It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

It snowed! It's a Christmas miracle just for Parker and I. However, we haven't been out in it yet because it's very very cold. Yet somehow the snow is melting. I guess the ground is too warm.
I am so not prepared for Christmas this year. I managed to get some gifts done, but most will be late. I'm sorry!
I should hear next week about what my position at work will be on the next project. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
Have to run. Merry Christmas to you all!

Busy!

Wow. It's almost Christmas and we just got a tree. Very un-me. I'm a Day-After-Thanksgiving-Tree-getter. But I didn't want to dig through unpacked boxes to find the Christmas stuff and I was concerned about Parker and a tree. I found ornament hooks that are kid-safe so that's great because that was a major concern last year! But what about the poor ornaments he is going to pull off the tree and throw onto the tile floor?
We got the tree last night after Parker went to sleep and put lights and a few ornaments on. Parker saw it this morning and that just was precious. He looked at the tree and then me, then walked around one side and then looked back at me with this look of amazement and then walked to the other side while sending me those same looks. He's my kid, alright! He thinks the tree is just fantastic.
So far, he's been good about not touching, but it's only a matter of time. Heh. I'll post pics when the tree is fully decorated and then pics after its been robbed by son.

Merry Christmas!

Parker's First Word!

Parker said his first word on Saturday. He waved and said "Bye" to some kids at the park. Horray for the Parker man!

A Year and a Half and Lots of Working

Talk about busy! Working and trying to spend time with Parker is not easy. I don't think I'm going to be able to make all the Christmas gifts I had planned. Or I will, but they will be late. Very late. heh. As for Mr. Parker, he turned a year and a half on Monday. He's a mere 26 pounds and 32 inches tall. It's all belly. I like to tell him that his belly precedes him. It's bigger than mine was when I was pregnant with him! He's finally interested in books and will sit there, looking at pages and pointing at things. He still isn't "talking". I'm starting to think he will sing clearly before he says his first word. He loves to sing along with music and I've been able to tell for months what song he's singing. His dad bought him a toy cell phone and he loves to pretend to talk on it. It's very cute, but I rarely talk on my cell. I don't know who he is copying, silly man! It's pretty amusing when he picks up his toy drill and tries to talk on that as well.
I'm so glad I chose to work weekends so I could be home with him two weekdays and his dad can be with him on the weekends. He likes his daycare and has a good time there, but we are his parents and he needs to be with us as much as possible.
Work is going ok. It's been an adjustment to work in a call center and to be supervisor of a team. I haven't done that in a long time. I'm learning a lot and working on my people skills. I'm so used to coming into work, sitting in my cube myself and getting my own work done. This is a challenge and I want to do the best I can. I'm enjoying my team and helping them as well as learning more about how to motivate people. I lost most of my team due to rebidding as the second wave of training is over so I'm curious to see what the dynamic will be now. My approach is to have fun while doing the best job we can. I think it's working. My team was first in QA through Wednesday and I had people stay on my shift just to be with me even though they didn't want to work weekends. The ones that left said they wanted to stay, but weekends weren't possible for me.

Yesterday Parker and I were putting on his shorts. Usually we do this with him leaning his back against me for support while lifting up his feet to get into the legs. But he was facing me and I could tell he was really trying to reach for my arm while balance and get his foot up. After about 30 seconds, he took a few steps away, sat down, then rolled on his back and waved his feet in the air. Very clever! He thought of a different way because what we were trying wasn't working for him. He's also started putting his arms out, palms up and shrugging his shoulders with that look of "I just don't know." on his face. Um, I guess I do that more often than I thought. It's VERY cute on him, but I haven't managed to get a picture of it yet.

Today is supposedly the last weekday I will have home with him. Bittersweet. I'm really looking forward to working again, but I'm going to miss being with him so much, I keep tearing up. I think I found a good person to watch him who will see and treat him like the special little man he is.

The Latest and Greatest

I found a job! It's working for a call center which I've never done, but I'm going to be a team leader and won't have to answer as many calls. I'm hoping to work an early shift and weekends in order to limit the time Parker has to spend in day care. I'm glad to have found work even if it's a temp job. And I'm really looking forward to working and getting paid for it. Although one-fourth of what I make will be going to daycare. Ouch!

