Let's see...where to begin...

Since I last posted...I suppose a few things have happened...

Mom retired. Had a party. It was fun. Had bunco. Had a party. It was also fun. Went to St. Louis with my friend Abbi and her two kids for two days and that was not so much fun. This might take a while...so sit back and relax and get ready for a read...

So we head out on Tuesday the 14th at 8am and all was well...then Decovin was acting all crabby and not like himself in a car...I assumed he was teething as he has been gnawing on his fingers like crazy...then I realize...I FORGOT HIS DIAPER BAG...with all his diapers, medicine, etc...so we made a quick stop in Columbia for diapers, wipes, tylenol, and orajel. All was well. Then we stopped right outside of St. Louis and had lunch with one of Abbi's old friends for lunch. Then we headed to our hotel where they wouldn't let us check in just yet so we decided to head to the Arch for our first visit. I decide not to go up the arch as I was feeling a bit nauseous all day and since D was running a fever (due to teething, I can only assume???) I figure it was much better for us to stay on solid ground. So Abbi and her kiddo's go up...it takes about an hour round trip for their tour so D and I strolled through the museum a few times and hung out. They returned then we take the long trek back to the car in the five million degree heat to head back to the hotel. We check in and get unpacked and then head across the street to St. Louis Bread Co. for dinner. Then back to the hotel for some swimming for the kids in the kiddie pool. I fear, now looking back, that this was a bad idea...you see the next morning I woke up with a feeling of a bladder infection coming on...GREAT! We were all set to head out to the zoo when I decide on a last minute decision that I should go to the ER and get some meds so I am not in more sever pain later...plus infections while pregnant=BAD! So D & I drive Abbi and the kids to the zoo and drop them off and we head back to the hospital like 1/2 a mile away and park our butts for 3 hours while we wait for the lab results to confirm what I already knew...then we headed back to the zoo to pick up Abbi & the kids as they were ready after only being there for 2 hours due to the high heat! So we headed back to the hotel and then decided that we should go do SOMETHING since the day was such a bummer...so we then decided to go to Union Station where we watched the fudge makers make some yummy peanut butter fudge and sing us a song or two! It was fun and the kids liked it alot. Then we decided to get some grub at Houlihans attached to the mall...the meal was delicious. Then it was back to the hotel. Oh, I forgot to mention that during the day Abbi's youngest started to run a fever and was miserable all day...then at 11:30pm...her son woke up with a raging fever also...so we decided it was best to leave St. Louis in the morning and skip Grant's Farm. So that was our trip, in a nutshell...not that exciting for D & I...as we spent it in the ER...fun vacation eh?! Anyway...I am feeling much better, no big deal, they gave me some antibiotics and I will have to have a check up with my Midwife this week...fun, fun. Maybe our next trip we will try to do in the Spring or Fall! HAHA!

My niece, McKendra, turned one today and they had a party yesterday for her. There was at least 50 people there! It was insane! But it was a lot of fun and that girl got some gifts...let me tell ya! :-) She devoured her cake too...went gung ho and I think if mom and dad wouldn't have stopped her she would have eaten the whole thing!! It was too cute! :-)

Then today, we headed to Bob's aunt's house for a bbq for his Grandma who turned 71 yesterday. It was fun to see everyone! And the food was AWESOME! :-)

Now we are home and Decovin is seeming to have a rough time with his molars! He is having a hard time sleeping and keeps waking up, which is very UNLIKE him...so hopefully after a dose of tylenol he will go to sleep soon. Poor guy. I think I am off to bed as I am EXHAUSTED and feel as though I may be coming down with a lovely cold myself...joy, joy. Well, sorry for the long blog...I will try to keep posting more often so I don't have to say so much in one of these!

Well, I'm finished. (updated)

I finally read the 7th and final book of Harry Potter...why did it take me so long you ask? Well, I chose to re-read all the previous books first (again) to update myself on the full story before I read it. I am glad I did but it seemed like forever to get it done! Bob let me read ALL day yesterday to get it done...I got all but 100 pages read and finished it off this morning. I literally have been reading for like 18 hours! It was a good book though. It turned out nothing like I thought but nothing shocked me either if that makes sense. Anyway...now, alas, it is the ending of the Harry Potter Era...*sigh* I can't deny that I am a bit saddened by this...I really wanted to find out the end yet I didn't want it to stop...but all good things come to an end...it's over.

Nothing new really to report since last I wrote, Decovin has had his 18 month pictures taken and you can view them at: www.thesmilestation.com and put my name: Jennifer Plummer in as the guest and use the access code: LTTT0626100594TAR

They came out really good. I didn't order all of the poses but I did get a few. They are waiting for me to pick them up at Target but I have to drive 40 minutes one way to retrieve them...so I will wait until Wednesday when I head to LaCygne to pick them up. Well, ta ta for now. Leave a comment every once in awhile...lets me know you are all still there! :-)

Oh and did I mention what Decovin did last week?! Bob was giving D a bath and I was happily reading Harry Potter in the bedroom when I hear through the walls..."CRAP! JENNNNNNNNNN!!! I NEED YOUR HELP!!!!" So I go running in there and lo and behold, Decovin, for the first time ever, believe it or not, pooped in the tub! So I had to fish out the lovely floaties and drain the tub and take out the toys and bleach everything down all the while D is sitting in the sink naked waiting for me to be done so he could finish his bath! Lovely! Gotta love it...knew it would happen eventually!

I'm broken!

So I went to the Occupational Therapist yesterday...*sigh* and it is official...I'm broken! She said that my hip is out of place and it is likely it was out of place all along but since I got pregnant and all the hormones were being released it caused them to move about at will and cause great pain. So...I have a list of exercises I am to do 2X a day and I have to visit the OT twice a week. Lovely!

I panicked at first about the 2 times a week b/c "what will I do with D?"! I can't take him with me...not while I am trying to do exercises, etc...so I finally asked my neighbor, who watches lots of kids randomly, and she said she would be delighted to take him in! YEAH! And for only $5/hour! WHOO HOO! Seeing as how I should only be gone for about an hour to an hour and a half, no big deal! Deep breath in and...RELEASE! So there ya have it folks!

Oh, I am taking D to get his 18 mos. pics taken tomorrow and then Christy and I are going to take him to WonderScope (http://www.wonderscope.org/). It's a children's museum geared for one and older. So excited...should be fun. Anyway...that is all I have to say for now. Hope to hear from some of you soon! Ciao bella!

Just For Fun!

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My baby isn't a baby anymore...*sniff*

So today during lunch as I sit and watch my big boy eat with his big boy spoon and feed himself I had to sit back and sigh. He isn't a baby anymore...no longer in need of my help 24/7...yes, I still need to provide things but he can do it on his own. Where does the time go? So crazy...we are also about to transition Decovin into a big boy bed in a new room as we are going to keep his room the nursery for the new baby. Hopefully he will adjust quickly. We will probably start this transition in the next week or so. I'm a little nervous but excited all at the same time.

Also, Bob has been working in our back yard and is using our left over bricks that were once our wall (that fell 3 times) and "outlining" the back of our house and filling in the gap with wood chips...so far it looks great...I will have pics soon. :-)

Rockin' Good time!

So my friend Crystal came by on Wednesday for a couple of days and we had a BLAST! We cooked, we chatted, we played with D, we hung out, we relaxed, but most of all, we caught up! We don't get to see each other that often so when we do, it is major "catch up" time and it is so much fun!

Decovin has started changing again...he is now really "playing" with his toys, I guess he always played well with his toys and knew what the basics were/did...i.e. balls, etc. But this week he started to really try to fine tune his gross motor skills by learning to use his Little Tykes Tool set that Aunt Christy got him for Christmas. He figured out, with Auntie Crystal's help, how to put the screw driver into the screws and how to hammer his nails in. It was so amazing watching him really concentrating on how to do this. He successfully twisted the screws a few times and nailed in the nails a gazillion times! It's just crazy how they change.

