Brunch at The Chamberlin

This morning we had brunch at The Chamberlin with grandma Kathie and papa John.

Here are some pictures...

We have a date...

CC Loves to Pretend

This afternoon I wasn't feeling 100% so I went upstairs to lie down. I wasn't there long before CC decided to visit. :-) She crawled into bed with me and told me that I was "CC" and she was "mommy." She promptly said, "I have a headache and need an ice pack." "My back hurts, please rub it." I have NO IDEA where she's heard those things.

Bed Time

I am still the bed time guy and I do really enjoy it even thought it is a bit long at times, especially when cupcake decides she is not ready to drift off to sleepy land and build castles with the "Sand Man".

So tonight we were snuggled together in the "Big Girl" bed.  The light had been turned off after a tearful rendition of the book I cannot finish, thanks Anne.  A little Peter in the Pan and a slight struggle to turn of the light.  So there we were sitting in the dark, my little princes with her killer blue eyes, infectious smile and juvenile sense of humor.  Daddy, rough and gruff with a three day beard growth.

What was my little princes doing while waiting to drift off to sleep.....

Picking her nose and wiping her boogers on my shoulder!

at least they are little boogers ;) 

It worked, she fell asleep... Maybe I will try this with my wife tonight?

CC's Valentine's Day

In preparation for our Valentine's Day party, CC made cupcakes AND put together Valentine's bags for her friends.

This morning, she enjoyed opening her Valentine's Day presents. Her favorite: doctor kit (doctor's coat included).

A blast from the past...

I created this video for our wedding. It's resurfaced again so I thought I'd post it here. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

to my wonderful husband!

CC's Big Girl Bed

CC's "big girl" bed arrived on Monday and she LOVES it! She spent her first night in the bed on February 8 and tonight will be her second. So far, it's been a great move! We're transitioning from one nighttime ritual to a new one but still haven't defined what "it" looks like.

Happy Birthday!

I love you, Ms. Amy!
Crazy Crumbz

A Beautiful Birth Story

My friend, Kim H, shared this birth story with her Facebook friends and I wanted to share it with my blog readers.

Enjoying the Small Things, Nella Cordellia: A Birth Story

Unless you're ready for a really good cry, don't read it.

CC as Miss Independent

We have a very independent daughter.

The other night Nutz was getting some Motrin for CC. Well, Miss Independent wanted to help so she promptly said to Nutz, "Let's work together, daddy." :-)

Last night, Nutz was preparing to give CC her bath and he proceeded to turn on the light in the bathroom. Well, that was not okay with CC. She proceed to go to the bathroom, turn off the light, and turn it back on.

And finally, she is VERY independent (and a perfectionist) when it comes to putting on her jacket. At school, she has learned to lay her jacket on the floor and then flip it over her head to put it on properly. Well, if Nutz puts it on the floor the "wrong" way, CC tells him, "Daddy, that's not the perfect way."

Thank you!

My friend, Vicki (on the left), arrived in Afghanistan yesterday to start her 7 month tour. Please keep her in your prayers.

Check out my new bumper sticker...

Winter Snowstorm in "The View"

Or, click here to go directly to the album.

For some reason I see momma doing this?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJriDAhIIQs

A Father's Premonition

I was cruising down the street the other day and I had a thought, just one mind you, however, it was worthy. I thought it would be very cool one day to go to an auditorium, or concert hall, and see little CC at center stage, dark all around with the spotlight right on her with a fiddle under her chin, cowboy hat, mini-skirt and some boots and thumping away to the "Devil Went Down to Georgia"

The Devil Went Down To Georgia...

Too good not to share...

A drinking game for tonight's State of the Union Address AND a group on Facebook to promote it. Whatever it takes to get people to watch/listen. :-)

Visual Representation...

of the scope of my work (and proposed workload). Oh yeah! On top of this, I'm having a baby (c-section) in April (and would like to take maternity leave) and my husband is deploying for a year. Hmmm....What am I stressed about!? I'm wonder woman and I can do ANYTHING!!!!! NOT!!!!! Family first, family first, family first!

Did I mention that there's NO ADDITIONAL staff associated with this virtual summer school? So, all of those jobs listed above (except teachers) belong to me.

