A Little Embarassing, But Funny

Well, needless to say when you're pregnant, you pee A LOT!! I swear I probably get up, (depending on how much water or other liquids I've had that evening) anywhere from 3-6 times per night. Anyway, most of the time when I get up, I get to the bathroom with no lights on, I close the door, and I sit down in the dark and I do what I'm there to do. So I'm sitting there after I've already peed, but I'm sitting there anyway with my head partially looking down, when all of a sudden I feel a presence right in front of me. I don't know about you, but I can feel people's presence, even if I can't see them, I sense them. Mind you, it's so dark in our room and the bathroom that I can't even see ANY kind of light coming in (even though the door has been opened at this time.) So instinctively, I guess, I put my hands up by my face, but with my palms facing out, as if to push something away, I suppose. When all of a sudden, I feel in my hands a small hairy butt, and all at the same time, I say, "oh my god!" and Alan yells, "oh Jesus!!!" really super loud, and he springs up and out of the bathroom door. He was just about to sit on the toilet, and me, and when I yell and push his butt, he freaks out too, because he doesn't even know I'm in the bathroom. We both immediately start laughing hysterically and can't stop for minutes. It's just so funny. He says, "I didn't even hear you get up." Evidentally not. Thank goodness he wasn't about to fart as he was about to sit on the pot. Geesh. Too funny. We both about had heart attacks that night!!!

Kids . . . . . .

Well, the other day I asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas and wanted lists made, for me and for my mom. So I start writing things down that they are saying (even though they were to make lists of their own, and they did, later). So, I guess OD is looking over my shoulder as I'm writing down Darian's list, and one of the things I wrote was 'xs undies.' So OD in all of his naivete says, 'what does xs mean?' I said, 'it means extra small, as in undies.' He then says to me, 'then what are you, an extra big?' From the mouths of babes right? Geez, I know I must be huge if my 10 year old son is calling me extra big!!!
Oh well, I'm pregnant and my body is going through alot of changes and yes, I'm gaining weight. My doctor says my weight gain has been right on. Thing is, I was gaining weight BEFORE I got pregnant, so . . . . . . anyway, right now I have absolutely no energy to do anything, much less exercise. I just can't help it, no matter how much sleep I get, it doesn't help.
I read in an article somewhere, that a pregnant woman's body at rest, is working at the equivalent of someone who is climbing a mountain. Now I don't know if that's South Mountain, or Mount Everest, but regardless, my body is working over-time and dammit, if I'm tired, I'm tired.

Exercise can wait 'til later.

Week In And Week Out

Well, every Thursday, just to let all of you know, I will be a week closer to having my little baby girl. Yay!!! So as of this past Thursday, I am 19 weeks. Here's a little ticker I had made.

HALLOWEEN!!!

Joshie is my Gumby

MJ Gloves I made My cute kiddos

MJ and Josh

Alan and OD gutting the pumpkin

Sergio, OD, Seb & Tori (the 2 vampires)

Josh and McKinley

The two Batmen

Our Little Pnut

Well, approximately two weeks after we did the amnio, the genetics counselor called me, again. Ugh, I really don't like talking to this guy, nothing personal, I just wish he wasn't even in the picture, know what I'm saying? He asked me if I had time to talk to him, I said yes. I was nervous, because of the way he was talking to me, he was almost whispering and didn't sound very upbeat or happy at all. It didn't sound like I was in for a positive talk.
So he proceeds to tell me that they got my results back and that everything looked NORMAL!!!! Oh my Dear Lord, thank you!!!! But I already knew it, I knew it, I knew it, I knew God was great, and I knew He was going to give us a healthy baby girl. I knew from the very beginning, even though, I will admit, when I got the news of the screening, I got scared, I wept, I asked why? But, I guess that would be a normal reaction. I think anyone would have felt the same. But after talking with God, I felt, I knew, everything would be okay. So the counselor says at the end of the conversation, "have fun with the rest of your pregnancy." I sure will. I'll relish everything about it.

