Wild animals

I know I said that I probably wouldn't post for the rest of the week, but this was too good not to share. Prompted by Sheena's post of her polite little man, Colin and I decided we had better get some of Jason's tricks on camera so that we don't forget them down the road. Our favorite trick is him making his animal noises........ a very tallented man as you can see. Enjoy the rest of the week and........

Happy Halloween!!!! (tomorrow)

Oh Sweep

The fun never ends in our house. I say that so much that it is probably hard for anyone to believe. But, it is true. There were so many different things going on over the weekend that the fun never ends.

Jason looking a more rocks...... like father like son.

Saturday was a big sports day here in Casper, with the World Series, the state volleyball tournament and the Wyoming game. There was a lot to see. We started our day with one of our favorite activities, a walk. Jason was such a big boy. He walked almost the whole way on his own, he even tried to walk Moe some (a very funny sight).

No, he didn't sit down because he was tired, he wanted to sled down the hill like he did last weekend......... Where are you snow?

Walking Moe........ it started out OK, although she pulled him around.

Things took a turn when Moe wrapped him up..... HELP!!!

When we got home it was time for the Wyoming game. Even though there were some hair raising moments we were oh so happy to see them come away with a win. We had heared that Sammie Perkins was playing in the 2A State Championship volleyball game, so we decided to go on over to the Events Center and check it out. She played very well with 10 kills (the most of anyone on her team) and they won 3 in a row against Mountain View.... It was awesome. Big Horn has a great volleyball team and I have to say they are fun to watch. We also saw Hulet beat Cokeville (for all of you 1A fans). I had fun and I think both the Moody men enjoyed themselves as well. Jason really liked the popcorn. We got home in time to watch most of game 3 in the Series....... GO BOSOX!!! It was better than we could have ever expected. I don't think Jason could ever get sick of baseball........ the kido is addicted. Even though the baseball saga didn't come to a close until last night, I have to say WOW!!! Boston really surprised us. I am glad that the Rockies made it to the World Series, but I wish they would have put on a better show. Colin was oh so happy to see Boston win, but I think he was just in shock that the Rockies didn't win even one. A pretty wild sports weekend indeed.

Trying on the vests, Maggie will appreciate Jason's lack of pants.

Sunday was pretty layed back, there was a lot of football for the men to enjoy and as always went for another walk. So, the weekend ended pretty much as it began with sports on the mind. Now we are prepping for a short week. We are headed for M - town on Wednesday to go trick-or-treat, Colin is going hunting, and we get to spend my pops B-day with him. Yes, on Thursday, he turns the big 50. Colin will be hunting that day, but Jason and I get to spend the day with him and I am sure there will be a lot of adventures to report. Have a great week everyone. Happy Halloween!!! I don't know if I will get a chance to post the rest of this week, but you can be sure, I will have a ton to write on Monday of next week. Hopefully we can see the M-town Warners over the weekend, Jason is itching to show off his costume..... he even makes sound effects...... Take care everyone and enjoy...................

Oh Cool!!!

For the last few days, it hasn't seemed like we have done all that much around here. I am sad to report the snow all melted and it is supposed to be 72 today. We are so picky.......... ready for winter and want a lot of snow to play in. Hopefully we will get more soon and this warm weather will go away.

the last few days we have just been doing some needed maintenance..... cleaning the house...... cleaning the pellet stove......... the regular stuff. Jason even got his flu shot, so now all three of us are rip roaring and tearing for flu season. I have to say, Jason is much more tough than either Colin or I though. We got our shots on Saturday and both of us had sore arms up to yesterday...... today is much better. Jason had his this morning but still hasn't acted like it even hurts. That is my tough little man.

I have to say thanks to Colin for cleaning the chimney out. He went up the creaky old ladder and walked up on the roof like a pro, while the thought of heights made me queasy. Everything around here is hunky dory. Jason and I have spent most of our days playing and cleaning....... although cleaning usually turns into playing. Who knew vacuums could be soooooo much fun. Jason even helped clean the pellet stove. We took off all of the parts on the inside of the stove and got out the vacuum and brush. Both of us were covered in soot and Jason decided to create a new game........... find the drill bits. It probably sounds like more fun than it actually is. While I was cleaning away, he took all of the bits out of the tool box (probably 30 bits) and hid them around the house. When I began to look, Jason followed me around giggling. That is my little stink pot for you. After looking for 45 minutes, I had found them all. I don't think we will be playing that game any time soon.

Jason has also perfected his Dice-K impression........ Now if you say.... Do the Dice-K, he goes right into the wiggle. I love it. It brought good luck the the Bosox last series, lets keep our fingers crossed that it does the same this time. Another tallent he is perfecting is in the word department. Jason decided that his favorite word is "Cool"....... he loves it and has a few phrases that he likes to include it in...... "Oh that Cool"......."Way Cool Mom".........."Cool man, cool"....... and my all time favorite...."That not Cool"....... The funnies never stop here.

