And now a word from our sponsor.....

I will blog important things later....but now it's just time for a good song break. Enjoy the holidays!

Bucket List

For some reason, I've been thinking about my so-called "bucket list" lately and what would be on it. One thing for sure is learning to play the cello. I have always had a love for this instrument...it's quality of sound. To me it has such a power of spirituality to it (weird I know, but it does). I just think it would be cool to be like the dude on Air Wolf (circa 1980's show) that would walk out to the end of his dock and sit by the lake in his mountain home surroundings and just play his cello to relax.....I would totally do that.....if I played the cello, and lived in the mountains by a lake....which I don't.....but someday I will, play the cello atleast, and I will sit in my front yard if I have to and play it as the sun sets on my desert suburbia neighborhood.

One giant sandbox

Two weekends ago we went to the Pink Coral Sanddunes for Nola's birthday. It was her idea and we had such a fun time relaxing in the sand, playing, and picnicing. She's a gem of a grandma and mother-in-law

extraordinaire!!!

My new nickname HA HA HA HA HA!

So you think you can dance

One of the greatest passions I have in this life is dancing. As awkward as I am, I can't help but love dance/dancing. I've never excelled at it, but I've had my moments....and I want to be able to do it until I die...and then do it some more. I constantly find myself listening to music (another passion) and choreographing dances to it in my head. And when it comes to dance, there's very little discrimination on my part...I love pretty much all of it. That's why one of my favorite shows is "So you think you can dance" which starts again tonight and I'm so excited to see what talent shows up this time. The two songs I've loved lately for mental choreographing are "Lost" - by Anouk and "Now"- by Dave Carroll ...both of which are just pretty to me....playlist only has Lost though. :) enjoy...it's mellow yellow.

Finding Joy

I've decided that I need to work on finding more joy in being a mom/parent. Some days are better than others, but I do admire those people who can just laugh off the stuff that your kids do to make you crazy.....because it really does more good than bad to do that. Lately my lil' Adam has been told "no" A LOT...which isn't a bad thing, just not fun either and I need to relax on the inside and realize that this is just a stage of life right now that won't last forever and not get so worked up about it. I'm just really grateful to family and friends right now who have helped with the adjustment of a new baby and figuring this all out again...it's made the world of difference and they have helped me to maitain a decent perspective on things....I just want to improve on it. Here's a few good moments though captured. enjoy! yeah...and i stole the song idea from Hopie...who has impecable taste in music (she likes it all :)

BABY EMILY RUTH ALTON

On Tuesday July 28, 2009 a new joy entered our life at 11:03pm. Her name, Emily Ruth Alton. She weighed 8 lbs. 10oz. and measured 19 1/2 inches long. She is simple beautiful and healthy and precious in every way. A great eater and pretty mellow (for now). Everything went very well with the birth. There were some concerns with my placenta bleeding, so we ended up at the hospital to have her instead of the home birth we planned, but it was a good decision and we are grateful to our midwife and doula for their help in making the birth experience everything we wanted in a setting that wasn't planned. The nurses were pretty nice too and Dr. Chalmers was the one to help deliver her...he was pretty cool too with letting us do our thing and just helping as needed. It was a beautiful experience and we are grateful to have her here with us! I will post pictures and more info. later when I have a minute or two....because I've already used up the one that I had today :) Lots of love to everyone for their support and love and well wishes. I feel angels, seen and unseen, helping us out!!!

Trouble is my business and business is good.

That's a saying on one of Adam's shirts....and today it fit. So, here's a little story for y'all. This morning my husband comes home from work and says " a truck I was working on started on fire...so check out my singed leg hairs." Me.....not surprised in the least, but somewhat concerned "so....is the truck okay?" Apparently gas was leaking in it, it started fire somehow, but it was okay and didn't do any damage....how? I don't know, but he said it didn't. Mike had come home to take a shower and clean up to head back to work....so he was getting ready to do that while we talked. In the time that it took for us to have this short conversation and make our way back to the bedroom something else happened.

