in case you didn't know...

Today is Stephanie Nielson day. Don't forget to visit designmom.com to see all of the auctions that are going on. Cjanerun.com has more auctions and will have continued updates on her recovery status. Here are a few auctions you should be sure to check out... fredinfamily, dandee designs, myhappylittlelife, stephmodo, and aroomsomewhere.

For those that live in AZ, I'm thinking of going to the fall blissfest (mentioned on the benefit blog). Care to join me?

cute cookies

One of my favorite things about blogging is the sharing of ideas. I am not crafty (yet), so I have to steal ideas from people who are. I made these cookie jars for the girls on my visiting teaching route that just moved to our neighborhood. Inspiration here, here, and here. So easy. Got the jars super cheap at wal-mart.

monsoon

We got a monsoon yesterday. The boys were awoken from their naps by walls of water slapping against the sides of the house. Aside from naps being cut short and the power being out for an hour, the biggest casualty was our neighbor's tree. I LOVE trees. I especially love this tree because when I look out at it, I don't feel like I'm in Arizona. I feel like I'm in a place where trees actually grow.
To dispel my sadness and offer a distraction, J-P loaded us up in the car to go grab some dinner. This plan backfired as we drove past dozens of trees that had been snapped in half, each a painful reminder of the glum fate of my tree. The tree that made living in Arizona a pleasant experience.
The one good thing about the monsoon (besides the obvious free water) is that it softens an otherwise solid ground and makes weeding possible. This morning Max and I pulled about 427 weeds. Maybe more. Although he mostly watched and said things like "mommy, go inside now"..."mommy, max a scared of bugs"..."big bugs a so yucky"..."max a scared a big bug on mommy's back"...and so forth. Apparently Max has a bug phobia because he hasn't stopped talking about them all day. Now I can finally plant all of my seeds that arrived in the mail yesterday from Burpee.

nine months

Ian turned nine months last week. The day he turned nine months was the exact day he came down with HFM disease, so he tied Max for the family record of two doctor visits in one day. Here are his stats:

height: 29.75 inches
weight: 20 lbs 9 oz
head: 17.75 inches

Ian's favorite things include: playing trucks with Max, having crawl races with Max, pulling Max's hair, reading books with Max, playing trucks with Max, watching the Wiggles with Max (he loves TV, yikes), hugging Max, and basically anything that includes Max. They are best friends already, I can feel it.

He also loves to "talk", dance, clap, wave at himself in the mirror, and bob his head to music. He can stand alone for about 7 seconds, but has plenty of bumps and bruises to prove that he's not quite walking (despite a few attempts). He does NOT sleep through the night. Not even close. Still working up the courage to let him cry it out. He does, however, give the sweetest hugs and kisses.

I have to say I love this age. I don't remember much from this time period with Max because I was wasting away with morning sickness. I also have to say that I love not being pregnant. It's great.

p.s. i apparently have a major learning disability when it comes to photoshop, any advice as to the best way to master this program would be appreciated...my patience with it is running thin.

M-A-X

Dear Max,

I'm so glad you can talk now. It's so nice to have someone to talk to, even if the conversation is always about trucks. You say funny things everyday and make me laugh. Every night I crawl into bed to tell your daddy about all the funny things you say, but I can never remember what they are. I promise I'll be better about writing them down. Speaking of your daddy, you are CRAZY about him. You are always looking for him when he is working. Yesterday we were in the kitchen and you yelled "J-P!!!, J-P!!!, J-P come here!!!!!!!" Later when daddy was in the bathroom you poked your head in and said "hi honey." I suppose I need to be better about calling him "daddy" around you. I'll work on that.

Love,

Mommy

knowing your limits, or why a marathon is never a good idea

Last week I was averaging about 3.5 hours of sleep a night. Averaging. This lack of sleep inhibited my ability to think. Saturday I took off to the gym as soon as the codeine kicked in and the baby was asleep. Never mind that I could feel a sore throat coming on, I was running off of zero sleep, and hadn't had anything good to eat all day.

