Baskett Blessings...

Closin' her down!

2009-07-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

Before I wrote my last blog post I had "update blog" on my written to-do list for a week. Since when do I have to put blogging on my to-do list?

For some reason it has become a bit of a chore for me to blog, which really defeats the purpose. So I'm closin' up shop, shuttin' her down, haltin' the action. For awhile, or for forever...I dunno.

Just thought I'd let those that read this know so you don't go wondering as I plan to eventually close my blog as "private" and keep it around for Tristan to read someday (assuming the entire blogging world doesn't crash and all of our blogs slip into non-existance before then). I'll still read the blogs of my friends once in awhile, but I'm just not feeling motivated to be very active in the blogging world any longer.

My very first blog was on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 and it was all about becoming a mother. And so perhaps that is why I'm leaving my blog as well. Time. Mothering takes a bunch of time and even more since my baby is becoming an active on-the-go social little boy. My world truely revolves around him and as he gets busier so do I.

This picture was taken by Mr. Tristan - the very first picture he's taken himself (his Nana helped him center mommy in the frame, but they need to work on focusing obviously). Thought I'd post it because I noticed how "Mom" I look (I just look tired with my mom hair & unmatching outfit, caffine in that cup trying to keep up and do it's job!) vs. what I looked like when I compiled my very first blog (hair I spent time on, outfits that consisted of more than sweatsuits and pajama bottoms). Maybe I'll instead spend the time I would have been blogging plucking my eyebrows and painting my toe nails!

Take care fellow bloggers!

What things say "Summer" to you?

2009-07-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

A blogger friend I follow, Lyndsay, recently blogged about what things say "summer" to her and asked her readers the same question. So I'll answer...

1) I'm stealing this from Lyndsay because it is true. My toe nails are freshly painted. The only time they are is in summer. The rest of the year they may bear flaking paint, and are much more scary.

2) Heading out to the back yard by 9am and not re-entering the house until 3pm only because it is too hot to breathe outside!

3) My potty-training son running around half-or full-naked and perfecting his peeing aim in the back yard.

4) My newly rediscovered love of A/C in my car.

5) Clothes pins! Hanging laundry on the line to dry!

6) Skinned knees covered in Scooby Doo band-aids.

~~~

Here are a few pics of what we've been up to.

Our most favorite water park of all time (locally anyway).

Zoo.

Lincoln City Kite Festival

Half-naked boy in backyard sporting mama-made trainers.

First experience with 4th of July sparklers (Is that a smile? Is that a grimace?) First basketball game with 4th of July friends!

2.5 year half-birthday party complete with bounce house.

"Fishing" for party favors...

Hanging out with all 4 grandparents.

Smooching Great-Great Grandma Daisy (Mike's grandma)

So what things say "Summer" to you?

Updates and such

2009-06-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Little boy and his tractor against the world.

Just summer fun going on here. We've been super busy. Thought it was time for new pics.

Beach trip with Nana & Poppy (my parents). Good thing it was actually warm this day.

Oh - and we are potty training! I've learned that this scenario lies on the top 10 list of how to push a "Mommy Panic Button":

The potty training toddler declares, "I go pee-pee!" in an urgent voice in the middle of the store... frantic mommy steers the cart toward the restrooms that are at the OTHER end of the very long store, no less. She races through the isles at top speed, barley zooming around an elderly lady manuvering a walker in an effort not to send her topling (She'd forgive me, right? I mean, my kid's gotta pee!). As we reach the bathroom, I look at the door in HORROR....sign reads, "Closed for cleaning" and a handy little supply cart blocks my enterance. WHAAAAAT? Mommy whirls and directs a panicked, "My child has to use the potty!" at the nearest employee. Oh good...another open restroom exists....AT THE OTHER END OF THE STORE (wasn't I just there?). So...my advice to moms of potty training kids is to map out each and every public restroom in your town before you attempt to walk out your front door.

First "real" fishing trip. He only threw his pole in twice (Oh, sorry, it is really called a rod if you want to get technical). Prineville, OR with Mike's parents.

Never too young to start learning how to operate the boat.

Tristan's favorite part is going "berry fas"!

And just for fun...the men flexing their muscles for the women.

My dad, Mike's dad, our little man, and Mike. Tristan won this round for sure.

What has touched our ears from a little mouth lately...

2009-05-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

As we drive up to the pharmacy window to drop off a prescription order I hear: "Get Mommy toffee!" (Get Mommy's coffee). Perhaps I visit Dutch Bros too often?

"Daddy dives peace tar wor!" (Daddy drives a police car at work.)

"Be tarefull!" (Be careful!) - Always said with the proper voice inflections as well, just like Mommy and Daddy use.

"Dat not wert berry good." (That is not working very good.)

As Tristan drives his little play tractor around his train table and comes upon the train station building..."Der's horsey poop in dat barn rat dear!" (There's horsey poop in that barn right there!). Can ya tell he has grandparents that live on a farm? And the horses are not alone...the train villiage's helicopter station is really the cow's barn, didn't you know?

And some recent photos. I was searching for some recent family pictures and hrm....they all seem to be of Super-T. Imagine that. We've gotta break the camera out more and get some variety I tell ya.

This is why Mike works out.

Cute toes...the owner of them was engrossed in playing cars.

Planting corn in my dad's garden.

Simplicity in sun

2009-04-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

One of my recent favorite things about the little flickers of sun that we've been getting here and there this week:

There is something about laundry (diapers in this instance) on a line that bring back simpler days and times and connect you to your roots. "Old school" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

~~~

And some Easter photos!

Tristan's first egg dyeing experience. Love the apron?

Notice two out of three pics have a hard-earned chocolate face?

It is official. I really am a dork.

2009-03-31T12:07:00.000-07:00

You know how you can sometimes get so busy with "life" that it gets away from you?

I had places to go and people to see this morning. Tristan slept late which gave me a perfect opportunity for a rare shower by myself. I had made special arrangements for Mike to handle the morning routine with Tristan and then take him to visit his grandparents so I didn't have to 1) be terribly late to my destination, and 2) be faced with battling Tristan's separation anxiety that still seems to be taller than Mt. Everest. I was excited for the break and some mommy time. I was patting myself on the back for my excellent planning and organizational skills. ,I was headed to see some friends at the MOPS meeting!

I pull into the parking lot (only 15 minutes late today!) and notice it is rather empty. Hrm. I head inside and notice some people checking me out. Not the good kind of "Hey, she's a hot mama" checking me out either. It was more the kind of, "What the heck is this woman doing?" kind of checking me out. No matter...I continue on my way because I know where I'm going and I can't help it if these people staring at me are having an off day. Yet as I near the room I don't hear any noise from other mamas having breaks from their kiddos, drinking coffee and visiting. Strange. Maybe they moved to a different room. I am stopped by a nice lady who thinks I'm lost. Nope, not lost...going to MOPS.

This is when it dawns on me that today is the 4th Tuesday of the month. NOT the 1st or 3rd when MOPS actually meets!

So what does a mommy with no MOPS and free time do with herself? She goes shopping of course. So maybe it WAS just for baby wipes, but at least it was shopping with no impatient kiddo in tow!

To "wash"...or to "wash"...?

2009-03-16T17:16:00.001-07:00

As I've previously blogged about, Tristan's favorite jammies are his tractor jammies. Surprise, surprise. He wants to wear them EVERY night, but I limit him to two nights and then I tell him then have to be washed. I then proceed to do a laundry marathon making sure the tractor jammies make it through to the end, dry, for the next night. This is what I do for my child's love of tractors.

It never occured to me he doesn't quite grasp the "washing" of the jammies. Why would he? I've never explained the washing machine and dryer to him. So today as I was flying around the house trying to get out the door in an effort to make it to his Toddler Time class on time, I realized it was much too quiet in the house. This is what I found when I went in search of him.

He was "washing" his jammies as all good little men should learn how to do!

Need a good laugh?

2009-03-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

I had to laugh. And because I had to laugh I'm sharing my laugh with you. You know how packaging these days is so ridiculous? Of anything really. Toys, batteries, condiments, you name it. Heck, even gum is super-sealed twice anymore! This relates to such careful (i.e. wasteful and frustrating) packaging done by our companies for silly items.

I got a package in the mail the other day. I was judging the size of the box and was racking my brain trying to figure out what the heck I ordered that would be that big. About an 11" square box. It just HAD to be a big item! Maybe my husband surprised me with a big bundle of high quality hand-dyed yarn, or maybe my mom sent me a fun package just for the heck of it...

So I open it...and find...Seriously. That was IT in the box. A 3" long replacement train for Tristan's train set.Are you laughing yet?

Get down with your crafty self!

2009-02-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

I've been a busy little crafting bee lately. Feel free to use my latest projects as inspiration to make your own! A little craftiness hides in everyone...even if you have to dig down deep for it.

Find your crafty zone. Embrace it. Love it. Yada, yada, yada...

Here's some of what I've been up to lately...

I made this diaper 'cuz I saw fabric on clearance and decided it would look so cute on Tristan's bum...

And it does!

Here's one of my recent knitting projects. It is called a "Hudson Hat" and lined it with fleece for Tristan. However I apparently made the wrong size as it fits Mike, so I'm going to knit another for Tristan to wear next winter as soon as my yummy hand-dyed yarn gets here that I found on-line. Going to make another for Mike too...'cuz I'm stealing this one for myself. Mike's fishing buddies might appreciate a red, black and grey one more than the multicolored, don't you think?

It is made out of yarn scraps...here is the pile in the beginning.

While waiting for my yummy hand dyed yarn, I decided to research dyeing my own! And dove in...here is what I just dyed up this week. John Deere Tractor colors! I'm going to make an aplique on a T-shirt with the tractor fabric for Tristan and knit him something with the yarn to go with it.

A couple toddler play aprons sewn out of dish towels for a Relay For Life benefit auction.

Crafty mamas...I need ideas for this next one (this is where you dig deep for that inspiration and creativity)! This is a picture of Tristans FAVORITE jammies (Hrmmm...wonder why...do you see tractors?). He's just about outgrown them and I can't find another pair anywhere (believe me, I've looked!). I need an idea for what to make these jammies into. I thought of cutting out the middle and making a pillow, but that is so...I don't know...generic. I want to do something he'll think is cool for many years!

So that is how I've been spending my time while Tristan gives me a couple hours napping (or pretending he's napping anyway) or after he's gone to bed when Mike is working. Can't wait for warm weather to get us out of the house and I can be crafty in my garden! What about you?

Are we in Oregon?

2009-02-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

The sun was out today and I felt like I was transfered to California for an hour! Play clothes and Bass Pro Shops sun hat as attire (Daddy...please get that order in for a larger sun hat!), we set out to see what adventures we could find without leaving the deck (grass is too yucky now).

I entertained myself with knitting and supervising while Tristan entertained himself with a pot of dirt and some vehicles of choice. I usually plant annuals each spring in these pots, but this year they will stay bare with dirt. I've decided they make a great play place for boys who like dirt. Better yet, he listened to my request to keep the dirt IN the pot.

I am SO looking forward to the dreary winter weather leaving us and some sun taking its place. I'm ready to throw myself into summer - we will be B-U-S-Y! I'm finding myself really looking forward to leaving some not-so-fun wintertime days in the past and moving forward into making some memories with our two year old. Mike and I have talked about foregoing any big vacations and instead exploring our own state. Tristan is of the age where places like the Oregon Zoo, Wildlife Safari, the nearby waterparks will be captivating. The beach will be a blast for Boy-Who-Likes-Dirt and digging. Lincoln City has a Kite Flying Festival one weekend which I'm quite sure will be a favorite. Boy-Who-Likes-Dirt also likes water and boats, so this summer we'll be spending much time with Daddy involving those now that I feel Tristan is old enough to listen and obey me saying, "stay away from the edge" without giving me too much of a heart attack at every turn. We've got Tristan's new Scooby Doo fishing pole rarin' and ready to go! Oh, and we can't have summer without more swimming lessons! We've also got camping thrown into the mix of plans which hopefully will be more enjoyable this year than last (Tristan did not sleep well in the pack-n-play, which resulted in a veeeery sleep deprived mommy by the end).

If anyone has any well-kept secrets for fun things to do with kids in Oregon, let me know!

A love affair at 2.

2009-02-01T10:13:00.001-08:00

I'm encouraging a love affair in my young child. The subject of his affection: dump trucks and tractors. It could be worse.

This past week and a half I've been keeping myself busy with a big project involving the love affair subjects. When I was pregnant I started cleaning out closets in anticipation of needing space for a new baby. My plans included moving Tristan out of the nursery into a newly redecorated "big boy room" (i.e. the current spare bedroom). These plans were not supposed to commence until summer time, but since the work had already begun I decided now is the time to make the big move.

Last night was the first night Tristan slept in his "new" room and he did just fine (ever the nervous mommy I was afraid the change might throw off my hard work at keeping his sleeping schedule on track). He's still in his crib as he's not quite ready for a toddler bed. Notice the crib tent? I'd be a zombie without it. Below he's pointing out his new "dactor" (interpretation: tractor) pillow that I sewed up for him.

Embracing his choice of vehicles, I purchased construction equipment bedding from Company Kids. Which, by the way, for you Pottery Barn lovers, is an excellent place to buy kids bedding for half the price that has PBK quality. This is twin size, but with a bit of tucking and poking and acrobatics from Mommy, it fits around his crib mattress quite well.

The toy nook. I'm thrilled there is enough space for some toys in the new room as the nursery was a bit too small. It lessens what I have to trip over in the living room.

A cozy book reading nook for my little book worm.

Polka-dot shadows (or bubbles if you ask Super T) that I painted on the maroon wall. We are anxiously awaiting two big canvas paintings for this wall done by Auntie Chantay of a dump truck and tractor as she is the artist in the family.

The coolest part of all this aside from more space and a happy boy is I didn't spent a month of my husband's pay in order to pull it together. Repourposing is my middle name. I only bought the bedding, rug (Walmart rocks!) and bookshelf (thank you Goodwill for that)!

*** Random side note...Now that I see these pictures that white cord between the books and chair is REALLY bugging me. I've gotta do something about that!

God said "No".

2009-01-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

God told us "No" today for reasons unknown. It is with overwhelming sadness that I post this. I know there are people who follow this blog with interest in what is going on in our lives that we don't talk to every day and this is the least painful way for me to inform at this point. Just as I enter the second trimester of pregnancy our baby was miscarried. We learned today that the baby died a few weeks back but because I've still been on a heavy regimen of In Vitro related hormones the medications "tricked" my body into still thinking it was pregnant, which is why I'm just now finding out I'm not any longer.

There are so many unanswered questions that I have and I can tell you when I get to the place where answers can be given I'm going to be asking why God said "no". In the meantime we'll focus on Tristan, and in the back of my mind there will always be hope that a miracle will happen and maybe he'll get a sibling down the road someday. We know we are lucky to have him.

Big Hair Challenge

2009-01-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

Angie, from her More Than Enough blog has sent out a challenge. This is to all you gals who got up a half hour early in the 80's and early 90's just to ensure enough time to curl, tease, poof and frizz their hair up into "Big Hair". C'mon, don't be shy...post your biggest hair photo!

