When will it end???

I'm 8 months pregnant and I thought the days of nausia and sensitivity to smells was behind me... but today as I was washing my dishes (still by hand, by the way), the smell of my dish soap sent a clear message that the urge to throw up is still very close at hand. And then, minutes later, I opened a cabinet in the kitchen that houses odd-ball items such as matches, band-aids, etc.... and a familiar smell came wafting out... that of an air freshener that I banned to the cabinet because the smell made me sick. Once again these normally pleasant aromas, triggered the unpleasant "gag-reflex", which was thankfully not accompanied by the "throw-up reflex"... but disturbing none the less.

have you heard???

Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, just got chosen as John McCain's VP!!! Many of you know I am from Alaska, so this just is so exciting that Alaska gets put on the map for something this big! This morning on Fox & Friends, they were trying to figure out who McCain was choosing... they received word that a plane from Anchorage landed in Ohio... but they also heard that Palin was supposed to make an appearance at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska... MY HOME TOWN....Turns out she missed the fair, but just hearing my home town (along with other cities where I have been and know of) on national news puts a little butterfly in my stomach!!!

And honestly, I don't know a lot about her... I know that she is completely family oriented with 5 children.... the youngest of which is down syndrome and she just had recently (since being in office).... so she's completely PRO LIFE. And she has strong views about the whole oil thing and is taking drastic measures against the big oil companies and has WON!

Anyway, I'm not what you would call the "political type" (drives Mike crazy, by the way... he's always surprised that I even choose to watch the news occasionally of my own free will) ... and I know as much about politics as I do about cars... I know where to put the gas nozzle, and I know the difference between Democrat and Republican. (sad, I know) But, if you don't know much about Palin and wonder if this young, unknown is up to the challenge... do a little research and keep your eye on her... Who knows, you just might be surprised at what us Alaskan women can do!!!

More beach adventures (August 15-22nd)

We rode our bike to the beach several times... which was about a 20 minute bike ride... but when you're traveling with an 8-month prego, it's closer to 30 minutes! Caleb had fun riding in the cart... and Josh rode a tandem with either me or Mike. My favorite was riding with Josh, because he helped me pedal!


But aside from playing in the "waves" (the term "waves" is used loosely, since it's a shallow beach, so it's not exactly white water), we also had fun playing in the sand. It was definately a family affair and we all had a part in the sand castle city! Mike was the general contractor (he had the general vision, but also dug the moats and built the outer walls)... Josh was the excavator (he cleared away the sand bulldozer style and helped with the outer walls)... Caleb was the landscaper (and dug some fabulous holes for lakes and ponds)... and I was the Interior Designer (I strategically placed all the towers). Mike's Dad said it looked like Zarahemla... although that wasn't what we were planning... I do believe it bears a slight resemblence!





Another day, we rode our bikes to South Beach, where they have a lot of shops and restaurants... and the main attraction is 3 parrots who are perched outside "The Salty Dog". They encourage you to talk and wave to them because they supposedly talk. But except for their "screaming", as Caleb put it, we weren't lucky enough to witness their extended bird vocabulary... and Caleb not being a fan of the loud shrieks didn't stick around the birds for long.




The last day we were there, we were seeing the results of Hurricane Fae (from Florida), with a lot of rain. But it was our last day, and so were determined to make one last trip to the beach. The rain seemed to be holding off, so we packed up the trailer and jumped on our bikes. By the time we got to the beach, we could see the dark clouds coming, the wind was picking up, and a few rain drops could be felt. We walked out onto the beach to find the wind whippin'...and the boys weren't too fond of the stinging sand on their legs, and we could barely hold onto the boogie boards! But it was quite a sight! Normally the water is pretty calm... but that day it had huge waves roaring in, and I have to admit, it was quite impressive! (our video and pictures just don't do it justice) But we decided it wasn't worth someone drowning, so we headed back and found a pavilion just in time to avoid a huge and sudden DOWNPOUR! I talked Mike into waiting out the rain... and we ended up hanging out with another family with 2 boys for about an hour until the rain stopped.

We went out to the beach to take a look, and although the waves were still huge, the sun was trying to peek out, so we decided to stay as long as we could before the weather turned again! Josh ended up having a great time with the other kids... and they boogie boarded and body surfed/got slammed for a little over an hour! And there was a huge stump that washed up onto the beach, and I was surprised how all the boys (including the Dads) were so fascinated by a large, gnarly piece of wood! Nevertheless, it entertained them for quite a while! And although Caleb was a little hesitant of the waves, he enjoyed being hit by the water and swept up the beach!

