Confused

This is what happens when a dog is confused about which toys are got him... Accidentally ate one of the babies bath time toys

Mote Marine, Sarasota Florida

I was looking back at my photos from my trip to Sarasota, FL to visit family and was remembering how many fun things that we did. One of them being a day at Mote Marine. Growing up in Sarasota we always took field trips here and it never really seemed all that exciting compared to other Zoos and Marinas. However going back now, and with my son it was AWESOME! Babies and fish go hand and hand. It was such a calming walk through with Kale, he just relaxed in his stroller ( he was 3 months old) and looked at all the different tanks. Mote Marine would be great if you get a year pass, so if you ever run out of things to do mak

e a trip up there, pack a lunch and eat it by the water! Another reason why I love Sarasota. Eating a subway sandwich is ten times more exciting when your eating it on the beach looking out at a beautiful sunset!

90 Degrees

It's offical...Las Vegas had its first 90 degree day this afternoon, and you could have found us hanging out by the pool. Which is exactally where we will be most of the summer. Roaming around the desert trying to find any water hole that we can hover around. It is quiet amazing that Las Vegas is known for its lounging around the pool atmopspher...however I am finding out that for the locals it is a bit harder to come by a pool. You either have to have your own pool or your complex has one. If you are shaking your head "nope" to both of those like we are then you are out of luck. Last summer Josh and I only found overselves soaking up UV rays by a pool two days. However, all that has changed this year because you could say that we have hit the Las Vegas "jackpot"...unlimited water. Not once but twice. First off Josh's coworker down the road from us has allowed us unlimited access to his neighborhood pool, which I am sure all his neighbors are loving that. Two completely pale former Alaskans running around the pool, slathering sunscreen, and screaming with joy. Secondly I have even gathered connections for some of the casion's beautiful pools. But since both Josh and I are burnt and it is only our first offical 90 degree day I guess we need to be taking it easy and finding some other summer activities that Las Vegas has to offer.

Las Vegas Mommy Group

This is one of my mommy groups that meets up ALL over Las Vegas. These photos were taken at some of our park dates, either at Town Square, or somewhere in Summerlin.

I love Vegas

I LOVE Las Vegas…and it really is hard not too! This is our first spring in Las Vegas, and even though it was a little colder than I had imagined, by mid April I can’t help by waking up smiling! When I first found out that we were being relocated to Las Vegas the only thing that I could picture was the strip and 125 degrees. That is only 5 miles in a huge city and that is only 3 months out of the year that it gets that hot. When I picture Las Vegas now I can see beautiful snow capped mountains with the sun rising behind it, great people and even better weather.

Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine. Why Nevada isn’t considered the sunshine state? I have lived in Florida, and even though it has a lot of sun, Las Vegas has more. I walk outside now, and it is 75 degrees, my skin absorbs the sunshine and I automatically have goose bumps...and a huge smile. You can’t help but to drive around with a huge smile on your face, how could you not be in a good mood (Okay maybe if you fall into the 14.5% unemployeed)? In Alaska there were only certain times you could go outside, and mid April in Anchorage still means that you have four feet of snow in your yard. I think that if you have to spend two years living in Alaska the perfect place to move to next would be Nevada…my sunshine tank is FULL and that is just fine with me. I never know where the military will send us next, so I will be outside grabbing as much rays of light as I can. …now if only we had a pool.

I am in the process of changing the look and the layout of the blog. For several reasons, first off it's fun, & secondly because I have been getting a lot more hits and want the blog to be easy to move about. Please feel free to leave me any feedbacks in the comments section or email me.

The Club

Heading to Sam’s Club on a Saturday afternoon is essentially like walking into your own trap. You know full well what you’re getting into, you even see it coming but you continue on…towards your demise.

