Mmmmm, blue M&M - thanks Inara....
North Shore Visit
More tomorrow :)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
First a little catch up
It's been awhile since I shared pictures, I could totally overload y'all all at once with 2.5 months worth of pictures OR I can spread it out over the week. So this will be a picture week - I hope. Tonight I will share some catch up pics from BEFORE my dad came to visit.
More tomorrow :)
More tomorrow :)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Blockbuster Summer
As the summer months come, many new releases pop up. It seems to be the season for new things. Like summer blockbusters in the theaters, computer games come out. New books release. It's just the season. I suppose it's because people tend to have more free time.
Today was a big day for new releases in my little corner of the world. First off, the much anticipated Sims 3 arrived in stores today. If you've never played the Sims, it's a never really ending simulation. You can create sims in the likeness of anyone you want (or not in anyone's likeness) and then you play their lives. They grow up and marry, have kids, careers, die - all in good computer simulated fun. It's a little unnerving just how addictive the game can be. I've been playing the Sims games since high school at least; back when it was just plain "The Sims". The game has come a long way since then and it seems like EA has taken many consumer opinions to heart in the development as well as continually advancing the game play. No doubt, the many expansion packs to come will find their way into my house, as they always do. Anyway, the new game is pretty cool from what I've seen and I look forward to playing more of it.
Also released was the new Queen Betsy book, Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson. Now I love the Betsy books and I love the character of Betsy, despite the fact that she's completely self-absorbed; or maybe because she is complete self-absorbed. In the last book, Betsy seemed to be maturing a bit as the novels took a slight turn. Her path to becoming a true Queen of the Undead (as opposed to a shiny object at Sinclair's side) seemed to continue in this novel so yay Queen Betsy. Anyway, I got the book a day early in the mail yesterday (I love Amazon.com) and finished it last night.
There are about a dozen other new paranormal books coming out this summer that I want as well and now that I am recovered from the reading challenge which sent my brain into overload and my eyeballs into a fuzzy haze - I'm back in the reading groove. Well I was, until I got Sims 3.
Today was a big day for new releases in my little corner of the world. First off, the much anticipated Sims 3 arrived in stores today. If you've never played the Sims, it's a never really ending simulation. You can create sims in the likeness of anyone you want (or not in anyone's likeness) and then you play their lives. They grow up and marry, have kids, careers, die - all in good computer simulated fun. It's a little unnerving just how addictive the game can be. I've been playing the Sims games since high school at least; back when it was just plain "The Sims". The game has come a long way since then and it seems like EA has taken many consumer opinions to heart in the development as well as continually advancing the game play. No doubt, the many expansion packs to come will find their way into my house, as they always do. Anyway, the new game is pretty cool from what I've seen and I look forward to playing more of it.
Also released was the new Queen Betsy book, Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson. Now I love the Betsy books and I love the character of Betsy, despite the fact that she's completely self-absorbed; or maybe because she is complete self-absorbed. In the last book, Betsy seemed to be maturing a bit as the novels took a slight turn. Her path to becoming a true Queen of the Undead (as opposed to a shiny object at Sinclair's side) seemed to continue in this novel so yay Queen Betsy. Anyway, I got the book a day early in the mail yesterday (I love Amazon.com) and finished it last night.
There are about a dozen other new paranormal books coming out this summer that I want as well and now that I am recovered from the reading challenge which sent my brain into overload and my eyeballs into a fuzzy haze - I'm back in the reading groove. Well I was, until I got Sims 3.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Case of the Doggy Bag
Last night I ordered pizza for dinner and there was still some left over. I hadn't tossed the box yet and it was sitting on top of the stove. There was also a box from breadsticks on top of the pizza box and some Trek toys from a cereal box I opened today (all on TOP of the pizza box). I went next door for a bit tonight and when I came back the Trek toys were no longer on top of the pizza box, they'd been knocked to the floor. (Mind you the breadstick box was still on top of the pizza box) Confused, I picked them up and set them on the counter. I picked up the pizza box intending to toss it out and it felt too light considering there should be slices left in the box. Moving the breadstick box, I opened the pizza box....no pizza. No trace of pizza aside from the greasy stains on the box.
