Monday, March 31, 2008
orlando
We’re back – alive and well. We thoroughly enjoyed our little getaway… Ammon’s first real road trip. Here’s a little narrative of our many adventures down south:
THURSDAY:
The decision to leave on Thursday was a multi-facetted one: 1.) We thought that it would be better for Ammon if it wasn’t our normal whirlwind trip. We thought that we should have another day before another long drive; and 2.) We, the adults, wanted to have another day of fun! So, instead of leaving Friday afternoon, we left on Thursday when Brian got home from work. Of course, this was the one day last week that Brian had to work until 4:30… meaning a later start. My mom came down a little early to help with Ammon so that I could get some last minute things done. We hadn’t had a good night on Wednesday. As soon as I was ready to go to bed at about 12:30, Ammon was up – and didn’t have any intentions of going back to sleep (I was up with him until 5:45, and then he was up for the day at 7:00). After I finished getting ready we ran some errands – killing some time before Brian would be home. Then came the daunting task of loading the car. We had quite a bit more to take due to Ammon (see the photo in the previous post, but note that this is only part of what we ended up taking and does not include my mom’s luggage). When Brian got home and saw all that needed to fit in our little car, he gave me the “you’re crazy if you think this is going to work” look. But, stubborn-as-ever Stacy was determined to fit it all – and I did. Very, very carefully. It would be an understatement to say that we were a little cramped. For instance, in the back seat alone there were three suitcases, two large bags, a car seat and myself.
We stopped for dinner and were then on our way at about 6:00pm. I was more than a little worried about how Ammon would do on the trip – he hates his car seat with a purple passion. I decided to try and trick him by giving him his bath before we left; hoping that he would think that it was bedtime. And to my amazement, it worked. He fussed for just a few minutes and he was asleep before we even got out of Dothan. He slept for the majority of the trip – only waking up about 45 minutes before we arrived at my aunt’s house. Of course when he did wake up, he was ready to get out of his car seat – and it didn’t help that we were at a complete stand-still due to an accident. We arrived at about 11:30 – quickly unloading the car and getting ready for bed. Naturally, Ammon was up and ready to play. He was very excited to be going to his great-aunt’s house, and was even more excited to see her.
FRIDAY:
We took the opportunity of sleeping in a bit before Ammon was ready to be up for the day. We had a bit of a lazy morning – taking our time getting dressed, eating breakfast and enjoying each other’s company. My uncle and grandmother had come down early Thursday and we hadn’t seen them when we got in. Ammon’s love of dogs was illustrated that morning – there was a dog show on television. I don’t think he took his eyes off the screen the entire time it was on. Each time a new dog came on the screen, he did his new “who… whoo… whooo…”. As soon as we have a yard, I think we will be adding a new member to the family.
After a while, we all decided it was high time for some fun – running some errands and doing some shopping. My mom, aunt and grandmother needed to go to the LDS distribution center, so Brian and I introduced Ammon to the most beautiful Temple – of course I am a little biased, but I do think it is one of the prettiest. While we were walking around the grounds, we saw this squirrel clinging to the side of the Temple next to one of the corners. He climbed all the way to the top and back down – jumping from side to side. Freaky – I ended up moving on sooner than Brian and Ammon did… I didn’t want to see him plummeting to the ground should he have lost his grip. After we left the Temple, we went down the street to the LDS bookstore, and then on to Target (where we saw the nine-foot man… no kidding, I barely came to his hips... and no joking about my height), Best Buy and Toys ‘R’ Us… for Brian. Ammon loved the excitement of this new place – soaking everything in with each breath. I think he was afraid to blink in fear that he might miss something. So fun to see him so inquisitive.
That evening, my cousin and her family came over and we enjoyed a yummy dinner of sesame-ginger salmon with linguine. Yummy. We visited for a while before they went home. After a bit, we headed to Steak ‘n Shake for chocolate shakes – a tradition for my family, though this wasn’t a midnight run like it usually is. Brian had some school work to do online, so we were up quite a bit later than everyone else. It was about 12:30 before he and I got to bed. I was starting to really feel the fact that I hadn’t had much sleep since Tuesday night, and was really ready to hit the hay.
SATURDAY:
Friday night we had all run through our itinerary for Saturday, as it was going to be an extremely busy day. We all got up early and drove out to the shoppers’ Mecca – the Disney World for spenders. This place has everything – everything – talk about one-stop shopping and sales galore. We all spent more then we should have, I’m quite sure. And while we only went into about six or seven stores (to include the shoe store that has inspired my new moto: “Life is short. Get the shoes.”), we were there for about six hours. Again, Ammon was completely enthralled with his new surroundings – totally enchanted with every new thing.
We travelled home in the mid-afternoon for the girls to get ready for their night on the town (we have season tickets to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre… and we have had such fun!). We picked up my cousin and went out to eat at Roadhouse. Then, off to Bob Carr for…
Spamalot… “a new musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture “Monty Python and the Holy Grail””. Those of you who have seen this film can guess what we were in for that night. Pure silliness – a tad irreverent at times – but hilariously silly (veeery, very niiice) and certainly not meant to be understood. We had such a good time and our cheeks hurt from laughing by the time we left. The Alabama girls were originally going to skip this show, but since we missed My Fair Lady because I was… well, lets just say that I had a previous engagement delivering Ammon – we decided to come down for this one. So glad we did.
