Tis The Season

I think I love late summer better than Christmas. The produce, the produce stands, the farmers markets and all the freshness that abounds just makes me so happy. And tomatoes are probably my favorite of all in season fruits and veggies. This is probably because it coincides with fresh corn season and fresh peaches season. But I find myself looking for multiple reasons to make things with tomatoes right now. And today, I think the all time best thing ever happened inside my oven. I made these slow roasted oven tomatoes from Smitten Kitchen. Oh, let me tell you...if you even like tomatoes a little bit...please try this. Then, store them in your fridge in some olive oil and put them in everything from omlettes to pasta to fish to salads to the best one (drum roll) on top of bagels with cream cheese and sea salt. Yum yum yum, dance, twirl and pop another one of these lovelies in your pie hole.

I would have pictures for you but Smitten Kitchen owns the copywrite to the pix for this recipe so just go there for both the visual, directions and to drool. http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/slow-roasted-tomatoes/


On parchment paper, half cherry or grape tomatoes. If you use romas or campenellis you'll either need to increase your cooking time or quarter them. Drizzle with olive oil enough to make them glisten and sprinkle with some kosher salt. You can add some herbs, black pepper or garlic if you want but I wouldn't. They are so perfect with just a little salt and oil.

Floodgates

My poor sister in law Amber. I called her today sobbing into the phone while she was trying to get Cayden into his carseat. I couldn't get out a single word as my snot dripped into my cell phone and I heard her say "Cayden, Auntie Amy is on the phone and she's very sad so you need to be quiet and let me talk to her." I finally got it all out and got calmed down but every time I think about what happened today, I start bawling all over again.

We went to the military I.D. office this morning so I could get my I.D. card renewed so it would be current while Mike is deployed. All of our benefits are tied to the military and in the event I needed to do anything associated with the military while Mike is away, I need to have a current I.D. card. So we go to the office and I hand the lady my two forms of I.D. which were a current Nebraska drivers license and an old California one. "I can't take these" she said, "because they are the same sources." I say okay and dig in my wallet for another kind of ID. While I'm digging she says "yeah, you're going to have to come back on Tuesday because we are closed Monday." I grab my social security card and ask her if this is okay and she winces and says yes that's fine. So she pulls up our military record. Then, she says to me..."when your daughters were born and you enrolled them in medical insurance, we input a temporary social security number for them. We do this all the time because you probably had to have their first check up before you got their actual social security cards." I nod my head in agreement and she continues..."well, now you have 90 days for your husband to bring their actual social security cards to our office or we will suspend their medical insurance." I stop my nodding and say "hmmmwhat?" And she blabbers it all again and all I hear is "husband has to bring in the form....suspend their medical insurance." I explain, my husband is deploying and will be out of the country and we just moved and their SS cards are in some box in the garage he was supposed to go through but he watched the Olympics instead and they are 3 and need medical insurance and what should I do? She then repeated that their insurance would be suspended. Then Mike came over and started to argue with her about how this wasn't right and he was going to be gone and could not bring in the form and looked to me to do my normal "chime in" and I just started to sob. Now when I say sob I don't mean that cute cry where the one tear escapes your eye and trickles down your cheek. I mean sobbing, hysterically, because my daughters were going to have no health insurance and Mike was going to war and I had held it together very well up until this exact moment when circumstances and stars aligned to reach and out and zap me and I just plain ol' freakin lost it. Right in the middle of the office. With Marines all around. With guns strapped to their thighs. No joke. Guns. Strapped. To their thighs!!! As I am hyperventilating, Mike is not so calmly requesting an exception be made and a supervisor comes over and sees me sobbing. She tells the girl to have Mike sign the form and to allow ME to bring it in within the 90 days and that will be fine. "but what if I can't find their cards?" I wailed. "how will I go to the social security office when mike's gone? who will watch them while I do all this?" I am now reaching that place where my voice is so squeaky and high pitched that words just sound like "eeeek" and "beeeek". And Mike is all "aim, I'll find the cards in the box, I know where they are, it'll be okay." He thanks the supervisor and she goes away. The girl that originally waited on us still needs to print all this stuff out, explain to me what I need to do, take my PICTURE and print out my new ID card. And I can't stop sobbing. I just keep crying and crying and crying and tears are streaming down my face and I can't speak and Mike is looking around like "I have no idea what's wrong with my crazy wife" and I want to reach across the desk and strangle the girl who even hinted at taking away my babies medical benefits all the while tears are flooding my face. So I sit there and try and breathe, she snaps the PICTURE (I look hot), prints out her forms and off we go.

