Dillon... a future stylist???

So while in the shower this morning, I heard Ava yelling/crying..."Bubba cut my hair bubba cut my hair". I quickly finished my shower but I didn't really think she was saying that Dillon cut her hair. So I get out of the shower and find Ava sleeping on the floor with wet tears still on her face. I then proceed into the kids bathroom where I found a nice grouping of hair in the trash can. I look around for the scissors, but they were put nicely back behind the same items they are always behind. I tried to move Ava's hair around to see where exactly she was missing hair but could not tell with the way she was laying down. I began asking Liliana and Dillon what happen. Of course Liliana pointed at Dillon right away saying she didn't do a thing! Dillon was quick to make a very sad face and didn't say a word! So he of course got in trouble. Finally an hour later Ava woke up... this is what her hair looked like. Thankfully he didn't do too much damage. I am still NOT happy that he cut any of her hair. But very lucky/happy that no one got hurt! So you be the judge does he have talent in the styling industry??!!

Liliana My Little Dancer

Let me start out by reminding all of you what happen this time last year...
She was 3 weeks into the school year and decided she wanted to try dance classes out! So I took her for a trial class. By the end of the class she was MISERABLE. She was so unhappy that all the other girls new the steps and she didn't! A perfectionist just like me! She was so frustrated that she said she "NEVER WANTED TO DANCE AGAIN". Part of me was crushed but never let her know it and the other part of me was glad that she could make up her mind on whether she wanted to continue with classes or call it quits! So after her "tantrum" the year went on but withOUT Liliana dancing!
This brings me to the present...
So this past weekend Liliana was invited to a Cheetah Girl's Dance Themed Party. The little girl hosting the party is a BIG dancer and had her mom arrange to have the dance studio open just for the party and have the girls dress up like the cheetah girls (from their new movie) and dance a bollywood routine at the end of the party for all the parents! VERY CUTE party. Liliana had a BLAST! So of course this brought up the topic of Liliana taking dance classes! I am TOTALLY NOT opposed to this since I was a dancer as a little girl and LOVED it, but after what happen last year I was a bit hesitant to let her even try it again. I put all my feelings aside and took her for a trial class tonight... SHE LOVED IT! I did manage to get a quick peek into the classroom without her seeing me (she has weird issues with me watching her also why I have no photos of her before or after class) and it looked like she had fun. Even though this is yet another activity to add to my already busy calendar I am excited to see how she progresses. I think this is going to help her with her patience, concentration, and emotions!

Progress on the laundry room...

Well I am happy to report that Marc has taken the get it all done sooner than later approach with the latest house project... As you can see he built the benches (which do open and close), the shoe shelving area in between the benches, and the frames for the upper cabinets. On the wall across from this picture (which I can't snap a picture of because its such a cramped space) is the washer and dryer and more framed cabinets which also need doors. GO MARC!! I am so happy that he is working so hard on getting this project done in such a timely manner. Not that I am complaining on any other projects he has done and taken FOREVER on but I am sure some of you know what I mean!! I am keeping my fingers crossed that he finishes the doors next weekend and then by the following weekend does all the sanding, filling of holes, and last minute touch ups so we can get this room painted and things back where they belong!

I AM CPR CERTIFIED FINALLY!!

Ok so ever since Liliana was born (7 YEARS AGO), I wanted to take a cpr/first aid class but between working and raising a new baby I never could find the time to get to one. I know a really sad excuse but anyway. Well by the time I was getting ready to have Dillon, we started our long journey of moving every year-year and half!! So the years have passed and I still never found the time in between taking care of the kids and Marc's crazy work/travel schedules! Once again more sad excuses but ANYWAY...
I am glad to say now that we are back in AZ around family, I FINALLY made it to a CPR/First Aid Class. I even have handy little business cards that I keep in my wallet that say I am certified. I am so proud of myself for finally being a responsible parent and getting certified! I say responsible because I truely believe that all these years without the training I have gambled with all things that COULD have gone wrong but luckily did NOT!
Now to end this on a lighter note... if you are torn on going to the gym for a couple hours or getting CPR certified... you can do BOTH... why you ask... because its a WORKOUT and a half to practice on those bodies! Of course being preggo I am not in the BEST of shape but even the nurses renewing their licenses were huffing and puffing a bit!
Ok so I hope if you are not certified you will go and get certified! Its a GREAT thing to do/know!

