Ever notice?

I was just wondering if it was just me or if others had noticed too. In the lower level entrance to Nordstrom's, just across from the coffee bar, there is painting. Is it just me or does it look like Eminem in a wife beater and dew rag?

Celebration #2

On Christmas morning, Micah woke up and we went into his room and told him to come see what Santa had left. He came out with his sippy cup in had and immediately squatted by the firetruck that Santa had left him. I said "Do you see what Santa brought you?" He responded with "I sleeping?" It cracked me up, "Yes, you were sleeping."


Well, the firetruck was such a hit that we had to encourage him to open up the next present and he didn't quite understand the stocking thing. He was very excited to see all of the new toys. We still had to go to my parents' house, so we were trying to get a quick shower in and head over. It took us a while to convince Micah that he could get in the shower and all the toys would still be there. We showered and headed over to have breakfast and then opened presents. Micah opened one and was so thrilled with it, he took off through the house to play with it. We were left open up the rest and we didn't get any pictures of him over there. We all were spoiled again. My favorite gift of the day? My new purse. So cute! It is a brown leather hobo bag. I needed one so bad! Chad was actually looking at my purse the day before and say we needed to get me a new purse. How bad does your purse have to be to have your husband encourage you to get a new one? Pretty bad!

Last celebration was at my grandparents house. We go there every year without fail. Mom made the turkey this year, so of course it was delicious. We chatted with the cousins and then opened presents. Grandma and grandpa are not as young as they used to be, so they don't do gifts anymore, they give cash. It is great! We had a very full day and Micah didn't get to bed until 10 which means I crashed on the couch about an hour later. We are very blessed to have such a great family and traditions. I hope you all have had a great Christmas!

Celebration #1

Chad's parents aren't going to be in town this year, so we had an early Christmas on Friday to celebrate and exchange gifts. We got a lot of really neat things. We finally own our own printer and it is really neat. We also got a lot of gift certificates (which I love) digital picture frame, clothes, etc., etc. We all enjoy spoiling each other, but I have to say Micah was not just spoiled, he was SPOILED! He got so many toys. It made me glad that I really restrained myself when I went out to buy his gifts. Anyways, he loved it. I still don't think he gets the whole present thing. We have to really encourage him to open another because he gets so hung up on the one he just opened.This picture is my favorite. He was given this gun that lights up and makes space noises. The sad part is we have never gotten him a gun before, so he has no idea how it works. He kept holding it down at the floor and taking a weird stance. He was totally into it!

On another topic, the baby is getting really strong and Chad has finally been able to discern kicks from my own breathing. In fact, the kicks have been so strong lately that I can see them through my skin. It is so strange to see your stomach move around on its own. I will try to take some video and post it.

Well, stay tuned for Celebration #2, 3 and 4. We will be having our own little Christmas at home, then going to my parents house and finally to my grandparents house to round off the night. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and that you all remember the true meaning behind this holiday!

Friday Favorites

I have been in a lot the past few days because the morning sickness has come back. I'm almost 5 months now...is that fair? Anyways, I have been feeling pretty good today so I did something I have been putting off for a while. I mopped my patio. Any one ever done that? Since the fires here, it has been covered in fine soot and I haven't let Micah go out there since it was so dirty. He would come back in with black feet and hands, so I just didn't let him out. He has been asking to play and I finally decided it was time to get out there and clean it. I was actually hoping that we would have some heavy winds take care of it for me. Well, it is nice and clean now and I can let my wild child out there and hope he doesn't try to climb up the side!

In other news, I thought I would list some of my favorite websites. (I draw my inspiration from Ali and her Friday Favorites...thanks!) Layersclothing.com and shadeclothing.com are similar companies. They are both LDS and great for basics and their shirts are long so you never have to worry about it being short. Ballarddesigns.com is great for home decorating. I love their classic style. Shoebuy.com is one I was just introduced to. They don't charge tax or shipping, so the price listed is what you pay! Gotta love that and it's not just shoes, they have bags too. Fredala.com has some neat little jewelry things and odds and ends. Mapmyrun.com is one I would use when I was actually active. You can map where you went on your run/walk and it will tell you how far you went, the elevation change, etc. Very cool. Anyways, those are some of my favorites. I would love it if you would pass on some of your favorites to me too!

