Daddy is in big trouble!

With a new little one on the way, I have been bitten by the baby shopping bug! Lucky for G, I haven't bought anything yet, but this little one who won't arrive until April, has a Christmas list a mile long (at least)! Right now, I am coveting the Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags! These are some beautiful snazzy bags! I figure, if I gotta carry around supplies for two little ones, I might as well have a beautiful bag to do it with! I'm having a hard time deciding between the Coco Roll bag and the Miso Lovely Roll bag. I'm also really liking their bedding too, I'm gonna have to find a place to check those out in person! WOW! I am in love!

Aside from all the shopping wishes, I'm also thinking of all the things to scrap before this little one makes its' appearance. I saw this great idea in the Simple Scrapbooks Slice of Life special edition book. I should have bought the book when I saw it at Barnes and Noble, but I passed and now I regret it. Next time I see it, I'm snatching it up. There were lots of great ideas in it. The one great idea, that I am definatley going to lift for this little one is an altered board book. I wish I remember who the artist was, but it was based on the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go!
It was photos of the baby's first home, the crib, the bathtub, and other things that the baby would experiece in the next year. There was a bit of journaling for all of it. It was the sweetest, most adorable idea I've seen in an idea book in a long time. There were a ton of other great ideas as well. Definately something I must pick up! Why! Oh! Why! did I pass the first time!

My mojo has finally made a reappearance, but of course I don't have any of my scrap stuff with us on our little trip here. G said I would regret not bringing it along. Ssshhh! Don't tell him he was right! I have all these ideas spilling out of my head, and no stuff to accomplish it with! We did go to a local scrapbook store here. It is the cutest little store (besides my usual favorite
The Garage). She had tons of stuff that I have been looking for! I found the new American Crafts felt and plastic flowers, the new Cloud 9 Valentines line as well as the Heidi Grace Valentines line. It made me feel a little better to do some scrap shopping. I miss all my scrap buddies at the Garage though.

Since I don't have my scrap stuff, I'm hoping to get some good reading done. Keep your fingers crossed for that though.....I always have lofty goals of reading lots while away from home, but it doesn't always happen.

If you didn't know this before.....

you will know for sure now.....I am a television addict! Yesterday my entry was all about celebrating the Dancing with the Stars champions this year Emmitt and Cheryl. Today.....I gotta say I am loving this season of Survivor! I have been rooting for our local participant and his team Yul and Aitu! I'm loving it even more, now that those two looney heads Candace and Jonathan jumped ship and the four members of Aitu are still winning! I think it's even funnier that Candace keeps getting shipped over to Exile Island!

I really hope that they have sealed their fate by abandoning their tribe. If either one of them makes it to the final two...who would vote for them. Why would anyone want to keep a known deserter around, much less give them a million bucks. All I can say, is GO YUL!!!!!

All I Can Say Today is........

WAHOOOOOO Ride Emmitt ride!!! Emmitt and Cheryl rocked the house on Dancing with the Stars, and i am so glad they won!!! WAHOOOOOOO!!

So it's been forever.....

since I last posted on this ol' blog. Things have been super crazy around here...I can tell the holidays are on their way. So much to do and so little time to do it in.

We have so many projects going on around our house right now, it almost looks like a very picky tornado came in and blew a few rooms over. We are in the process of having our guest bathroom remodeled. Hopefully that will be complete by December 8th. We are also in the process of creating a new space for a new little bundle of joy! We are so excited that little J is going to have a sibling. He's doing so well now, that I can just imagine all the things he's going to do with his new little partner in crime.

I'd been missing my mojo for awhile, but I have been keeping up with my assignments at the garage. Thank goodness for this group of gals...they keep me smiling and completely sane with all the chaos!

Well, that's all for now, I'll check in with ya'll soon! Thanks for being patient with my lazy blogging lately....I promise I'll be more consistent!

Take Care!

I can't remember the last time.....

I went to Barnes and Noble! It's a guilty pleasure of mine to head for the bookstore and camp out with a mocha and a stack of books and just spend a little time reading the beginning of a few books to see if they will catch my interest. I'm really missing this guilty pleasure right now and hope I can find some time to get over there.

Going to the bookstore was always something my dad and I have done together over the years. I remember going to bookstores with him from the time I was little and even as an adult. I love a bookstore and miss it when I don't get to one in awhile. It's not like I need any new books. G says I could open a bookstore with all the books I have. There is just something comforting about having good books around and spending time at the bookstore.

I know when my dad comes to visit in December, that there will be a few trips to the bookstores while he is here. I'm really looking forward to it too.