Meanwhile, Bluto is wagging his big dog butt next to me like he was the best dog in the world. Near as I can figure, Bluto got up, used his nose to open the pizza box enough to devour the pizza. The toys easily scattered due to being small and light but the breadstick box still had breadsticks in it (I guess he wasn't interested in those) so the box was heavy enough not to fall off as Bluto sneak attacked the pizza. When he was done and removed his big head from the box, the breadstick box assisted in closing the lid of the pizza box leaving very little evidence of his super stealth pizza theft.
Either that or someone came in, stole the pizza slices and nothing else and left. I tend to favor the dog in this case. My dog has mad, stealth skills...and will probably throw up the evidence by morning...
Meanwhile, Bluto is wagging his big dog butt next to me like he was the best dog in the world. Near as I can figure, Bluto got up, used his nose to open the pizza box enough to devour the pizza. The toys easily scattered due to being small and light but the breadstick box still had breadsticks in it (I guess he wasn't interested in those) so the box was heavy enough not to fall off as Bluto sneak attacked the pizza. When he was done and removed his big head from the box, the breadstick box assisted in closing the lid of the pizza box leaving very little evidence of his super stealth pizza theft.
Either that or someone came in, stole the pizza slices and nothing else and left. I tend to favor the dog in this case. My dog has mad, stealth skills...and will probably throw up the evidence by morning...
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Shiny
I have a shiny new desktop computer with a super large monitor. It's really strange to view everything this large actually. But, all that being said - shiny new computer. Pretty!
This new computer, while for everyone in the family, was partially a Mother's Day gift picked out by Robby. The old desktop will be cleaned up and set up for Jadzia (and eventually Inara and Anya as they get older) in the playroom. Since I've been set up on the desktop for awhile due to the unfortunate liquid meets laptop episode, Jadzia hasn't really been able to play on her keyboard which I know she likes so I look forward to setting it up for her. First I need to get a desk of some sort for it.
Shiny new computer....
This new computer, while for everyone in the family, was partially a Mother's Day gift picked out by Robby. The old desktop will be cleaned up and set up for Jadzia (and eventually Inara and Anya as they get older) in the playroom. Since I've been set up on the desktop for awhile due to the unfortunate liquid meets laptop episode, Jadzia hasn't really been able to play on her keyboard which I know she likes so I look forward to setting it up for her. First I need to get a desk of some sort for it.
Shiny new computer....
Friday, May 8, 2009
A Three Hour Tour...
*humming the Gilligan tune*
Today I wanted to go to Costco, that was honestly my only goal. Because we needed a couple things...
I felt the urge to take my camera with me because I haven't been using it much lately. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to take a picture of but I knew I wanted to take a picture (or several). Since there isn't much between the base and the nearest Costco, I decided to head in the direction of the other one on the island, hoping I'd figure out what I wanted to take pictures of in between.
I took the wrong exit for the Costco and ended up driving through Waikiki and Honolulu a bit and eventually ended up at the Bishop Museum after a series of turns. While I do want to return to the Museum on another day, today I didn't figure it would be worth the money given Anya was on the edge of meltdown. If I kept moving, I figured she'd fall asleep after awhile.
Once again I found myself not entirely sure where I was but it's an island, eventually you have to turn or you end up in the ocean, and I was on a major road. So I kept driving. I found myself wedged between the mountains and eventually passed through one of the tunnels (where I got no radio signal by the way) and on the eastern side of the island.
By this point, it seemed a little foolish to turn around and back track - it would take just as long to get back to Honolulu and loop up to base as it would (probably) to take the coastal route. So we kept on driving along the coast...
The coast of Hawaii...it was one of those days where I thought "I live in Hawaii! How did this happen?!" Yes, over a year later and I still think like that. It's completely baffling to me some days. At this point I still hadn't taken any pictures because I was too busy trying to figure out where exactly we were. I pulled over a few times to take pictures though once I was oriented.
Almost four hours after we left the house to go to Costco, we got home - never having gone to Costco. Oh well, another day perhaps.
These first two are actually from a trip to North Shore a couple weeks ago.
The rest are from today.
Today I wanted to go to Costco, that was honestly my only goal. Because we needed a couple things...
I felt the urge to take my camera with me because I haven't been using it much lately. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to take a picture of but I knew I wanted to take a picture (or several). Since there isn't much between the base and the nearest Costco, I decided to head in the direction of the other one on the island, hoping I'd figure out what I wanted to take pictures of in between.
