe book, will die forever in the pages of the book - not a family favorite. It was a Ground Turkey Potato Dinner - main ingredients were ground turkey, potatoes, green beans, and mushrooms. Since we like all of the ingredients, I thought it would be good...but it turned into turkey/potato/green bean mush...so we ate it, but won't try it again.

The winners we had were as follows:

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Rating - 5 / 5 stars

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

2 15 oz. cans black beans, undrained

1 c. chunky salsa (I used mild)

1 can Rotel tomatoes (I used mild)

2 15 oz. cans stewed tomatoes

1 can refried beans (I used fat free)

1 4 oz. can green chilis, undrained

15 oz water (one can)

1 lb frozen corn

1-2 Tbs. authentic Italian tomato paste (if you don't have any from Europe, you can use some from your local grocer...thanks to a wonderful and well travelled friend, I did have some from Europe)

2 c. grated cheese

tortilla chips, to serve with soup, if preferred.

1. Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on low 8 hours.

3. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Stir into soup.

4. Top with cheese and...Serve! You can put chips in the bottom of soup bowls if you prefer.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

Rating - 5/5 stars

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 c. chopped onions

1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper

16 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

10 oz. can rotel tomatoes

1 c. water

1 tsp. chili powder

16 oz can black beans

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups colby/monterey jack cheese

6 flour tortillas (6 or 7 inch)

1. Brown turkey, onions, and green pepper.

2. Add remaining ingredients to turkey mixture, except for cheese and tortillas. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. In slow cooker, layer 3/4 c. turkey mixture, one tortilla, and about 1/4 c. cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used.

5. Cover. Cook on low 5-7 hours.

note - to serve this one, I cut it into pie shaped 'slices'.

Well, I wish you and your kitchen great adventures. If you make either of these and love them, please let me know - I'll be glad to post more winners from the Buchina house. I see some homemade chicken noodle soup and award winning chili in our future....

Take 2

Well, after the last outfit got ruined, I wanted to try again while the pattern was fresh on my mind. I think we have a winner! Bryton sported his new duds today - so handsome!

There are more pictures on our dropshots site - I'm blogging for the first time from our Mac...and my picture organization is set up a little different than before. Plus, I have no photo editing software :-(

Anyway, I'll write more later - just wanted to post about the outfit real quick! Yep - it's reversible!

Yes, an overused Mastercard slogan...but it fits.

1. Johnny Pattern - 12.99

2. Fabric for a Johnny pattern - 5.99/yd

3. Snaps for the outfit - 1.99? (honestly don't remember)

4. New marking pen - 1.99? (again...don't exactly remember)

5. Sewing the outfit during the Auburn game - 4 hours

6. Figuring out the pattern vs. the logical next step - 2 hours

7. Learning that snaps are very difficult to remove if not applied correctly - 1 hour...and some garden shears

8. Completing the first outfit you ever made for you son (with your very primitive sewing skills): PRICELESS!

Don't you love the lining - too cute!9. Seeing the rip in the strap just seconds after you asked you daughter to take it into the kitchen so you could take it to have it monogrammed while simultaneously hearing her sweet little voice say, "I stepped on it"...Also, PRICELESS.

Explaining Jesus

Well, Vivi has been asking more and more questions about Jesus. Her interpretation has become a little comical, so I thought I'd share a little to explain her understanding. She's been very interested in this for the past couple of weeks, so I'm blogging as I remember things that she has said.

She's been asking where Jesus is. We've told her that He is always with us and we talk to Him when we say our prayers. Vivi responded with "Where's His car?"

She knows that Jesus and God love her and they help heal her (and other peoples') boo-boos; that we can talk to Jesus when we are scared of the dark or of new situations. She knows that He made us and gave her Mama and Daddy and that He gave her and Bryton to Mama and Daddy. She was looking at her elbows the other day and said, "Daddy, I have 2 elbows. Did Jesus give me elbows?" Kyle just kind of said, "Well, yes..." and she said that Jesus would help her boo-boos feel better if she got one on her elbow. She has also asked how Jesus is with us all the time. Try explaining the Holy Spirit to a three year old...Anyway, I (mistakenly) told her that he just kind of flies around and takes care of us. She said, "Oh...kind of like how Daddy flies." Well, sort of...but no airplane. Jesus has his own airline. Probably a jumbo-jet. She's also asked if Jesus sits in the car with her, in the seat between her and Bryton. I'm not quite sure how to answer that - it might lead to me buckling Him up every time we go somewhere.

Anyway, if I think of more comical conversations we've had, I'll be sure to let ya know. I just think that our basics are down - that Jesus and God love her all the time.

Other than that, Vivi has started school this week - hooray! She was so sad when I dropped her off the first day - she clung to my leg and I was holding Bryton, so it definitely would have been nice to have had an extra set of hands to hug her and pull her off. She was very happy when I picked her up - immediately asked to go again. I took that as a good sign. I'm a little wary of the preschool situation (long story...) this year, but so far so good. They have colored, read, played outside and in, gone to chapel, and taken lots of potty breaks. They go as a class a couple of times a day (her school is 8:30 - noon). They don't have a potty in her classroom like last year - it's right next door. The first day, she locked herself in the stall. One of the teachers had to crawl under and let her out. Ha. Bless the hearts of the teachers who choose to work with 18 3 year olds each week. Although, I do find it funny that she was locked in. Too many times to count have I been in a locked stall with her and she unlocks it while I'm sitting on the potty. Isn't blogging great? There will forever be a record of the funny things she and Bryton do.

