3 cheers for my sweet daddy

Today

I was asked

For the very first time

“are you 55 or older”

“Yes”

I said with a grin from the corner booth

With a view of the TV

High on the wall

The Yankees and Phillies

scoreless

As my bald spot

Silver sides,

Crow’s feet

And “cheater glasses” down my nose

Clued the teenaged truck stop waitress.

My first

10%

Senior Citizen

Discount !

Today

Was a milestone

For me.

By Dale Simpson Oct 29, 2009

where we're at

remember this little darling? 10.5 months ago he was this itty bitty little man. this will forever-and-ever-and-ever be my most favorite picture of his ten little toes. i remember this moment, how precious it felt watching him sleep there on my lap, just a day or so old. and feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. and how right i was!
this is my big boy still feeling sleepy watching a little of "its the great pumpkin, charlie brown" (chewing on a toy drumstick). don't you just want to scoop him up and cuddle him forever?
happy camper man in the bathtub waving at his daddy!
chewing on a dill pickle - he loves them! he'll be even happier when he has more than 4 teeth so he can really chew up those sour dill bits of goodness.

forgive the picture quality - they are all from the cell phone. i am going to try to get to the store and replace the camera charger tomorrow......

last night i had the most precious moment with my son. it was 1 am. we're both sick. i was exhausted and he's crying. i bring him a bottle and rock him and he is content until i lay him down so sleep and he cries again, harder this time - and i start panicking, wondering what's wrong and how to comfort him. he usually goes right back to counting sheep after the bottle and i know he is so not feeling well, poor dear. what hurts? how to know? how to fix it? wish he could talk and tell me so i could give him some medicine or the right kind of tlc to make it all better. so i do the one thing i know how to do. i wrap him up in a blanket. in the cozy dark of his room and together we hop into that cozy, comfy rocker i spent over an hour choosing for this very reason...i rock him in that perfect gliding rocker and i love him and i hold him close to me. and i'm sitting there in the dark, barely able to see. and i see the most precious baby boy face. finally content. eyes getting heavy. breathing getting heavy. settling into my arms. into his mama. he is safe here. he's looking at me, knowing he is ok. and i am in heaven. i am comforting my son. in the middle of the night. i'm thinking of nothing but taking away his discomfort and making it all better and loving him to pieces and thanking god for my gift. that's all a mom wants to do isn't it? oh my. in that moment, my heart melted more than i've ever experienced. it was a special memory i will always cherish. thank you petey for giving me moments to hold in my heart for always. my oh my do i love that boy more than i ever thought possible.

we're hanging in there, the bug is mostly in our heads/sinuses i think. no worse but not yet better either. his spirits were great in the day, he's playing hard and really trying to walk. even stood a few seconds on his own today. i know he's not feeling well but he is doing his best to enjoy his days. barking at the dog, waving at his friends (thanks adam and emily for the company and lunch visit today!), hugging people with delight, pointing at whatever tickles his fancy and moving moving moving. he's pushing his cars and trains around, loves anything with wheels - or anything that'll slide across the carpet, wheels or not-the tupperware is up there in the top 10 of fun toys in his book. its so fun watching him actually play with toys instead of just chew on them (don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of chewing - but he makes noises when he pushes his tractors around, its awesome!). he's getting good at "what does the doggie say?" so i am going to start with some new animal noises and also try and start teaching him some basic body parts like nose and mouth and tongue and belly button. why do kids always love to show you their belly button? :) to make you smile, of course!

i'm so excited for the holidays its making me insane. in the safety and security of my own house in the quiet bits of the day, i have secretly started listening to christmas music. i can get away with it because reid is out of town so i won't see him roll his eyes at his silly wife. oh yeah - reid is out of town and i miss him so much. i miss his hug at the end of the day. i miss the way petey's face lights up when he sees him come home and baxter goes berserk when he walks through the door. i miss the way we all feel complete when daddy is home. 2 more days and then a 3 day weekend. my lord how i love 3 day weekends. especially the ones we get for no reason at all. yes, we will enjoy our 3 days.

and to top things off, even though i should be going to bed, i'm craving it so bad - i'm making grandma jan's potato soup. right now. smells so good. its getting chilly here - even used the heat in the am, woke up to 65 degrees in the house. :) i am smiling from ear to ear! maybe san diego fall is here to stay this time. fingers crossed! good night and sweet dreams.