Me: "man...you really smell like smoke."
Mike: (sniff) "uh, that's not me"
Me: thought in my head as I go back out to the kitchen where Adam and my niece were "....where's Adam?"
As I approach our kitchen, I see Adam, my sweet little boy, standing looking up at our microwave and saying "I cook it!" Sure enough, I look in through the semi-transparent door of the microwave and see a fire. He had put one of his toy cars inside and was cooking it.
Me: "MIKE....FIRE."
Mike then proceeds to run out and help me clear off the top of the microwave, unplug it, and he picks it up and carries it out our back door to put it on the grass......all the while he is buck-naked. Remember, he came home to take a shower. With hands over my face and laughing, I said a mental prayer that my neighbors were safe inside their homes.
Adam: "no no no" shaking finger like he was scolding the place where the microwave used to sit. Me: "uh....you think?"
Good thing God gave us a sense of humor right? Well, just thought you all might enjoy just an inside glimpse to how my life is playing out :) I appreciate my mother in so many more ways these days.

Talk about a room with a view....hey, I'd chill on the pot more if this is what is was all about...hahahahaha!

This post is dedicated to all the things that I want to say but can't or just shouldn't. Thanks!
(try not to read too much into this).

Word up for the Dad!

It's funny how true the saying is "time flies." I wonder where it originated from?

It has been 17 years since my dad moved on to the next stage of living....most people call it "passing on." Sadly enough, I'm able to remember the amount of time easily by the ages of my 3 nephews who were all born that same year and have grown into awesome men (yes, men, I talked to Todd on the phone the other day and he definately didn't sound like a boy anymore...same with Kaden and Mike).
My dad was one-of-a-kind. It's strange for me to think about the people in my life now and how very few of them actually met my dad....a man who was so influencial in my life and who I am. Not even my husband has met him, which he will someday and I sure hope Mike is prepared for THAT meeting...hahahahahaaaaa!
I can't say that I knew my dad very well, I was 14 when he died and really, how well can you know your parents at that age...but I think I had a pretty decent grasp on who he is. Because of our family business, we were able to spend time together that most kids don't get the opportunity to with their dads. We worked together as well as lived together. In fact, some of my favorite memories of my dad include those times when we went on road trips to deliver merchandise to national parks...sleeping in vans and eating nut rolls. He always made me feel special by introducing me to the people he knew...and didn't just brush me aside. My dad called me "pumpkin" or "angel" and gave me the opportunity to learn about reflexology by massaging his feet...A LOT, something that I didn't appreciate as much at the time but do now. He taught me about having fun and letting loose after working hard. He was the first person to try and throw someone in the pool with their clothes on or make someone jump by poking them in the ribs. When he got mad, his lips disappeared and that's when you knew to stop. He loved my mom in a way that I have never seen another human being love a person.....completely and with such adoration and care...if my mom could do wrong in his eyes, I never heard about it or saw it. My dad was fun-loving, a motivated and hard worker, and loved family and God more than anything else. I remember one night sleeping on the van floor on a piece of cardboard with his coat to cover me as we drove all night to make it back from Yellowstone in time to go to church. I was tired and I'm sure my dad was exhausted, but he taught me the importance of fulfilling church duties and Sunday worship and the importance it held in his life. He boar testimony of the things he believed were true mostly through his example and the way he lived his life and interacted with others. When my dad would talk about his love for his family he would usually cry...but he let us know often how he felt about us and our mom without any shame that it brought on such emotion. He had a way of making everyone feel loved and accepted, calling them "sis" or "governor", etc. He loved to go grocery shopping with my mom and buy things like Spam or Vienna Sausages in bulk from Costco....which my mom would sneak out of the house via us during Christmas time for the canned food drives. He enjoyed laying on the living room couch and listening to my mom play piano and it always seemed as if it was a part of heaven to him. He was very vocally complimentary of my mom and her talents and abilities. There's a lot about my dad I could share, but that would be a very long read.
I know well enough that my dad was not perfect...but he was a great man who strived to do his best and encourage others to do the same. It's awesome to see parts of him in my brothers. I NEVER doubted his love for me and I hope to raise boys who honor him by emulating some of his qualities.