I took the wrong exit for the Costco and ended up driving through Waikiki and Honolulu a bit and eventually ended up at the Bishop Museum after a series of turns. While I do want to return to the Museum on another day, today I didn't figure it would be worth the money given Anya was on the edge of meltdown. If I kept moving, I figured she'd fall asleep after awhile.
Once again I found myself not entirely sure where I was but it's an island, eventually you have to turn or you end up in the ocean, and I was on a major road. So I kept driving. I found myself wedged between the mountains and eventually passed through one of the tunnels (where I got no radio signal by the way) and on the eastern side of the island.
By this point, it seemed a little foolish to turn around and back track - it would take just as long to get back to Honolulu and loop up to base as it would (probably) to take the coastal route. So we kept on driving along the coast...
The coast of Hawaii...it was one of those days where I thought "I live in Hawaii! How did this happen?!" Yes, over a year later and I still think like that. It's completely baffling to me some days. At this point I still hadn't taken any pictures because I was too busy trying to figure out where exactly we were. I pulled over a few times to take pictures though once I was oriented.
Almost four hours after we left the house to go to Costco, we got home - never having gone to Costco. Oh well, another day perhaps.
These first two are actually from a trip to North Shore a couple weeks ago.
The rest are from today.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Viking Vampires
I love them. Well one in particular, Eric - oh yummy Eric.
Of course now those of you not in the "know" are shaking your head in befuddlement thinking I've gone off the deep end I suppose.
Tomorrow, the 5th, the ninth installment of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris releases. Being the good, Eric (and Sookie) loving fan that I am, I preordered Dead and Gone from Amazon.com. To my great surprise and happiness it arrived TODAY - a day early! Woohoo!
I checked the mail around 11:30AM and found my very pretty new book waiting for me. I hurried to put Anya down for her nap (no I didn't put her down earlier than normal - it was time). And settled in to read while Jadzia and Inara watched Gummi Bears and ignored me for the most part. I don't always get time to read during the day but I must have put off a vibe to Jadzia and Inara because they found plenty of enjoyment in each other. Around 230, Anya woke up from her nap so I had to put Sookie aside for a few to feed her and tend to all the kids. Then, I resumed reading - although I was interrupted more often now that Anya was awake. Can't fault her too much, she is only 10 months old - I dare say she doesn't understand the draw of a good book (particularly the newest release of a favorite series) yet.
In spite of kidlet interuptions, I finished the book just about 5PM. So not only did I get it in my little hands before it's official release; I finished it before then too. It was a good installment and by no means lacking in my favorite Viking Vampire. As with so many things, the long wait was rewarded but I still can't wait for the next book! Which is some ways a way I think. But it's not like I don't have some 200 other books on my TBR to read.
I won't give away any plot here since I know at least a couple of my readers are Sookie fans.
Of course now those of you not in the "know" are shaking your head in befuddlement thinking I've gone off the deep end I suppose.
Tomorrow, the 5th, the ninth installment of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris releases. Being the good, Eric (and Sookie) loving fan that I am, I preordered Dead and Gone from Amazon.com. To my great surprise and happiness it arrived TODAY - a day early! Woohoo!
I checked the mail around 11:30AM and found my very pretty new book waiting for me. I hurried to put Anya down for her nap (no I didn't put her down earlier than normal - it was time). And settled in to read while Jadzia and Inara watched Gummi Bears and ignored me for the most part. I don't always get time to read during the day but I must have put off a vibe to Jadzia and Inara because they found plenty of enjoyment in each other. Around 230, Anya woke up from her nap so I had to put Sookie aside for a few to feed her and tend to all the kids. Then, I resumed reading - although I was interrupted more often now that Anya was awake. Can't fault her too much, she is only 10 months old - I dare say she doesn't understand the draw of a good book (particularly the newest release of a favorite series) yet.
In spite of kidlet interuptions, I finished the book just about 5PM. So not only did I get it in my little hands before it's official release; I finished it before then too. It was a good installment and by no means lacking in my favorite Viking Vampire. As with so many things, the long wait was rewarded but I still can't wait for the next book! Which is some ways a way I think. But it's not like I don't have some 200 other books on my TBR to read.