Here is mine. It was a toss up between this one (Poodle Head) and the next year's (Sunflower Head), but Mike voted this one the biggest. This was from Jr. High. I think around 1988 or so. It took an awful lot of Aqua Net (it was the best for such projects, wasn't it?) to get my hair into this position, and then once it was there if you lifted one strand of hair the whole mess moved! I think the cherry on top is the una-brow I've got going on. What can I say? I hadn't yet learned what tweezers were all about.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2009!

2008-12-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to get Christmas cards out this year and I'm feeling quite guilty about it as it is the 1st year in over 10 years that I've not sent cards out. I'm finding that such simple tasks are not so simple with a 2 year old demanding my attention, so I gave up this year. This blog will have to be the substitution for a piece of snail mail.

Love these two pics. The anticipation of a snow ball and the snow ball in action. Tristan, like the rest of the Salem area kids, had a fun time exploring the snow.

A countdown of a handful or two of important, fun and interesting things for the Baskett household in 2008:

1) Mike fullfilled a life-long dream and fished the Bass Master Classic in February. The Super Bowl of competitive bass fishing. If you've been reading our blog long you've read all about it.

2) We headed to Sunriver to share 4 days of fun with our friends the Harrington's (Elyse and Tiff went to high school together and have been great friends ever since!). This was a first for our families and we agree that it hopefully won't be a last trip. What took us so long to go on vacation together?

3) Tristan completed two weeks of swimming lessons in Grants Pass. What makes this so special is his instructor was Tiffany's childhood swim instructor (along with the majority of other children from Tiffany's family and the Grants Pass area!). We hope to return this next summer.

4) Tiff and Mike took their first Tristan-free trip together in October to Maui for a week!

5) Tristan went pee-pee in the the potty for the first time ever like the big boy he's turning into!

6) We got the news that a brother or sister for Tristan will be joining the ranks next year!

7) Tiff took her first "Mommies Weekend" for herself and met up with her friend Elyse in Eugene. Kiddos stayed with daddies. We did nothing but shop, eat, veg and watch chick flicks. It was rather odd doing whatever WE wanted all weekend long!

8) Tristan developed a major fetish for tractors. He eats, breaths and dreams tractors. He has such a large toy tractor collection that it puts the John Deer sales parking lot to shame. The boy is addicted.

9) Tristan turned 2!

10) We celebrated Jesus' birthday - and Tristan recognizes and can say "Baby Jesus".

We believe 2009 will be a good one, full of many more surprises and adventures. Hopefully your families share the same joys. As we leave 2008 in the dust we look back with awe at how our lives have changed so much in only one year, and how our baby is no longer a baby but a little boy. 2009 is going to be a great year!

Merry Christmas to you, and may your 2009 be blessed!

(This is what a tractor can do to a birthday cake)

Part of the collection...
~ Mike, Tiffany and Tristan

Step away from the blow torch!

2008-12-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

Seriously. What is up with some people? And what is with the blow torches? Remember a few blogs back my observation on the stupid things some people do. I was writing about the man who substituted a blow torch for a broom to rid his home's eves of cobwebs and ended up lighting the house on fire? Well, I think I've found his long lost brother in tonight's newspaper. Another bored moment of surfing the web. These people should really thank me for bringing them together.

"NEW BEDFORD, Mass — Fire officials in New Bedford, Mass., say a man using a blowtorch to melt ice on his back porch ended up setting his house on fire, causing up to $30,000 in damage...the man was using a torch hooked up to a 20-pound propane cylinder. He got too close to the building's wood frame and ignited the vinyl siding. The fire quickly spread into the building's second- and third-floor apartments. It took 25 firefighters to subdue the blaze that damaged bedrooms in the upstairs units, and caused damage to the structure and wiring."

Well, on that jolly note tune in in a few days as I *might* have something that resembles a Christmas/New Year's blog done if I get my act together. And if I'm late...have a splendid Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Time for new address labels.

2008-12-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Hi, friends and family who read our blog! We've got some very exciting and special news we want to share with you!

If you've ever gotten mail from us you might know our address labels currently read:

The Baskett Family
Made of Three
(address, state, zip)

I ordered these when we were expecting Tristan for use on our baby gift thank-you's and baby announcements. Guess now I'm going to have to order some that say:

The Baskett Family
Made of Four...

(Here is where you either "get it" or you sit and stare at the last line for a few minutes before my message sinks in.)

It is no secret that it has been necessary for us to enter the realm of ultimate modern reproductive science in order to start and build our little family. While at times I have hated feeling like a pin cushion and lab rat for months on end, I am grateful this advanced science exists and that we have had the resources to "experience" In Vitro. I cannot even begin to share what it is like, emotionally and physically, to go down this road - so I'll just wrap up the whole she-bang by saying the process has been trying and stressful, heartbreaking at times, humorous, hopeful and joyful at others. We'd do it all over again in a heartbeat if it were the only way we were able to have Tristan in our lives, and come August 4th-ish a new little one as well. It is an understatement to say that every single little step along the way is highly calculated by a huge team of specialists and that nothing is not monitored well. It is down right crazy what they can do when a little eggie and sperm-myster enter the picture! One of the "perks" in the whole process of getting pregnant through IVF, it is the fact that we get to see our baby at 6.5 weeks through ultrasound instead of having to wait until the usual 20 weeks.

This is an ultrasound of our wee one taken today. Okay, so he/she might not look like much at the moment, but we know that this babe has big things in store for his/her future! For those that just think they are looking at a blob of jelly let me explain what you are seeing. The small dark oval in the center of the photo is the sack the baby is in. To the lefthand side of the sack you see a little grey-ish round part. THAT is the baby's HEART caught in a still frame as it flutters away in a flurry of 122 beats per minute! Is that cool or what?! And yes, to clarify, there is only ONE baby in there (whew!).
It is always fun to tell our families such news (the whole 2x we've told them!). This time we put this shirt that I made on Tristan and let him run around our parents until someone noticed...Pretty clever if I do say so myself! It reads: "I'm the big brother" in case it is hard for you to see due to the coloring.

So please stay tuned to our blog! We'll keep you updated on my pregnancy and of course the continued antics of T-man.

What makes a difference for you?

2008-12-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

I'm curious to know what makes a difference for you for your day?

****

For me, it is if I get time to wash my hair. Even if I'm not "allowed" time to grab a shower by my 2 year old, if I can get my hair washed then it makes a big difference on how I feel during the day. If not, I feel grubby all day long.

So...what makes a difference for you?

****

A sigh for the stupid people of the world.

2008-11-06T19:17:00.001-08:00

I RARELY read the newspaper or watch the news any more. Not that I don't want to know what is going on in the world, but I've felt that when I DO actually look up the paper online or turn on the nightly news there is not much that is good to be reported on. While it is important to realize bad stuff happens to good people (and bad people), I no longer want to hear about the murders, child abuse, drug crimes, and other nasty stuff that is causing our world to crumble at the seams. Knowing too much about this side of our society makes it into our home enough as it is due to the current and former career choices that have been had under our roof - I don't want to hear more of the gory details before I learn if it is going to sun or rain the next day. It is too bad that our society feeds off of such horrific stories like starving paranahs. And lately I REALLY haven't wanted to tune in because I absolutely abhor the political ya-ya that goes on. I am not a political person...I don't like the games they all play. Why can't it just be a plain and simple "this is what I support, this is what I belive in..." without all the other crap thrown in? I don't like that every other commercial is a politically driven one. I'm SO glad the election is finally over, regardless of if I agree with the new president or not.

All this being said, I did have a moment of boredom tonight and so I looked up our lovely ultra conservative Salem newspaper (there is sarcasm here for those that don't know me well enough to detect it). And for once I got a laugh! Now, I'm sure for this guy who now has a huge reconstruction bill ahead of him it wasn't so funny, but I can go low enough to find humor off of the stupid people of the world.

Just so you don't ever become one of them....make sure that you do NOT substitute a blow-torch for a broom. Especially when cleaning the cobwebs from your home's eves. Your house just might catch fire as a recent Georgia man's did when he got the cleaning bug.

Seriously. Is there any brain in there at all?

A new sheriff in town

2008-10-31T19:39:00.001-07:00

Tristan in his mama-made costume

This one cracks me up...kinda a "make my day" stance

The quiet that usually means trouble...usually.

2008-10-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

If all is quiet in the house and you can't find your kid...

...you might look in the toybox! He may have just put himself away!

Meet a man at the pumkin patch...

2008-10-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Ladies, have I got the keeper for you. Tall, blond, green eyed. Loves to cuddle and give "huggles". He is quite obedient and only throws a fit once in a while. He's quite the catch I tell ya, and he can be fished out of your local pumpkin patch....

Only thing is he's under lock and key guarded by Mom for, oh.....another 30 years or so!

Some of the happenings Tristan was up to while we were in Hawaii...

Riding the tractor on one of the multiple trips to local pumpkin patches with grandparents.

Mastering play dough skills.

Feeding the geese at the state prison creek. Yup, we take our kid to the prison to entertain him! That may sound odd unless you live in Salem and then it probably doesn't.

And since we came back we took Tristan to Bauman Farms where he proceeded to have 3 turns on the jumping air bag thingy (I'm sure it has a name)...after which he kept saying "Moooore!"

Oh, and a little side note for those of you who have boys and are a little clueless about them. Here's a great book for you to get into your clutches. "Bringing Up Boys" by Dr. James Dobson. My mom gave it to me and Mike has already read it. I'm half way through it. Makes you think, makes you scared, makes you think some more, and makes you determined to take the advice given and conquer the nasty world so your boy is brought up well adjusted and happy. It is worth buying.

MAUI PICTURES!

2008-10-13T21:03:00.001-07:00

We're BAAAACCCCK! After 6 nights, 7 days in the tropics of Maui, I can safely say we are glad to be home. Crazy am I? Don't get me wrong. It was a hard job to sprawl on the beaches in 85 degree weather with a natural playground of sand and surf surrounding me - but someone had to do it. Seriously though, I think it was a bit too long to be away from our baby (yes, I KNOW he's almost 2, but he's still my baby!). Maybe about half the time away would be perfect and we wouldn't have been chomping at the bit quite so hard to get back to Oregon soil. Here are some photos of our "second honeymoon" in total random order...

I'll start you off with a pretty Hawaiian flower...

A snorkeling hitchhiker we picked up. Don't see me in the water? Well, look back a few blogs about my love affair with sharks and you will know why...(I DID venture out to snorkel along the safety of the shallow shore, but I was not about to sacrifice myself in the deep water...)

Fish kisses anyone? Check out the two fangs! We didn't actually take these next few photos while snorkeling - we cheated instead and snapped them through the glass at the aquarium as Tristan really likes fish pictures.

Do you think he told one too many lies?

The timeshare building where we stayed. It was right across the street from the beach and we were on the 4th floor so we got some nice views. Playing footsies. Sand and surf sure can do extensive damage to a pedicure, I tell ya.

The lovebirds...
The other lovebirds. These birds were literally EVERYwhere. At first they were kinda cute (the male is courting the female in this photo) and they make a neat dove-like sound. However, at 6am the dove-like sound wasn't so neat anymore and they dropped quite a few notches on my favorties list. I'm quite sure that to those who live on the island, they have become much like our annoying birds here like pigeons and seagulls. I mean..they are truely EVERYWHERE.
I wanted to share with you my views while sunbathing. I don't want you to feel left out, you see. So these next two pictures are taken literally as I lie there. C'mon, feel the moment with me.

And then I turn to the side and here is the sight I see. Do you think he looks charming in pink? He's fast asleep. Seriously, why is it guys can sleep anywhere?

One of our many self-photos.

Sunset at the beach right across from our condo.

One of the many beaches we visited. This one happened to be right in front of one of the main resorts, and they got dibs on the chairs and umbrellas. We tried to be sneaky and pretend we were part of that crowd but the "vultures" who keep tabs on the equipment swooped down and caught us. Dang it anyway.
Island hopped to see Pearl Harbor. I had mixed feelings about this as while it is such a cool thing that has been put together to honor and memorialize those who died that day, it also felt a little weird because it has become so touristy that at times I felt like we were being rude since hundreds of people go there a day to literally gawk at an actual gravesite of thousands who's bones are still below the surface.

It takes one heck of a big anchor to hold down a battleship. This is the one recovered from the sunken USS Arizona.

That's it folks! Later I'll post some pics of what the Super-T was up to while we were away. He kept both sets of his grandparents busy.

Bacheloretting it....Again, you say???

2008-09-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

This seems to be a common theme in my life, I know. This is what happens when you are married to a "rabid" fisherman. He's in Kansas this week for pre-fishing in preparation for fishing Oregon's state team for B.A.S.S. in November.

I've been here at home for the last 4 days alone with T-man, and am counting the hours until I once again have help in the form of a husband in just over one more day. Just trying to keep my head above water. I simply don't know how single moms do it.

I woke up today to a scary sight. A monster in my son's crib. With something weird and fuzzy growing out of his head! Oh wait, that is just his severe case of bedhead.

Holy rat's nest, I know!

While Mike may not be around this week he is in our house in mini-form. Tristan looks exactly like Mike when he frowns in concentration.

Tristan must think his mommy is lonely while daddy is gone, because I walked in to my bedroom later this morning and found these in my bed...

Fishing baits. Yummy.

I've decided I'm not picking up the house until Mike is due home. I'm making my life easy that way at the moment. Just about anything goes for entertaining the wee-one (which is how fishing bait/worms ended up in his hands in the first place). I was NOT, however, thrilled to walk down the hall and find that Tristan entertained himself by spreading about a half-bottle of sun tan lotion through the hallway. You know how they say not to turn your back for a second? Well, this new mess only took a half-second. No photo of that - had to get it mopped up before little feet pitter patted through it and onto the carpet. We've been talking about getting a lock put on the hallway cabinets and now I'm thinking this is a sign...

Oh, and does anyone know how to get permanent black marker off of a oak dining table by chance????

Counting down the hours until my reinforcement arrives! Oh - and I'm taking suggestions as to how my hubby can show his thanks for this one!

Lookie lookie what I made!!!

2008-09-16T14:48:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd better update my blog so people don't think I dropped off the face of this planet. It has been on my mental to-do list for quite awhile, along with a boatload of other things. So, because I know are just sitting there drooling, waiting to read my next blog with anicipation and excitement, I'm going to appease you. Here ya go...

Lookie, lookie what I made!!! I've taken up a new hobby. Knitting! I made this:

As I've mentioned before we've switched to cloth diapers. They have come a looooong way from when you and I were diapered. No more pins and plastic pants! Some still use those, but the other options are ENDLESS...from soft cottony-feeling waterproof all-in-one diapers (as modeled by the cutest baby model ever in the photo directly below) to super absorbent fabrics such as bamboo velour and hemp fleece paired with covers of fleece or the softest wool you've ever felt (feels like cotton!). The wool covers are so dang expensive due to being pure wool (vs. the scratchy type used in todays sweaters you find in stores that have been processed to death). So, my inspiration for learning to knit was to make Tristan's diaper covers myself instead of paying an arm, leg, finger and toe for someone else to do it.
Here are some other covers he's got. Fleece one also made by me with a cute prefold peeking up in the back.

This one another mama made and I bought...yup, the shorts ARE the cover! I know this is a baffling thing to wrap your brain around, but it is true. Wool is an amazing fiber. If you are REALLY interested I'll be happy to tell you more about it but I won't go into it here for fear the majority of my blog readers will have their eyes glazing over from uninterest and boredom.