Some of Ava's New Collection...

So after a few weeks of cloth diapering I like it so much that I am pretty much cloth diapering ALL the TIME. I didn't want to waste energy using the dryer so I made my own clothes line. Remember its sunny most of the day and its been about 105-110 degrees outside! I had to make one since most of the ones would buy and put up yourself stand higher than our 5 foot brick wall. We UNfortunately live in an HOA community, which means they have rules regarding things sticking up higher than the property walls! Its fine though because as you can see I made my big queen palm trees work!

Marc's Newest House Project...

Ok so most of you know that we decided to rip out a couple sets of cabinets in our kitchen, open up the wall underneath our staircase and make a nice walk-in pantry. You also know that this was a project that was started over 3 months ago. Marc HAS been busy with work but more busy with his XBOX 360 (not to give any reasons why its not complete yet)!! Needless to say time has flown by. Well I am proud to say he is ALMOST done with the pantry. Yes, I know he should be done by now but he picks and chooses what he wants to complete in one weekends time and so far the things left on the list to be done don't "rank" top right now!! Wondering what those things are... cut out the few tiles that are in the new doorway and lay new flooring inside the actual pantry, hang a couple more shelves, and finish all the molding! Not a whole lot but a decent amount for it to be a COMPLETED project. Now you all are probably wondering why I named this blog Marc's newest project... well our old pantry/laundry room had these obnoxious and always in the way shelves that just wasted space so a new plan was hatched to rip out these shelves and put in a custom "mud room" like wall unit. It will be really nice once completed but until then its ANOTHER project that I have to see UNFINISHED for who knows how long!! So even though the pantry is not 100% complete, Marc decided to start ripping out the shelves this past weekend. Of course no home project can be completed without some help from the boy! It was too funny watching Dillon try to pull out pieces of shelving and trim. So while he was helping Marc I HAD to get a couple shots of his tool handling skills at work! Isn't he a good little worker?

Kids Pictures for 2008

Ok so I can't give all the spotlight to little Garrison so I guess now is a good time to post the professional pictures of the kids I had taken last month! You all know I am a picture freak so I couldn't let this year get away without taking them yet again! I just did the basic package at Walmart and surprisingly enough they ALL did great. Well of course there had the "forced smiles" but hey they ALL SMILED!

Garrison ...

Ok everyone, I finally got the scanner working and here he is...



Top Left: His "parts"

Top Right: His Foot

Middle Left: Back shot of the body (His head is on the screen right and his leg is tucked under his belly)

Middle Right: He is laying face up (head on right and belly on left)


4D Images

Bottom Left: Him laying with his back to the picture. If you notice on the bottom left of his body his arm is wrapped around him and he has either his thumb or index finger up in the air)

Bottom Right: I know this looks like his "parts" BUT ITS NOT
If you look at the middle bottom you can see 1 of his eyes and his hand covering the other eye, his nose, and lips at the very bottom

Baby Number 4 is a ...

Alright everyone it seems like from the day I found out we were having baby number 4, I have been DYING to know if it was a boy or girl! Well today was the lucky day... Its a BOY! A whole whopping 8 ounces in weight! He WILL be named Garrison Michael!
I will hopefully get the scanner cord to work later tonight and upload the ultrasound pictures. The ultrasound was the coolest of all baby ultrasounds I have ever had done! The reason, it was a regular ultrasound at first but then the last few images we got to see were in 4D! You could see the baby in a more detailed way. I even got a profile shot of the face. The baby was being a little stubborn, sleeping spine side up! He even had his arms near his face so that we could barely get any shots of his face! They sadly chose not to change my dates back to December, but I prepared myself for that. I have small babies! I was misinformed as to how they would be MORE accurate than the standard ultrasound. Basically to tell how far along you are they measure two things... the head and the sac no matter basic ultrasound or 4D ultrasound. Well considering I have small babies both these things would be measuring small! I am still convinced that the due date they are keeping on my medical records is NOT accurate but just like all the other kids I just ended up having them on the correct due dates (3 weeks early according to the know-it-all doctors)!
But no matter the due date I just want a healthy baby and so far everything looks "PERFECT" as the ultrasound tech said today!