SUNDAY:
We got up early and got ready for church. Brian, Ammon, my mom and I only stayed for Sacrament meeting (my aunt's ward has a slight mold problem in their building, and our noses burned as soon as we walked in, but Ammon was quite the hit!). Once we got back to my aunt’s house, we were in need of a little fresh air. So, we walked around Downtown Disney for a bit. The weather was so nice (it was all weekend), and it was great to be able to enjoy it a bit more. Ammon really loved his first Disney experience. He adored the bright colors and music. There was so much to see and he was craning his neck the whole time trying to catch everything. I was paranoid that Ammon was going to get too much sun, so we were on a quest to find a hat that would fit his sweet little noggin. No such luck – everything was just a tad too big. We ended up having to buy a novelty pin also, and cinch up the hat with it so that the hat wouldn’t fall off his head. We stayed for a few hours before enjoying some yummy lunch and heading home.
We had been warned not to leave for Alabama until my uncle returned home from Ocala (this would be his first time seeing Ammon) and my cousin arrived from Sarasota on her way to Jacksonville. After they both arrived we enjoyed a nice visit before starting what we hate most of all – getting ready to go home. Packing the car was a little trickier this time around as we had to fit all our loot in as well. We ended up leaving some things at my aunt’s house. We were soon saying our see-you-laters… and were on the road by 6:00. I had given Ammon a bath before we left, and it worked like a charm. He was soon out like a light after watching Fraggles for a bit. We arrived home at about 11:30pm. We quickly unloaded the car and headed to bed – exhausted from such a fun trip.
LOOKING BACK:
Well, with our first big road trip as a family of three over and done with, I think that we can brave several more. This is a good thing as this year is full of trips for us. I am so glad that Ammon proved to be such a good traveler – like I was – it makes things go so much smoother. Comfort wise, I think this was one of the harder trips for me – even including our trips while I was pregnant, and the trips that we took to Montana when I was growing up... with six people crammed in a car – due to my tailbone problem (thank you, Ammon). It felt like my spine was vibrating for the entire drive – and it didn’t help that I was curled up in a ball the whole time because there was no place for my legs and feet (I had about half of a normal sized seat and no floorboard). I know that Brian was tired of driving and that my mom was tired of sitting and helping to keep Brian awake. But, despite all of this, I am so very glad that we went. We always have such a good time with our dear family. So nice to have a change of scenery every now and then – so nice to feel the love that we share as a family.
I guess we will have to go down south more often. Ammon was so much better there than he is at home. He was happy the whole time – not one meltdown – he enjoyed his baths, took good naps in his car seat or stroller while we were running around and – hold on to your seats – slept 12 hours every night we were there. Of course now that we are home, we are back to our normal “routine”. I think that this good behavior was due to the fact that he had an audience – and was trying to win the hearts of his family. He already had their hearts, though – he is quite the charmer.
We loved our time with you Aunt Kaye, Uncle Dana, Amy, Billy, Will, Bailey and Kim – sorry we missed you Brian, Jess, Brandon, Sarah, Gracey and Chris – we love you all and look forward to our return visit in a couple of weeks!
Note: Two cameras make for a ton of pictures… but there are never too many in my opinion. As a result, the photos from our trip are broken down into two slideshows. Enjoy.
THURSDAY:
The decision to leave on Thursday was a multi-facetted one: 1.) We thought that it would be better for Ammon if it wasn’t our normal whirlwind trip. We thought that we should have another day before another long drive; and 2.) We, the adults, wanted to have another day of fun! So, instead of leaving Friday afternoon, we left on Thursday when Brian got home from work. Of course, this was the one day last week that Brian had to work until 4:30… meaning a later start. My mom came down a little early to help with Ammon so that I could get some last minute things done. We hadn’t had a good night on Wednesday. As soon as I was ready to go to bed at about 12:30, Ammon was up – and didn’t have any intentions of going back to sleep (I was up with him until 5:45, and then he was up for the day at 7:00). After I finished getting ready we ran some errands – killing some time before Brian would be home. Then came the daunting task of loading the car. We had quite a bit more to take due to Ammon (see the photo in the previous post, but note that this is only part of what we ended up taking and does not include my mom’s luggage). When Brian got home and saw all that needed to fit in our little car, he gave me the “you’re crazy if you think this is going to work” look. But, stubborn-as-ever Stacy was determined to fit it all – and I did. Very, very carefully. It would be an understatement to say that we were a little cramped. For instance, in the back seat alone there were three suitcases, two large bags, a car seat and myself.
We stopped for dinner and were then on our way at about 6:00pm. I was more than a little worried about how Ammon would do on the trip – he hates his car seat with a purple passion. I decided to try and trick him by giving him his bath before we left; hoping that he would think that it was bedtime. And to my amazement, it worked. He fussed for just a few minutes and he was asleep before we even got out of Dothan. He slept for the majority of the trip – only waking up about 45 minutes before we arrived at my aunt’s house. Of course when he did wake up, he was ready to get out of his car seat – and it didn’t help that we were at a complete stand-still due to an accident. We arrived at about 11:30 – quickly unloading the car and getting ready for bed. Naturally, Ammon was up and ready to play. He was very excited to be going to his great-aunt’s house, and was even more excited to see her.