Then Mike is all "what's wrong." And I'm all "baaaaaaa, waaaaaaa, haaaaaaaa" and he's all "dude" and I'm all "baaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaa baaaaaaaa" and he's like "okay honey, I have more errands to run, I'll see you tonight" and I'm all "you're an ass" as he walks away and he's all "what?" and I'm all "fine, whatever, jerkface, drive away" and he's all "okay psycho, see ya at home" and that's when I called Amber all hysterical.

You guys get why I was hysterical right? Mike doesn't get it. It's all about the breaking point. Girls, you get it right? Do I need to explain this to him? Or am I really losing it? I think up until this point I have done great. Really had a grip on my emotions, reality and what was happening to our family. Then today, I lost my ever lovin' mind. Normal reaction right?

Random Conversation With Jessica

Me: What are you doing?
Jess: doing this (tickling her leg with a ribbon off her pants)
Me: What's your favorite song?
Jess: Eenie meenie miney Moe, Catch a Tiger By The Toe, If he hollers let him go, eenie meenie miney moe.
Me: oh
Jess: that song is very cute.
Me: what do you want to be when you grow up?
Jess: a ball. a beach ball. Then Katie and Grammie and everyone can throw me at the beach. I love to get wet in Papa and Grammie's swimming pool. And I love to pick flowers for Grammie.
Me: What did you do today?
Jess: Oh, I did lots of things. I went to the mall today.
Me: What did you there?
Jess: rode a merry-go-round ONLY. We didn't ride any other rides. The merry-go-round was ALL ALONE.
Me: What's your favorite food?
Jess: hmmm. My favorite food is chicken from chick fil-A and I like getting balloons from Nugget. Mama spell nugget. Member it starts with a 'N'.
Me: Who's your favorite person in the world?
Jess: Cayden, he is always fun. But sometimes Cayden takes my special balls away.
Me: But Cayden is your favorite person?
Jess: yep, and Katie too. she's my favorite person too.
Me: what about me?
Jess: giggle ...you're my third best friend.
Me: who's your first and second?
Jess: Daddy and Katie.
Me: I love you.
Jess: cuz I need somebody to be my best best best friend. I love you too. This shirt is silly.

Happy Birthday Shout Out To Steve!!!

I was not born with siblings. Nor did my parents crank out any after I was born. BUT, one of my favorite things about Mike is that he came with 5 younger brothers. I was 17 when I started sniffing around the Meeker house. Mike's baby brother Steve was 3. That was 19 years ago. Steve and I got to be friends because he was a ticklish 3 year old and I was a teenage girl with a pony tail and he liked to flick my pony tail up and down. He was a shy little guy with this huge bright light inside of him that would shine like the sun every time he smiled or laughed. Steve was 3 when Mike moved went off to college. It makes me happy that Steve has as many memories of time with me as a sister as he does with Mike as a brother. He doesn't remember a time when I wasn't around. All the other boys grew up as the Meeker boys who had no sisters. But Steve has always had one...me.

I'm not sure what sort of emotions I would feel toward my own siblings if I had them. But I can't imagine they would be stronger or full of more love than those I have for Steve. One of my biggest fears in life is that some twippy chick is going to get her talons in him so I find myself fiercely protective over him. Watch out girls. It's not because I don't think there are any nice girls out there - I just want him to be happy and have someone who is careful with his heart. Steve is one of the best people I know. He is funny, kind, gentle, friendly, sensitive, prompt, silly, smart and cool. The fact that he is 23 today seems next to impossible to me. At 23, I had been married for 2 years and felt like a full fledged adult. Steve doesn't seem old enough to walk himself to school yet. I guess he'll always be our baby brother even though he's grown into a morally sound genuinely good man.

I love you Steve. Happy Birthday to you today!!!!

You CAN afford to shop at Gymboree...