Have a great week everyone........... Hang in there Maggie, we are thinking about you. I will have more to post after our big play day today. It should be a blast. We are planning on doing nothing, but play and cook today. Can't wait to get started. Till next time.................

A white weekend

We have been waiting for snow. I watch the forecasts every day just anticipating that day when Jason could really play in some snow. There is a perfect hill in our back lawn for a little guy to sled and there is plenty of room to run. As the snow began to fall on Saturday, we knew we were getting our wish. The flakes were huge. Jason watched out the window wondering about that stuff falling to the ground and we kept on telling him that we would be out to play in it very soon. To pass the time, Colin and I got flu shots (they were giving them for free), we got groceries and then we watched some football and baseball. Bummer about the Cowboys but the Red Sox (Colin's all time favorite) made quite the showing. It wasn't until the next morning that we had enough snow to go and play in it. I will let the pictures tell the story.

Watching the snow fall.

Getting the snow gear on.

Ready MOM!!!!

WOOOOOO!!!!!!!HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Family portrait time.

GO GO BABY!!!!!

Mae was getting her attack on while Moe just wanted to ride so that she could get her feet out of the snow.

Going up the hill for another run.

The snow day was a success. We played for a while before coming back inside to warm up. Jason loved it so much. Hopefully we have enough snow this winter to do that on a regular basis.

After sledding and rolling in the snow, it was time to decorate pumpkins. I carved one and Jason colored both of them. I have to say, most of the marker ended up on Jason. It was a lot of fun and Jason didn't want to quit. The project last over 1 hour...... who knew Jason would have such a good attention span. When we started the project, Jason had to get his senses aligned (HA!HA!), the pictures will tell the tale.

Listening for the pumpkin noises.

Tasting the pumpkin.

Coloring....... Coloring....... Coloring.........

The finished product......... Mission Completion.

Once the coloring adventure came to an end, it was time for another basesball game and some football too (A Broncos fan never misses a game). The question to be answered...... Who will play the Rockies in the World Series.................. Colin was rooting for the Red Sox. What would be better than two of his favorite teams playing in the biggest baseball series there is? Can anyone say, torn. While watching the game, Jason saw Dice-K wind up his pitch......... He was oh so impressed by the arms above his head and the hip wiggle before he threw the ball, so he decided to do his own impression. The video says it all......................

Dice-K impression.

After the Red Sox won and the Broncos did their thing too, it was a complete weekend. We couldn't have asked for anything better. It was a blast and we look forward to many more snow days. Have a great week and enjoy..........................

Ready for rest

Driving his car....... a better description would be smashing it into things and laughing.

Playing on the hill with Moe.

It is as if Jason has went into super learning mode. Suddenly in the last few days he has started to say many more words and is really puting them into phrases. One thing that he really loves to do is sing and interact with cartoons. When Diego comes on he sings the song and loves to say "Click... take a pic"..... It is adorable. When he sees anything to do with the Backyardagains, he sings their song and dances like they do. I didn't teach him their dance, he picked that up on his own. You may be thinking...... Does he just watch cartoons all day? He doesn't, just while I take a shower, in the mornings when he gets up so that I can make breakfast and Colin can get his stuff done, then when I am cooking dinner I put them on. We have a really cool preschool channel that has age appropriate cartoons and learning shows on all of the time which is a god send when I have to do a lot of prep to make dinner. The words he has been saying are much clearer as well. Jason can say things in a way that we can get the point under most circumstances...... those times that he is just grunting and whining... he doesn't get anything and we tell him to talk if he wants something. Also he says "Please" all of the time....... We are working on thanks. Here is an example of one of our conversations to give you an idea of what kinds of things he tells me. I always let him help me on the computer..... it makes everything much more difficult and nearly impossible to read something and type, but it is fun and good for him. One day I was trying to post when he reached to type on the keyboard. Even though he has his own keyboard (an old one dad gave him), he wanted to use the same one I was using. I told him no and he started to throw one of his monumental temper tantrums. I asked him if it was really that bad....... he said "No"....... so I asked "Then why are you throwing such a big fit?" he replied......"Cause I bad boy." Then his fit was over and I couldn't stop laughing. I don't know where he gets these things from, but he always has an answer to a question and most of the time it makes sense.

Bucket head...... he likes to walk around with it on his head and uses his arms to guide the way.

