this was fun to wake up to a while back...

STATS:
Due: mid-May
Major craving: Grape Nuts...any time of day
Morning Sickness: I thought I was in the clear for the first few weeks, then it hit...still going through just feeling yucky most of the day
Boy or Girl? I honestly am about 50/50 on what I would rather have. Part of me thinks it would be fun to have two little boys. The other part wants a girl, a big reason being the type of relationship my mom and I have. I'd love to have that one day with a daughter. On a sidenote, Cam is outnumbered with his cousins 5 to 1...so it might be nice for him to have another boy around. :)
How I told Chris: Made a "We are pregnant!!!" sign and stuck it in his donut the morning I took the test. He was, of course, super excited.
Names: With Cam, we tried at first to keep it a secret. That didn't last long as we wanted to get other people's opinions. We are determined this time to keep it a secret. We'll see...
Will this be our last? Most likely. We have said for a long time now that 2 is a good number for us.

we are curious creatures

I'm almost done reading a book entitled, "Predictably Irrational", for a book club I am in. Basically it talks about why we make the decisions we do. Some of the studies done were fascinating and I thought I would share a few:

*Obviously restaurants make the most money on the pricier menu items. But did you know that they make more money on the #2 most expensive item, rather than the #1? The main reason for even having the #1 is to trick us. We think, "Hmm...that is quite pricey. I better get the slightly less pricey one and I'll feel better about my decision." It's hard to justify the MOST expensive item...we feel like better spenders if we bypass that for the only slightly less expensive choice. Restaurants will often keep the #1 even if it never sells because they know the effect it has.

*If you see a shirt at Target for $20, but know Walmart (which is 15 minutes away) has the same one for $7 less, the majority of us would think the 15 minute drive is worth saving the $7. However if you were looking at a $300 TV at Target and knew it was $7 less at Walmart, you most likely would not make the 15 minute trip. For some reason, the ratio of how much you are saving compared to the overall cost affects how much we are willing to do to save the $7, despite it being the exact same savings each time.

*A six pack of coke was left in a college dorm refrigerator. Within 72 hours, every can had been taken. A plate of six $1 bills was left in the same refrigerator. After 72 hours, none had been taken. The point? People find it more difficult to steal straight cash.

favorites

Donut: old fashioned glazed
City: Santa Barbara
Day: to be honest, they all are pretty much the same :)
Sitcom: The Office
Movie I saw recently: Ironman
All time movie: Here is only 1 b/c I have several- While You Were Sleeping
Bread: Milton's (from Costco)
Mall: Brea
Flower: Gerber daisies (those are the colored ones, right?)
Ice cream topping: Oreo
Celebrity Hair: Keri Russell (curly Felicity days)
Celebrity style: Jessica Alba
Nut: toasted almond
Dressing: Ranch or Blue Cheese

my gym

Several people have asked me about MyGym and what exactly it is. I took a few pictures today during his class to give you an idea. Basically it is an hour of fun activities and play time in a large room filled with big cushy slides, tunnels, a ball bin, etc. Throughout the hour, the teachers will bring out different activities to have the kids try, such swinging on a little trapeze, riding a plastic car down the slide (called "roller coaster"), etc.

Cameron absolutely loves each class and is constantly on the go the entire time. I love how great it is for him to be in a room with sooo many kids since 90% of the time we go to parks, there are only a few other kids there. It's also great to have him try different things. He doesn't always like it nor cooperate, but it is still something that I think is good for him. It is one hour a week that I know he adores.

petty, but a valid complaint

I just got back from Cold Stone, which we rarely go to because it is soooo overpriced. However I had a gift card, so off I went. Typically, after they finish mixing your creation, they scrape ALL of the ice cram into your cup. Not this time. This guy literally left about 2 huge spoonfuls of my ice cream (including a huge oreo hunk) on the counter and proceeded to hand me my cup. I was stunned. Are you really going to leave what would probably amount to about 50 cents worth of my ice cream (considering my tiny cup was $4.39) on your counter???

Yes, I realize this is quite petty. But when it comes to desserts, I can tend to get overly dramatic.