A Fluff Post!

So, my desire to scrap is there, but my mojo is still missing, so again, if you happen to find my mojo....send it back!!

Anyway, I am so glad that all my favorite shows are back with new episodes! I couldn't believe how long some of these shows have been on, and I keep tuning in every year. For examply, ER has been on for 13 years! I couldn't believe when I saw that in the season opener description. I have not missed an episode since the beginning and I still LOVE that show! Other favorites I'm glad to see back are Law and Order SVU, Law and Order, CSI (Las Vegas), and Desperate Housewives. All of these are guilty pleasures for me. LOL Some new ones I'm glad to see are 'Till Death Do Us Part...Brad Garrett is hilarious! Brothers and Sisters as well. I think I am hooked on the show, and I hadn't even planned on watching it. I'm glad to see Calista Flockhart back on TV...I've missed her since Ally McBeal.

Reality shows? Did I forget to mention those? Survivor: Cook Island is rocking! Amazing Race 10....yep I said 10 already? I can't believe there have been that many! Laguna Beach, although it just isn't as good as the last 2 seasons, I'm still watching it though. Speaking of Laguna Beach....did anyone watch the spinoff...The Hills? I couldn't believe it when Lauren decided to stay with Jason instead of taking an amazing opportunity to work in Paris! I think it sucked that he was so unsuportive...it's not like he had much holding him back here....oh wait, the local club scene is important I guess. What an amazing opportunity she passed up....and then I heard they broke up.

I am definatley hooked on Dancing with the Stars! Go Emmit Smith....he and Cheryl Burke look so adorable together. I was kinda sad to see Shanna Moakler go...but I guess someone has to go every week. I just hope that Emmit Smith and Harry Hamlin stick in there!

I'm hoping that Dog the Bounty Hunter keeps catching criminals and taping his show. I'm hoping that his current legal situation doesn't interfere. I think his wife Beth said it best, when on the show Dog: The Family Speaks she said that by arresting Dog for going to Mexico to catch a horrific criminal, that we are telling criminals that to avoid prosecution and or your scentence, head south of the border. I think it's crazy! I realize that when you are in another country you have to respect their laws, but give me a break. Did Mexico really want Andrew Lustre in their country? How many women did he get a hold of there? It's better for both countries and Andrew's victims, that Dog caught him and brought him back for justice.

...hoping off my soapbox now :)

Where exactly does it go?

Lately, I have been feeling like scrapping, but have absolutely no mojo to do so. Where does this mojo go when it's missing? I think the thing that sucks the most though, is that I actually feel like doing some scrapping, but have zero ideas for what I want to do! So, why does mojo have to go away? Where does it go? Does it go to some other scrapper and we just pass the mojo around? Well, whoever has it.....I WANT MY MOJO BACK!!

Things have been crazy around here! We are actually trying to finish up the projects upstairs before winter hits. We've also been getting bids for a new furnace and new air conditioner. I can't wait till that happens. Hopefully it will make a big impact on our PG&E bill. G's dad is coming in a couple of weeks, and they are going to rip out the tile in our hall/entry way. They peeked underneath, and there is hardwood under there. Hopefully it is in good condition. If not, they are going to sand and try to refinish it, or we'll put new tile down. I've picked out a couple as backup. If the hardwood is salvagable, I guess we'll be turning into a shoe-free house....don't want to ding up the pretty floors you know!

Vegas was lots of fun. It was so nice to go to sleep without hearing the binkie banging on the crib, not have to change any smelly diapers and only have to worry about feeding myself! Wahooo! That's what I call a vacation. I really missed little J, but I could have stayed away a few more days. We were so busy relaxing, that I didn't even take any pictures! Shocking I know! I guess it just goes along with the "What Happens in Vegas....Stays in Vegas!! We saw the Cirque Du Soleil Beetles Love show at the Mirage. It was fantastic! If you get the chance, you should definately catch this show. This was the first time we've ever gone to a Vegas show, and now we are hooked. Hopefully next time we go we can see the Ka show playing at the MGM.

Chat with ya'll very soon!

Viva Las Vegas!!!!

So, G and I are headed off to Las Vegas for a few days. I' m really gonna miss Little J! He's staying home with Grandma and Grandpa, so I'm sure when we get back, he'll be good and spoiled! I'm really looking forward to some time for just G and I, with no other worries. It will be nice to sleep and not have someone (Little J) want to play fetch the binkie with me at 3am!! Friday, we plan on just relaxing and taking in a few sights and maybe a show. We have a guest visiting us as well who will be traveling along with us. It's Mr. Gnome! I'll have to share more with you about the Mr. Gnome project I'm participating in. It's so much fun! Mr. Gnome has already had a few adventures here including a ride along with the CHP! Anyway, more about that later and maybe some photos to boot! See ya in a few days!