Also, this week, Vivi started speech therapy. I've asked her doctors (both in AZ and here) since she started talking about her not speaking the same as other kids her age, but always got the same responses: she's the youngest in her class, kids develop at different rates, etc. Well, at her 3 year old check up (with a new pediatric group), they gave me a referral to a speech pathologist. At our appointment for that earlier this week, the speech pathologist spent about a hour and half with her talking, playing, etc. Here's the situation. She's been repeating syllables and words for several months. She tested above average (rated against your average 3 year old) in the amount of words that she understands and uses...but tested below average for the way she uses consonants in the middle of words. Her brain is putting phrases together faster than her jaw and tongue can coordinate to say, and it makes her repeat things a lot. Her jaw and tongue coordination was below average as well - like her tongue isn't working as independently from her jaw as well as other 3 year olds. For example, she doesn't put the "p" in apple...even though she can say the letter "p" at the front of words (potty, purple, pink, etc), but just leaves it out in the middle. So, after receiving a thorough evaluation, the speech doc is going to see her once a week and give us some pointers of things to do at home to help her. She also said to just ignore the stuttering/repeating of syllables because as her tongue and jaw coordination caught up, it would lessen that. Easier said than done...she was trying to tell me something at the store the other day, and was just tripping over her words...I said, "Spit it out, Vivi." She looked at me and spat - like she does when she's brushing her teeth. Hello captain literal. Anyway, I haven't said anything else about it. So, if you see or talk to her, just ignore the stutter and it will eventually go away as her tongue catches up with her brain. I was glad to hear that she scored higher than average for the understanding of words...sometimes I wonder if she knows what the word "NO" means. ha. I bet most 3s have a hard time with that one. Must be the complexity of the word.

Now time for a Bryton update. He loves his toes. They provide about as much entertainment for him as Vivi does. He's sitting up for several seconds at a time, but you never know when he's gonna lean forward or roll backwards. He can scoot around in a circle, but no real forward or backward movement. He bears weight on his legs really well and loves to stand up. He also loves Vivi - if he's fussing about something, he'll stop as soon as she comes up to him. Today marks 6 months for him! Yipee! I've given him baby oatmeal a couple of times. He's drooled it back out at me, but still seems to enjoy it. I'm still working on the nap schedule. Vivi doesn't always need an afternoon nap, but really benefits from one or from some rest time. Bryton needs some sleep time during the day, but doesn't seem to be in the mood when I put Vivi down. And, she usually has 'quiet time' for just an hour or hour and a half. We'll get it one day! Now that school has started for her, it will help get us into more of a set routine.

So, now for some adult updates...Hm...fall is in the air! That means two things - Football season is here (go Tigers! anyone know of a good SEC Blog to keep up with?) and it's Crock Pot season! I pulled out the crock pot a couple of times this summer, but only to make applesauce (recipe: peel apples (can use ones that are about to go bad), cut into chunks, throw in slow cooker with some pumpkin pie spice, which is a combination of cinnamon and ginger mainly. Cook until the apples are mushy. It's our favorite applesauce. Great with sour apples, too. Also, it saves me from having to hunt through the applesauce jars/cups at the store looking for the sauce without added sugar. Hello - apples are sweet enough! If you are gonna have an apple; have an apple. If you are gonna have sugar, have sugar. Sorry - one of my pet peeves - putting sweetener on fruit. Fruit is already sweet! Save your sugar for...I don't know...cake icing! I'll get off my soap box now.) I have some recipes ready to try next week for dinner and I'll post the recipes of our favorites. As for Kyle, he's doing okay, but in need of some job satisfaction. It's pretty hard to come by for him right now. We enjoyed a long weekend with him home, and he got to work on the doors for our entertainment center. Almost done - just need to be stained and hung. We also got some wood so he can make us a computer table for our bedroom. Our computer crashed back in February, and while we were able to reboot and restore everything, it's still running pretty slow. I think it's time to get a new one. I personally want a Mac, but don't really know what all to look for to put on it. Anyway, our current computer is upstairs, but I would really like to have our main computer downstairs in our bedroom - easier access if I want to play with pictures, update Quicken, etc. Our laptop doesn't have printer access either, and it'd be nice to have that downstairs as well. I find it hard to escape up there to get anything done that I need the main computer for without Vivi wanting to come up and play or Bryton needing something. It'd be easier and quicker if my accessibility was just in the other room from the kiddos...not another floor of the house. I think we want to leave our old computer (bought a Dell in 2003) upstairs and use it for Vivi to play games on, but put all of our main use programs on the one (still to be purchased) in our bedroom. If you have any thoughts on Mac vs. PC, I'd love to hear em!

That brings us to the furniture...sorry...got off track there a little. Anyway, Kyle got some wood and is going to assemble a table for us to put our new computer on. But, since he's working every weekend from now until Christmas, (not literally..just seems that way), I'm not sure when he'll have time to get it done.

Anyway, that's all for now! Both kiddos are snoozing right now, so I'm going to get a few things done before my precious little helpers awake! (Vivi loves using the Swiffer).

Been a While!

Well, I know it's been a while since I've blogged, so I'm going to post a quick update for our last few weeks.

