My handyman

Dyan and I had a great time last night. First we did a little shopping... went to The Children's Place (they're having a huge summer sale so I bought stuff for next year... I'm talking 75% off). How could I resist, right? Then we went to Chicago Fire Pizza in midtown and enjoyed salad, pizza and beer. Afterwards, we went to Center Court in Natomas. We weren't ready to go home yet and they have a great patio area to relax on. (we didn't end up sitting out there, long story). I think we were home by 9:30 pm or so. I think we should do this once a month but I'm sure we won't be able to.

Bare with me, I'm going to brag on the kids a little. This may be a little boring. I took the kids to the pool this evening and couldn't believe the progress M had made with his lessons. He's actually swimming now. He can jump in off the side of the pool and swim (doggie-paddle) to the steps. He has no problem going underwater and was even swimming underwater very well. He was working on cupping his hands so he can paddle a little easier. He loves it (the goggles I got help a lot) and has a huge smile on his face the entire time. In fact, I had to be really careful because he would jump in off the steps or side of the pool (while I was playing with K) without telling me and he can do OK for a while but then gets tired and starts going under.

On the way out of The Club, we were eating popcorn and M said "popcorn starts with P". I couldn't believe my ears! 6 months ago he hardly knew any letters and I was beginning to get a little worried. Now he's sounding letters out and starting to really get it. I decided to ask him a few more. I asked him what dog and Mommy start with and he got them both right. This is really getting fun and I can see that all the work I've done with him over the past few months has paid off.

I had to go by the hospital today and have my TB Skin Test read (this is the 2nd one, I forgot the 1st time) and because Brian is working, I had to take K with me. While we were in the waiting room K was eating crackers and began singing at the top of her lungs "yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum ... crackers, crackers, crackers!" It was the tune to Old McDonald but she had changed the words. She had the entire waiting room laughing out loud. Quite the entertainer. After the show was over, the "wanna go's" started. Over and over. She's something, that's for sure.

Yesterday, Brian and I got most of the baseboards done, so today when K was napping I decided I would finish spackling and sanding them. I had done a few holes when M asked if he could try it. I though to myself, why not? What harm could he do? He did such a great job, I let him do several holes. He put it in the hole and I would come behind him and clean it up a little but all in all I was amazed at how careful and patient he was.

Spackling.

Yes, it dries white.

What a cutie!

Just have to share another product I'm loving these days. It's called Hair Balm by Carol's Daughter. The products are all natural and never tested on animals. The Hair Balm is basically sweet almond oil, shea butter and toasted palm kennel oil. Smells absolutely delicious, I think you could almost use it as a lotion too. It makes your hair shiny, calms fly aways, smooths and keep your locks smelling good. I'm hooked. You can get it online or at Sephora.

Talk to you later... Melissa

Girls night out.

I worked the last 2 days ... they were shifts from hell! Very sick patients with no beds to put them in and I worked triage both days but now I'm off for a while. Dyan and I have had a girls night out planned for several weeks so I'm getting ready for a night on the town. Nothing crazy, just dinner, a few drinks and whatever else we can find to do. We'll probably head to midtown. It's such a cool and hip area. Lots of unique and fun places to hang out and I haven't spent a lot of time down there.

Brian and I put the kids in daycare so we can work on the baseboards and finish work for the floors (yes, still). We actually had a lot of fun together working on it and got so much done. It feels really good... it was such a huge job. He's on the way home with the kids now and I can't wait to see them. Because I've been working, I haven't seen them much. Brian said K was asking for me and missing me this morning.

A funny about friends.

More later... Melissa

Hello

Not a whole lot of anything to say today. We've had a busy 2 days while Brian's been gone. Yesterday the kids and I went to the Bounce Spot in the morning. They ran and jumped their booty's off (M informs me that BOOTY is a bad word). The other day I was getting dressed and being silly singing "Shake your Booty". He gave me a very disappointed look and said "that's a bad word, mom." I thought for sure I would get a little rest after bouncing because they would be tired... was I wrong. K didn't nap and M pestered me all afternoon. I just need an hour of alone time to be a much happier Mommy in the evening. I don't know what is going on with her and napping... second time this week she didn't take one. Some days she's begging for a nap at 10 am. In the evening we got take-out and ate dinner by the pool at The Club and swam. That was a lot of fun. M is getting really comfortable underwater. K just floated around in her tube. It's too hard to watch both of them if she isn't in the tube.

Today I took the kids to Kidspark again so I could run some errands. They woke me up at 5:50 am (yes, 5:50). I wanted to roll over and cry. I could really get used to this Kidspark thing. Drop-in and the kids love it. K calls it her school. "Want to go to my school and play with my friends, mommy." This evening M and I went to the pool again before his swim class. I gave K the option of going to "school (the one at the gym) or swimming and she chose school. She is so social.

