It's almost 2008!

Well, I better get one more post in before we ring in 2008! We had a wonderful Christmas with Becca and my family. She was so precious opening gifts and being extra cute all day long. We attended the Family Christmas service at our church on Christmas Eve. All the kids were so cute acting out the "Christmas Story", I can't wait till Becca is that age and we get to giggle at her up on stage.








Chirstmas Morning, Becca opened her new kitchen from Grandpa and Grandma. She looks so cute when we tie a little apron on her and let her go. She LOVES to open and close and open and close all the cupboards on this thing. Hours of entertainment I tell you!










Becca was certainly all smiles while opening all of her gifts. Her favorites were by far her new babydoll, books and the tissue that came in all the gift bags. She was a Christmas cheerleader running around with all that tissue!










Santa didn't go over that well. Funny thing was this Santa looked at her and asked if she wanted to come and sit on Grandpa's lap, opps I mean Santa's lap. He had a Granddaugther the same age as Becca, but Becca wasn't too sure about the stranger with the beard!













Later that night she posed for the camera. Isn't she angelic looking.

So to all our friends and family, have a safe and happy new year!

Love Becca!

Well, we did it again!

Well, we did it again. The Christmas Tea at my mom's house, that we have every year, has come and gone. Last night we filled the house with yummy smells, turned on our Christmas music and opened the doors to our wonderful friends and family. What a turn out! Over 30 ladies this year. My Mom decorated every nook and cranny, as usual, including all the outside nooks! This year we had some friends come over and lead the girls in Christmas Carols outside by the fire! That was a really fun change this year! We made the BEST hot coca. Actually, it's called drinking chocolate, and for good reason. This was the creamiest, most chocolaty, melt in your mouth goodness that I have ever let pass my gums. Crazy good stuff. We also made the most precious little red velvet cupcakes with mounds of white icing and dusting sugar. They were so pretty.

I was also so thankful to have my Aunt Paula come out to help us. Getting ready for the Tea has a few challenges in that we are so busy getting ready. She really helped keep us on track and she never FREAKED out as we were working. She kept it calm and pulled together. I think this year would have been hard without her helping hand.

Most of all, I love to see the faces of all my friends as they arrive and look around in amazement. My parents really put their hearts on the line with stuff like this. They really want people to feel what they feel about their home and it's so neat to see the childlike joy on everyone's faces. It really gives you a sense of accomplishment. I hope we continue to have the energy to do this for years to come. It may have to morph into something easier, but the spirit will still be there and I think that is the most important part.

Thanks to everyone for making it a memorable night. It's worth the hard work!

"Mom-ness"

WOW! It's been like almost a month since I've had anything to say. I partly blame it on the fact that I'm pregnant again and just didn't want to spill the beans in my blog before I had a chance to tell friends. Now that the cat is out of the bag, back to blogging as usual.

Thanksgiving was a feast! The eating seemed to last all weekend. Therefore I've avoided the Weight Watcher scales until today, man, this is either going to be a great day, or a shit day. There is no other way to say it!

I'm still feeling the constant "car sickness" 24/7! Finally told the Boss, she said SHIT, OPPS! Enough said on that. I'm 13 weeks along and still not contecting with the fact that this summer I will have another baby.

Heidi came home for a visit. It was so fun to see them over Thanksgiving weekend. I think Molly and I send her in a little tail spin with our "Mom-ness". Having kids really does change your life in all kinds of ways! Funny ways. Like, the CD in my car is not something new like Maroon 5 or Brad Paisely, but instead, Kid Songs Vol. 5. I know every word! You'll have to visit her blog for some great pictures of their visit home.

We are all decorted for chirstmas inside and out. I have my letter written and a picture ready, but I still havn't sent those dang cards. I still have shopping to do, thought I was closer to being done until I wrote my list. Holy Moly, always so much to do.

I have wonderful pictures to post, but I need to be at home and not at work to add them to my blog. Hopefully I can find some time this weekend. Becca is walking now. It's not all the time, but more like across the room to a toy or Mom. It's so cute, she has no idea what she is doing, but she smiles and giggles the whole way. I love that Kid.