FRIDAY:
We took the opportunity of sleeping in a bit before Ammon was ready to be up for the day. We had a bit of a lazy morning – taking our time getting dressed, eating breakfast and enjoying each other’s company. My uncle and grandmother had come down early Thursday and we hadn’t seen them when we got in. Ammon’s love of dogs was illustrated that morning – there was a dog show on television. I don’t think he took his eyes off the screen the entire time it was on. Each time a new dog came on the screen, he did his new “who… whoo… whooo…”. As soon as we have a yard, I think we will be adding a new member to the family.
After a while, we all decided it was high time for some fun – running some errands and doing some shopping. My mom, aunt and grandmother needed to go to the LDS distribution center, so Brian and I introduced Ammon to the most beautiful Temple – of course I am a little biased, but I do think it is one of the prettiest. While we were walking around the grounds, we saw this squirrel clinging to the side of the Temple next to one of the corners. He climbed all the way to the top and back down – jumping from side to side. Freaky – I ended up moving on sooner than Brian and Ammon did… I didn’t want to see him plummeting to the ground should he have lost his grip. After we left the Temple, we went down the street to the LDS bookstore, and then on to Target (where we saw the nine-foot man… no kidding, I barely came to his hips... and no joking about my height), Best Buy and Toys ‘R’ Us… for Brian. Ammon loved the excitement of this new place – soaking everything in with each breath. I think he was afraid to blink in fear that he might miss something. So fun to see him so inquisitive.
That evening, my cousin and her family came over and we enjoyed a yummy dinner of sesame-ginger salmon with linguine. Yummy. We visited for a while before they went home. After a bit, we headed to Steak ‘n Shake for chocolate shakes – a tradition for my family, though this wasn’t a midnight run like it usually is. Brian had some school work to do online, so we were up quite a bit later than everyone else. It was about 12:30 before he and I got to bed. I was starting to really feel the fact that I hadn’t had much sleep since Tuesday night, and was really ready to hit the hay.
SATURDAY:
Friday night we had all run through our itinerary for Saturday, as it was going to be an extremely busy day. We all got up early and drove out to the shoppers’ Mecca – the Disney World for spenders. This place has everything – everything – talk about one-stop shopping and sales galore. We all spent more then we should have, I’m quite sure. And while we only went into about six or seven stores (to include the shoe store that has inspired my new moto: “Life is short. Get the shoes.”), we were there for about six hours. Again, Ammon was completely enthralled with his new surroundings – totally enchanted with every new thing.
We travelled home in the mid-afternoon for the girls to get ready for their night on the town (we have season tickets to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre… and we have had such fun!). We picked up my cousin and went out to eat at Roadhouse. Then, off to Bob Carr for…
Spamalot… “a new musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture “Monty Python and the Holy Grail””. Those of you who have seen this film can guess what we were in for that night. Pure silliness – a tad irreverent at times – but hilariously silly (veeery, very niiice) and certainly not meant to be understood. We had such a good time and our cheeks hurt from laughing by the time we left. The Alabama girls were originally going to skip this show, but since we missed My Fair Lady because I was… well, lets just say that I had a previous engagement delivering Ammon – we decided to come down for this one. So glad we did.
SUNDAY:
We got up early and got ready for church. Brian, Ammon, my mom and I only stayed for Sacrament meeting (my aunt's ward has a slight mold problem in their building, and our noses burned as soon as we walked in, but Ammon was quite the hit!). Once we got back to my aunt’s house, we were in need of a little fresh air. So, we walked around Downtown Disney for a bit. The weather was so nice (it was all weekend), and it was great to be able to enjoy it a bit more. Ammon really loved his first Disney experience. He adored the bright colors and music. There was so much to see and he was craning his neck the whole time trying to catch everything. I was paranoid that Ammon was going to get too much sun, so we were on a quest to find a hat that would fit his sweet little noggin. No such luck – everything was just a tad too big. We ended up having to buy a novelty pin also, and cinch up the hat with it so that the hat wouldn’t fall off his head. We stayed for a few hours before enjoying some yummy lunch and heading home.
We had been warned not to leave for Alabama until my uncle returned home from Ocala (this would be his first time seeing Ammon) and my cousin arrived from Sarasota on her way to Jacksonville. After they both arrived we enjoyed a nice visit before starting what we hate most of all – getting ready to go home. Packing the car was a little trickier this time around as we had to fit all our loot in as well. We ended up leaving some things at my aunt’s house. We were soon saying our see-you-laters… and were on the road by 6:00. I had given Ammon a bath before we left, and it worked like a charm. He was soon out like a light after watching Fraggles for a bit. We arrived home at about 11:30pm. We quickly unloaded the car and headed to bed – exhausted from such a fun trip.
LOOKING BACK:
Well, with our first big road trip as a family of three over and done with, I think that we can brave several more. This is a good thing as this year is full of trips for us. I am so glad that Ammon proved to be such a good traveler – like I was – it makes things go so much smoother. Comfort wise, I think this was one of the harder trips for me – even including our trips while I was pregnant, and the trips that we took to Montana when I was growing up... with six people crammed in a car – due to my tailbone problem (thank you, Ammon). It felt like my spine was vibrating for the entire drive – and it didn’t help that I was curled up in a ball the whole time because there was no place for my legs and feet (I had about half of a normal sized seat and no floorboard). I know that Brian was tired of driving and that my mom was tired of sitting and helping to keep Brian awake. But, despite all of this, I am so very glad that we went. We always have such a good time with our dear family. So nice to have a change of scenery every now and then – so nice to feel the love that we share as a family.