Little punk

The last couple of days hasn't gone that well for me. First off, Micah has hit two like a brick wall. All of a sudden he is just being a little punk! Anything he knows he shouldn't do or we tell him not to do he will do and he will do it fast. I am so irritated when we are trying to go somewhere and he decides to go limp. I nearly ate it when I was trying to leave Old Navy today because I tripped over him! I think the thing that annoys me the most is knowing you put so much time and effort into trying to get them to behave and be sweet and it seems like it all went down the tube in two days! Please tell me this will pass and I will get my little boy back! On top of having to deal with his antics, I have this thing going where if someone asks me how I am feeling and I say that I am feeling a lot better, the morning sickness comes back the next day. It is like a curse or something, so please don't ask me how I am feeling. Now, I am afraid I am coming down with a cold too! I had a headache last night, a sore throat today and I can feel my glands are swollen. I get a cold every Christmas though, so I shouldn't be surprised in the least. It is one Christmas present I can count on each year for some reason or another. It is OK though, I have all my shopping done and presents wrapped, so I can stay wrapped up inside with my little wild child for a couple days. You know where you can find me!

Schedule...what schedule?

Micah has been really off on his schedule lately. I think it is all the holiday activities that throw it off. There are times we have to move around his nap to make it to this event or that and then we might get home late because we were here or there. Micah is pretty flexible, but I think his body has finally said "I've had enough!" Yesterday he woke up at the crack of dawn and we gave him some milk and let him lay down with us. He fell back asleep and didn't wake up again until 8:45ish. I had so many errands to run, so we got ready and went and got him new jeans and then off to Target (I swear I am there all the time). I thought if I brought him home at that point that he would have a snack and drink and go nap. I was wrong. I put him down and he kept getting up and playing with his toys or with the blinds. I put him down two more times only to have him get up again. I finally gave up and decided to make use of the time by going to the grocery store. We got back and he still wasn't sleepy. I just went on with my day like normal at that point. After dinner, we changed him and put in Monsters for him to watch. Things got quiet and I asked Chad to check on him. Anyone who has kids knows that quiet can be very dangerous! Chad goes in to check and comes out giggling like a little school girl and tells me I have to go see. This is what we saw:


This was at about 7:15ish and we don't usually put him to bed until 9! He had turned the volume to the movie all the way down and lodged himself between the leg of the baby's crib and the TV. His butt was literally on the TV! Yes, we realize it is ghetto to have the TV on the ground. We are working on that, but what a funny kid. We laughed and put him to bed thinking he was out for the night. Nope, at 9 he came out to cuddle and get some milk and finally decided to go back to bed about a half hour later. Schedule, what schedule? We don't need no stinkin' schedule! Just kidding, I would really like it back!

I also had to add that we spruced up our tree a bit and this is what it looks like now:

Names, names, names

Chad and I are still having a hard time with naming this kid. Chad is dead set on the name Chelsea. I like the name, but I want to explore my options. I like names that are feminine, known, but not popular (I don't want her to have another girl in her class with the same name). Here are some names that I have gathered that I like: Sadie, Dylan, Delaney, Simone, Bryelle, Naomi, Stella, Tessa, Halle, Kate, Bria, Scarlett, Ruby, Lydia, Victoria, Sloan, Adelaide, Giselle, Lily, Willow, Callie, Evangeline, And Faith. I would love input on these names. If you have any suggestions, I am open to them. Right now, I don't even have a name I am leaning towards. I am just trying to find a name to fall in love with!

Apology Accepted

Recently our church boundaries changed and with it we were given a new meeting time. So for the last few weeks we have been meeting at 1:00 for church. We also meet in a building that is about 15 minutes away, so we have to plan for the drive to be there on time. Yesterday I was trying to coordinate our time so that we would all be ready on time and Micah would get a short nap in etc. I would tell Chad every once in a while how much time we had left, but he still didn't seem to be getting ready very fast. I was getting out of the shower and said, "You have forty minutes left and you still have to get Micah up and dressed." He heard me, but continued to play on the computer and eat his lunch as if he had all the time in the world. Annoyed at this point I reminded him again, hoping that he would hop up and get things going. Instead he turns and says, "What's with you? I'm trying to eat lunch and if we leave at 12:45, we are going to be 45 minutes early!" I turned to him and said, "Church is at 1:00, not 1:30." The only response I got was, "Oh" and off he went getting everything ready. We were able to make it on time and I noticed while we were singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" Chad kept looking over at me. I looked at him and asked him why he was staring at me. He said, "I just wanted to say sorry for being such a big jerk." The apology would have been good enough on its own, but he just happened to say the words "big jerk" between verses, so at least half the congregation must have heard him. I was laughing so hard. Thanks for the apology babe...and making my day!