Hope everyone is enjoying the festiveness that is this time of year. Go bake some cookies or something if your feeling bah Humbug.

candied yams, stuffing and mashed potatoes, mmmmm.

I know, I know, it's been like two weeks since I blogged. I can't really explain it, but I have been in such a FOG for the past 2 weeks. I can't think of anything to say, which is ridiculous, because I always have something to say. Have you ever just had times like this where all you can manage is getting up, going to work, take care of the kids and go to bed? Thats it, thats all I got right now. I'm really hoping that Thanksgiving knocks it out of me!

Speaking of that perfect time of year, what are the must haves on your Thanksgiving table? For me, it's candied yams, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Without those, it's NOT Thanksgiving. Oh, I also love love love to look through the newspaper ads and map out my shopping for the next day. It usually involves a trip to the mall and possibly Wal-Mart. I love to get up early, grab a Starbucks and go get a deal!! This year will be easy because Im always up early with Becca! She will be my little shopping buddy. It will be fun.

Speaking of my little ham, she is growing up so fast. I think she may be walking by Christmas. She can stand on her own now, but only for a minute or so, then she tumbles over. It's so cute. We are also getting in our back teeth. She is eating everything in site, especially whatever mom and dad are eating. She really likes steak which made daddy happy. Also, whoever invented the Gerber Puff over there at Gerber I could kiss. Becca LOVES her puffs, so much that she will crawl at warp speed from across the room to get some. They make going to restaurants soooo easy! You Go Gerber Puff Inventor! You ROCK!

Well, I hope this is the beginning of being over my slump! Amber - I will do your TAG, I just need to think on it a bit! Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone!

2 crazy weeks

I'm sure many of you have wondered if I've fallen off the face of the earth. Needless to say, it had been one crazy week! Or make that 2 crazy weeks. Most of you are aware of the fires that raged across San Diego county last week. We, among countless others, we evacuated from our homes, and left in wonder if we had homes to go home too. Thankfully, we did. They were dirty and smelly, but they stood. Unfortunately, the homes of so many wonderful people that I know did not make it, and some we simply near misses.

It is times like these that I sit and wonder how we are spared when others weren't. Devastation hits in so many ways. This kind, however, swipes the foundation right out from under you. The thought of being completely homeless is almost overwhelming. I am truely grateful that this time, we were spared. That this time we are left to help others pick up the pieces of their lives.

Also, in case you haven't been following, the little baby with Cancer, Natalie Tanner, is flying back to St. Judes for a followup MRI. They are going to see how far the cancer has spread, and how much time they still have with Natalie. Again, to have such a definite time line put on the life of someone you love so much is devastating. I'm just so lucky. My little girl, my husband and my family are safe and healthy. Really, what more could you ask for?

So, this weekend, make sure you hug the ones you love, give them a kiss and just say thank you to God. It's really all that matters.

But not to be a total downer, Becca is growing so fast! We have developed our fourth tooth which she loves to use by munching and chewing on everything! And I am still hunting for the perfect toy. I swear there is something out there that she will love more than the phone, remote control or magazine that mommies reading. I will stop at nothing to find this toy, even if I buy them all!

In the spirit of Halloween

I am such a scaredy cat. I don't know where this fear comes from, but, it can be very alarming at times. For example, when I'm going to bed at night, and I'm lying there trying to go to sleep, I may open my eyes and look at Travis. If his eyes are open and looking at me, it just freaks me out and I tell him to stop. Or, if I'm mindlessly folding laundry or drying my hair and I turn around and Travis is standing there, I scream bloody murder because I wasn't anticipating his presence. I often find myslef, frozen in fear, lying in my bed because I've heard a noise in the house. We have and old house, it creeks and moans sometimes, but I just get it in my head that someone is in the house. I don't like sitting by windows because Im afraid I will look and see someone looking in. Am I WEIRD? Does anyone else get freaked out easily? It's very unsettling, it could give me heart failure some day.