We are getting settled in here. I'm not unpacking some things because we may be moving again in March. The apartment is big, but rather rundown and we don't have the best of neighbors. Just have to wait and see what happens. This picture is in the pool here. Parker loves water! I'm glad to have a pool for us to play in.

West Pinnacles.

I am breaking my silence with this-http://bit.ly/1kaGCy

Small fire, but somewhere I spent a great deal of time as a child. Wildfires are common in the summer in CA, and there isn't much of the park that could burn and not be rebuilt easily. But I would like to share. My mom helped build a great deal of trails here. I was left to my own devices most of the summer while she worked back in the day when a child was safe to roam alone. My mom loved to tell stories of how I would find campers and lead them around to all the sights that were off the trails. I can still find Bridal Veil Falls and make my way through the caves with no flashlight. This is one of the places I call home.

This sums up my life the past five months.

Live and Learn

I harvested what is most likely going to the the last crop of my garden. I cannot even begin to write about how sad this makes me. I'll try to enjoy the fresh tomatoes, basil and oregano salad I'm planning for dinner. And what to make with the eggplant and peppers? The red corn is growing now, but will not be ready in time. I really wanted to try that!

I haven't posted for awhile. Quite a bit is going on and I'm just not ready to write here about it. For now, I made a mistake.

I have such a good son! It took him a day to learn how far he was allowed to push his car to in the front yard. I think that's pretty darn good! He's still working on the side/backyard. It's full of poison ivy and I just don't want to risk him getting it. And he taking lots of steps now and walking rather than crawling. I'm so proud of my little man!

Now that my garden is actually producing, I am sad to have to leave it behind in a couple weeks. I might get the lone eggplant harvested, but the yellow bells and the corn, I'll never see. I hope next year's garden grows like mad to make up for the past two years of unsuccessful ones. And I am enjoying the bounty of tomatoes that are just ripening now.

I do love me some Martha

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/six-things-to-do-every-day

I actually do all these but the last one. I sweep in the morning instead after cleaning the litter boxes.

Water

Water is the best movie I've seen in a long long time. It's not easy to watch, but completely worth it. I loved the Gandhi quote at the end that he believed for a long time that God was truth, but discovered that truth was god.

I value truth. Truth is god. Thank you, Gandhi, for reminding me of this.

Oh, I want this for my son's room! http://www.modernseed.com/dsfetsgc.html

Hedgehog

My son just before I woke him up removing the hedgehog from his head.

One of my favorite pictures from our Cali trip. This is at my first best friend's house. Her daughter is the one pushing Parker around. It was great to see Verna and Heather again and meet her kids. Parker had way too much fun cruising in that car!

First Crayons!

I took the plunge and got Parker his first box of crayons. I don't know about everyone else, but I adored crayons as a kid. It was my dream to have that box of 64 with its own sharpener in the back. I still remember the color names. Oh, the memories. However, Parker's still a little young to enjoy coloring. He tried to stick them in his mouth and then had more fun putting them away in the box. He also like to grabbing as many in his hands as possible and then crawl around the house. He's a little collector like his momma.

Soap

From Ideal Bite- SF

If 10,000 SF Biters wash with biodegradable soap rather than the usual stuff, in a year we'll keep 65,000 pounds of synthetic chems from going down drains and polluting waterways.

(I know what everyone's getting for Christmas this year!)

I Love Food

As someone who loves food, the battle against being overweight is a constant one. I don't make bad food choices, but what I cook just tastes so good...

I'm loving this blog in general and especially this post of hers-

I will have to add Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to the list of reads. Barbara Kingsolver is my favorite author and I love her even more after this book. I don't know if I could do what she did, but it's an inspiration. I loved the stories about the turkeys. I'll post more about them if anyone is interested.

And, erm, no one comments. I'd love to know people are reading my blog.

New Goal

My new goal is to try to post on one of my sites at least once a day something I am grateful for. I don't want to be thinking negative thoughts as often as I have been. My son deserves better than that. I wish our lives were different, but I can make them as good as can be for now.

I'm still hurt that my housemate is putting up a gate to keep him away from her, but since we got back, he's less and less interested in her anyway. He may only be 14 months (today!), but he's smart enough to know when someone doesn't want him around.