The Garden...

Ok before I start I have to say... MARC IS THE REASON FOR THE SUCCESSFUL GARDEN THIS YEAR! Back in early spring Marc and I decided to TRY and grow a garden in the AZ climate. We did have a small garden back in NY which was pretty successful so we were confident but still unsure of how successful we would be in the desert climate! Marc dug the boxes and I spread the soil/manure mixture and planted! At the start of spring we had snap peas, green beans, squash, tomatoes, green peppers, spinach, lettuce, pickling cucumbers, jalepenos, and a variety of herbs. Sadly some plants didn't fair too well once the heat got strong but others grew like weeds. But the end of spring and start of summer, Marc made over 4 huge jars of pickled green beans and pickles (very yummy), picked 6 helpings of green beams, 2 helpings of snap peas, 4 heads of lettuce, 2 helpings of spinach, and oodles and oodles of squash. When I say oodles I mean 86 total! They were HUGE and very tasty! Since the dry desert heat of summer began, Marc decided to rip certain plants out and start new ones. He planted corn, pumpkin, watermelon, cantelope, potatoes (in the tires), and another batch of squash. He also started some plants indoors for when it starts to cool off! By this time the tomatoes were beginning to turn red, watermelons and cantelopes were growing bigger than softballs, and pumpkins were starting to flower. The corn sadly grew and quickly burned! (Thats how hot it is here) I totally forgot to take pictures of the spring garden but managed to take a few photos of the summer foods! As you can see the tomato plants are growing but some parts are burning. The sun is just so fierce out here! I am anxious to see what the fall weather will bring us as far as garden foods! Not to mention we will be feeding are garden the best COMPOST EVER!

Our Last Name Should Be GREEN!

Why should our last name change to GREEN you ask... because we have come A LONG WAY since being better informed of the difference we NEED to make on this planet! (Thanks mainly to good friends/old neighbors that are still back in NY) We have been taking baby steps in the right direction. Baby steps are better than no steps. In no means are we perfect when it comes to being 100% ECO-Friendly but we are doing all that we can (including the children)! I think one of the main things we have changed for the better this year is our trash quantity... we NEVER even thought about composting. About a couple months ago, our town was giving out FREE composting barrels out to those that wanted them! So Marc and I decided to order one!

Keep in mind before composting, we were filling 1 HUGE garbage can once a week! I am proud to say that with the composting barrel we have only 1-2 trash bags per week of trash. Now our recycle bin is a different story. That bin is filled to the lid every single week. GO US!

Here is a picture of the nice new addition to our backyard.

Notice the top lid opens for easy dumping, the bottom has a little flap that opens for when you need just a scoop or two of compost or (what you can't see because of the watermelon plant) the entire barrel can be lifted up to use the entire contents all at once! Believe it or not but this container does NOT smell AT ALL! Its in constant desert heat and sunlight and it doesn't stink one bit!

Ava and her new daipers...

Ok so after ALOT of thinking I have decided to go the eco-friendly route of diapering! I purchased a G-Diaper starter kit. For those of you not familiar with G-Diapers they are still a form of a disposable diaper but with a cloth exterior. The main difference with G-Diaper disposable and the everyday disposable is the decomposing time! A G-Diaper disposable insert decomposes within 90 days of being soiled where as an everyday disposable sits in a landfill for over 500 YEARS! I have always had a hard time swallowing that information about a disposable diaper but never could commit to the whole cloth diaper idea! Well the G-Diapers obviously give me the best of both worlds... only 1 problem they are not as budget friendly. G-Diaper inserts cost DOUBLE the amount of an everyday diaper! So I came up with a solution... I will cloth diaper majority of the time and use my ECO-FRIENDLY disposable G-Diapers when out and about!

