Baldwin Blatherings

Yard Sale on April 16th, 2011

2011-04-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

We're having a yard sale and we'll be putting some great stuff out for you to come and grab. Stop by and take a look!

Saturday April 16th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Coffee and end tables (set) along with some other furniture items, kitchen appliances, bathroom sets, Coca Cola themed stuff, med dog igloo and large gates, baby items including a travel system, exersaucer, bouncer and more, we'll have some clothing and art along with other miscellaneous items. You'll want to come and see the selection for yourself.

Find garage sales
in Kennewick, WA.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T00:25:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everybody a Merry Christmas. I hope the holiday finds you and yours happy and healthy! May all be well and enjoy our family Christmas picture and Christopher's Santa shot this year.

At the Toastmaster yearly Christmas Party. 2009

Christopher and Santa 2009 (Christopher walked right up to Santa and climbed in his lap. He was so excited to see him, big smile on his face the second he saw him. He asked Santa for a turtle in a box... we'll just have to see how that got interpreted.)

A trip to Minnesota

2009-12-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of last month we went on a car trip... driving from our home to the mid-west to visit with family and friends. This gave Adam the opportunity to go deer hunting with his dad, for Chris to meet many relatives he hadn't yet and for us to spend many many hours in the car.

It was actually quite fun, we stayed in Bozeman MT where I ate some of the best gluten free meals I've had out in a long time. Montana Ale Works, thank you so much for being an awesome place stop at. Christopher was great in the car, but he always has been and even got to sit forward facing for the last leg of the trip, which in itself made for a great ride... watching him react to all he could see had us laughing for hours.

We had an early Thanksgiving with Adam's family which was a great time. Adam's family is HUGE so even though a very small number of them were there it was still more than my ENTIRE family when we gather. Pretty crazy.

Christopher loved being outside, there was no snow yet so even though it was cold he was able to enjoy the weather. Leaves were the activity of choice on a couple of days.

Here he is helping Grandma Lee rake.

and here he is helping to "unrake" the pile.

Adam went hunting a few of the days we were in Minnesota. He did manage to put some venison in the freezer for which I'm grateful. I even got to go out and sit in the stand one evening for a bit. Nothing like sitting in a tree stand with a bow, but sitting in a little house with a heater isn't a bad way to go.

Here is the landscape Adam had to deal with. There is a deer in this picture, can you spot it?

Adam even got put to work taking down the satellite!

We spent our quite time in the evening sitting in the living room gabbing and listening to crazy Baldwin tales. Christopher would sometimes even sit quietly although most of the time he was running around like crazy trying to burn off some of his ample two year old energy.

Grandma read Christopher his bedtime story while grandpa sleeps soundly close by.

Christopher shows off his running form. This was a nightly ritual!

All in all it was a great trip. Adam's parents will be coming through in the spring and we'll make sure we get out and about around town, try to wear out the child and maybe taste some wine should be fun!!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T23:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween was super fun this year. We had our annual party on the 30th, with great friends and family in attendance. Very kid friendly this year! Ah, there were many little ones running around, all very cute in their costumes. Christopher was Superman (he kept yelling "Superfast, superpowers!!" Josh was a dragon, Sam was Batman, Eileen was an adorable kitten and Emily was a cat.

On the big day Christopher woke up and the first thing out of his mouth was "Trick or Treat!" loudly over the monitor... then, "MAMA, let me out!!" He was excited all day long because he knew we were going over to see his friends Beckett and Grason and trick or treat with them. His costume was that of a skeleton and he wanted to wear makeup so I tried... but little boys don't sit very still. We had a great night and lots of fun with the Mitchell's and Stanley's.

Here are a few pics of Christopher.

Checking out his makeup in the mirror. He kept going "rawr" and trying to be scary. It was cute.

Chris being "scary" for the camera.

Christopher's costume meets Adam's costume. He was a hillbilly skeleton. Chris loves wearing those dang teeth.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

We've been busy here, running a business, being run by a 2 year old (yes the fun has begun) getting the homestead winter ready and tying up some loose ends. We can't wait for Halloween! Christopher has been practicing saying "Trick or Treat" and is excited to go out with his buddies Beckett and Grason to grab some candy.

We had another fun day at the pumpkin patch this year... and what a difference a year makes. Christopher was much more able to enjoy what the Pasco Country Mercantile at 2 and 1/2 than he was last year; hay maze, corn maze, tractor ride, pumpkin picking, bounce house, hay towers (these were fun) and petting zoo.

We ran around, tasted many yummy goods, bought some cider and fudge, Christopher fell into a couple of rotten pumpkins... stinky, very stinky, hah. Here are some pictures of the fun. Hope you all are enjoying fall as much as we are.

Climbing the tower of hay, as unaided as possible.

Sitting with daddy in the barn.

Smile!

Super fun tractor ride!! Don't you wish you were there.

Taking our bounty to the car.

The corn is so tall!!

A sick little man.

2009-10-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

Christopher is finally getting better after having a very serious fever for five days and a cold/cough and runny nose for many more days than that. I relented and took him to the Dr. on the 6th and sure enough the night before we went in his fever broke. He has a borderline ear infection, meaning he doesn't have one yet but is working on it if his congestion doesn't clear up. So Mucinex is our friend right now. Everyday he's getting better and better, he's not giving any indication that there is an impending ear infection (ear pulling, crying, acting like he can't hear me) so I think we're in the clear and get to avoid antibiotics. I've yet to give him any and I certainly don't want to start now if I don't have to.

Thank you to everybody who was concerned and wishing him well. All that positive energy flowing his way really helped. Lots of love to all of you.

Wisdom from Christopher

2009-09-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

Adam: Where does food go?
Christopher: In my mouth.
Adam: Then where does it go?
Christopher: In my tummy.
Adam: Where does it go after that?
Christopher: In my shorts.

Me: What do brothers do?
Christopher: They walk.
Me: What else do brothers do?
Christopher: They talk.
Me: Do they do anything else?
Christopher: Play with toys.
Me: What do sisters do?
Christopher: They in kitchen.

I love the things he comes up with sometimes, Christopher really makes us laugh. His answers are all unprompted and completely derived on his own, most of the time amazing us with what he comes up with. We can see his little mind working away as he comes up with some of the greatest things. Can't wait to share a little more wisdom from Christopher with you.

What can I say...

2009-09-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Christopher is 2 1/2 now. I can hardly believe it, time has gone by so darn fast. His wit amazes me along with his understanding of the world around him. Most days I can ask him a question that I'm sure he won't have the answer for and low and behold he gives me the cutest right on the nose answer almost every time. We really are blessed to have such a smart, funny, loving little man in our lives.

This summer we went through a lot of stickers. Most of which were stuck to Chris at one point or another.

Christopher enjoyed many an ice cream sandwich with his daddy after dinner. This always results in quite a mess and lots of smiles.

Another breakthrough we've had is that Christopher now "smiles" for the camera. I laugh my butt off every time we try to take a picture of him now as he does it without us asking.

We're off to the Fair!

2009-08-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

We headed to the fairgrounds Ssaturday, bright and early at 9:00 a.m. in order to beat the heat. Our goals were simple; take Chris to see the animals, get some food, see some booths, and send the little guy down Big Pink. Adam was volunteering in the Elephant Ear booth the rotary club runs at noon so we had three hours which was plenty of time.

I'd forgotten how active the animals are earlier in the day during fair week we always seem to go in the evening and by then they are hot and tired. As we walked through the pig barn more than a couple of pigs were eager to check us out, sniffing and talking as we let Christopher take it all in. He got a little scared when one big snout touched his leg but was enjoying it otherwise. He pet quite a few bunnies, but was much more excited about the chickens. He kept saying we were at the circus. He had fun in Old McDonald's Barn and loved running on the hay barrels that surrounded the duck pond.

After the animals we went through the booths and non-living exhibits rather quickly. I even purchased my first duck ever. The next stop was funnel cake, Christopher's very fist taste of one. It was cute we pretty much had to tear it away from him. He found it very very tasty and was trying to finish it off by himself.

Then we headed over to Big Pink. Christopher loves slides so we had to get him on this one. Adam volunteered to go down with him. Chris loved it and was beaming by the time he got to the bottom of the slide. He even tried to walk back up it, silly boy. Next year we'll try to get him on more rides, he saw the strawberries and really wanted to get in one, however he's a bit short to get on most of them and we were pressed for time.

We meant to get turkey legs however they somehow were forgotten at the end of the day. Twitter saved us however. You see a friend of Adam's was still at the fair, we knew this because of her tweet and she graciously delivered turkey legs to the house, saving the day.

August, come and gone...

2009-08-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

Not much new going on in the Baldwin household. Christopher is 2, and acting every minute of it. While he's exploring his environment and figuring out the workings of his world I'm trying very hard not to scream and hide in my room. It's hard to stay upset at him for all the naughty things; painting my desk with lotion, writing all over the couch, bending a beater beyond recognition, pouring flour all over the floor, and wreaking general havok... when you've got this looking back at you during most of it.

He's very charming when he wants to be and for every bad thing he does he also does something extraordinarily darling or smart. The time out step/corner is getting a lot of extra use right now, which I hope will slow down one of these days.

Adam is very very busy with nGenuity. He was featured as a young professional in the Tri-Cities Journal of Business this month which was a great achievement, here's the article. If you can get the actual print it has a very nice picture of him in it. Our friends Jennifer Mitchell (Account Sense) and Adam Brault (&yet) also were chosen, kudos to you!!

He went to Defcon at the beginning of the month and hacked his way through some fun with the mystery challenge. There are talks and things to learn... but I'm not sure he did any of that. Beer was drank, codes were broken, friends were made.

He's been talking to realtors and is looking to expand into some office space. This is a big and positive step forward. We'll see how this pans out over the next couple of months.

In between those things he's working very hard, he's out and about networking and making sure that he's doing all he can to have nGenuity be successful. While we miss his presence at home sometimes were hoping all the hard work now will enable him to be home/present more later.