His new trick: I went the bathroom and left him in the living room to watch Noggin and when I returned I found Decovin sitting on the open window ledge in between our kitchen and living room. One foot on the sink, one on the couch straddeling the sill. Of course I panic b/c now I know I can't leave knives in the sink now at all! GREAT, one more thing to worry about! Oy vay! Why does he have to be such a curious monkey?! :-)

Anyway, that's all I've got for today.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh K--LAHOMA!

So I went with the fam last night to see Oklahoma at the New Dinner Theatre in KC. What a great show and good food! With the help of Christy and her ant (yes, there was an ant in her soda) we all received our dessert and beverages free! (Well, Melodie, Christy and I that is...Mom and Dad were sitting at a different table). It was funny, and gross but mostly funny...at least she didn't drink him down! LOL!

Also, Decovin had his 18 month check up yesterday! He is getting so big...well, sort of. He is now 32 inches and 23lbs 13oz and has a 19 inch noggin. All and all he is below average on all of them if I remember correctly. His weight is in the 25th percentile...I remember that. So he got skinny as he got older. Wish that would happen to me! ha! He also had to get two shots, Hep A and DTaP...he cried but then stopped as soon as it was over and was happy as a lark.

So that is all the news I have for you currently. Oh my friend Crystal will be stopping by this week for an overnighter. Should be super fun! Can't wait to see her. Did I mention that she is getting married next June?! I was asked to be in her wedding...at least I won't be pregnant! :-)WHOO HOO! :-)

I know, I know...

Sorry, I haven't blogged in FOREVER! But I have a valid excuse. I have had company in my computer room for 2 solid weeks leaving me little time to doddle on the computer at leisure. Christy visited us for a week and then Quentin took over for an additional week. It has been really nice to have people around but I am glad to get my somewhat quiet house back! :-)

I really did have a nice time. Christy and Quentin were HUGE helps and I will miss that the most! Especially when it comes to dirty diaper time! I have had the hardest time with my gag reflex this time around and those diapers Decovin provides are quite hard to handle at times!

Speaking of my gag reflex, I was hoping to skim by this pregnancy with a "puke-free" first trimester, but alas, no such luck came my way! LOL! I lost my cookies last Tuesday at random! Oh well, maybe that will be it! I am 11 weeks now so maybe I will be done with the gags in a week or so! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I went to the doctor last Wednesday to hear the heartbeat but since I was just barely over 10 weeks along at that point the Midwife said they may not hear it. And she tried for 5 minutes to to find it but couldn't so to be "better safe than sorry" she did a quick sonogram to find the baby and we could see the heartbeat on the screen with a tiny flicker and then the baby bounced up in my belly! It was really cool to see! Never gets boring those sonograms! Obviously, it is still to early to tell the sex of the baby but I am posting the picture for you all to see. You can see the head on the right. Quentin was with me and thought this was really cool also! :-) The Midwife said it is the size of a peanut right now. So COOL!

So anyway, what else has happened since I last posted. Oh for 4th of July we headed up to Jeff & Marianne's for a wet barbeque thanks to the rain but it was really yummy and the kids love to play together. Decovin thought he was on cloud 9 with all the "new" toys to play with! Didn't know where to go to first! LOL! On our drive back from their house we saw several different fireworks displays going on to our East, North and South and I am sure the West but we weren't heading that direction! :-)

Then that weekend following, Bob, Decovin, Quentin, & Bob's entire immediate family went to the Lake of the Ozarks to his g'parent's cabin for a short stay. We swam a LOT and even went shopping at the outlet stores in Osage Beach. It was really a fun time! Especially the swimming part! Decovin didn't care too much for his life jacket but he still had fun splashing everyone! :-)

Well, that about sum's up what has been happening. Sorry it has been so long! I will try not to be so long between posts! Oh and I go to the doctor again on the 1st of August because the Midwife wanted to HEAR the heartbeat and not just see it. Oh and I have an appointment with an Occupation Therapist for my back as it has been giving me quite a bit of grief for some reason! So wish me luck!

Oh and if you haven't already, GO AND SEE HARRY POTTER! So good!

Cuddle Time.

So today Decovin got up a smidge earlier than normal and I had to get up with him b/c Bob had to leave early today to head to Wichita. As the morning progressed Decovin had made me a nice present in his diaper, per usual, and so I decided that it was time for a bath...random as we usually do them at night but he was dirty from the day before and we just were lazy and didn't give him a bath last night...so I stuck in the tub and he played and when I asked him to grab the ___insert bath toy here_____i.e. duck, turtle, frog, etc he grabbed the right one everytime. It was so cute.

Got him out and lathered him up with the smelly stuff and we headed into the living room for some unusual cuddle time. Most of you know that Decovin doesn't cuddle much, he is ON THE GO all the time and so when you get a cuddle in, you cherish it! So today he was zonked and I noticed that while we were watching TLC that he started to nod off IN MY ARMS!!! He hasn't done this since he was an infant! I didn't want to put him down it was so precious! But alas, all things come to an end....at least I can document it! :-)

Sick Sucks!

So this past week Decovin and I both have been ill. Symptoms include: Itchy watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and overall acheyness.

Decovin hasn't been sleeping well due to the cold and has gotten me up SEVERAL times in the night these past few days. So I haven't gotten much sleep and I can't really take anything to relieve my symptoms and so that makes me a bear. Lovely.

I've been at mom & dad's this week b/c I had bunco and b/c Bob was working alot, so it was nice to have help with D during the day. I was supposed to go to a petting zoo with my friend, Abby and her kids but since I feel like poo we cancelled...I didn't want to expose her kids to us either...so another time I suppose.

Anyway...that's all I have to say this week. :-)

News.

Ok, sorry it has been FOREVER since I posted last, but this will be a fun filled blog...I promise.

So since I last blogged, Bob, Decovin & I went down to Arkansas to visit my Aunt Mendy and Uncle Jim for a quick get-away vacation of sorts. It was about a 5 1/2 hour trip and Decovin did swimmingly! He slept then he would jabber and play with his toys and then we would stop at a gas station and find a grassy area for him to run around it for 10 minutes then back in the car and he was such a good boy. We actually didn't even have to turn on the DVD player until 45 minutes outside of Ft. Smith and we only did this b/c we were so close that we didn't want to stop! :-) He was super duper!

We swam, ate, vegged, saw the Fort, swam some more, ate some more and vegged some more.
They had toys for Decovin to play with, including a ball pit and golf clubs that he seemed to really enjoy! It was a very relaxing vacation! (Thanks Mendy & Jim!)

Christy has been spending the week with us, she drove Decovin and I home on Sunday as I was not feeling well that day and she will take us all back to LaCygne Friday as I have my 10 year high school reunion on Saturday. Should be fun.

Today I had a lady from the Parents As Teachers program come to the house to evaluate Decovin. She said he was on target and gave me some good pointers for the "no-no" stage of his current little life. *wink* She also said that they offer play dates once a week starting in the fall and they also throw a few big shin-digs during the year for everyone that is involved in the program. Sounds like fun! She was SUPER nice and Decovin loved her toys she brought...of course!

Oh and did I mention that I wasn't feeling well b/c I am pregnant again?! :-)

I have a monkey!

So long to the days of, "Oh, he can't reach that, we can leave that there!" That's right, Decovin not only can climb up onto the couch, he can now climb up on the coffee table and kitchen chairs...everything is fair game now!

Yesterday, I was in the computer room checking my email, like I do, when all of a sudden I hear Gwen Stefani BLARING in the living room...I run in there and Decovin is sitting on top of the coffee table next to the stereo where he had switched it from TV to RADIO...he was very pleased with himself and bouncing up and down to the music...

*sigh* He's growing up too fast!

Another cute sidenote, Decovin has also figured out how to ride his Power Wheels that we got for him. He will crawl on the 4-wheeler and/or the go kart and he knows he has to push the button down and hold it in order for it to go...as for steering...well, that is talent that he has yet to master...one day he will avoid the walls! :-)

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This past weekend was super fun! Amanda, as you all know, graduated from Des Moines University and is now officially: Dr. Amanda D. Camden, D.O.
Sounds so fancy! We are all so proud of her and still can't believe we have a doctor in the family! So cool!

