Lazy Summer Days

I can't believe that it's almost September!! Seriously, where did the summer go? and thank goodness that I no longer have school, or a job, that requires me to actually have to give up on summer...I can hang on for as long as the warm weather lasts...and trust me, it has been warm in San Diego these days (and yes, I know that "warm" is a relative term. Becky...I'm really sorry that it's been so hot in Arizona). The past 2 weeks or so have had me wishing for builders in the 50's to have seen the need to install central air instead of just ceiling fans in the homes back them...or for the previous owners at least to have had the foresight to have put it in before AJ and I bought the house (I mean really, couldn't they have known that future owners would want it??? :P). I mean, afterall, 90 degrees for San Diego is pretty warm (how I survived when I lived in Vegas I will never know!).

Since it's been so hot, Keegan and I have had to come up with ways to stay cool (and sitting in a car waiting for roadside service to come and change my flat tire is not one of them...but that's a story for another time). Most of the time, he hangs out in his diaper (yes, I know...that's so sad of me to let him do it, and I'm not W.T., but he sweats A LOT!!!).


Today, we decided to get out and relocate a little closer to the water, where it has been much cooler, so we headed to the park. I'm not sure how much fun Keegan had, but I for sure enjoyed being out of the house, and it was fun just spending time with him. What can I say, I love the days where there is nothing much to do.


Yes, I know...for some odd reason, he's suddenly become averse to actually looking at the camera and smiling when I'm trying to take a picture. That's not to say that he won't look at me and smile and laugh and giggle, it's just usually not when I have the camera ready to take a picture, so I just have to go with what I can get.

Young Man, who's your mother?

People always comment on how much Keegan looks like his father. So much so, that I often find myself wondering if there is any of me in Keegan at all. Now, I know for a fact that AJ would say that Keegan is stubborn (just like me), and has my sleep schedule, and my attitude, etc., but I really wonder if Keegan looks like me at all. Personally, I think that he's just a really good mix of both AJ and me (although he definitely gets his mischievousness and impishness, as well as his love of the water, from his dad).



So, the first picture is of me, the second is of Keegan (obviously, since it looks more recent) and the third is of AJ. We didn't have the foresight to have the hospital take a picture of Keegan (honestly, I had no clue how to get it, and I'm wishing now that we did). I know the picture quality of both my picture and AJ's totally sucks, but what can I say...I have a crappy scanner.

This is the three of us, at four months old (or roughly thereabout on the one for AJ...I didn't have the exact date for his photo):



I personally see a lot more of me in Keegan now as he gets older and older than I did when he was first born. But again, there are still times when he looks just like his dad.

So, what do you think?

For the record...

Being sick at any time of the year SUCKS...but it really sucks being sick in the middle of the summer. And it sucks even more when you are sick in the middle of the summer and you can't figure out how you managed to catch a cold in 90 degree weather. And to top it all of, it REALLY, REALLY, REALLY sucks when you are sick in the middle of the summer, and it's 90 degrees outside and you have a very active seven month old baby boy who needs (and deserves) a lot of attention, and who still isn't sleeping through the night.

Here's hoping he doesn't catch his mom's cold.

It was "THIS" big...

For Father's Day this year, we gave AJ's dad and my dad each a gift certificate for a half-day fishing trip. Yesterday, AJ took the day off and was able to go fishing with both of our dad's in the morning. Let me tell you....it was an experience leading up to the actual trip. For weeks (I kid you not) AJ would check the fish reports to see how much fish the morning boat and afternoon boats were bringing in, and how many people were on the boat and the kind of fish that each boat brought in. It was actually really fun to see him so excited to spend time with both of our dad's. And to be honest...my dad and AJ's dad weren't much better. They would also check the fish reports and they pulled out their rods and reels and made sure that everything was prepped. Unfortunately the day wasn't quite as productive, or rewarding as I think any of them had hoped. They didn't have much luck actually landing a fish, although they each got a few bites on the line. Unfortunately, I guess the seals were very adept at biting the bait fish off of their line without causing any sort of tug on the line at all. They apparently have learned to follow the boats and get their lunch the easy way.