Jason is also coming out of his shell around other people. Yesterday we had to go to the mall in search of winter clothing. Before the snow hits Jason needed snow boots, a hat that fits his growing head, mittens to fit his huge hands (bigger than most 3 year olds), and snow pants. He also needed some long sleeve shirts, which are difficult to find in his size (2T to 3T). I think that that must be a popular size. We also needed to walk a lot. Both him and I can use all of the exercise we can get. It was too cold and windy (the wind knocks Jason over) outside and the mall provides the perfect place for us to get the needed exercise anyway. I didn't think there would be any problem finding the needed supplies, but I was oh so wrong. We went into every store that had sales and couldn't even find long sleeve shirts in Jason's size, so snow boots and snow pants were definitely out of the question. After walking around for almost 2.5 hours...... Jason walked and ran the entire time I was ready to give up. On the coming out of the shell thing....... Jason had to say "Hi there... How you?" to every person we saw then said "Bye there" and waved as we walked away. It was super cute at first, but it got old by the time we were done. This constant greeting takes a lot of time and makes it difficult to pull the little man away to continue walking. The moment he would begin to walk, he would do it again. He is just so friendly. I think I got most of my exercise from wrangling him and not from walking. I also realized that Jason picks up on almost everything I do. When I shop I always look at the tags and compare prices. I am addicted to sales and good deals. It crushes me to buy something that isn't on sale. He has seen me look at so many tags that he has started to do the same. He grabs things off of the shelf or rack and then looks at the tag before puting it back. I couldn't believe my eyes, but it is true....... I have created a sale shopper. So, after 2.5 hours of searching I was ready to be done so we stopped at the last place on the list and the closest to the car........ Target. To my surprise... everything that we had been looking for was there. We did all of our shopping in 10 minutes. I couldn't have been more thankful. It was a perfect way to end the day. As we left, Jason did his exit wave and we were on our way home. Now we are ready for the snow. We can't wait to see Jason's reaction. It should be a blast.

Visiting with the neighbor's dog.... Monkey.

Now we are ready for the weekend. We just need to rest and it is much easier when there are two of us to chase wild man. I want to wish all of you a wonderful weekend. Have a great time, be safe and enjoy...............

Photo op.

Update

I will start out with yesterdays excitement..... We got new tires!!!!!! Colin and I knew that our tires were weather checked and that we did need to replace them, but it turns out it was more necessary than we thought. One of the tires had a slow leak and the other three weren't much better. But we are now driving safely with 4 brand spankin new tires. It took them 2 hours to get us in and Jason was an angel. He talked to the other people waiting, read books, and pretty much spent his time showing off to anyone that would pay attention. It was a good time for both of us.

Then today I went to another doctors appointment. I am currently 14 1/2 weeks and am healthy. We heared the babies heartbeat for the first time, which was very exciting. When Jason heared it he was so excited and even said "WOW!!!" There was only one hitch in the trip to the doc. Colin was running behind so Jason had to come in with my while I went pee in a cup (never fun, but a fact of life). We went into the bathroom, I closed and locked the door behind us, and then proceeded to do the deed. Just as I was in the middle of filling the cup, Jason unlocked the door and someone opened it, revealing me (in a very embarrassing situation) to about 15 people. It was oh so much fun...... and I have to say, I was a little mad a Colin for being late at that point. But, once we got past that task things went smoothly..... too bad there is always a long wait. So now it is time to start speculating.... Boy or Girl? The heart rate was 155 beets per minute if that is any help to you. But, we will know for sure in 4 weeks. Yes, we are going to find out. As I said before, the mystery is overrated in our minds. So, as long as the little bugger cooperates, we will know on the 15th of November.

I hope all of you have a great day. Take care and I will have many more stories to share very soon....................

Missed it

Looking at the fog this morning over the edge of our deck.

So, yesterday I posted my normal babble about all that is happening in our little world (sorry Maggie)................ mostly due to the fact that I had pre-written it. Then I realized that Blog Action Day had come......... after reading Maggie's blog, GSI. After reading...... my day flew by and I didn't get time to sit back at the computer. So today I will talk a little about our environment.



As children, most of us have had the opportunity to grow up in areas where we could enjoy the outdoors and see what nature could offer us. This is what helps me to be more conscientious of what I do to the environment. Colin is the same. If it is trying to pick up as much garbage as possible when you are on a walk (we have a big problem with that here................ even out of town no where near a landfill) or being sure that you don't drive off road and tear up the land. We want everything that we have enjoyed to be there for future generations. It is discouraging to see people just toss garbage out their car windows (I saw someone do this right in front of our house yesterday). Even if a person just throws a cigarette butt our the window.............. they add up. As for people just driving off of the road and tearing up the land................... it makes Colin so angry that he can't stand it. First of all why can't people just walk a few yards..............pure laziness. Then for those that like the "4 X 4ing", do it in areas set aside for that........... It is uncalled for. They cause damage to landscape that formed over millions of years. I don't think I need to dive into this topic any deeper.............. So....... my point is that we need to take care of what we have because we only have on earth and most damage can't be repaired. We will continue to minimize our energy use in this house and to be environmentally conscientious.