Oh, and I know what some of you are thinking..."Isn't wool to hot for shorts in the summer?" Nope! Wool is warm in the winter and cool in the summer because it is so breathable. Why do you think they've used it from the beginning of realizing they could make yarn out of the stuff...they wore wool year-round as far back as the 1800's! I guess another way to look at it is would you rather your underwear be made out of a breathable fabric or sweaty plastic?

Anywho, I'm now knitting Tristan a cute winter hat and some wool longie pants (yes, also doubles as a diaper cover - again, just smile and nod...). I needed a new hobby. Something I can do next to Tristan while he's dinking around with his toys and whatnot.

Other news...with the coming of fall comes our winter time activities such as our MOPS club starting up again. Yeah! Unfortuntely Tristan has been hit with a case of separation anxiety hard and cries every time he has to go into the toddler room. You would think he would be thrilled to have a room full of other kids his age since all he has to stare at all day are grown-ups and two dogs, but he's not sold on the idea yet. I'm really hoping he'll pass this phase soon as I know socializing with other tots is so important for his development, not to mention meeting up with the other moms in MOPS is so important for his mommy's sanity! It would be alot more enjoyable if I knew my babe wasn't having such a hard time with me leaving him for 2 hours in another room.

Only 19 more days and counting until Mike and I take off for skys of blue and clear waters of Hawaii! Sandy beach, here we come! I'm getting more and more anxious about leaving Tristan for so long though. I have moments of "WHAT was I thinking in planning this trip!???!". I know it is going to be important though for Mike and I to reconnect. Not to mention the tickets are bought and paid for as is the lodging, so that seals that deal!

Oh, and I need to be the good ex-police department worker that I am and do my part in advertising the upcoming fundraising event that my ex-program and ex-co-workers are involved in organizing. For all you walkers and runners there is the 2008 Domestic Violence Awareness Walk/Run coming up. Sat. October 11th in Minto Brown Park. This year strollers are welcome by the way which is a change from last year, so get those kiddos out and about with you! I've got the flyer on email if you want it. The fundraising part: 50% of the proceeds go to help serve domestic violence survivors in our community through our local safe house.

That's all for now folks! Gotta go hit the rest of what is on my mental to-do list before T-man rouses from his nap.

The homeless month of August

2008-09-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

I've caught my breath. I think. I can count on two hands the number of days we were home in August...9. Yup, nine! The rest of the time we were off on adventures. Camping the first week, home for the second, then off to live with my parents for two weeks to take Tristan to swim lessons. The cool part about that was his instructor was MY instructor when I was a baby (and beyond)! Her name is Myrna and at 70+ years she still has families swarming to her (and coming from long distances like us) to have her teach their kids how to swim. She's the best there is!

Swim lessons started out like this...with a happy face.

(And blowing bubbles)

Once Tristan learned swim lessons involved going UNDER the water, things progressed quickly to this face, and stayed this way for the majority of the lessons...

But ya gotta start somewhere! Maybe my baby will turn into a water dog next summer.

"Thank goodness Mommy is here to save me from the big, bad swimming pool!"

Oh, and we can't forget the naked boy "moo-ing" to the cows...

Or naked boy frolicking in the corn patch...

Naked boy likes being naked.

I'm just glad to be back home and back into our normal routine. I'm not a good traveler and I am very much a home body, so being away for 3 weeks out of one month was testing my limits...helping me grow and expand my horizons...or...something like that.

Laugh with me...or at me.

2008-08-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm providing you an opportunity to laugh with me. Or at me. Either one, whatever works. I laughted at myself.

You know how you are doing something and you feel like something about it is "off" but can't quite figure out what? Well, I had one of those moments today.

I was on my own as far as getting Tristan and I to church today as Mike worked graveyard last night and sleeps until afternoon. I'm not a morning person at all so getting up and about and out of the house at a certain time if before noon can be a challenge to say the least. This morning I opened up the kitchen door leading to the garage and set Tristan "free" inside the garage to play while I took a shower. Don't freak - we've totally babyproofed the garage, it is one of his favorite places to be right now (go figure), and the shower I was using is 7 feet away off the kitchen. I can see through the glass door and into the doorway of the garage so I could tell he was running around in there. No one can turn me in for child neglect on this one.

After my super quick shower I make oatmeal for us. I eat what he eats in the morning otherwise he wants to eat what I eat and a toddler on a sugar high from Eggo waffles and syrup every morning just don't mix. So oatmeal it is. As I was spooning the oatmeal into my mouth and attempting to help Tristan make it into his mouth with his (how DARE I touch that spoon as he's soooo independent with eating right now), that feeling came over me. You know...the one that says something is off here. I just couldn't figure out what so I continued spooning while I pondered the mystery. Then it hit me - the spoon felt different! I looked down and yup...I was eating my oatmeal with a baby spoon of all things!!! Now I am faced with the delima of turning it in for the adult version or continue using it? Why dirty yet another utensil for me to wash though, so the baby spoon and I cozied up and continued about our oatmeal business.

I leave you with some pictures from our recent camping trip at Honeyman State Park. It was soooo cold...felt like November!

This is how you keep a toddler out of the numbingly, painfully cold ocean when he would dive in if he were allowed....notice the feet anchored in the sand?

Bike riding with Poppy (my dad)

Swinging with Nana (my mom)

Predators of the sea...and of me.

2008-07-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Think back to the movie "Cocktail". I know you've seen this movie if you were a girl growing up in the 80's and were oogling over the young Tom Cruise as most girls in America were (the pre-jumping on Oprah's couch Tom Cruise). Remember the scene where the two young lovers are on the beach at night and decide to go frolicking in the ocean together? Did I mention at NIGHT? Did I mention in the OCEAN? Where there are SHARKS!!! In my opinion, swimming in the ocean at night is a little like suicide. Actually, in my opinion, swimming in the ocean at all is very close to a suicide wish. Cray-zay! "Hey Baby, wanna do lunch?"

You will learn here today a little known fact about me. I am terrified of sharks. I MEAN TERRIFIED! Aside from the predators within mankind itself, I think sharks are among the most scary natural predators out there. I am ALSO completely and totally facinated by sharks. I am so horribly facinated that it has been one of my weird dreams to be immersed in the ocean in one of those shark cages in shark infested waters (you know, like you grew up looking at photos of in National Geographic magaines). Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'd pee my swimsuit I'd be so scared, but it would be SO COOL!

We are going to Maui in October for our first big trip away together (with no accompanying toddler) since Tristan was born. Had I known there is a business that arranges such "dives" as the above caged-in option I just described on a different island, we might be going there instead. But reservations are already made and tickets paid for so Maui it is. We've never been there and I'm very excited for the adventure. There will be, however, no ocean swimming or snorkeling for Tiffany. I'm much too much of a scardy-cat. I'll stick to the condo pool if I feel the need to wet my tootsies. I went snorkeling a couple times in the Carribean and that was enough for me. I was constantly in a state of anxiety wondering what big beast with huge sharp teeth was going to come up behind me and take my legs off.

So I know this may be an irrational fear. I know all about the statistics (blah, blah, blah) because I'm an avid watcher of Shark Week (which, by the way, is returning TONIGHT on the discovery channel! Yahoooooo!). I know that I have a bigger chance of a coconut falling on my head on the beach than of being attacked by a shark while in the ocean, but I have to tell you the way my mind works I don't see that as a glass half full. I see it as a glass half-empty meaning I would be one of those few who would be bitten and become one of the rare statistics. I'm pretty sure that's how it would happen.

I like my limbs. I like my skin not scarred by shark teeth. Better yet, I like being alive. So, while others have fun frolicking in the ocean when visiting tropical places I will resign myself to visiting the aquariums and sunning myself on the beach or at the pool. I will continue to watch Shark Week like a bad accident that you just can't turn away from. And some day...some day maybe I'll pay that $125 to have some amused boat operator take me waaaay out into the ocean and dump me into a shark cage and then throw out a bunch of dead fish innerds around me in an effort to coax the big sharkees to swarm around me. I'm sure they will get a chuckle out of me peeing my swim suit.

"Heeere, sharky, sharky, sharky..."

Regardless, I'm celebrating the return of Shark Week and will have my eyes glued to the tube tonight at 9pm!!!

Struttin' our stuff on the beach

2008-07-25T19:45:00.001-07:00

A little cloudy and hazy, but no wind! Perfect beach weather (well, er...for the Oregon beaches anyway).

This is the second time Tristan has been to the beach. The first he wasn't even crawling yet, so the wide expanse of sand and surf was quite enthralling to him.

Park days

2008-07-09T13:04:00.001-07:00

Park days...and we are havin' alot of 'em!

Fourth of July Faceplant

2008-07-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Toddler holds ball. Toddler runs while holding ball. Toddler runs on uneven pavement while holding ball. Mommy and Daddy of toddler frantically call out behind toddler, "Walk...walk....WALK!". Toddler trips and faceplants into pavement. End result...

This would be his very first "real" faceplant. We have dubbed it the Fourth of July Faceplant since we were at a BBQ celebrating Independence Day. The brusing isn't as bad as we thought it would be but it sure is scraped up (complete with a little scape on his nose)! It didn't sway Tristan from watching his very first fireworks show though...

Notice the eyes GLUED to the sparklers

Speaking of the 4th, I have a confession to make. I'm a Fourth of July scrooge. Now I've not always been a scrooge when it comes to the festivities, but now that I'm a parent of a young child I'm very scroogy. I have a toddler who needs his sleep. He needs his sleep so I can sleep. It makes our world go round. As I was laying in bed at 10:30pm last night (Tristan's bedtime is 8pm but he got to stay up until 9pm last night), I'm STILL hearing him in his crib. Probably because our neighborhood sounded like the middle of a battlefield. I'm quite sure that even the fan in Tristan's room set on high didn't cover the booms and cracks. So, I was very scroogy last night when I decided our neighborhood needed to impose a no-fireworks after the baby's bedtime rule. Am I the only mommy-scrooge out there or does someone else feel like me?

Regardless, hope your 4th was grand!

Baby Butts, Birthday Boys and Beautiful Summer

2008-06-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

We spent almost a week with our friends the Harrington's in Sunriver and had a great time. Tristan had so much fun playing with their 3 kids for so many days in a row (poor only child!). One day we all rented bikes and cruised around with babies in tow. Sunriver is my kinda bike riding. Flat and downhill. No huffing and puffing involved. Perfect!

I've got a baby butt to share with you (how could I not post this future blackmail photo?). Sure wish the dimples on my rear look as adorable as T-man's butt cheeks! Summer fun in the back yard for us includes lots of baby-naked time out of diapers. Nothin' much better for the skin than fresh airflow!

Tristan is 18 months old. Hard to believe that he could be such a little BOY now. His personality is so fun to watch now that he's getting into "boy" things (not that he wasn't entertaining before). He got a couple cars for his birthday which he somehow instinctively knows to zoom around on the floor (is this a boy thing?). He also got a couple animal figurines from my parents and he "trots" them along the floor making sounds (another boy thing?). In our family we've taken to celebrating Tristan's half-birthday in the summer. Because he was born the day after Christmas we want to make sure he doesn't feel neglected on his birthday since it is right in the middle of the Christmas and New Years celebrations, so we have his party on his half-birthday! Of course we will recognize his special day on December 26th as well, just with a more low-key attitude. Here are some shots of his party including two of his little friends, the Sommer twins...

Back in the game...

2008-06-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has almost been a month since I posted! What the heck have I been doing with myself? Well...lots, but I must admit I've hit a blog dry spell. I'm forcing myself to blog tonight to get back in the game.

So I have a fun outing for you to participate in. It could be a nice date night with your spouse and one that will get you back home in time to put the kiddos to bed (if you want to that is)!

The program which I used to coordinate before resigning to coordinate all things kiddo-related is holding a fundraiser. Salem Police Department's Domestic Violence Response Team needs your money, to put it bluntly! That is, after all, what fundraisers are all about. This team is a 24-hour on-scene victim advocate team that responds to work with the victim, providing resources and support, while the officers concentrate on building their case and hauling the bad person off to jail. The program is partially funded by the city, but a big chunk of their money comes from grants and fundraising. They've worked hard to put this fundraiser together, so show your support and go have a laugh on them!

WHAT: Comedy show featuring Portland comedian Art Krug

WHEN: Saturday, June 28th at 4pm (refreshments start at 3:30pm)

WHERE: Loucks Auditorium by the Library

COST: $15 per person; $25 per couple; $40 for groups of 4

CONTACT: Emily Collins at 503-588-6499 x3 or visit www.cityofsalem.net/police

I'll leave you with a few photos of "mowing the lawn in action". This is how Mike mows our lawn now...his little helper is SOOOO darn helpful he has to lead him around so they can "mow" together or little hands make it to no-no places on the lawn mower. Oh...side note...my husband no longer has any of the hair you see on his head in the photos. He came home yesterday with a bit of a surprise for me. A bald head! Yup, he did it folks...he had it shaved (he's been talking about it forever but I didn't actually think he would do it). Doesn't look half bad. Gonna take some getting used to though.

Tristan just trots along with daddy...he loves his big-boy job!

And finally, I have to show these photos as they are so dang cute. I'm not sure what Tristan was saying in this first one but the message looks pretty important. Isn't he darling in his little cloth diapers? Yup, I said cloth - we've switched to cloth when home and I LOVE them. Wish we'd done it sooner.

And here he is watching the TV he's learned to turn on. Momma is not thrilled about this.

Over and out!

Summer days starting...Iced tea anyone?

2008-05-19T20:41:00.001-07:00

Whew! What's up with the heat wave? Summer is here early, folks, and we've been whisked into the busy activities that come with warm weather! I realize I haven't blogged in awhile, but like I said...busy.

A quick catch up...

In the last couple weeks Mike went to Idaho where he fished in the Western Divisional tournament for B.A.S.S. He made the state team again this year which earned him this trip. He won the tournament coming in 1st out of 130 anglers. Not too shabby. This win grants him passageway to the Nationals in Kentucky in November. If he does well there he'll be off to the Bassmaster Classic once again (Super Bowl). Way to go hubby!

While Mike was gone for the week in Idaho with his parents tagging along, Tristan and I and our dogs headed down south to stay with my parents (I was NOT about to attempt another airplane flight with Tristan to tag after Mike). While there we spent the majority of the time during 100 degree weather naked on the patio with the kiddie pools filled to the brim (well, Tristan was naked...I however opted for clothing).

Tristan also fit a bit of ATV riding with his Poppy into his busy pool-lounging schedule.

As well as a bit of swinging at the Saturday Market with his Nana and I (notice the very new, much shorter ultimate Mom-haircut? Still getting used to it.)

Now back at home base we are working on getting back into the general routine of things. Of course, there is always work to be done such as powerwashing the deck. Notice Tristan's power-washer "wand" he is using to assist Daddy in this task?

And this is his befuddled look when he dropped his power-washer wand into a crack in the deck. We had to go fishing for it. Like the earplugs? He kept them in the whole time! I gave him a haircut too but obviously need to straighten out the bangs! A difficult task at best with a wiggly toddler.

And that about wraps it up! Happy heat-wave, everyone!

A day for mom

2008-04-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is right around the corner. I'm posting early as I'll be out of town visiting my own mother on the actual day and won't have time to post. So...Happy Mother's Day (early)!

I hope your day is special as you celebrate those that have been mother figures in your life and/or being a mother yourself!

A little quiz...which one in this picture is going to give birth and which are the imposters?