It's my favorite time of year. All summer clothes are on major clearance. If you have an inkling of what size your kids will be in next summer, you can get their entire spring/summer wardrobe for 80% off regular price. People always tell me "I can't afford to shop at Gymboree" but I'm telling you people...you can. If I'm looking to buy something at retail or just around there I go to ebay because there are tons of gymboree "stores" on ebay. All of my items I've ever bought have had tags on and are still in the plastic. I have had 100% good luck with buying gymboree stuff from ebay. But that's not where the GREAT deals are. If you go to Gymboree online this time of year and buy summer collection items, you can get GREAT deals. Here's the thing I love about Gymboree. Their clothes are made amazingly well. They have magic fabric that just doesn't stain, I have no idea how they do it. Their fabric doesn't shrink. Their fabric doesn't fade. Buttons never fall off. Seams never tear. And because my kids share clothes, it's like I put two kids through one set of clothes each season. The biggest thing I love about Gymboree is that within a collection...everything matches. So for example, I just bought a bunch of the Aloha, Hula Girl, Hawaiian stuff for next summer. Everything is in cream, tan, olive, apricot/coral, navy, yellow or light blue. Each shirt matches each pair of shorts, each dress matches the other clothes and then I fill in with a couple of denim shorts from WalMart or Target and my six gymboree items plus let's say 3 WalMart items makes up 9 pieces but I might have like 20 different combinations of how to wear the clothes so it becomes an entire season's wardrobe for two kids. I also bought about 5 things in the flamingo collection because I love the rainbow sherbet ice cream cone colors...they remind me of the 80's and Florida and summer all together. So with these few purchases I am set for next summer. I might add in some geranimal play clothes from WalMart or some Cherokee shorts or T-shirts from Target and I've picked up some church dresses along the way but basically poof, I'm done.

WalMart, Target, Old Navy, Gapkids, Kohl's etc. all have their summer clothes on clearance right now. You can pick up some awesome deals. I also picked up like 6 knee high socks at Gymboree for $10 today which go great with plaid not too mini-skirts for this fall and tights, underwear and socks were cheaper at Gymboree today than they are at WalMart and let me tell ya...they last a lot longer. I think I've spent less than $150 and I have enough clothes to cover both my girls through Spring and Summer of next years including underwear, socks, pajamas and two pairs of sandals each. I know $150 sounds like a lot but if I left my shopping until next Spring, I would be able to buy way less than half of these clothes and I would have to settle for paying full price.

Now as my great friend Jody Carson taught me, you can ALWAYS do better shopping at thrift stores and I truly LOVE thrift stores. But I just don't have the time to stay on top of going through them. As my sister in law Faith can testify, you have to go every week to snag the great stuff that comes in. With two active 3 year olds, I find it much easier to sit down with my lap top at night after they go to bed and shop online. The shipping is often free and if not it's darn close to the cost of gas.

I occasionally find some great deals for myself online as well. But I find that I still want to go into a dressing room and see how something fits for myself. As the girls grow I'm sure I'll need to take them to try stuff on more often as well but for now they are the exact same height and they wear the exact same size so it makes it really nice to shop online. To summarize...here are my favorite places to go.

If you have to pay full price or buy something in current season:
www.ebay.com search gymboree and the size you want (example gymboree 4T)

If you are able to shop at the end of a season:

www.gymboree.com
www.target.com
www.kohls.com
www.walmart.com (they run out of stuff really early so their prices are great in season too but beware of seams, buttons and shrinkage)
www.oldnavy.com
www.ebay.com (just watch shipping, I'm finding for sale stuff I can do better at the actual store)
www.crazy8.com
www.childrensplace.com

BEWARE of these sites...expensive and never good sales:

www.sears.com
www.macys.com
www.nordstrom.com
www.gapkids.com

Have You Read These Books?

In case you are one of the very few people on the planet earth that has not read these books, I just wanted to give them a shout out. I went to a book club on the latest one and it was a really good discussion. These books are addictive so be warned, once you get going they are very hard to put down.

Author: Stephanie Meyer
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn

Really great stories about really great characters. I really recommend them. They won't make your brain hurt but they are really fun.

Almost Dead To Me

Awhile back, I did a post of things that were Dead To Me. This list comprised things that I just can't stand anymore so I'm choosing to pretend they no longer exist on planet earth. The following is a list of things that are almost dead to me, meaning they are on notice that if they do not shape up then they will become dead to me. Got it?

