My Favorites

I was thinking of something exciting happening in my life...and other than having a baby, not much is new, so in reading other's blogs I decided to list my Most Favorite or Most Embarrassing.

1. Food : I am pregnant people, food is my favorite...if I had to pick - tater tots

2. Clothing : In a normal size Banana Republic, Pregnant? These Apartment 9 shirts I got from Kohls for $17. (left is picture - not a good one and there isn't a tie, but you get the idea)

3. Favorite thing to cook: Peanut Butter Pancakes: My friend Val gave me this one. Use the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box for "Melt in Your Mouth" Pancakes and add peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips...super rich and yummy!

4. Favorite Free Thing: This week is a place where David plays indoor soccer is having an open house. So juniper jumps, snacks, and indoor soccer for the little ones (Their program for 18 months and older is called Lil' Kickers) is from 10-12 on Saturday....FREE YEAH!!!!!

5. Favorite Moment This Week: My sister (Laura) announced the Grunewald Family Home is going to be a little big bigger in April! Yep, they are having a baby...hope she is okay with me putting it on the blog. But since she told a strager at Chick Fil A today - I feel pretty safe doing it! Max was too cute....out of the blue he said, "Yeah...I think it is going to be a sister!" How cute is that? Have to point out, the entire time I was prego and didn't know, Ragon always said it was a "bubba"....the little ones always know! Boy or Girl we are stoked for the new addition...IF it is a boy, someone for Greyson to play with...if it is a girl...SHOPPING!!!!!

6. Most embarrasing time this week: I handled a case, which I LOST...so I of course really like reliving it, but the media was there, which I hate (sorry if you are in that line of work) and the punk video guy was following me like a hawk. All I could think was "Why didn't I have my hair colored BEFORE this hearing, I knew it would be on the News"...Everyone who saw it said I looked ticked...They thought it was because I lost, actually the footage was shot in the middle, so I didn't know I got my butt kicked until after....So not only did I lose, but the coverage made me look like a poor sport, WHICH I AM...but why put that on the news...My mother in law tried to nicely point out that someone told her I hardly looked pregnant....I guess that was good, but who looks pregnant in a suit.?

7. Most embarrasing moment as a parent: Well as we approach the TWO's with Ragon we are constantly working on communication and obedience....well at the store the other day she was awesome, and then it happened, that moment every parent faces, the public tantrum. In 18 months I have been spared this moment. But on the way out of the store, it happened....She didn't want to get out of the car (part of the grocery basket) and so I gave her a choice, she could get out herself and walk to the car or I could carry her (which she does not like)....She decided to ignore the questions. After counting to ten, I said politely "Okay - mommy will make the choice...)As I grab her little hand to assist her in crawling out, she starts to come out with me and then apparently it occurrs to her...Why not try the noodle in public? So picture this, I am seven months pregnant, with two bags of groceries, my purse in one hand and my 18 month old dangling by the other....I couldn't let go or she would have crashed to the floor head first...I was stuck. I decided to calmly inform her that she was going to hurt herself....That didn't work...So the next option, "IF you do not stop this, I will have to give you a spanking to help you calm down." This at least stopped the back bend so I could scoop her up and head out. She continued to scream all the way out. As I was walking out, I hear someone yell, "Murphy" (I go by this name at work) it was one of the police officers I worked with for years....he just said as he laughed...."Nice....."

The Noodle

This is what we call in our family "the noodle". It is when you don't get something you want, you resort to the ultimate backbend and screaming match. Don't worry, in our family, when you pull "a noodle" you get lots of cheers and screams that you can do better and "arch your back higher". I know we are mean....but I don't respond to this type of behavior! If you are experiencing the noodle, I suggest you read an excellent book my sister gave me. "Love and Logic" - it is an excellent book....and even though this picture does not look like it, we have seriously decreased the noodling in our family!

Last Day of The Summer

Well, unfortunately this is the last day of the summer that my neices are going to spend with me. It really makes me sad that it went by so fast. It will REALLY make Ragon sad when she realizes that Emmy and LaLa won't be here twice a week anymore. They have been such good cousins to Ragon. They have probably learned a lot about babies, diapering, bottles, etc. More than they ever wanted to know I am sure. But they were a big help to me this summer, most of all just entertaining Ragon. So she will miss them I am sure of it! And so will I. They helped me cook dinners, rock Ragon, and do all kinds of fun things. We went to the pool more times than I can count...even though for some reason it seemed to rain a lot. We had some good times together! Here is a picture of the girls. We had a fun day today. We went to the mall to play on the indoor playground...because again...it was RAINING. And then we went to my favorite resale shop....while there, the girls did a little shopping of their own. Now I am telling you this to BRAG. If you buy new things...you are insane in the membrane....Today here is what I bought:

1. Polo Shirt Long Sleeved for Greyson - $2.99

2. Another Polo Shirt Long Sleeved for Greyson - $3.99

3. Old Navy Swim Suit for Ragon $3.99 (25% off s0 2.99)

4. Baby Gap Courduroys and Matching Peasant Top for Ragon - $7.99

5. Ralph Lauren Jeans Greyson - $4.99

6. Baby Gap Army Green Shorts Greyson - $4.99

7. Jeans - Ann Marie - $5.99

8. Peasant Top - Ann Marie - $5.99

9. Jeans - Lauren - $5.99

10. Old Navy Top - Lauren - $2.99

Grand Total $48.90. Let me point out that the outfits are the ones they are wearing in this picture. And the total for each outfit was around $10...per outfit!!!! That is crazy and they are totally adorable. So - if you are a skeptic....look into it. I bought all of Ragon's clothes for the summer for $113 at the JBF Sale. Coming up, Starting Aug. 24th. Think about it!