(My father-in-law, my dad, me, and my hubby at our baby shower. I was tempted to post a photo of my own mom holding me after giving birth but I'm pretty sure she'd disown me if I posted a post-birth hospital photo of her.)

Here is a moment of motherhood that I have recently laughed about and hopefully it will provide you with a smile as well. About once a month the mommies from Tristan's playgroup and I try to get together for a kid-free Mom's Night Out, which usually consists of heading to one of our houses for yummy food, games and company. As I was driving to our most recent Mom's Night Out, I was headed down the road when a song started playing that I knew well. I'm bee-bopping along, singing at the top of my lungs with the volume much higher than I allow when my son is in the car. This mommy can really rock out when she wants to! Oh yeah! There is nothing like a fantastic song and being alone in the car where I can really belt out the melody (kinda like singing in the shower)....

...the crazy part is it actually took me about 2 minutes of this song before I realized it was from the CD...

... "Little People Sing Along ABC Songs".

I TOLD you I know how to rock out!

Oh, a little side note for my blogger friends. As I try to be a better more well-rested mom, I've made a pact to myself to lessen the time spent on the computer at night. I stay up WAY too late on the internet. So, I promise you I am still reading your blogs - you just may not see as many comments from me (but I AM reading!).

Cheers!

This one is for all the mommies...

2008-04-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

A friend just sent me this poem and I thought all the moms out there might identify...while it is a little early for Mother's Day you can still celebrate your mommy-hood!

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or remembered words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Imagine the imagination...

2008-04-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Imagination: a childhood gift.

This week we have seen the beginnings of imaginative play in Tristan. It has been fun to watch and we can only guess at what is going on inside that little brain of his. I had no idea imaginative play would start at such a young age, but it is a welcomed gift since it is well known that imaginative play is a special part of developing cognative skills in a child.

This week we've noticed:

1) Tristan looking at a book with photos of fruits and jelly beans. He methodically "picked up" a jelly bean and put it in his mouth several times. Which is a bit on the strange side since he's never been offered a jelly bean before but has certainly been offered fruit!

2) Found a plastic bag in the bathroom and as I was doing my hair one morning he pretended to be picking things up and putting them in the little baggie ("things" meaning I have no idea what he thought he was picking up as there was really nothing there).

3) This one is great. Upon being let into the house our dog Orion has decided it is his official duty to clean every inch of the kitchen floor with his tounge. Tristan has witnessed this. So what does Tristan do? He lays down flat on his tummy and starts licking the kitchen floor! It took me a bit to realize he was mimicking our dog. I'm not too thrilled about this pretend play as not only is Tristan picking up who knows what in germs, but now I'm feeling compelled to mop the floor much more than I would like.

I can hardly wait to see what adventures my little genious come up with and shares with us when he starts using words!!!

Airing my dirty laundry...

2008-03-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've got a problem. Or maybe it is an obsession. Addiction? I don't know...but a problem nonetheless. I could try to describe to you what has been sitting up in my attic for months on end now, but a photo would do a much better job.

All of these bins are filled to the brim with Tristan's outgrown baby clothes. Only the sizes from newborn to 12 months, mind you. I got really (and I mean really!) good at finding great like-new clothes at consignment stores and garage sales when I was pregnant and apparently went a little overboard (hey, I was really excited to be having a baby). I just didn't realize how overboard until we hauled it all out of the attic today with the intent to whittle down some of this loot. I mean, this is enough for 5 babies! This photo doesn't even account for all the baby paraphanila left up in the attic...baby swing, bouncy chair, cradle, pack-n-play, exersaucer, two walkers, Boppy pillows, infant car seat, and I don't even remember what else!

My problem is not only the sheer mass of baby clothes that I've pack-ratted away, but my inability to part with alot of it. Don't get me wrong - I'm NOT a pack rat in other areas of my life. Just this. I'm wondering if any other moms have had this problem when it comes to letting go some of their first born's items? Or am I the only crazy out there? I know they are just THINGS, but they were my son's things which seems to be the issue. There lies the emotional bond I seem to have created with Tristan's baby clothes. Each item seems to be sentimental to me.

I know what you are thinking...is there an open bed in the looney bin for Tiffany? But then again...maybe I'm not the only one struggling to part with baby gear. I've tried and failed many times. I've sat up in the attic pawing through these bins and I seem to find a reason to hang onto most everything, therefore never making any progress. This time however, I'm determined!!! I'm going to take an hour each night and make some tough decisons about what to keep and what to consign, sell at a garage sale, and give away.

Wish me luck! I'm obviously gonna need it.

The Great Eggie Hunter

2008-03-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

While this was not our first Easter with Tristan in our lives, it was our first Easter in which he is old enough to partake in some of the fun Easter festivities.

But first thing's first...buckles, buckles, who's got the buckles?

Tristan does! Anything with buckles and he is drawn to it. Addicted might be a better word. His Nana gave him his very own buckle with just the nylon strap in his Easter basket and he was happy as a clam to sit and play with that. Today Tristan discovered his old bouncy chair and infant seat that I got out of the attic for his baby cousin that will be visiting soon from Minnesota....and he located the buckles.

"I KNOW this thing will still fit me!"

I was thrilled that the buckles entertained him long enough for me to drink a WHOLE CUP OF COFFEE before it got cold this Easter morn (I know all you mommies reading this are jealous right about now!).

We hopped (no Easter pun intended) on over to Mike's parents for Easter dinner and an egg hunt. With Salem weather at its spring finest we had rain today following the gorgeous sunny day yesterday, so Tristan's very first egg hunt commenced on the covered wrap around porch instead of the soggy lawn.

"Is that Teddy Grahm for me?"

"Score! A mini Fig-Newton cookie!"

Kisses for ducky

In search of dirt to frolick in...Tristan's new love.

Child labor???

Easter bunnies and eggs aside, we are thankful to live in a country where we have the freedom to celebrate things like the real meaning of Easter. In our family it goes beyond chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks and candied eggs. Easter is celebrated because Christ died a horrible death for us and rose again. While we give our children gifts in baskets to celebrate, He gave us the biggest and best gift of all - one that can't be wrapped up in pretty celophane and given in a basket sprinkled with plastic grass. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Hostage situation!

2008-03-21T21:16:00.001-07:00

WE HAVE A HOSTAGE SITUATION!

I am the hostage taker.

My victim: A pair of ratty-tatty older than dirt jeans of my husband's.

Victim photo:

Victim description: A pair of cargo-style denim jeans. Very old...at least 10 years. Horribly beat up and abused. Torn on the back pocket and worn enough to permanently show an imprint of a man's wallet (really...why have a pocket when you can just take your wallet out through the tear?). Saggy...and no longer in a stylish sort of way. Ragged on the pant leg hems...to the point where the wearer may trip on the strings (It really is a safety hazard now!). Unknown size - they have been washed so many times the tag is unreadable. Simply TIRED and begging for retirement!

Ok, girls! I need your help here! For months I have been urging Mike to let go of his oldest pair of jeans. They are...well...dispicable! He loves the pair but it has come to the point where I'm rather embarrassed for him (and me!) when he wears them in public. They really need to be relegated to the "yard work" drawer. He bought them several years before we were married. He has more pairs of nice jeans than I do, yet he won't let the ratty-tatty pair go. So I did what every loving wife is eventually forced to do with things like holey socks, paper-thin see-through (but not designed to be) underwear, faded beyond recognition heavy metal band and old high school T-shirts, and the like. I took the jeans hostage. I'm holding them for ransom. Here is where YOU come in. I need help figuring out something scrumptious to include in my ransom demand. Mike reads my blog so let's make this good! Today he informed me he couldn't find his favorite pair of jeans and I played dumb. I know he knows I have something to do with the dissapearance, but I'm not givin' 'em back without a fight! I'm hoping the forced separation from his beloved denim will spark a bit of independence and he'll realize he really can live without them!

Sooooo...I'm taking creative ideas for my randsom note! Please leave me your comment!

A little boy being a little boy

2008-03-18T23:22:00.001-07:00

We (Tristan and Mommy) just came home from a few days visiting my parents. Tristan got to do everything little boys love to do...

Hang out with the animals. He decided to help his Poppy "feed" the cows some hay and he tried to crawl into the cow stanchion a few times for an up close and personal view of their slimy noses. Hay somehow ended up everywhere...even down the back of his diaper! He now "mooos" at the cows too.

"I've had enough of this horse! Save me!!!!"

Give a boy a bucket and some rocks and he'll be entertained forever.

Dirt! What little boy doesn't like dirt? Tristan decided to try sitting down in a mud puddle and came out of it...well...not so sparkling. No photo of this one though as the clothes promptly came off, were loaded up with Spray N' Wash (I should buy stock in the stuff) and tossed in the washer. I'm proud of myself for how many times I calmly said, "It's ok, it is only dirt and we've got more clothes".

Run, run, run, FLY! This is a game that both my sister and I loved to tire our parents out with. Now Tristan has discovered the art of flying between his Nana and Poppy and his ear-to-ear smile shows his delight.

Tormenting the dogs by an endless game of chase! Up and down the hallway, giggling all the way. Lucky for the dogs they were always just out of his reach (smart dogs). We are attempting to teach what "gentle" means for when Tristan does happen to catch a doggie off guard and corner 'em. I hope for the dog's sake he catches on fast.

Tristan LOVES being outdoors and would cry just about every time we had to come in no matter how cold it was! I can't wait for summer weather!

Side notes: Tristan now clearly says "Dad-deeee" when referring to Mike and I have somehow become "Nonny" instead of Mommy since he seems to be against pronouncing his M's at this time. He's growing into a big boy at 33 inches already and 24.6 lbs (as our recent 14 month old check at the good ol' doc's office told us). Also this week he's started the transition from weeble-wobble walking into something that looks a lot more like a run when he wants to get somewhere fast. Oh boy, it looks like I'm going to be getting a lot more exercise now!

Parents vs. Punks

2008-03-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Becoming parents changes or makes stronger your views on so many things.

I've already mentioned the park a half mile away from our house that Tristan is growing attached to. With the big, newer play structure and nice grounds, it is a desirable park to be at and we've taken him to play almost every day this week (thank you, good weather!).

I'll set the scene for you...

Saturday Mike and I swing by our new favorite park on our way to run an errand, passing a white car with teenagers piled into it. We turn the corner and continue on our merry way to our destination. As we approach the totally deserted park (weird for a Saturday), Mike comments on the scroungy looking teen making his way through the park (he used a different word, but I'll spare you). Around the corner on foot comes one of the teen guys (14, 15yrs old?) from the car we had passed on our way to the park. They were headed for one another. Hrm...my mind starts ticking and I say to Mike as we are parking, "They are gonna do a drug deal." We let Tristan out and he toddels to the playground while Mike intently watches the two guys, pretending that he isn't intently watching. The two teens head to a corner of the park, not 100 feet from us, and complete the most obvious drug deal in the history of drug deals. YOU. LITTLE. PUNKS. C'mon, if you are gonna deal, at least brush up on your transaction skills. Maybe try something other than the Hollywood handshake. I'd like to take their sorry gangsta-wannabe-falling-off-your-butt pants and nail them to the park sign (with them in 'em of course), posting a sign on their forehead that says, "Not in MY park. Not in MY neighborhood. Not in front of MY kid you unpracticed drug dealer." Seriously. Pick your location better.

So to end our little story, Mike gets on the phone and calls a working co-worker who was nearby and free, rattling off identifiers that I didn't even notice (his built-in observation instincts when we are out and about are amazing - but at home, not so much...how come he doesn't notice the toilet needs to be cleaned?). Two officers drive through of the area but unfortunately the little punks disappeared rather quickly, which leads us to believe the white teeny-bopper car was waiting around the corner for Punk #1 and Punk #2 must live in the area. Dang it anyway - Delivery Of A Controlled Substance within 1000 yards of a school would have been a delicious little charge to tag on our Park Punks. And to be witnessed firsthand by a police officer no less.

Before being a parent, such things were just another day in the life of a city where little crimes like this take place in thousands of nooks and crannies of our city - park or no park. Just another transaction of a little meth or pot. Slippery little sharks in the sea of even bigger sharks. It was one of those things that we know happened, we are well aware that with the severe lack of resources available that only so much can be done about it, and we move on. But THEN along comes the baby and everything changes. Mama Bear and Papa Bear have come out of hibernation and have jaws of steel ready to pounce at a moments notice if need be to protect their little bear cub.

We now notice how much garbage is left at our neighborhood parks and have talked about bringing along a trash bag and some latex gloves so we can pick up litter while Tristan plays. We now notice the Plexiglas windows in the play structure that has algae, dirt and slobber from a hundred kids (ours included) pressing their face up against it to play Peek-A-Boo (How strange are we that we decided to bring along our Windex and a paper towel on our next visit?). Now we are more in tune to how much shade and seating our favorite parks have, especially in the summer sun. And we are much more vigilant of those IN the park...oh what a psychologist would give to have a tape recording of our thoughts when people watching at the park.

Sun, shades...and love in the personals?

2008-03-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

The sun decided to come out today. So we took out our shades...

...and headed down to the park down the street which has a really fun climbing structure and playground

"Ohhhh yeahhh...I know I'm cool!"

"Like my mullet too? Too bad...Mom's taking me in for a professional trim tomorrow."

I can't believe he left his sunglasses on the whole time we were at the park!

~
So let me draw you away from the subject of my dashing son for a bit. I know, I know...I'm tearing your heart out. But don't despair, I promise these will not be the last photos I post of the boy. Let's talk love. Or rather...the personal ads.

Now I don't make it a habit to read the personals. Really, I don't. But they caught my eye as I was crumpling up newspapers to get a fire going in our wood stove the other morning. So, lacking interesting reading material at that moment, I settled down on the couch with the personals to see what type of amusement they could provide.

Most of the ads pretty much say the same thing in one way or another...promising "lots of everlasting love...cuddling on the couch...casual dating, maybe more...laughter and happiness..." and blah, blah, blah. Then there are those that get creative. Let me share some with you for your own amusement.

How about the guy who lives in Tacoma and talks about his wish to share "days in the sun" with a special lady. Ummm...hey dude, you live in TACOMA! Do you realize how much it rains there?

Or there is the man who describes himself as "moderately hairy". I can't even believe he put that in his ad. The one who boasts about his love for "horror films" might be a real catch though. Or how about the hottie that includes in his ad that he likes "eating tacos"?

If you are a lady, be sure to do what these dames did and include that you are looking for "a huggy bear" who loves "flee markets and second hand stores". Best of all is the woman who lets the potential dates know she "frequents bars". That might get the lads breaking down the door (or at least a certain kind of lad).

Now don't get me wrong. I'm sure love and soul mates have been found through match making personal ads. I'm sure Jerry Springer probably did a show on them at one time or something. Anything is possible. It is just that as I think about this day and age of Internet dating and ad placing in search of true love, I am VERY thankful I have found my one-and-only. And I just might go on to read a few personals here and there as I continue to build fires in the early morn (let's be clear...JUST for entertainment purposes only!).

Bassman Baskett

2008-02-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

The Bassmaster Classic 2008 in Greenville South Carolina has come and gone. Mike was one of the 50 contestants that are considered the best in the world of competitive bass fisherman (go hubby!). His dream of fishing in the Classic has been realized. He did really well. Though he would have liked to come in 1st place, he finished in the not-too-shabby place of 26th. Out of 50, and finishing before many of the professional anglers (which all but 8 are), I'd say that is pretty darn good!