Mommy Dilemma Follow-up

This morning (in the wee hours of the morning), I was reading the New York Times and ran across this article about moms being the sole income earner in the home.

My purpose in posting this article is NOT that I have an opinion either way (stay-at-home dads are better or stay-at-home moms are better), just found it ironic that this article was written during a particularly stressful time in my life. In fact, I think each family is unique and needs to do what is best for them. And, why do some people (particularly women) feel the need to judge other women about their choice, whether it be to stay-at-home or work?!?

What I really want to know is if a man would be put in the same situation that I've been placed in: family or career?

Grammy's Birthday Song

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

We wish we could be there to celebrate with you!

Love,
Nutz, Crackerz, and Crazy Crumbz

The Mommy Dilemma

I realize that I'm not the first mother to face this dilemma. But, each of us is different and must do what's best for ourself and for our families.

This past year at work has been a busy one for me. I AM (with one full-time instructional designer) the E-Learning Department. Other than my full-time ID, I have no support staff and no back-up person.

For those that aren't sure what I do, I'm the E-Learning Manager at the local public television/public radio station. We're unique in that 18 public school divisions (SD) own our assets. As far as I know, there isn't another station like this in the US.

I'm responsible for the development of online student courses (textbook-independent, media-rich. highly-interactive). The courses we develop are the equivalent of a textbook, for which most of you are familiar. All of our courses are developed to meet, at a minimum, the Virginia Standards of Learning (VA SOL). Our teams are made up of 2 subject matter experts (for which I interview and hire), an instructional designer, project manager (me), and a content area review team (for which I coordinate, moderate, etc.) made up of multiple people from the participating school divisions. Part of the review process is a phone conference that typically occurs in the afternoon and can run as long as 2-3 hours. Currently, we are developing 4 courses: Algebra II/Trig, Biology, Geometry, and VA/US History. These courses are to be completed by July 31, 2010.

Another part of course development is course refreshment. Once a course is complete, it's not forgotten. We have a plan to revise ALL courses when new VA SOLs are released by the VA Department of Education and modernization updates. This process requires the same staff: project manager, instructional designer, and two subject matter experts. Currently, we have three courses that need to have this done: Algebra I, Earth Science, and VA/US Government. We haven't even started.

The third component to course development is the removal of some videos that were included in our original courses because the license we have to use them is going away. So, we need to review 8 courses (Algebra I, Earth Science, English 9, English 10, English 11, English 12, Personal Finance and Economics and VA/US Government) to remove the video clips and write replacement content. Again, this requires the same staff as original course development: project manager, instructional designer; subject matter experts. We haven't started.

Another responsibility that I have is to attend meetings related to E-Learning and travel to school divisions to assist them with planning for E-Learning. I also am required to present at local, regional, state, and national conferences.

In addition, I'm the regional Desire2Learn (D2L) Administrator. In this role, I'm responsible for being the D2L "expert" for all 14 school divisions (soon to be 18). In this capacity I do the following: coordinate/facilitate the creation of ANY new D2L site for new SD; hold monthly meetings with each of the SD's D2L administrators; provide escalated technical support to the SD; submit ALL technical issues to D2L and report results back to SD; coordinate all D2L upgrades with D2L (vendor) and the 14 SD; upload ALL completed courses to the 14 SD's D2L sites; provide D2L training to D2L Adminstrators; provide D2L training to SD staff (when requested); and be aware of, share/educate, and coordinate the demonstration of any new products available to the 14 SD.

THEN, last week we (my employer and the 18 school divisions) were awarded a $2,412,648 grant. The grant starts IMMEDIATELY and all associated activities must be complete by September 2011. With this grant, I'm now responsible for developing an additional 12 courses. This includes the interviewing/hiring of the following support staff: project manager, 4 full-time instructional designers, an assessment specialist, rich media developer, and 24 content developers. AND, act as the project manager for 6 of the 12 courses.