Josh and the baby stayed home so that I could make this as quick a trip as possible. We are a small family, so there aren’t a lot of things that we purchase from Sam’s Club. All I needed to grab was dog food, diapers and water bottles. I knew that I would be starting at the back left corner of the store with the bottled water first, then middle left of the store I would grab a bag of dog food and ending up at the front with the diapers and an easy check out. Isn’t it so strange how in our minds we can plan things out so perfectly but it just doesn’t happen that way, mainly because this is a Wal-Mart franchise, and it is just the facts of life that God always teaches you patience at places like this…starting with the parking lot.

The stretch of 500 feet in front of the store is covered with stop signs, speed bumps, markers and everything else to prevent you from going above 2 miles per hour. However, I have considered informing Sam’s Club that they could really cut costs on these speed reduction measures because there always seems to be a flash mob of people, aimlessly walking around the parking lot. Usually kids jumping out in front of your car, or an elder person with a cart. The hardest part hands down of Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club shopping is making it in and out of the parking lot without killing somebody, or hitting a cart. Once I made it inside I knew that the parking lot was only foreshadowing of what was to come. A jungle. No not a jungle, more like a watering hole. Sam’s Club is a Saturday event for many people. A place to let your kids run wild, playing with the electronics, and gadgets, & A place where dad’s run from free sample to free sample. And where the $1.50 hotdog combo has more followers than the Beatles. It is a mess, who was I kidding there was going to be no quick trip.

So like they say,

“When in Rome, do as the Romans.”

I helped myself to every free sample on the left side of the store, checking out and heading over to grab myself a Nathan’s hotdog and coke. And as I left the store I found myself forgetting where I had parked, so I wondered up and down the parking lot with my oversize cart until reaching the end of my Sam’s shopping trip.

Whipped Cream

Tonight Josh and I headed to The Cheese Cake Factory for a date night, only Kale came along too. It is a slight downside to having a new baby and not having grandparents down the street, however, it just gives us more time together as a family…and provides more stories like these… …It was a typical dinner out with a six month old baby. Parents passing the baby back and forth while they shove down spoonfuls of their food. The other parent bouncing the baby, making crazy faces, and squeaking every toy in the diaper bag, trying to buy enough time for each plate to be cleared of every last bite. No matter how crazy the dinner ever gets there is no rushing through desert, espically at the Cheesecake Factory. We both sit in silence as we read through the list of over 25 different kinds of cheesecakes, until we each come to our conclusion. Josh orders an Oreo cheesecake and I go with their most popular strawberry cheesecake. The server only takes a few minutes before returning with two HUGE slices of cheesecake and a spoonful of whipped cream on top of each. Josh started in on his cheesecake first as I bounce Kale up and down on my lap, trying to keep him entertained for just 5 more minutes. Kale, not giving in spits out his pacifier right into the fresh pile of whipped cream on my cheesecake and starts expressing his ever growing boredom. As I am trying to control the situation I pick the pacifier out of the huge pile of whipped cream and lick it off. Josh looks up and begins to burst into laughter and says, “That’s called mommy sexy.” I guess licking whipped cream off of our child’s pacifier while he begins throwing a fit, is about as sexy as it’s getting for awhile.

Very little blog posts

We have just been enjoying daddy finally being back with us!

I always wondered if Kale would have a special bond with Josh, even though He had to deploy when Kale was only six weeks old.
Since the moment Josh walked off the plane back in Las Vegas and grabbed Kale they have been non stop giggling. Babies and their daddies have a special bond.

Enjoying the moment

Kale takes three naps a day. I usually try to clean or do things around the house. Edit photos or take care of bills. I fill every minuet Kale allows me. All mommies are go go go, but today was a special day. I put Kale down for his morning nap.

I didn't start the laundry, put the dishes away, take a shower or get dressed. I crawled back into bed and gave Kingston some much needed cuddle time. We soaked up the whole hour, no tv on or playing with my cell phone. I laid in bed and watched the sunshine leak in through the half opened blinds as Kingston's 80 pound furry body spooned up next to mine.