Remembering....

What do you say about someone you've never met, but who obviously meant so much to so many people? On this September 11th, I decided to participate in a blog rememberance and tribute to victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The gentleman you see in the photo is John T. Schroeder. He was from Hoboken, New Jersey and died in the World Trade Center. He was 31 years old. After reading many tributes, and entries into guestbooks about John, it is obvious in 31 short years, he accomplished so much and most importantly loved and was loved by so many people. It's such a shame that his life was taken when it was really just beginning. Mostly from reading entries into guestbooks about John, I learned that not only was John's life cut much to short, but it has left a hole in many peoples lives. This is why the rest of us can never forget the events and tragedies of September 11th. We owe it to those who lost their lives and those who are missing them. I know that I will remember John in particular every year on September 11th along with the others, but I will also be thinking of their families as well.

There is something going on around here....

And I can't quite put my finger on it yet. Yep, you guessed it, I'm hijacking mommy's blog again. She's been so remiss in her blogging responsibilities lately. I've been giving her heck for it too! I'm glad she's home from her scrap time, but daddy and I had tons of fun while she was gone! I got to watch lots of football and lots of Elmo! What a perfect weekend! Daddy did take me to the store, when we ran out of milk...good thing he went, or I would have had to throw a fit or two! The only bad thing about the trip to the store, is that I really love to ride around in the shopping cart and check everything out, but he just carried me in and grabbed the milk and tried to leave. I put a slight kink in his plan and decided to play a spontaneous game of fetch my binkie with him!

I'm still up to many adventures and keeping mommy busy. I'm still playing my early morning version of fetch the binkie too. I think mommy and daddy are getting tired of it, but it's such fun, and I'm not quite ready to retire it yet.

When i figure out what's going on around here, I promise, I will fill you all in, so stay tuned!

Oh! I almost forgot, I gotta send a shout out to my friend Maggie! Her baby sister finally arrived! I tell you, I've learned a lot of tricks from this girl, and I know her sister will pick up on those tricks quick too!

Okay, just one more thing to clarify, I am not taking over mommy's blog, I promise she will be back to fulfill her blogging duties. I just saw that my grandma left a comment, and I knew she'd come back and wanted to share my adorable photo!

Too funny!

Scrapbook Diva!

Still Recovering...

Just got back on Sunday evening from our fun scrapbook girls getaway weekend. It was so much fun! I'll have to share m0re about that later!

I've missed you all, and I have lots to share, but right now, I am tired and cranky, so I'm going to go to bed!

Mommy has too much to do!

So, I get to invade her blog one more time!! It's been a busy week around here! First, I wasn't feeling well on Monday and Tuesday, so mommy said we could just hang around the house. I was so glad, even though I know mommy had lots of stuff to do. I was feeling better on Wednesday and my friend came over to help me with my speech. Another friend was supposed to come over, but she ended up not being able to make it, which I was happy about because I was super tired from my earlier play time and waking up through the night with this cough. Today, my friend Jessica came over to help me out with some cruising techniques and some stretching and climbing skills. We had a blast! She always brings this huge exercise ball, that is lots of fun to bounce on! I was worn out today too, so I took a super long nap. This was good for mommy, because she got lots of house cleaning done. I'm not sure she really liked doing it though...I'm pretty sure she would rather be playing with me.

I'm gonna tell you a secret now...you have to promise not to tell mommy or daddy though. I'm really taking these long naps, so that I can play this really cool game with them at night before I fall asleep. It's called fetch my binkie! Here's what I do...first, I pull myself up to stand in my crib, then I start whining a little. When the whining doesn't work, then I toss my binkie out of the crib and start whining louder. This one always gets them. They really come running! I've got those two trained!

Mommy has so much to do to get ready for her trip this weekend. Daddy and I are making her go away, so we can sit in front of the big screen and watch some football! We really got her fooled though. She thinks that it's us doing her a favor by letting her go off with her friends to this scrapbook thing, when really we just want a guy weekend! She always lets me watch my main man Elmo on tv, but then she watches that soap opera of hers. I'm so glad I won't have to watch it tomorrow. Hopefully dad has a full day of Elmo programming ready for me!