So far things have been going good. I have only used 10 disposable G-Diaper inserts over the last 2 weeks and the rest of the time cloth diapered (and yes even poppy diapers)!

Ava LOVES her new diapers. She was very willing to show them off while I took a couple pictures the other night!

First Day of School

Today started out like any other day, the children getting ready to leave the house and me trying to get myself ready while helping them get ready! Marc had already left for the day but was planning on coming home for an hour so he could walk the kids to school with me! Dillon was the first one awake at 6:45AM. I could hear him opening and closing his dresser drawers. About 2 minutes later I heard him walking down the hallway towards my room, just then he whispered softly "Mommy are you gonna get up and take me to school?"

So after everyone was dressed, we headed downstairs to pack lunches and have breakfast. I first got the kids their food and sat them all down at the table. While they ate breakfast I packed drinks, snacks, and a lunch for Liliana. As I put Liliana's sandwich together Dillon got extremely jealous and asked why I wasn't packing him a sandwich. I then had to explain that I would be picking him up from school before it was time to eat lunch. He got this really sad look on his face and asked why I couldn't make him a sandwich (in his sandwich spiderman container) and put it in the fridge for when he came home. It was a good solution that made him happy, so he now has a spot in our fridge where every school day his lunch sits until he comes home! As soon as we all finished our breakfast the doorbell rang, it was my friend Julie and her two kiddos (Nicole and Kyle). Kyle is in Dillon's class and Nicole is in 2nd grade but unfortunately not in the same class as Liliana! They met us at our house so we could all walk to school together. So off we walked. The school is literally right around the corner from my house but it was so darn hot and humid this morning that even that short walk was uncomfortable!

So today Liliana was starting her first day of the 2nd Grade and Dillon starting his first day of Preschool. Liliana has always been my go with the flow child when it came to school. So today I expected nothing less but her saying bye and hopping in line. Sure enough I was right and she did just that! I did however manage to get a picture of her and her teacher before she got into deep conversations with her fellow classmates. I was amazed looking at Marc as he watched Liliana with a cloud of boys around her! I expected him to get upset or bothered that the only classmates she was talking to were boys but he didn't even flinch! Now Liliana has ZERO interest in boys so far but in these pictures you would never know it! A few moments later the bell rang and she lined up with her classmates to go in for their first day.

Next, we had to wait a good 25 minutes in the front of the building for the preschool teachers to open the doors. While waiting Dillon was feeling camera friendly and let me take a couple pictures. He still seemed very excited about going to school. As we all stood outside in the extremely hot and humid weather conditions you could tell it was starting to take its toll on the boys. Dillon and Kyle soon realized they could fool around like monkeys and hang on the gates! Finally the doors opened and we all headed into the designated classrooms. Dillon gave his teacher her supplies, then was instructed to take out his communication folder and hang his backpack up near the door. He followed her directions and I was able to snap a picture of him hanging up his backpack all by himself! He then realized his buddy Kyle was playing in the kitchen area and joined him. Dillon at this point didn't seem to care if we had stayed to watch him or left the room entirely! At this point his teacher entered the classroom, I quickly asked if she could take a picture with Dillon, well I don't know what I was thinking because when I tried to call Dillon over he gave me the most foreign look and then turned his head in the opposite direction! Typical Dillon was all that crossed my mind!! It was time for the parents to head out so they could start their school do, so I said good bye gave him a kiss. Next Ava walked over grabbed him by his neck and leaned in for her wet smooch right on the lips! Dillon was more than happy to give her a kiss though! Next it was Marc's turn. Marc got down on his knees gave Dillon a big hug and kiss and gave him a little pep talk about being good and having a fun day! So then we all headed towards the door. Just then I see Marc turn back and say bye to him one more time! My big beefy manly husband was turning into a big sap right before my eyes... sure enough we got two steps out the door and Marc turned back. Marc poked his head around the door frame and was trying to "see what the boy was doing". I swear if I weren't there to crack on him he probably would have cried! It was sweet to see him so into Dillon's first day of school! It was a nice morning. Of course I ran a couple morning errands and soon after it was time to pick Dillon up already! When I picked him up the teacher informed me that he communicated and played along just fine in the class and seemed to have a fun time! Dillon was excited to tell me about his day. I asked him one time what he did today and his response was beyond cute...
"Mommy I like my school, I read a book, ate a snack, played outside but I didn't see "nana" (Liliana) cause I played on the other playground, then it was time to put my folder in my backpack and sit on the floor and wait for you to pick me up. Don't forget I have school tomorrow!" So now I just have to wait a few more hours to pick up the older child. Now Liliana is totally different she doesn't tell me A SINGLE THING about her school days! So all in all I am excited for what is in store for this school year!!