God's Grace and Mercy Are Enough!!!

Highs and Lows

I forgot to write about something the day that we found out we were having a girl. Well after we left the doctor's office, Alan and I went to lunch and I took him back to work. He ended up picking up the kids for me and when he dropped them off he said, "I need to talk to you." The way he looked and sounded, didn't sound good and to be completely honest, just about scared me. I thought something had happened at the school, like he had caught Darian kissing and making out with her boyfriend, or seen Joshie doing something with his friends, I had no idea, but these thoughts, and others were racing through my head.
So he takes me into his office and he says to me, "Vermeer (the parent company) has said they would loan vssw (Alan's company) the $1.5 mil dollars we've been needing, but they said, the only way they'd do that, is if I resign." They wanted Alan out of his own company!!! What?? I couldn't understand how they could do that. He had gone to the parent company for some financial help and to help them re-distribute some of their machinery, and this was their solution for him and for his company--for him to resign? It just didn't make any sense, and I told Alan, I thought there was something else behind their reason for not wanting him there anymore. He was in shock and was on the verge of tears, I could tell. I didn't know what to say. It was like a death in the family, you know you should say something, but don't know quite what to say. I mean, what do you say to a man who's built up a company for 20 years, brought in all his own people to be the best the company can be, and then this? I couldn't see how Vermeer couldn't see that Arizona and Nevada have been the hardest hit in this recession and those are our two main offices. How could they want him to give all this up that he's worked so hard for?
The people that own the parent company of Vermeer are a strange breed. They work, work, work, and put lots, if not all the money they make back into the company, and they think everyone else should do the same. We aren't them, and we don't do it as much as they did, but Alan did put $1.5 mil back into his company to help sustain it for a long time. But the times we did take money out of the company, we were doing great, we were doing like, $10 mil. So taking some of the profits we earned and putting it into the house we were building wasn't such a strange thing to do at the time. But Vermeer looks at it as being irresponsible. Irresponsible? I don't think so. Alan has a Controller who oversees all the money, and he would have told Alan if it was the wrong thing to do, that's just Kyle, he is amazing at what he does. But then the economy took a nosedive and here we are. I mean, who was to know that it would have been like this? No one. And Vermeer has said to Alan, he should have known better. They aren't freakin' fortune tellers and neither are we.
So, we'll see what Vermeer ends up doing with Alan's company. I think they're up to something. Something they didn't want Alan to be a part of. Alan keeps thinking, he shouldn't have done this or that, but I tell him, he can't beat himself up about it, how was he supposed to know the very people that should have helped him, are the ones who stabbed him in the back?
So my post of all of this had to do with the high in the morning that we both had, knowing we were having a little baby girl, then at two in the afternoon, Alan's whole world had collapsed on top of his head. I felt so bad for him. I have to just keep reminding him that there's a reason for this, even though we may not know it or be able to see why, there's a reason. God has a plan for us, and it's a plan that's much better than the one we could envision for ourselves. God doesn't waste pain, I truly believe that.

Where Do Babies Come From Mom??

Well, there has been a few discussions lately about where babies come from and how they are conceived. So OD asks one day, "where me and Alan 'did it' when we 'had' this baby," (meaning where did we conceive her. He said, "was it in Vegas when you went last time?" I said, "no, it was here at home." Joshie lets out a huge, "ugh!! I didn't need to hear that." I said, "well, you guys asked." And I started laughing. Kids are so funny when they hear about their parents having sex. I guess I didn't like the thought of my parents having sex either, but it's a fact of life, and if it didn't happen, they wouldn't even be here to be questioning us in the first place.
So everyone had left the room, and I told OD where he was conceived, he thought it was cool. He wasn't so grossed out, I don't know why. Maybe because it was about him, and and maybe because his dad isn't around. Who knows?