Need a Wii?

Chad got a Wii and we don't need it, so we are selling it. It is the game console itself, which includes a nunchuck, controller and five games, plus the Wii play, which includes another controller and nine more games. The same package is selling on eBay for $470-$480. We are offering it to friends first for $415. Let me know if you want it or maybe someone you know wants it. You can e-mail me at rachelroll@hotmail.com.


In other news, Micah is taking every opportunity to be just like his dad. The other day when Chad came home, he left his shoes and hat in the front room. The next morning as Chad slept in, Micah seized the chance and decided to try them on. We caught him getting a good look at himself in the mirror. It was so funny!


Yesterday, we assembled the gingerbread house. It turned out so cute. I thought Micah would be into it, but he was more interested in using the box as a drum. Shelby and I took over and this is how it turned out:


Pretty cute huh? Not bad for a $10 kit at Target!

Insomnia and a cold...

This is what I wish he would do! For some reason or another, Micah has been waking up lately in the middle of the night. It isn't like he is waking up and kind of groggy and will fall asleep with us. He is wide awake. I mean running up and down the hall awake. He has been waking up and calling for Chad. I tell Chad to go in and give him a hug and put him back in his bed, but I don't think he got the memo. He picks him up and puts the ninja sleeper in bed with me and then goes and lays down on the couch. I am already coming down with a cold, so the last thing I needed was a conversation with my two-year-old in the middle of the night! He kept hearing my phone in the front room beeping because it was running out of battery, so every five minutes he would sit straight up in bed and say, "Uh-oh, what was dat?" I was fed up with it and put him back in bed, but by that time I was awake and didn't fall asleep for another hour or so. It didn't seem to bother Micah though, he was up at his usual time ready to start the day as I dragged myself out of bed. My solution? Throw in a video (his favorite right now is the Once upon a Potty video) and fall back asleep on the couch. To top it off, I still had laundry to do, dishes, beds to make, trash to take out, etc. I am wiped out! I know you all are thinking that he must have out grown his nap, but just last week we tried to go without a nap and he crashed and burned at about five that night. Hopefully we can get a better night's sleep tonight!

I wanted to let you guys in on a couple things that I have been into lately. The first, pepperoncinis! I have eaten almost an entire jar by myself over the past couple of days. I craved them with Micah too, so I'm not surprised. I just love them for some reason. I always order extra on my Subway sandwich. It will away after I have the kid, but for some reason, they are just so good right now!


The second thing that I am loving? Trader Joe's frozen pasta dinners. I'm not a big pasta eater, but Chad loves it and getting these things has been so nice because it give you more of a variety then the normal marinara sauce. They have fettuccine Alfredo and gnocci, etc. This one is spicy, but Micah LOVES it. I mean he shovels this stuff while Chad and I are running for water. It is honestly so good, so cheap and so fast!


Last...Big Lots! I was in need of gift bags for Christmas for those odd shaped gifts, but didn't want to spend much, so I went down to Big Lots hoping they would have something that wasn't cheesy or tacky and I was in luck. They have some really cute ones right now (much cuter than in the picture I pulled from the internet). I bought seven bags and a ton of tissue paper all for about $10! Which leads me to some good news, not only is all my Christmas shopping done, but they are all wrapped as well! Now I get to sit back and enjoy the season. Also, Chad's company Christmas party is tomorrow night and it is employee only, so although I will be ditched for the night, I went down to Target and got a Gingerbread House Kit to work on with Micah and Shelby. We are going to have just as much fun!

P.S. Chad, good luck on picking a prize, you know you always end up with the gag gift!

Hmmm...

Let's see how Santa went over this year:

Pleasant surprise

On Tuesday I went to get my oil changed and we ran into a snag. When they went to rotate the tires, the mechanic came out and told me that the last person to put my lugnuts back on had zipped them on so fast that it not only stripped them, but they were on so tight that they were about to break! I told them to leave them alone and I would take it in to the people that I have do my tires. I have been going to American Tire (not America's Tire) off of Via Fabricante as long as I have owned a car. I went over there and sure enough they said that the lugnuts needed to be replaced. I was bummed that right before Christmas I would need to spend my money on something like this. I was really pissed at Jiffy Lube since they were the last ones to rotate my tires. I'm never going back there! Anyways, as they finished up I prepared to get out the credit card and they just handed me my keys and said Merry Christmas! I was shocked. I know they were great to their customers, but fixing something that they had nothing to do with is above and beyond! If anyone is looking for a good and honest mechanic, this place is awesome. They have fixed flats, rotated tires, aligned, etc. all for free. Some of the time I wonder how they make money!


