Mommy & Me

I've been trying to find cheap/free things for us to do during the day and found out Raley Field would be hosting another Mommy & Me Day (we missed the last one). They were going to have free snacks, games, bouncy houses, balls to play catch, and other activities for small children.

We got there in plenty of time, got our free reusable bags filled with licorice ropes, Cheetos, and sunflower seeds. I snagged a free chocolate milk and The Lime chugged an orange flavored drink. We had to wait on the concourse until 10:00, when they let everyone onto the field.

While we were waiting, I noticed the infield was roped off. I had to break the bad news to The Lime that he wouldn't be able to run the bases like he had hoped.

Before we knew it, they were opening the gates and the festivities were ready to begin. Our first stop was in the River Cats' dugout.

We then headed to an inflatable bouncy slide. The Lime climbed the rope ladder to the top and froze. I think he might be afraid of heights. He was blocking the way for the other kids trying to slide down, and I had Doodlebug strapped to me, so all I could do was try and convince him he'd be fine. Then the tears started flowing and I was in a real pickle. Thankfully, when he saw a girl younger than him slide down, he did too. But he hated the two seconds it took him to get to the bottom and wasn't willing to play on/with anything else. So after 20 minutes, we were on our way back home. Such a disappointment, especially since it took us longer than that to drive there.

Oh well, it was free and broke up the morning a little bit. And I know for future reference to avoid heights if I'm not able to be up there with him.

Lesson learned.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 2

-Still keeps his hands in a tight fist most of the time. Makes for a lovely lint trap.
-Now smiles at everyone, not just Daddy.
-Likes to say "goo" and "gaa".
-Kicks his little legs as fast as he can.
-Must be able to see more because he's more content with just checking things out than he was before.
-Still likes to be held most of the time.
-Is continuing to sleep 4-5 hours at a time, at night, in between feedings.
-Still loves being outside.
-Has a little bit of cradle cap left which drives me insane.  I just want to pick it!
-While he's on the ground, he can wriggle himself around.
-Is still doing great at holding his head up.
-Has his daddy's nose.
-Gets plenty of kisses and loves from all of us.

Missing Out

I can't believe it's been almost 7 months and I still haven't shared my amazing gift that I got for Christmas.

My mom enjoys making the gifts that she gives for Christmas so I put in a special request about a year ago.  Since I have zero sewing skills, I asked if she would make me a t-shirt quilt out of all the t-shirts I've warn/received from the breast cancer walks.  She kindly agreed.

It turned out PERFECT and I sleep with it every night. It came in especially handy this last weekend, when all I could think about was how I was missing out on the Avon Walk. It made me so sad!

I checked Twitter and Instagram all weekend, looking at photos and reminiscing about what a great experience it is. I decided that unless I'm in a situation where it would be nearly impossible to do, I want to continue participating in the walk each year. I even think I'll do a different city next year, just for kicks.

My quilt represents the first 6 walks that I did and now I'm looking forward to gathering another 6 years worth of shirts to contribute to another one.

As long as there's a fight to fight, I'll be walking.

Freebies!

For the last several years, we've enjoyed going to 7-11 on 7/11 to get our free slurpees.  But I didn't realize it was also Customer Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A, and we could get free food!

My great friend invited us to join her and her kiddos for their 6th annual Customer Appreciation Day.  I was super excited and couldn't wait to dress up like a cow (since I already feel like one with all the "milking" I do nowadays).  The Lime, on the other hand, was less than thrilled.  I tried to get him to just wear his cowboy hat, but he wouldn't even do that.  Little stinker.

We got to the restaurant and I couldn't believe the amount of people dressed up.  It was fun but got a little crazy at the end.  I really felt like we were herding cattle, there were so many folks.

As we were leaving, a nice girl offered to take our photo, documenting this wonderful free (for the most part) visit.

I had my 6 week appointment (which was more like 7.85 weeks) right after lunch and was told I was "free" to live life like I did pre-baby. Darn! I loved having an excuse to not exercise.

After my appointment, we decided to swing by 7-11 and grab our slurpees. Turns out, all the other cows from Chick-fil-A had the same idea. I had taken my spots and horns off but got a kick out of everyone that was still dressed up.

The Lime got in line to pay for the slurpee but I told him we could just leave. "That's stealing!" he said, but I assured him that we didn't have to pay this time and we weren't going to jail. Glad our talks about being honest are sinking in.

Just like he refused to be a cow, The Lime wouldn't look at the camera for our slurpee photo. Always leaving me high and dry.

But at least we were cool and our bellies were satisfied, all for free.

The Blessing

When we found out a majority of LaVor's family would be in town the weekend of July 4, we decided that would be the perfect time to bless Doodlebug.  Unfortunately, my parents had to head back home the weekend before, since they had been here for two months, and one of my sisters got sick and ended up not being able to make it.  Thankfully, my other sister and her family were able to join us which really warmed my heart and meant a lot to me.

Doodlebug is growing faster than I can comprehend and I was worried his blessing outfit wouldn't fit.  Not to mention, there were two mysterious stains on the front of it that I couldn't get out.  After the final washing, I took it out of the washing machine and noticed a large tear right smack dab in the middle of the stomach area.  I almost tossed in the towel but gathered myself and tried to make the best of the situation.  And in reality, a stain or tear meant nothing in comparison to the Spirit that was felt.

My sister had to leave right after the blessing so we took some pictures together beforehand.

These two have way too much fun together.  Can't wait to see what they're like when they're teenagers!

Love this bunch!