So my grateful moment today is for the fact that our insurance finally went through and my son was able to be seen by a doctor today and get his shots. Two months late, but at least they are done. And also that Parker did wonderfully well despite the two hour long doctor visit. He is really a good kid! He missed his nap during the wait so that makes him even more patient. I'm so proud of my big boy!

Wednesday Walkers

I was the only one who showed up! Again! It was such a beautiful day too. We hit Target with the rest of Parker's gift card to get Mom "What to Expect: The Toddler Years" and then over to Michael's to pick up some yarn for Christmas presents. Yes, I have to start now to get them all done! I'm not doing as much as I did last year. I way-overdid myself last year. So enjoy those special gifts you got! Things will be much simpler this year, but still personal and home-made.

I opened a seller's account on Etsy. I'll keep everyone posted as to when my store will open. I have a couple gifts to make before I can start on the shop's items.

Parker and I enjoyed our walk in the park. We stopped by the playground and he got to climb and then use the slide. He loved climbing up the slide the best. Still not walking but he watched a couple girls toddle around. Some day soon...and then I'll regret wishing he could walk. There is no fence here and lots of poison ivy. We do live on a dead-end street so at least the car traffic isn't bad.

Purses and Shoes

I spotted this purse at Target and my step-mom bought it for me! I might have wriggled at how happy I was. And I make myself sad at just how much I love this purse. But I do! I'll save the shoe post for later. I have to break you all in gently.

Thanks, Leslie! It makes me smile when I look at it and reminds me of the fun time we had during my visit.

Yum-O

My dad bought me this after he saw I was eyeing it at the market where we got the artichokes. I am having trouble resisting the urge to spray it on everything, including myself.

(I know the picture's blurry, but I don't feel like fussing with the settings on my camera.)

More from Quote Snack.

It's so important to teach our children about nature, how to garden, identify birds, animals and plants as well as to care for the environment. My son loves to be outside. Always has, even when it's steamy or freezing.

New Cali Food Laws

While I was home, I heard about the laws Cali passed banning soft drinks and fried foods from schools. I'm so glad! But at the same time, what have we come to to have to pass laws to stop this sort of thing? Parker's grandparents gave their other grandson Dr. Pepper in his sippy cup once when I was there. I'm still horrified. If the kid needs a sippy cup, he shouldn't be drinking soda. I don't know when my mom first let me have a soda, but it wasn't at the age of 3. More like 8 and only as a treat, not a dinner beverage.

Today's Quote Snack

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are So true.

Goop

I love this e-letter! And this week's edition speaks right to my heart. If you stumble upon here after this week, just do a search on her site for green living.

My Dad, doing what he does best. This was the evening of the abalone. Yes, he cooked them on the grill. Did I mention just how delicious they were?

Lucy Goose

This is my sister, Lucy. She was not allowed in while Parker was crawling around. She's not good with children. Don't you feel sorry for her? Look at that face! Sorry, lil Lucy!

It wasn't all about food...

but really, just the grocery trips made me drool. Produce, picked ripe with a short trip to the store. I forgot what fresh strawberries and nectarines smelled like. I kept wandering by the kitchen wondering what the sweet smell was.

This is a little food story of my trip. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thursday- Surf City Coffee in Moss Landing for a chai latte and then some fresh artichokes for the evening meal. We hit the SC wharf later for some calamari and shrimp salad. Oh, the memories. My mom would take me down there for "cocktails" when I was little. And it's close to impossible to find calamari that isn't fried anywhere else in the world. Honestly, we don't know how spoiled we are in SC until we move away. Speaking of spoiled, my dad grilled halibut that night. Yum!

Friday- My sister and her boyfriend requested grilled veggie pizza so Dad, Parker and I stopped by Trader Joe's in Capitola to pick up supplies- fresh dough and mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers and some lovely sunflowers. At the flea market, we found figs and those were delish smeared over toast. Sourdough in the Bay Area is famous for a reason. It tastes different and believe me, I have tried it all over the place looking for that "home" taste.

Saturday- The day of Parker's Party! We did grilled chicken, pasta salad a la Lauren and Leslie along with a fruit tarte from The Farm and festive cupcakes. I forgot to take a picture of the cupcakes! Sorry, Les! They were red, white and blue and very cute.