• The Government of the People's Republic of China - look, I have no beef with Chinese people. (no duck, pork or chicken & snowpeas either ha ha) But their government left a lot to be desired over the past few weeks. First, the little girl who had the beautiful voice and sang the song about world peace at the opening ceremonies was actually just a really cute girl. The voice came from what the government deemed was a less cute girl and the really cute girl with pigtails and rosy cheeks was just put there for window dressing. How would you like to be 7 yrs old, super cute in actuality, have an amazing voice and told by your government that you just aren't cute enough but we'd still like to use your voice? Ummm....therapy later? Then, the 12 year olds on the womens gymnastic team that had falsified passports issued by who? Oh...the government. Then, the whole dishonor issue regarding the male sprinter that was supposed to do really well. Hello? Chinese Government? He tore his Achilles!!! Let's tear the Achilles of one member of the polit bureau and see if they feel like sprinting around a track shall we? And pulling passports of former Olympic gold medalists because they are involved in aide work in Darfar? That's just ridiculous. And you know why I can say all this? Because I live in America. Thank goodness for that.
• Homemade Rice Krispee Treats- Have you tasted the ones that come out of the package? They are WAY better.
• Cheeseburgers - I used to love Cheeseburgers. In fact, they were a major weakness of mine. When I was on a diet, I didn't crave chocolate...but I really craved a juicy cheeseburger. So what happened to them? They all taste like dried out cardboard now. Where can a girl get her cheeseburger on people?
• Shaving - I cut myself in the shower on the night of our anniversary. It's 2008...is it really necessary for us to still be cutting ourselves in the shower and not realize it until the shave gel or soap run into the cut and then it's too late, you are in the kind of pain that stings but you can't stop what you are doing and you just keep shaving away hoping you don't cut your other leg. I just am over the whole thing.
• Regular deodorant - now that they have Secret Clinical strength...is there any reason to use anything else?
• My closet - it will never be organized. It is a pit sent up to me directly from hell in which things go in but never come out because they get eaten by the demons that live there.
• The heat - I am so ready for fall, crisp mornings, jeans, sweaters, my clogs, not having to get a pedicure every 5 seconds, walks around the neighborhood, going to the park, eating caramel apples, going to the pumpkin patch, sitting outside with a blanket and a book in the coolish weather but still okay to be outside because it's super sunny. Heat heat go away!
• Old people that think they still have it together but in reality have totally lost it but then get mad at you when you kindly volunteer to put their medications together for them because they CAN DO IT STILL even though when you ask them what they take everyday they end up telling you "I take 3 chlonadine in the morning. Then I take 1 chlonadine at 11. Then 2 chlonadine at 7. Then 4 chlonadine at bedtime." In actuality, they take 3 chlonadine per day and all those other pills all have other names. Ummmmm.....I think you need to let it go now. Bless their heart. (I just had to follow that comment with bless their heart so you won't think I'm some elderly hater cuz I'm not but I hope when I am in my eighties that I let my kind relatives help me instead of overdosing myself with blood pressure medication).

Obama/Biden???

I've never gotten super political with this blog. I offically announced I was supporting Obama awhile back and I've posted a few things here and there. But I just feel political today. Maybe it's the whole conclusion of Olympics and the Chinese gymnast scandle. Maybe it's the People magazine article I read about Elizabeth Edwards and her snake in the grass cheating husband. Maybe it's just watching Mike put desert camoflague uniforms in a bag and learning that listerine is the best thing with which to clean a gas mask's drinking tube with. Ugh. But in any case, I feel political today and I feel like talking about it. So if you think politics is too emotional an issue for you or if you can't be friends anymore with me if we disagree about this stuff than you should just not read any further. I won't hold it against you I promise. For me, I LOVE talking about politics. Most of the people I know don't agree with my positions on most issues so I'm used to being a lone wolf in my beliefs. I respect the heck out of differences of opinions and I think political debate is what made this country great. Without it we would never have had a Declaration of Independence or a Constitution. So I welcome all ideas no matter how radical to be brought to my dinner table. I never allow myself to get upset by them and I hope you feel the same. Let's get started on my ramblings shall we?

I was a little worried about Barack Obama's choice of running mate. Would he choose Hillary? Yee Gads I hoped not. I was hoping for someone like Bill Richardson from New Mexico or Tom Daschle but neither of those choices seemed to be likely to unite the party. Biden has been a front runner since the beginning of this whole thing but I took no time to learn anything about any of these guys because I figured I have too much to learn and I'll catch up once he picks someone. So, now Joe Biden has been selected, I set out to learn a little bit about the Senator from Delaware and what he stands for. Here are some facts...just in case you were curious.