Telling the Kids

Well, I forgot to post when we went to the Santana concert, about how when we came home, the kids were anxious to see us. OD came up to me and was hugging me, but just a little too tightly, and for me feeling sick (nauseous) that wasn't a good thing. So, he's hugging me and he hugs me super tight, almost like he's giving me the heimlich, to which I have to tell him, You can't do that again because I'm not feeling well, and also because momma's gonna have a baby." They just looked at me, and said, "wow, oh wow, oh my gosh," is all the could utter, but in a good way. They seemed genuinely glad and excited to be having a new baby in the house.
Joshie then proceeds to say, "I just hope it's not a little brother, we don't need another OD in the house." Darian has to second that. My poor OD, he's such an annoyance to his big brother and sister and the rest of the household at times, but he's just being OD, we couldn't live without him, and wouldn't want him any other way (at least I don't want him any other way, his brother and sister, may beg to differ.) So they talked about whether it was gonna be a boy or a girl, what they're going to do with him or her, about how old they're gonna be when the baby is in Kindergarten, graduating from high school, etc. It was cute hearing them all talk about it. I'm glad they were all so excited. I wasn't sure if Darian was all that excited a few years ago when we did the gender selection, simply because she wouldn't be the ONLY girl anymore. I think she likes being the Queen. But I know she's excited now, I can tell. Now there'll be six of us!! Wow!!

Whoa Lordy!!!

Well today, November 23rd, I have to have an amnioscentesis done. Now, for those of you who don't know what exactly this is, let me explain it to you. The doctor gets about a 4-5" thin needle and jabs it quickly into your abdomen, I'm assuming it's almost like he's throwing a dart (I say, assuming, because I didn't watch ANY part of this procedure, and the doc didn't say I could watch either, probably for the best.) So he jabs it into my tummy (he explains what's going to happen to me BEFORE he does it so I'm forewarned, thank you very much doc) and that doesn't really hurt, it's more like a quick prick, then, 'Okay, now you're going to feel some pressure as the needle is penetrating your uterus." Pressure??? Holy cow, geez. I am holding Alan's hand the entire time, but when this starts to happen, I have to squeeze a little bit harder. The doc says, 'don't squeeze him so hard, relax.' I hate it when they say that. Let me shove this needle into your butt and see how YOU feel doc. Um hmm, I thought so. Anyway, when he pushes the needle into my uterus there's extreme pressure and I have to revert to my Lamase breathing, which is similar to breathing in yoga. So I try to focus on something OTHER than a huge needle being shoved into my abdomen, and the doc is just talking about the weather, what movies we've seen lately, ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? All I'm thinking is, don't hit my baby with that needle, and hurry the heck up and get it out of me. So he has to get a few vials of the amniotic fluid, four to be exact, and then he says, okay, we're all done. Procedure takes all of 10 minutes, although it feels much, much longer. Doc says I did well, and is thankful that the baby did not grab the needle, otherwise we would have to wait until the little baby let go of the needle, to be able to pull it out, as to not hurt the little bambino. So we have to have the fluid sent to the lab to do more testing for the Trisomy's and any other abnormalities.
But, on a lighter note. . . . . before we had the amnio done, on the same day, they had to do an ultrasound just to get some measurements for the baby and such. And at this point I was just past my 15 week mark. So the technician is doing all the measurements and she asks if we want to know the sex of the baby, which of course, we say yes! So during this procedure I'm watching the monitor and can see all the stuff she's looking at like the heart beating, the legs, the little arms, the head, the eye sockets, the baby moving a little, it was cool. So finally she says, ' . . . . well, there's nothing between those legs, it's a girl!!' Which I tap Alan on the shoulder and say, 'I told you . . . .' He, of course cried a bit. I've been telling Alan for weeks that I knew she was a girl, from the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew God gave us a girl, I had faith, and I was right. I went to the bathroom between them doing the ultrasound and the amnio, and when I came back, he was already texting his sister, he was so excited.

God is Great!!!

What's Going On??