Sunday- Fresh local crab. Ok, my dad has the hook-up. Need I say more? Well, I will! Those crabs were soooooooooooooo good. I don't understand how anyone could want blue crab over Pacific. Maybe I fixed them wrong or got females back in Maryland. Whatever. I don't care. I just want Monterey Bay crabs forevermore. I was actually the last one eating. THAT never happens. I was savoring. And that morning, we found Mexican Payapa at the flea market for 2.50. I've paid much much much more when I can even find it.

Monday- I dragged my poor dad down to Capitola in hopes of some Pizza My Heart. They sold out like so many others, but have some new options and it was almost as good as I remember. I got pesta and ordered my dad the Big Sur. That was delish.

For dinner that night we had abalone. My dad has been diving for abalone my whole life. I didn't appreciate just how rare it is until later when I couldn't get any. So I requested some for my visit and I must say this was the best ever. Really. So tender, cooked perfectly. Thanks Dad! He also made Insalata Caprese.

Tuesday- We went down to Morro Bay to visit my aunt and uncle. Uncle Bill ordered us some oysters on the half-shell at a local eatery. Once again, I didn't think to take pictures! Those oysters were HUGE! And oh so yummy swimming in garlic butter. Then again, what doesn't taste good with that? Really? I had fish tacos because it takes Cali to do those right. My sister had a fried oyster sandwich with some dill mayo that tasted wonderful.

Wednesday- I was supposed to fly out and stopped by Erik's Deli for a Natural High to last me through the traveling. Fate stepped in and we had steelhead and artichokes for dinner. I think I like it better than salmon. It was very good.

I know I forgot something I ate. There was just so much. I was overwhelmed by the bounty despite having been raised on it. And I apologized to the produce clerks for fondling their goods. I meant well. I did.

I am back in Maryland after being bumped off my first flight. We had some errands to run and then a long baggage check-in coupled with an over-booked flight. I have so much to say, but it's going to have to wait until I have time! It was wonderful. All the visiting with family and friends and just seeing my hometown again.

Busy Traveling Girly and Son

-Got the windshield replaced today finally.

-Fridge cleared out and everything I overbought for the bean's visit into the freezer or cooked. Plenty of food for the housemate to nibble on while I am gone since she doesn't cook for herself. And if she decides to, there is lots in the pantry.

-Bags are mostly packed. Have to get up at 5 or so in the morning to get us all out of the house on time.

-Gifts remembered and packed along with cards. Man, I hope I am not over the weight limit. I never have before, but I didn't have enough room in my suitcases so I borrowed Aunty N's. I tested against Parker who weighs 25 pounds and they seemed less than double him. I hope we are ok! I can't afford the extra charge if we aren't but what do you do at that point?

And so we are off in the morning. I'll post a lot when we get back including the bean's visit. Just haven't had time yet! I'll be waving to everyone as we fly over on our way home. And Parker will too. He just learned to wave.

Father's Day

I helped Parker write in a card for his dad. He put it on the mailbox as well although he didn't want to let it go. The whole day made me sad, but I called K anyway. Twice since he didn't answer the first time and didn't call us back. But he finally called back while Parker was napping.

Garden Update

Busy weekend and my trip to Cali in TWO days, but here is an update on the garden. In pictures anyway.

Rainy Day at the Park

We headed to Allen Pond Park in Bowie for the Wednesday Walkers Mom Group. However, no one else showed up! We did a lap anyway and played for a bit. I love this shot of Parker. He was raiding the diaper bag. He got out his ball (which I made for him) and then his crackers, then the banana and tried to lift my water bottle, but it was too heavy. Isn't the park beautiful? There is an island with a gazebo that is a perfect spot for a picnic. I'll take more pictures of it with my camera. The cell ones came out very dark for some reason.

Heartbreaker

This boy is going to break some hearts, starting with mine.

Blue Crabs!

I've been asked by everyone since moving here if I've had blue crabs yet. I finally stopped alongside the road and got some along with a lesson in cracking them from a very nice lady. If you are ever in Southern Maryland in Brandywine on the 301 and see a sign for crabs, stop!