Would you have handed it back and asked him to scoop the rest?

john and kate

One of my favorite shows is John and Kate + 8. Chris will often watch it with me, however he tends to get annoyed with the way Kate talks to her husband (she can get rather condescending). I recently finished a book written by the couple ("Multiple Blessings") talking about how their whole story began. It was very interesting to hear about it as the show mainly has focused on life once the sextuplets became older. I think one of things I love about the show is that it is motivating to me when I feel overwhelmed. If they can do it with 8 kids, I can certainly do it with one! It is also neat to see how much they value their family. They find contentment in purely being together and I find that very sweet. :) Anyway, if you are a fan of the show, I think it is worth a read. And if you live nearby, I can certainly loan it to you!

just takes a couple minutes

Back when my sister was in college, she spent a summer in Yellow Stone working as a hotel maid (with Campus Crusade for Christ). When she returned and began describing her day to day routine of cleaning each room, she commented on how wonderful it was to come across a room in which the people had stripped the beds for her. While I'm sure she had gotten the routine down to just a few minutes, I can just imagine how nice it was to enter a room and not have to do yet another set of beds.

Ever since, whenever we have stayed at a hotel, I have stripped the beds right before leaving. Usually I'm not that in the mood to do it, especially if Cam is anxious to leave. But I figured that if it brightened someone's dull routine of cleaning room after room, it was worth it. This is something I never would have thought of had it not been for my sister's first hand experience with it.

we're off

We are off to San Diego for a few days. We are taking Cam to Lego Land for his belated birthday present. We've never done an amusement park with him, so here's to hoping it's a success! Ta-ta for now!!

mcdonald's bias

I've never liked McDonald's. I always have this yucky feeling when I think about eating there with the exception of their ice cream and parfaits. Anyway, Chris and I have gone a few times after our morning walk to get parfaits for breakfast. It is a nice outing, not to mention cheap. But take a look at this McDonald's. Looks more like the inside of a Starbucks, huh? It is relatively new and located over toward a retirement community, hence the classy atmosphere and lack of a play area. It is such a nice place to go in the morning and I love that you don't feel like you are in a McDonald's.



p.s. I realize there is no logic to my hatred. I like hamburgers and would gladly eat one at Carl's Jr. or any other fast food. I think my bitter feelings stem from back when I was a kid. I distinctly remember asking my mom for a hamburger without pickles or ketchup. For some reason back then, they must have had them pre-made, because you couldn't request them without an ingredient. So I learned to never eat there because I didn't want to be forced into eating pickles and ketchup! I guess the bitterness stuck with me.

new routine and hopefully new stroller

Over the past couple of weeks, we've started a new morning routine. After Cam gets up, the three of us walk to a park up the road. It is surrounded by a track so while Cam plays at the park (or rather runs up and down a dirt hill next to it), Chris goes jogging around the track. My favorite part of the morning comes when I point out to Cam when dad is is sight. As soon as he sees him, he darts down the hill and runs as fast as he can over to Chris. It is the cutest picture to see because he is sooo excited to see Chris coming around the corner!



As you know I take a lot of walks. One of the mistakes I made was to not invest in a jogging stroller. Normal strollers just aren't meant for the wear and tear mine has gotten. So this morning, after less than two years of use, we realized our stroller needed to go. The wheel is barely hanging on and it just isn't safe.



This morning Chris converted our bike trailer to a stroller, which worked fine for the morning. But this afternoon when I went , hoping to make a stop at the grocery store, I quickly realized I wouldn't fit down the aisles very well. I often stop by the store, so I would rather have something a little more compact.



So...here is my request. If you live relatively nearby and own a stroller that you no longer use and would like to sell....please let me know! I'd rather not buy a new one, but will have to as I'm not the hugest fan of the bike trailer. :)

formula for good pizza

The formula for good pizza, in my opinion, is:

1. Super duper thick, doughy crust
2. Little sauce
3. Quadruple Cheese

I don't care for any toppings. I like pepperoni, but it always is too spicy. Fruit on a pizza (like on Hawaiian) is against nature.

Whenever you read the pizza box, it usually tells you to reheat the pizza in the oven. I used to think this was a waste of time and heat. Why not just nuke it? For some reason I decided to try it one time, and I have never gone back. It makes it sooo much better. The crust gets nice and crispy...perfect.

t-ball

Cam has always been a very gentle high fiver. Rather than a hearty slap on the hand, he more gently taps your hand. It's quite funny. This has carried over into T-ball. Today we tried out Cam's new set his grandparents gave him. See how gentle he is in tapping the ball. I think we need to put a little aggression potion in his milk!!

Click here for video

p.s. If you like grapes, get your buns to Costco because they have the most amazing, sweet grapes right now!!