Well, I knew this was coming, but it's still scary stuff. Our baby is high risk, because of mine AND Alan's ages, so we have to have testing done to check for Down's Syndrome and other nasty little things that could happen. So bloodwork is done, and waiting is done, not without a ton of anxiety and worry. This is all done in the beginning of October.
A few weeks later, I get a call and I am talking to the counselor at Phoenix Perinatal, who proceeds to tell me that my screening came back high for Trisomy 18 and 13. What the hell is that you ask? That's exactly what I was thinking at the time. But all I could think was, something was going to be wrong with my baby, and I didn't know if I could handle something like that. I had never thought of having a child with disabilities of any kind, as I'm sure many people don't ever envision themselves with.
So I get off the phone with him and immediately Google these two things. If you're interested in reading about Trisomy 18, check out this link, www.chromosome18.org, and click on the conditions column. There are different forms of this disease, but they're pretty much all the same, as well as the Trisomy 13. Anyway, as I'm reading through this website, my heart is sinking lower and lower and lower and I push my laptop away from me and I just start sobbing, uncontrollably sobbing. I can't stop, I don't want to stop, I have to let it all out. My heart is racing, my nose is running, my chest is heaving and I can barely breathe, I don't care, I'm scared. No one is home with me, I'm all alone and I'm scared, but there's nothing I can do for my baby if they have this. It's not something that has been inherited by either parent, it's just something that happens during the formation of the embryo. There's no cure for it, and it's something that will affect the baby, and us, for the rest of our lives. I have to tell Alan, but I don't want to put a damper on his excitement for this baby, he's wanted this for so long and now this?? But I can't contain myself. I cry some more and then slowly start to recover from this horrible shock. Of course, all sorts of things are racing through my mind, like, what kind of mother will I be to a child like this, will I be able to love and care for my child if something is wrong with it, should I get rid of it, what will people think when they see my baby, will they think I did something wrong to make my baby be like this, what will my family think, how will my children react, how will my husband feel, why is God doing this???? And on, and on and on.
So I finally call Alan and give him the news, he doesn't really say much, but I know he knows it's pretty serious. I get off the phone and talk to God. That's all I can really do. I don't know what else TO do. I know in my heart that God wouldn't give us a baby with disabilities, He knows how much this means to Alan and to me, I know He wouldn't do this, God doesn't do this!!!! Our God is an all loving God and He loves me and Alan and WANTS us to have a beautiful, healthy baby girl, I KNOW IT, I HAVE FAITH IN HIM!!!! I don't believe in my heart anymore that my baby is going to be unhealthy, I have put all of my faith in God, all of it, every ounce that I've got. And with that . . . . . . there is Peace within me, once again, and I can move forward. All I can do is give all the Glory to Him. Thank you Lord for the Peace you instill in me, thank you for loving me, thank you for the beautiful, healthy baby that is growing in my belly, Thank You!!!