On Friday, I was told that I'd also be responsible for managing the implementation of a regional virtual school for the 18 SD which will run a pilot this summer, 2010. Yep, that's this summer. Well, if you're not familiar with a virtual school, no worries. It's the equivalent, if not more work, than running/starting a traditional school. You still need similar support staff: principal, curriculum specialist, technical specialist (it is technology), registrar, guidance counselor, and clerical support. This is NOT a comprehensive list, but you get the point. At this time, I AM all of those positions because there are no resources to hire anyone. With the help of some of my colleagues in the local school divisions, we created a 4 page document of items that include decisions that need to be made (by people much higher than me) and ALL items that must be completed before/during/after the summer school term. I admit that it was a bit overwhelming. But, I knew that since I've run a virtual summer school before AND I was the entire staff. It's not easy and I told myself that I'd never do it again. Ha!

There are those of us who love to work and love what we do. In fact, for me, I feel that being a working mom makes me a better mother. The time I spend with CC is special. Why can't I have both? I haven't spent all these years busting my butt to have to choose one or the other. This issue doesn't even take into consideration the fact that Nutz is going to be deployed for a year. Throw that on top of everything else (too much work for one person, who likes to produce QUALITY work, to feasibly manage) and you get one STRESSED out Crackerz.

And, this doesn't take into consideration that there is no one to "fill in" while I'm on maternity leave (at least not as of January 22) . So, does this mean that the expectations are that I work while on leave so project deadlines are met?!

What really makes me MAD is that I have to choose. For those of you who know me, know that doing things half-way is NOT acceptable. I pride myself in giving 100% (work and personal) AND it's not fair to my family or to my customers (18 SD) to give anything less. Hence, my dilemma.

What are mothers to do? Do fathers deal with the same issues? Just curious.

Freckles

During bath time, I said to CC, "You have a freckle." She promptly replied, "You have freckles everywhere, mommy."

Yep, this is me on most days!

Me at 25 Weeks

I haven't done a very good job of posting "me" pictures during this pregnancy. Here's a picture of me (taken today) at 25 weeks, 3 days.

PS Ignore the mess in the background.

CC and Bella

We had the opportunity to spend the day with Bella while her mommy worked. CC and Bella had a GREAT time hanging out with each other. We even took a trip to Sam's Club where the girls had a hot dog and Sprite. After the tiresome shopping trip, they fell asleep in the car so we drove around. :-) Never wake a sleeping baby/kid, right?

Here are some pictures of their day.

Football Party

Grandma Kathie invited us over to watch the Jets-Bengals playoff game. If you didn't know, she has a family member who plays for the Jets.

As you can see from the pictures, CC and her new friend, Annabelle, had a fun time. And, I ate way too much. Note to self: move away from the table if you're not hungry.

Grandma Kathie's Birthday

CC and I helped Grandma Kathie celebrate her birthday by attending a surprise party at one of her favorite local restaurants. All four of her children were able to be here as was her brother from Louisiana.

I love Ray Stevens!

CC and Nutz Dancing

Random January Pictures

Christmas Afternoon with Arana Family

Better late than never...

We spent Christmas afternoon with the Arana family. Great food and great friends! We love you!

New Year's Day

We spent new year's day with our good friends: Arana's, Behr's, Pino's, and Tavalozzi's.

I didn't do a very good job of getting pictures of everyone. We did have a house full; 8 children between the ages of 1 and 5. It was like a daycare.

Yep

No drama here just lots of emotions and hormones.

Think I'll read and reread this article from WebMD.

“Stress is like an iceberg. We can see one-eighth of it above, but what about what’s below?”

Our Little Artist

Hmmm...

Changes in You
"You are probably having wild mood swings still, but other than that things are run of the mill. Take some time to enjoy the feeling of your baby moving about your belly. This is often a fun time for both mom and baby because the baby has so much room to move around."

Taken from Women's Health Care Topics.

Be Yourself

I had a long post about being yourself, but decided to delete my words and replace them with the quotes below. I found these particular quotes that represent how I feel. It's important that you're always true to yourself.

Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth. ~Benjamin Disraeli

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. ~Judy Garland

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away. ~Raymond Hull

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings

Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you? ~Fanny Brice

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. ~John Mason

Why try to be someone you're not? Life is hard enough without adding impersonation to the skills required. ~Robert Brault

Forgive and Forget

Why is it that it's easier to forgive than to forget? That's been my experience most of my life. I'm able to forgive but have a difficult time forgetting. I'm always hearing "just forget about it, it's over." Yep, doesn't work for me. I'm always going over in my mind what happened and what could have been done differently.

