Vacation

7 1/2 years ago a bug was planted in Jason's brain that tells him every 2 or so years that it is time for a vacation. But not just ANY vacation... A cruise. We took a cruise for our honeymoon. 7 days to Key West, Belize and Cozumel. Two years later we took another (right after we miscarried). 7 days to Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. 2 years ago we sold our house with a realtor who advertised a "Free" cruise. 5 days to Progreso, Mexico and Cozumel.

We just booked our 4th cruise. 5 days to Progreso and Cozumel again. We sail in January. This will be the first time we go with Jake. Last time we went he was 1 and it wouldn't be a very good vacation for any of us. He'll be 4 when we leave in January. He's going to have a blast. We will be leaving Tabitha behind, though. Same reasons as before. She'll barely be 1. I hate leaving them because I feel it should be a FAMILY vacation, but a cruise ship is not a proper place for babies.

My parents are coming with us again. They came with us on #2 and I'm sure it'll be much more fun this time. Mom wants to do a submarine ride in Cozumel and we're going to the Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins again.

I am so excited. I can't wait.

Now comes the determination and will power... I need to lose weight. Some where around 65 lbs. Part of it I can blame on Tabitha, but really it comes down to me. Choices. I've made the choices; I have to live with the consequences. Jason will be picking up the kids from daycare starting next week so I can go work out... he offered. I can't wait. I'm going to go sweat at Zumba... yee haw... and ouch...

well, tomorrow is Friday and Jake is going to Nana's house for the weekend. I think I'll take Tabitha to have her picture made on Saturday morning. It is time.

Speaking of time... It's bed time.. Well, WAY past... Good Night.

Tabitha

Oh, my little redhead... I should have named you Lucy....

You are such a sweet little girl. But could you stop the glass shattering squeals????? Please????? I'll buy you a pony....

Tabitha is now 7 months old. Weighing in at a whopping approximately 15 lbs... I say approximately because I'm behind on the Dr. Visits. I am switching Drs for me and the kids due to Scott and White's decision to charge $88 for facility fees for any Dr. visits to their clinics... on top of the co-pay...

She crawls, holds her own bottle, babbles.. a lot.... sits up on her own, pulls herself up on furniture, once she even went from sitting to her knees, to almost standing up... without holding onto anything....

She smiles so big when she sees me. She is very ticklish and LOVES bathtime. She gives very sweet open-mouth kisses.

She wants to be a big girl and loves to bang her hands on the table when she's sitting by one.

She has a natural, hereditary, fascination with cell phones and remotes... (from her daddy). but she's not too fond of Green Beans.

Yes, she is still a red-head....

Tiny
Angelic
Beautiful
Ice Blue Eyes
Tender
Happy
A blessing to her family

I get stopped in the stores all the time by people who are enchanted by her. They are always commenting on how beautiful she is or the beautiful color of her hair. I have to admit that I worry for her as she grows. If it doesn't change color... I know a lot of redheads that don't like their red hair... I don't want her to be unhappy with her looks. A lot of people pay good money for her color.

My sweet girl.. thank you for insisting on joining our family. We didn't know we needed you, but you did. I love you.

Jacob

I just love to watch how Jacob is with Tabitha. You can definitely tell that he loves her. For those who have been around him from the time Tabitha was born you know the story of Brenda. I hope his affection for her lasts forever, but I find it very touching and sweet to see how he is with her. He is never jealous of her. He shares his toys with her so freely. He is itching to share food with her. He'll do anything for me if it involves her. For instance... tonight I was cooking dinner. Tabitha likes to crawl into the kitchen and play with the dog food. All I had to do is call for Jake and say "come get Sissy". he comes in, picks her up under the arms and carries her from behind and gently sets her down in the living room. It didn't matter how many times I interrupted Dora.. he'd pause it.. come get her and watch his show again. I think I'll teach him how to make her a bottle and get her back to sleep at 3am....

During dinner I was holding her on the couch and he walked past her and said in the sweetest voice "Hey there Pretty Girl".

Every night after prayers Jake gives me and Tabitha hugs and kisses before he goes to sleep. He is always so gentle with her.