I won't give away any plot here since I know at least a couple of my readers are Sookie fans.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Reading Challenge Week 2
Week 2 of my reading challenge has concluded and I read the following this week:
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Damsel Under Stress by Shanna Swendson
Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendson
Did you notice a bit of a trend there? This past week was Sookie week in prep for Dead and Gone. I wanted to refresh my memory on all things Sookie for the new book. Then I finished those early enough in the week to finish off the Katie Chandler series by Swendson. All good books!
So my totals came out to 10 books and roughly 3.4 lbs read for the week. Rock on!
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Damsel Under Stress by Shanna Swendson
Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendson
Did you notice a bit of a trend there? This past week was Sookie week in prep for Dead and Gone. I wanted to refresh my memory on all things Sookie for the new book. Then I finished those early enough in the week to finish off the Katie Chandler series by Swendson. All good books!
So my totals came out to 10 books and roughly 3.4 lbs read for the week. Rock on!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Four Months
It's hard to believe that it's been four months since Robby deployed. It hasn't been as bad as I expected really. I will be happy when it's over though. Going anywhere beyond the base with three kids is just plain exhausting at this point so I'll be happy to have him home when he gets home.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Yay!
Anya has figured out how to use a straw sippy cup!! Woot! Now she can get liquid from a source that isn't me!
That's all! :)
That's all! :)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
I'm Still Here
I know it's been quite on the blog front this week but I wanted to at least pop in and let you all know I'm still here. Deep in "Sookie Week" as I call it. Book 9 of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books releases May 5th and in preparation, I'm rereading books 1-8 to refresh my memory a bit. So this week is all about reading lots and lots of Sookie.
Love y'all and will catch up soon!
Love y'all and will catch up soon!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Biggest Loser Reading Challenge
As I mentioned previously, I signed up for a reading challenge to try to slim down my massive to-be-read pile. Today was the "Weigh in" for the first week.
Individually I read 8 books equaling 4.2 pounds according to Amazon.com weights! In an average week I normally read 3-4 books so this is an awesome week for me! I can only hope I can keep it up through the rest of the challenge.
My team (4 people) read a total of 21 books equaling 12.59 pounds and we came in second for the week out of 10 teams. I'm thrilled with the results and look forward to the rest of the challenge.
The books I read this past week were:
An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan
Duty and Desire by Pamela Aidan
These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan
Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky
Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz
White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
The Pamela Aidan books have already been received by a new reader (shockingly enough given the fact that they were sent Media Mail) and at least 3 others will be mailed out this week I hope.
8 down...180 some odd books to go...
Individually I read 8 books equaling 4.2 pounds according to Amazon.com weights! In an average week I normally read 3-4 books so this is an awesome week for me! I can only hope I can keep it up through the rest of the challenge.
My team (4 people) read a total of 21 books equaling 12.59 pounds and we came in second for the week out of 10 teams. I'm thrilled with the results and look forward to the rest of the challenge.
The books I read this past week were:
An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan
Duty and Desire by Pamela Aidan
These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan
Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky
Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz
White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
The Pamela Aidan books have already been received by a new reader (shockingly enough given the fact that they were sent Media Mail) and at least 3 others will be mailed out this week I hope.
8 down...180 some odd books to go...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
New Words
About a month ago, I was starting to really wonder about Inara in terms of speech. I knew she understood pretty much everything I was telling her but was just quiet and not particularly expressive. So I started watching and listening to her more to try and get an idea of her vocabulary (this is not a particularly telling exercise but everyone always says "oh little Jimmy says XX number of words..." so I figured I'd try). I didn't last long at actually counting but decided to just keep listening. Then just in the last few weeks she's suddenly stringing words together to make small phrases and has embraced a few choice words.
"Me!" - This one is accompanied usually by her pointing to herself or thumping her chest like Tarzan. It generally follows one of her sisters being given something by me or me doing something with them (i.e. someone other than her). Today I was covering Anya's head with a blanket and playing Peek-a-boo and Inara came over with her blanket and shoved it in my face and proclaimed "Me!" Then when I didn't immediately transfer the game to her, she said "Me! Up" and held the blanket over her head.
"Mine!" - This one is fairly new on the scene and hasn't taken firm ground yet but I fear it will soon. It's pretty self-explanatory.
"No" - Now normally, I don't particularly like it when my kids tell me no. Today, however, I asked Inara to do something small. It wasn't particularly important but I asked her to do whatever it was (I don't remember now) and she just looked at me, grinned, shook her head and said "no". It wasn't a strong, attitude-y "NO!" - it was a sweet and comical and light. Carefree almost. If she knew to shrug her shoulders with it, it would have been perfect. I couldn't stop myself from laughing which I'm sure will diminish my authoritative power in the future but it was funny!