July... whooosh!!!!!

2009-07-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gentleman, July is almost gone and it feels like it just started. The Baldwin household has been a bustle this last month and barely have had time to breath. Here are some highlights:

Adam: Was asked to speak at Toorcamp at the beginning of the month. Getting things to a roaring start for him. Camping in the desert for a few nights left him dirty and a little worse for wear but he had a great time and made plenty of new contacts.

Adam is even now, as I type, driving down to Vegas with his business partner and friend Aaron and another friend to play at Defcon for the weekend. He goes every year (for the last few at least) and has a blast. They participate in the mystery challenge and really enjoy all the fun stuff that gets thrown at them, lock-picking, coding, social engineering and more, they thrive in it.

Rachel: I just got back from cheerleadership camp, doing my thing in Ellensburg the 18th through the 24th. I had 28 girls this week and had a lot of fun. It was hot, there was no AC, and I got pretty dang sick on the 22nd which I'm just now pretty much over. It's hard to be a "mommy" to that many girls when you're running a fever and can't keep your meals down, but I did it. Yay me. Now I'm dealing with allergies which are leaving me sleepy beyond comprehension. So, I'm napping every time the little guy does.

On Monday I started a three month chiropractic treatment that will hopefully restore the curve in my neck and halt the degeneration taking place (starting to fuse), correct the twist in my spine, and maybe (it would be a miracle but I still have hope) relieve some of my many other ailments. So for now it's three days a week in the Dr.'s office for treatment and daily stretches at home with lots and lots of water. I'll keep my progress posted.

I'm addicted to my Kindle, I'm now reading no less than three books a week and I don't see myself slowing down. It's just so easy to pick it up and start reading, and I have a endless library at my disposal. Definitely one of the best gifts Adam has ever given me.

Christopher: This little man is so great, he's growing well, talking and conversing and showing signs of just what an awesome little guy he's going to be. He has his days where I wonder just how I'm going to handle his very stubborn slightly OCD tendencies, but for the most part is just a normal, fun two year old. He laughs at all the appropriate times, like when you've discovered the grossest diaper ever is the one you get to change and when he's completely fooled you into thinking he's asleep in the back seat, a large boisterous "AH HAHAHAHAHA!!!" laugh usually accompanies these feats. I love that he thinks if he moves slow enough I can't see him being sneaky either, always makes me laugh.

He's going potty on the potty for me at least once a day now if not more, I lost a little ground being gone during camp but I'm sure we'll make it up again very quickly.

I love how conversational Christopher has gotten, he's such a smarty (most of the time not a smarty pants). He's also a little particular (we joke that he's OCD), everything has to be in it's place and he'll let you know if he doesn't like where you've moved it. If you ask him what color something is he'll tell you it's green and give you "the eye," even though he knows what color it really is. He's gonna be a handful.

The Animals: Dart managed to bore a pretty nice sized hole in our pocket when he got loose in our bedroom and decided to eat everything he could get his maw on. We discovered over the course of two (almost three weeks) that he had eaten, not chewed, just swallowed, four pairs of underwear out of my drawer, a pair of Christopher's knee high socks, and two or three hair ties. Ended up taking him to the vet as he tried to pass the last of it as he was getting very dehydrated and couldn't keep any meals down. The vet suggests a cage muzzle to prevent further incidences until he's gets the idea. At least he's not eating rocks anymore.

Happy 5th Anniversary Honey!!

2009-06-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

Today my dear husband, we've been married 5 years. I remember that the cloudy morning of our wedding day cleared just before we got started, raining sunshine and a cool breeze on us while we stood on the beach, sand in our toes looking to our future as husband and wife. I found our vows and read them through, what a great reminder to love each other. I'm sorry you have to be away from home right now, just know I'm thinking of you and missing you.

Hands of the Bride and Groom

BRIDE
Rachel, please face Adam and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day as he promises to love you all the days of his life.

These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within you.

These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.

These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family.

These are that hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief wrack your mind.

These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

GROOM
Adam, please hold Rachel's hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, smooth, young and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.

These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurt, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it is time to let go.

These are the hands that will massage tension from you neck and back in the evenings after you've both had a long hard day.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

These are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick, or console you when you are grieving.

They are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.

These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope, each time she tells you that you are to have another child, that together you have created a new life.

These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

Mmmm Mmmmm Good

2009-06-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you Banta's!! Those were some yummy cupcakes.

My super awesome birthday!!

2009-06-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

This last Monday, June 1st I headed up to my big sister's in Skagit County. You see she'd been working on a surprise birthday getaway for me as I'm turning 30 this year. All I knew was that we'd be going to Seattle and I'd need some good walking shoes, a swimsuit and a good book to read.

In my head I'd been flipping through all the possible things she could have planned: a day at the zoo, the food tour walk of Pike's Place, or just a nice relaxing couple of days hanging out by the pool enjoying the company of a good book and each other. How wrong I was.

Monday night when we got to her house after watching my very talented nephew play some basketball I got to open the big box waiting for me. I untied the string and pulled the bag away, out popped a big mickey mouse balloon... I didn't think much of it, I love Disney stuff so thought it was cute. Then I read the scroll she'd attached to it. Many heartfelt sentiments, the kind that bring tears to your eyes were written (I love my sister very much, she's my best friend) and the last line, "I decided we should celebrate your first magical 30 years at the Magic Kingdom!!!"

I was in shock and disbelief. No way would my sister surprise me with a trip to Disneyland, but sure enough she did. I haven't been since 2005 (which I know doesn't sound like long, but trust me it is) and didn't think I would be going for a while, you see my little man is a little bit short, he'll be six before he can get on most of the rides. I was so excited I couldn't even show it properly. Theresa you're the best sister a girl could have, thank you for the trip and the effort you put into it. I loved the shirts you made us too!! I will treasure this memory always.

Here are some pictures.

The reflection of the castle in the "moat" at night was gorgeous.

We decided to get our faces painted.

I'm celebrating!! I'm celebrating!!

Our last day. We were sad but had a great time!!!

Even Christopher got to share in the magic.

My family and I had a great dinner on the 10th. My mom always does such a great job and it really is all I need to warm my heart, getting to spend precious quality time with my family. We joked and giggled over a great gluten/dairy/pepper/tomato/citrus free dinner. I know, crazy right.

Adam took me out to Bonefish on the actual day of my birth and got me a Kindle with a cover for my gift. I'm very excited to get to using it. I love to read and this was the perfect thing to get me. Thanks honey!!

I also want to say thank you to all my loved ones, family and friends that touched base and said hello to me on my birthday. It meant a lot. Thank you so much.

I'll leave you with this for now and will post again soon. Love, Rachel

Happy Birthday!!

2009-06-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!!
Happy Birthday to me!!
Today I turned 30!!
Happy Birthday to me!!

Going as local as possible.

2009-05-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

This month I was thinking hard about how I wanted to feed my family this summer. We're self employed, and while my husbands business is doing well we're on a pretty strict budget. We eat at home 99% of the time, going out maybe once a month.

I know I want to support my local agriculture and farming community and I've got a good start. I signed up for my local CSA. This is the first time I'm participating in a CSA. While I lived in Eugene for four years I got exposed to the idea as a few of my friends were doing it. We moved back to the Tri-Cities however and I was sure we didn't have anything like that. I was wrong Schreiber & Sons provides a wonderful CSA service for my area.

I received my first box last Thursday and was extremely happy and very excited to put it to use. They are even able to work with those of us with allergies/intolerances and will make sure (to the best of their ability) your box doesn't include those. I can't wait to blog throughout the summer sharing the foods I make with my farm fresh fruits and veggies.

I've also purchased a side of grass fed beef from a local rancher (also had to buy a freezer, :-) Thanks to a gluten free friend for the contact. I'm very excited to have done this, my family used to raise our own pasture fed beef for food, however my parents have gotten a little older, the fence is in need of repair and I don't think they have the energy nor funds to do it themselves anymore. The next best thing was for me to find somebody else local to purchase from. The freezer is now full of meat and we've have a steak from our grass fed cow. Very very tasty. Thank you Andrew Miller of Morning Star Farms in Pasco.

The last thing I'm excited to do is visit our local farmer's market. I go to the Pasco Farmer's Market. My mother used to take us there and I always loved the feel of it, and going now brings back fond memories for me. That is where I will continue to go with my family. I hope to get at the Farmer's Market those things that I don't get in my CSA box weekly.

While this is my plan, there are still some things I will have to go to the supermarket for. There is nothing wrong with that, it's simply a fact of life. I do shop at WinCo Foods, and our local healthfood store Highland Health Foods where I can buy my gluten free flours in bulk and other assorted gluten free items. Occasionally I will shop at Yoke's or Fred Meyer...

It'll be a fun summer and I plan on enjoying my weekly box of CSA goodies, and local produce from the farmers market to go with my grass fed beef. What are you doing to support your local market? I'm curious to know what avenues I may not have looked at.

Excited about this.

2009-05-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

A quick visit.

2009-05-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of the 24th I drove up to Skagit County. I had a quick planning meeting for leadership on the 25th (9-5) so I decided to drive up the day before and stay with my sister and her family. I don't get to see them nearly as often as I like so this was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

My nephew Landy turns 16 this July, my how the time flies. He LOVES sports and happens to be pretty darn good at them. I was fortunate enough to watch him play on the 24th, a double header. I got to see him bat, play outfield and pitch. I might have made a fool of myself while I screamed for his team, as I don't really watch sports so didn't know what to yell, especially for baseball, but I had a really good time.

Landy on the pitchers mound.

Landy up to bat.

I just happened to arrive at the same time as the tulips started to bloom. They are a little late this year due to the weather but beautiful and not quite in full swing yet. I took a few pictures, mostly from my moving car (I'm practically a local and have seen the tulips many many times, traffic is horrendous during the tulip festival.)