Biography:

Joe Biden has represented the state of Delaware in the United States Senate since 1972, when he was elected at the age of twenty-nine. He wrote the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). He is a huge supporter of the "family farm" and agriculture is one of his big issues. He is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . Senator Biden and Les Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, have offered a five-point plan that offers a political solution to ending the war - a plan overwhelming endorsed by his Senate colleagues by a 75-23 vote. In 1999, Senator Biden authored a Senate-passed resolution endorsing air war in Kosovo. Today, Senator Biden is the Congressional effort to end genocide, this time in Darfur, Sudan. He supports a high quality VA Medical Care system for our veterans. He is a long standing member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. His Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 - also known as the Biden Crime Bill - put more than 100,000 cops on America's streets and increased dramatically federal support for innovative criminal justice prevention and rehabilitation. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill goes further by addressing the 21st century crime problems such as computer hacking, on-line child exploitation and teenage prescription drug abuse. He is the Co-Chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus. Senator Biden was the first in Congress to propose a "Drug Czar," a cabinet level office to coordinate all federal agencies responsible for drug-related programs and devise a strategy to combat illegal drug use and trafficking in America. He recently introduced the College Affordability and Creating Chances for Educational Success for Students (ACCESS) Act which would increase tax incentives, expand Pell grants, and begin college planning as early as the eighth grade. He authored and chaired legislation to create a Commission on Civil Rights in the early eighties, he introduced the 1986 Global Climate Protection Act, he was the chair for creating a National Mammography Awareness Day and he authored the Rail Security Act of 2007 to regulate transportation of hazardous materials on our railways.
Personal Information
Senator Biden grew up in New Castle County, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965, and from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1968. Prior to his election to the Senate, Biden practiced law in Wilmington, Delaware and served on the New Castle County Council from 1970 to 1972. Senator Biden lives in Wilmington, Delaware and commutes to Washington, DC when the Senate is in session. He is married to Dr. Jill Biden, the former Jill Jacobs, an educator in Delaware's schools for over twenty years. She currently is a professor teaching at Delaware Technical Community College. Senator Biden is the father of three children: Beau, Hunter and Ashley. Beau serves as Delaware's Attorney General, Ashley is a social worker and Hunter is a lawyer. The Bidens also have five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel, Natalie, and Robert Hunter.

Issues (this is a poor summary of his stance on these issues. go to http://biden.senate.gov/ for complete information on his views and positions):

His big issues seem to be to re-establish the middle class, to build a larger volunteer force military and to properly fund it. (YAY) He believes it is vital to finish what we started in Afghanistan but that we abandoned what we set out to do in Afghanistan when we entered into the war in Iraq. He believes Afghanistan is a vital area in which we need to establish security. He believes we need to withdraw our troops in Iraq in a way that won't leave total chaos but that Iraq needs to become the world's problem and solution rather than just ours. His 5 point plan that he authored with Les Gelb is supported by the Congress with a 75-23 vote. As far as civil rights go, he believes we should not deny legal rights to same sex couples as far as taxes, adoption, laws etc. He thinks it should be up to the individual states as to how to recognize civil unions and define marriage. He believes in ending the don't ask don't tell policy of the military . He believes turning away patriotic Americans that want to serve based solely on their sexual orientation is wrong. He believes in the Paycheck Fairness Act due to the fact that women still earn 77 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. He supports investing in alternative fuel sources and increasing our use of renewable energy. He supports incentives to companies that decrease their environmental footprint.