On day 1 of the three day tournament he was pretty stoked as he held the 15th place with five fish all weighing 15 lbs, 3 oz. Day 2 the weather changed drastically and the fish pretty much disappeared. Mike, along with many other contestants, had a pretty rough time. A couple of the pros finished with NO fish on day two. Mike pulled in two fish weighing 7 lbs, 15 oz. Unfortunately he lost three, one of which was a hunk, before he was able to get them into the boat. I am quite sure he will see that one big guy that he had on his line but got away before he could reach down and scoop it up in his nightmares for years to come. He was very disappointed he didn't do better on the second day, as only the top contestants finishing in the top 25 places on day two get to go on to fish the third day of the tournament and compete for the really really big money. A half million was at stake for the first place winner here! Mike was in the top 25 until the VERY LAST CONTESTANT weighed his fish in...and he topped Mike's catch by a mere 6 OUNCES!!! Can you believe it? We couldn't. Six ounces is what kept Mike from that top 25. He is what is called the "bubble man"...ended up just outside the bubble. Mike is so competitive and loves this sport/hobby so much that this was heartbreaking for him. He did however, finish first for the "federation guys", which are those 8 non-pros that work their way to the Classic through their tournament wins of the year, then win top for their state team, and finally win the right to travel the road to the super bowl of all tournaments via their performance in the Nationals (that were held this last May in Florida).

But...all this aside, Mike did really well! I mean, how many actually get to experience such a dream? To be so good to actually make it to the Classic and fish the thing is quite an accomplishment. There are anglers who try for this for years upon years and never make it. He may not have gotten to fish that third day or come in 1st place, but he did finish well above those that fish for bass as a career, he won a nice chunk of change and came home with tons of free stuff, he had a ton of fun hob-nobbing with the pros and other non-pros, was asked for his autograph time and time again by kids and adults alike... and MADE IT TO THE BASSMASTER CLASSIC for heaven's sake!

Way to go, hubby! We are proud of you!

Me, my dad and Tristan (the little pilot) hauling luggage to our Portland hotel room in preparation of getting up at 3am for our flight to South Carolina.

One little boy who was SOOOO tired of being on that airplane and finally decided to take a nap on mommy. I have to say that while I was glad to go see my husband compete, I have come to the conclusion that I never ever want to fly with an infant again.

Getting ready for the boat launching. This is a mix of anglers in the competition along with ESPN camera boats, as well as spectator boats (Hundreds of people launch their boats and "stalk" the contestants all day searching for up close and personal views of the action. Well known pros can have in the neighborhood of 30 - 50 spectator boats surrounding them as they try to focus on their fishing. Crazy.)

The dock that launching takes place at. Hundreds of fan line the dock and surrounding areas. Camera boats and spectators are seen here.

This is Mike on day one. The weather was freezing.

The stage. For those that are trying to figure out how this happens, the fish are put into a livewell in the boat. The boat is hauled 20 minutes from the lake to the Bi-Lo Center. The boat with the angler riding in it is pulled through the square entrance that you see at the right, around the stage and stops in front. The contestant then gets out his fish which have been placed in a fish-safe bag of water out of the live well and heads to the ESPN announcer-dude to have his fish weighed on stage. Then the fish are placed in a huge tank under the stage for safe keeping overseen by a highly paid B.A.S.S. fish conservation specialist until they can all be hauled back to the lake and set free.

Mike weighing in on day one.

The fans.

Mike's big fish on day two.

The organizers make up a whole big box of "baseball cards" for each angler to hand out to the kids who flock to this event in search of autographs. This was the photo on Mike's card.

The T-Man out on the town. Downtown Greenville is really a neat place to stroll and on day two the weather was warm and beautiful (we would have gladly taken rainy and freezing again though as then the fish would have stayed put).

We also visited the Atlanta zoo which had a petting zoo inside. Tristan thought the gorillas were cool and the big lion roared several times while he was there too.

Out on the town today in a CRA-ZAY way!

2008-02-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

I had a bit of a bizarre moment today. An "Ah-Ha" moment in a way. I shipped my son off to my mother-in-law's for the day so I could get some things marked off my to-do list. Before getting down and dirty with my kitchen floors and cleaner though, I decided to head off and run around town for a bit since I was feeling so "free" and my time was mine again if only for a few hours. I had a chance to make some stops that I would not normally make with the tot in tow. So I headed out to JoAnne's Fabrics to browse for fun and then since I was really living it up today I treated myself to a Starbucks coffee and slice of coffee cake for breakfast. Then came the grand finale...a stop off at the laundromat to wash a load of our dog's bedding (I will NOT put them in my washer any more - I end up wiping fur out of the thing for weeks). Yup, now I know when I say "out on the town" you probably think I headed out for a massage or to get my overgrown eyebrows waxed. Oh no. As I was sitting there on the uncomfortable chairs in front of the TV watching Regis and Kelly at the laundromat I found myself to be quite content. While allowing the sound of the washers and dryers to lull me into a coma and while smiling to myself over Kelly's blondish wit, I realized...I have GOT to get out more! Have any of you mommies ever had moments like this? PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who now calls doing a chore at the laundromat to be restful - when the pre-child me would have paced the icky tile floor in front of the dryers praying for that buzzer to sound so I could get the heck out of there!!!

We really were married last week...6 years ago!

2008-02-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

I was reading a friend's blog about her Valentine's Day engagement and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Like a smack to the forehead with a 2x4. Deer in the headlights feeling...or whatever. You get the picture.

I realized I completely forgot to blog about one of the most important days in our lives...our wedding day! Sheesh, I heard about and experienced "mushy mommy-to-be brain" while pregnant, but I think it has become even more mushy now that I am a mommy in the flesh! I USED to be so organized and on top of things!

February 9th was our day. Here are some photos from the big event.

The bride

The groom

The bride trying not to blubber as her dad walks her down the isle (I really did hold it together up until that point)

THE KISS!

The first dance

The friends lunging to catch the cake table as it suddenly collapses (thank goodness...the cake was a gift that was made by my friend Elyse for our special day)

I'm a bachelorette all week!

2008-02-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

I'm on my own with Tristan for 7 days until my parents come rescue me on Saturday! Mike has taken off for the prelude to his big dream...fishing the Bassmaster Classic. The 3 day tournament actually doesn't even start until February 22nd, but they have tons of things planned for him in the week and a half he's there beforehand. Practice fishing, fun fishing, media day, expo show, orientation day, fancy dinners, and who knows what else. Oh, and we can't forget the to-do list I sent with him to complete before Tristan and I fly in next week! HA! Mike just THOUGHT he was going to be bacheloring it on the east coast this week, but the wife's to-do lists follow him everywhere he goes!!! It is his job to pick up a week's supply of diapers and food Tristan will accept, baby proof the motel room, round up a pack-n-play from the hotel, and buy an ice chest (the Hyatt apparently doesn't believe their guests would want a fridge OR a microwave in their rooms - go figure).

I've been doing the best I can keeping my head above water so far with no breaks from the wee-one aside from naptime and bedtime. We've made multiple trips to the store as I try to pack my whole house into two suitcases and a carry-on bag, realizing I forgot important items the last time I was shopping. My mother-in-law is going to rescue me for a day later this week so I can REALLY concentrate on getting organized and packing well.

Thankfully the weather has cooperated during the last few days and has offered up some sunshine and 50 degree temps for the taking. Now that Tristan is walking pretty steady we've ventured out to toddle around the front lawn and drive way, the park down the road, and even spent quite a bit of time trying to rip off the size tags from the boxes in the Walmart shoe isle! It takes an hours to get ten feet, with all the leaves, twigs, grass and weeds to inspect along the way. I keep forgetting that all of these things are new and super-cool to a one year old. I was really wishing I had my camera to snap a photo of Tristan in his new red wagon that he rode in today for the first time to the park, but Mike took it with him to South Carolina. So instead, I dug through my old photos and found one I thought you might be amused with...

This is Mike and I pre-marriage (I think?). We were camping with my parents and Mike was doing his best to imitate 1) an old man, 2) a hick, 3) a geek. I don't remember which is right, so you get to pick.

What "Kid Quirk" Do YOU Have?

2008-02-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

I was reading through my Parenting magazine and came upon a little section where readers disclose their "kid quirk" that is part of their adult life. I thought, "What a great blog question!" I'd love to know what YOUR kid quirk(s) are, if you will let your guard down! C'mon, be honest with yourself and others and let my readers and I know a bit about your quirkiness!

To get you started, here are some of mine:

1) To this day I hate crust. Bread crust, pizza crust, pie crust...it is always left on my plate. My husband likes this quirk as he loves crust.

2)I don't like the different foods on my plate to touch. I know they all go in the same place and mix together later anyway, but it is all about first impressions and presentation, isn't that what mom always used to say? And my parents will tell you I never cleaned my plate as a child, and I still don't as an adult. For some reason I feel a need to leave just a little part behind...a few peas, a couple pieces of lettuce, trimmings from ham...

3) I still think clowns are scary. They are just plain weird.

4) I still get a little freaked out from the dark, especially the pitch blackness when going to get wood back in our shed. I make my dogs come with me for protection - as much protection as two 18 lb. dogs can be.

5) I still like watching cartoons, especially Disney flicks. And if they would start playing reruns of The Smurfs, I'd totally sit my butt in front of the boob tube for it!

YOUR turn...!

(By the way, if you want to make your kid famous on the cover of Parenting, go to www.parenting.com/cover and have some fun!)

Boob Heaven

2008-02-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

Alright, for those of you that saw the title of this post and thought something dirty...shame on you (you know who you are)!

~~~

I have to ask...Is there a boob heaven? If there is, could that be where my two beloved friends have gone? I like to think that there is a boob heaven for all boobies who served their owners well. I'd also like to have them back in their original splendor! You know that oldies song, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Okay, get the tune in your head...start humming it to yourself. Now replace the words with "Where have all the boobies gone?" THAT is what I'm singin'!

~~~

I've already made the decision that at my next appointment with my ob/gyn (coming up MUCH too quickly, I might add), I'm going to ask her where the boobies go after a nursing child gets ahold of them. I'm seriously curious to know why something that was once so full of life, vigor and proud energy can now be so sad and drooping looking like a remaining fall flower that has just been frostbitten after the natural process of nursing a babe. How does a sweet little innocent baby DO this? I'm going to find out.

In the meantime, I'm going to mourn the transformation of "the girls" into something I no longer can identify as mine (the traitors!). And I'm going to worship the inventors and makers of push up bras. Genious...pure genious.

Randomness of Monday Ramblings

2008-01-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

Tristan's ear feather's trimmed? Check.

Toddler who throws world class tantrums and has discovered his independent streak? Check.

Launder my purse? Check

These are my musings for today's Monday. Let's take them one at a time...

The ear feathers are a thing of the past. After getting careful instruction from a friend of mine who cuts all her kid's hair, I collected out my trusty scissors, towel, comb and toddler. I also collected my husband to provide moral support...we'll get to that part in a bit. Here are before and after pictures.

Ear feathers in all their splendor...A nice blending did the trick...

If I do say so myself I think I did a marvelous job. I even managed to save the little choppings to put in a zip lock baggie, as it IS officially Tristan's first haircut ever. Didn't touch the back though...I'm not that brave yet. Now for the husband being present. Ladies, if you want someone to pat you on your back and pump up your ego, telling you that you are the world's best ear feather trimmer ever, do NOT have your husband present. At least don't have MY husband present. He did manage to ask "Do you know what you are doing?" a million times though.

The T-man has also discovered his independent self this week too. In full force. I was very proud of him today when he decided to go from standing with one toy and walk over to a rolling walker nearby, tootle 20 feet down our galley style kitchen pushing it, stop about 5 feet from the fridge and then walk (or waddle) over to play with his alphabet magnets. All by himself with no help or encouragement from Mom! I do have to say that this independence has tested my child proofing skills though. I thought I had become an expert child proofer - my best defense was to take as many "no-no's" as I could and stuff them into a spare bedroom and close the door. This strategy worked great until Tristan learned how to pull down on our lever-style door handles and push. Wow...! A whole new world when you can open doors! Guess I'll really have to child proof now. And finally, the tantrums. Whoa! One minute I'm gazing at my sweet happy child full of innocence and then BAM! Out comes a manipulative little monster who is screaming at the top of his lungs and has thrown himself down face first onto the floor. I'm still trying to figure out the best response to deal with this.

To complete my randomness let's talk about ladies purses. Awhile ago my friend Shelly sent me an email outlining food for thought regarding women's handbags. That they are dirty. When you think about it, they ARE! After reading her email I promptly threw my fabric purse into the wash. Earlier this week Mike and I went on a date to see 27 Dresses (great movie by the way). When visiting the ladies room I hear someone go into the stall next to me and...plop! Down goes her purse on the icky public restroom floor right next to the toilet. Yuck! We ladies probably don't give much thought to the other places our handbags get set. Restroom counter tops. Restaurant floors. Vehicle floors. Anywhere else convenient when juggling the millions of things we do. Germs galore. I have to say that after the movie I went home and threw my handbag into the wash again just for good measure.

HAPPY MONDAY!

To cut or not to cut...that is the question.

2008-01-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

What is it about hair? A lot of people feel their hairstyle helps define their personality. I sure hope that isn't true because if it is I've been a lot of things...a poodle, a mullet, a sunflower...

Now I've got Mom Hair. Yup, Mom Hair. It took me about 4 weeks after Tristan was born (during which time I did nothing more than put my long hair up in a pony tail) to visit my hairdresser and beg for a nice short chop that I could blow dry and do nothing more with. It was at that moment that I joined thousands of other moms and shoved myself into the Mom Hair category. Yesterday I revisited my hairdresser for a much needed trim to reshape my do into something that I hope reflects a trendy yet easy Mom Hair style instead of the Exhausted-And-Too-Busy-To-Wash-My-Hair-Let-Alone-Blow-Dry-It category. I've always been envious of those who can "wash and go" and look like they spent a day at the salon. I've never had that type of hair.

My big decision this month is if I should take Tristan in for a trim. I am lucky that this is the biggest thing I'm stressing over right now as I realize it could be much, much worse. That being said, do I cut or not cut? Please give me your vote! Here is Tristan's current hair. It is getting a big shaggy over the ears and doesn't seem to be shaping into the trixie curls I was hoping for as it gets longer. So...to cut or not to cut? That is the question, my friends. Give me your feedback!

We call these the "ear feathers"

And just as a little extra, here is a photo of my latest Mom Hair style, plus a few more photos that tell the winding and sometimes painful journey of Tiffany's hairdos over the years. Please don't laugh. I will hear you if you laugh. Seriously.

The Mom Cut

If you look really hard you will see my trixie curls by my ears. 1 year old.

Fast forward to the flat, lifeless years of elementary school. Before vanity. 3rd grade.

6th grade "Frizzy Poodle Head"...and a unabrow to match!

7th grade "Sunflower Hair". This, my friends, took an entire can of hair spray to achieve.

A little more tame in an up-do. 10th grade, age 15.

I think I might have reached "normal" with this 12th grade natural style.

Freshman in college.

Early years as a married woman trying a new color.

Ya gotta love pregnancy hair! Nice and thick! Natural curl at it's best while pregnant!