For one year...

would you rather:

Every time you have to go to the bathroom, you have to wait until you are about to burst

OR

The only liquid you can have is soda


Yes, they are totally unrelated, but that is what makes it more fun!

sunday

First off, thanks for all of your comments on my post regarding Sarah Palin. I enjoyed reading your points of view. I honestly have lots of things to say in response and I feel like some of my post might have been misunderstood. But let's be honest, this debate could go on forever and I don't want it to take a turn to where people start getting offended. So I'm glad I decided to make it my only political post and now I'm going back to the exciting world of our lives...or not so exciting I should say. :)

Yesterday after church we went up to Forest Home with my parents and their church. They go up every year for a picnic, barbeque, and baptism. Cam did pretty well considering the huge number of people. It was nice to escape the yucky heat down here as it was so much cooler there.




After we got back, we attempted to put together a birthday present Cam had received from our neighbors, Fred and Wendy. Fred came out to help us and we never quite got it to work right. Fred was laughing as he said this will just be the first of MANY toys Chris will have to assemble over the next decade. Luckily, Chris loves putting together things like this and never gets frustrated when they don't work. hehe!!

what is it about the coupons???

My favorite parts in the Sunday paper are Parade Magazine, the Target ad, and the coupons. I love looking at the coupons. The only weird part is that I cannot remember the last time I actually cut out a coupon! So why do I look forward to them so much???

just one post

I decided a while back that I didn't want my blog to be a preachy place regarding my view on politics. I want it mainly to be a light hearted, but also honest when it comes to things I deal with.

With that said, this will be my only post about the elections. While I think Sarah Palin is a dynamic speaker and I've read some great things about what she has done, I'm also very sad about her decision to run for VP. One of the things I've become really passionate about since I've had Cameron is children's welfare. So it saddens me that Sarah is choosing a career path that will require her to spend immense amounts of time away from her young kids, especially her newborn, who I feel needs even more mommy bonding/love because of his special needs. This can't even be compared to just a regular full time job that many moms hold. This is a complete life change that will take her away for great lengths of time from the most important responsibility she has, her kids.

And for those who say, "Well, no one says that about Obama or another MALE who has young kids." My response? A mom is different. She just is. And some say, "So should she pass up this once in a lifetime opportunity and the chance to truly make history by becoming the first VP of the United States of America?" Sorry, but yes. Some things in life require great sacrifice.

you go, Chris

Something that really gets my blood boiling is when people are rude for no reason (yes, it's not nice to be rude no matter what, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying). Like when you ask a salesperson a question and they roll their eyes are or just abrupt when they deal with you...grrrr.

Anyway, this past weekend we went to Target. While I was keeping Cam occupied (by sitting and watching the automatic doors open and shut), Chris checked out. To set it up, there was a woman and her daughter in front of him. They had apparently paid for their purchase with some sort of WIC/government stamp. Ok, so here is what happened:

Cashier: (very politely) I'm sorry ma'am but your stamps only allow you to purchase certain items, so you owe $1.69 in addition.
Woman: I don't understand, I shouldn't have anything left over and shouldn't have to pay anything
Cashier: I'm sorry, but your coupons stipulate that you can only purchase certain items, so you owe $1.69
Woman: You mean you owe $1.69 PLEASE!
Cashier: Ok, you owe $1.69 please.

At this point, the woman gets the money out and the cashier puts her hand out for the money. The woman looks at her, then places the money on the counter, just out of reach of her hand.

Woman: I want to talk to your manager!
Cashier: Ok, I'll have to call her

Enough is enough...
Chris: There is no need to get a manager for this. Ma'am, this girl has been nothing but nice to you. You just need to pay her $1.69 and there is no need to call the manager
Woman: Well, she has been very rude
Chris: Well, I've been standing here the whole time and she hasn't been
Woman: Well, I want a manager
Chris: Then I'm going to wait here for the manager too and tell her what I saw.
Woman: I don't have time to wait around for this
Chris: I don't either, but I will

Woman storms off.

I was so proud of Chris for that. The cashier was nothing but respectful toward the woman and it would have been wrong for her to have to accept how this woman was treating her. So you go Chris. :)

thanks for the memories

Today I had to retire a pair of my favorite shorts. I have had these shorts for 9 years. Yes, 9 years! They have weathered hundreds of wears and washes and have finally sprung a hole, making my decision to toss them somewhat of an easy one.

So thanks Old Navy. Despite the fact that I haven't thought your clothes were super well made, this pair certainly proved that theory wrong!