Tonight while I'm trying to make dinner (that they didn't eat) they were both grating on my last nerve. I have K who had 1 drop of water on her leg crying "towel" and "carry you" and "I'm cold" amongst other whining and M saying "I'm hungry, I want something now" and not listening when I tell him dinner is almost ready. They just kept on and then starting fighting with each other so I put them both on time out. M asked K while they were on the stairs (time-out location) "why are we on time-out anyway?"

Our craft project from today. Can you believe M did his entirely by himself! He did a really good job. K had a lot of help though! I love the $1 section at Michaels.

K in the little dress we bought her in Ensenada. It fits her really cute and she loves it because I told her it was "jammers" - pajamas. The only way I could get a picture is to trap her on the table. She wasn't happy here.

Stinker just kept running towards me. Horrible picture, I know.

A little bit about me... again. Katie sent this to me.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 0550 (see above)

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Sex and The City.
4. What is your favorite TV show? 2 of them - Criminal Minds and Grey's Anatomy

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal and Starbucks
6. What is your middle name? Dawn
7. What food do you dislike? I agree with Katie, Brussel sprouts
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Not sure, I'm liking Carrie Underwood a lot now

9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda Pilot

10. Favorite sandwich? 1st Street Fiesta (from Morrison's in Woodland)
11. What characteristic do you despise? lying and cheating
12. Favorite item of clothing? Jammers (as K calls them, I'm just like her)
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go ? Back to St. Lucia where we honeymooned. Such fond memories.
14. Are you an organized person? yes
15. Where would you retire to? Somewhere in the mountains or a beach area.

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Turning 30, just because I remember I was pregnant with M.
17. What are you going to do when you finish this? Eat my brownies!! And I don't have to share!
18. Furthest place you are sending this? n/a

19. Person you expect to send it back first? n/a
20. When is your birthday? October
21. Morning person or a night person? Night
22. What size shoe to you wear? 8 1/2
23. Pets? 1 Dog

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? No

25. What did you want to be when you were little? A Nurse

26. How are you today? Content
27. What is your favorite flower? I don't know, I like Hydrangea's.

28. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Next time family comes so Brian and I can have a date night.
29. What are you listening to right now? Nothing, I'm in the office
30. What was the last thing you ate? Brownie batter (I know I'm bad)
31. Do you wish on stars? No
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red, my favorite color)
33. How is the weather right now? Nice, about 80.
34. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Brian

35. Favorite soft drink? Diet Pepsi
36. Favorite cookie? Tough one, Oreos.
37. What color is your hair? Brown
38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies (Katie and I are alike)
39. Summer or Winter? Summer by far

40. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi

41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
42. Coffee or tea? Coffee, duh.
43. Do you want your friends to email you back? n/a
44. When was the last time you cried? Watching P.S. I Love You
45. What are you most afraid of? Losing someone I love, definately.

46. Best vacation you've been on? Toss up between New York, Paris and St. Lucia.

47. Best job you have ever had? My high school job at Fatte Albert's Pizza was sure fun but I really like my job now also.
48. Salty or sweet? Sweet
49. How many keys on your key ring? 5

50. How many years at your current job? 1 1/2
51. Favorite day of the week? Anyday we're all home together.
52. Do you make friends easily? Yes

Random Photos

Brian is finally home and we are starting to get settled into our routine again. It's so nice to have him back although there is a good chance he'll have to go away again if these fires continue. I'm not sure what I'll have to do in regards to work if that happens. I'm just taking it day by day. Mason is in school this morning and Brian and I are getting caught up around the house... we have someone coming on Sunday to do all of our yard work... yeah!! I have a class this afternoon at the hospital on inducing hypothermia in cardiac arrest patients (which I am not looking forward to) but then we are going to The Club for Friday night happy hour! Smile. Both Brian and I have upset stomachs today so I'm hoping we aren't catching what the kids had.

I don't have much time so I am just posting a few random photos I've taken over the last week.

Granny and K at the park in Coalinga.

M found a worm... yuck!

M and M at the spray park in Clovis.

K during the fireworks.

A rare moment... they are playing together and not fighting. He is showing her how the fire truck works. M is absolutely obsessed with fire engines and trucks. He looks at pictures of them on the computer almost every day and plays with his constantly.

Catching up

Brian is coming home tomorrow!!! I can't wait. He's been gone for 9 days and I worked the 3 days prior to him leaving so we haven't seen each other in quite some time. Probably the longest time we've ever been apart. On Sunday he spent the night in the "rainman suite" at the Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, CA. I guess when they went to the hotel before this one, he and his partner each got their own rooms so he promised them if that situation ever came up again he and Les (his partner) would share. Sure enough, at the casino there were 3 rooms available. As promised, he and Les offered to share a room (little did he know they were ending up in the suite while the other guys got regular rooms). The other guys were so bummed. Funny. Things like that don't usually work out in his favor. He said, he's honestly never seen anything like it... definately never stayed anywhere so amazing. Huge jacuzzi tub, amazing shower, several fireplaces, 3 plasma screen TV's and so much more. How romantic for them! I wasn't jealous at all (yeah right). That's where we're going the next time any of out parents come up. The suite is very reasonable. I think he said something like $230.00 per night or something. He started back to work on those fires (in 105 degree weather) at 5:00 am yesterday morning and didn't get back to base camp until 1:00 pm today... then he had to go back to Sonoma to finish is regular shift. He is so exhausted. I hope he sleeps tonight. We're supposed to have a "date" tomorrow morning and taking the kids to Kidspark. I think they'll have fun too.