Amanda invited me to go to one of her banquets the night before the graduation and so we got all dolled up and went to it first and then later we met up with some of her other friends at a martini bar called "The Lift" in downtown area. It was super fun and I was so glad she invited me. Plus, who doesn't love a good martini?! ;-)

Saturday was the graduation and it was only 2 hours long...I thought that was pretty good for a bunch of doctor's graduating! We all cheered her on when she walked across the stage....take a look for yourself:



It was a good time! Congrats again Doc!

Other than that, not much else is happening...we leave Friday for our mini-vacation to Arkansas to visit my Aunt Mendy and Uncle Jim for a few days and to go camping one night at Mount Magazine State Park...should be interesting anyway! :-) It will be D's first time camping...(which is why we are only going one night...lol!) I will be sure to let you know how things went!

JP OUT!

Rearranging...

So I decided I needed to clean my living room out of toys and utilize D's bedroom. So I put his dresser in his closet and moved his crib a bit and took the chair out into the living room. It is so weird to have all that space in the living room again! :-)

He has also graduated to a booster chair full time now. No more high chair. He is such a big boy now.

He was zonked and I had to take a picture of his sleeping cuteness. :-)

Yard...

Or shall I say something resembling of a muddy swamp! I hate when you just have seed down and then water it...you have to walk through mud to move sprinklers and the hoses are then covered in mud and get all over you & your clothes and let's not even mention my flip flops! I'm already tired of watering this swamp and wish we had a rock garden, for our ENTIRE YARD! Oy! Anyway, I am hoping we see some grass sprouting soon. If not, I am NOT paying for the seeding they did...haha! I'm actually already cotemplating calling them regarding the top soil they neglected to put in our back yard. It's sad really. Oh well, it is done and I am just glad we don't have to think about the wall anymore...it's fixed.

Decovin is amazing us everyday with his new tricks. First it was climbing up on the couch and next it was knowing how to change the channel and laughing when daddy would go running in there to change the channel back so there wasn't LOUD FUZZ happening. Daddy wasn't as amused. I also had a neighbor offer to sell us her Power Wheels that her boys are too big for now...she had two...one 4-wheeler and a go-kart. Easy push of a button and off they go! The only problem was, she was selling them together b/c she only has one power extension plug to charge them...so we took them both for $50...:-) The go-kart looks brand new! LOVE IT! Decovin tried it out today and thought it was fun! We should get some good use out of those!

Other news, I have been holding off telling everyone but most everyone knows by now. I started Weight Watchers on the 17th of April and since then, I have lost 9.6lbs. I am very excited about this and hope to get back into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes soon! Bob has been a great support and that helps A LOT! So, there it is.

That's all I have so far. I'm headed to Amanda's tonight for a sleep-over in her new townhouse...Wine will be involved! :-) Cheers!

Uh-Oh!

No longer can we leave things on the back of the couch and think Decovin won't get them...that's right...he has learned to climb up on the couch! Yesterday, Bob told me that he left the room for a minute and when he came back in the living room, Decovin was on the couch playing with the remotes...then today, I am in the computer room and I come out to check on him and "poof" he is on the couch playing with the remotes again! So, I haven't actually "SEEN" him climb the couch, but he has done it twice now! Our lives just keep getting crazier and I LOVE it! WAY TO GO DECOVIN!

Just like daddy!

Decovin is just like Daddy (can you see Bob in the background?):




Decovin watched Bob intensely and then he would mimic him using his "bubble mower" that g'ma and pappy plummer got him. It was SOOOO cute!

Decovin trys to dress just like daddy too:

So I have been looking all over KC for a gently used Little Tikes playgroundish thing at garage sales and on Craigslist.com and was having NO luck. So yesterday, we met mom & dad in the city for lunch...dad's outage at the power plant is finally over...and then we headed to Toys R Us...we found one that was in our price range and tried to get it in our trunk...well, it would have worked but it would have been a long drive home and a little nerve racking...so dad offered to put it in their mini-van and drive it to us...they unloaded it and stayed long enough for a piece of diet-pop cake and then they were off...dad still had some mowing to do before dark.

Bob started mowing and I attempted to start putting together the playground thing...well, it said you needed two people and they weren't kidding...so bob stopped long enough to help put the rest of it together and then Decovin got to play on his new toy! Check it out:

What's up?

I have noticed we are all "slacking" in the blogging department, ok, so maybe just a few of us are slacking...*ahem* Amanda! LOL! j/k! I know you are pretending to be a teacher now, but ftl! Fill us in on the mishaps of school life from the teacher's perspective! There HAVE to be stories there! *wink*

Nothing new here, had a Pampered Chef party last weekend, it went really well, if anyone wants to order anything, let me know before Wednesday!

New video of D for ya...I'm sure you will all enjoy it, if you haven't already seen it!


Good times!

Love to everyone!

Scrappy!

My weekend was fun-filled! Friday afternoon, Mandy arrived and we decided we wanted grilled salmon and asparagus...I had the salmon, but not the asparagus...so we headed to WalMart in the rain to get the remaining ingredients we needed and decided it was not that big of a deal to grill in the rain.

We got back and started preparing our dinner...marinating the salmon and asparagus in EVOO, garlic & onions....YUM-O! Then Mandy made a homemade vinaigrette (sp?) which was delicious on our spinach greens, strawberries, onions, & avocados! :-)

I continued to grill in the pouring rain and just as I finished and turned off the grill...it started to SNOW!! BIG, FAT flakes of snow that were SUPER wet and slushy! It must have gotten at least an inch or two but melted completely by the next afternoon...

Saturday morning we left Warrensburg around 10ish to head to Blue Springs for a Scrap-athon with some of Judy's friends from church. It was lots of fun and I got 3 more layouts done! I am almost done with Decovin's first year! LOL!

Sunday was a lazy day...Bob got up with Decovin and I slept until 10am!!! I must have been TIRED!!! I NEVER sleep that late! Then we got ready and headed to Wal-Mart so Bob could spend the rest of his Christmas money on a basketball goal. He spent the rest of the day putting that together and I started to get things ready for my sister-in-law's garage sale...and ended up playing two rounds of H-O-R-S-E where I won the first game and Bob won the second game. All the while Decovin was playing "Ready-Set-Doh!"...His version of "go" with a tennis ball. :-) It is really cute.

Oh and I noticed today while tickling D that he has a molar tooth coming in...I saw and felt it...I guess he is skipping the "fang" teeth for now...haha!

There's a gloom about...

So today I attended one of my high school class-mates' funeral. The weirdest thing is, this will be our 10 year reunion this year and at our 5 year reunion we mourned the loss of another classmate. Both were killed in freak accidents. I hope this doesn't become a trend. So today was a "mini" reunion for all the wrong reasons. :-( It was nice to see some of my friends from the past.

I hate death though, when someone I know passes on, I tend to obsess about it for a few weeks...I will have random dreams about it, them, or me...and they aren't pretty usually. It especially freaks me out when people I know that are MY age die. That just makes it more real and scary...because you never know...I try to stay positive and not worry about tomorrow, but it is scary, the unknown, the "ever after", the one thing science can't explain to give details about.

Anyway...it was a sad day and I felt really bad for his family. He really was a nice guy...the one from high school that didn't care if he was "cool" or not...reputation didn't matter to him. So R.I.P. Jacob Neal...i'm sure you will be missed.


(P.S. Sorry about the depressing post)

Repeat Offender...

So apparently the babysitter left some fun stories out of her evening with Decovin, Katrina & McKendra...



I guess right after we all left to go to the B-day party, the babysitter said that McKendra started to fuss, so she was trying to comfort her when she hears "splash, splash, splash"...she investigates and finds Decovin is toilet dunking again! I guess he has a thing for water, he doesn't care where it's located! So she puts McKendra in the crib while she washed up Decovin and then Katrina comes barreling in the bathroom stating she has to go! Well the babysitter has to help her up on the toilet...while she is doing this...she hears: "cling, clank, clank, cling"...after Katrina is finished she find Decovin in the room where the crib is with McKendra in it and he is taking his bottle of milk and dragging it across the rungs jail cell style! Oh MY WORD! My son is a handful...haha! Had to share.