I had a good weekend with my family and can't wait to get up there again. Maybe next time I'll get pictures of the twins playing some sports.

Kathleen's Baby Shower.

2009-04-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

On the 18th of April I attended a baby shower for my very good friend, of a very long time, Kathleen. Due mid-July she's looking great and you can just see how excited she is to be a mommy, she truly is glowing. That's one lucky little man growing in there.

Kathleen got some very cute gifts and many friends showed up to join in the fun. I loved getting to catch up and have a girls night out later. It was long overdue, the last movie I was in the theaters was Children of Men a couple of weeks before Christopher was born. Here are some pictures!!

We all loved this shirt.

Suzy, Kathleen and myself... how long has it been since we got a group pic. Too long.

Kathleen, glowing.

Being cute.

2009-04-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

So, my friend Brandi recently gave Christopher this really cute clothes hamper. It's a frog and matches his room decor perfectly.

But it came with a suprise....

I thought it was cute and wanted to share. Chris is just into everything right now. I love how his little mind works. We didn't help him with this one, he did it on his own.

Hide and Seek

2009-04-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Christopher has really picked up on the concept of hide and seek lately. It's one of his favorite games to play... it actually a combination of peek-a-boo and hide and seek and very cute. I was making an apple pie a couple of weeks ago when he dissapeared on me. I figured he was playing hide and seek, however I couldn't find him no matter how hard I looked. Low and behold he'd been closer than I would have ever thought.

This little guy found the best hiding place ever, right next to me. I wonder where he'll come up with next.

I now have 2 books up.

2009-03-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

I've started making some cute little scrapbook albums and putting them up on etsy.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6936585&ga_search_query=babyfro&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

Check it out. Even if you don't like my stuff I'm sure you'll find a handmade craft that you just love. It really is a neat site.

Happy Birthday Christopher

2009-03-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Christopher! Today you turn 2!!!

I took this picture this morning first thing when you woke up. You were all smiles as you looked out the window and pointed at the trees, and the "fast" cars you could see in the distance. I love seeing you smile in wonderment at the little things. Seeing the world through your eyes helps me appreciate it more. I hope you

We threw you a birthday party last night. You had so much fun with the family, a blast with the birthday cake and even tore into your presents without much help from me.

I sure hope you had a fun night. I know we enjoyed watching you giggle and enjoy yourself. Here's to another year that will pass too fast, where you'll grow and learn and giggle yourself silly.

We love you Christopher.

My new favorite picture.

2009-02-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Christopher is always cute as far as I'm concerned, however Adam got snap happy with our new camera and really captured my little man. I'm completely in love with this picture of him.

Adam also took this picture which is the complete opposite emotion from my son and just as adorable.

All I can say is I love this little man with all my heart. It's hard to believe he's almost 2. Just a little over a month away in fact. He's been super cuddly these last few days and I admit to indulging myself. I've just been lounging around with him in my lap, the housework is suffering but who can resist a request to cuddle with such a handsome little guy. These days pass so fast so I'm taking in as much of them as I can and appreciating all the special moments. I know there will come a day when life is moving so fast it won't be as easy, but this week... I'm slowing down.

Happy Birthday Adam!

2009-02-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

Today you are

30!!!!

Brad Pitt or Breakfast?

2009-01-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Rachel finally figured out why Christopher was saying Brad Pitt all the time in the mornings.

Brad Pitt or Breakfast? from Adam Baldwin on Vimeo.

Meat!

2009-01-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Meat! from Adam Baldwin on Vimeo.

Video conversion turned out a bit weird.

Ready for Kindergarten!

2009-01-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

That's right, it's come around again. The winter session of Ready for Kindergarten. If you haven't already please check it out. It's a free tool for parents of children ages 0-5 in the Kennewick School District to educate yourself and your little one and get them kindergarten ready. Each class session you'll get some educational toys (FREE!!) some literature and some clever ways to teach your children how to use those toys in fun and educational ways. Not to mention that by attending you get signed up with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which means a free childrens book in the mail once a month! What are you waiting for, take a look.

Ready for Kindergarten!

Hi Chris, Meet Floor

2009-01-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

Chris Take A Dive from Adam Baldwin on Vimeo.

Save a rocky marriage and the planet all in one flush!!!

2008-12-29T14:23:00.001-08:00

You have to see it to believe it!

http://www.wiserep.com/productDetails.php?id=5769

Meet Dart!!

2008-12-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

We would like you to meet Dart. Our new German Shepherd puppy who came home yesterday afternoon. He'll be 8 weeks old on Wednesday the 24th. We had a beautiful litter of puppies to choose from but Dart here walked right up to Christopher and calmly licked his little hands and
hung out with him for the duration of the visit. Most of the other puppies were jumping on him or nipping him. Dart wasn't shy by any means, just very gentle with our very special little man. We knew he was the one.

So far he's been great and we only expect more of the same to come. He sleeps at our feet, slept most of the night, and hasn't had any accidents in the house yet (which would be hard anyway as I'm taking him out almost every hour!!) Adam and I plan on taking training classes with him and I would love to do agility with him, we'll see how it works out.

For now enjoy these pictures of our fabulous new addition.

Go potty, what?

It's play time!!!

Full attention on mommy.

Dart and Christopher adoring each other.

Keeping busy.

2008-12-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping pretty busy the last couple of weeks. Making gifts, sending cards, getting ready for our puppy (who comes home this Saturday!) formulating a business venture and many many other things. It seems that there is a never ending avalanche of responsibilities rolling over me and this time of year it's at its worst. I'm tired, I could sleep for days I'm sure... ok, probably not but I feel like it so I'll push through, handle the S.A.D. and enjoy the season and my awesome family.

Maddie (our golden) got a great Christmas present this year. It's very cold outside, and she's very old so she's been staying in the house... well, she's stinky and I was tired of smelling her. We took her to the groomer yesterday and she got a full makeover. Clippity Dippity Cuts did a fantastic job and I'll be taking her back again. No more stinky dog in the house!!!!!

We've taken quite a few pictures the last couple of weeks so I'd thought I would share some of them.

Trying to get a few shots of Christopher for our Christmas cards. He wasn't cooperating but ended up looking very cute and adventurous.

We took Christopher out in the snow. He was not happy and started crying, it was probably just too cold. When we got him inside he was very upset at us and wanted to go outside again. He just couldn't make up his mind.

He made a snow angel... or we made him make one.

Getting closer.

2008-12-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

That's right. We're getting very close to the 20th. The day we get to go and pick up our puppy. I'm very excited and just trying to get everything together so that when the little guy gets here he'll have all his needs taken care of. It'll be fun taking him on all our Christmas stops, as I can't see leaving a puppy we've had for just a few days home alone. Here are the pictures of the litter. We'll be getting one of the boys! Less than two weeks, I can't believe it.

I've started working on Christmas cards today, and wrapping some gifts. I only have two that require any shipping which makes it easy on me. Most friends and family will be getting tasty treats made by me, saving me precious money and making the gift that much more special. I hope you are all well out there in the world and enjoying the season!

He didn't have a chance.

2008-11-21T13:54:00.001-08:00

Poor little Christopher. He didn't have a chance, what with my side of the family being completely allergy ridden. It started small, he reacted to cinnamon... getting a little red around his mouth and his face just a tad splotchy. Then it carried on to strawberries, citrus and egg whites. All these foods we avoid as well as we can. No life threatening reactions to them, simply a very red and bumpy goatee with some mild splotchyness of his face.

Well the other night I was eating a peanut butter and honey rice cake. I broke off a tiny little piece, maybe a pea size worth of peanut butter on it, the first time I'd be giving any to Chris. Within two minutes of eating it his lips were swollen and blistered and his face had red angry looking bumps wherever he touched it with his little peanut butter hands. It was the worst reaction he's had. I was scared and I watched him very closely the rest of the evening. It slowly cleared up but I'm keeping it as far away from his as I can now.

I feel so bad, there are so many foods he can't eat, yummy foods. He CAN eat wheat.... as far as I know. I won't be able to start deducing if he's got a wheat issue until he can tell me how he feels when he's eaten it and he becomes more "regular." Hopefully he'll grow out of them and will someday be able to eat cinnamon, eggs, strawberries, citrus and peanut butter. For now though, they are off the menu.

Terry Goodkind Fans.

2008-11-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

If you're a fan of Terry Goodkind and have been reading his Sword of Truth series than you may be interested to know that there is a television series based on the books running right now. It's pretty good for a TV short series, and better than I expected it to be. Just putting the word out there.

A little side note, the new season of Top Chef started running last week. I LOVE this show. Wednesdays on Bravo. Watch it.

Chugging along.

2008-11-16T18:43:00.001-08:00

Adam is home after a long week of being gone. He went to Minnesota to visit family and get a little business in. His first day out hunting he downed his deer, a nice young (not to young,) buck that will be tasty to eat. I'm glad to have the extra meat in the freezer as it means less money out of my pocket. So, all in all he had a good time and is happy to be home.

I had an uneventful week. Went shopping with my mom for Christmas gifts, took a Quickbooks class... cooked, cleaned a little. Christopher got to play with Katie and spend some quality time with the grandparents. (He also got to play with Beckett and Grason today, so he had a busy week.)

I've started a gluten free blog. Living Without Wheat. It's not much and I probably won't post more than once a week but I thought it was important that I share what I know about eating gluten free, and that it might be fun to have a food blog. I'm open to recipe suggestions so send them my way if you have any.

It official, WE'RE EXPECTING!!!

2008-11-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

I just found out that we're expecting. That's right, December 20th 2008 our baby will arrive. He's tiny yet and we won't have pictures until he's 5 weeks but we're very excited. We'll be getting a little boy from the L litter. Talk about a Merry Christmas. I can't wait. You can check out Geyer German Shepherds to see his parents in the meantime. We'll keep you posted and let you know when pictures of him are up. December 20th can't come soon enough.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman

2008-11-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

Halloween was fun this year. Christopher is still a little young for the run of the mill trick-or-treating so we headed to the mall with him. We met up with Jen, Joel, Matt, Ashley and Brandi... with all the kids so we had quite the little group going. Christopher is such an observer that with all the commotion he barely said a word the whole time we were out, was to busy watching everything. It was a fun day, spent with friends.