1. Vivi turned 3!! Kyle was out of town, so I took Vivi to Chuck E Cheese. She ate almost a whole pizza (yikes!!!) and stuffed coins in all of the slots of the games - had a great time! She doesn't go often enough to understand the joy of trading in your precious tickets earned at every game for the - excuse the language - crap crap - before you go home (that's been intentional on my part...I hate that stuff). SO, we found a nice family and passed our tickets to them. They had older kids and were enthusiastic about the extra tickets. Yay! I don't remember what else we did that day. Hm.. oh yeah! We went to the toy store! That's right! She got a digital camera for her birthday. She's had a great time with it so far. I chuckled one day when I saw her taking a picture of Cheer Bear who she had propped up with a book facing the back door. There's a pic of that on dropshots. Oh - I also let her pick out her clothes and my clothes on her birthday! She picked a pink shirt and white skirt for herself, and red shirt and green capris for me. I know, I know...some of you may think that I ought to let her pick her clothes every day. Sorry...I'm just not that fun. She wouldn't necessarily pick seasonally appropriate attire..and I just don't want to go down that road just yet. I'm not up for fights every day in that dept. SO, I usually give her two choices. It works for now.

Speaking of birthdays, we had her party a week or so ago at New Bern Gymnastics Studio. Both of her grandmothers came into town and all of her friends came to her party! They tumbled and played and jumped and rolled! It was a lot of fun. There are some pics on dropshots of her party. Her cake was cute - a pink and green monogrammed purse! We didn't have a 'theme' for her party, but the decorations and food were pink and green. Watermelon and cantaloupe, ham and spinach pinwheels, strawberry bagels, and her purse cake were served with pink and green balloons and crepe paper in the background.

At her three year old doctor check, they asked several things to determine how her motor skills, language, etc are developing. My favorite question was when the doc asked me if she was using scissors well. My first thought was, well, no, it has honestly never occurred to me to give my two and a half year old scissors to practice cutting things with since I have a newborn in the house. So, Vivi probably couldn't pass the three year old scissor test, but I think she's doing okay. I have since gotten the kid scissors out of 'hiding' and we've practiced cutting some dotted lines on paper. I think she's doing well. But I'm still nervous about having scissors and a three year old loose in the house...with a baby...and a dog. Silly me. And don't worry - we have strict rules about scissor use. Never walk with them...only use them on paper...etc.

2. Bryton has had a hard time. After he fussed at me for about a week, I took him to the doc who gave him a couple of different antibiotics to help his eye goo (yucky snotty stuff coming out of his eye possibly due to a blocked tear duct). One was a gel that you had to squeeze out of the tube and put a half-inch ribbon in his eye 4 times a day. That's a lot of fun to do to a wiggly 5 month old with long eyelashes. The other was an oral antibiotic. Both were to help clear up any eye infection or skin infection that could be irritating his poor little eye. He did well for a couple of days, but I think the oral antibiotic started to upset his stomach some. So, he was a little unsettled the rest of the week that he was on that, but overall seemed to be feeling better. After we had finished the rounds of both medicines, he seemed to feel pretty good for a few days. But, this past week, he just had bouts of fussing fits that were just so uncharacteristic of him. He would usually stop crying after you picked him up, but I found it difficult to do several of our daily activities while holding an almost 20 lb child. Anyway, his eye looks a whole lot better, but his lower gum line looks suspicious...I don't feel any teeth yet, but have a feeling that they aren't far off. He's drooling up a storm, too. Yick. I don't like baby drool; although, it isn't as bad as other yuckies babies can put on ya...

Note - following paragraph may be a little TMI...

So anyway, it's been a rough week for mama and Bryton. Vivi has been on good behavior though...thanks V! Kyle was also working nights the past couple of weeks...that means he was home a little bit in the morning, but gone until midnight-ish...so usually by 7 - I was done! Bryton doesn't usually get up until 9 or 10, and Kyle was gone shortly after that for work...so even though he was working less hours, I think we'd rather go back to the old schedule of having him home around 6 or 6:30. Anyway....V would be settling down for the night, but B would be fussing about something...and by 7 pm, I didn't care what he was fussing about anymore. Bryton spent some time in his room by himself. Usually while I was getting V put down to bed, or folding clothes, cleaning the kitchen, etc. In trying to figure out why he's starting now, I have a few ideas. It has just thrown me because he really didn't fuss much at all the first 4-5 months of his life. Only in the past month has he started having a problem with things. Maybe it's teeth? Maybe he's more aware of what he wants and feels that he gets a 'vote' in the Buchina household already? Or, maybe it's milk...I have noticed that my milk production has slowed down...possibly due to a decrease the amount of calories I'm eating (trying to get the last pound of pregnancy weight gone...it's been hanging on for dear life). I am now convinced that while exclusively nursing a baby, eating fewer calories decreases your milk supply before taking the pounds off. And, now that I think about it, I lost 7-8 pounds in about a four to six weeks after I stopped nursing Vivi...without really trying or doing anything different. Which, I know, is odd because 'exclusively nursing a baby uses 600 calories a day.' Well, if you aren't eating, your body is going to rebel on you and stop making milk instead of using your current...post-pregnancy body...to make the milk. During his fussy weeks, he was eating differently...stopping during a feeding and looking at me with a frowny face...then starting to eat again...then stopping a few seconds later and protesting again. And really - I know my production had decreased. So, I'm going to have to just give in I think because I really do want to nurse him until he's at least a year. I've been eating more the past 3-4 days and pumping after every feeding (getting to be a pain...but if it keeps the milk coming, I'll do it)...and I'm getting more milk. I have to keep telling myself that I'll have my body to myself one day....and that Bryton's our last baby (long, sad, but necessary story there) so I'll just have to keep it up a little longer and then it's just me for the rest of my days.