I needed to get out of the house. By myself. Nothing else mattered.

I jumped on the treadmill and let my eyes wander to the silent TV screens. The Olympics were on. The women's marathon was about halfway over. These women were running FAST. Faster than me. I studied their bodies, searching for body fat. I found none.They looked like machines. I bet that if I ran that fast I could look like that, I thought.

Then the adrenaline hit. GOODBYE baby pooch HELLO marathon body!, I thought as I turned up the speed on the treadmill to maximum capacity. I was sprinting, trying to keep up with tall blond Romanian lady who was in the lead. The runner's high was euphoric. I should totally run a marathon, I thought, this is so not a big deal. Piece of cake.

After about ten minutes my vision started to blur. My legs turned to jello, and little flecks of light were coming at me like comets. I quickly turned the speed back down to zero, grabbed my keys, and staggered to the car like a drunk. Luckily I made it home. "Are you OK?" J-P asked as I collapsed onto the couch. I couldn't even answer.

So, I got sick. Shocking, I know. I spent the whole next day in bed, and have been walking around like a zombie all week. Today I feel much better and have committed to staying healthy by eating well and exercising MODERATELY. We are warding off illness with antioxidants. Our lunch today: tortilla soup accompanied by blueberries, avocado, and kiwi.

hmm...

This is exactly what I have been thinking...although he is virtually tied with Pawlenty on intrade. Let the countdown to Aug. 29th begin!

Nie Updates

Here are a few news links with story details, for those who are interested.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/homepagetopstory/stories/st-johns-local-news-081808-plane-crash.de761fc.html

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/18/20080818abrk-mesaplane.html

Keep their family in your prayers...

Quarantined:

We are all locked up on quarantine. The reason: hand foot mouth disease. How to know if your baby has HFM disease:

-he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming with a fever
-he won't go back to sleep
-you take him to the doctor...they rule out all the common illnesses and send you home
-he continues to scream all day long, not pausing to eat or sleep
-his temp spikes to 103
-in desperation you take him back to the doc, who cares if they think you're paranoid
-doc points out blisters in his mouth and throat, gives diagnosis, prescribes tylenol with codeine

I can't tell you how grateful I am for drugs. Without out them Ian would not have done any eating or sleeping over the past two days. Even with the drugs there is very little eating or sleeping, but enough to keep him alive. And enough to keep me partially sane. Right now we are highly contagious so we are on voluntary (although doctor recommended) house arrest. Max woke up with a fever this morning, so despite my efforts to keep them apart, I am fearing the worst.

In contrast to our otherwise horrible week was the arrival of this delightful package from my friend Whitney. Quite possibly the coolest package I've ever received. Whitney has a talent for cooking and creating, and a knack for finding cool vintage things. The package included a collage, music, good reads, handmade earrings, good food and recipes, handmade tags, vintage wallpaper and ephemera, make-up, and more. Thank you. I absolutely love it. To think I was only the runner-up to her blog giveaway.

truck fetish

Max loves trucks. He reads truck books, plays with trucks, and talks about trucks ALL day long. No exceptions. Our car rides are filled with truck chatter as Max religiously dialogues every truck we see. Seeking confirmation, he recites the name and color of each truck louder and louder until I say "yes Max, that's a white fuel tanker." Sometimes he doesn't stop to breath.
Here is clip from our ride yesterday:

"Mommy, Max a see a blue big rig...it's a so fun a see a blue big rig"
"Max (he always uses the third person) a see a orange pick-up truck. Wow. It's sooo cool."
Last night he refused to eat dinner. Right before bed he decided he wanted to eat. Unconvinced, I said "OK Max, what do you want to eat?" After thinking for a few seconds, he yelled "MAX A WANT A TRUCK FOOD!" If only there were such a thing. This is on my wish list.

Begrudgingly Green

Embarrassing Confession: I am going green (but only on my own terms).