Amy's take on it all: Although I disagree with some of Joe Biden's positions on civil rights and the definition of marriage, this is not a one issue election for most people. For me however, this is very much a one issue election. We are at war. Friends of mine are dying. Children I know are being orphaned. Mothers and Fathers are having to leave their children with Aunts and Uncles or Grandparents to go serve in Iraq for reasons I just don't understand. The reasons we went into Iraq don't exist. They never existed. And we are losing. And I believe we cannot win. I don't believe there will be peace in that region. Mike is going to miss my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, his birthday and countless moments, hugs, kisses, snuggles and memories. And he's not the only one getting jipped. My girls are getting jipped out of their Dad. Sure, Mike signed up to serve. And he's more than willing to go wherever he is sent. And I support him going to places in which we are set up for the purpose of defending our freedom. But to protect our oil interests? Is that worth his life? My answer is no, especially when we have more than enough oil here in our own country. It's just not worth it. We have technology that enables us to listen to over 500 songs on a device the size of a postage stamp. But we can't figure out how to make cars run on something besides gasoline? Come ON. We have the most brilliant minds in the world in this country. Minds that invented TiVO and Diet Coke for crying out loud. The age of the gasoline powered car is over. Let's move on. And all of a sudden, if we did, the Middle East wouldn't matter so much anymore would it? So for me, this IS a one issue election. It's about Foreign Policy and who I think will end this war faster and protect my husband from having to go away from our family the least often as possible. Sending people into harms way is the number one most sacred duty a President has and when they take that responsibility too lightly in my opinion, we have to stand up and say "no". John McCain said the other day that "we will never retreat in Iraq". To me, what that said is "I will sacrifice as many lives as necessary to ensure we never back down even if we are out numbered, out matched and can never stabilize this region." A similar position was taken during Vietnam. We never won there either and over 55,000 lives were lost. Are we really going to repeat that? How can an issue like whether or not two chicks can claim each other on their W-4's take precedence over that sort of issue? It can't, at least not for me. As for you, you have to decide what it the most important thing facing this nation. I hope you study the issues. Really study them. I think the best way to do this is to not listen to negative ads and campaigning. Go to the candidates websites and find out what they stand for and what their official political viewpoints are. Then, see who lines up with you the most. For the record, I think John McCain is a great American and there are a lot of things he stands for that I believe. But we've had the Washington status quo for a long time now. I just think it hasn't really worked that well. And I think Bush has really let us down. So someone who is so entrenched in the machine that is Washington and someone who is vowing to continue a lot of Bush's programs and policies just isn't for me. Whatever you decide...PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH. I'm still in the middle of mine.

By the way, I voted for George Bush. Twice. I am not a party Democrat. 99% of the people who read this blog are Republicans and VERY conservative. Most of them call me their left wing liberal friend or family member even though I am pretty conservative if you look at the rest of the world. But in this election like I said, it's just about war for me. As Mike prepares to leave I can't help but only be able to think of that. Sorry if your political sensibilities were disrupted by this post. Feel free to blast away in the comments section..

To my Mike...

Him...
Sitter on my couch.
Watcher of my T.V.
Mender of my wounds.
Father of my children.

Stealer of my heart.
Cause of my tears.

Cause of my laughter.
Inspiration for my dreams.
Waker of my sleep.
Ignitor of my passions.
Source of my money.
Partner of my life.
Cheerleader of my goals.
Dancer of my nightmares.
Butt of my jokes.
Best of my Friends.
Answer to my prayers.

Mate of my soul.

Happy 16th anniversary Mike. It's been quite a journey. Thank you for everything, especially for growing up right beside me. And congratulations on your choice of spouse. You really lucked out. Oh...I lucked out too. It's just you REALLY REALLY lucked out.

4 years ago today...

WARNING - PERSONAL INFO AHEAD.
Four years ago today I conceived my daughters. Nooooo. I'm not going to tell you some gross story that starts out with a candlelit dinner and ends where...well... you think it's going to end. Nope. That's not how I roll. Instead, 4 years ago I was laying in a bed in a Navy Lodge in Bethesda Maryland recovering from IVF surgery. My parents were with me. Mike was in Nebraska stuck in Residency orientation. Some of his very best representatives were back in Maryland, having made the journey from cyrogenic tank (frozen), to thaw, to a petri dish where they made their long awaited journey toward my low quality eggs, where 4 of them did the job they were created to do. But all that happened like 4rs 3 days ago. TODAY, 4 years ago, I went from my bed, to Walter Reed Army Hospital where the little Katie embryo and the little Jessica embryo were taken from the petri dish, put into a large straw and inserted via catheter into my hormone shots induced ready and waiting uterus. My mom held my hand as we watched via ultrasound a little flash of light burst inside of me, hoping and praying that the light would grow into something I hadn't really dared to dream was possible. I think this day, August 21st 2004, is the most significant day in my life. More than my wedding, more than the day they were born. It's the day our dreams came true, it's the day those dreams took form and shape. Little did we know, that flash of light would someday look at me and say "ha ha, I made a little pup. (fart) Sometimes, pups are funny!" Or "Mama...why does Mama start with an M? And why does Jessica start with a J? And why does Katie start with a K? And why does Daddy start with a D? And why does Grammie start with a G? And why does Papa start with a P? Mama? Mama? Are you listening? MAMA! I need to talk to you. (Pause) Why does Mama start with a M?" Oh, that little burst of light. You guys did good.