I've also been getting into the whole girl thing lately. I just got these little shoes the other day at Gymboree for 12 bucks. I couldn't resist. I think I am going to go broke outfitting this kid. With Micah, there were so many things on sale and I always felt like I got a good deal on his clothes, but when you go to the girls section and look in the sale area, it doesn't seem like a very good deal. It's better than full price, but come on!


My shopping adventures don't end there. My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving, so I ended up with a lot of gift certificates (my favorite). Anyways, I had one for 50 bucks to Nordstrom's that I wanted to spend. I went in and raided the reduced section and got myself this cute shirt (empire waist of course), the blue belt, a silver necklace, silver bangle and a gold bangle. My total? $50.10! I walked away with all of this and only had to pay a dime out of pocket!
Last stop, Target! Another 50 bucks in gift certificates to spend. I'm kind of lame though. Instead of getting myself something really fun, I got toothpaste, deodorant, and things like that. I did get some Christmas decorations though. Some pretty silver ornaments, ribbon to wrap around the tree and finally wrapping paper, tape, gift tags and hooks. I think I am a pretty good estimator because I looked in my basket and thought it was about 50 bucks worth. My total? $49.98! I should go on The Price is Right! Anyways, we got our tree up and it looks better than in this picture since we put up more ornaments, ribbon and candy canes. Micah can't get enough of it. We plugged it into an outlet that goes to a light switch, so he loves to turn it on and off throughout the day. Hopefully the tree will survive his little hands this Christmas!

Our Thanksgiving

So for Thanksgiving this year, we went up north to Oakley, CA. It is pretty close to Tracy (I think most people have heard of that place. It is about a seven hour drive and we left on Thursday morning at 5:45. We were hoping Micah would sleep through most of it, but he was wide awake almost immediately. He was an excellent traveler. We kept handing snacks and books back to him and singing songs. He only asked to get out once and the rest of the time he was completely happy. We were both pleasantly surprised. Anyways, we arrived that afternoon and Chad busted out the Rock Band. It was a wild success. Everyone loved playing it and the songs are fun. The game has a drum kit, guitar and a microphone to sing along. Paige was our singer for most of the songs, Chad and Micah manned the drums and Brian (What) was on guitar most of the time. It was very entertaining. I have to add that it was much safer than playing Pictionary which ended in a fight over rules. I thought my family was competitive! Friday is the day we actually celebrated Thanksgiving since my brother-in-law had the day off. Firefighters have those strange schedules! Anyways, Tory and her family came down with their new puppy and Tracy and her family came down too. We took a family picture (above). Each family is in their own color, so you will know who belongs to who. We had Thanksgiving dinner with the famous Trotter "Green Stuff" and I did try it! All in all, we had a fun time and we really enjoyed everyone's company. Scott and Miriam were nice enough to take us and feed us almost every meal too. What a fun family we have!

It's a.....

GIRL!!! We are so excited, but we kind of thought that all along. In fact, Chad didn't even bother thinking of a boy name because he was so convinced it was a girl. Most of you who voted were right. I think the final score was 76% girl and 24% boy. Now it is time to start getting ready! If anyone is thinking about getting rid of their old baby clothes, think of me as Goodwill. I will take anything right now!

Lately

There hasn't been a whole lot going on here. Micah is his usual self. He does random things that make us laugh. The other day I walked into his room to see him sitting in this basket watching Cars. Who does that? The next day, he came out of his room saying "look a me." What was I looking at? His drum over his head. He had his nose smashed up against the side and everything. I think the best part is that he is laughing as he does these things because he realizes they are funny too!
In other news, the hormones are kicking in! I remember when I was pregnant with Micah I was bawling on Christmas Day. For no reason of course, I just felt like crying! Well, I'm not that bad this time around, but Chad won't allow me to watch Intervention, the addiction show. I am also banned from The Deep End of the Ocean and Forrest Gump as I am guilty of being the biggest cry baby while watching them. What can I say, I am a little sensitive right now!