I have been very skeptical of this whole environmental movement with it's annoying ("go green") propaganda. When I go into a store and see a purse, t-shirt, or spiral notebook with an environmental message I cringe. When I read the countless magazine articles and advice about "becoming green" I wince. The messages are everywhere, seeping into my subconscious and making me feel GUILTY.

Don't get me wrong, I love the planet. I believe we have a responsibility to take care of it. But let's be realistic. Taking cold showers, toting re-usable shopping bags, and driving hybrid cars isn't even going to put a dent in the damage that China is doing. Honestly. If you think our air quality is bad, take a trip (if you dare) to Beijing. Don't be surprised to see the locals donning gas masks.

I have only three qualms about going green. One, it's in style. I am not a lemming. I do not go along unquestioningly with popular opinion. I have a natural tendency to fight conformity. If the celebrities are doing it, I run the other way. Two, it ANNOYS me that the environmental movement uses guilt as its motivating factor. I am even more annoyed that this tactic works, especially on me. Three, I find it disconcerting that going green carries such strong political implications. If environmentalism were taken off the political agenda I would be more willing to explore it without reservation.

In spite of my concerns, I am now willing to admit that I am going green. At least in some ways. Not because I like Al Gore or because I believe in Global Warming, but because it seems logical. It will save money and help my family to be healthier. And maybe there is a little guilt involved.

Here's the lo down... I have traded all of our petroleum based cleaners (detergent, dish soap, hand soap, etc.) for all natural, plant based products. Trader Joe's and Target have the best prices. I bought re-usable shopping bags (they actually take $ off your bill when you use them in AZ). I am planting round two of our organic garden this week. I bought a drying rack and clothes pins in an effort to use the dryer less. I only buy organic baby food in glass containers, and try to make my own when possible. J-P switched all of our light bulbs. I try to only cook meat (mostly fish) once or twice a week. I pull weeds instead of spraying them. I quit buying cases of bottled water. I drive slower. I recycle more (although the jury is still out on whether recycling is worthwhile).

It feels good to get that off my chest. And yes, I'm still a republican.

Greetings!

We have finally returned to the land of excessive heat warnings. I have been meaning to blog about our trip before I forget the details, but I decided to take a little vacation from our vacation instead. This vacation included two days of neglecting all household duties and letting the kids run wild and (gasp) watch TV all day long so I could curl up on the couch and read Breaking Dawn. Instead of well rounded meals I indulged in an abundant supply of Paradise Bakery cookies and fruit pizza. I never do anything like this. EVER. It was blissful.
ANYWAY...our trip was fabulous. It was so nice to escape to cooler weather. The boys and I went up to WA to spend time with family and catch up with old friends. J-P went to NC to be initiated into "business school jail", as his classmates/inmates called it. During our trip we...
-picked endless amounts of raspberries, apricots, and tomatoes
-took walks by the river and the ocean
-gave the baby his first haircut (he was WAY overdue)
-took the boys on their first tour of Pike's Place Market
-watched the boats go through the locks into Puget Sound
-dragged the boys on various shopping trips
-watched the family of deer that live in my grandma's backyard
We had a great time. It was hard to leave, especially knowing I would be coming home to a husband I will barely see over the next two years. Max grew VERY attached to his grandma and threw his biggest tantrum yet at the airport as we were boarding. After he realized grandma wasn't coming with us, he went hysterical. He refused to board and instead flung himself flat onto his back, sobbing and screaming "GRANDMA!, GRANDMA!...I want GRANDMA!!" Since I was carrying the baby, Max's car seat, and three carry-ons, it was impossible for me to scrape him off the floor and add him to my load. My emotions (which were already close to the surface) could not be restrained and soon I was sobbing right along with him. It was quite a show. SO embarrassing. A flight attendant took pity on me, scooped him off the floor, and carried him (still screaming "GET GRANDMA...I WANT GRANDMA!")to our seats. Sadly, the flight did not go any better than the boarding process. I rejoiced upon our arrival, even though walking off the plane felt like walking into an oven.

It feels good to be back in the swing of real life, although I wish I could have extended my second vacation a little bit longer. More pics on flickr.