3. Funny things around the house? Vivi has been telling us that she needs some privacy. She'll go run to the potty and I'll go check on her and she'll say "I just need some privacy right now." Wish granted, little girl.

She has also gone from not only telling me what she wants, but what I want to. Like, she'll offer me a bite of her apple, and I'll say, "No thanks, Vivi...I don't want any apple right now." She'll respond in a sing song voice, "Yes, you do-oo." It's funny.

I know there are other funny things she's said lately...but can't think of anything specific to write. I'll be better about this in my next blog.

Kyle had a man-to-man talk with Bryton tonight. He was fussing tonight after we'd put Vivi to bed. We are still bathing him in the kitchen sink (in his bathtub) so in order to bathe him, the sink has to be cleaned out. So, while getting the clean dished unloaded to put the dirty ones from the sink into the dishwasher in order to make room for Bryton to get bathed, he was just laying on the floor a-wailing. He didn't want to be in his jumper or his Bumbo chair...didn't want to necessarily be held...just wanted to fuss. Seemed tired to me. But what do I know? Anyway, Kyle told him during his bath, "You know what they do with dogs who just keep barking and barking and barking and don't stop? They take them to the pound...or they shoot 'em!" Ha! I laughed. (ok...don't go calling CPS on us...Kyle wouldn't really shoot him...or take him to the pound)

4. Break!
With Kyle working nights for the past couple of weeks and Bryton fussing so much, I was really in desire of some quiet time. On Saturday afternoon, both of the kids were napping (at the same time...we're working on that one) and Kyle told me to leave. Not being able to decide what to do (something cheap or free is hard to figure out), I decided to just do some online shopping at Ann Taylor Loft, where I had a gift card (from mom for my birthday! thanks!). I looked online and saw that there was an Ann Taylor Loft store in Greenville...a hour away! So, I went to Greenville - had some nice quiet time! No ABC songs in the car, no diaper bag in hand...it was nice. I used my gift card (and more) at Ann Taylor Loft and also stopped at Once Upon a Child (near Loft...saw it as I was driving by). I found a cute pink winter coat for Vivi - NWT (for you non-ebayers, NWT means New With Tags) for $10 and one for Bryton for $10. They buy baby gear and sell it. If you are looking for used baby stuff near us, this is a good place. They had 5 exersaucers for around 30 each, pack and plays (didn't look at those prices), baby papasan seats, jumpers, boppys, etc. And clothes galore! It was very well organized, but you still had to pick through stuff. I mean, all of the clothes were by size and color and item...(i.e. all of the 12 month jeans were together...next to the 12 month khaki pants...next to the 12 month jog sets, etc), but I wouldn't have been able to pick through anything with V and/or B with me. But, was able to get a couple of things going there solo. They buy baby stuff, too...no consignment...they just buy things outright. Anyway, I headed back from Greenville and enjoyed a yummy juicy Kyle-grilled chicken breast for dinner. I didn't have to fix it or clean up after it and it tasted great.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of to say right now. I know that the 3 of you who read my blog are just dying for more...but my brain is gone for the night. I have to get it in gear for tomorrow...in case B has another 'week.'

Nana

The morning after my brother's wedding, we got a call from Kyle's family, saying that his grandmother, Nana, had passed away. She was hospitalized the week earlier, and had done 'well' for a few days, but then progressively got worse. We were saddened to hear this news, but glad that she wasn't suffering.

I know a lot about Nana's personality, but my facts about her life might be somewhat off...please forgive me for that.

Nana brought sunshine to many lives. Kyle often talked about weekends in Mobile spent with his grandparents and cousins; playing Rummy-Kube (sp?), bowling, hunting for snakes in the backyard, etc. Nana was always such a wonderful caretaker. When I first met her, Grandpa was bedridden due to his stroke/heart attack and I watched her for years diligently take care of him. She couldn't help it - that was her nature. She and Grandpa married when she was around 17, give or take a year or two, and created a wonderful life together while seeing the world through the eyes of the 1940s (and 50s and 60s) Air Force. When I would go to Mobile, I always felt so welcome in her home - she made sure that all of her company was well taken care of. She always had such a great time with her 3 daughters, 8 grandkids, and 9 greatgrandchildren. Vivi always enjoyed sitting on her lap and at times riding on her walker. Nana just had such a loving and caring personality and was just a great lady to be in the presence of.

So Nana, even though your body is gone, we will remember your spirit throughout our lives and pass on your wonderful gifts and teaching to generations to come. Nana was buried with her new Bible, given to her by family as an 82nd birthday gift. Fitting for a woman of such grace.

Wedding Weekend!!

Well, my brother married his beautiful bride this weekend! The weekend was so lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Detroit and getting to be part of their special day. Vivi did great at the rehearsal as the flower girl and enjoyed walking down the aisle with Ryan, the ring bearer. During the wedding, she was a little apprehensive about all of the eyes on her, and shook her head 'no' when everyone was waving her down the aisle. Anyway, she made it down and everything went off without a hitch.



The bride had a beautiful dress with a long train that sparkled so nicely! The bridesmaides wore periwinkle and the groomsmen had handsome black tuxes with periwinkle accents. Picture Perfect.



The reception hall was a site to see!!! White table linens, red and white flowers, and light blue/periwinkle accents throughout the room. It could not have been prettier. The food was wonderful and dancing was a blast! (Well, I did get kind of tired holding Vivi while dancing during song after song after song...she's 35+ lbs..sheesh!)