Goodbye 2007...Hello 2008!

2007-12-31T12:52:00.000-08:00

It's the eve that marks leaving 2007 behind and stepping into 2008. Time to take down the Christmas decor - what little I put up this year. I had the best little helper ever...

While rocking my little helper to sleep for his morning nap today I couldn't help but notice him so peaceful and sweet as he lay curled up in his cute little 2007 Christmas time jammies. If I had been shown those jammies a year ago I would have sworn my little boy would have to be at least 2 years old to fit into them. I shudder to think about 2008 Christmas time jammies!

We've had a wacky and fun year all rolled into one. Tons of firsts for mom, dad and baby. A bit of a rocky road while trying to figure out how to be parents to our new bundle while keeping up with our daily lives and keeping a peaceful marriage. We found this is all a lot to balance and takes a bunch of work. That being said we can say with certainty that we wouldn't change becoming parents for the world and wonder how we lived such empty lives prior to Tristan coming along.

I wonder what first 2008 has in store for us...some I can imagine like first "real walking" steps, first running steps, first words and so on. I'm sure there are many more I can't fathom yet since I've not done this parenting thing before. Please stay tuned to our blog as I walk you through the highlights that happen along the way on the road of 2008!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I pushed how many pounds into the world???

2007-12-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

One year ago, at exactly 5:20pm I pushed a whole 8 lb, 2 oz. human into the world! Not only was Tristan a big baby in weight for two weeks early, but he was quite long at 20 3/4 inches.

Exactly a year ago today at this exact time I was marveling at myself. I am woman, hear me roar! I PUSHED 8 LBS, 2 OZ INTO THE WORLD! I still marvel at myself now, but for different reasons (ha ha, just had to slide that in here). I was also thanking the Heavenly Father for giving man the bit of science called the Epidural!

Tristan Logan Baskett graced the world with his presence last December 26th. Here are some photos to mark the day...

The mom and dad to be playing cards to pass the time.

Gotta catch a few of the mid-labor contractions on screen for the baby book!

Mommy and babe a few minutes after delivery and just before the rest of the family greets him.

Daddy admiring his son.

Tristan sucking on his still-purple hand for comfort while being held by his Nana.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, TRISTAN!

Paaaarrrr-taaay!

2007-12-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

Our little Tristan had his birthday party to celebrate turning 1 year old a few days early. To top turning 1 he decided to give us the present of his first steps, which his Auntie Chantay caught on video. We decided to have a simple family birthday party this year with grandparents on both sides in attendance, as well as Great Grandma Daisy and Papa Baskett, Auntie Chantay and her boyfriend Jimmy. Here are some highlights...

Cake face

Tristan's demolished cake...it used to say "Tristan Man"

The "pretty" cake Tristan didn't get to demolish. Mmmmm...Ice cream cake!

Grazing off of everyone else's food, including Great Grandma Daisy's...

An avid "reader", we can count on Aunt Michelle, Uncle Brian and cousins to feed Tristan's love of books...
Hey, boxes make great presents too!
And bows, and tissue paper...

Exploring a new tunnel! With Mommy in front of our very small Christmas tree (strategically placed above baby ground)

Because he is the birthday boy, he got a special treat of Sherbert Punch, and was wired until 9pm that night!
A Bounce and Spin Zebra from Mommy and Daddy! Tristan has always loved bouncing. He was never a swing boy.

We are getting into "drawing" too. Look at those cute baby legs!

Tristan pranced around in different states of undress the entire day. This is how he ended up. Hey, the birthday boy can parade around in his birthday suit if he wants!

Coming soon to a blog near you will be the glorious scrunched up baby face birth photos that were taken a year ago last December 26th...

Bless his little baby heart...

2007-12-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Here is my poor sick boy longing to go outside. The expression on his face in the first photo makes me a bit teary-eyed. It was a recent rainy day and his cold was raging so we were quite stuck indoors. He LOVES outdoors. He's figured out if he stands up on his climbing cube he can gaze out into the back yard and watch the dogs frolick.

And this, my friends, is...well...a bass fisherman hard at work pouring his own jigheads (lures in layman terms) for the BassMaster Classic coming up in February. You would be amazed at the loads of boxes that have flooded our front door step full of gear, lures and who knows what else in anticipation of Mike heading to the biggest tournament in bass fishing. To say the least, Hubby is a bit excited. Here he is out in his shed, in such an attractive get-up (don't the goggles make your heart go pitter pat?), pouring lead into molds. A dashing photo for the scrapbook...

Can I have a sick day?

2007-12-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

*Sigh*. My bear cub is down for a nap...FINALLY! I have just sat down to check email, update my blog, have the cup of coffee that I've reheated twice now, and maybe squeeze in a shower. All of this is a process in which I hope will help in locating my reserve of patience. I'm dreaming of the days when I used to be able to have a sick day - stay home from school and wallow in bed in self pity. I need one of those right now. We are going on week #2 of sick in our house. Tristan came down with a nasty cold and I quickly caught the beast. We now sit in the "raging cold" category. So far Mike is the last man standing. My poor baby doesn't want to eat anything textured so he's been living on yogurt and baby food with NO CHUNKS of anything. He wants to nurse, nurse, nurse (which has thrown off my weaning thought, though he hasn't bit me while sick so maybe we can stretch out the nursing longer than I thought). He doesn't want to sleep (I really wish we were on the same page on this point as I'd REALLY like to sleep!). I'm afraid all the progress in the sleeping category has been greatly relapsed right about now - HARD WON progress at that! And I just have to ask...what did people do in the days before Aloe Kleenex was invented? Rub their noses raw with tree bark or leaves? Between us we've gone through two big boxes of the softest Kleenex I could find. I'm a firm believer in keeping my kid (and myself) away from others as much as possible while sick so we've been staring at the same walls and the same toys for much too long. No need to share the wealth. Our glamorous Oregon weather makes it a tad difficult to venture outdoors. So, other than this fine development, things have been peachy in the Baskett household.

Both Tristan and I have barely removed ourselves from our pajamas in the past 8 days. During one of his happy moments today I caught a couple photos of Tristan in his "turbo car", still in his pajamas, hamming it up for the camera, complete with drool on his chin. I'd include a photo of me but I don't want to scare you. It says something when my husband playfully comments on his way out the door for work on how dashing I look in the pink sweats he's noticed I've been wearing for the past 3 days. Hey, I threw them in the laundry somewhere in there, I swear! And the postman doesn't care what I wear!

On a different note, if anyone can explain to me how to set my computer to notify me when someone has added a new post to their blog, I'd be greatly appreciative! This computer nit wit can't seem to figure it out, try as I might.

Momma in mourning

2007-12-10T21:03:00.001-08:00

This last week I've been hemming and hawing over this, but I've come to the decision for self preservation purposes that I'm going to have to wean Tristan from nursing. I AM SO SAD! I'm only taking the first steps of weaning and I'm already in mourning! He has started taking great glee in chomping down on me and my mammary artillery just can't take any more abuse. I've tried the stern "No biting!" I've tried shoving my finger in his mouth to detach him (not that this ISN'T an instinctual reaction already). I've tried taking him off the breast and ending the nursing session only to have him bite me again hours later. So the gradual weaning begins and until the process is done I'm doing my best to clench my jaw and practice labor breathing techniques internally so he will get little if any reaction from me. I just hope the "girls" can tough it out... I was REALLY hoping to make it until Tristan was 15 months or so, but I suppose I should give myself a pat on the back that we've made it almost 12 months considering he has 8 very sharp blade-like teeth glimmering in his mouth. I didn't think I'd miss it, but now I know I will. Nursing creates an unexplainable bond and it is quite amazing to know I've given my son the sustenance he's needed for most of his little life to grow into the healthy boy he is today. And I did so with a fight - learning the art of nursing did NOT come easy for Tristan or I. If it had not been for the breastfeeding support group at the birthing center (Mike called it the Booby Class) that we diligently attended twice a week for six weeks I think I would have given up!

Don't get me wrong...I can't say that there have not been times that I would have GLADLY swapped places with Mike and I would wish to the stars that HE'D be the lactating one so I could blissfully snore my way through the night. A cruel wish, I know, but one that was made all the same. Hey, at least I'm honest. This desperate wish would begin about the 5th or 6th time of me stumbling across the hall in a half-sleep state to gather my screaming little bundle in my arms and plop into the rocking chair as he greedily head butted my chest in search his most comforting thing on earth, catching myself repeatedly nodding off and wishing he would drink up just a little bit faster. It is nights like this that I will NOT miss, however. I think back and remember I used to have to keep a pen and tablet by my bed so I could log the times I got up to nurse Tristan and then log when I fell back into bed. Otherwise I could not remember what time he'd last eaten and how long he'd nursed due to extreme sleep deprivation that new moms experience. It was helpful also so Mike could SEE just WHY I was so rummy the next morning. Sleep? What sleep?

This December apparently will mark yet another chapter closed in my baby's milestones. Ironic, since it was December last year when the nursing routine began. So, my little man - enjoy the remaining days of booby-juice because with your skilled piranha teeth they are greatly numbered!

DO YOU SEE THOSE PEARLY WHITE CHOMPERS????

Christmas parade...with VERY loud sirens!

2007-12-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Last night we braved the cold and headed down to the PGE Christmas Lights Parade in downtown Salem. Strapped in his stroller, bundled up in multiple layers of clothing with a thick coat to top it off and two fluffy blankets, Tristan's arms were stuck out in front like two little gloved sticks and he couldn't move an inch - but he was toasty warm!

(Do you like my "Elvis lip"?)

All in all he seemed entertained by the marching bands, floats, vehicles wrapped with thousands of lights, and other characters in the parade. He was not, however, impressed with the fire truck that decided to blast its sirens right in front of him. His little lip puckered and his chin started quivering, a worried look entered his eyes. Mommy's hands clamped tightly over his baby ears and daddy's kisses soothed him just in time!

We met up with Tyler and Zach and his parents and turned ourselves into ice cubes all together. After about 45 minutes the tots had enough fun, mommys and daddys were shivering, and Tristan headed home to a booby-juice nightcap and warm crib.

Merry Christmas Friends and Family!

2007-12-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas Greetings!
Regardless of if you are a constant peruser of the Baskett Blessings blog or have just logged on for the first time, WELCOME! You will find entries outlining the highlights of our year along with some just-for-kicks posts. Please take some time to read back to the start of the blog! There have been some big changes in our lives this year. I invite you to visit often. We love reading comments and encourage you to leave yours (all it takes is signing up for a Google account by providing an email address and password, nothing more)!

The Christmas season is upon us and I have no Christmas letter to send. I have always religiously sent out Christmas cards and a one-page letter updating friends and family on the happenings of the last year. This year I managed to get some photo card printed up, but for the letter I’m going to resort to the excuse of being a first time parent of a baby boy who keeps me on my toes every waking hour of his nearly 12 month old life...a blog entry is as good as it gets for now! Just so you can see what I'm up against, I've included a photo at the end of this Christmas blog of Tristan happily unloading my cupboards - this is the only way I can find to keep him from climbing up my legs when I need to cook something.

At this time last year I was as big as a pregnant elephant and ready to pop. I was not due until January 6th, but was more than ready for our baby to make his big debut! The day after Christmas would become the birthday of our first born, Tristan Logan Baskett. He is our little miracle and the highlight of our lives. Mike and I used to have visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads. Now we have musings of parenthood trouncing around in our heads. Questions like: Did he get enough to eat today to keep growing properly? What does THIS temper tantrum mean? Did he just say "ma-ma" on purpose? What are we going to tell him about Santa Claus? How will we teach him to best deal with bullies on the playground, the importance of eating carrots and peas, and not to touch spiders because they can bite? And these are just the simpler questions! How in the heck are we going to go about this parenting thing without royally screwing up our kid??? So many questions to answer, so little time to figure it all out!

We hope this holiday season is closing up a year for you that you can reflect back on with good thoughts. For our household, Christmas exists because of a baby named Jesus who became a man that held the power to bless many. We have been blessed immensely this year and are so thankful for what we have. We hope you are blessed with a wondrous year to come of 2008!

On behalf of Mike, Tristan and myself, a very Merry Christmas to you!
~ Tiffany

Elf yourself

2007-11-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

I think this is ha-lar-i-ous! Take a peek at us making elves of ourselves, and then give it a try!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1126629599

Tristan really has the moves! Mommy and Daddy...not so much.

Watch out! T-Man is on the road!

2007-11-29T19:29:00.000-08:00

I'm a technology ding-bat. So this post is an experiment. If my experiment works, you will feast your eyes upon a darling little boy who has discovered he can make forward motion with the assistance of a walker-toy that we have borrowed from the Sommer boys. He's not walking on his own unassisted yet, but I'm sure such a feat is right around the corner. The clip is only 30-some seconds long (taken with my camera), and I apologize in advanced for the little ear-piercing shriek at the end (which I interpret as a bit of frustration breaking through the surface). Enjoy Tristan's partial walking debut!

Homework

2007-11-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

My friend "Glory Laine" (and Co.) has come up with a great idea to host a blogger's coffee date party for those of us who comment on each other's blogs (some who we've never met face to face yet). THEN she threw in the twist...homework. Suuuurrrre, suck us in with coffee and conversation and then toss the big H word at us! The homework assignment is to answer these questions about myself on my blog - the idea being everyone will read each other's answers prior to the get together and we'll then have a TEST (even worse than homework!) to try to win a prize. This is all sounding much too much like college!

What is your Motto? Hrmmm...I've never thought of my life's motto. I guess right now it would be "Take It One Day At a Time to Survive With a Toddler". I'm sure it will change again later.

What superhuman power would you most want to have? To change the world so that everything is good and there is no heartache to be found.

What makes you laugh? Tristan's belly-laugh. The show Friends (I so completely mourned on the day they called it quits), and romantic chick-flick comedy movies.

Cats or dogs? Dogs, most certainly. They are always glad to see you and you can never do wrong in their eyes. Cats on the other hand expect to be waited on hand and foot and only cuddle when THEY want to. Not to mention I'm allergic.

Would you rather be a little smarter or sexier? A little bit of both, please! But leaning toward the sexier side at the moment, as now that I'm a stay at home mom I rarely get myself out of my pajamas and into the shower before 1pm, and only then to trade them for comfy worn out sweats with baggy knees and saggy butts. Make up and curling my hair? Forget it. I might need a little sexy at this point...

What's the one thing you'll never understand? Why some humans prey on other humans. Why God made babies non-exempt from the pain of teething when they are so innocent and helpless. On the more lighthearted side...why men can fall asleep ANYWHERE within 60 seconds. And why our society picked 8am to start the go-go-go of the day. What in the world? What is wrong with 10 or 11am?????

My life would be simpler if? I had a maid, a cook, and a personal grocery shopper.

The big decision I'm currently wrestling with is... Are we done building our little nest of chicklets with just one chick?

So, do I get an A+ for doing my homework completely and turning it in on time, Teacher????

HAPPY TURKEY DAY, EVERYONE!

Sunday Chores

2007-11-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today I discovered I have a helper with chores. I heard a little boy happily babbling to himself and as I peeked over the back of the couch, this is what I saw...

Tristan had climbed into his hat basket and was helping me with picking up. That is...picking up his hats from IN the basket and depositing them on the floor OUTSIDE of the basket. He was quite pleased with himself. He's the owner and operator of Pip Squeak Cleaning Service. Such a successful boy at the ripe age of 11 months!