I'm so vain....

I got a haircut I got a haircut....

I got a haircut...hey hey hey hey

Who got a haircut? I got a haircut.

I got a haircut hey hey hey hey.

Detoxification

I think it would surprise most people I know that quite often I deal with trying not to be very annoyed....call it moodiness or whatever. This morning I was having one of those moments that I could tell was going to motivate me to do something unproductive like spend money on crap I don't need or something. So, in an effort to harness that energy to do something less destructive....I decided to get out of town. Going on drives has definately been an outlet for me....long, I don't want to stop drives. I did this a lot when I lived in Provo with roommates, either for their benefit or mine (I guess that's why I love Provo canyon so much), but it has turned out to be a very therapeutic thing to do. So, equipped with a package of beef jerky, a Costco croisant roll, some strawberries, and plenty of sippy cups full of milk and water bottles....Adam and I headed out to spend some time near Zion. Our first stop was in Rockville at the cemetary. Odd I know, but I dig checking out old cemetaries and thought that maybe I would find an ancestor's stone there since they lived in the area a long long time ago...no luck with the ancestors though. We went on into Springdale and played at a park and walked around by the Virgin River, which was very full due to spring runoff. It was pretty windy and maybe not the best weather, but me and Adam didn't really care. I just let him explore around for awhile while I took in the beauty of the surroundings and enjoyed his curiousity. I was going to go into Zion park, but didn't really want to pay the fee today and I could tell Adam was going to take a nap real soon, so after a diaper change, we headed back home. Adam zonked out pretty quick...and when we got home, I finished his nap with him snuggled together on my bed. It turned out to be a short, fun adventure that was just what I needed to combat the demons of anger. Feeling a lot better now....thank you God for creating Zion's and the surrounding nature.

EASTER PARTY

So my little brother is officially the "master party planner" in my book now. I'm not sure where he got this from because our family doesn't really do parties...so he must come by this naturally, but he and his wife Lindsay and her grandparents hosted quite the Easter Bash! Bob and Dobo (Lindsay's grandparents) let Bud use their home and all of Lindsay's family came up for the weekend, and they invited Mike, Adam, and I over for all the fun. He hid eggs and prizes around the yard for the egg hunt, had a bouncy house, a pinata, a balloon popping game, a dart game, baby chicks....it was sooooo much fun for everyone. Plus Lindsay's family provided us with amazing food as well. It was the best party I've been to for .....well, I think it's the best party I've been to. ;) By the end of it all, Adam was so worn out he fell asleep about 2 blocks away when we left...that's how you know you had a fun time. A BIG THANKS to my bro. and his family (extended too) for the great day.


The master and his little helpers manning the dart board game....Adam actually won a prize too.

Ella holding one of the baby chicks....she was so good and careful with them.

Adam giving a baby chick a kiss....probably right before he started to strangle the poor thing :)

Awwwww....so happy together.....

The amazingly cute cake treats that Lindsay and her sisters made...they were so yummy too!

Checking out the baby chicks....the kids had a lot of fun with these...better than a bunny I think.

Lindsay and her sister and Kash going down the slide on the bouncy house...I love their faces ;)

Playing in the bouncy house, Kash, one of Lindsay's cousins and Adam. They loved this!

Finding the first egg on the hunt....I was surprised at how well Adam knew what to do since this was really his first egg hunt, but he gathered a few by the end of it all.