Santana In Vegas

Well, we are going to Vegas to see Santana at The House of Blues, I'm sure it's going to be a spectacular show.
So at the airport I start to get super nauseous and Alan has to hunt down some saltines and a 7Up, but to no avail, there is only Sprite, Yuck! Well, I gotta make due and sure enough, it's fine and goes down great with my bland saltine crackers. So I'm munching on crackers and Sprite for almost the entire flight and feel so much better with them in me.
So we get to the hotel, The Bellagio, and it's so gorgeous, the hotel, and the room, I wish I would have felt better so I could have enjoyed myself a little more, because this is VEGAS!!!! But I think to myself, "I have a little baby growing in me," so I feel okay, remembering this small factoid.
So Alan and I get ready to go to dinner and some steak place (can't remember the name), but I have one glass of red wine, which is permitted, don't get your panties all in a bunch now, doctors say red wine in moderation is perfectly fine. Besides, I thought to myself, "I'm sure women in Europe do it all the time." Of course, I'm not in Europe you say . . . . . anyway, the wine went down exceptionally smooth and was wonderful, as was dinner, although I couldn't finish all of it. Which will be the story of my life for the next few months and beyond, I'm sure of it. So, instead of going out and having drinks and walking around (like we normally would have during any other Vegas trip) we instead head back to our room, because I am SUPER-DE-DUPERTY tired, like you would not believe, again, story of my life for months to come.
So we get back to the room, get undressed from the beautiful dress and shoes I just had on, and only wore for about an hour and a half, just to get into a tank and my undies to lay down in bed. Alan sits in bed with his laptop and is scanning any and all 'baby' websites (he's so darned excited, the man can barely contain himself.) I'm laying in the bed 1/2 watching TV and listening to him as he reads me all these interesting little tidbits about what my body is going through, and what it WILL be going through in the next few months, it's pretty interesting and exciting. Plus, I have a partner that is super excited, so he wants to know EVERYTHING about what is happening in my body, to my body and how the baby is developing and all kinds of stuff, so that in itself is exciting too.
So I eventually fall asleep and wake up occasionally to find Alan still scanning the 'net for baby stuff. I fall back asleep and he's asleep as well, this time.
So we get up the next morning, eat breakfast, and walk around a bit. I am getting easily tired and want nothing more than to lay down and sleep. So we go to our room so I can nap before dinner and the show tonight.
Well, I wake up feeling famished and have to dress and get ready for din-din, we're having Italian tonight. Dinner is wonderful, and I'm satisfactorily stuffed, like a Thanksgiving day turkey. So much so, that it's hard to suck in whilst walking around in this new dress (which is super cute, if I do say so myself.) So onto the concert and we have super awesome seats (6 rows from the front!) Santana was completely amazing, he played so much good music, I would definately like to see him again. So again, after the concert, I was totally wiped out. We walk outside to grab a cab and the line is literally going around the building. This Towncar is passing right in front of us, so I stop and ask how much to take us back to The Bellagio, the price is good, so we hop in, bypassing all the people still in the taxi line. Thank goodness. Time to hit the hay, once again.
All in all, Vegas was fun, all things considered. I'm not sure Vegas will be the same for a long time to come.

September 11, 2009--Remembrance for a few reasons

Well, officially today is December 18, but I haven't posted a darned thing since August!!! So, needless to say, I am waaaaayyyyy behind and have much to post.

But as for this post specifically, this one has special significance because, number one, it is September 11th and we all know what THAT means. Of course we all think back to 2001, and we think of where we were when all of the terrorist attacks happened and things like that. But for me, this day has a little more significance. Well, for one, I went to see my OB/Gyn today because I have missed my period (by at least a week). I'm usually pretty regular, so it is a bit peculiar, hmmm...... So I have a pregnancy test done, and 'lo and behold, I'M PREGNANT!!! I can't even believe it. I'm happy, yet, shocked, scared, anxious, worried, all kinds of things are being conjured up in my mind, much less my now completely hormonal body. Wow!! It's crazy too, because Alan and I had tried to have a baby girl a couple of years ago, and I didn't keep the baby, for whatever reason. Also, Alan and I haven't exactly tried NOT getting pregnant, I mean, I haven't even been on the pill for, damned near going on 6 years!!! And NOW it happens?? I'm about to be 40 in December and it happens now??
Anyway, after my doctor's appointment and the initial shock has left me, I drive over to Alan's work and text him to come outside. So he gets in the car and we chit chat for a minute about what his day has been like, I brought him a soda, and then, I tell him I have something to tell him. I don't know of any other way to say it, except to blurt it out, "you're going to be a daddy!!" He kinda just sits there for a second, not really any specific look on his face. But he's probably thinking, "what the heck are you talking about?" But a smile slowly starts to appear on his face, as I tell him where I had just come from and of course, "I'M PREGNANT, IT'S OFFICIAL!!" So of course, he's absolutely happy and hugs me and gives me a kiss, but I ask him not to say anything to the people at work, and he agrees. So that's when and how we found out we were preggers. So we'll see what this little pnut has in store for us. I'm sure we're in for an adventure, to say the least. And for now, that is her official name, "Pnut."