Now speaking of our environment and enjoying what we have......... there is snow in our forecast. There were snow showers in our area last night (not at our house) and they are in the forecast off and on through the week now. I can't wait to bring Jason sledding. It will be so much fun to see him play in the snow.

On another note, we are getting new tires on our Envoy today!!!!! WOOOOOO!!!!!HOOOOOOO!!!!! We need them so bad and now we will have them before we make any long trips. It will ensure safe travel for us and when we are on icy roads, there isn't much else you can ask for.

Also............. WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Rockies!!!!!! We knew they could do it. Now for some time to rest before the World Series. They are going to take it all.

Catching a fly ball.

I hope all of you have a great day and enjoy.

Cutting up a banana.

GO FALL!!!!!

First I must apologize for not posting any pictures........... I kept on getting an error message when I tried, so I will post some tomorrow.

Now for an update on our wild weekend of fun. It kind of sounds like a theme park, and well...... it could be; maybe comedy club would be a better fit. Anyway...... on to our big weekend of fall fun. It all began with the always fun, trip to the vet. On Friday afternoon Jason and I brought the dogs in for some of their shots. I have to say, it is easier said and imagined than done. There were signs of trouble from the beginning. The moment I got Jason and the dogs out the door, Jason ran toward the street to chase a cat, the dogs did the same. I ran as fast as I could, making Jason the priority (kid + street= bad problem). When I caught him I shoved him under my arm and proceeded to chase the dogs. Thank goodness for long leashes. I was able to stomp Moe's leash first. She hit the end of the line like there was a brick wall in front of her and I wasn't going to let her go. Once Moe was caught, Mae followed............. a relief since I only have two arms. Finally both dogs and Jason were loaded. After the big run away mess, we were running late. So, we raced through town....... through all of the school zones and finally arrived at the vets office. It was time to wrangle all three of them and make my way into the building. Again, easier said than done. I think it would have went more smooth if it weren't for other animals. But, when a little puppy walked in front of us............. Jason took off running screaming puppy puppy Woof Woof!!!! I tried to chase him and keep the dogs away from the frightened little dog, with some success. I am pleased to say that we made our way into the vets office without the dogs eating any other creature. The rest of our visit followed the general pattern set by the two previous events, but one thing I didn't anticipate was Jason's reaction to the vet. When he saw the white coat, he dropped to the ground screaming. With help from the vet I got him and the dogs into the exam room. The problem was that Jason thought that he was going to get shots. He continued to scream until Moe got her two shots. Once he came to the realization that the dogs were getting the "pokies", he thought it was funny. In fact when Mae got her shots, he pointed and laughed. What a nice kid. I am just happy we all made it home after that event.

Of course there were a lot of games to watch. Friday night left us with two very happy baseball wins, but Saturday there was the disappointing UW game and the Red Sox left another sad note. Thank goodness for the Rockies, holding strong and topping the weekend off with a good note. I have to add that watching a game in a house with a toddler is an interactive experience. If there is baseball on tv, Jason runs to get the glove and ball, if it is football, then he grabs his football. He feels like we have to play catch when a game is on. Jason has a great arm and equally impressive aim. Most of the time he wants to play with Colin so, they do just that. It is very funny to watch, since about every 3rd toss Colin is distracted by the game on tv. This leaves him wide open for something painful. Jason keep up his pace and throws a hard ball right at Colin's head. Since Jason doesn't stand a long distance from his target, there is no time to react and Colin usually ends up holding his head in pain. The funniest part of this is that if you watch long enough, you will see this happen over and over again............................... Being the loving wife I am, I laugh.......... a lot.

The rest of our weekend was much more calm and relaxed. We did our standard walking routine, and the weather was amazing. Fall is truly here. Those freakish 80 degree days are behind us and now we have highs in the low 60's and our nights get cold. Last night the weather channel forecast a low of 33 degrees, we were pleased to wake up to 23. It was our first hard frost........ I mean hard. My roses are suspended. It almost looked like they would shatter if I hit them. We just love it.

With the beautiful fall weather, it meant warm food. One of my favorites as I have said before is homemade soups. When you come in from a cold walk, there is nothing that can warm you up like a warm cup of tea or hot chocolate and some soup. That runny canned soup doesn't cut it. So, over the weekend we had homemade potato. It is creamy, thick, and hearty.............. perfect to warm us up. So, we all worked together to prepare the potatoes........ I had a great pic of Jason lending a hand, but as I said before, I keep getting an error. Anyway, while Colin peeled the potatoes, I chopped them up and Jason wanted to help. He always wants to do what we are doing. I have found that if I get a banana out, peal it and put it on a plate in front of him, he can chop it with a kids knife while I do my knife work. The only difference was that Jason eats his as he cuts it up and I put mine in a pot. I think he has a better deal. The soup was everything we had hoped and some. Thank goodness for leftovers (soups are always better the second day).