Helping mommy carve the pumpkin.

My handy dandy work.

Christopher was rather upset that Geoffrey the Toys R Us girrafe walked away.

Walking on daddy's feet... think he was trying to fly.

The boys, waiting on the girls.

Tonight.... is Halloween!!

2008-10-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween. Enjoy this as much as I do. Odd, I don't think so. Best song EVAR!!!!

Say Cheese!

2008-10-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

Christopher loves to wear his mommy and daddy's sunglasses. This is my attempt to get him to say cheese for the camera. As you can see he was a little over enthusiastic. As soon as the picture snapped he ran around to my side of the phone and asked to see, "peekers!" Sure do love this kid.

Good times...

2008-10-22T20:11:00.001-07:00

Today was a great day for Christopher. His friend Katie came over and played for a while. They ran around and giggled their little heads off. I told Katie to tell me when she was ready to go home, she never did. Her mom ended up coming back over to get her. Guess she was having a good time.

Adam has started doing a lot of business and so has been using a lot of minutes on our cell phone plan, so we went to the AT&T store today to change our plan to fit our new needs. While Adam talked shop with a salesperson I ran around the store after Christopher. He ended up running into a display... was to busy looking the other way while he was walking and now he has a nice little scratch to show for it. The highlight of the cell phone outing however was the discovery of a little girl in the store... she was 13, maybe 14 months old. This little girl wanted to say hello to Christopher so she slowly tottered over to him, he of course just stood there with his usual look of discernment. When she was maybe a half a foot away from him she started to lean in, she was trying not to touch him.... it was clear she was hesitating just a tad, but she took another step, grabbed his shoulder and planted one on him. That's right, Christopher got his first kiss today at the AT&T store, and it was from a younger woman! He didn't even have to do anything, his charm is that powerful. She then proceeded to pine after him and chase him around the store. Christopher being the big softy that he is was unsure how to handle such brazen advances and wanted his mommy.

I'm sure you've all experienced it, the wondrous feeling of a new piece of equipment... the kind with the plastic over the delicate parts to keep it from scratching... Oh the joy there is to be felt when you first peel the plastic off. Ok, so Adam and I really enjoy new stuff where we get to do that. Well, Christopher pulled his first piece of protective plastic today, from Adam's new phone. He had a big grin on his face so he thought it was fun too. Christopher had a great day!

The Pumpkin Patch.

2008-10-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's fall, I love this time of year. Yesterday was special, we took Christopher to the pumpkin patch at the Pasco Country Mercantile. They had a haystack maze for the little ones, a haystack mountain, bounce house, animals, wagon rides, pumpkin patch and more. Christopher is a little to young to appreciate all this of course so the outing was more for Adam and I to enjoy watching him discover and be fascinated by the wonderful world around him. He loved the animals and kept going back to the barn and he also enjoyed wiping the dirt off the pumpkins, I think it felt "cool" or something. We ran into a couple of people there and had a good chat as well as enjoyed some of the samples the mercantile had to offer. We came home with 5 pumpkins of various sizes, some apples and cider. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

The last couple of weeks.

2008-10-02T10:36:00.001-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been busy, and stressful to say the least. We had a couple of birthday parties on Saturday the 20th. One for the neighbor's little girl and one for Olivia's "babies." It was great getting to see Olivia and her family, Amanda and Dom, and seeing Lisa and her kids was a pleasant surprise. That was a whirlwind day and by the end of it Christopher had a fever of 102. Which has only just yesterday decided go away. (Started writing this last week or the week before.... so the dates are off.) Still no new teeth.

My grandmother underwent a Carotid Endarterectomy which went well. She was home a couple of days and started feeling poorly, dizzy and tired. So off to the hospital she went and the last couple of weeks have been spent mostly having her and my grandfather in my thoughts as they went through the trials of major surgery and the ICU. We had a few touch and go nights. I won't put all the details here, but thank you to all of those who contacted me and asked after her. It meant a lot. She's at home now and will continue the process of recovery where she is loved and hopefully more comfortable that at the hospital.

Halloween is coming up, I'm really excited. While I want to throw a party, I just don't know if I can pull it off this year. With Adam not working for Symantec anymore, and the multitude of unforeseen things being thrown into my lap I just don't know if I'll have the energy. If I do have a party it will be on the 24th or 25th so tentatively pencil in those dates. I'll let you know in the next couple of days. It'll be a costume party, however I won't be such a stickler due to the late notice.

Sick baby!

2008-09-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Christopher is currently suffering a fever of 103.2. In an attempt to cool him down we've given him Motrin and he's in a tepid bath as I type. We think it's a teething induced fever. He really has no other symptoms except for a stuffy nose and some delirious rambling (I'm sure fever related.) I sure hope he feels better soon.

Also, please have my grandma in your thoughts. She's having a hard time with recovery from her surgery and can use all the help she can get.

A new toy!!!

2008-09-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Christopher loves to drum! He runs around the house yelling "drom" and bangs on things with a big smile on his face. This morning I suggested Adam bring in his drumsticks and an old drum so Chris could drum on something meant to be drummed on. He's loves it and we can't get him to put the sticks down. I think we have a future musician on our hands. Hopefully the neighbors won't hate us.

Super Fun Saturday

2008-09-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Rachel, Chris and I spent a fun day out. First we went to the Pasco Fiery Foods Festival, then to the park and finally Chris and I built a fort. It was a really fun day!

Chris trying to climb up the tube

About to go down the "big" slide for the first time!

I thought forts were awesome when I was a kid, I found out that they have still not lost their appeal. Chris and I had the best time in the "pillows" (as he put it).

A little sprinkling of Christopher.

2008-09-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty fun. Christopher slept in until 8 this morning, giving me of course a morning I would consider getting to sleep in. We did some dishes (dishwasher currently out of service so this was by hand,) folded some laundry and vacuumed. We had a wonderful lunch together of some pasta with sauteed tomatoes and garlic. The neighbor called and we took our kids to the park. Katie loves playing with Christopher and visa versa so it was a good time. Here are a couple of pictures.

From Christopher Michael

After the park we went to Fred Meyer to visit grandma. Christopher has chosen the terms amma for grandma and papa for grandpa. It's very cute and he actually asks for them now.

A couple of weeks ago I made Gluten Free onion rings. Very tasty. Adam and I decided to let Christopher have a go at one. He loved it, a messy meal but very worth it. Hope you enjoy the little update and the pictures.

From Christopher Michael

Adam is currently spending his last week away from home as a Symantec employee and we're very happy to have him home full time. The end of September is coming fast and we're excited and nervous to really get nGenuity going full swing and be done with Symantec (hopefully for good.) Keep us in your thoughts and send some positive vibes our way.

My babysitting charges.

2008-09-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

This last weekend a good friend of mine headed out of town. She's been fostering some kittens and she needed somebody to watch them for a couple of days. I volunteered. I would hope that somebody would do the same for me if I needed it. They arrived Friday morning, 3 very cute little kittens that definitely need some TLC, thank you Erin for taking them into your home. The smallest could fit in the palm of one hand. They are very playful, as kittens are and gave Christopher something to look forward to throughout the day, while he couldn't pet them he did enjoy watching them frolic. Here are a couple of pictures and a short video of the cute little kitties that Erin took back yesterday afternoon. I've always wanted to foster for one of the animal shelters, this gave me a little taste of what that would be like. I think I would enjoy it and may look into it further.

The little lover of the bunch, and the boy.

The adorable trio.

I Quit My Job!

2008-08-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

That's right. For those of you that don't know I have put in my resignation with Symantec to pursue running my own company (nGenuity Information Services). (Not totally mine, I have a business partner as well, no way I could do this alone!)

It was not an easy thing to do. I have been there almost 6 years and will be leaving behind many friends and great experiences. It just really is the time to move on and up.

It took a few years (yes, years) of planning to finally get the company incorporated and the ball rolling and to get to this point. Luckily I have a very supporting family backing me up and motivating me to succeed. I figure if I'm going to be putting this much time away from home traveling for Symantec, I might as well be home, see Christopher and Rachel, and plot my own course in... Well my two friends Pinky and the Brain say it best. Please wish us the best of luck.

Pinky: Gee, Brain, what are we going to do tonight?
Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky - try to take over the world!

A Post for Local Dog Lovers.

2008-08-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if anybody was aware of, or cared... that for those of you local to the Tri-Cities there is a dog show coming up on the 27th of September. It'll be at Columbia Park and most breeds will be represented. It's a good way to spend a little time outdoors and to take a look at some breeds you normally might not get exposed to. I know I can't afford to go to the big shows like The Westminster or AKC/Eukanuba National Championship but I can sure do something local. So check it out, enjoy a day at the park and see some puppies. You can find the information (time/place) HERE! Enjoy and hope to see you there.

Mobile Blogging.

2008-08-28T12:51:00.001-07:00

So I've now set it up to be able to blog from my iPhone. Maybe this will help me post more often.... probably not. We'll see how it goes.

Don't pass this resource up.

2008-08-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

As an expecting parent many of my friends told me about Ready for Kindergarten. I didn't think much on it or even look into it until Christopher was about 3 months old. I've been involved ever since. Ready for Kindergarten is a free (to Kennewick School District residents, $40 to those outside of the district) program for parents with children between the ages of birth to 5. The parents go to an hour and a half long "class" 3 times during the school year, Fall, Winter and Spring. In these classes you learn methods to teach your child skills they should be learning at their age, you get toys/books for your child to utilize in learning these skills and you get to be a part of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library getting a new age appropriate book for your child in the mail every month you are in the Ready! program (free!) I suppose what I'm saying is if you have a child in that age range and would love a free tool to help you educate your child and get them ready for schooling this has been great. Christopher loves going to the mailbox to check for his new book, we come right in and read it everytime it shows up. He also loves the toys he gets from the classes, a couple of them are his favorites. I know its helped give me direction as far as what he should be learning. The classes for this year start in October so take a look and give it a try.

