All Eyes On You

I'm aware, and have been aware, that The Lime watches and hears everything we do.  Some good, some not so good.

After dinner tonight, he ran straight for my purse to get out me "lalalala" (wallet) and soon realized that I had taken all of my cards out of my "lalalala".  He grabbed my hand and led me to my room (where he thought the cards were).  We keep the doors closed or else he helps himself to a new room.  When we got to our room, he tried opening the door but couldn't (it wasn't locked, he just didn't have a good enough grip). 

What does he do next?

Goes to the dryer, which is next to the main bathroom (which door is actually locked) and grabs our hanger "key" and goes back to our door to try and unlock it.  Thankfully he's not that smart that he figured out which precise spot unlocks the door.

I know it's one of those "you had to be there" and "I love everything my kid does" moments but I got a kick out of it.

Our First & Last

We finally got to an A's game...with only a week left in their season. The Lime fell asleep on the way to the game and continued to stay asleep as we went through security and made it to our seats. When he woke up, he couldn't have been more confused as to how he got to this place. But it didn't take him long at all to get comfortable.

 

Since he's still not 2, we didn't have to get The Lime his own seat.  And, there were several open seats around us which made it perfect for him.  He could move around a bit and not go crazy sitting in one spot.  The girls sitting next to us were especially sweet with him.  He flirted his way into their nacho basket and scored a couple chips.

The Lime loved watching the ball, watching the players run, loved the food, the music, the games, pretty much everything.  He especially loved the bedazzled jacket on the lady in front of us and kicked her a couple times.  He also decided to throw his sippy cup, twice, at another forgiving group in front of us. I'm amazed we didn't get kicked out. 

Before the night ended, The Lime was able to score a free souvenir from Coach Waller.  I've started writing down the dates and who gave it to him, on each ball we get.  He may or may not care when he's older but we'll see.

For Show And For Blow

I had started my Senior year of high school only a few weeks before September 11, 2001.

That day, my deodorant mixed with my perfume made a (pleasant) smell that I've never been able to achieve since.

I'll remember every little, random detail from that day, but what I want to remember more are amazing stories about selfless heroes like Welles Crowther.




Watching his dad choke up when talking about Welles, is what gets me the most.  Losing a child must be devastating in and of itself.  But especially in such a senseless, careless, pointless way.

I would hope that there must be some sense of peace in knowing that your son lost his life by saving others. 

Gold Rush Days - Year 2

We made it up to Old Town Sacramento again this year for Labor Day weekend (actually, just Saturday) to celebrate their Gold Rush Days.

It was fun to look back on the pictures from last year and see how much The Lime has changed.  LaVor and I look exactly the same.  Which may be a good thing or a bad thing.  Who knows?

We did a lot of walking around and sitting but also enjoyed the (free admission!!!) Train Museum.

 The whole way there, The Lime kept asking for GrandPop & Omi.  They couldn't wait to see each other!

 For some must push and some must pull...

 Hi-5, Pop.

 

  I was a bit partial to the lime green but also loved the silhouette.

 My Rosie look-a-like.

 We need benches like this at church, so people don't invade your space.

The day wouldn't be complete without dinner and a picture with Grandma Mary.

After sweating bullets for 2 years, and since The Lime should be old enough by then, we've decided to skip Gold Rush Days next year and make a trip down the American River.

DW

I've found that if I turn on PBS while I feed The Lime breakfast, he doesn't put up a fight that I'm the one doing the feeding.

Arthur was on this morning and we learned he has a sister named DW.If you're into Nascar, you'd know that DW stands for Darryl Waltrip.


And if you're from these here parts, you'd recognize DW as Donut Wheel.

My Career

My dad gave me a pile of things that he had found a few weeks back. There were a ton of notes that my friend, Gina Dinucci, and I wrote to each other in the 5th grade. They are HILARIOUS! W/B stood for "write back" and it was written at the end of each note.

There are also several stories that I wrote; some are true, others are the most random, weird, "how did she come up with this?". I'll have to scan them and post them later.

Then I found this picture from my 4th grade field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Thank goodness I got my teeth fixed, learned how to do my hair and now wear clothes that fit.


Michael Esteban is in the center and the other girl is Alicia. She got breast implants during our Senior year of high school, was a Raiderette for a few seasons and is now a news anchor in Fresno.

The Lime and I went to visit my mom at her work today, after my Orthodontist appointment. As soon as I walked in, I saw one of my good friends from 8th grade. We were both shocked to see one another, gave each other a big hug and caught up. She's now teaching 6th grade at the same middle school we attended. Her twin sister is an Optometrist at the V.A. hospital in San Diego.

I was excited to see her but left feeling a little down. "What have I done with the last 10 years of my life?!" ran through my mind the whole way home.

10 years ago at this time, I started my Senior year of high school. I had no plans of going to school out of state or to a big university. After graduation, I worked part-time and attended a local community college where I took a couple classes. I never met with a Counselor to discuss my major or what path I needed to take to graduate. After 1.5 years there and nothing to show for it, I decided to attend Culinary School. After a mere 7.5 months, I received a certificate and began working for the local school district, doing nothing related to pastries.

7 months after that, I began working at my current job and have been there for 5 years. I was also married that year and The Lime joined us 4 years later.

That's it...that's what I've done in the last 10 years. I've started my family.



I know we've all seen this video, but I needed the reminder today. Especially after The Lime wouldn't stop putting pennies in his mouth.

Unser Kleiner Junge Deutsch

When we were in Munich (almost 3 years ago...wah!), we bought a pair of lederhosen and a dirndl (in the same fabric as the one I had when I was little) for our future kids.

Now we have 1 of those kids and he's JUST ABOUT the right size for the lederhosen.

My mom went to a garage sale yesterday and found the perfect shoes for the outfit. We decided to try everything on for kicks and instantly got toothaches. Our little German boy is too sweet!