So, this was the end result of a few hours on a boat:

Not too bad, but definitely not even close to what they were hoping for at the same time, either. However, AJ was able to spend some much needed time off of work as well as hanging out with both his dad and my dad. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty productive trip, for that reason alone. Plus it set up something that will hopefully become a tradition, especially since AJ has fond memories of when he was younger and he would go fishing with his Grandpa Smith. We were talking about the times that he was able to go with him, and the first thing that he said was the he wished that they had gone more. I remember being younger and going fishing on occasion with my dad, and while it might not have been a "girlie" thing too do, none of my sisters, nor I, were really "girlie girls" and it was actually a lot of fun. I can't wait until Keegan is old enough to make the kind of memories that AJ has with his grandpa, with both of our dad's as well as AJ.

Because really, these pictures are just way too cute:

I love how AJ looks a little like Gilligan, and how in his mind the fish he caught was "THIS" big, when really it was "THIS" big. And, the relationship that AJ has with his grandpa, as a result of growing up so close to him and being able to fish and do other things with him, is absolutely amazing. As his grandpa gets older, and old age and dementia set in, there are some days where he doesn't seem to remember much, but at the same time, he always seems to know who AJ is. I want that kind of relationship for Keegan (and any other future kids) and his grandpas, because really, family is what life is all about and what really brings us happiness in life (if you don't believe me, just read this).

So here's to "male bonding", future fishing trips with dads and grandpas, and stories of fish "THIS" big, and "THE ONE" that got away, as well as the occasional surfing lesson (yes, my dad tried surfing for the first time the other day when we went to the beach after they got back from fishing. Someone should ask him how it went!). Maybe they'll even let the women join them on occasion.

'Cause I'm already standing here on my own...

Keegan has apparently decided he's had enough of this crawling nonsense (he just can't get where he wants to go fast enough, I think) and lately he's decided that he's going to start standing on his own. The couch seems to be the easiest thing for him to pull himself up on, although the other day I went in to get him from his nap and he was standing up in his crib holding onto the side (thankfully AJ and I had the foresight to lower his mattress all of the way just last week, so there was no fear of him toppling out). And he's not above using my legs (or pant bottoms), or his toy basket, or his diaper pail, or other little kids to help him stand up (which is really quite cute actually).

I'm just not sure that I'm ready for this. Will someone please tell my little boy that he needs to just slow it down a little bit? Oh yeah, and that it's okay to go back to sleeping through the night again (darn those top two teeth). Ok, thanks. Bye!

God Bless the USA

This past Friday and Saturday, AJ, Keegan and I all ventured down to Ensenada, Mexico with some of AJ's friends for a quick (and by quick, I really mean lightning fast) surf trip. AJ did the same thing last year with the same group of guys and had a lot of fun, so they decided to do it again, and this year Keegan and I got to come along.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous taking Keegan, especially since we were going to be camping, and he hadn't ever really done it before, but seriously the little guy is a trooper. He did great. We didn't leave Friday night until about 8:30, which was definitely not the best, or even the original plan, but unfortunately that is just how things worked out. Keegan actually slept most of the way, and at least allowed us to get past all the craziness of Tijuana (seriously it's frightening driving through that place...cars, and people, just come out of nowhere) before he woke up and wanted to eat. I hate to say it, but I pulled him out and fed him while AJ drove. Definitely not something we do on a regular basis, but the little guy was SCREAMING, and it's just so said and heartbreaking to hear. Once he had a full belly, however, he was great....and also very wide-awake. He stayed up the entire rest of the way to our campsite, and then just watched as we got everything set up. I think he finally fell asleep at about 11:30 or midnight, and thankfully slept until 6:30 or so. I think the sound of the waves kept him blissfully sleeping. The rest of the trip for us was spent in the following ways:


(Thanks mom for the use of your Pack 'N Play. It worked out great!)