So this morning Im trying to get ready for work, I'm running around in my birthday suit trying to get me and Becca dressed and just as I turn the corner to go in the hallway, I hear my front door open! OH MY GOD!!! I'm naked, my baby is in the other room, who the hell is walking in my house at 7:30am? I start yelling HELLO, HELLO and rushing for my robe, thank goodness it was just Alicia and Geno stopping by to SURPRISE me. Ya, they surprised me alright. Don't freak this girl out. As it turned out, it was a blessing that they stopped by. Geno was barley awake, but Becca woke him right up and they watched Tellatubies together so moma could finish her hair and makeup. I'm so fortunate that my family lives within walking distance, except when your not thinking about that and they walk in on you when you least expect it! I love you guys though, thanks for stopping by.

In the spirit of Halloween, I have come to the opinion that for me, I love baby Halloween's. They are sweet, cute and candy filled. I can't take the scary scar faced villains with chain saws running around. Or the corpses and body parts lying in front yards. I just don't find that fun. However, I do have this odd fascination with Vampires. Maybe it's the whole Lost Boys crush on Keifer as a pre-teen, or that Brad Pitt played a very sexy, pouty vampire in Interview with a Vampire, I mean didn't he make you want to turn into a Vampire just because he was so kissable as one, whatever the reason, Im intrigued by these creatures. I like a good vampire movie! Not a gory one though. Old fashioned Dracula ones. Ohhhh, and witchcraft. I love Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic, even the name is cute! It would be so fun to be a Witch, they make it look so fun, I mean they own a little soap shop and live in an amazingly neat house, and ride brooms, whats not to love. Aww Ha! I'm simply a traditionalist, thats why I don't like to see the gore and guck, our minds can do that for us, I like the whimsy, mystery and stories behind the holidays. That is what I will pass to Becca. That no matter how old you are, it's fun to pretend and believe in the unbelievable. Who says Santa, the Easter Bunny and Witches are fictional, not me!

Laura is the Big 30

Happy Birthday Laura!

This was the scene at Laura's 30th, Oktoberfest themed birthday bash. Can you see the Beer Maiden outfit beneath the baby she is holding? Yes, that was her birthday attire and quite hilarious if you ask me.

We all had a great time, thanks for turning 30!

little bit of smart ass

I love Garage Sales, good ones, not the weird ones that our neighbor lady has like every weekend, I swear, this woman just wakes up and walks around her house saying to herself, lets sell this clock with fruit on it today, oh, and maybe this old vacuum that doesn't even work, and what about this shower cap. So odd! I mean the garage sales that actually have cool stuff that you need. I love finding old chairs to refinish, or, baby stuff that is practically brand new!

So Saturday my mom, sis and I hit up the annual Scripps Ranch Garage Sale Day, and I must say, we SCORED THE MOTHER LOAD! Of course, the purpose of our outing was to find baby stuff for Becca and that seemed to be the most prevalent items available. Here are some of my finds that I'm most proud of. Keep in mind, this is only a small sampling as we filled up the back end of Grandma's Navigator!

This activity table finally keeps her occupied instead of the coffee table, totally worth the $3 bucks!


These little gems cost about $50-75 at fancy baby stores, yeah, $7 bucks!

The rest of the weekend was pretty kick back. We have this ongoing thing with my family where my mom is always asking us what we want for dinner on Sunday nights. Well, my husband has finally started catching on and will ask for something he really wants until he gets it! First it was my mom's fried chicken, he asked and he asked, until he received! Well, ever since last month, he had been asking for a Turkey. Mind you, there is always a little bit of smart ass in my husband, and he realized the slight absurdity in asking for a Turkey so close to Thanksgiving, but, he has been relentless for about 6 weeks. So last night for dinner, not only did he get a Turkey, but my mom made all the trimmings for a Thanksgiving Dinner. Man, we had a few laughs about that last night. Travis ate so much he was still uncomfortable this morning. I was a good girl seeing as Thanksgiving food isn't exactly Weight Watchers Friendly, and boy was I not prepared for all that rich food. When you haven't been eating it for a while, you body goes into shock at first. But all is good today. Hope y'all had a great weekend! Happy Monday Everyone!

Help a Girl Out!!

I'm looking forward to the weekend. It's always good to be at home with my hubby and baby girl. I think I might do a little baking. I have some very over ripe, almost black banana's (ps-I sing the Gwen Stefanni song when I spell bananas now!) that need to be made into some sort of bread or muffin, but here's the thing, I finally got my butt in gear and started back to weight watchers this week. If there in only one thing I didn't like about being pregnant, it's the aftermath of the enormous amount of weight I gained. It's really ridiculous and there is no excuse, so, I'd like to use my bananas in a healthy way, any suggestions out there? Please help a girl out.

