Pictures From Yesterday

Sorry about the quality, but I thought they were cute bathroom pictures! :D

Potty Training So Far...

Yesterday went very well. Anna peed in her panties today for the first time, so I guess that we're doing well. I'm trying not to be discouraged by little hurdles. We went to the store with Anna in panties and had no accidents, although I was very paranoid. Anna's in a diaper right now post-accident.

Any suggestions on potty training? What worked for you?

Oh I also forgot to mention that yesterday Anna turned 21 months old!!!!! *sigh* It's really hard to believe!!!

Guess What We Bought???

Today we bought Anna a Dora potty seat and a 3 pack of Dora underwear. She keeps going to the bathroom and wanting to play with the toilet seat lol, but the good thing is, she went peepee on the first try! I love my little girl!!! :D

The Blogging Slump

I'm so sorry I haven't been a very diligent blogger lately. Life has been very uneventful, but that's not always a bad thing. It's actually a nice thing. After the events of the past year, it's quite nice to have nothing good and nothing bad going on. Just normal, regular, daily events.

Maybe I should share what goes on in a regular day?

Lately, this is our day:

8:00 AM, Anna wakes up and is rearing to go! Yikes! She's an early bird... so unlike her mother!

9:00 AM, Breakfast. Mommy checks email and other computer junk...

10:00 AM, cartoons... Anna likes Little Einsteins. I feel virtuous being able to get her to watch more educational programs (as opposed to Spongebob, Spongebob, and more Spongebob... I can now mix in Little Einsteins and Backyardigans... this is good)

11:00 AM... still nothing wonderful going on. It's too darn hot to go out. We'll burn & roast. 2 year old + Lobsterlike sunburn = Bad Day. I decide to stay indoors and live an unexciting life.

12:00 PM... Lunch... Nothing fancy... Sandwiches, usually, milk, fruit...

1:00 PM...Mommy reads. I've been reading Kathy Reichs novels lately. Very interesting and quite a step outside of my norm. It was a good step. Yay me!

2:00 PM... still nothing wonderful going on... what do I do with my day???

3:00 PM... Daddy wakes up, he works until 6 in the morning and comes home around 7, so he's a very late riser. Anna plays with daddy, clings to his legs, calls his names... general awe and wonder.

4:00 PM... still nothing wonderful. Maybe a trip to the nearby jungle gym.

5:00 PM... Dinnertime...

6:00 PM... I have honestly no idea... my days just flash by nowadays. Mostly Anna plays, climbs, gets in trouble. She's a monkey. She does quite a lot of climbing and I do quite a lot of refereeing.

7:00 PM... Computer time?

8:00 PM... Play time?

9:00 PM... Anna's out like a light.

There's my exciting life. Now you know why I have nothing to blog about lately. Maybe I'll also mention that my hubby applied for a security position (he's a security officer) on the coast. We're praying that he gets it. He's qualified for it. If he gets it, then that'll mean a 7-10 dollar raise and a move to a much less expensive city. Not to mention we'll be on the coast.... a dream!

Wordless Wednesday

New Haircut...

Go Green (August 2008)

This is Go Green Month! I'm the first to admit I'm not very green at all. But I think maybe if we all do just a little bit... take things to the recycling center, buy a Brita-type water pitcher instead of plastic bottles, walk when we can, etc. That it can make a big impact on the earth. I'm not the kind of person who goes and preaches this stuff from the rooftops, but I think that if I can do a little something here and there, that at least I'm not just sitting back and watching everything roll by. Have a Happy Go Green Month!


A little video from one of my fave actresses, Emily Deschanel on Carpooling. It's pretty funny and informative. ;)

Wedding Day!

Anna and Grandma

Anna, 20 months

Mr. and Mrs. Perkins and family (plus the minister)

The kiss.

The rings. :)

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Perkins! Today was Annette and Ethan's wedding. And I can tell you that this is the first wedding that I actually even came close to shedding tears. Trust me. That's big. I'm not a big crier (unless I'm angry, then the tears just flow... go figure... or if I just gave birth... OK off that tangent now) Anyhow, it was an amazing ceremony, but the thing that was so amazing was their story. Annette's first husband was arrested for some horrible things a while ago and she was left with her three children to raise alone, a girl and two boys. Ethan's wife just up and left one day and never looked back. That left him with his son and daughter to raise alone. Then one day, the two met and fell in love. The rest is history. It's amazing how God brought them together. Out of the ashes. They are both God-fearing Christians and oh they love each other and one another's children so much! At the ceremony, not only did they say vows to one another, but they also said vows to each others' children. Annette's oldest son was crying. I think he misses having a father. God gave him that today. An earthly father, that is. *sigh* It was a wonderful day. I have photos to share now. :) (You can click to enlarge them.)

New Words!

Yesterday was a good day for new words!

First, I bought Trident gum. One of Anna's favorite treats. One that I don't mind giving her, either. ;) Anyhow, she kept coming to me and saying, "Gahm!" She wanted gum! What a bright girl!