(thank goodness for astroturf so Keegan could crawl around when he was sick of the pack n play)

(yes I put my son's hair in an elastic headband...it was too funny not too! You can see how he feels about it.)


(Believe it or not...that is AJ out there. The zoom on my camera sucks)













Overall, it was a great trip. It defintely made me appreciate all of the safety, freedom and luxury, really, that we have here in America. It's amazing how different life is just a few short hours away. Getting back through the border totally SUCKED (it took us 3 1/2 hours....3 1/2 HOURS!!!!....and that was already after an hour and a half drive back to the border). The guy at our booth at the border was just really not in any sort of hurry to let anyone through. But, we didn't have to worry about getting pulled over (like our friends did...that's a funny story for another post), and we made it safely there at back, Keegan was a trooper (and only had to be fed in the car a couple of times), AJ got to surf a little bit (although the water was colder there than here in San Diego), we saw a pod of 8 dolphins just swimming back and forth in the water in front of where we were camping, and I got to spend some quality time with my little family. Really, it doesn't get much better than that.

Wedding Day Memories

My friend (and old roommate) Steph sent me this email wedding memories survey yesterday...and I figured that rather then just sending the email out, I would post my answers here. So, here goes: 1. When were you married? June 24, 2005
2. How long were you engaged? 4 months
3. How long did you know your fiance/how long did you date before you were engaged? knew him almost a year before we started dating then dated him for a year and three months before we got engaged
4. How old were you when you married? I was 27 when we got married
5. How old was your spouse? AJ turned 28 exactly one week before we got married
6. Did you have kids prior to your marriage, and did you acquire step-kids when you married? nope
7. Was this your first marriage? absolutely
8. Was this your spouse's first marriage? yep
9. Did you have a big wedding? not too big by today's standards
10. Where was it held? wedding- LDS San Diego Temple
11. Where was the honeymoon? Oahu, Hawaii
12. What were your colors? blue, green and brown
13. What decorations in the sanctuary? nothing in the temple, of course, flowers (white calla lilies, which are my favorite, and white roses) and candles at the reception
14. Do you have regrets? that I was too tired to worry about getting the wedding pictures at the beach I had originally wanted, and that we didn't get some time totally alone between the sealing, luncheon and reception
15. Who were your flower girls/ring bearer? flower girls were my niece, Avery, and his niece, Maddie, no ring bearer
16. Maid of Honor/Best Man? didn't really have an official Maid of Honor, but my friend Jennette was AMAZING through everything and she gave the "toast", AJ's friend Ben was his Best Man
17. Wedding party? Jennette, my sisters Valerie and Emily and my friend Amber; AJ's friends Ben, Robe, Kyle
18. Describe your cake: well it was supposed to be 3 layers, one with chocolate mousse, the other 2 with lemon cream...but the lady forgot to make it and only showed up with the chocolate fountain. Ben saved the day and got us a 9" round cake to at least cut (I was really upset then...it makes me laugh now)
19: Describe your dress: white, pretty simple, but more ornate than I had originally planned
20. Music? yes, we had a friend of AJ's that DJ'd the wedding
21. Officiant? AJ's Great-Uncle Price performed the sealing
22. Did your dad give you away? he signed the marriage license as a witness....does that count?
23. The kicker: I had originally wanted an August wedding (June seemed too quick) and AJ had wanted it sooner, but I'm glad we did it when we did
24. Did you throw rice, bubbles when leaving? I had wanted sparklers when we left, but they are illegal in San Diego...so nothing really
25. Wedding favors? different kinds of candy in little bags (that I should have put a sign up limiting people to one bag per person...some people/kids got really greedy at the first reception so there was a limited selection at the open house the next day)
26. Photographer/videographer? photographer, Sharon, who stepped up and did way more than she should have. She was the best!
27. How did you leave the wedding? The Ford Explorer, all decorated in toilet paper (thanks to the groomsmen)
28. Where did you stay the night? in a HUGE suite at a hotel in downtown by Shelter Island and the Marina, courtesy of AJ's boss (it was his wedding present to us). I think my sister Julie and her family stayed there too...it was "super-swank" (as Marshall from "Alias" would say)