I have to say getting them out of the bag and into the pot was scary. I'm sure they couldn't really hurt, but I wasn't about to find out. I wish I'd taken a picture of them uncooked because they are such a pretty blue color, but see last sentence as to why. They were lovely and delicious except for Parker's tantrum. I only got to eat two! The rest are in the fridge waiting for me.

13 Months and Fifth Tooth!

Parker turned 13 months yesterday. He is celebrating that with the arrival of two teeth. Um, if I thought teething was bad, two at the same time is...VERY bad. One finally popped through so he is a tad less fussy. He got diaper rash and a fever this time.

We went to our Wednesday Walkers this morning a little early so he could play on the swings and in the playground. I caught him trying to walk on camera finally! Don't you love his outfit? Thanks for the shorts, Auntie N!. He wasn't sure about the slide. I thought he would love it, but I think it's going to take a few more times. We have to go during naptime so he is a little shellshocked by everything, but I think it's important for us both to get out. He also got his first girl kiss today! He bravely stood still for the first one, but then turned his head and cling to me when she tried it again. I love that she is grinning in this picture, but he looks dazed. It's pre-kiss, but that's about how the kissing went down.

From Ideal Bite- LA newsletter

"A single new 1/3-ounce, 18-karat gold ring creates about 20 tons of mine waste, so remember: recycled jewelry = eco-friendly."

Garden Shots

I'm so pleased that the garden is finally starting to grow I had to share more photos. Here we have one of the three tomatoes that sprouted from seed amongst some weeds, jalapenos growing furiously, tomatoes on the vine, newly caged and some squash I picked up on Saturday.

New Things

It seems like every day I notice Parker learning something new. Today, he figured out how to back his high chair up (He likes to push it around, but used to get stuck after rammed it into something.). It's such an exciting time! He is really trying to mimic now. Um, yeah, he managed to slurp off my mocha the other day while I had my hands full. I wonder where he learned to drink those Starbucks! And he is starting to examine things, put them together in his mind and then try with his hands. I wonder how long it will be before he can knit?

Calicum

A friend of mine and I were talking about calories, diet and making sure you get enough nutrients from your food. I noticed right away when she showed me what she eats that there was no dairy. I love cheese, but I cannot drink milk. I don't like the taste of it. My friend uses this- www.fitday.com but her diet is still lacking in calicum. I stumbled across this today and thought I would share it. The milk and dairy industry does an excellent job of convincing us that we need to drink milk with every meal. I just don't agree. That article quotes a lot of different sources/data and then ends with a couple charts of foods that provide calicum. Go beans!

Name that Animal Update

I should have just asked my dad. He knew exactly what it was- a groundhog! I'd guessed that might be what it was, but got confused by the tail. He said they lose their hair in the summer. So that's what it is. Only Carmy's hopes for being friends with it have been crushed. It's vicious and not friendly at all, according to my dad. It still makes me giggle when I see it run off with its chubby belly waddling. I left it some veggie scraps today and I think I will just do that from now on. It's one less thing to stick down the drain and if it eats them, we are both happy. I can pretend I have a pet groundhog and it can add to its bellyline.

ps- My dad is so smart! Love you, Daddy!

Save Our Planet

Something I find so important to pass along to Parker are ways to save our planet. I fully plan on dragging him along to clean up the shores/waterways here. The Chesapeake Bay has numerous dead zones and has been in serious danger for years. I can't wait to pick up trash with him once he is older (I'd need a baby sitter now) and I'm doing my part to help protect it from further damage. International Coastal Cleanup day is Septemer 19th. Check out this link to find out more on what you can do every day to reduce your carbon footprint.

I recycle, take short showers and choose the cold setting when doing laundry. I try to fill Parker's bath as low as possible and give him a bath every other day. I reuse the water from his wading pool to water the garden. And we are growing quite a bit in the garden. That's definitely something I want him to learn to love. My mom gardened and had to have given me the love for it. I find it so relaxing to weed and tend to plants. The things I grow taste a million times better than what is found in the stores and I know they are full of the love that I put into them. I support the local farmer's market as well. Try going to one this weekend. It's really fun to just walk through and find gorgeous produce that begs you to eat it. I also make most of our food from scratch. It's much healthier than convience foods. I get to control, for the most part, what goes into the end product and I choose organic when I can. I'm on a budget and as much as it pains me, I have to feed us on a limited amount, so organic is not always what we can afford. I have found that here in the Eastern Seaboard, Giant Grocery Stores has a great house line of inexpensive organic foods. I'm very impressed with how reasonable their prices are.