We were having a great time... and then, in a matter of seconds, the rain started POURING again! We grabbed all our stuff and made our way to our bikes, packed up and prepared for the 30 minute bike-ride back to the condo. Again, I tried to talk Mike into waiting out the rain, but he wanted to just get on the road. So away we went! We were literally soaked after 2 minutes... and with rain pouring down our faces and into our eyes, it was difficult to see where we were going (especially me, sporting my contact lenses!) Mike didn't say much... but I couldn't help but laugh... Caleb couldn't help but cry every once in awhile... and Josh couldn't stop shivering! But overall, it turned out to be a fun day, spent with complete strangers, in the rain! Unfortunately, it was raining too hard to get a picture of us completely drenched... so you'll have to use your imagination!

***********************

And considering that we had an 8 hour drive home, both boys did so great! We only made 2-3 quick stops to use the restroom and get gas, they were both very patient and well-behaved travelers! Thank goodness, of course, to the DVD player, Leapster Games, and the fact that they are both experienced travelers from making multiple 12+ hour trips to Alaska! And I feel that it's worth mentioning that our potty-training Caleb didn't even have an accident the whole trip! Hallelujiah!

Trip to the beach!

We drove down to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina last week... and spent a week playing at the beach, the pool and riding bikes! This year the boys tried out Boogie Boarding... and were quite successful in spite of the small waves. Josh's favorite part was body surfing in the deeper water! Caleb had more fun trying to jump over the waves... and hit the waves with his hands!
Here's just a few pix... but there will be a few more to come.

I know, I know... it's been awhile

It's not that I haven't wanted to post... I have... but I've been in denial about my most recent act of stupidity and have been embarrassed to admit what happened. I won't go into all the details (mainly for my own dignity), but I lost all my pictures on my computer! Most of them were backed up on CD's... but I had been lazy about backing up the last year and a half... thinking that I would get to it sometime. I did get some recovery software and managed to save a lot of pictures. But there is no way to tell what I have, or don't have because they are a complete mess!!! No dates, no type of order... it's literally PANDAMONIUM! So I will be spending the next several weeks organizing pictures and trying to make some sense out of this digital mess!

And it's taken me up until now to console myself about the whole thing... but I think that everything will be okay... so I'll start posting pictures again soon.

****************

Just a little update on the boys....

Josh has been having fun at a sports' camp this week. He has been going from 9-12 every day with a friend from school, and he's loving it! He is working on his reading... and although he gets frustrated, he's doing better. But he loves to write and has been doing a journal entry several times a week. But he's seriously into Lego Kits right now.... he'll spend hours putting together planes and helicopters and submarines... right now he's saving up his $$$ to buy the Indiana Jones set.

Caleb is quite the character... he is talking so well now... and he can talk to pretty much anyone/anywhere! Sometimes it's kind of embarrassing because he stops people in the store, at the pool, etc... and talks their ear off. Lately, he's fascinated with the doctor's office, and whenever I have my check-ups (which are every 2 weeks now), he has a list of questions for her. He's into cars and motorcycles... and whatever Josh is doing. He's also getting ready to turn 3... which he is very excited about!

Mike is working hard.... and trying to tie up all the loose ends before we head to the beach this week... this will be our last little vacation before the baby comes, so hopefully we'll get good and relaxed! Mike, like Caleb, is also into cars... and recently motorcycles too... he keeps trying to convince me that him getting a motorcycle would be a good investment and save us $$$ on gas. I'm having a hard time picturing a real estate agent riding around on a bike... pulling out contracts out his backpack... and showing people houses in his little side-car. At this point in time, I am NOT giving my blessing on such a reckless way of transportation... no offense if anyone has a motorcycle... but I'm just not the "daring type" right now. He thinks I'm being ridiculous and jokes about buying one anyway and asking for forgiveness later. I joke about changing my last name back to Grover and asking for alimony later! :)

ANOTHER dishwasher dilema

Sorry to keep talking about the dishwasher... but the repair man came back today (this will be his 3rd trip) to try and fix it. The whole time Caleb kept asking "Is the dishwasher man going to fix the dishwasher?" I'm confused why he's as anxious as I am, since he's only 2. But once again, he couldn't get it fixed! It's been 5 1/2 weeks people... I'm getting annoyed!