FreeFlashToys.com - Stick Figure Family

FreeFlashToys.com - Stick Figure Family

Disneyworld 2009 Trip

Okay, so I like seriously forgot that this Blogspot thingy puts the pictures in backwards order, sheesh, I hate that. Anyway, these are just some of the 1000s of pictures we took in Disneyworld, there are waaaayyy to many for me to post. But if you're any relation to me, I'm sure you'll see them at sometime, on my computer, of course.

But Disneyworld was a great time, had by all. It was Darian's official Birthday trip, she got a button that said, "It's My Birthday," and got some free stuff and people all throughout would say Happy Birthday to her, workers and tourists alike, nice huh?? Anyway, if you ever get a chance to go and visit Mickey and Minnie in Florida, I highly recommend it. We had a great time, just wish we would have had more time. But we had to get back to reality, to get ready for back to school, bummer. Maybe next time we'll do a cruise!!!

Disneyworld 2009

Well, we went on our Disney World vacation, but I have to go through all the pictures before I can post. So, I'll get back to this at a later time.

First Day of School 2009

Here they are, their first day of school 2009-2010. I now have a Junior, a Freshman and a 5th grader; gosh, I remember when I was a fifth grader and I remember how "responsible" I felt, even though I probably REALLY wasn't. But my little one seems so "young and naive." He's a momma's boy (which at times, I love, and others, I feel a little guilty about, because I feel like I've babied him too much.) Oh well, he's probably my last, so why not, right? I say my last, because my body says "no more," but Alan still has hope, so I guess we'll see. Anyway, back to the subject at hand, I get off on these tangents sometimes . . . . . .

The kids going back to school is bittersweet, of course. I love them being home, but a part of me is like "heck yeah!" I get my days back for me!!" Back to the schedules of school, church and lessons.

OD was a bit nervous going to school, because this year he is changing classes, he doesn't have a homeroom like years prior. He's a big boy now. I forgot to ask where they eat their lunches, hmmm, I'll have to ask later. But he has a whole new place they have to line up and go in with their Advisory Teacher. When I picked him up (which I now pick him up 45 minutes later than the other two,) I asked how his first day as a fifth grader went. He said, "it was okay, I found my classes, but I'm still confused of where I'm supposed to go for P.E." (I'm paraphrasing here, so bear with me on my language, or rather, OD's.) Anyway, I told him it would just take time to get into the routine of knowing where his classes were.

Joshie had his first day of high school. He tells Darian, "your friends act like I'm not even there!" I said, "well, were you being annoying? Maybe they were ignoring you because you were being an annoying little brother." He said, "no, I wasn't even talking at all, they just ignored me." I said, "well, just give them some time, they just don't know you, and when they do, they'll love you." How can you not love Joshie and his silly sense of humor, right? He's so darned smart, Alan and I just have to make sure we're on top of this boy, to make sure he's getting things done. We have faith and we know how smart Joshie is, he can do really, really well, when he wants to. He's just lazy, and we need to keep him out of that laziness funk.

Darian is now starting her Junior year, poor, poor girl. I worry about my girl sometimes. She hasn't done so well in school and I know it's hard for her, but she also needs to put forth more effort. I told her if she didn't pass all of her classes this year, she probably wasn't going to graduate with her class. I wasn't telling her to make her feel bad, but it's a fact, and I think she needs to know the gravity of the situation. This is the last ditch effort to get things on track. I'd hate to see her not graduate on time and with her class, but, well, I don't know. I guess it's not the end of the world, it's not like my daughter is sick with a major illness or anything. I love my daughter and want the best for her and want her to be happy and want her to graduate, don't get me wrong, but in the grand scheme of things, of life and death and God and everything, is it REALLY the end of the world if she doesn't? No. I would still love her and help her in whatever she wanted to do. Not every kid is a school kid, not every kid loves school and does well in it. That's just not Darian.

Anyway, here's to a good and hopefully successful school year!!!