 I also prefer to make gifts rather than buy them. It's so important to support those who are taking the time to create one-of-a-kind items. Check out etsy.com I'll be selling there soon once I get through making some gifts for my family.

Here are some other links- 

http://www.coolmom.org/assets/docs/coolMom_10Things.pdf

And a website about a book by my favorite author, Barbara Kingsolver,  that just made me love her more.

Also another book link- http://www.michaelpollan.com/omnivore.php

Enjoy and treat our planet right! If we all just do one thing to save the planet, what a difference that will make.

Update on the Garden

Things are not growing so well out here. At least not the flowers or the spinach.  Or the this and that. BUT these are growing well. Cilantro gone crazy and about to bloom alongside wild chives, corn shoots (I counted 21 so far), tomatoes (We have 8 plants with three heirloom started from seed), and a jalepeno pepper which I wouldn't have expected to do well here at all!

Please help me out and identify this animal!  http://www.flickr.com/photos/30854945@N08/3588944127/

The Blanket Monster!

In honor of the many many blankets my son has.

Shoes

For someone who doesn't like her feet, I sure love my shoes! Or maybe that's why. I just know these are possibly the cutest sandels on the cutest boy ever! How could you not want to just die from the cuteness? His vans come in as a tie though. I just don't have good pictures of him wearing them.  Vans post to follow!

Some Gifts

I'm fairly certain my parents don't read this...If they do, they now know what their presents look like! I've had very little time to knit lately, but with the visit home less than a month away, I had to devote some time to making presents. There is nothing like sitting outside on a hot muggy morning with a jumble of yarn on your lap. Need I say more? Oh, if anyone is interested in the pattern for my dad's scarf, I posted it on my rav. It's simple, but manly. I like it!

Parker's Torn Jeans

We had to retire these. His knees were getting scraped through the holes. Aren't they so cute though? I love that I found him acid wash jeans.

Sunday Goodness

I outdid myself with today's frittata. I think it was the left-over onions from last weekend's brats, but it might have been the ham or the feta or the spinach. Yum!

Parker's fifth tooth is about to make an appearance. And this morning he learned how to put the ball through the hoop of his basketball toy his Aunt and Uncle Foster got him for Christmas. I treated him with ravolis for lunch and he wasn't impressed with them. He preferred his green peas. Gotta love the healthy eater, although the ravolis were whole wheat. He's still not a big meat eater and that's fine with me. He likes fish and tofu. No, he LOVES tofu.

The shore!

Last weekend, Auntie N took us to the shore. The water was much colder than I expected and the waves were a little frigthening to Parker, but he LOVED the beach. The first thing he did when I set him down was start digging. And then he ate some sand. And then some more and then more and more and more. And finally started crawling around. I think he liked how soft it was after skinning his knees on the cement at home. We couldn't stay long because it started to rain. But we ended up in a park for lunch and he got to swing for the first time. He had a great day even if we got stuck in traffic for FIVE long hours on the way home. He did wonderfully so I'm hoping the plane trip home next month will go smoothly.

I've been so busy lately! Ok, I will admit that a good part of that busyness has been looking up people on Facebook... However, the weather has been either rainy or beautiful. So, on the beautiful days, Parker and I head outside to garden and play in his wading pool. The poor kid has to wear jeans because his knees get shredded on the cement and he doesn't like crawling on the grass. He blew out an old pair of jeans. I will have to take pictures. It's really cute. He's loving being outside and splashing around. He's such an outdoors kid like his momma.

My son walked yesterday! Two big steps and then three and then three again. I am so proud. Pictures will follow!