Husband For Sale

Of course this is a joke. David has been having a blast, and I have been learning how much I desperately need him and miss him. Ragon is just not quite the same without her Daddy. It is funny, neither one of us sleep well without him here and both our moods are kind of sour without our Daddy around. He, however, is having a blast. I think they have played the course around our resort three times, twice in one day. Then one place in Phoenix. He called me to tell me that they went to walk around one night and saw two wild boar on the path to the room! Wierd. (I was wondering if he had been drinking). Anyway - he says they wake up and make coffee, sit on the balcony overlooking the golf course framed by the mountains. You can see them in the background of the picture. That is why I posted "Husband For Sale". I sent him a picture of Ragon and I tuckered out and missing him desperately, and this is one of the pictures he sent back. It isn't a good pic, it was taken with his phone, but you get the idea! He will be back today, PRAISE THE LORD!

All By Myself....Don't Wanna Be...All By Myself

As of this morning at 5:20 am, I am a single mom until Sunday! I don't know how I am going to do it. I don't know about you ladies, but my honey buns is a huge help to me....with Ragon, with cooking, dishes, laundry the house. He is amazing. I don't want to be by myself. He is with some of the "boys" for a golfing trip in Sedona, Arizona. I think they have four tee times in four days. Needless to say his life will be rough. Don't think he is bad for leaving me at six months preggo...it was my idea. But I am starting to regret it. Four days and no one to take over when I am too hot, too tired, and just flat sick of being a mom, and need to go to the bathroom by myself. In addition to the fact that I am a frady cat. I don't like staying home alone. No one to get up and check out the scary noises.....Oh well. I am counting down the days until he comes back. It did make me sad this morning that Ragon walked around the house looking for him. She kept thinking he was hiding from her. So she would run around a corner laughing and peek and then throw her hands up with a confused look and say "Daddy"? No pics for the next few days...Daddy took our camera! Have a good week!

Hot Dog!!!!

Man is it hot outside. We have been trying to figure out fun things to do while inside. I am not big on getting Ragon to sit inside and watch TV. So we have been coloring, playing kitchen, working on our sounds with Starfall, etc. But on occassion we will flip on the old Tube when I am flat worn out. Ragon does not care to watch TV, but she does love the Hot Dog Song from the Mickey Mouse Club House. She doesn't watch the cartoon at all, but when it comes time to play the Hot Dog Song, she goes nuts. Watch the clip, it is a hoot. My favorite is the "arm spin"...we have no idea where this came from, but it is funny to watch.

White Trash Big Splash

On a budget like we are? Well let me tell you, two kids under the age of 18 months have no idea if you are not at big splash. Just take the slide in your back yard. Grab a pool from Walmart ($5) and a sprinkler play ring from Walmart (4$) put the slide middle of the play ring and there you have it....White Trash Big Splash. It isn't fancy and sure as heck probably not very sanitary. But don't they look like they are having fun to you? This is my neice Cate and her mama, Dee (my sister in law). This was Cate's first time in the pool....She liked it. Minus the few times that Ragon decided that Cate might possibly want to feel the cool water dumped on her head. We had to convince her that Cate doesn't like that.....ironically though, Cate didn't really seem to mind it. She is a tough kid!

Crazy Kid....

This is the pool by our house! I have been telling you how amazing it is. The pics are close up so I included a pic of how big this thing is that my one year old seems to go down with ease. This kid is not afraid of anything! She does not want us to touch her, except when she lands, if she doesn't land upright, she prefers we help her out! Otherwise, she climbs the whole thing by herself and puts herself down the slide.

We are still working on the waiting in line thing, but I want to scream at some parents. So l am going to hop on my soap box. You can teach your children rules and respect at a very early age. My seventeen month old (now it has taken a couple of days) is starting to catch on to waiting in line. She is not a master at it, but she is getting it. I saw four and five year old children walking up and literally walking past all the children waiting in line to go down a slide, push someone over and then get on the slide. I wanted to grap this little kids hand and walk him to his parents and say. "Either you are not paying attention to your kid.....this is bad. Or for some reason you don't care if he grows up with respect for others and for rules...this is also bad." There are no two ways around it. I can't imagine people not teaching their children to respect others and the rules, no matter how old they are. But then again, this explains why gentlemen are so few and far between anymore. I promise you this. My children will treat others with respect or I will beat them (permission granted to my friends and family to knock my kids in the head for being disrespectful)! And my son, as long as it takes me, will treat women with kindness, gentleness and like a lady should be treated. Go ahead, call me old fashioned...I don't care.

I am off my soap box now......