missing daddy and avoiding the bug

ok sorry! still no camera charger. i'll try this week. maybe tomorrow? today we're avoiding getting sick. we're both borderline and daddy is out of town in fallon, nv for the week so....i'm in full denial. i got up early and had hot tea, oatmeal and grapefruit for breakfast after taking a shower, putting on real clothes (and makeup - see, i am really really trying to convince myself i feel fine) and making my bed. pete-ster got up at 5:45 for a bottle and is still asleep now at 7:30....maybe he'll sleep in til 8. he's got a crunchy little cough that shows up occasionally throughout the day. his nose is running 100 mph due to his teething and its been going on for about a week now, but all that "runnage" has to go somewhere and i think (hope) that's where his crunchy little cough is coming from. then the mom-paranoia-h1n1-induced-panic sets in and i'm like "maybe he needs to be hospitalized!".....for a cough? no. its a cough. but i will watch it and call the doctor asap if it becomes more persistent. i am on top of it. we will NOT get sick. way too much fun coming up for that. for now, we're laying low, trying to stay healthy (i seriously think taking both of us to the doctor's office is probably more risky than not going at this point, i know that place is FULL of sick babies this morning, poor things). we'll see....gonna get the humidifier out and stay home today, except out to get a new filter for the humidifier. momma's gonna sterilize the toys today too. we will NOT, may not, must not get sick! keep us in your thoughts and mom, would love it if you stopped by and brought some homemade soup. :) xoxo

my camera battery died. and my charger is lost lost lost. petey is busy doing cute things and i've no camera to record it...well, for now - i've decided on the theme to petey's b-day party with his grandmas:

one little monkey

sorry posts are sparse. my energy is too, it seems. i'm trying my best! :) look what little man decided to do last night. climbed right up onto the entertainment center. yes, i was right there watching him do it/supervising. i wanted to see if he COULD do it. now that i know he is able to do it, i have a lot more to worry about. strong man! my fear is he'll be climbing OUT of his crib soon. heaven help us when that happens. especially if it happens before he is able to comprehend instructions/discipline. 10 month olds are not totally up to speed on the whole logic and reasoning discussions. (sorry the photo quality is bad, its taken with my cell phone)

happy 28 to reid

its a good day - its reid's birthday! thank you dale and mary ann for this man i love so dearly. and how lucky we are to have celebrated two of his birthdays together, in a row! this is the 9th birthday i've celebrated with him, but far too many have been long-distance-celebrations. but this year, THIS year we were together, with our boy, as a family to celebrate his day. lasagna and funfetti cake, as requested. and now off for a cuddle. enjoy the photos

big brother shirt

loving this idea from nap time crafts - definitely going to be adding a big number "1" to a shirt for pete's birthday.....and this idea will come in handy too! that's right, we're having a baby in may!

my painted pumpkins - DIY!

finally finished these little guys. we picked them up at the pumpkin patch last friday and spray painted them white on saturday. today during pete's nap i used black paint maker to write the letters on and painted the stems brown with some craft paint to cover the white spraypaint that got on the stem. they look super cute on our new black bookshelf (thanks mom!). sort of sad i didn't paint fake pumpkins so i can use them over and over but this is easy enough a project to do every year.

white chip pumpkin spice cake

i made that white chocolate chip pumpkin spice cake i mentioned a few days ago - a definite hit and easy recipe. find the recipe at celebrations at home's blog. so good!

10 months celebration

petey poo is 10 months old today. that seems like an impossibility but he truly has grown and changed so much in the past month. our boy has started to hug his mommy. he crawls at the speed of light. his favorite targets are the dog's water bowl, the bathtub, mommy's bedside book stash, the toiletpaper roll and the screen door. he barks at the neighbors dog and answers the question "what does the doggie say?" most times its asked. he points at things he's interested in. he waves hello and good bye and for no reason at all. he turns the tv on and off, over and over sometimes, just because that button is there. he climbs, or attempts to climb, anything he can reach. this boy of ours loves yogurt and strawberries and kiwi and cheese sandwiches, but he'll eat most anything you offer him. he's starting to use his walker or a big bin or anything that'll keep him propped upright to help him walk across the room. the look of surprise and joy on his face as he's doing it is priceless. baxter is still his favorite friend, every morning he seeks him out - even if he's still hiding under the comforter on my bed, petey will find him. he hasn't learned how to be gentle, but he's definitely filled with glee and gives his greeting to baxter with nothing but love and good intentions, even if its a little rough for first thing in the morning. baxter is a champ and a dear, sweet pup to endure petey's tough love. he's a bit concerned about a new loud noise, but loves to search the sky for planes flying overhead. if you build it with blocks, pete is right there to knock it down with a grin. he's happy to ride in his new red car mommy got at a swap meet sunday. he loves going for walks and adores visiting the dog park. pete is a fish in the water and loves bathtime and swim class equally. he's interested in everything going on around him - and gives his mom and dad a huge 4-toothed grin if he spies them across the house and then speeds with all his strength across the room to grab our pantlegs in a sweet pete style hug. he is a joyful bundle of energy and love we're so thankful to have in our lives. to our big ten month old "baby" boy.....we love you and can't wait to see what the next month brings!