Otherwise, things are going swimmingly. I get my hair done tomorrow and all will be right with the world.

I hope every ones weekend is super! Oh, and my weekly endorsement, please watch The Office tonight at 9pm!

This is Marissa - OUT!

And with one knee in front of the other.

So, today is my monday, my boss gave me the day off yesterday! She was trying to decide last week whether she wanted to come in on Columbus Day, or, just make it a holiday, what the heck, RIGHT! I of course completely supported the idea and gave her a long list of Pro's, hence, I got the day off! It was a fun filled weekend. Except for the suck the moisture, looks like im wearing permanent lip liner, ashy skin, dried up sinus headache because of the Santa Ana weather, it was a beautiful weekend! Friday was a trip to the Wild Animal Park with our super Rad friends Tracey and Summerlyn. FYI, Summerlyn and Becca were born less than 24 hours apart at the same hospital, Tracey and I met in our baby class. So, it's been fun to see the girls grow together. It's also fun to swap stories between moma's. Our little peanuts do some pretty hilarious stuff that you must be a mom to think is as funny as we do. Who knew that making Zerberts, the sticking out of baby tongues and spitting baby saliva everywhere, could be so funny and cute!

Friday evening was a hit with the hubby because I made some very yummy sandwiches from my new favorite website, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, check it out, the link is to the right! I swear, Ree, the lady that is the Pioneer gal, is so dang funny, I wish I could be her friend for reals. Word of warning! If you make this recipe, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use jalapenos in place of mild green chilies. The fire will be coming out of your ass for a week!

Saturday was a milestone in the land of Becca! She finally put two and two together and with one knee in front of the other, crawled across the family room floor! Both Daddy and I were home which is way cool! I then called Grandma and we were immediately on our way to Babies 'R' Ugh to look at gates. Can you say overload! They are $$$$ and there are alot of different ones to pick from. I chose to wait and bring the Hubby back, he's got to install the dang thing so I think he should pick his poison! That night we hung out with the Smith's and Jenning's for diner and chit chat! We were babyless too, so it was lots of fun. You never have to twist my arm to see these folks, frankly, we don't see each other enough and it's always such a great time. I think the next get together will have to be at our house! Yes girls, if your listening, im going to pick a date and hold ya to it!

Sunday was a lax day and Dinner at Claim Jumper, restaurant of MEGA SERVINGS, with Genisha and Grandma/Grandpa. Then we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and home to sleep the night away.

Yesterday, since Grandma needed her baby fix for the day, we headed out for Target Boutique (say with a french accent always), lunch and the park. I like to exhaust Becca by pushing her in the swings and letting her crawl around in the grass. Tired babies = sleep good at night! I also hit a milestone myslef since giving birth, yes, I figured out what to make for dinner 5 consecutive nights in a row. I never once asked Trav, "what sounds good for dinner?" and then I won a friendly wager while watching the Dallas/Bills game last night! I said that the kicker for Dallas would make the field goal at the very end of the game and since he did, twice I might add, Travis has to make dinner tonight!!! So Im home free, it's not my problem bud!

Hope everyone is having a great day! Remember, it's Tuesday, one day closer to the weekend.

Sweet Revenge

Just my two cents about the Fall Television season thus far. Seeing as my time is limited, I only have a hand full of comments, but you may find them interesting nonetheless.

My top picks:

The Office. This show is by far the most hilarious writing ever. It's like a Really Really good SNL skit for 30 minutes. Even if you don't work in an office, I swear you know some of these people in real life. It's on Thursday night, NBC, 9pm!

Biggest Loser. I know, it's been on for like 4 years now, but it's still remarkable for me to see the transformations of these people. If you've been in their shoes, like me, then you can relate. It's huge, literally and figuratively! Get inspired and watch it! Tuesdays at 8:30.

Kitchen Nightmares. Gordan Ramsey is the Simon of the restaurant industry. He's mean, but he's always right. This show will also teach you to never eat at a restaurant that doesn't have patrons in it! Wednesday, FOX, 9pm.