Finally, in more exciting news, I have an appointment on Wednesday to find out the sex of our baby. I thought I had to be at least 17 weeks to find out, but found out you only have to be 12 for this place in Costa Mesa...thanks Summer! I went to this place with Micah and you get pictures and you can record it all for $25. If anyone needs the info you can find it at http://www.ultrasoundme.com/contact.html. We are so excited! Ribbons and bows or trucks and bugs? We will see. It will be like an early birthday present to myself!

Girl's night!!!!

I have a group of friends that I have been close with since high school. Debbie, Allyson, Val, Carrie and Kristyn along with myself. Yes, years and years later, we are still close and get together as often as we can to sit and talk and laugh our butts off. Although some of us are off in other states right now (Val and Kristyn), we have always been there for each other through dating, marriage and now kids and kids and kids! So last night those of us that are in the 949 area code got together for dinner at Claim Jumpers. We got there at 6:30 and they sat us at the same table that I broke the news about being pregnant with Micah. That wouldn't have been a big deal if it hadn't become some sort of tradition. I think it is the new pregnant table because Carrie shared with us that she is unexpectedly expecting! Only a few months into marriage and there is a baby on the way. Ladies, we all know babies come when they want to and not necessarily when we are ready! Anyways, we had a BLAST! We always share stories and get loud and obnoxious, but I don't think we ever give a care. I love these girls! At the end of dinner, Debbie was nice enough to buy us all a scooner to share for my birthday. I got a candle and everything! Gotta love that fudge. Well, I was enjoying it until the table next to us got Buffalo wings. That smell took the wind out of my sails! Anyways, it was a fun night and we were there until 9:00! Time flies when you are having fun. I can't wait for our next girls night!

WWE

The other night I was just hanging around the house and Micah was playing in our room. He came out and ran up to me and said "Come 'ere mommy." He put his hand out for me to grab and drags me back into my room, then he tells me "watts!" I watched him as he climbed up our bed and did the following:



I think he might have a future in the WWE. What should his name be? The Diaper Dominator, Raging Rugrat, maybe the Toddler of Terror! I have to say that my favorite part of the video is when he says "up a daisy." He is so manly sometimes!

P.S. I just wanted to thank you all for your advice on my last blog. It helped me to take a look at the whole situation. I love when I can see things from a different perspective. We decided to take our chances and go up north for Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again for the holiday. Thanks!

Need advice...again

So I guess this is less like a blog and more like a Dear Alice column for me. Seriously though, I do need advice. I am not sure what to do when it comes to Thanksgiving. Last year Chad and I went up to the bay area to spend Thanksgiving with Chad's brother and sister and their families. We had a lot of fun while we were there hanging out with his family. This year, Chad's entire family is going to be up north and everyone is going to spend Thanksgiving up there for the first time in years. It is kind of the going away party for his parents who will be moving to St. George in a few months. They are arranging for a family portrait and everything. Chad is excited because he is getting that new Rock Band game and I know the whole family will be playing it. Here is where the problem is. I am still not consistently feeling normal. I have more good days than bad, but I still have days here and there that I am sick as a dog laying on the couch. The last thing I want to do is go all the way up there and be laying on the couch as the stick in the mud. I also don't want them to feel like they need to take care of me. I have to eat within about a half hour of waking up or I will get sick and I don't want someone to go out of their way to help me. There is also the fact that my parents would like to have us for Thanksgiving this year since we weren't there last year. It's also my birthday, so they want to be able to celebrate with me. I also have friends coming into town that I haven't seen in a while, my dad is speaking in church that Sunday and of course the cost of gas as we travel 8 hours. I don't want to let Chad down either. He honestly thinks that I am making this up or something. He thinks that I am making up excuses to not go, but I really do want to go. At the same time, I have things pulling me in the opposite direction. I am really not sure what to do. Please let me know what you would do in my situation. I need to make a decision soon!

