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Hello out there!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks that's for sure. About two weeks ago I was feeling pretty homesick and depressed. Mike felt my pain so he sent out a few resumes and got a hit almost immediately. The job is in Aliso Viejo, CA... exactly where I want to be! So, the flew him down for an interview and offered him the job that day.

Then it got crazy... Michael starts kindergarten this year and school starts on September 2nd... so that meant I had to leave ASAP so I could go get him enrolled in his new school. The kids and I left Oregon on Tuesday... the DVD player was hooked up and ready to go. We started the day pretty early and headed south. Our first stop was a small town in Southern Oregon called Winston. They have a Wildlife Safari which we stopped to check out on a reccomendation from a friend. I'm glad we did because the kids and I had a blast. Hayden of course made the adventure interesting... we got out of the car to go to the gift shop and both boys wanted a stuffed snake so we got a red one for Hayden and a green one for Michael... then over to the tot lot so they could burn off some steam and play for a while... that's when Hayden saw the pond and decided to run full speed ahead right into the middle of it... talk about YUCK!!! It was a frog pond... not a nice clorinated pool. So my feet were covered with frog muck... not to mention Hayden's brand new shoes which he happened to be wearing at the time... the first time. So, that was enough of that... we headed to the car and got him changed, shoes off, before our journey through the safari.

The safari itself was great. They had just about every animal you can think of. They now have a stuffed red snake compliments of Hayden. Signs were posted everywhere along the way not to get out of the car and when the snake went out the window I seriously thought about breaking the rules and risking my life for the $6 stuffed avenger but I thought better of it... I don't think the Bison would have attacked but you never know.

After the Safari we kept driving to Yreka where we stayed at the Best Western... very clean and comfy if you find yourself in Yreka and tired. The kids and I went swimming and had a good time then got some dinner and went to bed.

Hayden got us up bright and early on Wednesday... actually it was early but not so bright. So we got up and got an early start on our second day of drivng. This was our longest day. We drove from Yreka to Kettleman (think that was the name) and stayed at another Best Western where the beds were ok but the room itself was really nice... flat screen TV and a spa tub. All in all that day we drove the most... probably 500 plus miles. Thank god for the DVD player is all I have to say... oh that and Starbucks.

Thursday we got up and got on the road by 9 and headed to complete our journey. We arrived in LA around 11:30 AM... all I can say is SMOG... OMG! I could not believe how smoggy it was. I don't know how people live there. I hate LA.

By 1 we were at my Dad's house and the kids were thrilled with their new temporary home and the chance to run around and play freely.

Anyway, Michael is all enrolled. School starts on Tuesday. We are headed to the beach tomorrow to spend the day in the sun and visit with my friend Elizabeth. It feels great to be back and nice to move to a place where you already know friends, have family, and know the area like the back of your hand.

Sorry I don't have pictures of this post. I'll add them later when I get my computer hooked up. It's still in Oregon with Mike... who will be joining us in about two weeks. This time it's he who gets to stay behind and deal with the move... although he has it easy... house is halfway packed and he wont have any kids to contend with.

25 Weeks

Well the pregnancy is going along pretty well. Girl Baby (AKA Alana Owen (Allie)) is growing like a weed and kicking me from spleen to bladder! The kicking is my favorite part about being pregnant. It is a constant reminder that there is a little being in there who will change my life in a few months. It's the beginning of the "bonding" we feel as moms.

When I was pregnant with Michael I was so excited to finally have a baby so a lot of the pregnancy issues I had were pretty easily tolerated. I had so many complications during that pregnancy and I've been extremely lucky thus far with this one. Being pregnant with Hayden was a breeze and often times I didn't even feel pregnant at all... which is amazing to me knowing that boy now.

This pregnancy so far is going along with no complications. Morning sickness is a distant memory now... thank GOD. Every now and then I think back to those weeks and it still makes me cringe... I felt so sick and tired all the time and with two kids, a husband and a house to take care of the pressure was daunting. All I wanted to do was lay on the couch and sleep for weeks on end but that just wasn't possible. Definitely not fun and not something I will miss. In fact it was a reminder that I will never do this again.

Being pregnant has it's ups and downs... hormones raging, body being taken over by another being, constant constipation, bad sleep... it's all really hard to take. But, in the end I know I'll have a little treasure to hold and love. I can't wait to get to know her.

So, in about 15 weeks she'll be here!

Heat Wave

Well we had a hot weekend here in Portland! It reached over 100 for the first time this summer and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It felt great to get out in the backyard in our bathing suits and get wet. I think the kids had fun too. After playing we bbq'd our dinner and ate outside which is always a special treat.

Hayden sure enjoyed my smoothie!!! It's my craving of the weeks.... vanilla non-fat yogurt with Minute Maid OJ... got a free coupon for one at Jack in the Box and gave it a try... now I can't stop thinking about it! I drank half and Hayden slurped down the rest.

This really needs no explanation. Kids love goggles... These are Michael's which he uses for swimming class but Hayden figured out he likes them too. This picture is just too cute not to share.

Brothers

Taking a boat ride


Kickin' it on the couch watching "Ice Age"

New House

Well, it's been a month and we are pretty settled into our new hosue. It's a lot smaller than our last one albeit a lot cheaper but it's taking some getting used to. While there are somethings I like better than the last house I really miss our old neighborhood and the back yard.

Luckily this is only temporary as we are giving it two years max... at that time we will either buy a house of our own or move into something bigger.