I guess we will have to go down south more often. Ammon was so much better there than he is at home. He was happy the whole time – not one meltdown – he enjoyed his baths, took good naps in his car seat or stroller while we were running around and – hold on to your seats – slept 12 hours every night we were there. Of course now that we are home, we are back to our normal “routine”. I think that this good behavior was due to the fact that he had an audience – and was trying to win the hearts of his family. He already had their hearts, though – he is quite the charmer.
We loved our time with you Aunt Kaye, Uncle Dana, Amy, Billy, Will, Bailey and Kim – sorry we missed you Brian, Jess, Brandon, Sarah, Gracey and Chris – we love you all and look forward to our return visit in a couple of weeks!
Note: Two cameras make for a ton of pictures… but there are never too many in my opinion. As a result, the photos from our trip are broken down into two slideshows. Enjoy.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
it must be genetic
I guess it can be said that Brian’s birthday wish came true this year. Saturday morning, Brian was watching Transformers while Ammon was having his breakfast. Optimus Prime rolled down the alleyway – and Ammon was hooked. He turned his head so that he could see the television – and was so engrossed in what he was seeing that he couldn’t focus enough to eat. He got very chatty; doing his new thing as loud as he could when Bumblebee came on the screen… “who… whoo... whooo…”. Ha… and I was worried he wouldn't like it. Brian’s right. It must be genetic.
Today begins the mad dash to get everything ready for our big trip that starts tomorrow. Laundry, cleaning, errands, shopping, packing… not to mention wedging everything into our car. Things are a tad different now that Ammon is around. We’ll see how we – primarily me – do.
We are looking forward to some time away. Looking forward to some time spent with family. Looking forward to a change of scenery.
Looking forward to togetherness.
Today begins the mad dash to get everything ready for our big trip that starts tomorrow. Laundry, cleaning, errands, shopping, packing… not to mention wedging everything into our car. Things are a tad different now that Ammon is around. We’ll see how we – primarily me – do.
We are looking forward to some time away. Looking forward to some time spent with family. Looking forward to a change of scenery.
Looking forward to togetherness.
Monday, March 24, 2008
baby, it's cold outside
Who would have thought that the shorts and flip-flops weather that we have had of late would turn into coat, snuggly blanket and hot chocolate weather… all in one afternoon? Well it has and I’m not complaining. I love cold weather… and I am not looking forward to the summer heat. But, I do wish the weather would make up its mind.
We had a wonderful weekend. I’ll say it again – wonderful weekend! Friday night, my mom came and watched Ammon so that Brian and I could go out for dinner and a movie – for Brian’s birthday, of course. We ate far too much and then went to see Horton. I am a bit of a purest when it comes to Dr. Seuss, and I tend to not like remakes as much as the originals. But this was a fairly good movie and we enjoyed ourselves… unlike my mom, who had a very cranky boy on her hands. This proved to be the case for most of the night. Ammon and I ended up sleeping on the couch.
Saturday (Brian’s actual birthday), we left Ammon in Enterprise and travelled to Destin, Florida for the day. This was the first time that I was away from Ammon for more than a few hours – and it was the farthest that I have ever been away from him. I must say that I was pretty upset about it for the first little bit of the drive down (what am I saying – I was very upset about it – I chewed off all my fingernails before we even crossed the state line). Then, I started to enjoy my little break. While we thought of nothing but Ammon while we were gone, bought treats primarily for him, and couldn’t wait to get home – we had a very nice day. We didn’t go to the beach because it was very windy and a little chilly. We shopped a little and went to Hard Rock Café for lunch – always very yummy. When we picked Ammon up, we discovered that he had slept for most of the day – he took good naps, didn’t have to be wrapped up to be put down, and actually enjoyed his bath! In other words, he was better than he is at home. But this is typical, I am told. We got home fairly early and put Ammon to bed. We had another long night… I guess Ammon sensed that he was at home, and decided that it was time to act like a pterodactyl. Ammon and I ended up sleeping on the couch… again. Just to give you interested readers an idea of what Ammon’s idea of fun is: We were up playing from 2:00am until about 5:45. Fun, fun, fun. After he got tired of playing he was absolutely purple with rage. Those of you paying close attention to his Easter pictures can probably see the self-inflicted wounds on his sweet face.
Easter Sunday didn’t go as nicely as I had hoped it would. Being Ammon’s first and all, I wanted it to go smoothly – get all those pictures – and it just didn’t (just like Christmas morning didn’t). First off, we woke up only an hour before we had to leave (thank heavens I had gotten everything ready the night before… Saturday is a special day. It’s the day we get ready for Sunday…); Ammon was being a pill; before we even got to church, there was spit up all over Ammon’s new Easter sweater... after only 30 minutes at church it was all over his onesie and pants, too; Ammon didn’t want to cooperate for his Easter pictures; I was exhausted; etc., etc., etc..