I know I said that we were going to carve pumpkins, but we saved that for one evening this week. Keep on looking and we will have pictures when that happens. Hopefully I can get them to post. For now, I hope all of you had a great weekend as well. Enjoy another weeks beginning......................

What a peach

Eating the 3rd peach of the day!!

After the big scare we decided that we needed to take it easy for a day or two and we did just that. Wednesday we pretty much played with Legos, went for a walk, colored with crayons, played a little chase and hide and go seek, then topped it off with a lot of eating. Jason seems to enjoy fruit as much as I do at this point. If you put and orange, peach, apple or banana in front of him, it will be gone. So for every piece of fruit I eat, he eats one. I don't know how it all fits. Then he will go on to eat chicken nuggets (only Tyson dino nuggets though........ they growl), an egg, sausage, lunch meat, and dinner with us. It blows my mind that a little guy can eat so much when he wants to.

Yesterday we cleaned up the house. Jason showed his skills by dusting. He even dusts the walls. When it comes to the television stand he is sure to get into every nook and cranny. He is the best helper to have around when he wants to help and not just get in the way. There are those times when he is out to make a job more difficult...... that is the most common around here.

He left me with a moment to remember yesterday too. I have been locked out of the house by him a few times and am getting in the habit of making sure there is an alternate entrance that is unlocked. Thank goodness that was the case yesterday. I went outside to bring a stinky diaper to the garbage when I here a loud giggle through the open window. I should have began to question things at that point, but I didn't. When I got back to the door Jason was at the other side. I tried to turn the handle to find it was locked. He laughed again and then proceeded to knock on the door, laughing the whole time. I didn't think I could get in at first because the garage door was closed and the back gate was locked. So, I went to find a way in. After inspection, it was obvious that my only way in was to climb the privacy fence and then go in through the back door. Climbing a privacy fence isn't as easy as you would think, especially when your stomach muscles are beyond sore from stretching. So, I sucked up the pain and made my way into the house. Jason was laughing for hours about that one. Every little bit, he would walk over to the front door, look at me, then turn and knock on it say "knock knock"....... What a brat.

I am hoping today is a calm day. We do have to bring the dogs in for shots this afternoon, but that is the only big thing on our list. I think we will do a lot of playing today. That is our favorite. And today I will be sure to leave the garage door open when I take a stinky diaper out.

A quick note........ Go Rockies!!! We believe you can take it all. We can't forget our other teams............Go Pokes!!!!! and for the other baseball game tonight.... Go Red Sox!!! It should be an interesting weekend in the sports world.

Have a great weekend everyone. Have fun and we will have more at the beginning of the week.............

I will leave you with a link to Jason's favorite song......................... Down in the Valley by Dan Zanes

Big scare!!!

I have discussed some of Jason's mishaps in the past and they always turn out OK. We have avoided visits to the ER by the hair of our chinny chin chin a couple of times. I always knew they day would come when he would warrant a trip to the doc for an emergency, but no one can really prepare themselves for that moment.

It all began yesterday when we were playing in the front yard. I was cleaning up some stuff in the flower beds and Jason was driving his trucks. All was well at first...... Jason was making his truck noises and I was digging away. Then Jason got quiet. I looked at him in just enough time to see him grab for a wasp. Flashes of his swollen body went through my mind, since I am horribly allergic to the buggers. He had never been stung so we didn't know how he would react. As with all stings, it hurt. Jason grabbed his hand dropping his truck and fell to the ground screaming. He was smashing his head over and over into the grass and clutching his hand tightly. I dropped everything I was doing and ran over to inspect. Knowing what can happen if he were allergic, I began to feel panic come over me. I picked him up and rushed him inside, grabbed the phone to call the doc (I have him on speed dial), grabbed the Benadryl and gave him a dose while I was calling, then I grabbed my credit card and scraped the stinger out. By the time that I talked to the doc, the swelling had went up into his arm so the nurse said to bring him in right away. I packed him into the car, he was still screaming and in pain, and we took off to the doc. By the time we got there he was calming down. Then you could tell that the Benadryl was kicking in. The swelling was slowing down and he was yawning. After talking to the doc for a while we decided that he would be OK this time, but it looks like this is going to be a big allergy in the future for the little man. So, at his two year appt. we will have to discuss all of the things we need to do if he is stung again.