Puppies!!

2008-08-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Geyer German Shepherds to visit with the owner and see the facilities and dogs. I've been trolling her website for almost 3 years and have liked what I've seen, so I called her up and asked if we could go visit. Granted I did this back in June when her schedule was hectic enough she told me to call back in August when she had some free time, haha. She has some beautiful shepherds and all of them were quite friendly with really good temperaments. We were lucky enonough to play with some very sleepy 4 week old pups. Christopher was very good the whole time, in fact if we hadn't been holding him you would have hardly known he was there. We even got him to give one of the puppies a kiss. I had fun and enjoyed getting to see so many nice shepherds.

When we got home we spent some time outside. Christopher managed to get his first wasp sting. He thought it was a bug and picked it up, quickly dropping it when it stung him. It didn't swell too bad or seem to cause him too much trouble... although he acted a little off the rest of the evening. This morning all you can see is a little red dot on his thumb where it got him.

A little bit of Chris.

2008-08-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we went to the fair. We met my parents there and listened to Chicago, they were pretty good and I'm sure Adam enjoyed the drum solo! We got there and went through the animal barns first, the pigs were being herded to the show ring so were walking right past Christopher, pretty much at his level... his little eyes were wide with wonder and I hardly got a word out of him he was taking so much in. He was pretty much in the same quiet, wide eyed state in the cow barn too, but once we got the the chickens and bunnies he was smiling and pointing... "Birdie, bunny!!" It was cute, he even got to have a bunny in his lap. He's very good at patting the fuzzy animals nicely as we practice with Kiro kitty at home. He was in heaven. Here's a picture of Adam and Chris at the concert.

Lately Chris has taken to running around the house with my baseball cap on. Usually backwards, but occasionally with it facing forward, completely covering his face. He of course can't see like this, but it's very fun for him and he giggles and runs (slowly, almost in place,) every time he does it. I thought I would share a goofy picture of him with my hat on. He likes to get very close to the camera right now for some reason.

This last photo is an interesting one. Christopher was being very quiet in the living room. I was washing dishes I think and so I decided to check on him. When I looked over the couch to see him sitting on the floor I discovered he was "hungry" and since mommy was taking to long to feed him he took it upon himself to have a snack.

That's right, he ate his nerf ball. I don't actually think he swallowed any, he was just biting the pieces off and setting them on the floor. By the way, that foamy stuff feels gross when it's all covered in slobber.

The little Mr.

2008-08-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Christopher is getting so big. He's now just shy of a year and a half. He's got a great personality and manages to amaze us everyday in some small way or another. Just this morning when I picked him up out of the crib he pointed at a book and said "Moo!" (It was his Mr. Brown can Moo! book.) When he looks out the window across the street he points at the neighbors house and says, "Katie,"(he's next door playing with her right now) he knows which house is hers. He's up to a 3 word sentence on occasion, is signing and saying at the same time and even counted to 3 last week without prompting... although that is a wonder yet to be repeated.

He got to go swimming in a big people pool for the first time on the 11th, and he took to it like a pro. He loved being able to float and kick and not touch the bottom ( I didn't have a floaty for him so had my hands on him the whole time.) Christopher didn't want to get out of the pool at all, he kept trying to climb back in no matter how many times I thwarted his efforts. I'm encouraged to maybe get mommy/kiddo swim lessons now that I know he enjoys the water so much, I put it off as I wasn't sure how he would react to so much water.

Another great development, Christopher and Maddie (the dog.) Christopher is now able to be out in the yard playing, with the dog in the yard at the same time. She is no longer so out of her mind excited that she knocks him down when he's out there or running up to him so fast that he gets scared. In fact he will take her toy from her (she's gentle and doesn't mind,) and throw it in his pool, when she comes and gets it and lays down again to chew on it, he'll get out of the pool and start the whole cycle over again, it's very cute. So they are playing together and so far all is well. I'm no longer nervous about their interaction, I never worried that she would bite him but I was a little concerned with how over exuberant she gets when playing. She did step on him once and had him screaming bloody murder, more because he was scared then because he was injured.

He still has only 4 teeth, but I'm sure someday more will pop through. He still in 12 month clothing, which is fine... I get more use out of what I have. It's nice not going through clothes like crazy. He eats everything you put on his plate and has a very healthy appetite. He has a well check coming up and I'll be able to tell you exactly how much he's grown. We're both just so proud of him and he truly is our little star.

A health report.

2008-08-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I went to the gastroenterologist on Monday and he scheduled me for a scope the next morning. Why did I go to the gastroenterologist you ask. For the past 5 months or so I've felt like I have a ball in my chest (not every day though, every 4-5 days) when I have this feeling my saliva would get very sticky and if you touched it it would do the mozzarella cheese thing (stringy) wierd, it would be hard to swallow and I wouldn't have any appetite... I dealt with it. Each episode would last about 12 hours, I'd be uncomfortable but could live with it. Well the last month or two it had become so uncomfortable I couldn't sleep through it anymore and dealing with this issue and hives was bringing me to the breaking point. So I went to see the gastroenterologist.

When you get a scope done, they give you some pretty heavy medication to sedate you during the process... meaning you can't drive home and you shouldn't use the kitchen or other potentially dangerous items and you most certainly should not be left to care for a very active 17 month old all alone. Adam, my hero... picked up an emergency flight home Monday night so he could watch the little mister and Suzy, bless her heart came and picked me up to take me for the procedure (at 7 in the morning) and drove me home. The Dr. found that I have candida esophagitis... aka a yeast infection in my esophagus. So I'm on meds for 2 weeks and it should hopefully clear up.

On a hive note: I have chronic idiopathic urticaria and so will just have to live with them until they decide to go away. I'm taking a tiny pill 3 times a day to keep the flare ups down. The medicine does not cure hives just helps make me comfortable. I have a couple of Dr.'s yet to see but my allergist is feeling very firm in her diagnosis. I'll let you know more when I do, however it will probably be very similar news.

On a side note. Please keep my grandmother in your thoughts, she's going in to have a completely blocked artery cleared out and we are all very worried about her. It would be much appreciated.

A long week.

2008-07-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

So, on the morning of the 19th I left for Cheerleadership Camp. It was going to be 7 long days and a lot of work. I'd spent the previous months coming up with a lesson plan for the class I would teach on Tuesday (4 times.) I'd packed for the hot weather and lack of air conditioning I would endure while staying at the dorms at Central and I had prepared myself as much as I could to be bombarded by 250+ cheerleaders.

Saturday and Sunday was more arts and crafts than any one person needs to cram in a day. We made door signs so the squads would know which rooms were theirs to stay in, we made signs to welcome the kids to camp, we made schedules and rules to paste anywhere and everywhere the girls would be to try and give them some sense of direction. Scissors, glue, glitter and tape invaded my dreams.

Monday, they arrived. I had two squads, 28 girls in total that I would be "dorm mom" too. I must say I was lucky, I had two great squads. These were girls that wanted to get as much as they could out of camp both from leadership staff (me) and NCA staff. These girls were kind hearted and genuine. I had it easy and although I tried to learn all thier names in the 4.5 days I was with them I only learned about 23 out of the 28.

My Grandview Girls

My Todd Beamer Girls

It was a good week. I think I did ok being away from Christopher and Adam, there were a couple of moments where I was really down and even cried but the girls I had were quick to cheer me up and keep me busy so I didn't have much time to think of missing home. I must say I grew quite attatched and hope that I made camp fun for them. There were tears when we said goodbye so I'm pretty sure I was a good "dorm mommy." I'm looking forward to next year.

I must say that while I was gone, Adam did a great job. He was teaching Christopher the whole time I was gone and I came home to lots of new voacbulary spewing from his little mouth. Adam also managed to clean the house and keep it that way. Although in the few days I've been home I've managed to make a complete mess of it again. Partly because I have a bad habit of not cleaning up right away and trying to do to many things at once, never actually finishing any chore I start, and also because once I got home.... Adam stopped cleaning too. Soooooo, needless to say I've got chores to do.

Beep Beep, Beep

2008-07-20T07:42:00.001-07:00

Rachel is off leading and teaching at a cheerleader camp so I'm a single parent for the week. After one day so far so good, as expected.

This morning I woke up, did the morning routine and then the beeping started. It sounded random and was REALLY quite. I immediately thought it was one an Annoy-a-tron due to the sadistic nature of my wife and friends! Took about 15 minutes to locate the culprit. Turns out I was being driven mad by a digital thermometer that got wet when I was washing dishes.

Good job Buddy!!

2008-07-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

Christopher is a regular electronic expert. He can make my computer do things I didn't know it could, rate my Tivo shows, eject dvd's from my computer... and take the remote apart. Yup, you read it right. Here he was being all cute and quiet this morning and when I took a look to see what he was up to he had disassembled the TV remote.

From Christopher M...

Christopher has been busy. He's been working on his 4th tooth for a couple of weeks now. It just doesn't want to pop through and most days he's been a little bit whiny about it. Some more than others. One pitfall of new teeth is the fact that he's not used to them being in his mouth and so when he toppled from his box the other day he gave himself a big fat bloody lip. I must say, lips bleed a lot! A mesh feeder and some ice was our savior, keeping the swelling down and helping with the pain.

The little guy is gaining vocabulary like crazy, he's repeating everything and signing well. Most days he'll use his signs instead of crying for what he wants, sometimes though he just feels like letting me know he's there. Like right now, as he's woken up from his nap and is screaming at me to come get him.

Thought I would share.

2008-06-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Just something I feel strongly about and thought I would share with everybody. You'll probably only care if you have children still in carseats or plan to have children.