I found the article, Handling Forgiving and Forgetting on the Livestrong.com website. So much of what's on there I can relate with. I need to focus on "forgetting."

So, I'm going to do my best to work through the three steps listed:

Step 1: In order to increase your ability to forgive and forget, you need to recognize what this behavior involves. Answer the following questions in your journal:

a. What do you mean by "forgiving and forgetting in a relationship?"
b. Have you ever been forgiven in a relationship? How did it feel?
c. Has anyone ever brought up something from the past to remind you how you hurt a person? How did that make you feel?
d. What role do you feel forgiving and forgetting has in your relationships? How could you improve?
e. How has the absence of forgiving and forgetting affected your current relationships?
f. What are the signs of the absence of forgiving and forgetting in your relationship with your family of origin, current family, significant others, spouse, children, parents, relatives, friends and co-workers?
g. What beliefs block your ability to forgive and forget? What would be necessary to change these beliefs?
h. What new behavior do you need to develop in order to increase your ability to forgive and forget?
i. What role does the existence of spirituality play in your ability to forgive and forget? The lack of it?
j. Who do you need to forgive? What do you need to forget?

Step 2: Now that you have a better picture of what is involved in forgiving and forgetting, you are ready to extinguish blaming behavior.

Letting Go of Blaming

It is easy to point the finger of blame at others for the pain you have suffered. This activity is intended to get you to point the finger of responsibility at yourself, to be better able to forgive and forget when you feel hurt by another's behavior. Answer the following questions in your journal:

(1) List an incident for which you are unable to forgive a person(s) and therefore are unable to forget.
(2) How much energy, creativity, problem solving capability and focus on growth is sapped from you whenever you recall this hurt?
(3) What feelings come to your mind and body as you recall this hurt?
(4) How would you describe your role in this event? In what ways were you the victim, perpetrator, enabler, martyr, bystander, instigator, target, scapegoat, distracter, peacemaker, people pleaser or rescuer?
(5) Why do you feel strongly over what happened and how you were treated?
(6) What did this event or happening do to your self-esteem?
(7) How dependent on others were you (or are you) to help you feel good about yourself? How positively self-affirming were or are you? Why do you need this person's affirmation to make you feel good about yourself? What beliefs about yourself were threatened by what happened to you? Reinforced?
(8) How willing are you to declare yourself independent of the need for others to reinforce you and make you feel good about yourself? What blocks you from declaring this independence? What fears do you have of letting go of the need for others to make you feel good about yourself? How does this relate to your inability to forgive or forget in the incident listed in Step 2(1)?
(9) What value is there in blaming the person(s) listed in Step 2(1) for the hurt and pain experienced? How responsible are you for the feelings of hurt and pain? How do these feelings relate to your dependence on others to make you feel good about yourself? How do you control your feelings of pain and hurt? What would change in your feelings about this past incident if you accepted the responsibility for your own feelings and perceptions? How do your irrational beliefs interfere in your ability to resist blaming others for pain and hurt you experience?
(10) Look back at the past incident and the person(s) involved; reframe your thinking and feelings about it:
* Who was responsible for my reaction to the incident?
* Who was responsible for my feelings about the incident?
* Who was responsible for my inability to forgive the person(s) involved?
* Who is responsible for my inability to forget this incident?
* How can I forgive the person(s) involved?
* How can I put this incident behind me?
* How can I forgive myself for being dependent on others for feelings of being worthwhile and good?
* How can I avoid being so hurt when something like this happens again?
* What do I gain by blaming others for my feelings?
* What can I do when I feel hurt and pain? Where does the finger of responsibility need to be pointed?

Step 3: Once you have learned how to let go of blaming in that one incident, repeat Step 2 addressing all the past or present incidents of hurt in which you need to forgive the people and forget the incidents (see Step 1j).

When you have exhausted your list of people you need to forgive and events you need to forget, you will be on the road to forgiving and forgetting in relationships. If you have problems in the future, return to Step 1 and begin again.

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

~ Lewis B. Smedes

A long day, lots of emotions...

lots of words, lots of tears, and I still don't feel better. We talk and talk and talk but nothing seems to be said. I get the feeling that unless I "cave in" and say that I'll change, that this same, or similar, scenario will take place time and time again. And, I'm not sure that I want that.