Everything for the wedding was just great with no major hiccups...well, I didn't see any at all...all weekend...except for....



The Raleigh Airport. On Friday, we drove from New Bern to Raleigh to catch our flight. It's about a 2 and a half hour drive. Not bad, especially when you have a less than 2 hour flight (no connections) waiting for you there. Anyway, as we are getting our bags out of the car and B in the stroller, we're getting ready to walk into the airport. I asked Kyle to grab the other suitcase out of the car. He looks in the car and says awful words. "Babe...there is no other suitcase in the car." Sure enough, our packed toiletry bag sat in our master bathroom; included are breast pump, insulin and diabetic supplies, and my make-up and hair arsenol. Oh yeah -and Kyle's shaving kit, etc. Thankfully, that was all it had in it. We had our wedding clothes, shoes, and wallets with us. We got on the plane with no problems and made it to our destination and met Evan and picked up our rental car. So far, so good..except for the forgotten bag.



And then there's Bryton.



He was not a happy camper. He was fine until Friday night at the dinner following the rehearsal. Then in an instant, he was not happy about life anymore. He cried and screamed and shrieked...for 45 unconsolable minutes. We took him outside and just held him, swayed with him, talked to him, etc. We finally gave up and left the dinner, went back to the hotel and put his pjs on him, fed him and put him to bed. So far so good until the next day.


He slept fine all night, but in the morning, after he ate, he fussed and fussed and fussed...not quite as intense as the previous night's episode, but he was still unsettled. Kyle dropped V and me off for pictures and he drove Bryton around the neighborhood. I think they stopped somewhere, too...not really sure. Point being, he had settled down. He also did fine during the wedding - got a little restless, but no screaming fits. After we got to the reception site, Kyle, V and I head off (in V's favorite mode of transportation, the golf cart) to take pictures on the beautiful golfing greens and rolling hills. Bryton had started fussing as Kyle was holding him and was just starting to wail as it was time for us to go for pictures. Poor Mom. Kyle hands Bryton off to her and he is just a wailing! We had pacifiers, diapers, blankets, infant Tylenol, etc...but, no bottle (the breast pump, mind you, is nicely packed in our toiletry bag in our master bathroom...in New Bern, NC). Who even knows if a bottle would have helped anyway?. So here's Mom in her very elegant pink gown holding a tomato red faced baby that is just unhappy about life. For 30 minutes. Screaming. He settled down by the time pictures were over, and then I fed him, and he was pretty settled for the rest of the night. So what was wrong with him? Well, I don't really know. He didn't nap all day Friday, and just napped a little bit on Saturday. I think there were just so many new things to look at that that he didn't feel like napping; until he was mad about it! And then he knew that he wasn't near his crib, or any of his usual surroundings...and got madder and madder. (Maybe he gets that from Kyle - he gets pretty cranky when he's tired too...) Little stinker. But anyway, we made it through the reception and he and Vivi had a great time. Bryton was pretty glassy eyed the whole time...he tried snoozing a few times, but never for very long. Vivi had a great time playing with Ryan, the ringbearer, and all of her relatives. She shared dinner with Aunt Cheryl and Granna, helped probably everybody eat dessert, and pulled quarters from behind Uncle Jim's ears. Then there was the dancing. She had a great time watching everyone dance, and even joined the 'family' dance when "Sweet Home Alabama" played - we thought it fitting that everyone from Alabama got out there and cut a rug.



Anyway, as much more as there is to say about the wedding, pretty much everyone who reads this blog was at the wedding....But Vivi had a great time and we really appreciate all of the extra hands who helped play with her, share their food, bring her birthday presents, and take pictures.



Evan and Colleen's wedding was just great and reception was absolutely beautiful. We are so honored to have been able to be a part of their special day. One thing that Evan and I both did was have anniversarys 5 days from our birthdays. Hmmm...



One more thing you might be asking...since probably less than 2 of you reading this blog have ever seen me without make up or hair somewhat fixed (well, we'll say "tamed"), you may be wondering about the forgotten toiletry bag....well, there was a Wal-Mart less than a mile from our hotel. So, on Friday night after we got the kids settled, I went to WM around midnight and stocked up, buying everything from mascara to deoderant and razors for Kyle.

Anyway, we had a great time at the wedding and thanks to Evan and Colleen for letting us be a part of it! We enjoyed Detroit and look forward to going back someday...but not during the winter (even though Evan and Colleen did come visit us in AZ in the summer...).

More posts later!

Ambulance

I have a lot to post about. I'm going to try to keep things in chronological order.

Last week, Vivi and I drove by an ambulance with its sirens on. Trying to teach her more about what ambulances were all about, I told her that there was a sick person in the ambulance and maybe we should say a prayer for the person inside, and for the people who were trying to help the sick person. She said that that sounded like a good idea.

A few seconds later, I hear her singing the ABC song. I look back at her in the mirror and see that she has her hands together in "prayer hand" stance. I asked her if she was singing the ABC song as a prayer for the sick person in the ambulance; she was.

Then, she tells me that the person was in the ambulance because they were 'be-bopping around.'

Ha!

Exciting Times A-Coming!

We are going to my brother's wedding this weekend and we are so excited to celebrate their marriage and to visit with family. We head out of New Bern on Friday morning, headed for Raleigh to catch a plane to Detroit.

I thought I'd give all family members some info on what to expect out of the kids. Here's some info about little Vivian.