He is one amazing son and brother. I am truly grateful for him in my life. I hope that Tabitha will appreciate him one day.

Jacob is one smart cookie. We've had him at ACL since he was 20 months old and I have to say that it was the best move we could have made for him. He speaks so well. He has a very large vocabulary for a 3 1/2 year old. He counts to 15 in Spanish, He knows his shapes and colors. And right now he is taking swimming lessons. I spoke with his swim teacher today and she said that he is amazing in the water. I wasn't surprised. He is awesome at everything he tries.

One thing I would like to indulge if he wants to do it is the culinary arts. We love crab legs and will buy them when they are on sale at HEB. Jason and Jake can eat 1 1/2 lbs by themselves (usually Jake eats the most). Well, one day I was making crab salad with imitation crab meat and Jake asked Jason what it was. Jason responded that it was crab. Well, of course Jake wanted some. So Jason gave him a small piece.. Jake's response... "THAT'S not CRAB." What a pallete.

Integrity... Jake has a lot of integrity. When he gets in trouble at school (which I can count on one hand) The teachers don't have to tell me. Usually Jake will tell me on the way home. I would never have known.. But he tells on himself...

Funny... Jake thinks he's funny... and he's right. His teachers are always commenting on how much of a hoot he is and how he is a riot. I love his sense of humor and the very expressive faces he makes...

Music... He is my little songbird. He loves to sing and will often start singing at the weirdest times. He also loves for me to sing to him. He always asks me to sing to him while he brushes his teeth. Usually Old MacDonald and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Lollipop. This is my fault because I had heard once that the proper amount of time to brush your teeth is the length of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star sung twice. So I started singing it to him to make sure he brushed long enough. He's graduated to non-diluted mouthwash and flossing by himself.

Birthday... I asked him today what kind of birthday party he wants this year... his response... Dora.

Jacob is very in touch with his feminine side. He loves to be primped and painted. and his favorite color is pink. I'll let him have his fun for 10 more years.. then we'll have to have a talk...

Growth... I can tell that he is growing up because in the last two weeks he has actually requested to go play in his room and watch his own tv. Oh, and he hasn't had a wet pull up in the morning in about a month, so we're going to try sleeping in underwear.. One night down...

I just love my little buggy. He brings joy and frustration to me all at the same time. I know that as he grows older he will stop being as helpful as he is right now, so I will embrace his willingness and desire to help and be held. He's growing so fast. It's scary to think how fast time is going by. I'll try not to blink too many times.

Love you Jakey.

So much to say

But so little time... Sorry! Tabitha is sleeping so I better use this time to do laundry and dishes. I've already cleaned out the fridge. GROSS. Don't know how much more time I have, so I better not waste it. Hopefully more later.

33

Now that I am 33 years old I will try and list 33 things I have learned.



1. No matter how in awe I am at modern technology I know that in 6 months they will outdo themselves again.

2. Kids now a days have it easy.

3. I should have had kids 10 years ago.

4. I couldn't be a single Mom. I NEED help with the kids.

5. I am selfish.

6. I am blessed.

7. No matter what I do, when I am in a hurry, everyone will be in my way...

8. No matter how early I get up on Sunday, I'm still going to be late for church.

9. I am rarely the one in control. I'm always at the beck and call of someone else

10. You won't die from exhaustion after getting 5 hours sleep everynight for 5 1/2 months.

11. You're never going to find the match to every sock in your unmatched sock bag/basket/drawer, etc.

12. I have forgotten more information than I currently know.

13. Two kids is perfect for me.

14. Sometimes I just have to pick my battles. If Jake wants to eat junk food, let him. There are bigger fish to fry...

15. If you are going to be picky about how something is done... do it yourself...

16. No one in the world drives as well as I do. I'm the perfect driver. Everyone else is an idiot who got their license from Cracker Jacks.