But despite all this, our Easter was still special. How could it not be? How nice it is to have a day set aside to remember our Savior’s atonement for each of us. To quote my dear friend Hila, “…I am grateful that He loved me enough to die for me. I cannot even come close to understanding how much He must love us. As deeply as I have loved, I know it does not even begin to compare with the love He feels for us.” She said it better than I could have. I, too, am grateful to have an understanding of His sacrifice and resurrection. I know that He lives. I am grateful for His sacrifice. My family is grateful for His sacrifice. Because of it, we have the opportunity to return to live with our Heavenly Father. How great is that knowledge.
Sunday afternoon was a busy one for our family. We spent the afternoon with Brian’s family and, to mimic his cousin, I think that we celebrated more in one day than we ever have before – and that is definitely saying something. Not only did we celebrate Easter with a big, delicious dinner and Easter egg hunt, but we also celebrated the birthdays of Brian and our nephew, Caulin (who turned 4 on St. Patrick’s Day). We had a busy afternoon, but really did have a good time with our family. The kids had great fun finding all their eggs. It was such a beautiful day to be outside, even though it was so cold – we could actually feel the temperature dropping in the short amount of time the kids were hunting eggs. Caulin opened his birthday presents while we ate birthday cake – Brian enjoyed playing with our gift to Caulin. Can anyone guess what it was?
Today was fairly uneventful. Ammon slept fairly well last night, and took two good naps today. All of which I am eternally grateful for. I woke up this morning feeling cruddy. Pure cruddy. My allergies/sinuses are not enjoying the massive amounts of pollen that can be found around our home. Brian washed my car on Friday, and by Sunday it was already completely yellow. Yuck. This is only the beginning…
We had a wonderful weekend. I’ll say it again – wonderful weekend! Friday night, my mom came and watched Ammon so that Brian and I could go out for dinner and a movie – for Brian’s birthday, of course. We ate far too much and then went to see Horton. I am a bit of a purest when it comes to Dr. Seuss, and I tend to not like remakes as much as the originals. But this was a fairly good movie and we enjoyed ourselves… unlike my mom, who had a very cranky boy on her hands. This proved to be the case for most of the night. Ammon and I ended up sleeping on the couch.
Saturday (Brian’s actual birthday), we left Ammon in Enterprise and travelled to Destin, Florida for the day. This was the first time that I was away from Ammon for more than a few hours – and it was the farthest that I have ever been away from him. I must say that I was pretty upset about it for the first little bit of the drive down (what am I saying – I was very upset about it – I chewed off all my fingernails before we even crossed the state line). Then, I started to enjoy my little break. While we thought of nothing but Ammon while we were gone, bought treats primarily for him, and couldn’t wait to get home – we had a very nice day. We didn’t go to the beach because it was very windy and a little chilly. We shopped a little and went to Hard Rock Café for lunch – always very yummy. When we picked Ammon up, we discovered that he had slept for most of the day – he took good naps, didn’t have to be wrapped up to be put down, and actually enjoyed his bath! In other words, he was better than he is at home. But this is typical, I am told. We got home fairly early and put Ammon to bed. We had another long night… I guess Ammon sensed that he was at home, and decided that it was time to act like a pterodactyl. Ammon and I ended up sleeping on the couch… again. Just to give you interested readers an idea of what Ammon’s idea of fun is: We were up playing from 2:00am until about 5:45. Fun, fun, fun. After he got tired of playing he was absolutely purple with rage. Those of you paying close attention to his Easter pictures can probably see the self-inflicted wounds on his sweet face.
Easter Sunday didn’t go as nicely as I had hoped it would. Being Ammon’s first and all, I wanted it to go smoothly – get all those pictures – and it just didn’t (just like Christmas morning didn’t). First off, we woke up only an hour before we had to leave (thank heavens I had gotten everything ready the night before… Saturday is a special day. It’s the day we get ready for Sunday…); Ammon was being a pill; before we even got to church, there was spit up all over Ammon’s new Easter sweater... after only 30 minutes at church it was all over his onesie and pants, too; Ammon didn’t want to cooperate for his Easter pictures; I was exhausted; etc., etc., etc..
But despite all this, our Easter was still special. How could it not be? How nice it is to have a day set aside to remember our Savior’s atonement for each of us. To quote my dear friend Hila, “…I am grateful that He loved me enough to die for me. I cannot even come close to understanding how much He must love us. As deeply as I have loved, I know it does not even begin to compare with the love He feels for us.” She said it better than I could have. I, too, am grateful to have an understanding of His sacrifice and resurrection. I know that He lives. I am grateful for His sacrifice. My family is grateful for His sacrifice. Because of it, we have the opportunity to return to live with our Heavenly Father. How great is that knowledge.
Sunday afternoon was a busy one for our family. We spent the afternoon with Brian’s family and, to mimic his cousin, I think that we celebrated more in one day than we ever have before – and that is definitely saying something. Not only did we celebrate Easter with a big, delicious dinner and Easter egg hunt, but we also celebrated the birthdays of Brian and our nephew, Caulin (who turned 4 on St. Patrick’s Day). We had a busy afternoon, but really did have a good time with our family. The kids had great fun finding all their eggs. It was such a beautiful day to be outside, even though it was so cold – we could actually feel the temperature dropping in the short amount of time the kids were hunting eggs. Caulin opened his birthday presents while we ate birthday cake – Brian enjoyed playing with our gift to Caulin. Can anyone guess what it was?