But that's not as amazing as this next thing, because there were no prompts from me. (You know, telling her the word first.) She brought her Sesame Street shapes book to me and sat on my lap. She opened it up and on one page there are pictures of a 'ball', a 'window', a 'book', and a 'door'. She pointed to the ball and said, "Ball".... I already knew she knew that one. She pointed at the book and said, "Booah." I knew that she knew that one already. Then she pointed at the door and said, "door" and KNOCKED on it, then she pantomimed opening the door! I was blown away! I'd never heard her say 'door' before and I've never pointed at it and said, "door", either. I dragged her into the living room and tried to have her reenact it for everyone. *sigh* She only knocked on it, but wouldn't say door. lol. :D

Autumn

Today I'm having dreams of autumn leaves and cool warm weather. I can't wait for the autumn to arrive. Unfortunately, I hate winter, and winter seems to last forever in the Northwest. Am I right? It seems to rain continually from October until May. I'm not looking forward to that, but I am looking forward to the fall. I love it and I can't wait for it. :D

On the other front, I'm considering a haircut, but my hair is fine and wavy/curly so I'm a loss as to what I should choose for a cut. I've always cut it in 'layers'... sometimes I wish my hair would choose one. Curly or straight. That would make things much easier. Instead it is always just very wavy. Sure, it makes for some nice natural volume, but I always feel like I've got the same haircut. Hmmm... any suggestions?

Scripture Sunday

“But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”- 1 Samuel 16:7

GIVEAWAY WINNER

Using Random.org, our winner is............ (drum roll please...)

"The Wades"

Please check out their blog here:

http://jeremyandamywade.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!!! :D

Northwestern Irony

Hehehe... I had a funny thought today. It's ironic that I live in the Northwest with who I am. I hate coffee. I hate sea food. And I HATE rain and cold. But I really can't escape either of these things in my daily life because of where I live. How funny! :D

Well, our trip to the park was very nice. I had a great long talk with Marina, Nevaeh's mother. It was great to have a connection with another woman. She's about ten years, give or take, older than me, but we had a really great talk. It's nice. I honestly don't have a lot of good close friends any more, now that I'm out of school. The friends I have made in recent years have all been at college (who I don't see any more) or at church. It's a good feeling to have some new friends.

Well, I hope that everyone has had a great day! I just realized today is the last day of my contest! I'll choose the winner tomorrow--give it a couple extra hours. ;)

My Week O' Break

Thanks for my contest, I've been taking the week off from blogging. I usually spend my day writing short stories. I love it. It's my secret passion. I should share some of what I'm writing sometime. =) But for now, it's after ten .... almost ten thirty in the morning. I'm exhausted. Anna had another one of those rough nights where sleep is not a prerogative. Good for her lol. On the other hand, mommy could use a hot shower in coffee... not that I drink coffee, I just bathe in it from time to time... I was thinking the other day, I have a lot of food aversions. Ever stop and think about stuff you like or don't like? If I put it on paper, I'm a pretty picky eater. I don't like beef, pork, sea food of any kind, coffee, strong tea... OK, OK, I'm going off on a tangent... It's the exhaustion. I blame that. Anyhow, Anna and I are going to the park soon with a lady from our church and her daughter, Nevaeh. Nevaeh is almost exactly a year older than Anna and she's smart as a whip, very sweet, big blue eyes. I love the girl, honestly. So, we're off to do that. Fascinating, huh? Just a little update on our lives. I'll have to post some of my short story sometime soon. :)

Secure 2 Me Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!!!!!!!!

(What'd I tell you? Silky goodness!)

(Anna wanted to pose with it... don't worry, I didn't let her tear it out of the package... I'll leave that job to your little one...)

Thank you Secure2Me! This product is simply amazing. Coming from the Great Northwest, where windy cold weather is as common as breathing oxygen, I'm in love with this product! I can't tell you how many times Anna, my little dd, has kicked off blankets into the mud on our walks! Lucky, lucky, lucky YOU! I've got one to give away! No more kicked off blankets!

Clips On & Stays On

Secure2Me Blanket is the first and only blanket that clips on and stays on. No need for any other hardware or ties.

Stays put with ease
Each corner features a finger-friendly clip that quickly and easily attaches to any fabric with one hand.

Grows with your child
Designed to fit your newborn to preschooler in all your baby gear for many years of use.

Comfortable
Your baby will crave the cuddle-soft fabrics and unique blanket shape provides the perfect fit.

Durable
Crafted from only the highest-quality fabrics and triple surged to stand up well in your washing machine and with the toughest of toddlers.

Machine washable
Easily kept clean with periodic washes.

The Secure2Me blanket is so adorable. The one I have to give away is not only adorable, but it's enviously adorable. It's a silky red Asian material... GORGEOUS!

Be sure to check out the Secure2Me Blog!!!

Go to this site for more Bloggy Giveaways! There's a Carnival Going On! Hundreds of chances to win!!!

Sweet JC Penney Sale!

Did anybody else take advantage of this sale? They had so many girls clothes (and boys clothes) there! Anna came away with at least 6 skirts, three or four onesies, 6 or more shirts, all for 1.97 each! Score!!! And all were so adorable!

I got two bras, 5.00 each. Boy do I feel busty in those things, though, lol. They have quite a bit of padding. I think they make me at least a B-Cup. hahaha!

DH got a shirt. It looks very nice on him.

Let me tell you, this is the way to dress your kids... wait for the awesome sales. Target is always having sales on their clothing as well (usually on Mondays and especially after big holidays). All of Anna's shoes have been bought there on sale for 2.78 a pair.

Anyhow, had to share the love...

Thank you, JC Penney!!!