She's very much in the "I do it myself" phase. It's great in a lot of regards - I want her to assert her independence and learn to do all sorts of new things by herself. On the other hand, she probably didn't get her daddy's calm temperment (yes, he's a USMC destroy the enemy pilot...but really takes a lot to set him off) so when she's trying to do something by herself and can't do it on the first try, she just falls to pieces and gets very very frustrated. We're trying to teach her to stop...breathe...and ask for help. You'll probably see this behavior often this weekend. I see it almost daily. Some days I see it a dozen times. So far, so good today.

She's also very timid...she's the flower girl in the wedding, so the past few weeks at church, we've been trying to get her to walk down the aisle by herself. She gets so scared, even though there are only a dozen on so people in the sanctuary at the time. We've offered her bribes and all sorts of things...but nothing has worked. At the wedding, she'll have a ring bearer to feed off of (I think he's a year or so older..not really sure though), so maybe that will help (haha..unless he goes running through the sanctuary and playing in the holy water or something...in that case, she'd follow him in an instant. As a disclaimer, I don't know anything about the little boy who is the ring bearer. He could have the nicest manners of any other little ones out there. I'm just saying that if she sees another kid doing something that she knows is a little bit naughty, she'll follow right along). Plus, she'll have some familiar faces in the front pews to hopefully encourage her and help her feel more at ease. At the rehearsal, we'll have to figure out what order she'll be going in so we can hopefully make her a deal with fruit snacks, smarties, or other candies that won't melt on a white dress. She'll have a bag full of treats, and Wooly, her beloved sheep companion.

Vivi also likes to dance. She'll carry a musical toy around and push the button to make it play a song so we can dance. She might be pretty nervous at the wedding ceremony (and maybe for pictures, too...sorry E and C) but she'll have a blast at the reception.

As for Bryton, well, he's just big. He's not too chunky...I mean, he has a good amount of baby chunk to him, but he's long. As a friend says, it looks like you should just be able to put him on the floor and expect him to walk. So yeah, I'd say that he looks like your average 9-12 month old...at 4 months. He's a sweetie though. If we can get him to take a bottle, I don't expect any surprises out of him. He loves to be held and talked to and interacted with. He does fuss at times, but is good at finding his thumb to suck and then he usually settles down. His fussing usually doesn't last long. Of course, babies throw you for a loop at times...so he might be fussing at the same time Vivi is playing in the holy water. ha!

Anyway, we are very excited about this upcoming weekend. I still have to pack and figure out what we'll need with us on the plane and what bags we'll check, if any. It'd be great not to have to check any (esp at $15.00 each), but there's only so many bags Kyle and I can tote through an airport along with 2 kids...and two car seats. I know we could get extra car seats from Hertz, but Kyle wasn't sure which brands and models they had there, and felt better about bringing the ones we have, for ensured safety. I get scared in busy public places like airports...I mean, someone could snatch V and be gone in the blink of an eye. SO, we'll probably carry her or hold her hand at all times. Bryton will be in his car seat or I'll be wearing him in the Baby Bjorn. The last time I flew when V was little enough to still be in the Baby Bjorn, I didn't have to take her out to get through security - and that was NICE. So, I think it will be the most expedient way to get us through.

Well, it's about time for Bryton to eat...and he's letting me know. SO, I better get going. Look forward to seeing everyone at this great event this weekend!

Quick Post

This post is going to be quick. Why? Well, Bryton is asleep in his swing, and Vivi is content playing by herself at the moment..and that usually doesn't last long.

So, here's a quick update on everybody. Bryton went for his 4 month check up last week. He weighed 17 lbs, 1 oz. I'm not sure how long he was, but his length measured in the 90th percentile (out of 100 boys his age, he's longer than 90 of them) and his weight was in the 95th percentile. The doctor said that he looked good and to just keep it up. He's not rolling all the way over yet, but can get about 3/4 of the way from his back to his belly. He's still eating the same - about every 4 hours during the day (at 9am, 1pm, 5pm, and 9pm), about 30 minutes at a time, and then gets a bath before bedtime. Of course the eating times are flexible...he didn't get up until after 10 today, but we'll still try to get him in bed by 9:30 tonight. We got him a new bathtub. The one that we were using (used it with V too) is made out of hard plastic and has a sling that you attach to the sides when they are little. But, we did away with the sling a long time ago - he was too chunky to be suspended in it. Anyway, a couple of nights ago, when Kyle was getting soap out of the bath wash bottle, the bottle made a burping sound and it scared Bryton (why any body-like noises scare him, I'll never know) and he threw his head back and bonked it on the hard plastic tub. He cried and cried inconsolably for over 30 minutes - really threw us for a loop b/c he never screams to the point that being held or talked to or fed wouldn't settle him down. Kyle and I had never heard him hit those notes before. Anyway, there was no bump on his head, so maybe it just scared him? I don't know. It took him a while, but he calmed down and then I fed him and put him to bed and he was down for the night.

So, this brings us to the new bathtub! We had heard (from friends of ours) that they make a bathtub that is like a bouncy seat that is made to sit in the big bathtub, or kitchen sink in our case. I took Vivi and Bryton to Wal-Mart yesterday to get a couple of things, and while I was there, I saw the bouncy seat tub - so we got it and no head injuries last night. Whew!