I love to see (and go to) the temple

So, after watching gen. conference last week and applying things to my life and such, I decided that temple attendance needed to take on a more important role in my life. When I first went through the temple I used to go on average once a week. That changed when I moved back to St. George, and even changed more after I got engaged and married, etc. We just haven't gone to the temple enough, and I live practically spitting distance away....LAME!!! I admit, it's different when you have kids, but not a whole lot. There's plenty of people to watch Adam and opportunity for us to attend and we just haven't. My dear mom-in-law offered to watch Adam last night so that we could attend a temple session and I was so excited....it's not that I don't "want" to go to the temple more often, I just don't make the effort to do so. So, Mike and I made it to an evening session and it was great. I just wish I could take notes while I'm sitting there so that I could remember everything I learn each time I go. It's like watching the ending of a fireworks show and trying to catch a glimpse and enjoy all the different fireworks going off....while you're watching one, a few more go off and steal your attention there...and then another, and then you try to reflect on the first, and then another goes off.....I learn so much when I go, and remember so much I should be working on. I really do like it though. It's not so much a feeling of guilt that I come away with, but a renewed hope in my efforts to do and be better....like I actually stand a chance of getting somewhere in this life (or the next :) Well, I was just so appreciative of Nola for watching Adam so that we could easily go to the temple, and so appreciative of the opportunity to go that I had to make record of it. I encourage anyone who can, to go more often to the temple...I'm going to set a goal to go atleast once a month, whether by myself or with my hubby or friends....I need the lift in my life that it brings.

Toilet Monster

My bro. & his wife Mark & Jennie are to me the ideal couple as far as sense of humor goes (and a lot of other ways too)....and they proved it to me once again by the gift that they sent for Adam's b-day. I'm not sure exactly who picked it out, but I could see both of them doing it. I laughed so freakin' hard when I opened it....probably the best laugh I've had for weeks. Jennie had told me to open it and set it up first before letting Adam see it....and so I did. And videoed the response....enjoy! Thanks Mark, Jen, & girls....we love you!

side note: Adam still keeps saying "roar" whenever he sees the gift, but it hasn't scared him from the toilet. It's stuff like this that makes parenting even more fun.

Oh, why not...

Since becoming a parent, and possibly beforehand, I have come up with the idea that as long as my children are unable to create a long-term memory I wouldn't participate in the usual rituals of creating big to-do's about big events (i.e. holidays and birthdays). I didn't see the point in putting together big b-day parties, etc. for a 1-yr-old (and such) who could care less that it was being done. Not that I'm trying to be a "party-pooper" but it's a lot of work and let's be honest...it's really for the parents....so if I didn't care, and my child couldn't care, then why???? Well, I went against my idea this time and threw Adam a 2-yr-old b-day party...however, I'm proud to say that I really didn't make much of a big fuss. I just invited friends and family to come, bring food if they wanted to or offered, NO PRESENTS (even though some did and that was very nice but unneccessary, but very nice indeed), and bought a pinata so that the older cousins wouldn't be bored. We cooked hot-dogs and I did make a small cake that looked like a soccer ball for the birthday boy (it was my first real attempt at cake decorating and I think it turned out pretty good....this was about me, but Adam really appreciated the "ball" because he loves balls). Anyhow, it turned out to be a good excuse to get people together and it's been a REALLY long time since I've done anything like this. I'm grateful the weather was nice and was happy that those who came could come and celebrate/hang out with us. It was fun, a lot of work, but fun. I still hold to the idea of not doing things too big for little ones though because if you start out big you just have to grow from there....call me lazy (I prefer practical) but it's true....and if you're willing and able...by all means, go for it. I do know that when my kids get to where they care about these things I will have a ton of fun doing it for them and love every minute of celebrating life with them....I don't buy into the whole "if you don't do it now you never will" crap that some have tried to use....



Also, my sis-in-law Lindsay was awesome as usual and invited us over to decorate cupcakes for St. Patty's day. She made the cutest cupcakes that looked like shamrocks and we of course had fun at their house, so I added a few pics of that as well.