Smoothies and a shrimp!

2008-06-17T13:20:00.001-07:00

I got a blender for my birthday. A nice Oster blender. It has On, Pulse, and off. It's the best. All metal parts and no frilly extra's. Kicks an ice cubes butt it does. I've had fruit smoothies for breakfast the last couple of mornings and they are really tasty!!! I can't believe I've never owned a blender before. Thanks honey.

I suppose you are wondering about the shrimp.... well that would be the little mister. He had his 15 month well check yesterday. Nothing much new to report, he's healthy like always and doing great. He has 3 teeth now and is spurting out new words all the time. He's also signing much more clearly which is so nice. I tell you what, it's way better than hearing him whine for what he wants, instead he just quietly signs it.

His new stats are and hence the shrimp part:
Height: 29" (up from 28.6" at 12 months.) This puts him in the 2.97th percentile
Weight: 20 lbs 8 oz (up from 20 lbs 1 oz at 12 months.) This puts him in the 3.7th percentile

Had a great day.

2008-06-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday. It was probably one of the better birthdays I've ever had, I truly enjoyed the whole day.

It started off first thing in the morning with my dad bringing me a Dutch Bros coffee. That in itself might have made for a perfect day. Then my sister came to visit, bringing me a gluten free brownie mix and a movie I've been wanting for a while Howl's Moving Castle. Before she made her exit my friend Suzy came over and brought me bath stuff!! We talked for a while and I thoroughly enjoyed her company. I don't see her as often as I would like and it made the day that much better. The neighbor and her daughter came over and brought me chocolate and a card knowing I couldn't eat anything with wheat and hoping chocolate was safe, they left a little dissapointed that Christopher was taking a nap as they love to see him whenever they can!!

For dinner I BBQ'd and my parents came over. We had steaks, asparagus and potatoes, all done on the grill. It was pretty darn tasty. We watched a movie on the big screen and had a cocktail (my dad and I did anyway.) I'd been wanting to try Baileys new caramel flavor, it was yummy. Christopher behaved beautifully all day and went to bed after dinner with no fuss. All in all it was a really good birthday. Had Adam been home it would have been just that much better.

Happy Birthday Rachel!

2008-06-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Everyone call and wish Rachel a happy birthday today!

Ahhhhhh....

2008-06-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

So last Wednesday I went to the allergist, I was all ready for a 3 hour appointment which would involve poking and prodding and getting to the bottom of what was causing my hives. It was not to be, while the Dr. would love to do the testing, she can't. Why you ask?!?! I have hive flare ups whenever you pretty much touch/prick/scratch my skin even slightly. This would cause any testing to show a false positive as every time they poked me that spot/area would flare up. Sooooo, we have to get the flare ups under control before we test.

I'm taking a histamine blocker 4 times a day as well as Zantac twice a day (they use it to treat hives as well as heartburn..... who knew.) I go back in on the 18th. Since I started the meds I haven't had any flare ups, it's so nice not to itch non-stop and look like I have some weird disease all over my skin, it's a short lived experience however as it's not a permanent solution. I'll have to be off the meds for 7 days before she can do the allergy testing. I'm just hoping that we can solve this mystery as I'm completely miserable.

What to do...

2008-05-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

So it's been a few weeks, I still have hives. Not only do I still have hives, I'm starting to get them places I haven't had them for months, like the bottoms of my feet and my scalp (along with all the usual everywhere else places.) When the hives first started 14 months ago it was on the palms of my hands and the bottom of my feet, let me tell you it feels like you're walking on bone when you have hives on your feet. Now that I'm facing a miserable hive-y existence that my OBGYN says he doesn't believe is related to breastfeeding but rather that "giving birth" changed my chemical structure yada yada in such a way that I'm now allergic to something I wasn't previously, I'm a little dismayed. If you Google chronic hives, those people are not happy people... in fact most have had it as there is not much to be done. So, my Dr. told me to see an allergist. I will, then I'll let you know what said allergist says.

This last weekend was eventful. We found that we have birds in the attic, with lots of babies just chirp chirp chirping in there. They are actually in the house exhaust fan tube. Adam was unable to get to them this weekend (couldn't quite reach the nest,) so Gar won't be getting his ladder back until next weekend.

Adam was hard at work in the backyard getting the last corner weeded, he put down landscape fabric and a drip line. He also planted a dwarf japanese maple for me. Now I just need to figure out what else I want to plant back there and put down some bark-a-mulch. I'll post a picture soon.

Bittersweet

2008-05-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Christopher is growing so fast. I suppose he would now be classified as a toddler, being as that's what he spends most of his time doing, toddling around. He's using signs, talking, eating more and a larger variety of foods. He's still in 9-12 month clothing and only has his bottom two teeth, but he doesn't let his size slow him down or his lack of chompers stop him from eating anything.

We reached a bittersweet milestone however. I took a weekend hiatus to prepare for a week long one coming in July and I decided if Christopher did well with Adam over the weekend and didn't seem to miss nursing much than I would wean him. We were down to one session a day as it was, nursing just when he woke up in the morning at 6 a.m. or so. I've had awful hives the entire time I've nursed, they started as soon as my milk came in and have not gone away. After consulting with 3 doctors or so we've come to the conclusion that I'm allergic to the hormone breastfeeding produces. I enjoy the half hour or so in the morning when he's just cuddling with me and was a little worried I'd have a hard time giving it up. I was pretty sure Christopher would be ok, he's never been "boob crazy," tugging at shirts or demanding it, it was really just food to him and not so much of a comfort thing.

Well, he did great with Adam and took to getting whole organic milk instead of breastmilk just great. I wasn't having any engorgement issues and was doing well with the transition emotionally, so we weaned him. I'm proud to say I nursed him for 14 months. I know many moms who didn't choose to continue it that long and I know many who, had they had the hives I have would certainly not have gone as long. So, I pat myself on the back for a job well done. It's been a week, I still have hives. I'm hoping they will go away, if they haven't within a month which I believe should be enough time for the hormones causing them to subside, then I will have to consult a specialist and maybe go get some allergy testing done. They truly do make me miserable and I can't see having them for much longer being as I've put up with them so long already.

New Appreciation

2008-04-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the experience of being a single parent as Rachel was out of town for a planning session for the cheerleader camp she helps out at every year. I have to say that I have a new appreciation for what Rachel has to do every day, by herself while I'm out of town traveling for work. It was an adventure....

Getting up before the sun does, changing diapers while 1/2 asleep, feeding Chris while 1/2 asleep (and having him be upset that I don't have boobs), keeping him entertained all day while trying to clean up the mess from the day before, all while trying to keep myself fed, entertained and clean. Hats off to you mama!

This weekend Chris learned a new trick. There is a spot on his high chair tray where he can't reach. That's where we put the cereal we don't want him to immediately shove into his face. He learned that if he throws his pacifier into that area it will knock more cereal within reach!

Oh and Mario Kart for wii is out...w00t

A great dog, my best friend.

2008-04-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

From FurBabies"

Zoey, I remember the day you were born. Ruth held her toy (the icky yellow one we'd found on the side of the road one day, her favorite,) in her mouth for the entire labor and delivery. You were one of the only black and whites out of the litter and one of the only females, an important quality as mom and dad were only looking to keep a female.

I would visit you and the litter, just sitting there. You'd just crawl in my lap for loves or a nap while the other puppies all played together. We were best buddies from the get go. I always thought it was cute how you slept in the food dish as much as it annoyed mom. Somehow I convinced them that we had to keep you, even though they wanted the little liver and white female that showed early signs of a good hunting drive.

You were so eager to please and tried to do anything asked of you. You learned fast, sitting, fetching, shaking... just a few of the things you could do. You were supposed to be dad's new hunting dog, the whole reason we bred Ruth, like mother like daughter he hoped. Somehow though Ruth's hunting drive didn't translate. Instead of doing what you were supposed to do you would just walk in front of me in the field and trip me all day. The word "hunt" to you meant, "where's the ball?" and though you were an ultimate failure as a hunting dog we still took you with us, you loved to go swimming and running around and it was still fun. Well aside from all the burs I had to comb out of your coat. Ruth did all the work, it's ok.

Even as big as you got, your favorite thing to do was sit in my lap and even though you were a big slobbery mess and I always had to change my clothes afterward, I loved it. You were my buddy, and you always made me feel better. I'm going to miss you.

I've been preparing for today for a long time, I thought I had come to terms with it since I've been expecting it for about a year now, but I still have some tears to shed. Here is my farewell to the best and most loyal of friends. Goodbye Zoey, I love you.

Christopher's favorite new trick.

2008-04-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Christopher has recently discovered that if you push on a door, it moves. So, he has been pushing on doors like a happy little door pusher the last few days. He's relatively quiet about it and most of the time I won't even know hes been doing it until he starts yelling, and generally not because he's trapped, nope. He's yelling because he's shut himself in a room and the door won't move anymore. So, I'll open the door for him and he happily goes about closing it again until he realizes the door no longer moves, it's been a happy little cycle of joy. Yes, I know I could keep the doors closed and solve this time sucking problem but he is awfully cute while he does it, and who doesn't like cute.

Rice Chex!!!

2008-04-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. Rice Chex, a cereal I would love to eat, with blackberries and sugar on it... has been off my menu since I've gone completely gluten free. Well, now I'll be able to eat it again, the are going gluten free!! Replacing the monster ingredient, barley malt, with molasses. Here is the article if you care to read it. Go General Mills!

Trying New Foods.

2008-04-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Christopher is not mine. I know this because no son of mine would actually LIKE avocado!! That's right, I don't know why I tried it, maybe some other mom said their kid liked it, who knows. I fed Christopher avocado, straight up... and he likes it. I can't stand the stuff (unless it's in guacamole form.) I don't think Adam likes avocado plain either. Strange child.