Mike hijacked my blog

Mike finally couldn't take it anymore. He got into my blog and left his own commentary on my previous Jessica Hood post. I guess some elves are fiesty elves. Psycho much Mike? Read his comments and you guys will have a new insight into the freak show that is my life.

Recent Pictures From Our Goings and Doings...

Jessica & Katie on preschool orientation day
Sunday before Church

I love this because it's so Jessica - she's always cracking up

TOTALLY Katie and Jessica - they are always talking about something that they are giggling about together (while they are supposed to be posing for a picture) Hello? Girls? Umm...camera....have it out...look over here would ya?

bye-bye Papa - I go to preschool now!

Jessica and Katie knew how sad I was because they were off to preschool and I was going to have to be all alone...so here's where they are showing me that they love me "THIS MUCH" and "you'll be okay mama, cuz right after preschool is over you come get us and we will ALL BE TOGETHER AGAIN!" Bless their hearts, they tried really hard to cheer me up.

Hugs and Kisses

Leaving me behind off to stake their independence in the dog eat dog of preschool and 3 year olds. It was just yesterday that they were leaving me in the dust at the park...and the store...and at church...and on our walk down the block. GO GIRLS GO!!! You go get that big wide world out there. Grab it by the tail and kick it's trash!!! But don't forget to write. And call. And always live with me and daddy okay? Okay? Hey girls...I think there's some smudge on your faces...wait up!!!

See ya Dad. We're going to preschool. Have a good day!

Mom, we love ya but let go already. This is just before they went to class. There were tears behind my sunglasses.

Jessica was so happy she was going to school. She was the happiest of us all.

Katie and Mike. This is where both girls LOVE to climb. On top of his shoulders. You can tell he really HATES it. ha ha...he's a sucker for his chicks.

Build A Bear

We did a super cool and special thing today. Mike took the girls to Build A Bear workshop and they made "daddy bears". These bears have a special recording device inside so the girls can squeeze the foot of the bear and hear a special message to them from their Dad. We are keeping these bears put up until he leaves and will bring them down at night when I tuck them into bed while he is deployed. The messages are simple just "Hi (Jessica or Katie), it's Daddy. I want you to have a good night and I'm so glad you are bringing me to bed to snuggle you. I love you!" Each one is a little bit different but that is the basic idea. They picked out "daddy clothes" for their bear which out of all the choices of jeans/Tshirts, doctor outfit, suit and tie...they picked the same camouflage military uniform their dad wears to work everyday. When he gets home at night they unlace his combat boots as soon as he sits down. It's like it's their little official jobs. I guess they really associate that uniform with their dad so that's what they picked. I think all three of them had a really good time and I think the bears will come to mean a lot to the girls. I was really emotional about it because I understand that in a few days all the girls will have of their Dad are pictures and these bears so I left the Bear store and let them have special time just the 3 of them together. Because I was feeling blue, I went and blew a shameful amount of cash at Sephora on makeup and skin care products while the girls and Mike built the bears. Then I came at the end and took some more pictures.

At the beginning, the bears are flat and don't have any stuffing. The girls made a wish and inserted a small red heart inside the shell of the bear. (it's called a wish heart) Then, Mike inserted his recorded message into the foot. And off they went to the stuffing machine where the girls could step on a button to activate the machine and watch all the soft fluffy stuffing go into their bear. Then, after the bear is "born", they took them to the bathing area and gave them a "bath" to wash off any extra stuffing pieces and to brush their hair all pretty so they could be all clean and ready to get dressed. Then, they and their Dad dressed them in the clothes they picked out. Finally, they got an official birth certificate for their bear and a little carrier house so they could take their bear home.
Giving Daddy kisses with our new bears.

Katie helping Daddy dress her bear.

Katie with her still naked bear.

Katie and Daddy and bear almost dressed.

Jessica and Daddy getting her bear dressed.

Katie giving her "just born" teddy bear a bath before getting him dressed.

Jessica cleaning up her brand new baby bear who was just born. You have to give him a bath before you can put on his new clothes and take him home.