Bummer!!

Well today Joshie was supposed to have started his drum lessons. We had an appointment with this guy at 3:00 o'clock, we drive all the way over to Chandler, by Cornerstone, and he's not even home. Ugh, I hate it when that happens. I left a note on his door, and left a message on his phone, for him to call me to reschedule. We'll see what happens. Joshie and I were both bummed out, he was excited to start.
Anyway, he has a book that he's been looking at, trying to read the notes, so hopefully, he can get a bit of a head start in that area.

The Terrorist

Okay, we have a Terrorist in our midst, I'm not even joking. Ha ha, yes I am. The Terrorist just happens to look like a puffy, cute as button, little white dog. Yes, it's little Petey, a.k.a. Pee-Wee, that's my "pet" name for him, pun intended, of course.
He is a Terrorist, because he has dug holes in our yard, dug up flowers, eaten my brand new (with the biggest and most beautiful flowers), Hibiscus plant that my honey bought me. Alan had just planted it in one of the flower pots near the doggie door, so of course, it's the first thing Petey sees when he goes out the door, right? I was out the next morning feeding the dogs and looked over at the Hibiscus plant and thought, "gosh, I wonder why Alan pruned this plant down so much? " Because I had seen Alan that afternoon with the clippers, clipping other plants, so I just assumed he had done it to the new Hibiscus plant too. I was already getting mad at Alan, because the plant looked ugly, it was waaay smaller than earlier, and just looked puny. But as I walked closer to the plant, I noticed that some of the branches were broken and there were leaves in the pot itself that looked really mangled. So of course, then, it hit me. Ugh!! I could have spanked Petey, but he was no where to be found.

So later when Alan got home, I told him what happened. I told him he should spray the plant with some stuff we have that repels the dogs, so they won't want to chew on the plants. So he grabs the spray and goes outside and comes right back in with this look on his face. I said, "what's wrong?" He said, "there's nothing left to spray." I went outside, and the whole plant, roots and all, was completely ripped out of the pot and was laying on the ground a little ways away, leaves all over the ground. My poor, poor plant. It was so beautiful, I wish I had a picture of it for you all to see. The leaves were so green, the flowers were BIG and really yellow, it was really, really full, it was just a gorgeous plant. But alas, my Pee-wee has ruined it.

So yesterday, Alan got home from work and the kids had been home all day (since I was in LA with Dad and Roy), and when he got home, he noticed the dogs were in the house, unattended. Boys were in the basement playing video games, Darian was in the study room, on the computer. I think Jack was with Darian, but the other two dogs had free range of my house, so who knows what they had been up to. But anyway, Alan's looking outside, way out in the back (if you look down the patio where the BBQ grill is, the grass that's out there), he said he saw Petey with his head all the way in a bag. As he got closer he noticed that he had gotten a bag of Lucky Charms (actually it's the cereal LIKE Lucky Charms, but the ones that come in the big bag, they're cheaper, you know.) Anyway, he has his head completely in this bag of Lucky Charms and is eating and eating and eating. Alan yells his name and he runs away, as fast as an arrow--VROOOOMMMM and hides, oooooooh, he knew he was in trouble. But he must have carried it out the doggie door and went out there in the yard, AND THEN opened it, because the clip that was on it, was out there as well. If he was a little kid (what am I saying? He IS a little kid right?) Anyway, he'd probably be trying to blame someone else, or saying, "I didn't do it, honest." Yeah, right. I have proof that he ate the Lucky Charms. See the little marshmallow in his beard???? Uhuh . . . . . . . EVIDENCE!!!!! Don't let that cute little face fool you, he's a terrorist, I tell ya'!!!!

DBacks/Marlins 7-09

Pitcher Clay Zavada, funny mustache guy.

Watching Marlins hitting practice.

Joshie with a couple of the Rallybacks.

OD with Rallybacks also.

Well, we whomped all over the Marlins this day. Woo hoo-- 8-1!!! This was an awesome game.