on the go

tay was such a sport yesterday. we started out meeting daddy for lunch at 11:30 at "Apotle" (pronounced ah-poat-lay according to taylor, but really known as Chipotle-home of the mega size burritos!). after lunch we headed to party city to get some decorations for the outside of my classroom door and hallway. then it was off to garden ridge, get gas, buy refills for my bean bag chair, target, ice cream at marble slab, lowe's and then home depot. whew! lots of places! she was getting so tired, you could tell by the way she was walking in the stores. as i parked at target, she said to me in a tired voice, "i don't wanna go in the store with you". i laughed and told her that after target we could get some ice cream. that seemed to change her mind *really* quickly! by the time we were at home depot, she was lagging a good 2-3 feet behind me as i searched for what i needed. after passing towering aisle after aisle i suppose she felt like a mouse in a maze because she said a couple of times, "mama, there's no way to get outta the store". again, she brought a smile to my face. on the way home i noticed in my rearview mirror that she was eating her chips in an unusual manner. her eyes were half open, eyelids heavy. her chewing very slow and her head was leaned back. next thing i know:

:)

*currently rockin' out to: the thrill is gone-b.b. king

baby adrian

meet my new cousin!!! he was born last night just before 8pm and is he a cute little guy or what?! been a while since i've held a newborn...it felt nice. {grinning}

give it up for "dubya"

so it's been all over the news...our president's potty mouth caught on a live mic at an international summit. wow. i'm not judging him, but as someone who also isn't afraid to use an expletive here and there (in the right context) and works in an environment in which you need to really watch your language (can't model dirty language for the students, right?!)...*dude*,check to see if your mic is on before you drop some s-bombs!!! here's the video. you'll also get to see & hear one of my biggest pet peeves...smacking/chewing food with your mouth open...eewww! {shudders}

***if you're at work or around kids, you might wanna turn down the sound because it is uncensored in all *his* glory! that, and the ending really drives it home!!! {winks}

*currently rockin' out to: shake ya' tailfeather-murphy lee, nelly & p. diddy (from the movie bad boys II)

rachael ray

this is a new thing for us. it started off with tay just sitting on my lap or on the bed with me while i watched 30 minute meals. then it evolved into tay asking "mama, can we watch a cooking show?" (which she meant rachael ray) and more recently (like in the last week or so) she learned rachael's name and says, "i wanna watch rachael ray, mommy". luckily i tivo her, so tay *can* "watch on demand". it was so adorable this morning...as i was brushing my teeth, tay watched an episode of 30 minute meals. when i came out of the bathroom i asked tay, "so, what is rachael making?" tay looks at me in a serious way and responds, "meatballs, mama." and returns her gaze to the tv. oh man...i have to see if rachael ray has an email address. this would be too cute to send to her. you think taylor could be her youngest fan?

it's a great day to be a beaver!

...and i mean the mascot of oregon state university, all you dirty minds out there!


thanks to jenny (or as we like to call her..."jhenaay" with the forrest gump drawl) for the update about our college baseball team! check this out!!! so proud of them for kickin' A!!! check out the video recap from espn for details...

go beavs!!!

*currently rockin' out to: one love-bob marley

anticipating big driveway

almost 8pm here and we are all lookin' forward to the driveway at 9. =) we were all just at jason and cori's letting the kids play & doing a warm up for the driveway, or as jonathan called it, "decompression" (he had an unexpected extended work day and was beat down).

it's funny how we now have driveway ratings. mini for when it's just a drink or two, medium for when it's some snacks and 5-6 drinks (maybe 3-4 for the girls) and big driveway (tonight!) is usually when we break out some serious food and blow out the drinking or we take a "field trip" (our last field trip was to a local country bar to see what it was all about).

so it's big driveway at home tonight. i don't know what the food is going to be, but in the past it's been either grilling something, sushi-california rolls, deviled eggs, various kinds of dips or gourmet hors d'oeuvres.

oh, and i haven't told you guys about our new friends...the new neighbors, kenny and laura. they moved into the house on the other side of us. they've made it out several times and as the fridays come and go, their attendance has become more consistent. so now we're up to 7...and dave drops by every now and then. when we're hanging out it's so much fun. the conversation flows, the laughs are plentiful, the teasing is amusing, the raunchiness is humorous...it's all just excellent and i'm glad the neighbors & jonathan look forward to it as much as i do!

*currently rockin' out to: good times-tommy lee

new look

so i got tired of the other template and decided to change it. likin' the orange up top, which is kinda bizarre for me; i've never been a fan of orange...hmph! =)

been going back and forth about whether to blog this or not, but i think i will. it's been on my mind quite a bit. we got some frightening news last weekend; we have a sex offender living not just on our street, but across from us. we've (the neighbors) been getting together to discuss what to do about it. some of us have checked with the police department about how closely he can be living to a school (we have an elementary school 2 streets from our house). the detective that i spoke to said that the guy is not under supervision & doesn't have that restriction regarding schools because he's been off probation for several years. his only obligation is to report his address with the sex offender registery. we also checked into some home owner's association rules to see if he was in violation of any (the homes in our neighborhood are designated as single family residences and he seems to be renting a room from the owner of the house) but after doing some research, he seems to be within the rules' limits. this is very frustrating. we have been talking about other avenues of action...needless to say we are all concerned about the situation, especially since he just moved in within the last several months (showed up on the registery just recently). his "rap sheet" says he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of an 8 year old girl in 1994 and served 8 years. just typing this makes me sick. and, although i hate knowing this, i'd rather know than not know. knowledge is definitely power. power to express concern for your child's safety. power to keep your child away from the potential of dangerous situations. power to help others become aware. if you have children, check the national sex offender website to see if there are any in your area and keep those kiddos safe.

summer reading

my nightstand is freaking out. fresh books to hold for me as i delve into a summertime hobby. yes, that's right...summertime only (well, during winter break too). since i teach reading to 3rd graders from august to may, reading during my spare time is the LAST thing i feel like doing during the school year. already read a few from this stack...workin' on "heiress for hire". so far i cracked up on the very first page. good sign.

taylor was so cute this morning. as i was finishing up "the wife of reilly", she went to collect 3-4 of her books and brought them to the living room. she proudly proclaimed that she too, had books. so endearing when she wants to be just like mama or daddy. =)

hope everyone's 4th of july was festive. we went to uncle steve's house for a cookout. *finally* rained so we didn't get to swim in his pool like taylor hoped. but, we watched the soccer semi-finals (italy vs. germany) and taylor had naomi put make-up on her. wow. she lit up like i have never seen her light up before. eye shadow, blush and lipstick...tay was in to it all!!! after uncle's, i got to watch neighboring cities' fireworks from my bedroom window as i caught up with my "just graduated from college" brother on the phone. all's well in vegas...glad to hear. he was very ecstatic that he was getting his holiday pay, i'll tell you that! =) leave it to my brother to just crack me up...love that about him.

anyway, i hear tay starting to stir from her nap...mommy-time is all done.

*currently rockin' out to: i won't be left-tegan and sara (good ol' grey's anatomy music!!!)