Anyhow, enjoy the pics from the party and such....Adam got a handsome new church outfit from Grandma and I think he looks fabulous in it if I do say so....see below. Thanks again to all those who came and made it a fun evening with us....maybe now that my porch and yard is cleaned up we'll do more....?

http://s637.photobucket.com/albums/uu99/ginaalton/?albumview=slideshow

2 YEARS OLD & COUNTING...

YEP! That's right, he's "2". Our little Adam boy has officially stepped into the so-called "terrible" stage of life, however, it's not so terrible (yet). He just gets into his regular boy mischief, but nothing that doesn't really make for a good story anyway. He's the joy of our life and keeps us going....our lives would pretty much suck without him (insert Kelly Clarkson's new song here). We are so happy to have Adam in our home and grateful that he is healthy and strong. He's so inquisitive and wants to do what the big kids do. He loves to climb, read books, sit on the toilet, play with balls of all kinds, and animals. I'm not going to go over his whole birth story here, or life, but if you care to hear about it let me know...I AM a proud mamma and will talk about my boy anytime I feel it welcome. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM...WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Create Your Own World

"Every day has its own rewards and its own unique challenges. None of us has the same exact worries or responsibilities, because life is shaped around each of us as individuals. It's important to remember that we all create our own worlds. Who we are and the way we act are how we control our lives. There are endless opportunities for us to change and rearrange the day-to-day moments we are given. It's up to each of us to decide which way we want to go; how far or how fast we go in life are the choices we all must make for ourselves." - Dena Ditaconi

I liked this thought I read today in the book I'm reading. It reminds me of things my mom taught me just by being her.....what I mean is, I don't believe she set out a plan to teach me these things, she just did. She was definitely a person who by nature allowed us as her children to be influenced by her, but not overwhelmed by her. She had the ability, for the most part I believe, to see who we were as individual spirits and encourage us to be own selves. For me especially, being the only daughter, I appreciated this because I'm sure there were many times that she may have wanted to "mold" me into something more conducive to her ideal daughter, but she just let me be me. She gave me opportunities to explore things I wanted to, and also explore things she thought I might want to, never really making me feel like I needed to be her....or her version of what she thought I should be. By doing this, she taught me to be patient and appreciative of other people....and celebrate our differences and similarities without feeling threatened by either. It's very human and natural for us to want people to see things the way we do and do things the way we do them and be what we think they should be, but it's not right to make them feel that. I'm very far from being like my mom on this, but I think she definitely helped me on the path to becoming better at it.

I also liked the above thought because it expresses the idea that we are in fact in control of our happiness (or misery) and the choices we make determines this.

Because I did it on my sis-in-laws blog.....

"The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...Post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift!"

"Labour of Love" by Frente

Anyone have ideas on how I could find a downloadable version of this song....it's not on iTunes. It has some sentimental value to me and I went through some old tapes the other day to get rid of them, and this was a song I found and want, but can't seem to get. Thanks!

Reading

I'm reading a few books right now....but one in particular has thoughts that I wish to share...and will at random for the next little while. I like what it has to say. It's a collaboration of quotes from other people....which lends to easy sharing...Enjoy!

Don't Ever Doubt Yourself

"You have so much to offer, so much to give, and so much you deserve to receive in return. Don't ever doubt that. Know yourself and all of your fine qualities. Rejoice in all your marvelous strengths of mind and body. Be glad for the virtues that are yours, and pat yourself on the back
for all your many admirable achievements. Keep positive. Concentrate on that which makes you happy, and build yourself up. Stay nimble of heart, happy of thought, and healthy of mind, and well in being." - Janet A. Sullivan

Thanks for sharing Janet Sullivan.

Stuff

I believe I've started my "nesting" stage of pregnancy....or you could call it spring cleaning, either way I've been spending my time cleaning lately (with the exception of when my family was here from NY...why waste important time cleaning). Today I cleaned under my kitchen sink and organized all of the cleaners and was glad I did that before a plumber or anyone else had to venture there.....boy howdy it was gross. My sweet little Adam didn't even care that I was in "forbidden country" while I was cleaning either....he just played with his toys and let me be...until it was time to put everything back and then he came and put every bottle back in for me and shut the cupboard doors.....I was amazed that he didn't want to cause more mischief. Well, I guess it's about time that I start doing something to get ready for this bambino that's coming in July. I have a marathon ahead of me and I haven't done any training yet....I better get started or I'm going to be very unprepared....which isn't a good idea. Any good suggestions or ideas are welcome.