I also decided to try giving him some kiwi fruit, which he loves as well. The little seeds get all over everything, but he eats it right up. I suppose the reason I'm trying new foods is due to the fact that I'm not feeding him any "baby" food anymore. I haven't bought a jar of baby food in a couple of weeks, in fact his last jar was used on Easter. It sure stretches the imagination coming up with baby friendly foods in forms he can pick up himself and in pieces small enough he won't choke.

Christopher is just walking like crazy now, he loves to do it and is getting better and better at it every day. He also has started signing "more" to me, and while he can only do the one sign himself he understands the others. This has been great because I know that all the work I've been putting in trying to get him to sign will pay off. It's been a game of patience but hopefully will be well worth it.

Adam is in Vegas, again. His parents are on their way home from AZ so decided to visit with him in Vegas for a couple of evenings. I'm sure they are having a good time hanging out.

Over this last weekend we were busy. Saturday we went to the Art show at the Trac. Saturday night we headed to the neighbors for some Texas Hold 'Em. It was a good time, I learned how to what to do as I lost my chips, Adam had a couple of really good plays and Christopher was laughing so hard at one point he just curled up into a ball on the floor and giggled until he couldn't breath. He slept well that evening. Hopefully we'll play cards again in the near future. He slept well that evening. Sunday we went to a birthday party for Tomas, who turned 5. He received a lot of cars.

Little bits of wisdom from Christopher!

2008-03-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

1. Being naked makes everything better.

2. Yogurt trumps banana.

3. Stairs = The best toy ever!

4. The cat has a tail so you can eat it.

5. It WILL fit through the cat door.

Eat Cake.

2008-03-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Christopher, as cute as he is can sure get himself into some mischief. All I have to say is you better keep the bathroom door closed.

His first birthday party was great. All the immediate family came (aside from Theresa and crew, who were there in spirit.) Fritzy and Athena came with Sam and Eileen (who is just the tiniest, most adorable little baby.) Christopher was rather sleepy for the most part, that is until the food came out and he woke right up. I made him his very own mini cake which he summarily smeared all over his face.

Christopher also had his 12 month well check this last Monday. No shots this time as he had a cold but in two weeks he'll get those darn vaccines.

At his well check we got his currents stats too!!
Height: 28.5" up from 26.5" at his 9 month well check which puts him in the 9th percentile He was 26" at his 6 month well check, 24.8" at his 4 month well check and 23.3" at his 2 month.

Weight: 18lbs down from 18.15lbs at his 9 month putting him in the 1st percentile. He was 17lbs 6oz at his 6 month, 15lbs 6oz at his 4 month well check and 11lbs 1oz at his 2 month.

Happy Birthday Buddy!!!

2008-03-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Christopher is the big 1 today. It's so hard to believe that a year has gone by. To think at this time last year we were in the hospital waiting for the little Mr. to work his way into the world, and now he's not only here he's walking (a little,) talking (a little,) and making a big impact on everyone on everyone he meets. We like to think so anyway. It's been such a great year and he's been a great little baby. Sleeping through the night, in his crib, hitting his milestones and being the best thing since sliced cheese.

So to celebrate we're having a BBQ and ice cream cake. In a Winnie the Pooh theme. I'll post pictures after the party. So wish him a Happy Birthday and know he'll be enjoying his special day!

Here's a link to some of the pictures we've taken over the year.

Christopher Michael

Pretty Uneventful

2008-03-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

Not much has happened in the last week. Adam is still working in Vegas, although this week he took a nasty bug with him. I feel bad that he has to travel sick. Traveling is bad enough when you feel good, let alone when you're running a fever.

I spent the day with my mom, and spent $$. Those two things always go hand in hand. Diapers and wipes, those break the bank every time. I also bought some day lilies which I'm excited to get into the ground. I love spring, or the prospect of it, the thought is almost enough to motivate me to do something productive... almost.

Christopher is only taking a couple of steps here and there. Not really trying very hard to become a walking pro yet. He still has just the one tooth. He'll be 1 on the 12th. I can't believe he's already a year old. It went so fast. It's amazing how one tiny little person has changed our lives so completely (in a good way.) I can't wait to see what's coming in the years to come.

Away We Go!!!!

2008-02-21T19:24:00.000-08:00

Christopher decided to brave the walking world last night. That's right, he took his first few steps. His legs were way to tired after that to attempt any more, although he sure tried. Here is a brief clip of his short adventure (redundant, I know.) Luckily he chose to take his first steps when daddy was home. That's one I'm sure he didn't want to miss. He has also managed to get his first tooth, just barely breaking the surface but definitely there. Christopher is just trying to accomplish as much as he can before his first birthday rolls around, and he's doing a great job of it.

It's a good day!

2008-02-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

So my vacuum blew up a couple of weeks ago, and with a baby in the house that's not a good thing. I had been vacuuming at least every other day if not daily as every little thing goes in his mouth. You can imagine the amount of chasing him down to pull one thing or another he'd stuck in there over the last few days I was doing... lots! So, this morning the doorbell rings, it was my "free" Dyson. Adam, the lovely man that he is, used his Marriott points to get me the DC14 Telescope Reach.
Vacuuming with this is like spreading butter on toast, not cold butter, very smooth and creamy butter, and it's quiet. I'm in love and very excited if you couldn't tell.

nGenuity Information Services

2008-02-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that I have been working on forming my own company for a while now. I'm pleased to announce that after a lot of hard work, planning and now execution nGenuity Information Services LLC has finally incorporated (and we even have our first customer), very exciting indeed! Of course I ask that any of my friends that run into somebody needing help with anything related to security give us a referral. (you need the Karma don't you?)

In other news I will be presenting for the local DC509 security group on February 16th on the topic of wireless security. This is our first community outreach meeting. You can find out more information at the DC509 website dc509.org

It's going to be an interesting day.

2008-01-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

After feeding Christopher this morning, I let him crawl around while I checked my e-mail. It had been a few quiet minutes when I heard the clang of the cat food dish in the other room. Much to my dismay I had left the cat room door open and Christopher was in there, chewing... That's right, my sweet son had four pieces of cat food in his mouth and was just chomping away. Way to go buddy.

A couple of hours later at Winco I was in line behind a lady who had two items. The biggest bag of shelled peanuts I've ever seen and a very large pack of toilet paper... enough said.

Tonight is my little sisters bachelorette party. Again, enough said. I wonder what other interesting things I'll see today.

Oh my...

2008-01-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

I don't know how I ever survived without wipes. I'll never in my life be without them again. Talk about an awesome multipurpose tool. Cleans up just about any mess. Great for cleaning carpet stains. Only use the unscented ones though, especially on baby bottoms, poop and most other smells just end up smelling worse. In case you were wondering.

A Recap.

2008-01-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

The holidays were very pleasant this year. Christmas was went well and we were able to spend time with the family. Christopher enjoyed himself, and although he didn't quite understand how to open his gifts he did love eating everybody's bows and paper. Here are some pictures of Christopher leaving cookies for Santa.

Reaching for cookies.

Checking out the cookie.

Eating the cookie.

We spent New Years with our friends Jennifer and Joel, and their two little ones. Christopher actually stayed up until past midnight and rang it in with us. His sleeping habits are another post altogether. It was nice and quiet and just a brief walk from the house

New in Christopher's world...
Christopher is currently trying to drive me crazy. It's amazing what he'll find on the floor and put in his mouth, it doesn't matter how small it is, he can see it and pick it up. I've been vacuuming and sweeping much more frequently (daily instead of my usual blue moon schedule,) and it still isn't enough.

Christopher has also learned how to climb the stairs and much to my chagrin is quite good at it. He's even almost figured out how turn around and slide on his butt to get down. However he'll also try to sit on the step, or should I say try to sit halfway on the step which leads to him rolling down. I've always been right there so he hasn't fallen yet but I do try to let him understand what his actions cause, safely.

Chris has no teeth yet. He's eating 5 meals a day, 3 of which are solids, mostly puree's but we've also been eating Kix and some diced fruits and veggies that have been cooked to smooshiness so he can gum them easily. He gave us a little scare with a chunk of pear the other day, actually choking, daddy saved him and he was ready for more. How quickly they move on at this age.

That's the update. See you soon, maybe not. Anyhow, hope the New Year is happy and good to you all.

9 Months

2007-12-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

Christopher had his 9 month well check on Monday. He's healthy as can be. The Dr. said it won't be long now until he has teeth. Only had one shot this time, he didn't cry but he did get a tear in his eye and look up at me with the saddest face he could muster. I'm going to be in trouble later when he's intentionally pulling that look.

At his well check we got his currents stats too!!
Height: 26.5" up from 26" at his 6 month well check, 24.8" at his 4 month well check and 23.3" at his 2 month. This puts him in the 3rd percentile.
Weight: 18.15lbs up from 17lbs 6oz at his 6 month, 15lbs 6oz at his 4 month well check and 11lbs 1oz at his 2 month. This puts him in the 10th percentile.

He's Crawling!!

2007-12-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how fast our little ones grow. Just last week he was barely pulling himself along the floor (in undead zombie fashion,) and this week he's crawling. He's able to put some speed on too, it's crazy that one minute he'll be right in front of me and if I stop paying attention he'll be clear across the room because he found another power cord to tug on. That's right, Christopher and cords have a magnetic attraction to each other. If they are in the same vicinity you can be sure they'll meet up.

The last couple of nights have been late ones. The little guy has been fighting some kind of sick for a couple of weeks now and the last two days seem to have taken their toll. He's napping a lot which means he's not going down for the night as early. However he's still waking up at his normal time, which leads to a tired couple of parents. Luckily Adam is home this week (so far,) so I've had help. I probably would have been calling for the grandparents brigade for reinforcements if he hadn't been here.

My new improved kitchen!!

2007-11-30T08:53:00.001-08:00

I decided I wanted to paint my kitchen. All the walls in my house being one color was driving me mad and the only "common" area downstairs I could really see painting was the kitchen. It was clay beige (see photo below.)

