POTD 052708 -- Moving!

POTD 052708, originally uploaded by sheakey.

We are moving! Yes, we got the keys today! At 430 we were told it wouldn't be until tomorrow and at 500 we got a call that said, guess what it's yours now!

Shea gave me this nail (and a hammer) to symbolize all of the nails I can now pound into our own walls!

I think it won't really feel like my own house until we get everything moved and I get to hang that very first picture! Now to decide which one!!

POTD 052508

POTD 052508, originally uploaded by sheakey.

So what will it be like to grow up and wonder, hmmm, when did I eat my first lollipop only to have a mom who says, "May 25, 2008, see here is the photo" Oh and I shared it with the world too!

I'm sure he'll have years of thinking I'm weird and really need to put the camera away. But for now, he's completely willing to take pictures and even enjoys it when something new and exciting is going on (like a lollipop).

Family Portrait

POTD 052308, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Click for the real version...Shea really is in the photo!

Growing Up!

We dropped Ian off at "school" this morning. He doesn't usually go on Fridays, but I need to get some work done before I have to pull the plug on my computer and go into internetless land for about a week...(ahhhh I don't know how I'll function) But back to Ian.

He didn't cry. He didn't protest. In fact he heard a train as we got out of the car and said, "going to the train station." He announced it again as we walked through the door. Ms. Tasha (who we love) asked him for his ticket and he was good to go! We walked out at the typical moment as he was engrossed in something. No tears. Good.

As we drove out of the parking lot there he was in the doorway. Big smile. Waving. Happy! Only the big kids stand in the doorway when their parents leave. Wow! Now I am crying!

The Wackiness That Is My Life!

Justin came over yesterday just as I had discovered some old Animal Planet tattoos. He helped Ian put one on and then had Ian help with his! It cracks me up! They were goofing in the bathroom with them for a long time. Then Ian insisted that they both go look in the big mirror, complete with a little flexing!

And then...the faces! Ian has fully embraced "funny faces"! He asks us to make them, he makes them, and they just seem to get better and better!

Here for credits and journaling!

Floating Around The Internet

So...how many of you agree this is just wrong???

What Katrina Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.
You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.
People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Yeah...I know...it is perfectly accurate...well at least most of it!

Awake At 3AM

What happens when you fall asleep at 8PM? 3AM my eyes pop open...wide awake! So here I am trying to find noiseless things to do in a dark house filled with moving boxes. Sometimes I wish I was one of those people who could sleep for about 12 hours without a problem! Most of the time I'm just begging to sleep uninterupted 6 hours, so I won't complain!

Lately I seem to think in blogposts so I have about a million things I could write like--

• frustrations with having our move postponed to next week
• Ian's clumsiness this week -- the kiddo is running into everything!
• the merits of cleaning out my refrigerator (again)
• how I've packed everything but a few essentials in the kitchen and am wondering now why I need any of those nonessential things
• the fact that I have 5 glass pie plates in my possession and don't remember ever making pie (or having it made for me by Shea...well maybe once)
• my stolen pie plates (mom? are these yours?)
• the merits of not wasting things and how that makes it difficult to throw anything away
• 5 pie plates
• is it a pie plate or a pie dish? hmmmm
• global warming...and the fact that Ian now answers "global warming" if you ask him what scares him
• what scares global warming? trash (long post and a yet to be written children's book behind that!)
• I'm really bad about staying touch with friends...if only they were awake at 4AM...we could chat uninterupted for at least an hour!

Funny thing? I thought I'd just post photos this morning...but now I've rambled!

Ian 2 years ago and Ian last week!

He only wore that little baseball overall thingy once...it was a gift I think. I'm kind of anti the whole sports motif clothing thing, but of course having now written that somewhere the entire world can see, it will become his preferred attire! (aka...I'll headbut you if you don't put that Raiders shirt on me!)

POTD 051808

POTD 051808, originally uploaded by sheakey.

He's ready to go! Ian is a little confused about why we can't go to his new house, and why we keep driving by it! Some days he wants to stay in "his house' but as soon as we mention the tiny park across the street he gets very excited!

The boxes are stacked in our living room and he's discovered one little corner that he likes to sit. He looks like he is ready to go! It is a rare moment that he isn't in the boxes! I'd been trying to get this photo for three days (leaving the shorter spot for him and just stacking around him). Of course today, with no pants on, he pops up there and says, "momma take a picture." And when the boy asks...I comply! That pout? He's discovered making funny faces for the camera. He thinks it is hysterical to make funny faces and then look at them right after!

What a clown!

Just One Year Ago

I was looking through old scrapbook pages tonight and found this one.

So if I ignore the fact that my designs have REALLY improved what I do see is really amazing! Look at that sweet little face, but if you read the journaling you'll be blown away. It is hard to believe that it was just a year ago that he could only say one or two words together and most people couldn't understand them! Now he is a sentence making, talking machine! He now asks questions and waits for responses and can carry on a conversation! How did this happen so quickly?!

***ETA***
Okay I couldn't stand it! That layout is just sad...so for comparison here is a page I finished today instead of finishing packing :) Credits are here

POTD 051608

POTD 051608, originally uploaded by sheakey.