Today was fairly uneventful. Ammon slept fairly well last night, and took two good naps today. All of which I am eternally grateful for. I woke up this morning feeling cruddy. Pure cruddy. My allergies/sinuses are not enjoying the massive amounts of pollen that can be found around our home. Brian washed my car on Friday, and by Sunday it was already completely yellow. Yuck. This is only the beginning…
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
books fall open, ammon falls in… literally
Ammon loves books – really, he does. What are his favorites? “The Monster at the end of this Book” starring lovable, furry old Grover (this is one of my favorites, so I introduced it first, of course); “But Not the Hippopotamus” by Sandra Boynton; and Dr. Seuss’s “Circus McGurkus 1, 2, 3!” based on Dr. Seuss’s “If I Ran the Circus”. Believe it or not, yesterday he learned how to turn the pages of his “Circus McGurkus” book. He loves his books so much, and looks at the pictures so absorbedly, that he usually ends up “falling in” to them. So glad that he is soaking up some good culture early.
Speaking of culture… Brian feels that I inadvertently expose Ammon to entirely too much “sissy stuff” by indulging my own cultural interests during the day (i.e.: a little Gene Kelly or Cary Grant here and there). Granted we have had Fred and Ginger week, Howard Keel week, and chick-flick week – just to name a few. But, remember this is done 1.) for noise… as we aren’t usually “watching”, and 2.) to keep me from getting overly tired of Fraggle Rock. And what’s wrong with a little culture? What Brian doesn’t know is that we rock out to Billy Joel and Harry Connick, Jr. on occasion. I’m thinking of adding The Beatles and Neil Diamond to the repertoire next week… maybe some musical soundtracks, too…
But, despite all this, Brian offsets the “culture” with plenty of man-movies, Voltron and Transformers. I am more than positive that Ammon will not be a “sissy”, even though he is quite the “mama’s boy”. It has been said before, and will surely be said again - he is all boy.
Today… good gravy, I don’t even want to think about it. It did have its good moments. Ammon and I enjoyed lunch with my mom (and another visit from her later) and a nice visit from our friends Becky and Little Brian. But, during the other moments I was reciting this over and over and over again:
I will not pinch. I will not bite.
I will not kick. I will not yell.
I will not pout. I will not cry.
I will not throw things.
I must behave.
I must set a good example.
I must remember…
I am the Mom.
I am the Mom.
I am the Mom.
We have a very opinionated three-month old who knows what he wants, knows that he wants it right away, and knows that his mom isn’t doing it fast enough. Nothing I did was right and the only thing that I accomplished today was getting a headache. It didn’t help that Ammon spent most of the day in his car seat, missed two naps, and was up almost an hour past his bedtime. But, there is a new sunrise on the horizon… and we try yet again.
Updates: Ammon slept through the night again last night… we’re keeping our fingers crossed for several repeats... or at least one. He is also pulling himself up to a sitting position now while holding on to your fingers. Such a big boy...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
just for you, becky...
At the request of my friend Becky, here are some recipes… two of which I made for our Girlie Green Party on Monday. The next to last recipe I made for lunch on Tuesday, when my friend Hila came over. The last one is just good (if you like the chicken pillows, you will like the casserole also). All yummy… and making me a little hungry.
[ chicken marinade ]
[ chicken marinade ]
For 1 pound of chicken breasts or chicken tenders:
½ cup Italian dressing (drain spices and discard)
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 ½ teaspoons honey
This is the original recipe – but I never follow it. I just throw everything in a bowl and go to town (I usually use quite a bit of honey and I don’t drain the spices out of the Italian dressing... have you ever tried to do that?). That’s what is so great about it – you don’t have to use these exact measurements. Any of these ingredients by themselves make a good marinade, so if you have more of one thing than another, it’s still fine. It will taste slightly different, but never bad. It is best if you can marinate your chicken overnight or for a big chunk of the day; however, I am usually never able to do this – it’s still tasty after only an hour or so. You can use this to grill chicken or bake it or cook it in a pan on the stove.
This chicken is good with just about everything, but it is great on salads – I usually throw in tomatoes, dried cranberries, almond slices, grated carrot, red grapes and shredded parmesan cheese – the flavor combination is heavenly. Crunchy, tart and sweet… good stuff.
[ mint brownies ]
2 cups butter, melted
3/4 cup cocoa
2 1/4 cup sugar
6 eggs, beaten
Combine above ingredients and mix well. Add the following to this mixture:
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bake this brownie layer in a Texas sheet cake pan or two 9x13” pans for this amount. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes (add 8-10 minutes if you use two 9x13” pans). Cool completely.
Mint frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
5 tablespoons milk
6 drops of food coloring
2 teaspoons mint or peppermint extract
Mix well. Spread frosting on chilled brownie layer and then chill again. Melt a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and spread on frosting for top layer. Chill.
[ chicken pillows ]
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded (or two cans of chicken if you’re pinched for time)
8 oz. cream cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
6-8 crescent rolls (Pillsbury is best)
Stuffing mix, slightly ground up (Pepperidge Farm is best for this recipe)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
Combine chicken, cream cheese and seasonings (I usually boil my chicken and then chop with my food chopper). Add a spoonful of mixture to center of crescent roll. Wrap up dough and pinch the edges. Dip in melted butter and then roll in stuffing mix (I usually put my stuffing mix in a Ziploc bag and go over it with a rolling pin or glass). Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes (I bake on my Pampered Chef baking stone). Serve with mushroom sauce (combine soup and milk in saucepan and simmer over low heat until smooth and creamy).