I talked to Adam and he said I could paint. He didn't even mind that I had picked an orange color. As some of you know the"rust" color that my house in Veneta, OR was supposed to be was called pink by many a friend of ours. I picked a shade or two too light... oops. So we went to Home Depot and I picked out the color Pumpkin Toast!! I love it. Just a little color can sure warm up a room. Now all I have to do is get some wall hangings and maybe a rug for the table, my poor little feet get cold when I eat in there and it'll be finished. Here's the finished paint job.

Little Sneaky Baby!!

2007-11-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

So Christopher was happily playing on the floor in the living room when I took some laundry up to the washer. I loaded it, took some clothes out of the dryer and headed back down the stairs... to find this. I couldn't resist sharing since his smile is so genuine. He's taken quite a few dvd's out and after the picture was taken he continued to get more. Sure do love this guy.

Thanksgiving!

2007-11-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was pretty darn good. On the 22nd Adam, Christopher and I headed out to my sisters house. My parents came out too and we got to meet my sister's soon to be in-laws. It was a yummy traditional meal; turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, yams and pie!! I of course didn't get to eat with the rest of the family because Christopher has wonderful timing when it comes to meals and decided he was hungry.

On Saturday the 24th I hosted our family dinner. My first time hosting Thanksgiving and I had 14 people. Grandparents, both sisters and their families and my parental units of course. The turkey was great, very moist, herb roasted potatoes, green beans, yams, stuffing, pie... etc. Everything was wheat free and milk free. You would never have known, in fact many people eating didn't know. It's so nice to be able to not worry about being sick after a meal like that and have it turn out so great. Again, I didn't get to eat with the crowd, I was feeding the baby who's timing is impeccable. It was great to get so many family members in one place at one time. I'm making bread today so I can have a turkey sandwich... yummy!!!

The great part was that my mom kicked butt on the Wii. She was playing Mario Party mini games and rocking it. My dad even played with my nephews for a bit. I don't know if my grandparents played at all but they hung out up there for a while. I love that we have something that's so easy to use anybody can jump in and enjoy themselves. Definitely a good investment.

From Baldwin Blath...

Deer Hunting in Minnesota

2007-11-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

I spent last week hunting with my dad (and only had to do minimal computer work). I haven't been deer hunting in Minnesota since 2001 and I had a great time. It was a full week of doing absolutely nothing. By the end of the week I even forgot what the date was.

My dad shot a 6 point (3 point for you crazy people who think that you should only count 1 side of the antlers) and I shot a 4 point.

Friday night I stayed with friends (Justin and Chris) and of course went out and had too much fun before I had to fly back home at 6:00 AM on Saturday. I had to literally kick Justin in the shoulder to get him up so I would be at the airport on time.

Halloween Party 2007

2007-11-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

Yes yes, I realize I'm a little late posting. I've been busy and just didn't get around to it. So this year was our first "annual" Halloween party in our new house. We had a pretty decent turnout, 26 people walked through our door, all dressed to impress. Costumes ranged from cute to bloody. There was food and Wii. Next year I'll try to think of some party games to play, this year was kinda thrown together and with the baby my planning time was otherwise consumed. Here are some pics.

Halloween Party 2007

What a pair!

2007-11-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Adam and I have noticed that Christopher loves to bang on the keyboard or do whatever it is mommy and daddy are doing. So, we felt like indulging him. As Adam plugged away at some code Christopher banged away at his very own keyboard. He later found the cord coming off the keyboard much more amusing than the keyboard itself, at which time we decided to take it away from him. We didn't need a strangled baby on our hands, they aren't half as cute as the live versions.

Pumpkin Blues.

2007-10-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

So I got up this morning at 5:30 a.m. to feed Christopher. Since it's to early to start cooking for our party I planned to carve my pumpkins. I went to bed last night knowing I would have time to do it before everything else and waiting until today might get them to last until Halloween. I figured they would make a good Halloween welcome for the party guests. I stepped out onto the front porch and did not see my pumpkins anywhere. I checked the bed of the truck and around the corner to see if they had been hidden from me in some sort of prank. I looked at the neighbors houses, all still sporting their pumpkins. I then went to the garage, maybe my wonderful husband put them there to keep them out of the frost. Nope. So a few tears later I wake Adam up to let him know my pumpkins have been kidnapped and it's not nice. So needless to say I'm feeling very bummed this morning and am not in much of a party mood anymore.

What a long couple of days.

2007-10-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

So, Tuesday night I had my parents over for dinner and a movie. This movie is the most awesomest "zombie" animal movie ever. My friends let me borrow it and let me just say, the rents and I had a good laugh. This also had some really good surround sound effects. I was impressed, I jumped in fact as I thought something was going on outside of the room, in my house when I realized it was all the action taking place behind me from the speakers! So if you haven't watched it, do so. Black Sheep, rent it today. You'll laugh, I promise, and you'll probably never look at a sheep the same way again.

Last night was a long one. Christopher had his first night of vomiting. Over a 3 hour span I had to change myself and the little guy 5 times. Poor thing couldn't even keep a sip of water down. I had to hold him most of the night because when I set him down his poor little body would start heaving again. He seems to be doing fine today, a little cranky from being overly tired. I know I'm tired. He's able to keep all his food down, not doing solids today though.

It's a beautiful day!!

2007-10-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's just gorgeous outside today. Especially for being fall. I must say I'm enjoying the sunshine.

I've (meaning Adam helped a little) got most my fall "chores" done. The lawn has been given its fall feeding. The fence has been stained (this is where Adam helped.) This morning the local Gamecube champion and his dad came over and blew out my sprinklers. Thanks!!!

So all in all it's been a productive couple of weeks so far. Christopher is doing his thing, growing. Sleeping right now, which he tends to do on a belly full of cereal and bananas. Adam will be heading to MN to get me some venison in a couple of weeks, excited about that. Although MN venison does taste different than WA venison, it's still good. Party this weekend. Gonna have quite a few people, all in costume. Should be fun. Lots of food. Anyway. I'm just kinda rambling. Sorry.

Plbbbbb!

2007-10-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

Christopher was being really cute this morning. So cute that I had to pull out the camera. As you can see he was in a tongue mood. I believe he made this face after trying to eat my foot (yes it was clean,) can't quite remember however. From the looks of it he won't be trying it again anytime soon.

Adam is travelling again. Last week was his first back on the road. I had become used to him being here again unfortunately as he was home for a month (I think) and now am having to become used to him being gone again. I know the 36 hours I'll have him home for every weekend over the next few weeks will feel "normal" in no time, which is sad. It'll be nice when he doesn't have to travel for work anymore, but for now it's a necessary evil.

Halloween is on it's way. We've started decorating the house and hope that our party is a success. We'll probably do one every year since it's my favorite holiday. I've got some pretty neat decorations and every year they'll just get better, if you happen to drive (especially at night) by you should look at the second story window. It's cool.

Voice Mail

2007-10-08T15:30:00.001-07:00

Gar gives good voice mail.

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No more SQUASH!!!

2007-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Christopher recently started eating solids... if you can call very runny rice cereal a solid. I thought I would try one of the more unappealing flavors first as we ventured a little further than rice, since his palate is fresh maybe he wouldn't mind eating squash since he didn't know any better. Well, I was wrong. I was given many wonderful faces as we tried to eat the squash, a lot of this tastes icky shivers and most of it getting spit out. In the end, after one of the last couple of bites I tried to give him he shot me the "NO MORE SQUASH," face that you're witnessing here. I couldn't pass up posting it.

6 Months!!

2007-09-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Christopher was 6 months on the 12th. I waited to do his update post until he had his well check today. He's been great, sitting up like a champ, cooing and babbling up a storm (especially at 6 am over the monitor,) he even started eating rice cereal on Saturday. His grabby little hands can pretty much get anything within a two foot radius and we've learned to clear the area before setting him down anywhere. He also enjoys being outside and watching Maddie run around the yard, and watching Kiro inside (Kiro has lost a few tufts of fur to the little mister already.) Everyday he changes just a little bit, but he's always cute and always cuddly. He's even starting to play shy for the girls. We're going to have our hands full, that's for sure.

At his well check we got his currents stats too!!
Height: 26", up from 24.8" at his 4 month well check and 23.3" at his 2 month. This puts him in the 30 percentile.
Weight: 17lbs 6oz, up from 15lbs 6oz at his 4 month well check and 11lbs 1oz at his 2 month. This puts him in the 46 percentile.

Remote Hog!!

2007-09-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

I took this very cute picture of Christopher not to long ago. He never ceases to make me laugh, of all the toys he has to play with he chooses to eat the remote more often than not. He gave me this look when I asked him when I could have the remote back.

Wedding Bells

2007-09-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Two good friends of mine (Erin and Caleb) from college (and Minnesota) got married this weekend. It was amazing to see all of the individuals I had not seen in years. So many had families and have been so successful, others just stayed the same and it was like I had seen them just yesterday. I wish Caleb and Erin all the happiness in the world.

Now it is time to get back to my family which I miss so very much. It seems like I have been gone forever even though it has only been a week. Time to get rid of this traveling job and be home more.

Good news...

2007-08-31T09:00:00.001-07:00

Oh, so last week my sister and her beau got engaged. They've been seeing each other for about a year and I'm happy for them. They're planning a winter wedding (around January.) They've also recently signed on their first home and if all goes well will be able to move in the first of October. I wish them tons of luck and many happy years.

Stoopid Rain

2007-08-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

It figures. I arrange for my neighbor to watch Christopher for a couple of hours this morning so I can mow the lawn... AND IT RAINS!!! So now I'll have to do it tomorrow. If I was bagging the clippings I'd just mow it today anyway, but I want to mulch and wet grass does not mulch well. So frustrating.

Later the same day... it stopped raining and I was able to get the lawn mowed. It was terribly muggy and miserable however. Christopher enjoyed playing with Katie (neighbor's almost 4 year old,) and can't wait to go over there again. He got home and fell fast asleep.