Intervention. If you don't feel grateful after watching this, then there is something wrong with you. People that are addicted to something, and their families are forcing them to get help. Intense. Friday A&E, at 10pm. Now we rarely get around to this show because it's on late, and I am using it as one of my ploy's to talk my husband into ordering DVR! Yes ladies, Im trying to talk my husband into this. Don't Ask!

Honorable Mentions:

The Hills. I still love young Hollywood Drama. I can't help myself. It's just addicting, and the way they portray the Teen Vogue offices is like watching a scene from the Devil Wears Prada.

Till Death. Im liking this season better than last season. Brad Garrett will always be Robert, the older brother in Everybody Loves Raymond, but he is growing on me in this show. He's still the Awkward Tall Man, but, he's not such a hurt puppy dog in this show. Kinda Funny.

Chuck. Check back with me, i'm on the fence.

Back to You. On the fence. I like Patricia Eaton and Kelsey Gramer kinda freaks me out, but the other cast member are kinda funny so I don't know yet.

So, thats my take for now. I will tell you this comes on the heals of my husband announcing about 3 weeks ago (note: right before football got into full swing) that maybe we could assign nights that each of us got the remote! He would give me tues, wednesday, friday and thursday @ 9pm. Why you ask, because every other night, stupid football is on! Yes, like the pillow in my family room says, "ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this marriage for football season!"

What I do know is that he better get his fill now because in a few short years, his world will be filled with Disney Princesses, and the dreaded Purple Dino! Ha Ha Ha, sweet revenge.

The Sigh Heard Round San Diego

Sorry I kept you all hanging till Tuesday. I'm sure you couldn't wait to see what fabulous events were in store at the Martinez Household this weekend. Things were fairly tame if I do say so. The highlight was our trip to Nates Butt Farm or Butts Nate Farm or Bates Nut Farm ding ding ding, thats the one! Anyways, it was a fun family outing, complete with Grandma, Grandpa and Genisha (My sister Alicia + her hubby Geno = Genisha). Becca sat on every pumpkin and found herself mesmerized by these bright orange balls EVERYWHERE! Pretty dang cute.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching football, oh yeah and we watched football and did I mention we watched football? Seriously, Thursday night some team played some team, Saturday was Texas A&M against Baylor, A&M won, thats all I know and all I care about because Travis was in a good mood, and Sunday, it was, yes you guessed it, FOOTBALL again! ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!! But then it doesn't end there, we have Monday Friggen Night Football, just in case thursday, saturday and sunday weren't enough. Come to think of it, I think it was on the TV Friday flippen night too.

And then the sigh heard round San Diego. The Padres had that really important game, that if they didn't win they had to come home with their tail between their legs and not continue to the playoffs. Yeah, they LOST! It's not enough that I had to watch football all weekend, then bounce between football and baseball last night. The Padres had to go and LOOSE!

Okay, now that I have that off my chest Fall really is my favorite time of the year, but too much of something can be a bad thing, that's all.

For those of you who don't know me, I love, really really love to decorate, especially for the holidays. Im usually the first one to have things up because I want to maximize the time I have to enjoy my holiday decor. I was a little miffed to find I had been outdone. Apparently my neighbors are into decorating as well. I figured since Monday was Oct 1st, that I would put out my Halloween this past Sunday. I was thrown off track when I went outside Saturday night to find that my neighbors had beat me to the punch with their blinking bats and pumpkins. What the heck. I'm used to setting the tone for my street, not jumping on the band wagon. I will tell you this! I'm not going to be outdone at Christmas, not now, not ever!

Go buy a pumpkin, it's time!!!!! Yeah Hoooooooo.

Whats the DEAL?

Okay, I don't understand what is going on here. Can someone please explain this to me?

I went to get a pedicure on my lunch today. My toes have been feeling very neglected lately, so I thought they deserved a little attention. I picked out a really cute color of red, grabbed the latest People magazine (great article by Jenny McCarthy by the way!) and plopped myself down in one of those big vibrating chairs they do the pedicures in. I'm about halfway through the process, innocently reading my magazine while the woman is digging at my big toe, when one of the girls comes over to me with a baggie full of buffing pads and toe separator thingies and proceeds to ask me in very hard to understand English, if I want to BUY my own buffing pad and toe separator thingy, otherwise, they can't do that for me! WHAT?? You can't buff my feet unless I pay $5 for the buffer? Seriously, what the heck am I paying $20.00 for? Is there something wrong with my feet?