[ chicken noodle casserole ]
4 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
Margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small jar of pimentos
2 cans (8 oz. total) sliced mushroom pieces
Stuffing mix, slightly ground up (Pepperidge Farm is best for this recipe)
Egg noodles, cooked
Boil chicken first and allow to cool. Cut into pieces and set aside. Cook noodles (1/3-1/2 of a small bag is usually enough ). Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sauté onion and green pepper in margarine. Make a white sauce of 3 tablespoons of margarine, flour and milk. Combine sauce with onion and green pepper mixture and bring to a boil. Add cream of chicken soup, pimentos, mushrooms (I usually cut these up into smaller pieces) and chicken. Combine this with cooked noodles. Place in a casserole and sprinkle with stuffing mix (I usually put my stuffing mix in a Ziploc bag and go over it with a rolling pin or glass). Dot with margarine. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly brown on top.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
simple joys that make us smile
Thursday, Ammon and I had lunch with our friends Kristy and Kate. We had fun walking around the mall – enjoying the carousel, Easter Bunny and all the stores. Kristy and I have both been on a huge learning curve taking a toddler and infant out in public – this adventure was much better than our first attempt. Ammon was very good – he didn’t even have to be taken out of his stroller, and actually fell asleep in it – a definite first! We had a fun time… not a surprise, as we always enjoy their company.
Friday, Ammon and I went to Enterprise. I had a hair appointment, and we also ran some errands with my mom. Once again, Ammon was better than I expected him to be – always a pleasant surprise. Except for the spit up-blowout in Wal-Mart (during which he had spit up coming out of his nose), he was happy, giggly and chatty. My mom came down and watched Ammon so that Brian and I could go to a movie – one last hurrah before Brian returned to school. We saw 10,000 B.C., – and it was very good. Quite a surprise to me – I wanted to see Horton…
Saturday, Brian and I attempted a trip to the park; however, it was far too windy for Ammon. Bummer – we will have to try again soon, before it gets miserably hot. We did go to Pure Imagination… an absolutely delicious store in Enterprise. If you like kitchen gadgets like I do, it is sheer heaven. I soaked in the new Vera Bradley patterns, too. Too bad I don’t have unlimited funds…
Sunday, we had a family reunion for Brian’s side of the family – marking Ammon’s first trip out of the state. We had a wonderful time eating and spending time with our family. We enjoyed the wonderful weather by spending some time outside around the pond and on the playground with our nephew and cousin. Ammon would rather be outside than anywhere else – pure boy, that one is. He did surprisingly well on the ride down and back – we were prepared with a portable DVD player and Fraggle Rock. We enjoyed some family time during the afternoon and evening – trying to enjoy the last bit of Brian’s break from school.
Monday, was a busy day for me. I spent most of the day preparing for the Girlie Green Party that I attended that night – perfect excuse to wear my new, entirely darling, green shoes. Boy, we had such a great time! My dear friends, Becky (along with baby Brian), Kristy, Hila, Kira (along with baby Josie) and I got together and had a little fling for St. Patrick’s Day. We enjoyed our yummy green food, conversation and friendship. Such fun.
Today was a wonderful day. My friend Hila, who is in town for her spring break, came over for lunch. And while things certainly did not go off without a hitch, we had a good time. Always good to be with good friends.
Brian officially went back to school yesterday – insert pout here – and he has started some new classes. He is just that much closer to being done – and we couldn’t be more proud of him. I think he made the most of the “free” time that he had – spending time with me, Ammon and catching up on some of the things he enjoys (i.e.: Ghost Hunters – which freaked me out only the slightest bit). We are so glad that he had a break – even though it was short – and that we were able to really enjoy his company.
Update on Ammon’s sleep habits: Ammon slept through the night on Sunday! Hooray! This, however, was just a one time thing. Last night, he slept worse than he has in quite a while. He can’t seem to make up his mind what he wants to do…
Busy, busy, busy – that is what we have been. Busier, busier, busier – that is what we will be starting this weekend. But we have been having such a good time – enjoying the simple things in our life that just make us smile.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
prettiest mom
I received this today from one of Brian's aunts. I thought I would share.Before I was a Mom –
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I never held down a screaming child
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I never held a sleeping baby
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I never held a sleeping baby
just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I didn't know the feeling
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I didn't know the feeling
of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.
-
Before I was a Mom –
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love,
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love,
the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction
of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling or being so much,
before I was a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling or being so much,
before I was a Mom.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
happy things
Monday, Ammon and I went to Enterprise to have lunch with my mom and grandmother. We had a lovely lunch at Smoochies, and then walked up Main Street to visit my dad at his shop. Ammon also got to see the Boll Weevil for the first time – a definite milestone...
Today was a rainy day – so, apart from a meeting I had to attend for church (very fun when you have a three-month-old who must have his share in the conversation), we had a lazy day watching WKRP in Cincinnati and The Muppet Show – quite the combination. Brian’s spring break officially began Sunday (as that is when he completed all his required tests and assignments) – Ammon and I are very excited to have him home more for a while.
