Sunday, June 28, 2009

Trip to the Hale Koa...

This weekend we decided to stay
in Waikiki at the Hale Koa as a little
"pre-deployment" vacation for all of us.
It was nice to have a change of
scenery and the kids had a blast!
Shriveled Toes...We did lots of swimming!
Sharing Pretzels with Daddy
Payton Under Water
Enjoying Dinner at Benihana's...See the Onion Volcano
Our Chef
Brushing Their Teeth Before Dinner
This is a picture of Payton right after
a fire alarm went off at the hotel.
We were ALL napping and Jonathan
and I jumped right out of bed but the
boys didn't even flinch...And we
thought they were light sleepers!
Going Back to the Room to Check Out :(
One of the best parts of the weekend
was that Payton decided he was ready to swim!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Humorous Photos...

So, Sawyer is always a pretty fussy
baby but during the past few days
he's been unusually fussy.
I know he doesn't have an ear infection so
I'm assuming he's teething since I can see
another top tooth attempting to break through.
So this is pretty much the only way I can
get anything done lately. Fortunately for me,
Sawyer really likes the Ergo carrier.
*****
So for those of you who know me WELL
I'm sure you can see the humor in this picture!
*****
WHY WOULDN'T MY CHILD BE BETTER
SOOTHED BY MOPPING THAN BY
ROCKING IN THE ROCKING CHAIR?!

Lessons with Daddy...

Sawyer is 10 and a half months now
and already one of his absolute favorite
toys is his Rangers baseball bat.
He crawls around the floor with the
bat in his hand chasing any type of ball.
It makes his Daddy very proud!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Not Too Proud...

Lining Up His Strawberries this Morning
(prior to bruise on head)
Eating Lunch After Errand Running and Flipping out of Cart
I'm not too proud to admit my faults, especially when it could potentially benefit someone else. The reason I am writing this is because today Payton fell out of a grocery cart. It scared the life out of me! We were leaving Toys R Us after returning a broken tambourine Jonathan and I had bought for Sawyer for his birthday. I had purchased diapers and put them under the cart and when we were going through the parking lot the diapers fell out from under the cart and brought the cart to a screeching halt. Payton lost his balance and flipped over the front end of the cart and caught his forehead on the parking lot asphalt.
So, lesson learned:
Even if Payton throws a fit because he doesn't want to do something, like be buckled into a grocery cart, I'm not giving in for the sake of avoiding a tantrum anymore. I know what's best for him, that's why I am the parent and he is not. I just thought I'd share because sometimes we (including me, obviously) think we're immune to the warnings on grocery carts, toys, etc. but we're not. It's probably happened 1,000 times before and with more devastating results than a scraped up head and that's why the warning is there. Fellow mommies, I hope you're encouraged by my mistake today :)

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

My Thoughts...

I don't usually do this but I've had some extra time to myself tonight so here goes... I just finished putting the boys to bed and I was sitting in my favorite chair deciding what the most productive thing to do would be and I just couldn't decide. I started to watch the latest episode of Wipe Out but quickly decided that I would probably end up dumber by the end. Then I put Payton back in bed for the 3rd time after he informed me that is was "No dark mommy, no dark." Then I checked out a friend of a friend's blog and cried a few tears over their loss of a premature child. Then I realized Payton was up again, watching me. I then invited him up into my favorite chair and held him for a few minutes while he watched Wipe Out and I cried because I am so thankful for healthy children. Then I put him back in bed, where he has remained for the past half hour or so. Lately I've been overwhelmed with all of the latest and greatest health news. One day soy is good for you and the next day it's not. One day milk is the best thing ever invented and the next day I'm reading about people's efforts to cut out all dairy because the hormones cause premature puberty in girls. In one magazine I read about the best sunscreen and then I read articles about how toxic it is and how it's worse than the actual sun exposure. I try to cook balanced meals for my family and over the past 5 years I've made a lot of changes including switching to whole grains, cutting out processed foods, cooking with olive oil only and using real butter, among other things, but it's overwhelming. I was just reading a friend of a friend's blog (again) and her refrigerator looked like the produce section of an organic supermarket. I feel like in comparison all I am feeding my children are pestisides and hormones and I'm overwhelmed by the newly gained insight. I feel convicted to start making Sawyer's baby food and to throw out the goldfish and graham crackers but then I remember that I am dealing with and trying to feed REAL people. Sawyer has learned to spit out food he doesn't like and Payton throws tantrums multiple times throughout the day when he can't have what he wants to eat. I can't imagine what he would do if I handed him smashed beans and avocado with chips for a snack. In order to be able to sleep tonight I have convinced myself that just like everything else in life, MODERATION is key. I think I am going to start trying to buy more organic, watching less TV and reading more and adding a mineral supplement to our daily routine. Small changes at a time right?!

Reading to Brother...

Monday, June 15, 2009

Sawyer's 1st Birthday Party...

Sawyer Eating His First Piece of Cake
All the Presents and Balloons
This is straight out of a scene from Little Rascals.
I bet he's going to start a He Man Woman Haters Club
when he goes to school!
This is a picture of me telling Jonathan that
Sawyer is NOT going to crab the whole cake.
It looks like Sawyer is on his Daddy's side!
Blowing out the Candle
Playing with His New Ball from
Uncle AC and Auntie Lindy
Trying out His New Lawn Mower
from Daddy and Mommy
Opening Presents
Miss Valerie made Sawyer's cake!
It was amazing :)
Decorations and Food
We celebrated Sawyer's First Birthday
a little early since Jonathan is leaving in July.
Sorry to confuse some of you.
His really birthday is still August 11th!

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Jonathan's Promotion...

Jonathan put on Captain this month
so he had his promotion ceremony today.
Enjoy the photos!

Trip to TX...

Just thought I'd share a few photos from our trip.
Enjoy!