I got home from my moms yesterday. Sunday night was rough because M caught the nasty stomach bug K had and vomited all night. Finally at 3:00 am I woke my mom up to relieve me for a little while so I could sleep. I new I had to drive home in the morning. Packing the car and driving home was rough. Thankfully, my mom was sweet enough to take my car down and have my tire checked (it was low and ended up having a nail in it), fill my car up with gas and get me a coffee... all before she went to work that morning. She is so sweet. M was a little puny during the day but better by yesterday evening.

Some pictures from our 4th of July BBQ.

M swimming. He always gives me a thumbs up if he sees me during his swim lessons.

K swimming with David (Lacie's boyfriend). Both kids loved him and he was so good with them. He hunted for bugs, played fire engines, threw them over his shoulder and chased them around. Let me tell you, K is boy crazy already. As soon as David jumped in the water, K jumped up off my lap and ran for the pool. "I go swimming." She flirted and giggled and smiled!!

Swimming with Lacie.

I found a recipe to make ice cream in a ziploc bag so we decided to give it a try. (yes, we own an ice cream maker butI thought the kids would really enjoy it). K had a great time, "shake, shake". M could have cared less, just wanted the ice cream. The ice cream was good but not quite hard enough. I think we should have shaken it longer. If interested in the website,
here it is.
Bag Ice Cream

Yummy.

Cute one of K. She's saying "cheese."

We did fireworks out in front of my mom's house. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't done fireworks at home in many years... maybe even before Brian. M was a little scared at first and wanted to sit in the back of my car. K was terrified. She covered her eyes and kept repeating, "scare me Mommy and too loud." I put her to bed and M stayed up.

My beautiful boy and I. He's more interested in the fireworks than the camera as you can see.

His favorite fireworks were the snakes. Do you remember those?

Off to pick up ... as usual.

Happy 4th of July

Still at my mom's house. We are having a barbecue today (after nap) and swimming. Followed by fireworks (my mom and sister bought tons... pyromaniac's). I'll probably put K to sleep first because I think she'll be scared and it will be too late by the time it gets dark. We'll see how M does. He loved them at Disneyland. The kids have been very challenging here. Fighting constantly, whining, rambunctious, bored... I don't know. I'm counting the days until Brian gets home so I can have a break. My sister had M for about 4 hours yesterday and it helped so much... to get a breather and helped me gear up for the evening. I'm thinking of taking them to the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno tomorrow. I haven't been in a long time and it's a wonderful zoo. Staying busy will help a lot.

Brian is doing well... the fire he is on is completely out now. He thinks he'll be moved to another one tomorrow. He slept outside on the ground last night but at least he was able to sleep. Tonight he'll be off, in Chico at the Holiday Inn. Yes, more jealousy. Threatened him that he better be home on Wednesday morning. I work on Thursday and really can't miss again.

I'll post more tomorrow.
Melissa

Hello

Well, I just heard from Brian again. He is still at the Butte County fire and heading in to fight fire right now. They are doing shifts of 24 hours on and 24 hours off. Yesterday he had his 24 hours off and they were able to hang out by the pool and barbeque rib-eye's. Rough, huh? Today will be a long one though and then he's off for the 4th. I always worry a little when he's gone. The other night they were fighting fire or laying hose or something on this very steep embankment (in the dark). I think he'll be able to come home from the fire on Sunday but he'll have to do his regular shifts at the station so we probably won't see him until Wednesday morning.

We went to Dina's house yesterday in Clovis. She is my friend from nursing school and has 2 little ones the same age as mine. We were having a great time until 4:30 pm when K vomited out by the pool. I didn't know what was going on... she in never sick. She hadn't really wanted to eat all day but I thought it was because she was having so much fun. Well she ended up looking really puny and vomiting about 5 more times in 3 hours so we packed up our stuff (we were supposed to stay 2 nights) and headed back to my moms. I didn't want to get her little ones sick and K wasn't really in the mood to play. It's also a little uncomfortable being in someone elses house with a sick one. She vomited once on the way home so I just gave her a few sips of Pedialyte when we got to my mom's and she slept all night. She felt better this morning, thank goodness. She was very thirsty, drank a lot of Pedialyte and ate a waffle. I'm not sure... maybe she over did it because now she is laying in my bed with her sheep and her fie (pacifier... only when she sleeps) looking a little puny again. We'll see...

Gonna try to keep this kids busy today if she feels up to it. My mom's at work all day. I'm thinking we'll go to the Library, the park, for a walk (if it's not too hot), swimming at my sisters, art projects and a new toy for each of them. Maybe my sister will entertain M for a while. He's full of energy this morning.

Off to get ready.
Melissa