The recent time change has not only messed me up, but Ammon as well. Our once “fairly predictable” bedtime routine is “fairly predictable” no longer. Yet another hurdle to clear. But, we will conquer this – we have got to...
Saturday, March 8, 2008
practically perfect at three months old
Despite my desperate attempts, yesterday came and Ammon officially became a three-month-old. Here’s the scoop:
He LOVES: to be held – when his daddy comes home – his mom to sing to him; however, this doesn’t work at bath time anymore – his changing table (don’t ask…) – his mouse rattle – his Horton elephant – to be bounced… hard and fast – his swing... cranked up as fast as it will go – to be “super-boy” (i.e.: held up high in the air) – to “stand” on your lap – for you to blow in his face – to blow bubbles – zerberts – to snuggle – to stretch – to look at lights – to be outside – to eat… and eat… and eat some more – tummy-time on the floor – Fraggle Rock (especially Wembley, Junior Gorg and Madame Trash Heap) – Sesame Street (especially Big Bird, Bert and Count)
He HATES: his bath – bedtime – car rides, unless we are driving very fast and listening to his Fraggle Rock CDs
Ammon continues to find great joy in “pouting for laughs”. He smiles and giggles in his crib at 4:00 in the morning when you respond to his screams of rage. His new “thing” is to scrunch up his nose when he laughs, making him look like a rabbit. He now makes a “bleh” noise and sticks his tongue out when he is offered his bink and does not want it. He continues to babble and giggle for most of the day – this if very fortunate considering he does not usually nap well. He is trying very hard to roll from his back to his tummy. He mimics some faces and sounds. When on his tummy, he scoots backwards with his arms – he also gets his knees up under him and tries very hard to scoot forward.
How WE are fairing after three months: We are slowly getting into a fairly predictable routine. We know what generally works, and what most definitely doesn’t. We can interpret his cries – for the most part. We try to take every opportunity to go out by ourselves, even though we don’t really enjoy being away from Ammon, so that we can get a break. While we still have our moments, we are learning and are doing the very best that we can to be good parents.
There are a hundred other things that Ammon does – I could go on and on about his quirks and milestones. The most important thing is that he is happy and healthy – practically perfect in every way. We continue to be amazed by his sweet spirit.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
bad equation
The last few days haven’t been the best here at the Thomas home. Ammon hasn’t wanted to take any naps – and yet he still doesn’t sleep well at night. I am trying to catch a cold and Brian has been cramming for final exams. Not an equation that equals much fun.But things are looking up – Ammon took a good nap today; one of Brian’s exams is over; and while I am not feeling any better, the weekend is coming and I can get a little more help with Ammon so that I can rest.
Ammon is growing so quickly – it seems that every day he is a little bigger than the day before. He turns three months old tomorrow. So hard to believe…
Monday, March 3, 2008
clean air and country mud
We have had a busy, but very pleasant, weekend. Saturday, Brian watched Ammon while I indulged myself with some much needed “me” time. So, I grabbed my Dr. Pepper, dark chocolate peanut M&Ms, plugged myself into my iPod, and got to work on Ammon’s first scrapbook. It was incredibly exhilarating to get my hands on some paper and play after such a long time (see some of the completed layouts posted previously). Ammon had a fairly good day and night – he really enjoyed his daddy being home and spending so much time with him. I could hear them both giggling downstairs. So sweet. Ammon loves, loves, loves Fraggle Rock. I say it’s all the bright colors, but he likes the songs, too. His Fraggle Rock CDs arrived today – I sense that we will be putting them to work immediately.
We took the opportunity to go down to Brian’s parents’ house for the afternoon yesterday. Brian’s mom watched Ammon while we rode around the country on the 4-wheeler… carefully avoiding all the puddles and bogs. Oh, if we had only brought grubby clothes. There’s nothing like good ol’ country mud to make you feel good. Needless to say, the bumpy ride did nothing for my bruised tailbone (I thank Ammon Parker for that one…), but it was still fun for Brian and I to spend that time together. We had to take our nephew, Caulin, on a ride later to go find dinosaur bones – or cow bones, depending on how you look at it. We had hamburgers and frozen hot chocolate for dinner and dessert. Yum. Brian brought some of his Transformers for our nephew to play with; however, Brian played with them more than he did. Ammon was passed around all evening – to his delight, he didn’t have to worry about being put down. We certainly enjoy our family – especially having them so close.
Brian played hooky from work today (yipee!) – he had some school responsibilities to take care of along with wanting to spend some more time with Ammon and me. After a disastrous trip to Wal-Mart this morning, we were both able to accomplish what we needed to do. Ammon took an extremely long nap this afternoon (might I add that this was much needed) and ended up going to bed ahead of schedule. He slept fairly well all weekend – hopefully this will continue tonight.
The weather was perfect this weekend, especially while we were down in the country – the air fresh and crisp. Spring is in the works – the dark ground is showing a tint of green. As I took in the beautiful landscapes it was hard not to reflect on what a lovely time of the year this is and how much I have to be grateful for. As we welcome this new season – let us not forget the opportunities that we have for new growth ourselves.
And here’s a shout out to all you Caraways – because we know that you will know what we mean when we say, “There’s nothing quite like the Nub…”
layouts
Here are some of the layouts that I have made for Ammon's first scrapbook. You can't really see many details, but you can get a general idea.
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