Black Thumb/Green Thumb

So, it's not really much of a secret that I can't keep plants alive (or maybe that is something that you didn't know about me). Seriously, I have a major black thumb. I received a lovely pot of 3 different kinds of Orchids from AJ's parents for my birthday last year and was able to keep it alive for about 2.5 seconds before I had to return it back to AJ's Dad in order for him to resuscitate it (thankfully, it's recovered quite nicely and is currently enjoying an extended stay at AJ's parents place). I still blame it on the heat of our apartment (although I really know that's not true), but whatever. This is me, after all. I even managed to kill a cactus once...that's right, a CACTUS, which is supposedly a plant that is pretty much unkillable. I mean, hello, it thrives in the desert, where there isn't much water and there is way too much sun, but yeah, I managed to kill one. Again, I don't think that it was totally my fault, since it was in my office at CSUF, where there were no windows to the outside world, but still.

Thankfully, for me, I married someone who has a green thumb, which is why I have these lovelies to enjoy:

If you have ever been to Hawaii, you know how pretty the plumeria are. AJ's parents have a bunch of bushes/trees along the entire side of their house, and we have been lucky enough to take some of the cuttings and transplant them at our house. Most of them are still in pots for the moment, but that's okay.

Oh yeah, and we have these:



Which will hopefully one day result in a bunch of these:

(and yes, we grew this one, too. This is actually the second of two pineapples that we have grown. So tasty!).

And this plant:

which is currently helping block some of our neighbors ugly back yard (it's grown since this picture was taken), and which will someday provide us with bunches of these:



And then there are these...

which really, I'm not sure if they will produce coconuts or not, but they are fun to look at, and will one day (soon) provide Keegan with just one more way of getting into mischief. So while the rest of my backyard needs some work, I'm glad that we've got some lovely plants to enjoy for now (and these aren't even all of the plants we are currently growing...I'm telling you...AJ's a farmer/gardener at heart).


Three cheers for the green thumb in my family...

Always Underfoot

Now that Keegan is crawling everywhere, the little man always seems to be underfoot. And since he seems to get to wherever he wants to go pretty quickly, I'm finding that I'm constantly having to go back and check on him to make sure he's not doing something that he shouldn't (which is, unfortunately, what he is doing 99% of the time...he's a mischievous little boy, he is).

For instance, the other day, I was finally getting the bills paid (something that I've been somewhat of a slacker about lately. Seriously, for someone who was once very organized, I'm rather embarrassed about the state that I've let things get to lately) and Keegan decided he didn't like being left alone playing with his toys on the other side of the couch, so....this is the end result:

He crawled over to where I was at the dining table and promptly placed himself at my feet and was totally content just rolling around on the floor underneath the table (with his pacifier/makeshift teething toy, of course). Oh yeah...and for the record...I apparently didn't give birth to a little boy...I gave birth to a little puppy. He seriously chews on anything he can get his hands on (from my fingers, shoulder, hair, legs, keys, shoes, his own toes, etc.), and just last night decided it would be fun to take his basketball in his mouth and hold it between his bottom teeth and top gums, while crawling around on all fours. I was laughing so hard, I didn't get the picture I wanted, but I really don't think anything would have done it justice. You had to be there...it was just one of those moments (that I hope I never forget).

So, that basketball actually used to be completely inflated...that is, until Keegan the Puppy managed to sink his teeth into it and puncture a small hole in it, that is now leaking air....it's too cute to watch him play with it, though, so AJ and I haven't taken it away yet and repaired it (good thing it was a set of 2 balls that I got at Target for $2.50). And in the last picture, he's not yawning...he's getting ready to attack the ball.

Just thought I'd share some of the highlights from my last few days...oh yeah...and he now knows how to sit himself back up from crawling and is now pulling himself up onto his knees while in his crib, or against my leg, or against the couch, or pretty much any surface he can grab a hold of...Oh yeah, I'm in trouble with this one!