Outside Build a Bear - Mike, Katie & Jessica

My Own Personal Mastercard Ad & other misc ramblings

Yard Guy - 50 dollars
Cleaning Lady - 70 dollars
Take Out - 20 dollars
Number of boxes to still be unpacked in garage - 20 gazillion

Watching the Olympics round the clock snuggled on the couch with your 2 chicas and your husband who is leaving for Afghanistan - PRICELESS

There are some things money and time can't buy.
Luckily, for the past week, there's been...LAZINESS.


This doesn't REALLY sum up my life for the past week and a half but sorta. My kitchen needs to be cleaned and there are more boxes in the garage than I'm comfortable with, but it's been fun snuggling on the couch with Mike and the girls and just being. When our Bishop talked about Mike Phelps today at church both Katie and Jessica squealed out "DADDY...LYMPICS!!!" I wish maybe we weren't watching "as much" lympics as we are...but I'm just taking advantage of the extra snuggles and kick back pace we are living life. For that, it's been really fun.

Yesterday on the way home from Grandma Meeker's birthday party, we stopped at a roadside orchard stand and bought peaches, tomatoes and pluots just outside of Marysville. Man, let me just tell you that if a ripe pluot would of been on the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, I would have been toast. I can't tell you how great this fruit is. And on top of the sweet, almost ambrosia quality of this fruit, I got to have a lightly toasted plain bagel, with whipped cream cheese, thinly sliced warm from the garden ripe summer tomato and gray salt. Oh my...what a treat. For 12 years we lived where produce grew, but just can NOT be compared to the produce of the central valley of California. I am so thankful for all the farmers markets, fresh produce in the supermarkets and especially the road side stand we stopped at yesterday. Everything has been great this season. My girls love all of it. I don't think they've met a fruit or vegetable they don't love. The other night we had Bill over for dinner and I grilled some salmon on a cedar plank but everything else on the table was fresh produce. We grilled fresh white corn on the cob, sliced ripe tomatoes, English sweet cucumber, fresh peaches and blueberries tossed with amazing Yogurt Cream and even caramel apples for dessert. It was a festival of fruit and veggies. We are so lucky to live here. Thank you farmers!!!!

We really enjoy our new church we are attending. In our church, when you move, you change congregations so we are brand new and getting to know everyone. We spoke in church today and then both Mike and I taught classes. It was fun to jump right in and get to know some folks. I am very thankful for fresh starts in our lives and am thankful my girls love going to church so much. They said their favorite thing about church is snuggling in the big long chair (pew) because we always sit all together and get to snuggle as a "whole family".

Tonight we played a new game called "I love you more than (fill in the blank)." So I told Jessica "I love you more than Diet Coke" she replied "I love you more than drawing "J"'s" and then Mike said "girls, I love you guys more than Olympics." and both girls just stopped what they were doing and looked at him and Jessica goes..."wow". She KNOWS how much her Dad loves the Olympics.

I am really enjoying the frozen yogurt trend that is back on. We have a number of Pinkberry impostors in ou home town that charge by the ounce and have like over 100 toppings. The pinkberry flavor is called "tart" at our yogurt shops and topping it with strawberries, blueberries and granola is heaven. And the yogurt is only 25 calories/ounce. The granola is bad but the berries are great too. If you have fro-yo in your area you should totally check it out.

Anyhoo- that's all I got for tonight. These are just my random ramblings as I sit here listening to the girls, the Olympics, Mike returning a page (he's on call) and the clicking of the keyboard. These are the sounds of my house. I'm sure going to miss the sound of Mike's voice...except ewwwww....right now he's talking to someone on the phone about vaginal discharge. gross. Such is the life of the on call doc. Sad... really gonna miss him, vag discharge conversations and all.

Dara Torres

Can I just say that Dara Torres is a freakin stud?!!! Her daughter is younger than mine. I can't get my butt on the treadmill or take a walk around the block but Tara started training the day she gave birth. I am still trying to get the after baby weight off, most of which I had on my butt BEFORE I got pregnant and Tara has BY FAR the best body I have ever seen in my life. And she's 42. And in the Olympics. And really good. And goes to mommy and me swim classes. And seems to be a great mom. And she gets 2 massages per day.

I would like to trade lives please. Well, I'll take the body and the massages but I don't want to do the workouts, trade my kids or my husband. But everything else, I'll trade. Especially the massages. Did I mention I'd like to have the massages????

Oh Dara Torres, you are making me covet.