She's a funny little kid...
"Me!" - This one is accompanied usually by her pointing to herself or thumping her chest like Tarzan. It generally follows one of her sisters being given something by me or me doing something with them (i.e. someone other than her). Today I was covering Anya's head with a blanket and playing Peek-a-boo and Inara came over with her blanket and shoved it in my face and proclaimed "Me!" Then when I didn't immediately transfer the game to her, she said "Me! Up" and held the blanket over her head.
"Mine!" - This one is fairly new on the scene and hasn't taken firm ground yet but I fear it will soon. It's pretty self-explanatory.
"No" - Now normally, I don't particularly like it when my kids tell me no. Today, however, I asked Inara to do something small. It wasn't particularly important but I asked her to do whatever it was (I don't remember now) and she just looked at me, grinned, shook her head and said "no". It wasn't a strong, attitude-y "NO!" - it was a sweet and comical and light. Carefree almost. If she knew to shrug her shoulders with it, it would have been perfect. I couldn't stop myself from laughing which I'm sure will diminish my authoritative power in the future but it was funny!
She's a funny little kid...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Jane Austen
Jane Austen is where I turn when I've had a particularly harrowing day/night. I either pick up one the books and read a few chapters or I put in one of the movies to watch and just relax. There is something about Jane Austen's writing and stories that seems to bring me back to center.
Last night was one of those nights. Bluto and Gimli were rampaging around the house - possibly stirred up by the rain that was in the air. Anya was screaming bloody murder and pushing away from my arms even as I held her (because she was screaming bloody murder on the floor too). Jadzia kept wandering over to see what I was doing instead of cleaning up before bed and Inara kept trying to climb in my lap as I was trying to keep Anya from flinging herself into the wall or something in her fit. I would have collapsed right then if I didn't think that I'd be assaulted by two dogs and three kids right from the start.
Already on a thin thread, Jadzia finally comes to say she's done cleaning and I immediately see she's left a half dozen toys laying the living room. Done...uh huh, RIGHT! As I'm pointing out things to clean up, my neighbor rings the doorbell thus setting off the dogs and restarting the screams of Baby Spawn. She looks as harrassed as I feel so the meeting is thankfully brief and I return to the Spawn and dogs. Jadzia picks up the rest of the stuff and we head upstairs for the bedtime routine. Inara thinks it would be AWESOME to run up and down the hall while I'm attempting to get her ready for bed and Anya thinks screaming will make it all go faster.
I finally get the older two to bed and then set about getting Anya down for the night. This would have been easier if the dogs weren't still a little wound from the door bell previously. So in addition to their hallway races, they are occasionally letting out yips and barks just to make my night extra special. Finally I get Anya asleep and down, I give Bluto some food, attention and then let him outside and fall into the couch with my copy of Pride and Prejudice firmly in hand. After about 45 minutes of reading, I feel re-centered and less likely to strangle the first living thing in sight (namely Bluto probably).
Jane Austen is the new yoga - at least for me.
Last night was one of those nights. Bluto and Gimli were rampaging around the house - possibly stirred up by the rain that was in the air. Anya was screaming bloody murder and pushing away from my arms even as I held her (because she was screaming bloody murder on the floor too). Jadzia kept wandering over to see what I was doing instead of cleaning up before bed and Inara kept trying to climb in my lap as I was trying to keep Anya from flinging herself into the wall or something in her fit. I would have collapsed right then if I didn't think that I'd be assaulted by two dogs and three kids right from the start.
Already on a thin thread, Jadzia finally comes to say she's done cleaning and I immediately see she's left a half dozen toys laying the living room. Done...uh huh, RIGHT! As I'm pointing out things to clean up, my neighbor rings the doorbell thus setting off the dogs and restarting the screams of Baby Spawn. She looks as harrassed as I feel so the meeting is thankfully brief and I return to the Spawn and dogs. Jadzia picks up the rest of the stuff and we head upstairs for the bedtime routine. Inara thinks it would be AWESOME to run up and down the hall while I'm attempting to get her ready for bed and Anya thinks screaming will make it all go faster.