We got home about 2 hours after all of this began because I brought him to get a little ice cream for being such a good boy. I felt terrible. That was the first time that I was unable to do anything to take the pain away. I told myself that I would never panic when he got hurt, but now I know that you can tell yourself something as much as you want and you won't really know how you will react until you experience it. At least in my panic mode I was still able to do what was needed. So, here we are both allergic to wasps...... Colin is going to be on extermination patrol next year and every year after that. I hope all of you had a much better day than us. Now we are looking forward to one of those relaxing days. I think a walk and some Legos are in our near future. Have a good one and I hope to have fun stuff to share tomorrow.

A preview

It is a sad reality, but we won't get to see many of you for Halloween..........So it is only fare that we give you a preview of Jason's rocking costume. There was a lot of thought put into this one. The thing is, we wanted a costume that reflected a little something about Jason. Some might think...... you are thinking too much about it, but for now he has a hard time picking stuff out. So, I come up with a selection and let him pick from that. If I let him pick he would be a princess or something (he likes sparkles). We really wanted to find a skunk costume..... there isn't a costume that would be better for the smelly little man. But, I am sad to report that we couldn't find one for a reasonable price. Then we began to really scan the stores and let Jason decide. He loves monkeys so it was a logical choice. When I showed him a whole bunch of costumes at once he quickly grabbed the monkey and started to make monkey noises. To top it off...... he can't stop eating bananas. He is a goofy boy. So here it goes.................

Our monkey man!!!

There are my feet...... I had to look everywhere.

As you can see he was very interested. When we put the costume on him he runs into our bedroom where he can look at himself in a mirror. Then he laughs and makes all kinds of monkey noises. That is our Wild Man.................... Bouncing off of walls and making all kinds of noise. We can't wait for Halloween in our house. He also likes pumpkins if you are wondering. He is going paint one this coming up weekend. So, look for those pics on Monday. It should be a fun time and a big mess.

Now on to a topic that has been pushed by all, belly pictures. Many people keep on asking..... When are you going to post a picture? Well, up to this point it has been a tough subject. As always, it is difficult to watch your body morph into something so different and even more difficult when it happens extra fast. When you go from being in the best shape you were in since middle school to wearing stretch pants and men's t-shirts........ a person's attitude can take a blow. So....... now here I stand growing at a very rapid pace, much different than with Jason. For one, with Jason I didn't start to show for a very long time and when I did he was very low and the growth was isolated. This time my mid-section is growing like a tree trunk....... OUT!!! I am growing out in all directions. Sure, I still eat very healthy...... veggies and fruit mainly. We try to keep the processed foods to a minimum too. In fact I am eating way better this time than last time because I don't eat much chocolate or ice cream (this is comparing the two... I still eat a lot of Ben and Jerry's, I just can't help myself; but a pint every 4 days is better than a whole gallon every 1.5 days)........ I mainly stick to fruit (a lot of fruit). Still I am growing much faster and my belly has already reached a higher point than it did in my 9th month with Jason. Who knows, maybe this kid is going to be bigger than Jason. I sure hope not, since last time they induced me 2 weeks early and I ended up having a 8lb 5oz, 21 1/2 inch baby. This is a frightening thought to say the least. Now for the moment all of you have been waiting for.......................

13 weeks even.

Many of you are looking at this and thinking.... you aren't that big..... well, compared to last time, I am huge. This has put me on a pace to be much larger than I have ever been. Last time I gained 45 lbs and quickly lost all of the weight within two weeks after I had Jason................ It might be a lot more difficult to lose 60 lbs. We will see. Now that all of you have seen the frightening pic........... I will keep you updated.

I hope all of have a great day......... There will be many more adventures to report on soon............. Enjoy.

What a game!!!

Every weekend tends to be a success for us, but some are better than others. I think the ones where we paint are the worst.... I hate to paint. There was no painting over this last weekend, but there was plenty more going on to keep us busy.

On one of our walks I was able to get much better antelope pics for Amy. Just as we made our way into the open area where we can let the dogs run...... we were met by fellow. He didn't make for a good pic though, since he was so busy guarding his herum. We were able to watch this buck fight with a little spike our entire walk. It was quite entertaining.

Click on the pics and you can get a better view.

This is the little spike after he got whooped up on.

Walking is always a blast. I love it when it is cool out and when the wind isn't blowing out of control. The walk is always ruined when Jason loses his hat.

Walking with dad........ avoiding cactus.

The weather was nice enough to let Jason walk a lot on his own. The wind wasn't strong enough to blow him over and the ground was dry enough so that he didn't just crash and burn on the slick mud. He had a blast..... walking like a big boy......... yelling at the dogs......... and inspecting rocks (I swear the kid is going to be a geologist too.)

Loving the independence.

We didn't just walk all weekend though. There were oh so many good games on. To start, there was the Wyoming game. WOOOOO!!!!!HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! We won!!!! The celebration was just beginning though. The Rockies showed everyone who is boss, not once, but twice. Always love to see that. Go Rockies!!! Sure, there was the disappointment that the Broncos brought on...... but we won't discuss that and further.