I am hard-headed and stubborn, but give me a break. Why, with all that I have going on in my life right now, must I explain myself? Why must I apologize for being mopey and quiet (and perhaps grouchy, too)? Why can't people just put two and two together to realize that it's not about "them." Ever think that maybe it's about me? That maybe I'm the one with the issue(s) and you just happen to be around during the time that I'm trying to deal with it/them? I didn't think so. Sometimes, people need to understand that another person's actions aren't necessarily about them. I know, that's a tough one to comprehend.

I guess I've never been a sensitive person and therefore don't understand people who are extremely sensitive. I've also never been one to tip-toe around people and act like everything is FANTASTIC when it's not! I'm a "what you see is what you get" kind of gal! If I'm having a good day, then you'll see my good day. If I'm having a bad day, then you'll see my bad day. In the comforts of my own home, I'd expect that I could be myself. I can see that's not the case.

Is it possible for me to change who I am after all these years? I don't think so. What next? Do I give up? Do I say "you win?" What? Someone please tell me.

Ah yes...it's my FAULT yet again

I'm sure that this post is going to cause another issue at my house but...this is my outlet to vent since I don't, as of yet, have a therapist (on my New Years list).

I'm not sensitive to the feelings of others. I don't put on a happy face all the time. I'm not all gushy over people. I'm not allowed to have "off days" or even "off weeks." I'm not allowed to feel like crap. I'm not allowed to be unsocial. I'm not allowed to be moody. I'm not allowed to be quiet and say few, if any words. I'm to blame when others get their feelings hurt. I'm to blame when company cuts their visit short. Or goodness forbid, that my hormones AND stress may play a factor in ALL of the above.

Anyone curious about why I didn't go to FL? How about I didn't want to make those around me feel sad like I was feeling. How about I wanted to be in a place, my home, where I could "hide" and cry as much as I want. Nope, guess you didn't know all of those things. It's so much easier to just think that I'm an insensitive and uncaring person.

Did you think that leaving would make things better? NOPE! How about Nutz's feelings? Or what about CC? But as Nutz would say to me (and often does), it's much easier to run away.

As I said in my Christmas Eve post, I'm me and I've been this way for 38 years. Some people like me and others don't. At this stage of my life, I'm probably not going to change my personality. I'm sorry if your feelings get hurt every single time you're around me. I certainly don't intentionally try to hurt your feelings.

AND finally, I'm not a good communicator and I know that. I've got lots on my mind beyond being pregnant, stressing about an upcoming deployment, work stress (yes, I'm thankful to have a job), and the holidays (and being away from family and missing loved ones who are no longer with me). With that said, you might want to read this article on mood swings during pregnancy. Or, perhaps you might read this article about deployment stress. Or, even this article on work stress. Or, perhaps you might choose to read this article about stress during the holidays. Each of us deals with stress in a different way so don't judge me for the way I deal with it. And please don't take things personally!

I have so many other things that I'd like to say but will keep them to myself. I've never been one to blame others for my actions or inactions. So, I'm not going to start today.

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
~Dr. Seuss

Christmas Day

CC was exhausted after a long Christmas Eve day and night. So, she slept until 7:30. Once she finally woke up she was excited to see the presents that Santa left over night. She loved opening presents but ALSO wanted to play with each one after she opened it. So, the opening of presents took some time. Oh well! We didn't have anything better to do. Enjoy the pictures.

Christmas Eve with Ms. Amy

Ms. Amy invited our family to attend the Christmas Pageant at her church and to dinner at her house. We had a GREAT time! Thank you!

Christmas Eve

and home alone. By choice, but home alone, none-the-less. It's been a stressful week around our house with the news that Nutz is deploying for a year. He'll most likely miss the birth of his son and the first 10 months of his life. I've not slept and I've cried more tears than I knew possible. I'm one of those "what if" people so I worry about everything. The holidays have always been a stressful time for me, don't know why, but they have been. So put the news and the holidays together and you have one stressed out Crackerz. Oh yeah! I'm pregnant so add the crazy hormones, too.