chocolate caramel rolo (snickerdoodle) cookies

these are dangerous. oh dear they are wonderful. find the recipe at hostess with the mostess. her blog is FULL of cute party decor ideas and yummy recipes to serve. reid made them yesterday while i was working on his jedi costume and they. are. dangerously. delicious! image from hostess with the mostess

pumpkin patch

mom's taco soup

as promised....here's the recipe for this perfect-for-fall soup. its on my burner right now, and i'm so excited to eat it for dinner. ESPECIALLY since my Reid surprised me by coming home a day early. i'm positive he'll be excited. definitely freezing half for sometime next month, it freezes reheats beautifully. :)1 lb ground beef (i use ground turkey, works great too), add some diced onion if you like - brown and drain

1 package taco seasoning - mix with drained ground beef/turkey

Add meat to a soup pot and add:
4 cans tomato soup (don't add the water)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cans drained kidney beans (or chili beans or garbanzo or 1 of each...)

Simmer for 1/2 hour or until warm.

Serve topped with your choice of:
-fritos
-sour cream
-chives
-shredded cheddar
-whatever your heart desires

Great served with french bread and a tossed salad for a quick, easy supper! Enjoy-

more pumpkin plans

photo from Good Housekeeping

this link from How About Orange was so great last year....so I went back to it for some inspiration this year. I am going nuts with excitement trying to decide what to do for Halloween/Fall and hopefully some of it can transition to Thanksgiving......oh pumpkins and gourds galore.

white pumpkins are adorable

at a soft place to land (last year) she featured her porch decor: white pumpkins! they're simple and classy and i might actually be inspired enough to DO this project!

holiday decor

oh my goodness i really want to make one of these felt advent calendars for Christmas - inspired by inchmark. but i am totally freaked out about the ornament portion. i think i could pull off everything but those darling felt ornaments. any suggestions?

images from inchmark -thanks!

fall recipes inspired by the season (and the blogs i stalk)

am in love with fall. today it happened - all the windows remained shut, petey wore socks all day, i kept a light sweater on. there is a crispness to the air, a little chill on the breeze. high of 71. that's no fall day by midwest standards but its the best we get here in san diego and so i choose to embrace it. i know, its not drizzly and miserable here like it is in the midwest - but this is what we call fall so i'm going to celebrate it. it makes me soooo happy! and so excited to cook (not sure if i crave these fall favorites - or soon-to-be-favorites or if i'm just happy not to sweat in the kitchen while i cook!).

ooh - and reid's birthday is just 10 days off. must get my little planning elves busy for the big day. he'll be home this thursday, hip hip horray!

in this very delicious, light those fall scented candles and keep your socks on season, i choose to make:

these chicken pot pies from smitten kitchen

(image from smitten kitchen)

and taco soup just like my momma always does - i'll post the recipe soon if you promise to make it.

and homemade bread from a year in bread - am extra nervous about this....and making some whole wheat substitutions. eek! kneading and altering a recipe all at once?

and this amazing pumpkin cake from celebrations at home

petey's first air show

what a great day! the weather was wonderful (a little cloudy and a little breezy) and the show was great. petey enjoyed the busride from the parking area - how fun to ride and be able to look alllll around instead of being trapped in a carseat.
standing in front of one of daddy's squadron planes. it just wasn't the same without the red devil pilots running around. we saw a few of our friends throughout the day but not as many as we are used to seeing.
at first he thought these were an awful idea. but after the show started, he decided they weren't so bad afterall - helped down out that scary loud noise.
the new paint job for dadd's jets. lots of RED!
watching the show with mommy....soon after this he crashed out in his stroller. not totally asleep, but his eyes were definitely rolling around in his head.
look at the jets, petey!