Old Bath Tub (which we were very fond of until a couple of nights ago):

New Bath Tub

So, we are glad to avoid that issue in the future. Other Bryton news? Well, over the past few days, we've been trying to get him to take a bottle once a day or so instead of nursing because in a couple of weeks, we are headed to Detroit for my brother's wedding! We are so excited to go, but Kyle, V and me are in the wedding party....so it will probably be more convenient for Bryton to eat from a bottle on the wedding day instead of me stepping out to feed him (again, 30 minutes usually) during pictures or something. But, it's not going so well. He's refused the bottle a couple of times, but taken it a couple of times. I'm putting freshly expressed milk in there, so the milk is the same. Any moms been through that and have any suggestions? I don't want him screaming in starvation because he won't take a bottle...poor baby. I also don't feel good about letting him fuss it out thinking, "He'll eat from a bottle when he gets hungry enough"...Oh well. Maybe he'll get it in the next week or so.

As for Vivi, she's definitely ready for some regular preschool interaction. She doesn't see many other kids to play with that often, so she's ready to have some strictly kid interaction in a kid-friendly environment (not the grocery store). She's getting excited about her birthday party! She'll be 3 on Aug 4 ,and her party is Aug 22. We are going to have it at a gymnastics studio here in town. They set up age appropriate obstacle courses and let them play in their bouncy indoor play area. Should be great! I took her to the party store and let her pick out party stuff - what kind of cake she wanted, invitations, cups, plates, napkins, balloons, etc. She had a great time. She kept telling me that her birthday party was in the car (where we put the party supplies). Anyway, we try to have 'school time' every day - doing connect the dot workbook pages, counting exercises etc. Some days are better than others, as far as length of time she's willing to sit still and work.

Well, that's about it for now. More later this week? You never know!

Top Ten Conversations in our Family...I'm Getting Really Tired of Some of Them

1. Vivi, did you wipe your bottom? (said by Mama)

This is said every time after Vivi comes out of the bathroom. Usually, the answer is no. Appropriate action is then taken.

2. Well, I want a new car. (said by Mama)

This is said after Vivi comes up and says that she wants something...for example, "Mama..I want some milk!" Then I say, "Well, I want a new car." We're trying to get her to ask nicely for things. So, I explain that just because we want something, doesn't mean that it is owed to us. We have to work hard. Her working hard for her milk is saying politely, "Mama...may I please have some more milk?"

3. Where's Daddy? (said by Vivi)

Vivi says this at least 3 times a day. He's at work, Vivi. He's always at work. He will always be at work. No, he can't play princess with you while he's at work. You're stuck with Mom for the day. I can take you to Playdate if you wish.

4. Take Wooly back to your room. (said by Mama/Daddy)

She is starting to get sneaky and bring Wooly, her night and nap time sleepy buddy, to play during the day. I like to save Wooly for sleep time and reserve its use so that it's a treat if she gets Wooly other than nap or night time (works well in the car or airplane for long trips).

5. Yes, Vivi, you can wear a princess dress today. (said by Mama)

She has deemed every pink dress in her closet a princess dress.

6. Quit be-bopping around. (said by Mama/Daddy)

We tell Vivi this often. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term 'be-bop,' it refers to any antsy behavior that happens when she is not paying attention to the task at hand. Often, when one is be-bopping, one gets a boo-boo.

7. Sit on your bottom. (said by Mama/Daddy)

Why is it that if you are under the age of 10, it is physically impossible to sit on your bottom during the entirety of a meal? Vivi is getting better at staying seated, but still needs some work. Sometimes I tell her that if I see her bottom again, then I'll spank it.

8. Are you playing nicely? (said by Mama/Daddy)

Vivi gets frustrated when she can't do something. She is at the point where her mind is working faster than her body can coordinate. So, when she can't work a toy the way she wants, she tries a couple of times, gets mad, and then throws the toy, saying, "No, I DON'T want to play with it." Again, appropriate action is taken to stop the toy throwing.

9. Stop crying. It hurts my ears. (said by Mama/Daddy)

With her frustrations (mentioned in #8), she starts crying when she can't do something. She goes to tears in almost every situation that she is frustrated with. So much so that you can't understand her when she is telling you what she's mad about. You can tell her to stop crying and tell you what's wrong...and she will. Whew. Once when Bryton was fussing, I heard Vivi tell him, "That hurts my ears." ha!

10. Who's my sweet boy? (said by Mama)

Ok, I had to include Bryton in the top 10 somewhere. He really is a sweet thing and just as flirty as he can be. He loves smiling at you, making noises at you, trying to imitate the noises you are making at him, etc. He really is a sweetie. So, I ask him constantly when I'm talking to him, "Who's my sweet boy?" He always smiles in response.

If I was a super-blogger, I would pull coordinating pictures from our picture site to exemplify each point (well, most of them...I don't have a picture for point # 1. That's usually said when her pants are around her ankles and her shirt/dress is held up under her chin), but I've got a clean hungry little guy waiting for me. Ta-ta for now!

Myrtle Beach!

For the long 4th weekend, we packed up and headed to Myrtle Beach, SC. Kyle had Friday thru Monday off, so we hit the road on Thursday afternoon when he got home from work.