I digress. If I'm not laughing, smiling, and being full of glee, don't take it personally. Just realize that I have a lot going on in my life right now and entertaining you and worrying about how you feel is not at the top of my list. There might be a day when I want to stay in my pjs all day and cry. Let me. I may be fine one minute and crying the next. Let me. Don't tell me that everything will be alright, I know that. Don't tell me that I'll have lots of people to help. I know that. But I'm sorry, it's not the same when it's not your husband and the father of your child. Don't ask me what you can do, just do it. What is "it"? I don't care, do something. If I have to take the time to tell you what to do then I might as well do it myself. If I want to stay in my room and not be social, don't take it personally, there's a reason. And, it's probably because I want to cry and I don't like an audience. If I go to bed before you, don't take it personally. I always go to bed early.

Bottom line, just because I don't act like you (happy and smiling all the time) doesn't mean I don't love you and don't accept you for you. Accept me for who I am (grouchy and all). If not, well, there's not much I can do about it.

CC's Big Girl Bed

As you know, we have a new baby on the way. Since we heard the news of Nutz's deployment, I hesitated moving CC at the same time her daddy leaves and a new baby arrives. However, we found this great bed from Flexa. So, the moving process will begin mid-January when the new bed should come in and while Nutz is still around. CC LOVED the bed and picked it out herself. Hopefully, she won't associate daddy leaving and baby brother arriving with being "kicked out" of her crib and nursery.

My Special Birthday

When I woke up on my birthday, this is what I found on the dining room table: flowers, balloon, birthday card, presents, "I love you" coffee cup with tea bag, and homemade blueberry muffins! I have the BEST husband!

For dinner, he took me to Ruths Chris; one of my all-time favorite places to eat!

I love you, Nutz!

Thank you!

Tonight, Nutz made arrangements for the Behr family to watch Regan while we went out to dinner for my birthday. Chris said she was a riot.

While there, CC did some pretty funny stuff:

1. Played school and read books (she's a bossy teacher)
2. Told Uncle Larry that he was being too loud
3. Had a bugger (yes you read correctly) on her finger and told Aunt Chris. But then informed Aunt Chris that it was too late; "It" had fallen on the floor (or couch). GROSS!
4. When asked if she wanted a fire in the fireplace, she said "No, I'm scared of fires like my daddy." Hmmm...didn't know she was scared of fires.

I'm sure there are others but I thought these were cute! Thank you Behr family for watching CC.

CC Plays Doctor

We took CC with us to the ultrasound and my last OB appointment. Since then, she wants to play doctor. She puts on the headset for the computer and uses the microphone as the "stethoscope" to listen to my belly. This afternoon, she wanted to be the "doctor" and told me to sit on the couch. She pulled up my shirt, got some pretend "soap" (she meant the gel used during ultrasounds), and proceed to move the microphone (ultrasound wand) over my stomach. She pointed to the wall and said, "look mommy, it's my baby brother." This is exactly what happened in the doctor's office. Super sweet!

CC's First Gingerbread House

This year, I decided to let CC make a gingerbread house. She had a blast. Check out the pictures. It's currently being "fixed." Once it's healed, she'll finish decorating and I'll take a picture of the final product.

Santa Tracking

Don't forget to track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

Do you have an "attitude of gratitude"?

I got this link from a friend's blog. I'm going to work hard to develop an attitude of gratitude. 2010 will provide us with many challenges (and happy moments like a new baby boy) and a chance for me to practice my new "attitude with gratitude."

She makes my heart melt!

This morning CC and I were snuggling on the couch before we had to get ready for school and work. She looked up at me and said, "mommy, I love you." Yep, made me cry! I love you, too!

The Girls

From December 2009

CC and I were hanging out in the office/playroom when she asked me to take a picture of us. Well, as you can see I was NOT dressed for a picture. But, I couldn't turn her down! She's a doll!

The Three Behrs

We are so excited to have the Three Behrs back in town! We love you guys!

From December 2009

From December 2009

From December 2009

I love Bass Pro!

From December 2009

From December 2009

From December 2009

Daddy-Daughter Time

Things Kids Say

CC pointed to a freckle on my leg and said, "Mommy has polka dots."

Already planning...

I purchased this sailboat set from Pottery Barn Kids for Deuce's nursery. What do you think?