Update on our family fisherman...

2007-11-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

An update following yesterday's post...for the third and final day of the B.A.S.S. Federation Nationals Championship Tournament Mike came in 5th overall out of 55 competitors, and finished FIRST for the Western Division (there are six divisions). This means he's on his way to the Bass Master Classic Elite Series Tournament in February! That is the "end of the road" tournament - you can't get any higher than that in competitive fishing. Mike finished with a total weight of 20 lbs, 12 oz compiled of 14 bass. This is a lifelong dream come true for him. A bigger lifelong dream would be to win the Classic in February! Photos from today...

Mike is the one on the far left.

Ode to the fisherman

2007-11-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to encourage husbands named Michael Baskett to fish even more than this past year. This post is meant as a congratulatory post only. This post should also remind Michael Baskett that there will be a day in the future when a wee-one will be accompanying him on his fishing adventures and therefore husbands named Michael Baskett should spend more time at home in the coming years watching the wee-one grow and less time on the waters until the wee-one can join in with his Scooby-Doo fishing pole.

Mike weighing in at this week's B.A.S.S. Federation Nationals Championship Tournament in Florida (check out the guns on those arms!)

It is time to brag about my husband's fishing skills. Before marrying him, I was like most people who when they think of fishing, think of a guy going out to cast his line in the water for a few hours on the side of the bank or out of a little row boat on a peaceful lake or river. This would be done maybe once every three months or so on a crisp clear morning. I HAD NO IDEA. I quickly learned what fishing addiction is all about during our first year of marriage. Most people don't know that there are actually fishing tournaments where the competition is massively steep. That there is a local organized club of bass fisherman who hold tournaments, and then there is the B.A.S.S. Federation (national organization) that holds tournaments. That G.Loomis is a coveted brand of rod, and how DARE it ever be called a "fishing pole". That Daiwia is a wonderful brand of reel and most bass fisherman would not think of putting anything less in quality on their rod. There are verbal "wars" among bass fishing circles as to weather a Triton, Skeeter or Ranger boat is the better one to own...and there are always bigger and better models coming out that I hear about constantly as my husband paces the house with his ear glued to the phone deep in conversation about the latest with his fishing buddies. Certainly you will not find a competitive bass fisherman in a row boat. It will be in a power boat with a Mercury motor full of about 250 horsepower or more. I have often joked that I could tape one phone conversation and Mike could just press replay each time as it seems to me it is the same conversation about what bank or weed group or log on what bend in the river he caught his latest big fish on. Not to mention what lure works in what kind of water. He is worse than I was in high school as far as phone calls go. There are special reel covers; rod covers; lures called Green Pumpkin, Baby Brush Hog, Flappy Daddy and Horny Toad. I know terms like "top water", "jig", "flippin'", "pitchin'", "ripbait", "jerkbait", and "dropshot". There is a whole lot more that I could go into, and I really don't even know a fourth of what my husband has learned over the years.

So, this being said, you can probably see that bass fishing is my husband's passion. He is a very competitive man and loves the tournaments. He calls his non-tournament fishing trips "research and development". This year, he fished two strings of tournaments, one local and one for B.A.S.S. At the end of the season, he was declared a contender who won a place on the state team for Oregon. In May, he flew to Georgia to fish in the state fish-off against all of the other teams for the US. He came out on top of that tournament, which granted him the privilege to head to the nationals in Kissimmee Florida this week for a 3 day tournament as the Oregon representative at the B.A.S.S. Federation Nationals Championship. This is a big opportunity for him, one that he's never had before and has been very excited about (I can always tell when he's excited for a trip as he'll pack his suitcase weeks in advance rather than the night before). It is a huge event - there are 55 other contenders in this tournament (for some reason they also allow a contender from Japan and some other places - though I haven't figured out why this is yet). B.A.S.S. Federation provides a brand new boat and truck for each contender to use during the tournament. There can only be one winner of the entire tournament (who will receive a boat valued at $50,000), and then there are six top contenders of each geographical division that will be sent to the Bass Master Classic Elite Series, the biggest event in the bass fishing arena - the top level of competitive bass fishing. To show you just how big, the LAST place contestant in the Bass Master Classic wins a mere $10,000. First place walks away with a small fortune at $500,000. Anyway, for the nationals the winner is identified by the weight of the keeper fish that they haul in. For his first day of fishing, Mike finished in 15th place with 5 lbs, 2 oz. Today, the second day his weights are now at 14 lbs., 4 oz. and he is in 5th place overall, and 1st place for the Western Division (he's competing against 11 others in his division). If he's able to hold his spot during tomorrow's fishing, he'll be on his way to the Bass Master Classic in February! Way to go Hubby!!!!! Tune in later for the final results!

Here are some neat photos of the launching process for the Nationals tournament...

All lined up waiting to be put in the water

All lined up waiting for their turn to head out into the lake

Can't forget the National Anthem!

And they are off...with camera men in position!

How much wood can a woodchuck chuck?

2007-11-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

I was one with nature yesterday and today. And this was my outfit for it...

This, my friends, is official hillbilly wood hunting attire. From the tip top of my head covered in an old hat my grandmother knit down to my green, pink and white plaid rubber boots borrowed from my mom, I was the fashion statement of the wooded forest today. My dad, after retiring from a 30+ career directing the Josephine County Forestry Department last year, has some good connections. He was able to secure a permit for free hardwood within county land to gather before crews come in to burn slash and make the forest floor less hazardous by getting rid of forest fire "fuel" left after a recent timber sale (also burning up all this useful wood in the process). Since we have a wood stove at our house to keep our tootsies warm in winter, this little privilege my dad has comes in quite handy and we were off to get a cord or so to haul back to Salem. Ya just can't beat this deal!

Our little trip to the woods brought me back in time to memories of my childhood of going woodcutting. Of course, back then I didn't do much while my parents did all the work other than find downed logs and tree clusters that my imagination could make into all sorts of things (like a fort that served as home to the fairy princess - that would be me - who lives in a magical land surrounded by fawns and bunny rabbits as friends, or pretending I was Snow White). For the trip this time however, I found myself imagining different things as I huffed and puffed through the thicket, clodding my way along in the cute rubber boots. There is a lot of time to think when you are carrying wood through the trees and brush, listening to the birds, the sound of my footsteps as I oh-so-gracefully crash through the brush, the sound of my own wheezing breath as I make the umpteenth trip back to the truck to throw more wood in (ok, so I don't consider myself a wimp, but I found out that woodcutting is not my long lost calling). I imagined being back in the day when our ancestors didn't have chainsaws and pioneers (or whatever they were called...History was never my strong subject) had to do all of this work by hand. A whole new respect has been won for those that fell logs with hand saws, chopped, cut, and hauled enough out of the woods to then labor over constructing a one-room log cabin BY HAND just for simple survival purposes... A little hut that was considered luxury eons ago. Or what about having to live on the land, foraging through the forest for vegetation that could be considered food - hoping you didn't accidentally pick something poisonous that would kill your family off - and having to hunt and kill your own meat before the times of firearms? How in the world they were quiet enough to sneak up on an animal is beyond me...I sounded like a freight train trundling through and am quite certain I could not have snuck up on a turtle. I can tell you after my six hours spent in the forest I would have died well before my 30 years I just turned had I lived back in the times when the west was won. I guess the wrecking of the human body due to simple survival tasks would be why people back then didn't live past their 20's and 30's. Not to mention childbirth without drugs and medical intervention being 5 minutes down the road! Can you imagine giving birth in the middle of the plains in the back of a wagon with no pain killers and no doctor for miles and miles around? I have to say, there is something to be said for motorized vehicles, hospitals, canned food, Taco Bell, electricity and a nice invention called the heat pump! While from time to time I don't mind pretending I'm one with nature, I do like to return home where I can bump up the switch on the thermostat a bit more should I just feel too lazy to build a fire in our wood stove.

Here is my dad, cutting up a tree he just fell. He's in his element. Thanks Dad for all the backbreaking work you did just to keep your daughter and her family toasty warm!

A photo to remember the day of father-daughter wood foraging! I'm quite certain the neighbor lady we passed was staring because she was jealous of my hat.

While we were cleaning up from our adventures, Nana was happily giving Tristan a mohawk after his bath...

My conclusion: Being one with nature is hard work.

A dang cute pumpkin in the patch!

2007-10-31T17:05:00.001-07:00

Mr. Tristan was a punkin' this year for his very first Halloween. Surprisingly, the only pumpkin in his playgroup. His regular playgroup happened to fall on today's date, so all the kiddos were dressed up.

Peekaboo! The playgroup host had this really cool tent set up that Tristan liked.
Mommy had her cat ears on. Daddy really liked Mommy's cat ears. He purred at her this morning over the breakfast table.
Apple cheeks on a pumpkin! Check out that dimple!

Tristan has decided he's a ladies man at the ripe age of 10 months. Last week at playgroup he decided to get lovey with little 11 month old Evie. He gave her kisses on her cheek, and when she turned her back he decided that was his cue for some hugging as he wrapped his little arms around her. He nuzzled his forehead into her chest. But such young love doesn't last long and this week he's on to someone new. Little Annie was the recipient of his attentions this morning. He gave her several kisses in a row. She wasn't quite sure what to think of this older boy's affection, as she is only 8 months old. We are going to have to go over some baby-dating rules, I think.

Man vs. Woman. The mystery of the sexes...

2007-10-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

This, my lady bloggers, is for you. I know most, if not all, of you will be able to identify with my thoughts here. The whole "men are from Mars, women from Venus" thing has recently come to light in a big way here in the Baskett household. I have several prime examples to call upon from this week alone to share with you for a laugh, a roll of the eyes, or whatever. I have to say I realize God created man and woman so differently for a reason. I sure would like to be in on the big secret of what that reason is though. I suppose I should embrace and celebrate those differences, but to be honest today I'm feeling a bit of rebellion against this idea. Marriage spurred a lot of "What the heck...?!?" phrases from me. Sharing the roles of parenthood has spurred a bunch more. All day today when Mike and I didn't see eye to eye on something, I popped off with, "I'm gonna blog about this!" and "I am SO blogging tonight!" So, for your reading enjoyment and entertainment...

Example #1...complete with photos.

This is what a bathroom looks like 5 hours after a MAN gives a toddler a bath...

This is what a bathroom looks like 5 minutes after a WOMAN gives a toddler a bath...

Example #2

When I'm explaining something or making a request of my hubby, he seems to believe I'm nagging.

Example #3

Today on our walk it was a bit chilly. All 3 of us were bundled up and Tristan had his ensemble completed with a fuzzy throw over his lap in the stroller. It got a little warmer once the sun peeked though, enough to remove the fuzzy throw. Mike's solution: "Let's take that off and shove it in the bottom basket." Key word: shove. As in wad up and stick it wherever. My solution: "Let's FOLD it nicely and lay it in the bottom basket so I don't have to come back and reorganize the stroller later."

Example #4. This one is a doozy.

For Tristan, sleep does not come easily. It is usually our one big struggle with him. He still often wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and cries, sometimes screams, at the top of his lungs as he wants out of his crib and into my arms. I've been holding out lately until he finally gives up and goes back to sleep. This is a very stressful process for me - one which I can't sleep through no matter how exhausted I am. After checking on him to make sure he's alright, I head back to my room to wait it out, cringing every time he does his screaming cry. I can tell he is standing up at the crib rail shouting his wails toward the doorway and I send a multitude of wishes to the wish fairy that he will just lie down and go to sleep! So the other night at two-something in the morning, such a waking occurs. Both Mike and I wake up. We have a short conversation that I can't even recall. I head in to check on Tristan and offer him a drink of water. He proceeds to scream at the top of his little lungs the second I leave his room. I lay in bed as tense as can be, wishing for sleep to fall upon my house. Then I realize that mingled in with the screaming of my son is another sound. What is that I hear??? I strain in the darkness. Could it be? Yup, my husband has rolled over and is snoring away - THROUGH the racket so clearly heard from 4 feet down the hall that my son is making. HOW CAN THIS BE? How do men fall asleep within 60 seconds in the first place, and then sleep through such a thing? I will never understand, I fear.

Example #5.

I call this blog humorous venting. Without a doubt when my husband reads it he will call it complaining about him, thinking he can't do anything right. Not so, hubby dear. You do things right, they just aren't my way. And as you know, I like to think my way is the best even if it may not be (c'mon...let me live a bit longer in my bubble!).

Example #6.

Mike is currently hovering above me as I type in hopes he will be able to read my blog before it is done. Ha - like he gets to have his say before I publish it! No way! When I point this out he cheerfully informs me he's "organizing" the desk. Uh...I'm not sure you have ever felt the need to organize our desk before, my dear man!

So, my friends, I am trying to look through the frustration that is sometimes brought on by our differences and find a bright side. At least my husband is willing to go through our son's bath time ritual with him! At least he likes going on walks as a family! And I'm glad he woke up initially when our boy began crying even if he didn't stay awake (I'm still in awe of this, by the way). At least he's interested in reading my blog - enough to pretend to be organizing our desk. And with that I'm off to dig out my copy of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus to re-read in hopes it might shed some light on the sexes.

Rain, rain, go away!

2007-10-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

I believe I've mentioned how I really don't like rainy weather and the irony of living my life in Oregon. We finally got a break in the dreary weather and had two nice warm days of sun, which we took advantage of by getting out of the house. Our sunny adventures took us to Bush Park to meet up with the Sommer gang and let the boys play (as much as a 10 month old and two 1 year olds can at a playground). Here are some photos of the outing, as well as a stroller ride around our neighborhood. Please note the very cute hats I've added to Tristan's collection. The green one is my latest favorite (and it is a SUN hat so I had to break it out for our SUNNY weather!).

Well, this may not be the conventional way to swing, but it was a grand solution!

Uninspired, and old.

2007-10-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm idea-less for a blog. Blogless. Uninspired. And old. Yup - OLD! I turned the big 3-0 on Friday, so perhaps that is my problem. It is so close to 40, which is completely and totally over-the-hill that perhaps I'm having memory issues already and that is why I can't think of a good blog topic. So instead, I'll leave you with photos and a thought. The photos of course will be of none other than our little camo-clad dude who is now pulling himself up on things and now exploring the world beyond 1 foot above the ground. The thought is of recent Craig's List free ad postings (A website I've learned can suck you in and addict you just about as easily as blogging can!). What in the heck is up with the rash of free animals posted on there lately? I've never seen so many in my life! It is like Salem has exploded with unwanted dogs, pups, cats, kittens and rabbits! Now I'm all for finding good homes for animals if an owner passes on, if a new baby and the pets don't mix, if a family finds themselves homeless or have other situational changes that don't allow for proper attentionand care to their pet, or something of that nature, but it makes me so mad if people are simply being irresponsible! Soapbox...C'mon people - If you didn't want the multitude of baby animals you should have gotten yours spayed or neutered and then you wouldn't now be stuck with a litter of kittens or puppies to get out of your house to anyone who shows a bit of interest. I could never work at the Humane Society as it would kill me to see all the poor animals unwanted or suffering - and Mike would divorce me after I brought home the 15th dog that worked it's way into my heart... Okay, (*sigh*) my soapbox is now vacated. Happy day to you from the now-old woman!