I don't understand. What happened to the good ol days when a pedi was $15, and they actually rubbed your feet. I understand inflation, overhead, business expenses ect.... but I don't think the rise in gas prices has really effected the foot buffer, toe separator thingy market! Am I the only one?

Geesh.

nostalgia of my 20's

(Click viedo reel to the left before reading, it adds the special effect)

Happy Thursday to everyone. For me it's especially sweet, it's my Friday for starters, the season premier of The Office is on tonight and my hubby gets a day off tomorrow too! How cool is that. Now the trick will be to not waste a beautiful weekend. You'll have to check back on Monday to see if we were successful!

In the land of Becca there was a new development yesterday, another TOOTH! This one is on top and was probably the main source of her MAJOR grumpies on Tuesday. Princess sure did give grandma a pickle of a time. But she made up for it yesterday with being extra special cute and lovey. Becca's chubby little finger + Grandma = Wrapped around. Okay okay, mommy and daddy too!!!

So im listening to Bare Naked Ladies right now. Wow, if this doesn't take me back. I bet you can all hear "I'll be that giiirrrl,........................" and it takes you somewhere too! Or maybe, "It's been one week since you looked at me.......", either way, if you were a fan or an avid Star 100.7 listener, no doubt these songs put your mind at another point in your life. For me it was my glory days at Crabtree & Evelyn, Woot Woot to all the Crabettes out there, to my days of studying and taking naps in the cubicles at CSUSM, to crusin in my teal green Pontiac and finding ways to be silly with friends before I turned 21! Awwwwwww, the good ol' days.

I must be getting close to 30, the nostalgia of my 20's seems like a dream. What a DORK!

Anywho, I hope ya'll have a Rad thursday and go listen to some old school Green Day or Cake and let your mind warp for a second, it's kinda fun!!!!! And should at least put a smile on your face.

Not for the faint of heart.

A couple days ago I found out some very sad news from people we have never met, yet I feel a part of. The Tanner Family, Mom Kristen, Dad Andrew, Brother Carson and Beautiful Baby Natalie, have been at St. Jude's for the past 4 months, fighting for Natalie's life. At 3 months old, a brain tumor was discovered on Natalie, and hence the battle began. It's been a long journey since this discovery, and one that is ending on a hard note for all that have been following. Natalie is going back home now, the tumor has grown and the chemo didn't work. I can't begin to explain the surge of emotions that I feel for this family and everything they are going through. At this point they need the prayers of as many people as possible to embrace them during this time.



If you'd like to see pictures or read more of their story, you can visit the care page that has been created at, http://www.carepages.com/ServeCarePage, enter Natalie Tanner for the care page name.



We found out about the Tanner's because Alicia works with Natalie's Aunt at Children's Hospital. We have been involved in fundraising events and words of support. Their situation really makes you realize how precious life really is. This little baby is so beautiful, I can't imagine what it must feel like knowing her mommy is going to have to say goodbye so soon. Trust me, you will need a Kleenex or two, Kristen has a way of putting things so that you really feel what she is saying. Keep them in your thoughts, they need the positive attitudes and energy coming their way. You can also leave them messages. They may not know you, but the beauty is, they are sharing something very personal and in turn are looking for a personal message of encouragement from anyone. It really gets them through the day.

Pee my pants funny!

So today I find myself a little miffed. Yes, I'm miffed, bent out of shape, butt hurt, bruised, ticked, or whatever you want to call it! You know who you are if your the cause of this state I'm in. I'm not quite ready to add you to my list, not just yet, maybe tomorrow. Please check back. Please note, this was written with gobs of sarcasim as I've now received serveral messages wanting to know who im pissed at;)!

On a lighter note, I'm terribly excited for the return of Season 4 of the Office, literally my favorite comedy show of all time. For those of you that haven't seen an episode, do you self a favor and watch one of the clips I've posted on my blog. You should find them hilarious, and if you don't, then please keep it to yourself!! Thursday night, 9pm, one full hour of pee my pants funny!!!! I can't wait.