I finally get the older two to bed and then set about getting Anya down for the night. This would have been easier if the dogs weren't still a little wound from the door bell previously. So in addition to their hallway races, they are occasionally letting out yips and barks just to make my night extra special. Finally I get Anya asleep and down, I give Bluto some food, attention and then let him outside and fall into the couch with my copy of Pride and Prejudice firmly in hand. After about 45 minutes of reading, I feel re-centered and less likely to strangle the first living thing in sight (namely Bluto probably).
Jane Austen is the new yoga - at least for me.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Crawling
Well, kinda. She's trying - she's REALLY trying to crawl. I think the slick floors are somewhat challenging in that respect as she can slide around. I have a couple videos I will try to upload later.
Meanwhile you can just imagine the increased number of "Anya! No!" that is heard in our house. Both from me and Jadzia. Apparently Anya has a penchant for dog food and Inara and Jadzia's sippy cups (yes she has her own - she's not interested!)
Meanwhile you can just imagine the increased number of "Anya! No!" that is heard in our house. Both from me and Jadzia. Apparently Anya has a penchant for dog food and Inara and Jadzia's sippy cups (yes she has her own - she's not interested!)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Inara - the puppy?!
Yesterday I was TRYING to read and Inara came up with Gimli's food dish (empty) and some mardi gras beads. She forced the beads into my hand, put the bowl in my lap and moved my hand over the bowl and then waited for me to drop the beads in it. When I didn't she started prying my fingers open until the beads dropped. Then she put them back in my hands, moved the hand away and then back over the bowl and repeated, over and over and over. She also will take my hand and put it to her face or head and then lean into it kinda like when a puppy nudges at your hand until it's resting on his head.
When she wants me to do something to play with her and am not immediately accommodating, she finds a way to make me do it if it's in her powers.
When she wants me to do something to play with her and am not immediately accommodating, she finds a way to make me do it if it's in her powers.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Reading Challenge
I joined a reading challenge on Paperbackswap to read as many paperbacks as possible over the next 5-6 weeks so if I'm a little sparse in posts - that's why. After the kids go to bed (which is when I typically blog), I now jump right into reading to get as much time as possible. I fully intend to come back and post and then go to bed reading without thinking about it. :)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
It's no wonder ya know...
That Anya, at nearly 10 months (and can she really be almost 10 months?!), still doesn't crawl. Over the last week or so she seems to be getting SOOOO close. She gets in the position and rocks, and focuses on what she wants and then will put one arm forward a bit, plop on her belly and scoot. Then get back into the position and repeats. It's actually rather funny to watch. And she can get anywhere she wants by this method and rolling due to the wood floors downstairs. It's easy for her to just slide around on her belly like a penguin.
Anyway, the reason it's no wonder is because of Jadzia and Inara! Tonight I was trying to entice Anya to crawl to get something and put it just enough out of reach that she'd have to crawl.
So she got in the position, looked at the toy, looked at me, grinned, looked at the toy, rocked...
And Inara picked it up and put it in front of her.
I snatched it away cheerfully and placed it back where it belonged as the crawling bait and continued to encourage Anya.
So she got in the position, looked at the toy, looked at me, grinned, looked at the toy, rocked...
And Jadzia, laughing, picked it up and put it in front of her.
Grr! Argh!
Again I tried to remain cheerful as I moved the toy back so as not to upset Anya at removing her ill-gotten prize. Again my attempts were foiled by Inara who seemed convinced that I was placing it too far away for Anya to reach.
When I took the toy back AGAIN and placed it out of reach, Inara - cunning little pixie that she is - picked a different toy and put it right in front of Anya. Anya then happily took up the new prize and ignored the bait.
And so I conceded defeat and have realized Anya has no need to crawl because Jadzia and Inara will happily retrieve any toy she wants. What's more is that when she starts to fuss and is on the floor, they both run off to get toys, blankets, etc to pile around her to try and make her happy. Why crawl when you have such service?!
Anyway, the reason it's no wonder is because of Jadzia and Inara! Tonight I was trying to entice Anya to crawl to get something and put it just enough out of reach that she'd have to crawl.
So she got in the position, looked at the toy, looked at me, grinned, looked at the toy, rocked...
And Inara picked it up and put it in front of her.
I snatched it away cheerfully and placed it back where it belonged as the crawling bait and continued to encourage Anya.