It was a hoot to hear so many people in the ward say, "You had a baby?! I didn't even know you were pregnant!" Obviously, folks! We don't live there anymore. But then again, we came to visit a couple times while I was pregnant and I felt like a whale, so I don't know how they couldn't tell. Nevertheless, they welcomed us back with open arms and it felt good to be there.

LaVor offered another wonderful blessing, with the help of lots of friends and family. We really are so fortunate to have so many people love our little boys as much as we do.

Most of the group headed home after church but the grandparents stuck around for some pictures. They were all great sports and let me take as many as I wanted.

Great grandfathers

Four generations

The ladies

Best friends that fool people into thinking they're brothers

It was a special day celebrating our sweet addition and basking in the joy that he's brought to our family in the 7 short weeks he's been here.

Weekend in the Bay

Last year, when LaVor's brother and his family were visiting from Switzerland, we were able to spend just over a week with everyone.  But when Doodlebug joined the picture, LaVor used all his time off for his arrival.  So we could only spend a weekend with everyone in the Bay Area this time around.

We got there Saturday morning and brainstormed some activities that would be cheap, relatively cool (temperature wise), and also entertaining for everyone.  Tilden Park popped into my head and everyone was game.  12.5 years ago, the whole family went there to celebrate LaVor's nephew's 2nd birthday.  That was also the first time I met everyone.

The whole way down to the Bay Area our car performed as it should.  It was a hot day and LaVor and I kept checking the temperature gage to make sure we weren't overheating.  It wasn't until we got to the parking lot at Tilden Park that the car went from normal to hot in a matter of seconds.  Perfect timing.

We rode the cute little train, spotted some fire trucks, ate some salami and crackers, and blew some bubbles.

My boys waiting for the train

He could have stayed outside all day!  He was so calm, just taking it in.

He started out blowing bubbles and then had me do it.  It wasn't long until all the kids in the area were running circles around me, popping the bubbles.

The Lime got some of the bubble solution + a baby wipe and began cleaning the picnic table.  He is definitely my child.

We didn't stuff ourselves with salami and crackers because we wanted to save room for a visit to La Piñata on our way back. As we drove down the hill, we caught a gorgeous view of Oakland/Berkeley/Emeryville and San Francisco. I sure miss the area!

After we indulged in Mexican food and made a quick stop to visit with some friends, we headed back to LaVor's parents' where The Lime couldn't get in the pool fast enough.

The day literally flew by (I saw it) and it was soon time for dinner. LaVor's parents watched all the grand kids while the parents went to the Ale House.  It was good to spend some time with LaVor's siblings and find out what life is like for them, since we're all in different parts of the country/world.

We woke up Sunday morning, ready to celebrate Doodlebug's special day!  Since LaVor's family was in town, and it was easier for us to come there instead of 4 families coming to us, we decided to bless Doodlebug in our old ward.

After the blessing, and lots of pictures, we took a breather at LaVor's aunt's house (where we spent the night) before it was time to meet the family at the park for a BBQ.

I was so disappointed in myself for not taking a family picture last year when everyone was together, so I was bound and determined to do it this time! It was especially nice to have LaVor's grandparents there, which meant we had four generations!

After one more feeding for Doodlebug (I felt like that's all I did that weekend), we headed back home. The last leg of the trip was a doozy with an emergency bathroom trip followed by the car overheating.

The weekend went by way too fast but we got a lot accomplished and had fun doing it.

4th of July

We were anticipating July 4 this year, mainly because LaVor had the day off and we couldn't wait to spend that extra time with him. Nothing major was planned but I did want to attend the parade downtown.

It started at 9:00 and I think we got there at 9:05, just as the motorcycle cops were doing their routine. We were setting up our chairs when they went by so I didn't have a chance to take any pictures. But I did have the camera out when the hook & ladder went by!

The rest of the floats were average - mostly businesses promoting themselves, and the occasional dance team.

This little guy caught my eye and I thought the license plate was too darn cute.

The Lime would quickly turn his head away before I could snap a photo of him, but I caught him once! He wasn't very happy with me.

Doodlebug slept through 90% of the parade and from what he saw, he wasn't very amused either.

The last float made "Legos" to resemble servicemen from each branch of the military. Thought that was cute, too!

And just like that, the parade was over!

There was a family from our ward that was sitting nearby and they came over after it finished to see Doodlebug. We chitchatted while the crowds dispersed, in hopes of avoiding traffic. Unfortunately, our 20 minute chat wasn't long enough and we got to our car only to find a huge line of cars also trying to leave the parking garage. So I grabbed Doodlebug and fed him while we waited.

We arrived home literally a second before our friends, Jason and Nicole, pulled into our driveway. They were passing through the area and stopped by for a "quick" visit. We ended up spending several hours catching up, eating lunch, and letting the kids play their little hearts out. We love their family to pieces and miss being close by!

The rest of the afternoon was laid back. All three boys took naps while I got things ready for our weekend in the Bay Area. The Lime couldn't wait until it was time for fireworks but the poor thing had to practice lots of patience. The second it got dark enough, he was outside, rarin' to go.

Our neighbor's husband wasn't able to do the fireworks they bought for their family, so the wife asked if her girls could come over to our place and LaVor do their fireworks (in addition to ours). I think The Lime liked having little friends to enjoy the show with and I know the girls had fun.

It was a little too loud and smoky for Doodlebug so he and I enjoyed the show from the living room.

When things settled down, we went back outside and watched our neighbor set his off, while another neighbor brought the most delicious popcorn over to share. Have I mentioned how much we love our neighborhood?

Have I also mentioned how much I love America? Because I do. A lot. I count my blessings often for all of the freedoms I am able to enjoy because of the great land I live in.