17. Even though I don't forward on the touchy feely emails I'm still going to get at least 3 per day...

18. I need more than 24 hours in one day.

19. My VCR isn't hooked up properly and I don't know how to do it.

20. If God will take you to it.. God will take you through it.

21. The most precious thing a mother can see is her children asleep.

22. The most horrible feeling is watching your child in pain knowing there is nothing you can do for them.

23. Heredity can really stink sometimes.

24. I enjoy feeling all domesticated.

25. I love searching the internet for recipes and helpful tidbits.

26. I'm not a very good actress.

27. I am very good at disguising my voice on the phone.

28. I am imperfect.

29. I prefer hugs over kisses.. unless they're kisses from my kiddos.

30. I wish I could do more for my friends.

31. I am really good at diffusing angry people.

32. I love my family.

33. coming up with 33 things is really hard.

Happy Birthday to ME...

Taking Donations

of Cornstarch!!!! I want to do this....

Allow me to introduce....

In no particular order (because I don't know which is which) Donnie, Brent, Eleanor and Brenda. I actually think there is only one rooster in there, so I wonder if Donnie or Brent is going to be a girl....

Donnie is one of Jake's biggest fans. He is my Mother In Law's boyfriend and just LOVES Jake. He spoils him rotten. Jake loves hanging out with Donnie because what Jake wants... Jake gets... Donnie, if you're reading this I dare you to disagree.

Brent is Donnie's son, who is a great "big brother" to Jake.

Eleanor is a little girl in Jake's class. I tease and say that it is his girlfriend, because everyday just about they hug and I've seen a few kisses, too. She's cute as can be and her parents are so nice. She used to run up to me and give me a hug.

And everyone knows that Brenda is actually Tabitha. (Jake decided before the baby was born that her name was going to be Brenda. We don't know where Brenda came from as he doesn't know any Brendas. We have explained to him that he may call her Brenda if he wants, but that Mommy and Daddy and everyone else is going to call her is Tabitha. He is ok with it for now. He has tried several times to tell people that her name is Brenda but Mommy and Daddy just call her Tabitha...)

Jake and Tabitha spent the night at my mother in law's house Saturday. When we went to get them on Sunday these 4 tagged along. Donnie has been saying for a year that he wanted to get Jake some chickens to help teach him responsibility. That is fine because every now and then Jason decides he wants to hatch some chicks, play with them and then we would give them back to the people who supplied the eggs.

For those who do not have the benefit of being around baby chickens... They stink... They are cute as can be, but they stink. Also, because the weather isn't warm enough to put them outside and because we don't have anywhere outside to put them yet without the neighbor's dogs or coyotes eating them, they are in my house.. Actually they are on my dining room table in a rubbermaid tub. This is only temporary as Donnie has promised to return this week with a trough or bathtub or something to put them in outside. I changed the newspaper on the bottom of the tub yesterday morning and in just one day four baby chicks completely covered the new newspaper. Can you say Disgusting? They will probably stay inside for a couple more weeks until spring arrives and it stays warm enough for them to be outside permanently. Our dogs could care less about them, so they are safe in the house uncovered.

Future Blog post: In about a year I'll have a blog post entitled "Free Eggs". Stay Tuned! (that is IF they survive my 3 year old who doesn't watch where he walks)

Tabitha's 2 month Stats

We took Tabitha to the Dr. on Monday and here are her stats.

Weight: 10lb 3 oz (+3lb 4 oz since birth) (Slightly below Average)

Height: 22.75" (+2.25" since birth) (above average)

Head: 15" (I don't remember what it was at birth.) (Average)

She will be tall and skinny just like her...... well... I'm sure it's in the family genes somewhere....

She was healthy and happy and got 3 shots which made her very unhappy. She got one dose of vaccination orally and she even cried for that one. It must not have been the taste she wanted...

(brag alert) We have made several outings and pretty much at every one someone will stop in their tracks and tell me how beautiful or precious she is... Made me want to put her in a beauty pageant right then and there... just kidding... I know she is beautiful and precious... but much more than that I am just glad that she is a happy child. She and Jake will make a great duet of loving children. He is empathetic and compassionate and she will be one of those people who can turn the world on with her smile..... and I hope she doesn't get teeth for a good long time because nothing is funnier than a huge gummy grin.