So she got in the position, looked at the toy, looked at me, grinned, looked at the toy, rocked...
And Jadzia, laughing, picked it up and put it in front of her.
Grr! Argh!
Again I tried to remain cheerful as I moved the toy back so as not to upset Anya at removing her ill-gotten prize. Again my attempts were foiled by Inara who seemed convinced that I was placing it too far away for Anya to reach.
When I took the toy back AGAIN and placed it out of reach, Inara - cunning little pixie that she is - picked a different toy and put it right in front of Anya. Anya then happily took up the new prize and ignored the bait.
And so I conceded defeat and have realized Anya has no need to crawl because Jadzia and Inara will happily retrieve any toy she wants. What's more is that when she starts to fuss and is on the floor, they both run off to get toys, blankets, etc to pile around her to try and make her happy. Why crawl when you have such service?!
Friday, April 17, 2009
One should never...
1) Go to the grocery store without a list - or at the very least knowing what you have and do not have in your house already. We went to the commissary yesterday and did so without a list. I came home and realized that I already had some of the items I just bought so now I have extras.
2) Take 3 kids to the beach without a plan or an additional adult. It was a good theory. I wanted to get out of the house and off the base. I remembered my mom wanted a couple shirts from North Shore so I figured we'd drive up and the kids could splash around for a few, play in the sand - then we'd shop and come home for lunch. Living in Hawaii, it's not really a waste to only spend an hour at the beach because...well we can go anytime we want really. Anyway, I packed up the kids, filled a couple of water bottles, grabbed the towels and we drove on up. Anya was happy to gnaw on rocks and eat sand while Jadzia and Inara wanted to play in the water. Being one adult with only two hands, I couldn't just leave Anya sitting alone in the sand and wade out with the other two but I still wanted them to have SOME fun. I let them walk along the edge while I stayed somewhat in the middle of Anya and them. They were happy tossing rocks in the water but every once in awhile Jadzia would start to walk further in and then Inara would start to follow. After about 45 minutes I realized I obviously didn't have the arms or the eyes for this particular trip at this particular moments. So I let them throw a few more beach rocks in and then we headed back to the car to commence shopping. They DID have fun so, as I said, it wasn't a total bust. I need to recruit a neighbor I think if I want to try again. Or take the play pen tent we have so I at least feel Anya is a little more secure in her location (although I'd still not want to wander too far I suspect lol). Anyway, we shopped and then came home since Anya was ready for a nap. As chance would have it, Anya fell asleep in the car and then was no longer ready for a nap when we got home.
Anyone know where I might get a third arm?
2) Take 3 kids to the beach without a plan or an additional adult. It was a good theory. I wanted to get out of the house and off the base. I remembered my mom wanted a couple shirts from North Shore so I figured we'd drive up and the kids could splash around for a few, play in the sand - then we'd shop and come home for lunch. Living in Hawaii, it's not really a waste to only spend an hour at the beach because...well we can go anytime we want really. Anyway, I packed up the kids, filled a couple of water bottles, grabbed the towels and we drove on up. Anya was happy to gnaw on rocks and eat sand while Jadzia and Inara wanted to play in the water. Being one adult with only two hands, I couldn't just leave Anya sitting alone in the sand and wade out with the other two but I still wanted them to have SOME fun. I let them walk along the edge while I stayed somewhat in the middle of Anya and them. They were happy tossing rocks in the water but every once in awhile Jadzia would start to walk further in and then Inara would start to follow. After about 45 minutes I realized I obviously didn't have the arms or the eyes for this particular trip at this particular moments. So I let them throw a few more beach rocks in and then we headed back to the car to commence shopping. They DID have fun so, as I said, it wasn't a total bust. I need to recruit a neighbor I think if I want to try again. Or take the play pen tent we have so I at least feel Anya is a little more secure in her location (although I'd still not want to wander too far I suspect lol). Anyway, we shopped and then came home since Anya was ready for a nap. As chance would have it, Anya fell asleep in the car and then was no longer ready for a nap when we got home.
Anyone know where I might get a third arm?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Why is it?
That when Anya decides to have a "bad" night it involves waking up a half dozen times? I woke up this morning feeling as if I had barely slept given how often I was getting up. So alas I am tired and not particularly witty or full of blog-worthy tales. Do not despair, I will come up with something entertaining for tomorrow I dare say.
Night night now...
Night night now...
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