As for the rest of my Tuesday, I will probably cruise through the Internet, email a few people and possibly get a little work done. However, in about 30 minutes, I will be surprising my little Becca for lunch. It's kinda fun when Grandma brings her to see me at lunch time. She's usually perched in her car seat, innocently playing with her cowgirl or linky links when suddenly, she hears the car door open, and to her delight, there I am, her Mommy!!! The look of shear joy on her face makes my day. So in about 27 minutes, I will be able to make somebody's day!

Hope everyone has a good lunch!

So Big so Fast.

I've always thought, in a perfect life, that a 3-day weekend, every weekend, would be the Best! Well, I'm here to tell you that it is the best, but, it's still not enough time to soak in my little girl. Every second of every day, there is something new to explore with her. This weekend was a perfect example. In Becca's little world, she discovered new and exciting things at every turn. Friday, mom let her taste a pickle. Now, mom was hoping for a funny puckered face accompanied by a look to kill. Instead, Becca was very much into this strange tasting thing. She proceeded to suck on this pickle until there was nothing but a gummed up rind. She was just thrilled with this new discovery and I was left wondering if she was going to have her Dad's weird childhood taste buds. I mean really, what 6 year old begs their mother for spinach!! Seriously Travis.

Saturday we continued to explore new and wonderful things. Becca didn't think to much of the hamburger bun mom tried to give her, but she thought the chubby little orange carrots were just about the neatest thing. I know this because when she gets her chubby little hands on something she likes, she looks up at me with those big brown eyes as if to say "did you see this?", and then looks back down at what she's holding and then looks back at me and we go on like this while each time she looks away, she moves the object from hand to hand in such wonderment. And I sit and stare in wonderment at her. I guess she's my chubby little carrot!

We also visited with friends we haven't seen in too long. I've noticed that Becca has become a gauge as to how long it's been since i've last seen someone. There were alot of "Oh my gosh!, she's getting so big!" comments at Brie's birthday party. (Hey, thanks for having a birthday Brie, we needed that!) It's true, she is getting big. But so are all the giggling little kids running around. I was almost brought to tears when I realized that this little boy running around, that looked so much like my friend Garon, was in fact Garon's son Wyatt. Wyatt, in my mind, was a little toddler in diapers with this cute long hair! Not anymore Marissa. He's a little man now! They grow so big so fast! We also have a new gauge with which to measure our visits with one another. Our friend Kim is pregnant and due in May. We will soon have another little bundle to adore and ogle over, but in the meanwhile we will be watching Kim's belly swell.

Finally the highlight of my long/short weekend with Becca was discovering the protruding tooth along her bottom gum line. The thought occurred to me while she was giving me one of her full contact hugs, by full contact I mean both of her little hands grasping chunks of my hair while trying to fit as much of me in her mouth as possible, she chomped down on my nose and there was a sharpness that was never there before. It then took me a day to get my inspection accomplished, as Becca doesn't really appreciate having her mouth preyed open for me to inspect, and YES Indeedy, there was a tooth pushing it's way through. Time to go strictly to bottles ladies and gentlemen!

I can do this!!!

I've never been one for journaling, it seems like a good idea in theory, and then I sit, with pen in hand, ready to be profound and nothing. It's as though my brain just turns off. I don't know why, or how, it just happens. People tell me that writing things down helps relieve stress. Now, I know that I'm not void of stress in my life, I'm a mother for goodness sake, so I must have something to say, right? Then I realized, journaling is really all about nothing and everything at the same time. The big things in life are all the small moments that pass us by so quickly in a day. Writing doesn't have to be about the things that are wrong or the things that are so tremendous that the whole world should know about them. Writing can also be about the quick seconds that my baby makes that funny little laugh that brightens the gloomiest of days. By jotting these things down, I've created a lasting memory of what is good in life. That, in and of it's self, is a stress reliever. So Aha! I'm not so dumb after all. I can so this, or at least try. Blogging will be my tool for reflecting back on the best parts of my day, no matter how big or small those parts may be because I want to look back and say see, things ain't so bad after all!