NOTE: This is NOT our nursery but a picture from the PBK website.

The Behr Family Comes "Home"

We are so excited that the Behr family is moving back to VA. So excited, that we decided to surprise them with a decorated Christmas tree. Shh! Don't tell them, it's a secret.

CC was supposed to help decorate but she decided to take a 2 hour nap instead.

We're having a boy!

Boy or Girl?

Cheeseburger Soup

Tonight I decided to try something new. So, I searched the Internet for a cheeseburger soup recipe to get me started. I made some changes (and will make some more next time just because I think they sound good). To see the recipe with my changes, go to our cookbook.

CC's Latest Artwork...

just happens to be on her face. Yes, you read right. This morning before school, CC decided to color. However, rather than color on the paper she had, she decided to use her face.

Giggles

Girl's Weekend

This past weekend, I met some girlfriends in Fredericksburg, VA. We enjoyed the first snow of the season; just in time to put us in the holiday spirit. And, we were able to watch the annual Christmas parade from the warmth of the local Irish Pub.

Here are a few pictures from our trip.

November Nor'easter

Once again, we survived another storm and feel very fortunate. It's hard to believe that we live across the street from the Chesapeake Bay and had NO flooding, NO wind damage, AND we never lost power (okay, for 3-4 minutes at one point Thursday night).

Yesterday, we had to drive to my office so I could get some items before my trip to TX. It was quite the adventure and I'm glad we took the jeep. What is typically a 15 minute, easy drive turned into an off-road adventure, or so it seemed.

To see the pictures we took, go to our online album. To see pictures that other people around HR took, go to the Wavy website.

Storm Dates: November 12, November 13, November 14

The Start of the Christmas Season

Our Movie Star

Thanksgiving 2009

A special thanks to the Pino family for having us over for Thanksgiving dinner! The food was GREAT and the company was fantastic! We love you guys!

Our Trip to Austin

Mommy had a conference in Austin, so daddy and I decided to "tag along." While mommy attended the conference sessions, daddy and I did some sightseeing of the beautiful Texas Capitol of Austin. While there, we were able to meet up with some of my daddy's cousins. It was great! After the conference ended, we took a quick trip to San Antonio. While there, we took a boat ride on the San Antonio Riverwalk. We also visited the Natural Bridge Wildlife Branch. We were able to drive the car through the park and I could feed the animals through the window. It was so much fun!

Enjoy the pictures!

Living Large In Texas!

Crazy Crumbz is a good traveler and she is having fun here in Texas looking at all the pick up trucks! We heard and ad on the radio for a 2010 $15,000 Ford F-150 and we almost purchased one! Check Back frequently as we add more photos!


View Austin, Texas 2009 in a larger map

Our Little Patriot!

Halloween 2009

A picture of Daddy?

I think CC is a good artist?!

From the Digital Archives

School Pictures

CC had school pictures taken on October 9th and I just received her proofs. As you can tell, she doesn't look too thrilled to have her picture taken. :-)

Ultrasound Pictures

This morning we had our first ultrasound. Here are the pics of CC's sibling-to-be.

Our Trip to Tennessee

This past weekend, we took a trip to TN to see our good friend, Craig and his wife, Laurie.

Our trip started out with a broke down car, tow truck, and rental car. In under two hours, we were back on the road. On our way home, we decided to take the "scenic" route and boy was it scenic. Instead of driving straight through, we spent the night in Martinsville. On our way home on Monday, we completely missed our road and ended up going almost 2 hours out of our way. Oh well! We had a nice family trip and CC is quite the traveler!

Thanks Craig and Laurie for a great visit! Come see us soon!

October Pictures

Yorktown

Hunt Club Farm

First School Altercation??

Today at school, a little boy bit CC on the arm. She did confess that she pushed him first. I'm confident that she can take care of herself but we do need to work on the pushing. She can be aggressive at times.

Swinging from the Phone!

CC is a head banger a the Gym

She must have learned the dance moves from her father... he is pretty smooth!

America's Got Talent?!

We got some here in the "View"

CC's Art Work

CC LOVES to draw. Here's a sampling of some of her work. And YES, this is her work!