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So we finally bought a GRILL! YES! Check it out:

This baby runs on gas! Oh yeah! LOL!

Isn't it pretty?! I just HAD to use it last night too...so I marinated some chicken tenders and some hamburgers and they were DELICIOUS! YUM-O! Weather permitting, I will be back out there again tonight grilling up some steaks! YES! :-)

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Here is a fun video for you...Great Aunt Ruthie taught him this trick! :-)

Toilet dunk

Funny...i'm in the computer room when I hear bob yell: "Is Decovin in there with you?" To which I reply: "no"...then he says...."Did you go the bathroom just a minute ago?"..."no"..."well, I think your son just flushed the toilet" (because it was running)...I say: "Did he stick his hands in the toilet?"...bob further inspects and we see glossy hands! EWWWWW! "WASH 'EM, WASH 'EM!" I yell!

Toilet dunking apparently is fun for one year olds! Gross!

Sorry, sorry...

I'm usually the one blogging about how no one blogs anymore and it seems I am now the slacker! Sorry! I have been busy though...:-)

Let's see, since I posted last, us girls made a fun night of bowling in an elite room of just us and Jeff our bar tender/beer bit*h. St. Patty's Day was a blast! Mandy & I have been together for the past two St. Patty's Days so I say we make it a tradition from here on out! That was much fun!

Christy followed me home after bowling and spent her Spring Break with us! It has been lots of fun! When we got home Saturday night, I ran upstairs to pay our babysitter (Decovin's very first babysitter aside from family members!)...then we moved Christy in...the next day we did NOTHING...I didn't even shower! That is how much of nothing we did...it was a great relaxing day!

Monday we decided to go to the base to the commissary...only to find that it is closed on Mondays....oh well...ran into the BX then we were going to stop at the Montseratt Winery on our way back but it was closed also...scratch that...so we went to both on Tuesday...lots of fun! Then Wednesday we headed to LaCygne to visit mom and then for us to go play BUNCO!! Oh and I TOTALLY WON! YES! $30 baby! OH YEAH! We headed home that night and made it in just before midnight...Thursday we got up early again as our friend Meagan came out for a day of fun! We took her to our wine store here in town, a consignment shop (where we both found outfits for Decovin and her niece), drove her all around base, then to the commissary, then we went on a beaver hunt at the Knob Knoster State Park! hahaha! Long story short, I pointed out a beaver I saw on the side of the road and Meagan wanted a picture of it...it ran off b/f we could get reversed so then we went on a half hour quest to find another one...no luck...but Meagan found a dead one on our road as she was leaving my house and I saw one yesterday on base...haha! Oh well. Friday I spent my day on base at the doctors office for me...if you are really curious about what it wrong, call me....i'm not posting on here...lol! Anyway...the evening was nice, I made spaghetti and we watched some Law & Order and then to bed. Today I am need to finish straightening my house as my Arbonne Party is today and just in case someone decides to show up, I need to have my house decent.

Anyway...sorry it took me so long to post...just haven't had time! :-) Oh & my mother-in-law is coming to my party today and then taking Decovin with her to have an overnight at their house and then they are going to return him tomorrow! I am beside myself...what will I do with all that time to myself in my house?! LOL! At any rate, I am very excited!

Peace & Love~Jen

Giggles

Don't you just want to laugh with him? I love this picture!

The wall of shame!

Well, as most of you know we have been struggling with our yard and drainage problems for 2 years now! Ugh! Bob tried building a wall...that didn't work...it tumbled 3 times over the course of a year...Bob finally said..."I'm done, call the professionals!" haha! So I finally got some people out here last week for bids and it is crazy how you can ask for the same thing and get 3 completely different bids...

We were asking them to do several things:
1. Fix the drainage problem by building a swell (which is like a really really shallow ditch that redirects the water further down on our lawn instead of up against our house and down the hill!)
2. Put in a new retaining wall to help with our issue
3. Till, add top soil, and re-seed our entire yard.

The first guy brings in a bid at $2100, telling us that he will build a wing wall facing the northwest on our house along with a swell and add top soil and seed and hay our yard...the catch...we have to remove the back of the current wall ourselves unless he wants us to pay him more to do it...ouch!

The second guy brings in his bid at $1500, I was concerned that they forgot to include top soil for our ENTIRE yard and not just for the area being worked on. I called and made sure and they said...no, that is for everything...not only that...they are going to remove our wall for us, build us a NEW wall all together, put in the swell, fix our gutters to go directly into the ground, harley rake (fluffs the dirt) the yard with the top soil and hydroseed the entire yard (The seafoam green stuff you usually see on highway exits, etc)...I was like HOLY COW...there is no way the other guy could even come close to that even if i tried to bargain with him...so needless to say...we went with them...

The third guy brought in a bid of $6400!!!!! I was like, where do you think we live? Beverly Hills! DAMN!

I win!

Ok, so the same day that I wrote that mock up review for the Atari shirt in my previous posts...I also entered a contest at a different website: www.dirtyoldshirt.com

It was the "Dirty Old Contest" and the rules were simple: "Think you have a great idea for a t-shirt? Send it in to our contest! Every month we'll announce a winner, and reward them with a free t-shirt. And if we like your idea enough to print it, we'll hook you up with 10 shirts (of your choice) for free!"

So I won! They just emailed me today...what was my shirt idea you ask? It was as simple as this: "McDreamy in Training"

So I got another free t-shirt for Decovin! I don't know if they "liked it enough to print it" but I still got a $18 shirt for free! YES! So I orded this one:

Cute huh? Oh and this one is the one I already got in the mail for the other:

You know you wanna laugh!

Yes, those are Mr. Potato Head glasses. Decovin LOVES them...this photo really cracked me up!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

So it all started to get crazy busy on Thursday (should have known then that it was indication that March would be insane...but whatever)...I started my morning with a doctor visit for my annual exam...fun, fun! Then it was off to Wal-Mart to get my car's oil changed and for me to visit the eye doctor also...well, I got there a little after 11am and my appointment with the eye doctor wasn't until noon...so I thought, I have PLENTY of time to get my oil changed and that way I can just walk out of here when I am done with my exam...ha! Who was I kidding?
When I pulled up to the garage area of Walmart a lady came out and greeted me with paperwork and asked what I needed done, etc...I tell her, "just an oil change"...to which she replies..."Ok, how about for $4 (or whatever the cost) more we can vaccuum your car out also"...I thought...cool, sure, why not! :-) I then say: "About how long will this take?" she replies: "Oh, no time at all, there is no wait" and I watch her drive my car into the garage...I was thinking awesome, I will peruse Walmart for a bit get my eyes checked and get out of here in no time flat! Excellent! Well, I decide to window shop for about 15-10 minutes and by this time it was 11:30 so I thought I would see if I could get into my eye appt. early...I get there and the lady was with a customer and then she got me checked in and I was in and out of there in 25 minutes! So by 11:50ish I am leaving the eye docs office and go grab a few items I needed to pick up before I left for home. I take the 4 items with me back to the auto department to get my car and check out...I hand them my ticket and they said..."Oh, it's not ready yet, but should be done soon"...(this was about 12:15 at this point)...I'm thinking...wow, she said it was going to be done soon and that was over an hour ago...weird...oh well, I sit down outside the viewing area so I can watch nobody do anything with my car for 45 minutes!!! Hood is up, literally no one goes near it for 45 minutes and they only went near it after I inquired with 4 different people about my car!!!!! Long story short, I spoke with a manager and got my oil change for free...good thing too, b/c when I got in my car, not only did they NOT vaccuum my car, they didn't put the "reminder sticker" in the windshield to tell me when I need to come back in again...I wonder if they changed it at all! What a waste of 2 1/2 hours! Grrrrr...