What is a good game without good food? It just wouldn't be complete. So, Saturday morning I got on my cooking cap and the work began. With the weather cooling off, I crave homemade food. One of my favorites it one that my mom and grandma taught me........ homemade chicken and noodles. It isn't quite a soup more like a thick stew, but is so yummy. After chopping up all of the good veggies and starting the chicken, I began to roll out my noodles. I have to say it was completely worth it. It was my best batch yet and I didn't think I could like that dish any more than before, but I do. Then I wanted a good desert and pumpkin pie sounded the best of all. It couldn't be made with the canned pumpkin either........ that just tastes like pooooooooo. So, I processed a pumpkin. It took a while to puree all of the orange stuff, but the final product was so worth it and I even have some puree left over for a few more pies (we will need that).

Jason's way of helping chop veggies...... effective as you can see.

Now here we are, another week has already started. Time is zooming by. I am already into my second trimester (woooooo!!!!! hoooo!!!!!! over 1/3 of the way there) and Jason is growing up with every passing day. So here we go for another big week. Have a great one....... take care and we will have much more fun to share with you soon.

Dig it

It appears that another week has flown by. This isn't a bad thing in most ways, but Jason is just growing up so fast it is hard to keep up. Yesterday he helped me mow the yard. He did this by pushing a little garden wagon around the yard in the same pattern I was mowing. After each pass he would nod his head and say "Cool". What a goofball. After only a few hours of sleep the night before you would think he would be exhausted, but not so much.... Our day was filled with play and very little down time. It was another fun filled day.

On another note, the weather has been unusually hot the last two days. Yesterday it reached 76 and it is supposed to get up to 78 today, but during the night we have been seeing the 30's. Tomorrow we are supposed to be hit by a cold front and by Sunday it looks like we might even see some white stuff. Don't remember what that is like and can't wait. With the very cool nights and moderate days (compared to the 90's we had over the summer), we decided to take the swamp cooler out for the year last night. It was a success and now we are prepared for snow.

After another wild day of play we were all happy when bed time rolled around. The lack of sleep the night before had caught up with us. Colin and Jason crashed hard. There was a snoring chorus going on between the two of them and the two dogs. Just as I was close to sleep I heared a loud noise outside. Then it just got louder. It was in our front yard. I realized it was the cable company puting in the new line. I am happy to say that they didn't have to tear up the yard too much. It is understandable that they don't want to interrupt service during peak hours, but if something is going to be that noisy in a residential neighborhood, midnight isn't the time for it. One of the workers even honked his horn. This excessive noise lasted for 3 hours. So, Colin, Jason and the dogs got a great nights sleep while I listened to the mess outside. Thank goodness that is over and done with. Keeping my fingers crossed that tonight will bring restful sleep for our entire house.

With the end of the week here, it is time to prep for the weekend games. Wyoming is playing TCU tomorrow. It is kind of funny because Travis got his undergrad at Wyoming and his graduate degree at TCU. So the battle of the schools is on. He might be torn on who to root for (probably not though since he lives in Fort Worth), but we will be saying GO POKES!!!! There is nothing but excitement in the sports world this weekend (baseball especially). I hope all of you have a great time......... Enjoy the games.

WOOOOO!!!!!!!HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

A little man full of smiles.

What a wonderful day yesterday turned out to be. I had high hopes and it was so good that it left those hopes in the dust. It all started with it being my moms b-day...... always a good day. I called her and visited which brightens up any day. Then when I got home from the store I checked the blogs to see that Crissy had went into labor. She and Travis welcomed their little man, Jackson yesterday afternoon. You can see picks on the Kinley blog. Jason and I had a wonderful day playing and having fun as usual. By early evening we got news that my grandpa came out of surgery with flying colors. Now he has a new pacemaker, not just a new battery. Just when we thought the day couldn't get better........... it did. Colin got home early. After dinner, just as we were getting ready for bed, I saw the mouse in the kitchen. Of course me being the tough chick I am................ took off running into the livingroom and jumped on the couch. Colin came to the rescue, getting 4 more mouse traps out and setting them around the edges of the kitchen..... We had 5 at that point and were sure to catch the bugger. Feeling confident we turned out the kitchen light and I walked down the hallway while Colin returned to the couch to watch baseball. By the time I reached the bedroom I heared a snap.... flop...... flop...... We snagged him within a few seconds of setting up the traps and leaving the room...... I can't take credit for this though, it was the great mouse hunter, Colin. Once the mouse was dead, Colin disposed of the remains and then we celebrated. We had gotten rid of the mouse that had been our kitchen for the last week. What a perfect way to end a wonderful day...... Congrats to Travis and Crissy again.... We just can't say it enough. Have fun with Jackson and have a speedy recovery. Also congratulations to Scott and Sheena on their rent to own contract..... that is huge. Take care everyone and I wish you all a perfect day.