She is starting to reciprocate smiles and is starting to "talk". She still has bright red hair (which has all but fallen out on top, but is abundant on the back of her head) and a small "strawberry" on her right eyelid and a much larger strawberry patch on the back of her head near her neck. Lucky for her she will have hair to cover the big one and I think that the eyelid one will fade with time and growth.

Her brother is still insisting her name is Brenda, even though we've corrected him numerous times. He calls her "Sissy" most of the time anyway. He LOVES her so much. He is constantly asking about her, hugging her, kissing her and being generally infatuated with her. He hasn't shown any jealousy toward her even though I can't respond to his needs as much as he would want me to. He HAS increased his whiney-factor by 564684651354%, though.

Life is good. Sleep is a distant memory. But smiles are-a-plenty at our house.

Karaoke Champion.

Jake isn't THIS bad (or good) but he is getting close. I think they need to turn CMT off every once in a while.. lol Enjoy this video. It's the cutest thing I've seen all day...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1610699488?bctid=31812464001

I'm hoping to get video of Jake singing along to "Defying Gravity" off the Wicked Soundtrack. He's pretty good.... Repeats words he doesn't even know... lol

A riddle...

What do you get when you have your wedding anniversary on Feb. 8th, Valentine's Day on Feb. 14th, and return to work after maternity leave on Feb. 15th?

That's right.. you get 3 dozen roses, 3 carnations, and a bouquet of purple flowers! I've been a good girl and totally deserve it!!!!

Thank you, Dear! (and Lia for the idea for the flowers for "returning to work" I'm glad I left my phone at home now.)

Tabitha's Blessing

We had Tabitha blessed yesterday. Since my Dad is in town we took advantage of this rare occasion and had her blessed so he could be here for it. I love that it was Valentine's Day. I remember Jake was blessed on Superbowl Sunday and now I can remember that Tabitha was blessed on Valentine's Day.

Her blessing gown/bonnet was given to me by my friend, Davina. Davina has 4 children. When she was pregnant with her 2nd (a girl) a friend of her family took it upon herself to handmake this beautiful dress and bonnet as a gift to Davina. Well, her daughter got blessed before the friend finished (Davina didn't know she was making the gown, or she would have waited). Davina kept the gown for her next baby. She adopted her next child, who didn't fit the gown at blessing time... so she kept it. Her 4th child was a boy... so she had this beautiful gown, and no one to use it. Enter me. During a visit I got to talking to Davina and mentioned that I was going to go to JCPenney to look for a blessing gown and she pulled this from the closet. I thought it looked way too big for Tabitha. After looking around town and not seeing what I wanted in a gown I called Davina back. I picked it up and thought I'd have to have it altered... IT FIT PERFECTLY. The only adjustment I had to do was to the bonnet. I had to shorten it because it was too big. Easy fix. Thank you Davina for saving this beautiful gown for us.

It was a great blessing. I remember it stressing that she will be a peacemaker. That's wonderful. Jake's called him a relationship mender and now my Tabitha will be a peacemaker. I hope I'm not the one they are sent here to control. It also said that she'll learn to recognize the Holy Ghost at a young age... It's amazing how different my children's blessings are. They seem to fit them perfectly, though. Jake's was spot on. He is certainly living up to his.

My brother in Law, Paul, gave her blessing and Brothers Milligan, Estrada, Hodson, Gustafson, Blackhurst, Sweet, and Castaneda stood in the circle.

It was a very special day. I did better this time.. With Jake I forgot to take pictures. I made sure to not make that mistake again.... I'm learning. It was a great day all around. Thanks to all who made it possible.

I know Christmas is over, but Jake will sing these songs all year long. I had to record it for posterity sake. Enjoy. Don't mind the runny nose. I think it adds to the meaning of the song. lol

The best big brother in the world.

Tonight we celebrated the One Month birthday of the person we call "Sissy", Tabitha, and Brenda. She has been such a wonderful baby so far. She reminds me so much of Jacob, it isn't funny. They were both great babies. She hardly makes any sounds. She is starting to smile more, and I'm hoping it isn't just gas. I will try in the next day or so to post more pictures of her since we now have high speed internet. Woo Hoo!!! Happy One Month, Princess Tabitha.