So I finally get home with lunch around 2 and we ended up vegging out the remainder of the day. Friday morning I get up and get ready and Decovin and I met Amanda in Lee's Summit and went to the Independence mall for some serious shopping. I had some NY&CO gift certificates burning some holes in my pockets since Christmas so I figured I should use them. I ended up with 4 pairs of pants, and like 5 or 6 shirts and some undies! My cost....$40! They had everything in the store 50% off plus I got my military discount of 15% off after that! YES! It was a good shopping day! Oh and Decovin had his first meltdown in public at Lane Bryant...I'm sure the people in the dressing rooms next to us were just thrilled...he was OVERLY tired and beyond time for a nap...what can you do?! So after that we left.

When I got home, I washed clothes all night and then off to bed...got up Saturday morning and had a dentist appointment at 8am...after that was over we headed up to Shawnee, KS to help Bob's sister and bro-in-law move into their new house...it was a busy day...I hate moving...it made me cringe just thinking about it...anyway...after that was done we came home, ordered chinese, and I started feeling like poo so I went to bed on Nyquil and woke up feeling even worse...I have a sore throat and just achey all over...not sure if I am achey due to moving boxes or my illness...hard to say but I feel like crap regardless!

Today we have done really nothing...I've slept quite a bit and we had another individual come out to give us an estimate on our yard, aka spawn of satan! We have had 3 companies come and look at it and they have all expressed similar suggestions and ideas...we will keep you posted on what comes of all this. Sorry for the long blog, it has just been crazy...

Oh & you will all be happy to know that I received Decovin's free T-shirt in the mail yesterday from the company I did the review on below. :-) It is cute...it says: Buddha Belly on it and it is super cute! Anyway...thought you would want to know! :-) Cheers!

Trendy Tadpole review

The Atari shirt, a trendy shirt that reminds us of our youth and by gone days. Fun and retro, this shirt speaks mostly for the parents, a blast from the past displayed on our youth of the future. A conversation starter to other parents, an ice-breaker, a way to make friends who get your humor, what a fun display of our past! Trendy Tadpole shirts have something for everyone and for every style of humor! Fun, fun, fun, who wouldn't want one? Visit www.trendytadpole.com for more hilarious items of our past for our children to display proudly for us! :-) Thanks Trendy Tadpole for reminding our youth of today that we were cool once too!

Decovin's first real illness!

So D's had a small cold in the past...runny nose, that sort of thing...but yesterday was the real deal amigos!

The day started with him waking up quite a bit later than normal...8:30ish, he's done it in the past but not that often, so I didn't think anything of it...he drinks his bottle of milk and then later he ate a couple of small pancakes...I ask Bob: "Do you think he feels warm to you?" Bob's Reply: "No"...so we put him down for a nap and he sleeps for 4 hours! Again, nothing COMPLETELY unusual as he has done this before also...growth spurt, teething, etc...he wakes up from his nap and I think he feels SUPER warm...I ask Bob: "Do you think he feels warm to you now?" Bob replys: "No"...so I finally remember I have a regular thermometer in his diaper bag (I had attempted a temperature earlier in the day with a pacifier therm. but he wouldn't suck on it)...to my astonishment it read out at 102.6!!! I freaked of course, so we call the after-hours doctor and she calls us back w/in the 20 minute allotted time and says, give him tylenol (which we had already done) and make sure he drinks plenty of fluids and if he gets any other symptoms to call her back. Mind you, when he woke up, he had no desire to eat and just sat there in our arms and didn't move hardly at all! So unlike him...he never sits still longer than a minute! So we decide to put him back down for more sleeping...and he slept for like another 3 hours or so until we hear a cough and then some gagging sounds and Bob runs back there and yells: "Jen, he's throwing up, help!"...so we get him all cleaned up, I wash the sheets, clothes, etc and we call the doc again but it takes her 45 minutes to call us back and we had to call them twice to get them to call us! We were also in close contact with Dr. Mandy throughout the day/evening also...she basically said the same thing as our doc did, so strong work Dr. Mandy! :-) The doctor did finally call us and said that a virus has been going around and that it could last 24 hours or 5 days...and that as long as his temperature did not go above 103 to just keep monitoring him, give him liquids and that was that...oh and I forgot to mention that genius me decided that after he threw up he should probably eat something...so we gave him a saltine cracker to which he threw up in hand w/in 5 minutes of eating it...poor guy!
Well, we thought we were in for a LONG night of puking and whining, but he actually went down at 9pm and didn't get up until 8am...he drank his milk and had a waffle this morning and he actually played with his toys a little bit...I gave him some more tylenol b/c he still felt a little warm but he has been acting a LOT better...so maybe it was just a 24 hour thing for him...thank goodness! I'm just glad it is over for now!

Playdates are fun!

Playdates are not just for the kids!

Abby & Decovin played in the tent!

Decovin & Nathan stuff their faces as fast as they can! :-)

We had a really good time yesterday! I got to Stacy's house around 11:30 and Decovin was in a sea of new toys and just LOVED it...it took Nathan awhile to get warmed up but it wasn't long before everyone was playing and having fun! Aunt Ruthie came bearing herb bread and corn salsa & chips! YUM-O! Then Mandy showed up bearing chocolate and strawberries to dip in! THEN Stacy had made Tiramisu (my fave dessert ever!) and we ate it while we played Diploma Dogs while the boys napped (at the SAME time!!!)...so much fun!

Then we decided to order Imo's pizza for dinner...good call too b/c it was WACKY WEDNESDAY and it was buy one get one free and we ate both xlarge pizzas no problem! SO GOOD! BEST PIZZA EVER EVER EVER! Then we ate our chocolate dipped strawberries and watched American Idol...fun fun! I had to leave around 8 which was sad, but it was SO much fun!

A re-do is a must! I insist! :-)

New videos below...fun fun weekend!

A visitor, some dead scrolls, & parents

So Amanda was my visitor Friday evening. She made it just before the nasty snow fall and we watched Grey's Anatomy together where we gasped and cried simultaneously! We are true Grey's junkies!

Saturday Bob & I headed to KC to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Union Station. Very interesting, very unorganized, & kind of disappointing as they only had 6 real scrolls of the hundreds they found and they were TINY! It was still a once in a lifetime event to see them, but still, they herd you in like cattle and you have to elbow your way around to see or read anything! It was crazy! Anyway...

Sunday my parents call me out of the blue and say, hey, do you care if we drop by? NO! I was really pleasantly surprised...it was nice to not be the one driving to see someone! Mom & I played scrabble, dad napped (he had worked a 24+hour shift the day prior) and then we all went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant in town...it was yummy and we had a good time.

We said our goodbyes and Bob & I went to Hastings to rent some movies and we watched two of them last night (Nacho Libre, The Night Listener, The Departed, & one other, I can't remember the name of)...Oh & Mandy...the "sure" from Nacho Libre would not have been nearly as funny if your friends hadn't made it such a big deal...but it was still worth a rewind to see him say it again! hahaha! "Sure"

Changes...

Well, I knew I had a sweet deal with how much Decovin liked taking naps in the past...but I can see that road dwindling away in the sunsets! He is now fighting sleep at all cost lately and only takes one good nap a day these dasy (used to be around 3 a day)...so my spare time is now limited...oh well, I knew the ship would sail one day...**sigh**

We had a fun weekend...Friday afternoon, Amanda stopped by and spent the night and then Saturday morning, after Amanda left, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law (Tabitha & Ryan) showed up for babysitting duty while Bob & I went to KC to meet up with Kim & Crystal and their significant others for our "focused fun night"...we titled it that way b/c the last time we got to see each other was at D's bday party and we couldn't focus on just each other...too much going on...so anyway...we went out to dinner at UNO Chicago Pizzaria and then bowling at Incredi-bowl in Stanley! It was SOOO much fun! They had black lights and music videos playing of music from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and today! LOL! It was wicked fun! We are going to try to do that more often!