If you click you can see 3 of the 5 mouse traps... the middle one was the winner.

A very good b-day!!!

Looking off of our deck over town.

After dealing with nonstop pain in the rear happenings for the last few weeks, we finally have relief. Sure the wind is blowing 50+ mph (We all hate that part of it), but everything else is going amazingly well. After a 5 month fight with a dealership to get back some of our money....... we finally succeeded without getting lawyers involved, always welcome news. Jason slept well. The weather has cooled off enough that we are taking the swamp cooler out for the winter this week. The Rockies have proved that they can win when it counts. And Travis and Crissy are having their first baby!!!! Boy when things turn around they do in a big way...... It helps that our refrigerator is working like a champ as well. It is also my Moms birthday!!! We hope that you have a great day..... Life is good.

The thing that baffles me about Casper is that we had no wind for the last 3 months, not even a breeze. Then suddenly last week, it hit. It is blowing so hard that we don't have normal clouds right now...... they all have a wisp to them like in the picture above...... a strange sight to say the least. The dogs hate being outside in it. It gives Moe ear aches..... typical beagle, and makes Mae go crazy, although she was crazy to begin with.

Another bit of news is that the cable company has to dig up our yard and replace the main cable line for our neighborhood this week. Of course the majority of the dig area is our lawn...... all along our property, under our driveway and even through the flower bed I worked so hard on. I just hope the repair the damage they cause.......... They already have a huge hole dug in the corner of my lawn....... It is a mess. I guess that is small and everything else makes up for it.

Can you say GO POKES? Jason Can.

I know it is my moms b-day and it will also be Jackson's, if he hasn't already made his way into the outside world, so we would like to send birthday wishes out to both of you. We hope all of your birthday wishes come true (Jackson can't read or understand this yet, but his parents will).

Some well wishes need to go out to my Grandpa Scott as well...... He is going in for surgery to get his pacemaker replaced today at 2 this afternoon. So he will have new hardware and be home this evening as long as everything goes well and we expect nothing less. Take care of yourself Grandpa and know that we are thinking of you.

Have a great day, Happy b-day again to Mom and Congratulations to the Kinleys!!!!! Can't wait to see pictures of Jackson and get news that everyone is strong and healthy. Enjoy!!!!

Getting our groove back

After Colin's absence....... 4 1/2 total hours of sleep while he was gone......... Wild Man being nothing less than wild.............. a dead mouse................ and a refrigerator repair man, we are ready to get back into our normal groove. Jason and I were so happy to see Colin pull up to the house around 9 last night. It was nice to have all of us back in the same town. Plus, Jason doesn't like to sleep without Colin here............ a big problem (I was a mess from no sleep). He would run around happy during the day, but when he thought it was time for his dad to be playing with him, things turned ugly and oh so sad. He cried and would run around screaming Daddy... Daddy...... over and over again. It was very difficult to see. But that is over and we have everyone home safe and sound.

As for the mouse, this has a background to it. As you know our side by side took a dive and didn't appear to be coming up for air. To make it through the time without a working large refrigerator, we used a mini fridge in the garage. This meant many trips opening that silly door between the kitchen and the garage. For many this wouldn't be an issue......... but we have a mouse infestation in our garage. It is nothing like it used to be, but it is still a problem. We have traps set up all over the place, but the dang things are tricky and keep on steeling the bait. They will make a mistake one day though. One of these tricksters made its way into the house during this mini fridge substitution. I don't understand it, but I am terrified of mice, they are dirty, disease infested, nasty rodents. So there I was one morning, eating with Jason when what do I see, but a mouse. It ran behind the range. I freaked out to say the least and now we have traps all around.

Up to this point he has been as tricky as the garage mice, but he will die soon...... I can feel it in my bones. We did have hope yesterday when one of the smart garage mice was snagged. I have never been so happy to see a lifeless creature in my garage. Sick you say............. I say wonderful!!!

Then to top it off the repair man fixed the side by side (the relay that runs between the thermostat and the condenser went to a better place). It was a pricey fix, but the refrigerator was still worth about $1300. So to save us from the inconvenience and the painful mouse in the house issue...... it was so worth the money.

Now here we are, getting back into our groove. Colin got up with Jason this morning and the little man was oh so happy (I think he got up early just to spend time with his dad). A big change from the break downs. Our house is finally getting as normal as we can ever hope for.................. Have a good one and enjoy this beautiful fall weather............. (All of you that don't live in windy areas...... soak it in because our wind was 50 mph yesterday and probably going to be worse tomorrow.) Until next time.........