Hope you had a great Easter

Happy Easter

Our Easter celebration began yesterday. Kale and I made fresh banana pudding for our Easter dinner tonight…however, it didn’t make it through the night. I found myself tip toeing down the stairs last night, opening the frig and diving right into the fresh cut bananas, pudding and wafer cookies. Such a simple desert to make but it hits the spot in so many ways, and was a great start to one of the best nights of sleep that I have experienced in months.

This morning we headed out to Mimi’s café, it’s a chain restaurant right down the road from our house but they have the most amazing waffles. And after living in Anchorage, AK for two years without ever finding anywhere that served them, I never take them for granted now. Or a morning breakfast that we all share together. As we dug into the fresh Belgium waffles Josh and I reflected on what a crazy week we had and how thankful he came home from deployment just in time for Easter. I am getting baptized this morning at our church, and it just seems so perfect in so many ways. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and warm, I have my family together again, and I am receiving eternal life.I will never forget this Easter.

Naptime Mode

Last August my sister, Kerry, came to visit us in Las Vegas. We had just moved here and I was 8 months pregnant. Kerry brought her daughter Madelyn, who at the time was almost five months old. The trip was really for us to spend some time together before my newest edition, Kale arrived. Josh and I still living the no kids lifestyle were apparently “extremely loud” people my sister informed us. When Madelyn went down for a nap there was to be NO noise made in the house. I thought this was a simple task; we would just go downstairs and catch up on some of the things taped on the DVR. Well the TV had to be at volume 3 and when the commercials came on even lower to volume 2. There would be zero talking, walking around, opening doors, sneezing. Something’s were just out of our control, like the dog getting up and shaking, or a car door slamming outside. Kerry would just look over at us once one of these noises was made and she would give a death glance. We were both scared. However, 45 minutes later Madelyn would wake up, Kerry would snap out of ‘nap time mode’, and we’d all be laughing, sharing stories and playing with the puppies…until two hours later when it all started over again. After waving goodbye to Kerry and Madelyn we got in the car and both looked at each other…”We won’t end up like that”.

Fast Forward to present time…There is one rule in this house hold, NO NOISE WHILE BABY IS SLEEPING. This rule does not get broken or you’re dealing with momma bear!

Moment in Time

It is a beautiful 70 degrees in Las Vegas, clear blue skies & a slight breeze. Literally the perfect day, and if I could order a day it would be just this.
Josh is home and the family is complete again, and when you look at the big picture, it’s all I can ever ask for. Slowing it down, putting away my phone, turning off the TV. All the distractions that pull us in a million directions. I want to be taking a million snap shots in my head. I want to remember Kale as a beautiful baby laughing while his father is chasing the dogs around. Our house is full of light and joyful noise. Even though the curtains are shut and Kale’s laugh is the only sound, it is enough to fill my heart. It is enough to fill our whole entire house. How am I so lucky.

So today is peaceful, today is another day God has blessed us to be a family. None of us ever really know how many of these days we have, and I am thankful that I can't see into the future, because I am truly living for the day.

Home

Coming Home

Josh is arriving at the Las Vegas airport tomorrow morning around 10am! And Kale and I will be there to greet him and welcome him home. Even as I am writing this now my stomach is full of butterfly's and excitement.
I think the fact that he will be reunited with Kale for the first time in five months is even more exciting than Josh and I seeing each other. And that's how I know we are officially parents!
Because I know I wouldnt remember to grab a photo of the whole event, a local photographer is meeting us at the airport in the morning to help capture this moment for us. I hope this is something Kale can look back on and think how awesome and selfless his father is. Josh freely gave up watching his son grow from 6 weeks old to 6 months. To insure Kale sleeps safe and peaceful and to protect our freedom. Something I never really gave much thought about until Josh joined the Air Force.
However, I can say that I am much aware at how much freedom truly costs. And I am so thankful and proud of Josh and the many others who give of themselves and put their lives and their families lives on hold!

So excited!! :) I'm sure Kale wont be the only one up at night!