Oh well, I know she's gonna have fun too. Peace out ya'll! Mommy will be back on Sunday!

So Happy!!!

I just found out today, that there is a wonderful family working on the process of adopting beautiful Mekayla!!! Sweet! That just made my day!

Just found out tonight, that another little girl who has been up for adoption in Texas for quite awhile has also found a home! I'm so glad these little girls have found families and that these families found them to be their missing pieces!

It makes my heart happy to know that these little ones have found loving homes and that their special needs will be met!

Just getting the word out....

There is a beautiful little girl in Las Vegas, that is in need of a loving family to adopt her. Her name is Mekayla and she is 5 years old. It is my understanding that she was abandoned by her parents and due to her special needs has been unable to find a family to adopt her. Please read her story and if you or anyone you know might be the family for her then please contact them! Ever since I heard about her and saw her photograph she's been on my mind. While I wish that we could adopt her, I don't think we would be able to with learning the ropes and getting used to Little J's needs. I'm just hoping that someone might read this and feel it in their heart that Mekayla is the missing piece of their family and give her the home and the love that she needs.

**For information on Mekayla, just click on her name to be re-directed to her page.**

Also, Mekayla's 6th birthday is coming up in the month of August. If you would like to send her a birthday card, I will have the address to send it to in the next couple of days. I think it would be amazing for this little girl to receive so much attention on her birthday! Just post in the comments if you would like to send a card and as soon as I get the address, I will share it with you.

I know, I'm a slacker!

I haven't posted in awhile, but things have been so busy around here lately. We're starting to really get into the swing of things with little J's therapies. He's been working so hard during his sessions and afterwards as well. This kid just doesn't stop! We've added one more therapy session starting this week and I know we have one other to get started. This kid's got a calender a mile long! It's been really hard trying to find a balance between what little J needs, letting little J just be a kid, having family time, having us time, and getting the things of daily life done.

While I know, that there are many things that little J needs, I don't want our lives to revolve around his diagnosis. I want him to have time to just be a kid and I don't want him to get burned out on all the therapies. I think we're doing a good job with the balance so far, but to be honest, just looking at his calender sometimes tires me out.

Well, also as you know, little J was quite proud of himself for his new skill of standing in his crib and playpen. Well, now he's has taken to climbing up on his knees to play with things on the furniture as well as climbing onto our ottoman....so this kid is really giving me a run for my money now. I'd better find time to hit the gym and get my stamina up!

Thank you to everyone who emailed me checking in to make sure all was okay. I really appreciate it. I promise, I'll get back to ya'll soon!

Take Care!

Meet My New Friend!

I got a new camera today!! I am so excited! Last Christmas, my awesome husband bought me a brand new Pentax Digital SLR, because while we were on vacation, my standard film SLR got dropped and was no longer working well. Well, over time, the thing kept sucking up batteries faster than the energizer bunny could manufactuer them! The last straw was the other day when we went to a birthday party for a friends 4 year old. The theme was Superfriends, and can I just say that this mommy is the bomb digity! She went all out! She actually made superman capes for all the kiddie guests! The only little girl at the party got a Wonder Woman cape. They were the cutest things...alas I got no photos to show for it. The batteries that I had bought for my pentax the day before were already dead....not even 12 hours after I bought them! And just in case your scratching your head wondering, no I did not leave the camera turned on! As a mater of fact, I even took the batteries out of the camera after I snapped a few pictures to make sure it wouldn't suck them dry. So, I took my poor Pentax back to Costco today and exchanged it for the friend you see above. Afterall, with all of Little J's photo moments, I can't be without a reliable camera! I'm looking forward to a long loving relationship!

BTW: I hope to be able to upload some photos from the superfriends party afterall. Someone is going to share their photos with me!! I must say all the kids with their capes on were adorable! Little J even has one in his size!!!

Shhh...don't tell my mom!

Mom is taking a nap, so I'm hijacking her blog right now. I was quite the busy little J last night! It was so hot in our house, that mommy and I had a camping night in the family room. Mommy said it was almost like a drive-in movie....whatever that is. Anyway, I was up to lots of shenanegans last night! When mom had my crib in the corner, I kept climbing up and banging on the wall! Afterall, I didn't want to sleep, I wanted to play, so I figured she should be up playing with me. She didn't take to well to that, so she moved my crib away from the wall, so I couldn't bang anymore. Darn! Luckly, I'm pretty resourceful, so I kept my climbing routine and resorted to whining a little...it got her attention! Finally, she gave up on trying to ignore me and sleep while I wanted to play, but she left me in my crib and went in to "pea" with the door shut. I finally gave up and dozed off about midnight....but I had plans! I set my internal clock for 3am! Mommy was fast asleep.....it was a shame I had to implement my plan, because she looked so peaceful...I climbed up again and banged my binkie on the side of the crib! Yay!!! She woke up!!! Now I know she'd play with me. Boy was I suprised when she layed me back down and left me in that crib and went back to her comfy spot to sleep. Oh well, I gotta get ready for the superfriends party tonight at my friend Jesse's house. It's kinda hot for a BBQ, but what the heck, I'm always up for a good party! Hopefully Mom will take some pictures at the party and I'll get her to post them later!