Stuck inside

Micah and I have spent a LOT of time inside lately. Between his cold and my off and on morning sickeness, I don't think we have been around friends or playmates for about a week. Micah has had a cold for a little over a week and although Chad and I haven't gotten sick from him, I don't want him to get other kids sick, so we have not been to church or Music makers in two weeks. Poor kid has a cough that creeps up at night. I can hear him in the middle of the night coughing sometimes. As for me, I am about 13 weeks now and I was hoping that at the three month mark, the morning sickness would go away, but it hasn't. I am having more good days than bad, but I am definitely not out of the woods yet. It is really frustrating to not feel normal. It makes me realize how easy I had it with Micah, but it still drives me nuts that I can't run a normal life at this time. I feel bad that Micah stays inside most of the day and Chad rarely has a meal made for him. Not only is he working full time and going to school, but he also has to make dinner and clean up after. He is so helpful and I am grateful that he is so supportive. Anyways, with all this time spent inside, I am getting VERY bored. I swear I check everyone's blogs like four times a day hoping that they have something interesting going on in their lives as I sit here going out of my mind! If anyone has any suggestions to keep us entertained at home, let me know. I am game for just about anything at this point!

Random

So, I have pregnant brain again. All those who have been through it know that you get a little on the ditsy side. It isn't something made up. There is an actual term for it, but I don't know what it is. I know that one of the major arteries to your brain diverts some of the blood to the uterus, so you aren't quite as sharp as usual. Anyways, the other day I was going to run to the ATM real quick with Chad to deposit a check and then go to Costco for a few essentials. Well, we went to the ATM and I was trying to activate a new ATM card, but it wouldn't work, so I used my old one, deposited the check, got my receipt and went on my merry way. That was the problem though, after I got my receipt, I hadn't asked for my ATM card to be returned, so it sat in the machine with my screen on as we drove away. Of course I didn't realize this until we were a few miles away and I broke out into a sweat with a panic attack! I frantically called my bank which cancelled all of my ATM cards as we drove back. Micah heard the panic in my voice and kept asking "mommy what happen?" Luckily, the ATM will consume the card if it is left for about a minute in the machine and my balance and ID are safe. Too bad I don't have any easy access to my money now! I have to use my credit card and checks for a while. I swear, I can be retarded!

On a happier note, I thought I would put this video up of Micah. He has been singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star all day. It was so much funnier before because he was singing the "twinkle twinkle" part normal and then when he would get to "little star" his voice would go up really high! Anyways, enjoy!

7 things

I have been tagged. Normally I think these things are pretty lame, but this one I thought was funny. Summer tagged me (thackerfam.com), so I am going to share a couple things about me. The rules are:
1-Link to your tagger and also post these rules on your blog
2-Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3-Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4- Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog

1. I CANNOT eat bell peppers. They make me so sick for days on end. I swear I am borderline allergic to them.
2. I loved Paula Abdul during her "Straight Up" days. I even asked my mom to invite her to my seventh birthday party. She ended up getting a Pee Wee Herman impersonator. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

3. I have a huge phobia of lightning. I would get so scared I would be sick as a child. I am a lot better now, but it still is not fun or cool for me. You will find me hiding inside the house!

4. I never went to the ice cream man as a child. In efforts to keep from spending money on the ice cream man, my mom would tell us that he would steal little kids and throw them in his freezer. So, as others rushed to get their ice cream, we rushed inside the house. Way to traumatize us mom!

5. Chad and I are VERY fertile. We tried very hard not to get pregnant with Micah, but it happened despite all of our efforts. This new one only took one try and we were pregnant. It runs in the family. I think both of our families have more unplanned children than planned.


6. Giving blood makes me faint EVERY single time. I am not afraid of needles. It actually doesn't happen until about 5 minutes after giving blood that I pass out. I gave blood in high school for the first time and passed out in front of everyone. The Red Cross called me later and told me not to give anymore because they didn't want to have to deal with me.
7. I have NEVER seen Star Wars. Not one full episode ever in my life. I seriously have no interest in it. I am sure I have offended many people in saying that.Funny enough, I was given the nickname Jabba when I was a baby (yes, a fat baby) and still haven't seen it.

OK, so I will tag:
Valerie-www.babyhomepages.net/pagebabes/
Sarah-sarahdb.blogspot.com/
Rachel-bruschkefamily.blogspot.com/
Michelle-dunkleyfam.blogspot.com/
Lauren-laurenablack.blogspot.com/
Jenny-njdyal.blogspot.com/
Amy-lajwbrady.blogspot.com/

By the way, I won't be offended if you don't do it. I just think it will be fun to read about your quirks. It will make me feel a little more normal to know others have them too!

...smell my feet!