Here are some pictures for you to see our new digs!

Dining Room/Nook


Kitchen... Don't mind Hayden picking his nose.


Family Room


Playroom


Office/Playroom


I still have some pictures to hang... I didn't take any pictures of the upstairs yet... I still need to clean the poop off the carpet... read next the other post and I haven't made my beds yet today. Eventually I'll click a few to show you.

Lice, Pee, Poop, Fish

Yesterday was probably one of the worst days I've had as a mother. For those unsure about whether or not to reproduce... you may want to overt your eyes as this may render you sterile.

It all began at 5 AM when Hayden decided he was ready to wake up... I don't think so!!!! So, I made him a bottle and changed his diaper and zipped him back into the tent with a stern.... go to sleep!

He actually slept in pretty good until almost 8:30 which was a de-lite for me as that doesn't happen very often... and we got started on our day. I had some light house work to do so I got busy. Michael was at school so it was looking to be a pretty easy day. After the house work it was shower time. Hayden being Hayden must shower with me because he cannot be left to his own devices... life could be at stake. So we took our shower and got out to get ready to go pick up Michael. I don't know if many of you know but almost two weeks ago Hayden and I came down with LICE... YUCK! GROSS!! EEEWW!!!.... I think I got it at the movie theater and Hayden got it from me. Luckily Mike and Michael came out bug free... we thought we had taken care of the problem but I've been checking Hayden's hair daily to make sure... well, yesterday they were back. So, this means using the special shampoo and a special gel then combing the lice and their eggs out of your hair with a fine fine toothed comb... you can all imagine how my hair just is the perfect hair for this treatment!

So, I looked at the clock... 40 minutes till I have to get Michael... better hurry! I put the shampoo in Hayden's hair... it needs to sit for 10 minutes... so I start putting it in mine... I look up and Hayden is peeing all over my bathroom counter... on my makeup, tooth brushes, lotions... you name it... he even got the mirror! OK... can't deal with that now, I muttered to myself... and kept putting the shampoo in my hair.

Then I decided to put a new sheet in Hayden's crib so when it was nap time he'd be all set. (We don't mess with nap time in this house)... while I'm doing that I hear the toilet flush... so I hurry back to my room where I find a big mound of baby poo on my white carpet... LOVELY!!! and I turn to see Hayden standing at the toilet with a handful in his hand and a big piece on the toilet... He stands there saying "it's stuck!!!"... well, yes in fact it was... on the toilet seat, on his hands, on his belly....

I believe that is when I looked up to heaven and yelled "You have got to be F'n kidding me!!!!"... yes that was an F-bomb I dropped.

So, I called Mike and calmly asked if he could please pick up Michael from school because I was in the middle of a crisis... He said he would then asked me what was wrong... Cue the water works... I told him the entire story and he said not only would he pick up Michael but he would take the rest of the day off.

Meanwhile, I get Hayden and I back into the shower to rinse out the shampoo... I then apply the gel to his hair and comb out the nits... I quickly get him into a onsie and diaper and start to focus on combing out my hair...

When that was done I go downstairs to find Hayden (hoping he has been sitting quietly watching cartoons... instinct kicking in that mommy can only handle so much...) I'm not that lucky. I walk into the kitchen to find him on the counter in a sea of Kosher salt with a bag of yogurt raisins in one hand and the other hand in the fish bowl taking out the marbles and depositing them into the garbage disposal.

This all happened in a matter of about 2 hours. By the time Mike got home the crisis was pretty much at it's end. Hayden went down for his nap and slept great. I sat on my coffee table and at a salad... couldn't sit on the couch because it was sprayed down with Lice spray... and tuned in to Young and the Restless.

To some of you this may be funny... to some this may be birth control. To all of you I hope you keep in mind the word "KARMA"... which my mother insists this is.

Summer's Almost Over!!!

I had really high hopes for summer this year. I couldn't wait to spend lazy days out in the back yard watching the boys splash in the pool. Many rainy days were spent day dreaming about homemade popsicles and pb&j sandwiches on our deck with little tan behinds running around having the time of their lives....

Fast forward to now.

No one is tan. This has been such a mild summer there have hardly been any days really suitable for being out in the pool. Last week they predicted would be the hottest of the summer and it was disappointing with clouds and a slight chill in the air. We did find an opportunity to get out there one afternoon and the boys had a blast playing in the water and floating on their "boat". Michael was impressive as the big brother in charge and he was very protective of Hayden and seemed intent on making him laugh.

Home sickness is settling in again for me. I keep thinking about past summers spent at the beach and how much fun Michael used to have splashing on the shore and digging up sand crabs. I hope in a few years we'll have that again. I was reminded of it again last night while reading Michael a book his Great Gramma sent him called "Bats at the Beach"... Michael loves that story so it's a popular choice in this house... anyway, he began reminiscing about the fun we used to have at the beach... "but not the windy beach"... which he is referring to the beaches in Oregon. The Oregon shoreline is beautiful to look at but is less than stellar for a child. For one it's always cold and very windy. For little one's it's like spending a day in a sandstorm in Iraq... So, Michael like me misses the California beach days and poor Hayden has yet to experience one.

All in all though we had fun out in the yard and hopefully we'll have a few more days out there splashing around before school starts. Speaking of school, Michael starts on September 3rd! It's about that time to start stocking up on clothes and supplies! But, that's another post.