Anyway, then yesterday was bum day...I didn't even get out of my PJ's!!! It was kind of embarassing, but at least there were no strangers or neighbors knocking on our door...lol!

Today, I have been burning The Backyardigans on DVD for Decovin...and I plan on burning some old movies too...fun, fun! Trying to clean out our DVR...well, I should probably get back to monitoring when I need to stop the recorder....

Peace & Chicken Grease!

Per Clog Nana's request...

SKUNK ROCK RULES MOM!!!

My new Hair Do

Click ME!

Check out Dancing Decovin on YouTube!

WE DID IT!

We must be nuts! It was SOOOOOO cold! But, we did it! I think my legs are still numb!! It was totally fun though! Bob & I agree that we would both do it again, if it was held in July! haha! Just kidding!

Saturday was also the day I had to help host a baby shower for Bob's cousin so I had to leave right after I plunged and hurry over there! Then when I got done with that, I went to pick up Mandy at Melodie's apartment and then we went out to eat at American Bandstand...it was YUMMY! We all shared the Oooey Gooey chocolate Oreo Orgy! I have proof!

Melodie & Mandy Looking pretty! I sat alone on the other side! :-) We had lots of laughs...see Melodie's blog for more on that! haha!

A joke as told by an 8 year old piano prodigy, Marc Yu (paraphrased by Jen Plummer-ha!)

As you know, the Great Ghandi walked barefoot a lot of the time. He also had a poor diet as he did not eat very much which made him really weak. Due to this poor diet he also suffered from severe bad breath...This made him a Super Calloused Fragile Mystic Hexed By Halitosis

Too funny, not to share...enjoy!

Scrapbook Queen!

You can easily replace the words "Dancing Queen" with the above title! B/C that is what I felt like yesterday! Mandy, Christy & I went to a "scrap-athon"! It was so much FUN! It started at 10am and ended at 11pm! We were there pretty much that whole time! IT WAS AWESOME! I got 10 pages done! Did I mention that it was fun?! Anyway, once Mandy figures out her new schedule, we are going to TRY to do it again next month! SO MUCH FUN! Oh and I also got my name drawn for one of their "give-aways"!

Mandy, did you notice my air ""? :-)

Happy Birthday!

Well, D finally made it to his very first Birthday parties! Saturday was celebrated with my side of the family and with cousin Katrina who turned 3! It was a sight to be seen, let me tell you. Chocolate cake was EVERYWHERE! I just hope that Bob cleaned out Jeff & Marianne's bathtub good enough! LOL! The second party was celebrated with Bob's side of the family and he got a rainbow cake...it was finger lickin' good apparently! I'm sure you have all seen my Kodak Gallery pictures...if not, let me know and I will re-send them to you! :-)

Mandy is coming over tonight for a sleep-over...YES! She has tomorrow off and since she missed the bday party she is coming over tonight to see Decovin and wish him a late Happy B-day! It will be loads of fun! I still need to finish vacuuming but other than that, I think we are ready for her! Oh and I might need to run to the grocery store for last minute food items, etc.

Decovin must be going through a growth spurt b/c he is currently going on 3 1/2 hours of napping...I am waiting on him to wake up so I can finish the vacuuming...lol! He got a LOT of clothes for his birthday, which is good! I washed them all up and I packed away all the ones that don't fit him any longer...always sad to fill up a tub of those! Currently we have 3 tubs full of baby clothes! Hopefully, if we have another kid, we will have another boy...otherwise...what will we do with all those clothes?! LOL!

Well, I guess I will hop in the shower since Decovin is still asleep. Love you all! Leave me a comment! :-) I love those!

OUCH!

Poor Decovin. Yesterday was his one year well-baby visit...and although he is well, they still had to immunize him and take his blood...

We started at his doctor's office and we were running a bit late due to the mile and a half back up to get onto base! But evidentally all the medical staff was in line with us so we weren't as late as we originally thought. So anyway, we get there and the nurse starts typing in the computer and was about to ask us the "milestone" questions, when, crash, the computer's went down! So we had to wait for those to come back up, but in the meantime, she weighed him and measured him. He is now at 22.05lbs, 29 1/2 inches tall & an 18 1/2 inch noggin! So, after a little panic attack from the nurse about the computers, she runs around like a chicken with her head cut off and finally comes back in the room and the computers are working again...she starts asking us the "milestone" questions, like: Is he walking? Yes. Standing up without help? Yes. Saying 1-3 words? No...No? Ok, we will let the doctor know. GREAT! I panic a little...

The doctor comes in and she says, well we will have you back in at 15 mos. to check on his vocabulary...if he still isn't saying any words, then we will have to get his speech evaluated...BLASPHEMY! I have a Speech Therapist as a sister and my son can't talk?! Great! So then I remember...Hey, he can sign 2 words...does that count? She says, YES!, since he is trying to communicate and to not worry and to come back for the regular 18 mos well baby check up. So, now I am repeating words like crazy to the poor boy and I am hoping he will "say" one soon. She told us to teach him "mom" & "dad" in sign...so I got out the ol' sign language book last night and started showing him "mom" & "dad" over and over again...the other word I am working on with him is "Up"...he always grunts and whines until we pick him up...I don't want a grunter...so I am really enunciating my words with him and showing him my lips and tongue so he knows how to do it himself...this morning it looked like he was trying to mimick my mouth movements on the word "up" but it kept sounding like "ub"...so cross your fingers for us!

So then we move onto to get his blood drawn to test for anemia...common at one year well baby visit...but I did not realize that now that they are at this age, they get stuck just like you and me, in the arm in a vein, no holds bar! They had Bob hold him in such a way that he couldn't move or jerk out of position, but Decovin didn't even move! He just barely made a wince face when they swabbed him with the alcohol and then that was it! He was such a brave little guy! Then it was off to Immunizations...where they proceeded to give him 5 different shots! Yeah, this one did not go as well, he screamed at the top of his lungs for a minute or two and then once he was bandaged and dressed, he was fine! And, really really tired...but we can't leave yet, no, no...I still had my doctor's appointment waiting for me!

So, I get in and tell this new fabulous (and I might add...kinda cute!) doctor that Zurtec (sp?) is not working, I've been having severe sinus headaches and drainage and sneezing and itchy watery eyes, and blowing my nose every five minutes, and I can't breathe at night, etc...so he decides to put me on 3 different meds...#1. Flonase (AWESOME STUFF!), #2. Saline Nasal Spray, for the inbetweens, & #3. Allegra. So I start the regimine yesterday and I can I just say that I breathed through my nose for the very first time while sleeping since September!!! I was TOTALLY stoked! So much so that when I woke up at 3am to pee, I woke up Bob to tell him! He was like: "great" in a very drone voice...lol! I was excited! It is so nice to be able to breathe again! WHOO HOO! 3 cheers for Doc Gimel! :-)

So that was our exciting day...how was all of yours?

Decovin LOVES his food! He was laughing hysterically for every bite...it was really funny and cute! Oh and he kept giving daddy kisses...I think b/c he let him play with one of the remotes...bad daddy! But he got all kinds of lovin' b/c of it! Lucky! Too cute not to share...

So Decovin is one!

And yesterday he had a small bout of the squirts...poor guy...what a way to bring in the first birthday...he seems to be better today though...it at least has some consistency. Not sure what he ate that caused it b/c we didn't give him anything out of the ordinary...Bob mixed in some apple juice with his cereal but hardly any he said, but Decovin doesn't drink juice so I guess that could have caused it??? Anyway, he seems better now...

I, on the other hand, am not doing ok. I have been battling with sinus headaches and sinus pressure in general since September. I can't breathe out of my nose at night and I wake up sneezing and blowing my nose! It is getting really annoying! So I have a doc appt tomorrow, right after Decovin's...so it will be a Doctor visit day tomorrow...

Our driveway is a thick sheet of ice and when Bob left for work this morning, he slid down sideways...fun...NOT! So he is going to try to put some salt on it to help it...but we can't use our stairs at all as they are literally and completely covered in ice. You can't even see the stairs...LITERALLY...I took pictures to prove it...and Bob tried hitting it with a hammer and it only made very small dents...what are we trying to live like the Eskimos? What the h***?