In the Spirit of the Season....

Well, I'm not going to lie to y'all....being married for Mike and I has not always been easy...so this isn't going to be too mushy. In fact, most days it's been down right difficult. We are prideful and stubborn and make things more difficult on ourselves than is probably really necessary....however, it hasn't all been bad, and there has been enough really good times to keep us trying. For some people, love and loving comes easily...that would be nice. For us, it has taken some work, tears, and more compromise than most...but at the end of the day we still come home to each other and don't want to be anywhere else. This Valentine's day, we were able to have grandma and grandpa take Adam overnight so that we could have some "us" time together. We went to a good movie Friday night ("New in Town" it was really cute and a good normal love story with some funny parts) went to Fiesta Fun because we could and watched another movie cause Mike wanted to ("Fireproof" it was a good story too...a little more religious than I expected, but still good with some cheesy acting). Woke up Sat. and had a long-long-long conversation that wasn't planned but needed and got massages together. Ate lunch together and then did our own thing for a bit before we both went to pick up Adam from Gma's....of the which, he could've cared less that we walked in the door....he was having a good time with grandma. It was a good weekend that refreshed us both I believe, despite the fact that we both have good colds today :) I believe that the more we work on our love story though, the better it's getting. It doesn't have to be perfect but it's ours and it's real.

Today was such a random weather day, but I loved it. While I drove around town I went through foggy mist, sunny blue skies, and rain & sleet in about 20min. Well, I really had nothing to blog about, but I was getting annoyed at hearing "Bad Boys' so I needed a reason to change my music....b.t.w. Adam still seems bent on adding diapers to the toilet whenever he gets 2 seconds of unnoticed time....and no amount of punishing is deterring it....do you think I'm in trouble?????

Curiousity clogged the toilet

So, yesterday I went to a meeting before church and left Adam and Mike to chill at home and get ready for church. Mike said he put on an animal show on the tube for Adam to watch while he took a "quick shower" and thought that it would keep his attention....I know you mom's of toddlers are already laughing now. When I got home I found them in our bedroom, Mike holding Adam with a strange look on his face patting his legs. "Do you know how he got wet?" Mike asked me as I entered (my thought: uh, I'm the one who just got home...you were the one that was here...why would I know) my response: No, but maybe he got into the tub which is still wet from my shower this morning? As I opened our bathroom door I found the most magnificently decorated toilet...see exhibit A, B, and C. (b.t.w. the door was closed but he knows how to open them now)
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C

I laughed.....a lot, because I knew there was no way I was cleaning that up and Mike couldn't dispute it. Also, I had to admire the creativity of my little mischievous son who was able to accomplish this in such a short time. As you will notice, he didn't just use toilet paper, but also thought to stop by his garbage can in his bedroom and pick up a few dirty diapers to throw in.....HA HA HA HA! Seriously I've been giggling about it the whole time. Maybe I was just in the right mood, but it was great!
Well, later in the day we went to grandma & grandpa's for dinner and as we were talking with friends who had been invited over for dinner we stopped paying close attention to Adam who was supposedly playing in the hallway with toys and our friend's kids. After awhile, Mike went to find Adam....and he did. In the bathroom......standing by the toilet in a pool of water. HA HA HA HA!!!!! I really was in a good mood yesterday. After assessing the situation, we discovered that our little genius had stuffed plenty of toilet paper in the toilet and flushed it, which clogged the toilet....but why stop there? He kept flushing it, and flushing it, and.....well, hence the mini pond. Good thing I have such a good-natured mother-in-law. She just laughed and then was like "oh, I'll clean it up." I wasn't about to let her do that, but as I started to clean it up, she was like "Gina, go sit down I've got it." I'm not about to get in grandma's way, so she cleaned it up and has yet earned her another right into heaven....she truly is the most angelic lady. Two toilets in one day....for a kid who's been pretty good about toilety messes....he sure made up for the time. It's so funny the things that happen in our day because of him.....it's great!
The innocent face:

Gratitude and Trust

These are two things that I decided over the weekend I should try to incorporate into my life a little more. Being grateful goes a long way, and I've usually been pretty good at recognizing that I am really blessed, but lately have lost some of that. Something that goes along with that equally is expressing that gratitude, even for the smallest things, and doing so in a timely manner. So, adding to my "I'm going to be even more awesome someday if I do these things" list, I am adding gratitude and the expressing of it.
Trust, well that may take me some time because I usually act in a guarded way because I'm just cautious like that...a deeply ingrained personality flaw that hasn't always served me badly per se, but could use some tweaking maybe. I read a good article about discovering the power of trust that gave me some things to think about just now and a good quote from it taken from Goethe, "Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be." The article's author was trying to illustrate that sometimes we need to trust people to be more than what they are in order for them to rise to the occasion, so to say. There's more to it than that, but maybe some of you have had a person in your life who believed in you when you didn't believe in yourself. Trusted you to be more than you thought you could be or do things better than you thought you could do them. I have. It was inspiring and motivating, something that has made a lasting impression on me. So, when I talk about trust I'm not saying I'm necessarily going to trust more in the typical sense of the word (for now) as much as trust in people's abilitiy to be more than comes at face value. Now...glad you read that one aren't you. And, b.t.w. I love Natalie Merchant's voice...she rocks!

Road Trip

I'm not sure if a road trip with a toddler would be fun or not....but I really want to go on one. I don't really have a destination in mind, and it probably isn't the best time of year for that, but I've had this craving to go somewhere lately....and every time I hear certain songs it makes it worse....like this song by Nickelback....it makes me want to go.

Feed the birds

So, the weather here in S.G. has been nearly sinful as beautiful as it has been....so I have taken advantage of it lately with my little sidekick Adam and gone outside to play more. It's made me a little Spring-sick however. Today after playing at the nearby park, we got lunch with Mike and went and had a family picnic and feed some local fowl at a golf course pond.....As you can see from the pictures, we had fun and there was an abundance of said fowl to feed.

They were actually pretty friendly too.....I recommend them over the birds at the St. George golf course because those suckers are way too aggressive. Anyhoo....it was a fun afternoon and I was surprised that Adam didn't freak out when the geese got close. He actually feed them pretty well for his first time, and even let a few eat right from his hand. He really wanted to get into the water with the ducks though, so next time we'll have to bring the back leash thingy we bought for such times as these.

I recommend this to anyone who's looking for a new and cheap activity to do with the kids....or adults who think they are still kids....either way, buy your bread from the bread store on the blvd. because you can get it cheap and take more than one loaf because these suckers are hungry hungry hippos and 1 loaf goes fast. It was the Bloomington Hills golf course b.t.w.

Oh my aching back

I'm starting to get annoyed at my back because for the past week + it's been keeping me down...literally. Over the weekend I had to stay on my back to give it a rest dr.'s orders. And it still hasn't totally let up. It's the weirdest thing because I honestly don't know what I did to make it hurt so bad, but it feels like I have a super nasty kinked neck in my back (that's the only way I can describe it). I've been to the accupunturist a couple of times (which is always a fun experiement in interpreting accents, they're Chinese and super nice) and the chiropractor...it's helped but still is there. Blah! I've come to realize that I get rather impatient when my body isn't up to par....I don't like feeling like crap (who does really) but I'm a bad sick person. I hate just laying around when there's so much to do in my home, not to mention a very rambunctious todler to keep up with. Well, I'm hoping that soon I will be able to get back into the swing of things and stop being a whiny cripple...boo hoo for me.