We ventured out to Folsom today to meet Rhonda and her son Logan at the park. Rhonda and I met online at Designer Digitals and realized our boys were really close in age and that we lived about 30 minutes apart! It was fun to meet them both although I wish it had been a little less than 90 degrees at 1030AM!

Was such a great experience to meet someone for the first time who I felt like I've known for so long!

POTD 051508

POTD 051508, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Spent the morning at Sarah's parent's house. Ian wasn't too excited about swimming but he loved dancing! I love the nostalgia that surrounds everything about Sarah! It was great to see Roy, Leo and Ian really beginning to play with each other rather than just near each other!

Been In A Bar Fight?

What happens when you try to force an unhappy 2 year old to put his pants on before he's ready? Well...

The best part? I got to stand in front of a room of 20 people about 40 minutes after it happened just as it was starting to swell and turn pretty colors!

Poor little guy...when he saw me that afternoon he said, "I hurt Momma."

So from this day forward Ian will be going without pants...at least until he can put them on himself!

POTD 051108

POTD 051108 *Emotion*, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fortunately this face only lasted a couple of minutes and, thankfully, I can't remember what caused it in the first place! I'm sure it was something big like telling him he couldn't eat ice cream or run in the street or hit the wall with a bat or vote in the Democratic Primary.

POTD 051008

POTD 051008, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Happy 1st Birthday Jenna!

POTD 050808 -- Comfort Food

POTD 050808, originally uploaded by sheakey.

This post has virtually nothing to do with Ian!

Things (as I've whined about already) have been a bit hectic. May and June are always my busiest months of the year as state agencies schedule a lot of training to spend the money they have left. I've just picked up a bunch of new projects for a client who has lost a lot of staff and need some help! It is a perfect project! Busy time for Shea too, he just finished STAR testing with his kids and now has about a month of end of the year stuff left with his 8th graders.

So what does all of this have to do with macaroni and cheese?

Well...it made me happy! And I needed happy!

I've been eating a vegan oil free diet for about 7 weeks. I am absolutely loving it and enjoying really tasting foods for their natrual goodness. I've been vegetarian for A LONG time so moving up a notch to vegan has been easy. And there are some definite body mass and energy benefits!

I found this recipe and discovered my new comfort food! It tastes absolutely decadent and I don't have to feel guilty about it! No oil, no cheese, no wheat, nothing but pure yummy goodness! Added a little broccolli and mmmmmm my favorite childhood food was served! Shea loved it too which is always a plus.

Who knew it would make me so stinking happy??!!!

Ian didn't eat it...but he's on a hunger strike at home this week! (he did nibble on broccolli...the kid is weird!)

POTD 050708

POTD 050708, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Ian and spent a little time together at Fairy Tale Town today. We both needed to get out of the house and just be goofy for a bit! We did the regular circuit of pirate boat followed by the train but changed it up some with a picnic lunch with a little push up treat after! He saw someone else with one and he had to have one!

I took him to a nice shady spot to take a photo of him with it and this is what I got! A full pose showing off his treat!

True to form he ate about 3 bites and the rest melted all over him :-) It was so worth it!

POTD 050508

POTD 050508, originally uploaded by sheakey.

was going to take a different photo for POTD tonight but then I thought...this photo just sums up how I feel right now. Holding on while I hope I don't lose my pants ;-) (it's been a rough monday) (see post below!)

Small Rewards

Today was the day I felt the full pressure of everything going on in our lives. Our home is a sea of boxes interspersed with toys, laundry, dirty dishes and work. I spent the day emailing the requests from my insurance agent to my realtor and then back to the insurance agent. Fielded calls from the mortgage broker who is waiting for the realtor who is waiting for the seller's agent who is waiting for the seller all between repeatedly looking at our accounts, adding things up, wondering how much things are going to really cost, wondering if we really are going to need to have two gigantic trees trimmed before we move in and kicking myself for not requesting that in our list of fixes. In two weeks this should all be behind us. We will be in our new home with the intent of being there for a very long time (I'm hesitant with that one only because 10 years ago we also bought the home we would be in forever).

Then my printer runs out of ink before I can print the handouts for tomorrow's class...and I have no ink...and Ian won't go to bed...and Shea has been running around like crazy with school...

After cries of "I hungry," I attempted to get Ian to eat the yogurt he request...which, of course, was just a ploy to get me in ther room! He ate nothing.

After a little more protest, I held him, rocked him, and sang the song I've sung to him since he was just days old. The one I made up. The one I need to write down so I don't forget it.

After 3 minutes he was still. After 5 minutes I could tell he was asleep. It was just what I needed today.

POTD 050308

POTD 050308, originally uploaded by sheakey.

I felt a little naked without a camera at Amanda's wedding, but I had my phone :) Lainie and Ian had such a good time at the wedding. They both danced and chased after each other and shared flowers!

Unitl this photo, I had not realized just how much their eyes are alike.

And Lainie was completely right today when she told Ian, "you are getting big!"

POTD 050108

POTD 050108, originally uploaded by sheakey.

At first he tried to avoid sleep by just crying. Then he moved into saying "I hungry" and holding his stomach like we had starved him for days. Now he is embracing just simply being cute. Posing for photos, giggling until we all laugh, goofing. He's a crazy kiddo!