Anyway...so far this has been a boring day for Decovin's bday...we MAY try to take him out to dinner...Maybe, depending on how I feel, etc...well, off for now...

Decovin was on TV!

I sent in his picture for the Fox 4 News channel that does a "First Birthday's" segment where they just show their pictures and names...really cute...anyway, I sent his pic up on Tuesday and it was on this morning at 7:45ish...I taped it of course! His first TV appearance...ahhhhh!

On another note! Thanks so much for those of you who donated...we are now only $35 away from our $150 goal...so if you feel up to it, even if it is $5 dollars...look to your right and click on the link! Love you all! ;-)

Polar Plunge!!!

Yes, Bob, Christy, I are participating in the Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics on February 3...we are really jumping into a freezing cold lake to help those kids out! So please, please, please donate! You can do it online at: http://www.firstgiving.com/jenplummer

Bob & I have to collect $150 total...we only have $25 so far...please help us! If you do not wish to donate online, you can still donate cash or check...There is a tax break so please help us out!

Love you all!

It's happening so fast!!!

My little boy is growing up TOO fast! **sniff, sniff** Just in the past couple of weeks he has done so many new things:

He can now sign "more" during meal time & "all done"
He can stand up without the aid of any furniture in the middle of the room! (got it on camera)
He can blow kisses.
He can shake his head "yes" & "no", although he still doesn't really know what either means I think...grrrr! LOL!
And he will give you a hug and make an "ahhhh" sound when he does it...SO CUTE! (this one is not always on demand though)

I just can't believe how quick it is all happening! I hope to see all of you at the B-day parties...whether it is on Saturday the 20th for Katrina & D's Bday or on the 21st for D's bday with the Plummer's! Hope to see you all! Love ya!

Oh and strong work on the upping of comments & blogs updated! :-)

Oh & Stacy, I forgot to say "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!" for all the shoes you sent for D...they fit him and they are super cute too! Thanks again, I can't believe I forgot to say that when I called you earlier today! DUH...I'm a blonde at the roots! :-) Love you!

Scrapbooking

So I finally dragged all my stuff out last night to start scrapbooking again. I forgot how much I really like doing it. I am working on 3 different ones currently. One is from our trip home from San Diego almost two years ago and the other I started last night was Decovin's first year! I only got one page done b/c I didn't start until 8:30 and that was when I started dragging things out...so I actually didn't start scrapbooking until closer to 9 or a little after. I am also working on filling in the scrapbook that Judy made for Decovin. Needless-to-say, I am multi-tasking and that can be hard and stressful also...only b/c I make it that way...Can we say ADD? LOL! Anway, if you are ever bored or in the area and want to scrapbook come on over! :-) I love company!

How come?

Nobody posts hardly anymore? And how come when someone does post, hardly any comments are left? This used to be fun people! What happened? We are starting to fizzle! Step it up! :-) Love you all! Now leave me a comment damn it! LOL! :-)

Well, get used to writing 2007

I always hate the first month or so of the new year b/c I never can remember to write the year right. Anyway, Happy New Year!

We rung in the New Year by me watching Christy & Bob play Play Station 2 racing video game and I fell asleep at 11:30...woke up at 4 after and said: "Happy New Year, I'm going to bed!" Haha! Anyway, so far the New Year feels like any other. Decovin will be one this month...hard to believe! We are planning two b-day parties...one for the Plummer side and one for the Long side. The one on the Long side will be a combined party with his cousin Katrina who was born on the 18th...:-) Should be fun, she will be having a Princess theme and I am not sure what to do yet for Decovin. On the Plummer side he is getting "The Backyardigans" theme. Really cute show on Noggin for those of you sans kids under 4...lol! Anyway, I am in the process of planning that one and getting invites out, etc...lots to do in a short amount of time.

I took down the ornaments from the Christmas tree yesterday and all other decorations. It is always sad to see the Christmas season pass. It is my favorite time of year...oh well. Bob took the tree down and vaccuumed and everything...it was nice to have our dining room back without a baracade blocking it off! Maybe next year Decovin will know the meaning of "no" and not touch and/or eat the ornaments, etc.

Well, enough for now. Don't forget to hang up your new calendars! I have 3 new ones and I have hung 2 of them already! I love new calendars! Adios for now amigos!

Merry Christmas & Happy New YEAR!

Well, I hope all of you had a fabulous Christmas! We sure did! MY GOODNESS! This was the year of the kitchen appliances for me. I got a Toaster Oven and a KitchenAide Mixer! YES! I also received gift certificates to some of my favorite places!! YEAH! Bob received G.C. also and money! :-) Decovin, well, he made out this year! He got a really cool MEGA FORT from Jeff & the family and he got a really cool dump truck with contstruction hat from G'ma & G'pa and a Savings Bond also! He also got a Little Tykes Workbench from Aunt Christy. He received numerous other toys and clothes also! It was a good year!

Bob & I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary today. We decided to have a short getaway to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Crown Center. Mandy offered to take baby boy for the overnight for us and we took her up on it like hotcakes to syrup! Thanks again Mandy & Judy for watching D! We really really appreciated it! We got home and unpacked and have pretty much just been REALLY mellow! I am so tired and really ready for my bed! I haven't slept in it since the 17th of December...so needless to say, I am ready!

Oh, forgot to mention that while staying at Jeff & Marianne's last week, Decovin has taken off walking...must have been trying to keep up with Katrina! They were super cute together! He also learned how to climb up stairs while we were there also which is kind of funny b/c Katrina learned to climb up our stairs in San Diego at the exact same age as D...it was all in reverse! So cool! Oh and we decided to turn his car seat to front facing today also...he is 3 weeks away from the "actual" turn around date, but he has met the weight limit since his 9 month check up...so we figured since we had to move the carseat from Judy's van to just turn it around so we didn't have to fickle with it again in 3 weeks...he is such a big boy!

Anyway, we hope you all have a Happy New Year and all that jazz. Leave me a comment if you have time...I miss those! :-)

Little Baby, Semi-Toddler & Toddler

Boy have I had my hands full and washed several times! I can't tell you how many diapers I have changed in just the past 2 1/2 days! OH BABY! I was supposed to have some relief show up later this evening but she will not be coming until tomorrow morning...hopefully bright & early. It will be quite helpful to have another watchful eye on 3 little ones! :-) This has definitely opened up my eyes to what it would be like to have multiple children...we'll see...haha!

Well, I better go!

P.S. I stink! I need to shower.

Ho Ho Ho!

Decovin had his first meeting with Santa Claus at Zona Rosa shopping center at an event called "Breakfast with Santa"...he was neither excited or scared...but rather really exhausted! He still looked super cute in his santa outfit I got him. He is such a cutie!
He is still working on walking but he doesn't do it consistently. Only when he wants to. The most he has taken consecutively is 7 steps. He will be zooming around in no time I gather...once he builds up enough confidence. I am still searching for the perfect shoes for him. I don't want them to be too heavy or stiff...the search continues. I know that letting him walk around barefoot (or in socks) is best as it helps develop his arch, but when we are out and about it is nice to put him in some shoes. Anyway...the quest continues.
We just got home from my in-laws this weekend. We had Christmas early with them as we are spending Christmas day with my side this year. Decovin received lots of clothes, books and toys! I agree with Stacy...stores should give out punch cards and after so many purchases, you get a toy box! haha! Bob got a Carhart jacket, book light, Bathroom Reader book (full of useless facts, he loves them!), and gift certificates to Sears and Lowes. I received a year subscription to US Weekly...my favorite magazine!!, gift certificate to NY&CO, some movies, & money! It was a good Christmas! We took lots of pics and I will try to upload them today or tomorrow.
Next weekend is my G'ma & G'pa Long's dinner...Bob will not be able to go as I am going down on Thursday for my Bunco party and we don't want to drive back and forth to pick him up...my sister graciously offered to go and get him, but I am not sure what we have decided to do yet. Then next week, I will be babysitting my brother's kids for the week as Marianne's parents are leaving on the 18th and they won't have any babysitters that week before Christmas. It should be fun! I am actually only worried about my son being the handful...haha! Christy will join me late Wednesday to help me out for the remainder of the week though...that will be nice! :-)
Well, I will try to get some more pictures out for you all to see. :-) Love to all and to all a good Christmas...hehe!