If you didn't read my Mom's previous entry, then you'd better, because I'm pretty happy....just look at my face!

Do you think he knows?

Do you think this kid knows that he's accomplished something big? Do you think he knows that Mommy and Daddy are proud? I do! I think he knows, that he's been working very hard to accomplish this major goal....He's standing!!!! Of course, when he decided to make this great accomplishment, Mommy was not at home. Thankfully G took it upon himself to capture Little J's proud moment!
He's been working very hard at this for at least a week now, and he has just kept at it like the energizer bunny! For awhile, I didn't think this day would come for quite awhile. Afterall, we just started therapy 2 weeks ago, so he's only had 2 sessions. So, either the physical therapist is a miracle worker or this kid is just full of determination to prove that he can do anything he puts his mind to! Can you tell that Little J likes to ham it up when the camera is out? Lucky for him we always have the camera nearby and mommy likes to scrap those photos!
So far, Little J's therapies seem to be going quite well. He really seems to like the two therapist he's started with. They are both really sweet and seem to really enjoy what they are doing. His physical therapist was so funny on Thursday, Little J was getting really tired by the end of the hour and she said that she knew he was working hard because she was sweating! She said that doesn't happen to often. Go Little J, give them all a run for their money!

Something to remember....

I am greatly blessed! Somedays, I have a pitty party for myself, and wonder why Little J has his disorder. I wonder sometimes how this could have possibly happened, and I've even been angry with God. As I've said before though, I have seen evidence that God has not deserted me and that he is answering my prayers. When Little J was first going through the process of testing, I prayed over and over, for him not to have anything wrong. I prayed, that he was just a little behind and that he would somehow just catch up. Afterall, while we were going through the exams and everything, many of our friends had shared stories of their children or children they knew, who didn't walk or talk until they were older than 2 years. So, I prayed and prayed, that this would be the case with Little J. The more I thought about the testing they were doing, the more I prayed that everything would be fine. I would look at Little J, and all I would see is this perfect little boy. Full of joy and love...absolutely perfect! When we finally got his diagnosis my heart was broken and I was at a loss. Why had my prayers not been answered? What could I have possibly done to have caused this to happen? Why?

That night, I laid in my bed and I was thinking of my prayers. I no longer knew what to pray for. What could I possibly ask for now? When saying my prayers that night, that is exactly what I told God. I simply said, that I no longer knew what to pray for. I said, that I know there must be a reason for this and I wish I knew what it was. I prayed that God would help me to remain faithful. That he would show me the way on this journey and that he would keep us and our little J close to him. I can say 100% without a doubt, that I know that God has been with us.

Recently, I found a book at the local bookstore. I wasn't searching for a book on our situation, I was actually there to pick up another book for an upcoming bible study. I found this book at random. It's called Focus on the Family, A Special Kind of Love by Susan Titus Osborn and Janet Lynn Mitchell. It is full of stories about families and children with special needs and their walk with faith. Every single one of these stories spoke to my heart in some way. I felt like these families were sharing their intermost pain, joys and faith with me.

This is from the introduction by the authors:

If you've picked up this book, more than likely you love a child who has special needs. The awesome reality is that long before this child was born, God chose you to be a part of this child's life. Yes, God chose you with your talents, abilities, temperament, and inadequacies-knowing that you would be perfect fo the job

I am so honored and blessed that God chose G and I for Little J. He brings so much love and joy to our lives everyday, and I couldn't imagine our lives without him....just the way he is.

Something else that has been inspiring me these days...is the video in my sidebar. If you want to see something so inspiring that there are no words to describe it, then press play. Prepare to cry! When I say cry, I don't mean to cry in sadness, but in the joy of this love! Many of you have probably seen it by now, since it's been posted on blogs left and right lately. I'd seen it before, but it wasn't until Erin sent me the link in an email that I was reminded. Thanks Erin for sending this reminder...I needed it.