Missing Home

I've been missing home a lot lately. I called my sister and another friend during the first day of the Salinas Valley Fair and started crying after I hung up. I wanted to be there so badly and I've rarely gone to that fair! But I have been to so many in CA. Like the one I dragged Krystal to in King City. She was so scared of the pigs. Heh. That still makes me laugh how she jumped when one grunted at me. I know it has to do with my trip home next month. I am just aching for home. I want to show my son the beach there and walk around on that mall with all the weirdos that drove me crazy when I lived/worked there. But now I look back on it all and realize just how lucky I was to grow up in a place like that. And I want my son to know those places too. This list makes me giggle- http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2235306122 Oh and yes, I finally joined facebook!

Me and mine

I know my son looks much more like me than his father, but I finally dug out my photo albums to take a look now that's he's older and developing his own look. I can't say we are carbon copies. You can see his dad in bits, but for the most part, he looks like me- that cheeky grin, the wild curls, the curve of his nose, cheeks and chin. I think it's the looks he gives that make him look like me most of all. He has my serious look and my grin and my "what are you looking at, mom?" look. I think he looks like my grandpa on my mom's side too. I look like my mom and my dad equally. Easy because they both have blonde hair and green eyes, but I've got the color of my dad's eyes and his curls although my grandpa had curly hair. People say I look like my dad when I am with him but my mom if they know only her.  I remember one of my mom's friends from high school who was at her funeral gasping when she saw me. She said I looked just like my mom did. I don't think so, but we do look a lot alike. I thought my sister from my mom looked much more like my mom, but she doesn't as much now. And oddly enough, my dad's other daughter and I have the same tone to our voices. You wouldn't think that would carry though a male, but it did. I've always felt closest to her for some reason. She was my first sibling and I remember changing her diapers and sleeping by her bed when she was a baby. I can't wait to see her when we go back in June. Love you lala!

Where to start?

Firefox refailed after coming back up for a day. It makes me very sad. I had all sorts of links and homepages saved. I need to give that up, stop using a browser to save all those and one of those nifty sites instead. I am not fond of IE and Chrome doesn't have the features I liked with Firefox, but it is faster than IE. *sighs*

I carved out some space in the grass to get the corn into the ground. Fred, the frog, hopped around to  scare the pants off  help me dig. My garden is not growing fast enough for my liking. I think seedlings are in order for next year.

My son tried out his wading pool for the first time. He had some issues until he could crawl on his own into it. (Yes, Mr. Independent). He loved it after that. Heh. We are heading for the shore this weekend. I cannot wait for him to see the ocean! And eat lots of sand.

Perfect Day

On Saturday, I suddenly thought of this perfect day I'd had before. It's hard to start blogging mid-life, so I guess I will try to recapture past moments along the way as I document the fresh memories.
As for this one, I was living in Kirkland and I went up to a lake with my friend Maeleigh and her daughter for a family reunion picnic. The thing I remember most was how cool the water felt. It's rare that a day be hot enough so that the ice cold mountain snow run-off be comfortable, but this was one of those days. To remember that crisp water, the slow walking in amongst the rocks and finally submerging and swimming out with the inner tube, laughing and watching her daughter dive off a tree stump so big, it got left there just for that purpose. It was just perfect. Drifting around the cool lake with the hot sun warming our backs and laughing.

So Maeleigh and Alyssa, thank you for that day. I will remember it forever. You made the time I spent in Seattle fun and exciting. When I look back, the times I spent with you both are the ones that stand out for me.

Frittata!

My new favorite weekend breakfast is frittata. It's so easy to make! I just make sure I grill extra veggies during the week, toss those in with fresh herbs from the garden and some cheese and 15 minutes later, I have a delish breakfast! This one is eggplant and feta cheese with basil, oregano and rosemary.

Fred the Frog

About a month ago while nursing the kidlet, I noticed something hopping in the grass outside my window. I went out later and sure enough, it was a frog. And you know me, I couldn't resist a photo shoot. My only concern was that my son was going to squish the frog. I hadn't seen the frog since, but yesterday, there he was, happy as a frog could be!

Happy with Dad

Parker really enjoyed seeing his dad. He laughed and smiled at him and hardly any fuss was heard the whole 3 days K was here. It was a welcome break for this tired momma.

Nicknames

I have a long list of pet names for my son. Before he was born, I called him Parker Roo. And after he was born, he was Fussy Mc Poo Pants. My favorite now is Mr. Parker Pigglesworth. And here's a picture of the kidlet before his haircut. I love his jammies!