P.S. Decovin now has 5 teeth and can wave "hi"...but only when he wants to...go figure. haha!

He walked!!

Bob got stuck in the traffic mess on Thursday...it took him 4 hours and 50 minutes to get home from Kansas City...it was SLOW going the entire way home! Poor guy...I felt so bad for him.

I came down to LaCygne Tuesday night so that I could go to Bunco on Wednesday night but they ended up cancelling it so I didn't get to go and then I couldn't go home either...stuck...I plan to leave on Sunday early morning.

Friday night, I put together mom and dad's xmas tree and decorations. It looks much more festive here and will be more fun on Christmas Day...they usually don't go through so much trouble with decorations these days so it was up to me if we were going to have a festive arena. I think it looks good...we put the tree in the dining room for a couple of reasons, 1. we didn't have to move any furniture except for the table and chairs, 2. this way we don't have to fight Decovin wanting to constantly tug and play with it.

On a more fun note, Decovin got to meet Santa for the first time today. He was so tired by the time he got up there he didn't want to smile for his picture...he didn't cry though...he was just too tuckered out to smile...the picture still turned out cute though. Katrina didn't like sitting on Santa's lap...she cried the whole time, poor thing. But she still sat on his lap with McKendra...she just didn't like it...wonder why Santa is so scary at that age?

So that is all that has happened thus far...I plan to finish decorating my house when I go home Sunday. I got so far as putting up the tree and then had to leave and haven't been back to finish it yet...**sigh** But I love to decorate the tree so it will still be fun!

Decovin took his first stepS...not a step...stepSSS! He took 3 steps 4 different times this evening for the first time...he is amazing! Oh and he is also doing imaginative play...if you take a play phone and pretend to ring it then say "Hello" in a higher pitch voice, he will take the phone and start jabbering in high tones...like we do! SO CUTE!!! I love him!

Gotta go, baby boy just woke up from his nap!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Oh the weather outside is frightful...HELLO! 12" of snow anybody? Yeah...that is what we got...and a lot of deeper snow drifts...tennis shoes are NOT ideal for this weather...I had to borrow dad's boots (which, as you can imagine, were WAY too big, but what can you do?) just to get to the cars! CRAZY...oh well, hopefully it won't be too bad for our drive up to Zona Rosa for breakfast with Santa Clause tomorrow morning...we will be leaving at the butt crack of dawn!

Oh well...we are still having fun inside as much as possible...Decovin has been a hoot and has a new face...we call it his "Doh!-face" since he says DOOOOOHHHHH when he makes the face...it is too funny....

The next one is when he just got out of the bath and I had lathered him up with lotion...he gets all spikey...time for a haircut? You tell me...

Move over Turkey, Christmas is on its way!

So we spent the entire Thanksgiving weekend with Bob's folks. We had a good time and ate WAY too much! Per usual! Decovin had some turkey, ham, chicken & noodles, mashed potato & gravy and he got passed around to the whole family...gave me a nice day off...I don't think I even changed a diaper that day! whoo hoo! He was SOOO good the whole day too, didn't cry once! He was such a trooper.

I made a new cake recipe from one of my Pampered Chef cookbooks and it was a HIT! Everyone loved it! It was rather tasty if I do say so myself. It was a Mocha Cappuccino Cake...YUM-O (too much rachel ray!)! I also made sweet potato casserole, a recipe from my good good friend I met back in college. It, also, was a HUGE hit! :-) My mother-in-law, who hates sweet potatoes, LOVED IT! YEAH!

I was sad not to see my family though, mom was sicker than a dog and I didn't want to expose baby boy to that, so we stayed put. However, about 30 minutes before we are getting ready to leave, my stomach starts cramping up and I end up in the bathroom for over an hour and then when we leave we no sooner got to a gas station and I had to run in to their bathroom (barely made it!), then we stopped at my sister-in-laws house to get some drugs and for me to use her bathroom! It took us over 3 hours to get home...we originally intended to leave at 7:30, didn't walk out of the his parents house until closer to 8:30, but we didn't actually leave the KC area until closer to 9:30...putting us home just before 11pm! It was a long evening. Oh well, what can I say?! It was still a really good weekend...

Stacy, I was going to ask you, are you having a b-day party for your babies? If so, when, where, time? I need to start planning ahead...haha! My weekends are getting fuller and fuller! I hope we can make it, whenever it is...

Oh and if you are not sitting down, please do, you will never believe what I didn't do! I didn't take ONE picture the whole weekend we were there! NOT ONE?! I don't know what came over me! Anyway...TTFN!

Ohhh Baby It's Cold Outside!

So I went grocery shopping today on base and I forgot how much money you can save just by shopping there...only problem is, they don't have EVERYTHING I always need so it creates two stops, but I am really thinking about making it a regular habit from now on...especially for the baby foods...quite a bit of savings in the long run. So...

When we arrived at the commissary it was pretty cold and blustery but when we left HELLO!!! The winds opened from the depths of hell and unleashed their fury! I could barely hold onto Decovin and I was trying to get him to bury his face in my shoulder but instead he kept facing the wind and sleet-like rain and kept gasping! I hated that! The bagger lady had to jog slightly to keep up with me...I tipped her so I hope she wasn't too mad! :-) It was one of the few times I was thankful for those baggers b/c as I was buckling in D she had already unloaded my groceries into my trunk and I was on my way! Thank goodness! Decovin did get to wear his mittens and super cute hat that latches under his chin to keep the hat on. He looked uber handsome...:-)

So I called Bob on my way out and asked if he had eaten lunch yet and I offered to pick some up and bring it in to him. I wanted to go anyway b/c they just moved into their new office today. It is much more roomy and clean looking than the last one. Oh and the toilet doesn't reek of nasty butt funk! That's right the I said "Nasty Butt-Funk" and you can quote me!

Well, I guess I will be seeing you all, or most of you anyway, on the 25th for Thanksgiving...anyway...here are some pics of D that I just had to share!

Oh and...

Decovin went to the doctor yesterday for his 9 month check up...he is healthy! He is 20.3 lbs, 28.5 inches tall and has an 18" noggin. All in all, they said that the measurements were all about the 50th percentile...

They didn't have any flu shots available yesterday when we went so we have to check back in Mid-November...the nurse practioner said to check after Thanksgiving...so we shall see...

I totally voted!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's back to work I go

So I have been home a full week now and I forgot how much I was responsible for at home...being at home, I had Christy or Mom that I could just simply ask: "Do you mind watching D while I go..." Well, now I don't have that luxury and I have to time everything just right so as not to leave D in a room by himself for too long...not that he minds (generally) but I just know that if I leave him in a room for too long something will get knocked over or pulled or touched that isn't supposed to be. So I tried the pack-n-play for awhile...and that works SOME days but not often...he does not like to be confined for too long...so everything is a juggling act anymore...but I am getting back into the swing of things...Decovin adjusted almost immediately and loves that he has so much more open crawling space to explore...he already broke our only lamp that was left and we have had to remove everything off the tables and up high so that he doesn't grab them. We are still working on the stereo equipment...he hasn't quite figured out "no." Anyway...

Mom and Dad came up yesterday and met us at Powell Gardens and we had a really nice afternoon. It is a gorgeous chunk of land and even though everything was not in bloom, it was still beautiful...we plan to return in the Spring when it is in full bloom...should be GORGEOUS!

Today is a lazy day, I am going to work on some xmas gifts and Bob went to clean the basement and the garage...Decovin is napping and it is pretty quiet in here...I know it won't last long...so I better go enjoy it while I can. This is D's "Lean Back" picture and the "Whaaaaat's Uuuuup?" Enjoy!