Dillon's Haircut

Ok so tonight Dillon decided at 7PM he wanted to go to bed! Liliana and Dillon have a bedtime of 8PM no matter school night or not. I know some of you think this is cruel but understand that no matter what time of night they go to sleep they are always up at the crack of dawn!! So for Dillon to WANT to go to bed at 7PM that told us that he was a little excited for tomorrow (FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL)!! Well he was about half way up the stairs and decided he wanted daddy to give him a haircut! Yet another shocker because we have to fight with him to get a haircut. When I say fight I mean over the course of a month, convincing him to let Marc cut his hair before he breaks down and lets us!! So up Marc went to give him his haircut. Despite his "dillon facial expressions" he was excited that he got a haircut before school starts! Check out my cute boy the night before his first day of preschool! Isn't he just too cute for words??!!

Summer is just about over...

Well sadly our summer is almost over and the 2008-2009 school year is about to begin. Despite me being very sick with this pregnancy, the kids (I think) had a pretty fun summer. They were taken to 10 summer movies, plus a few new movies thanks to their very fun Papa Simpson, a trip to Kartchner's Caverns just outside of Tucson, AZ, visits from Papa Bing and friends from CA, endless days of swimming at Papas pool, lots of days spent with local friends, and to top it all off a huge inflatable waterslide given to them as a birthday present from Papa Bing!

So to exit this summer with a small bang on the last weekday before school begins, we ended up at Papa and Grandma Simpson's house to swim with some relatives. Aunt Jeneen, Great-Grandma Simpson, Jason, and Matthew made the trip down to spend the afternoon with us. Since Papa's pool is so nice we all invaded their house for some nice pool time and then lunch. Above are pictures that I was able to snap before the afternoon came to an end. As you can see it was a fun time in the pool and the kids definately tired themselves out once out of the pool. Although Matthew and Liliana are quite the comedic pair when together!

Let me recap for those of you that don't know where the kids were at (in the beginning of summer) when it came to pools and swimming... Liliana would stand on the shallow step, hold her nose and dip her nose and mouth in the water for all but 2 seconds before wanting her lifejacket back on to float around with. Dillon just wore his life jacket and floated around as if in his own little world. Ava had a swimmy bathing suit that she liked but never could get to work as far as keeping her floating on the surface. So this summer Liliana was able to learn how to swim underwater (completely) and realized she was brave enough to jump off the diving board (no life jeacket or swimmies). Dillon moved up a size in his lifejacket (sadly he has no interest in learning to swim without it on). My no fear child, Ava had a couple different life jackets that fit her but she was not very happy with them, a floaty she wanted nothing to do with, and arm floaties that surprisingly enough fit her itty bitty arms. She floated, swam, and even jumped into the pool with those floaties on as if she knew all her short 2 years of life how to swim.

So despite not going anywhere too far from home or on any extravagant vacation like I said above I think all in all it was a pretty fun and memorable summer.