So there we were...

watching Glenn Beck when CC goes to the bathroom and closes the door. She comes out a few seconds later with her pants off and wearing just a diaper. She says "pee pee." The she goes back in and says "be right back," closes and locks the door!

You can hear though the door, the velcro from the diaper getting pulled off, a plop into the garbage can, the little pee seat slide around, the toilet flush, and little CC comes out with a big smile on her face. She got a high 5 from daddy and momma, as well. What a big girl! She even dumped the pee seat into the toilet and turned out the light!! Awesome!!

Just another Saturday...

We packed up our car and headed to D.C. for the 9.12.09 March on Washington D.C. It was a GREAT experience and I'm so glad that we were part of the event!

Click here to see our pictures.

CC's First Day of School

Yes, I know that her first day of school was on August 24. It's taken me this long to get the pictures off the camera and uploaded to the blog.

Isn't she cute?



PS. She dressed herself!

Catching up...

I've been a slacker, I know.

Click to see some of the newest photo albums.

Hanging with the Arana Family
Hanging with Ben and Nate
First Day of School
August 2009
Margaritas on the Beach - September 2009

CC Vanquishes her fears of....

the corkscrew slide!

Nope I am not spoiled...

I am just going to make one hell of a politician!

Plus batting these baby blues help a little as well...

Thank you Grandpa John and Grandma Kathie for the cookie, a spin in the tub, and the nice warm bed! You guys rock!

Pretty as a Penny

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I like getting hair cuts from my favorite hairdresser "Penny" She makes me look even more beautiful. Especially when she braids my hair. I don't let momma and daddy do that, cuz they are not "professionals"!

Barf a ram a

So there we were the other night, all of us snuggled up in the bed. Little CC was between momma and daddy. Along came the "witching hour" and little CC began coughing and hacking at ten minutes to two am. Momma of course woke up to see what was the matter. As how it is common place, she had to wake up daddy to ensure all is good and well with the world. As it would be, little CC swallowed something wrong and began to heave like she was getting ready to hurl like a drunken sailor. Momma goes eek she is going to puke. Daddy goes eek get something. Momma runs to the barfroom, I mean bathroom, daddy shoulders little CC and Ralf bought a Buick all over daddy's chest. Momma was so impressed! Little CC was miserable, she did not feel well, had yack in her beautiful golden locks and smelled like the armpit of a sailor on liberty in Tijuana!

Everyone loves 2am!

So, between yacks we got the little one cleaned up, eventually CC and daddy took a shower together. Last time I showered with a woman... well lets juts leave that one alone. Anyhow all were fresh and clean and watching the RedEye on FNC.

We are happy to say that this was CC's first yack session as a child. I hope that they will be few and far between, especially the 2am yacks. However, if she is anything like her mother, which I am afraid she is, the 2am yacks will be bit more frequent as she ages.

Although I give momma some grief, she did do quite well with the young one and stayed up for the rest of the morning... Well ok, she usually gets out of bed around 3am so what is an extra hour?! :) love ya babe!
Nutz

Safety First

Momma will have to post the pictures of me riding in the back of the jeep with my bicycle helmet on. Daddy is a safe driver, however I just wanted a little more security as we cruised through the "View"

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From Phone Pix 2009

Smarty Pants

CC handed me her cell phone (play phone, of course). So, I acted like I was talking to someone on the phone. I then gave the phone back to her and told her that it was the president on the phone. She promptly said, "Hello Obama."

My favorite: "CC, who is the best president ever?" She replies "Ronald Reagan." :-)

Yes, her daddy has been teaching her about US government. She's going to be smart like him.

Dirty Divas - Official Time: 1:34:17

Mommy Survived the Mud Run!

Not only was this mommy's FIRST race ever, but it was a mud run! She had so much fun with her teammates that they're already talking about next year's race.

Enjoy the pictures that daddy took. If you want to see a map of the course, click here.

Good luck Mommy in the "Mud Run"

I will be rooting for you on daddy's shoulders!

Mud Run 2009

Words...

Crazy Crumbz has been chatting away now and today she brought a tear to my eye. As I was drying her off after her bath, as usual, I held her up to the mirror and asked her where the pretty baby was. I gave her a squeeze and said "I love you!" She promptly replied with a neck hug, "I love you too daddy!"

Happy Birthday, Chris!