Prepping for a 4+ day trip for the 4 (well, 5 - Lexie went with us) of us took me all day on Wednesday. Seriously, that's all I did. I packed 6 outfits for each kid (plus they each have an extra in the diaper bag), and 5 for each Kyle and me. I updated my first aid kit that I keep in the diaper bag (because you know that when you travel unprepared is when things go wrong), got some travel sized toiletries, new netflix movie in the dvd player, and washed all the clothes. We had one large suitcase, holding clothes and shoes for Kyle and me, and our toiletries (including hair dryer, diabetic supplies, and a flattening iron - to include a list of larger items). Vivi and Bryton each had a smallish bag housing their clothes. Then, I had a toiletry bag for the kids. Packed in it were diapers, wipes, pull-ups, hair bows, baby washcloths, disposable changing pads, baby wash, hair bows, and Vivi's shampoo. Keeping count? That's 4 bags so far. Then there's my camera bag (had my fully charged SLR and video camera plus accessories...because you know that when you don't pack the battery charger is when you are hours from home and one of your kids does something even more spectacular than normal), Bryton's bouncy seat, play mat, bathtub, DVD player bag, Pack-N-Play, and boppy pillow. Oh yeah - there was also a large zip lock bag holding Lexie's leash, collar and small Tupperware dish filled with kibbles.

I had put all of the above items in the car (did this on Thursday...Kyle was able to get off around 2pm) and had everyone fed and pottied and cleaned when Kyle got home. He had flown that morning and needed a quick shower before getting in the car. As we are walking to the car, he said something that reminded me that I had forgotten to put his golf clubs in the car. So, he rearranged my fabulous neatly stacked car packing and put his clubs in. Then we were off to Myrtle Beach.

Why Myrtle Beach? The Davises.

Kyle met Willard and Carol Davis shortly after becoming a midshipman at USNA. They had lived in the Annapolis area for several years and had signed up to be a sponsor family for a midshipman Kyle's first year there. They were assigned Kyle, and little did they know what they'd be in for! They were such a great supportive 'home away from home' while Kyle was in school. They graciously let me stay with them every time I went to visit Kyle. We enjoyed taking Willard's Cadillac out for dinner, or just driving around town. About 4 years ago (maybe 5), they moved from Annapolis to Myrtle Beach, SC to take advantage of the wonderful golfing community. Anyway, fast-forward 12 years later, and here we are. Married, two kids, and a dog - headed to drop some craziness into their lives.

We arrived on Thursday night. It's about a 3 hour trip. The kids did great - the both slept most of the way. After arriving, we ate dinner, talked, and Vivi went for a ride in Willard's golf cart before heading to bed.

On Friday, Kyle and Willard played golf...so that left Carol and the kids and I to go shopping! New Bern, NC (our current local) isn't exactly known for it's wonderful shopping venues, so it was so nice to be in a city with about every retail chain store imaginable. We went to the Tanger Outlet center. It was pretty crowded, but we had a good time. I can't remember all of the stores we stopped at, but a huge Carter's was among them. It was packed with clothes...and shoppers too - kind of hard to maneuver around.

After returning from the shopping trip, Kyle and Willard had finished their golf. Kyle hasn't played in a long time and really enjoyed being on the course again.

That night, we had steak, fresh locally grown tomatoes, and potatoes. It was a great dinner. Afterwards, we went to the pool in their community. Vivi and Kyle splashed around in the pool. She still can't swim, but is getting more comfortable in the water.

On Saturday (the 4th), we went to Freestyle Music Park. In honor of the 4th of July, military members and their dependants got in free! So, Kyle, Carol, Vivi, Bryton and me went and enjoyed the day there. We got there right when they opened, and rode several rides with virtually no line. We enjoyed lunch there for $17.76 - 4 hot dogs, 4 sides, and 4 drinks. Great for an amusement park! After lunch we rode several more rides - Vivi really enjoyed them. When she first got on a ride, she was scared...but by the time it was over, she was saying, "Let's do it again!" Around 4:00, we left the park - it was getting pretty crowded by this point, and we were pretty tired.

For dinner that night, Willard grilled some chicken legs. We also had corn, tomatoes, and hm...I don't remember what else.

That brings us to Sunday! Kyle took Vivi to Ripley's Aquarium at Broadway at the Beach. She had a fantastic time looking at all of the sharks and other fish. While he was there, Carol and Bryton and I hit up the Tanger Outlets again. This time, we stopped at Osh Kosh, Hartstrings, and Ann Taylor Loft. I would have really really enjoyed going to Ann Taylor and Banana Republic (all outlet store at the Tanger Outlet center), but we ran out of time! For dinner Sunday night, we went to Islamarada Seafood Company (something like that). The food was good, but the waiter was fishing without bait. Nice, but a little clueless. Willard and I had shrimp for dinner, and I also stole a bit of Kyle's dragon roll - sushi with avocado, cream cheese, and crab. It was very good. Carol had a fried chicken salad, without the fried chicken (the waiter got the order wrong and then forgot it). Kyle enjoyed calamari and Vivi had macaroni and cheese, applesauce, and a bite of Kyle's calamari. She didn't spit it out, but she did only have the one bite.

Sunday night, we played the card game Kings Row. It's a lot of fun, but takes a while. For the first time in 4 years, the men beat the women. We'll get them next time, Carol.

On Monday, we packed and loaded the car; but during the process, Kyle noticed that we had a screw in a tire. So, he went and got that fixed, and Vivi, Carol and I went to the driving range and I hit part of a bucket of golf balls. It started to rain on us, so we drove around in the golf cart for a little bit - just looking at the neighborhood. After Kyle returned with the patched tire, we finished loading the car and stopped at a local sports bar for a late lunch before hitting the road.

We had a great weekend and really enjoyed our time with the Davises.

Sorry to wrap up this post so abruptly, but a little boy is fussing! More next time. See pics on our picture site!