Yesterday was a lot of fun for us! Chad's work has the kids trick or treat from office to office each year. This year Chad and I decided that it would be fun to dress Micah up as a rock star. We got a couple of tatooes from the grocery store's little vending machines, blue hair spray for his mohawk and cut off the sleeves to an old t-shirt of his. We added a metal bracelet, worn jeans, black cons and of course the guitar and he was set. He loved the tatooes...is that a bad sign? Anyways, he was quite the cute little punk and he really enjoyed having people give him candy for nothing. We were asked about his owies a couple times and we just told everyone he was in a bar fight and they should have seen the other guy. Truth be told, it was the burns from the other night when we made cookies. Anyways, we went to my parents' neighborhood to trick or treat with Emma Dunyon, who was a cute little Cinderella. Speaking for myself, I was tired by the end of about four blocks and we had more than enough candy for the year by then. As for our place, we set up out jack-o-lantern and set out a bucket of candy on our front porch. When we got back, ALL of it was gone except for the Starbursts. I think someone just emptied it since we didn't even see any trick or treaters in our complex. Someone is going to be very sick!

Can any of you relate?

Halloween Cookies

Yesterday we went over to my parents house to decorate sugar cookies. I had made the dough the day before and thought that my mom had made them and we could just come by and decorate. Well, her day got kind of crazy so we went over and I had to try to cook them while Micah meandered around their house. I had never made sugar cookies before, so I didn't realize how much flour you needed to keep them from sticking. Woops, the first batch was all deformed, but after that I got the knack and the rest of them turned out great. The only problem I ran into (literally) was when I was taking the hot cookies out of the oven without knowing Micah had snuck up behind me. I pulled them out to the side and knocked him in the face. Not only did he get hurt, he got two little burns right between the eyes! Poor guy. I'm not sure if you can make it out in the picture, but today they are kind of brown and scabbed. He is already sick with a cold. Leave it to me to make things worse. Anyways, I got the cookies baked and then everyone came home to decorate.

Aunt Taura helped Micah make his own cookie.


He wanted to put on his own "red one's" sprinkles.


Grandpa was all too happy to help him eat that cookie. Later Ashley and Troy came by and Troy turned out to be our cookie artist. He even put blood on the fangs of his bat!

P.S. I think I might have over-reacted in the last blog. I know I am rounding, but maybe not as fast as I thought since my doctor said I haven't gained weight.

Well rounded

I'm almost 3 months now and I am already starting to round in the gut. It freaks me out a little bit because with Micah I didn't go through the chubby stage until I was into the fourth month. I didn't even look pregnant until I was five months pregnant. I had been told that you show much sooner with your second, but now I am starting to think that if I am already getting big, how big will I get? Scary thought! Did anyone else feel this way with their second? I've also been wondering what I am going to do to nest this time around. Last time I was a week away from delivering and I was up painting every surface of my room. I mean even the shutters, closet, everything. It turned out great though. I also was just checking the Chinese birthing chart and it predicts I will have a girl. That would be great since I have kind of thought that all along. Besides, my friend Kendal just made me seven of the cutests little headbands and I don't think they would look right on a boy!

Just a few thoughts...

Yesterday I was driving from my house to my mom's house to take Micah to the Pumpkin Patch. As I crossed over Crown Valley and reached the top of Cabot, I could see the flames on the mountain. It is creeping up the left side of the Saddleback range. I was going to try to get a picture, but I'm not talented enough to drive and take pictures at the same time. I wish I could have for all of my friends who are from the area, but have moved. You guys would be blown away. It is so surreal. It reminds me of the big fire season we had back when we were in elementary school and there were ashes falling and the sky was orange. It is like that all over again! There is soot all over the place and I actually found myself vacuuming my patio. I know it sounds weird, but I don't own a real broom, so that was my best option.

Anyways, Micah loved the Pumpkin Patch. My mom treated him and my neice Shelby to all of the fun rides that they had. Here are a couple of pictures. By the way, you can see some of the smoke from the Santiago fire in the tractor picture. It looks like a gloomy day, but it was supposed to be clear and it was HOT too!

This is one of those rides where you have a wheel to spin it. Shelby had it going so fast he was plastered against the side, but the faster she went, the more he giggled!

These are little power wheels that they had them ride in circles.

Probably his favorite ride, the 50 cent machine!

The pony ride, fun at first then turned into tears.

Shleby and Micah posing on the tractor.

This little piggy went to the Pumpkin Patch.

I think a fake pony is better for him at this age.