"A few of my favorite things", fourth and final blog

2007-10-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I'm actually sitting at my computer with a few minutes on my hands. Amazing. I feel as though I've let down my blog readers lately. I have been such a very bad little blogger. I have to say though that I've thought often during the past week about updating my blog. Doing it, however, is a whole different ball game. I seem to not be able to get much done beyond the dishes, largely in part due to chasing around a little Pip Squeak all day. Sitting at the computer while Tristan is awake is impossible, for not only is he deep in a I-want-Mommy-all-day-long-and-only-Mommy-will-do phase, but he has discovered a liking for wires and cords. The second I sit down to check email or whatever he makes a beeline for me and tries his best to get around my legs and under the desk where he finds a cord heaven to yank on 'til his little heart is content. So, this blog may take me awhile to get done, but do not fear - I WILL get my blog updated!

On to the faves...

Sleep. Sleep? What is this? If I strain my brain back about a year, I think I get a whispering memory of what that was like. Even though Mr. T is only 9 months old, I did not sleep well during my last trimester of pregnancy (does anyone?). The sleep deprivation I experienced up until a few weeks ago really rocked my world. Consistent lack of sleep changes a person...to someone mean, nasty and dark - to the point even I didn't recognize myself and I know my husband wondered many times if he would ever get back something that resembled his wife. I am thrilled to say though that for the last 2-3 weeks, Tristan has decided it isn't such a bad thing to sleep for 8-10 hour stretches at a time. I can't WAIT to get to feeling back to my old self, if such a thing is possible. I don't feel I've quite caught up and recovered from the many months of not having more than 3-4 hours of uninterrupted sleep at one time, but I'm headed down the path! And it is such a pretty path with beautiful cobblestone, edged with flowers, touched with a warm summer breeze, ending with a big, fat "Rested" sign at the end (sorry, I have NO idea where that just came from)! I lust after the days where I could crawl in bed by 9pm, read a good book until I was bleary eyed, flip off the bedside lamp and not open my eyes again until the clock struck noon. Someday...

Cleanliness. I like things tidy. This motherhood thing is really testing the little bubble I've created for myself called "Tiffany's Ideal World". Why? Well, for one, Hurricane Tristan has touched down on the Baskett Coast. How DOES a little toddler spread so many things around all by himself? Nothing stays in his toy basket for more than 5 seconds after he sees me put it in there. I've given up. We will just live in a hurricane zone for awhile. I'm trying to find peace with this. I have also identified an issue within myself about clean clothes that I never knew I had. I realize I'm in this one for the long haul since we have a boy and boys like dirt, so I'm trying to work on my little problem early on. I've discovered I don't like my kid to get dirty. I have to resist the urge to change his shirt the second he's done with the messy task of feeding himself. I don't want to be one of those moms that won't let her kid play outside for fear he'll come back plastered with mud - what fun would I be? So, I'm admitting my problem and I'm working on it. I will instead focus on keeping things above the "baby zone" as tidy as I can...

Giving old stuff new life. And bargins!!!! I love finding both! I'm a big second hand store shopper. I've discovered it can be the best place to buy most baby stuff, as I can find it at a fraction of the cost and barely used. I'm one that thinks Ebay was created especially for me too. And I like hitting garage sales in search of the deal of a lifetime. I've found some pretty good things over the years to refinish or renew and give a new life to. For instance, this cute little table was found for a whoppin' $2 at a yard sale. It had the worst 80's colored stain and design to it. A little paint and a bit of sanding and it makes a cute bedside table for my guest room.

This is my grandmother's sewing cabinet which I painted the same color and distressed. I now use it as my sewing table. Grams would be proud - she taught me how to sew on this very table. Up until about 3 years ago I used her old Singer machine to do all of my sewing on too! The only reason I'm not still using it is because of an impulse buy one weekend when Mike was on fishing trip and I came across a year-end sale at a local sewing machine store (Ha! That will teach him to go fishing!). It was a huge splurge for me, but I lOVE my new machine with all the gizmos and gadgets it has on it. The sewing machine table has a cool matching chair that has storage for thread under the seat cushion. Check out the fun retro legs on the cabinet too!

Some other things that have been given a new life around my place:

This was MY childhood wagon! This thing is almost 30 years old! Found in my parent's field covered in rust, I took it to task this summer with a sander and spray paint. I love the blue - how many little blue wagons do you see rolling the streets? Tristan will have a blast with it when he starts toddling around and wants to pull the treasures he finds with him.

My wooden fruit basket is one my mother-in-law had in our yard sale a few years ago that didn't sell. I decided to spruce it up with a bit of green paint and distress it. I think it turned out charming.

I have no idea what this metal rack used to be used for back in the day (maybe a pot rack?), but today it is in my guest room as decoration. I found it years ago when I was a teenager in my grandma's wood shed. Gramma had a great farm for a kid to explore as she had quite a few old buildings on her property filled with bunches of random stuff. I found many "treasures" as a little girl at Gram's house.

That will do it for now. While these favorites may be a bit random, perhaps you have discovered a new fact about me you didn't know before. After all - isn't that one of the great reasons to start a blog for friends and family to puruse?

I've been tagged, now you are too...

2007-10-10T12:13:00.001-07:00

In reading Meghan's (Diaz Baby Blog) blog today while grabbing a quick snack during Tristan's nap, I was tagged and challenged to post 8 random things about me today. So, if you are a fellow blogger, you have now been tagged as well...

1). I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, but never have.
2). I hate exercising.
3). My favorite movies include Dirty Dancing and Legends of the Fall
4). The song I walked down the isle to was one played in Legends of the Fall, of which there is no sheet music to, so my friend Melissa learned it by ear and played it for our wedding (she's an amazing piano player - another thing I've always wished I could do).
5). In high school I was an avid reader of romance novels - the kind that my dad labeled "crotch novels". I've since moved on to more sophisticated picks, but every now and then I find myself drawn back to reading a romance, wistfully thinking what it would be a dame living in the old wild west, or in the days of queens, kings and nights (of course I'd have to be a queen)...*sigh*
6). The nickname my freshman college roommate gave me which has stuck to this day is "The Butt-less Wonder".
7). I'm allergic to cat hair.
8). My husband thought up this one: I very randomly want to move to different locations. Like Hawaii, Redding CA, Grand Caymen Islands, Arizona, the deep south, etc...

If you haven't been tagged yet I can't wait to read your 8 random things...

"A few of my favorite things", blog 3

2007-10-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

A few more of my favorite things...

Reading. While I've not had much time for it since being a mom, I do like reading. I'm one of those that once I get into a good novel I find it hard to set it down until I'm done...no matter what else needs to be done around me. I could lounge in bed all day in my pajamas entrapped by a good book (again, pre-mommy hood as there is no way this would happen with my life as it is now!). My favorite author was discovered in college as my freshman year roommate had a collection of her books: Patricia Cornwell. She is an excellent suspense writer and her Kay Scarpetta series is right up my alley. Lately though my mom handed me down some of her books and I've discovered I also like Nicholas Sparks' stories, although some of them can be quite sad. I'm in the middle of The Guardian by Sparks now. As you can see from the picture included, Tristan is quite enamored with books as well. Mike snapped the picture as Tristan unloaded his book basket with glee and then proceeded to "read" the Itsy Bitsy Spider book. His version of reading does include gnawing on the book as well, and since his two top teeth have finally broken the surface and are peeking through the gums, I'm hoping his books stay somewhat intact. He will have no shortage of reading material since both his grandmas work in the education system and have already supplied him with some great picks.

~~~~~~~~~

Gardening, and Sun. I didn't really know I liked gardening as much as I do until I married and had a house with a yard in which I could dig in the dirt until my heart's content. Since Mike was labeled the "dirt farmer" by his neighbors for the years prior to us being married (he was working on the house and didn't yet have time to tackle the yard), I had a blank canvas to start on in the yard. I've become rather proud of my back yard especially, as this is where most of my dirt-playing has taken place. Over the 5.5 years I've lived here I've managed to make my flowerbeds and planters into a little mini jungle, lush with perennials that flower from spring through summer. I'm not done yet! I've got another bed near the house that I plan to make into a vegi garden this next year (since my hubby won't build me any raised garden boxes on the side yard - I guess he likes mowing grass that no one uses!). I won't dwell on that though - but I had to get the dig in here as I know Mike will be reading this blog. I think it will be neat once Tristan is older to show him how to plant seeds and tend the garden, watch food grow and then be able to eat it. Another hobby which has taken a back seat to motherhood, my gardens don't look quite like they usually do and there are some planters that never got flowers in them this year, but I really hope next summer I can get my hands dirty again. Maybe by then Tristan will want to dig in the dirt along side of me without eating everything he manages to get into his hands.

I really am a person who loves the sun, warm weather, and could do without rain and cold. Ironic, since I have lived my whole life in Oregon, one of the rainiest states. I love the green it produces but really want the weather to be mild, warm and dry year round. Not possible, I know. I guess since I'm stuck with rain I will allow your eyes to feast on some of the big blossoms produced by it that are from the plants in my back yard.

"A few of my favorite things", blog 2

2007-09-24T16:04:00.001-07:00

Some things never change (like the "fishing photo pose"), but thankfully some things do (like the hat choice)!

This is the continuation of A Few of My Favorite Things series. My Hubby is on that list. Though he is a bit jealous that Ruffian made it on the blog before him, he apparently did not read the part about these favorite things of mine not being in any particular order. So, Hubby, just to make it clear, you ARE my favorite husband (My only husband too - hahaha, I crack myself up!). Really you would have been listed before our dog, but I had to do some searching for just the right photos of you.

Something I have to share about my husband is his passion for certain things. When he sets his mind to something he will give it his all. For example, bass fishing. He certainly doesn't do that half-heartedly, although sometimes I wish he would and then maybe he'd be home more and fishing less. The new "project" he is currently passionate about though, is WAR. War has been declared in our yard. A mole (and his buddies?) has dared to enter our yard and Michael has taken this intrusion personally. A mere 16 mole holes were found in our side yard alone when we returned home one day...this does not include the mounds left in our front and back yards. Mike has declared our property a battlefield and he believes he is going to win. The man has researched, planned, schemed, pondered and acted. First with good ol' fashioned battle tactics (mole traps), and when that failed he began chemical warfare (poisonous worm bombs). This war has been going on all week and is not over yet...Mike informs me he is "re-grouping and re-evaluating" and will soon be on the attack again. You go hubby - may the force be with you.

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Tristan's Nursery. I worked hard on this room, it became my hobby for about a year. I actually started before I knew I was pregnant, as it was a sort of "coping hobby" for me during the long and draining process of infertility tests and treatments. I just KNEW something would work eventually - at least that is the hope I continued to hold - and finding treasures to add to my future child's room helped keep that hope alive. Mike thought I was crazy, but it was just something I had to do. I never let myself dwell on what I would do with it all if all our treatments and options failed. Anyway, I wanted a whimsical, comforting, interesting, and gender neutral room to bring our little bundle home to, and in my opinion I achieved this goal. It is perfect and will be easily changed as Tristan's interests change. I invite you inside for a peek to see where my son lives...

This rocking chair had hours of work put into it by my mother and I...until 2am in the morning to be exact! We found the chair at a second-hand store (a future blog will discuss my love of bargain hunting and giving previously owned things new life), went on a hunt for the perfect fabric, and made an attempt at re-upholstering it. We did a pretty darn good job too! This chair already holds many memories for me: first before Tristan was born and I would rock my huge-bellied self in it daydreaming of the baby that was soon to come; then during the last 9 months I've spent many hours rocking, nursing, cuddling, reading to, watching my son sleep, and falling asleep myself while holding him in this chair. My dad built the bookshelf sitting nearby.

One of my favorite aspects of this room is a sign that reads "Miracles happen" given as a baby gift from friend Emily Collins. It rests just above the curtains (which are sewn out of sheets to match the wall color!) in an easy-to-see location from all corners of the room. I never want Tristan to doubt the miracle that he is. It speaks volumes with just those two small words. In the foreground is a little piece of whimsy in the chandelier that hangs (thank you Becca for allowing me to steal your idea). I searched high and low for this light, and finally settled on one that I refinished myself for just the right touch. Tristan will probably hate it when he hits his adolescents, but for now he loves to gaze at the light when it is dimmed and he is being rocked.
Four pieces of Tristan's furniture were handcrafted by one or both of my parents. This dresser is a special piece that my mom and dad slaved over and gave to me as a Christmas gift when I was in junior high (I think?). They spent months building it at a neighbor's shop and then mom spent even more hours brushing on the high-gloss finish, striving to show no brush strokes. I love that it now belongs to their grandson and serves as storage and his changing table. I made the fabric covered "N A P" blocks on the shelf - I think that must be wishful thinking. For those of you that have not had a child in diapers in quite a few years, you may be wondering what the oblong shaped white container is sitting on the floor. That, my friends, is a wonderful little invention called the "Diaper Genie". A new and improved version of the diaper pail meant to hold the stink in better.

In this corner we have a bench/toy chest crafted by my dad. I love the quilts stacked on the top...from Pottery Barn to special handmade quilts that were gifts, Tristan will stay nice and toasty for years to come! His winter hats are waiting on the wall hanger (I LOVE fun hats!) and his stuffed animals wait in their hammock for the day he wants to play zoo keeper or something like that.
Who is that darling boy in the crib? He has just learned how to pull himself up on the rails so we've lowered the crib mattress already since he is so tall. This crib was another bargain hunted for and found at a smashing price. More Pottery Barn bedding adorns it (they make great quality bedding) - which I had to stalk on Ebay and pounce at the very last second of the auction in order to win! Loveys Bernie the Bear #1 and Bernie the Bear #2 (our backup) happily hang on the end of the crib. What WOULD we do without the Bernies? We had to search like crazy on Ebay for backup Bernies as well, discovering that once they are discontinued, people pay insane prices to nab another...into the $40 range!

The crib replaced Tristan's cradle when he was 2 months old. The cradle was also lovingly built by my dad...30 years ago!!! It was the cradle that rocked me as I slept through infancy, as well as my sister. All those years ago Dad picked out a big log, had it cut into planes at a local mill and went to work to fashion the cradle that is now a family heirloom. I sewed the bedding for it which also matched Tristan's room.

"A few of my favorite things" series

2007-09-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

I was contemplating the idea of blogging and why people do it. For me it is really a modern day type of journal writing (since I type faster than I write, and this allows photos), as well as a way for people who know me to keep up on our lives and get to know me a bit better. That being said, I've decided my next few blogs will be a series of "A few of my favorite things..." If you know me super-well, you may already be able to guess at what I might post, but some of you might learn a few new things about me this way. These may be random and won't show up in any particular order (except for #1, that is!)

Mr. Tristan's dimple. Okay, Mr. Tristan as a whole is definitely one of my favs in this world, but we'll focus on his dimple for this blog. It is the cutest darned thing in the universe! Found on his left side of his cheek, his dimple is quite pronounced when he smiles. And he's a smiley kid, so we see it often. I know it will woo the ladies later on, but for now it helps him keep mom and dad (and Nana, Poppy, Grammie, Grandpa, Aunties and Uncles) wound tightly around his little finger! He just started crawling yesterday, so my life has changed drastically. My gaze is constantly cruising the floor in search of things he should not have. He's still tentative in his crawling movements and hasn't quite figured out what to do on the hardwoods, but he'll get there in no time I'm sure. Pretty soon he'll be zooming around our house with me breathlessly on his heels trying to keep up.

My hope chest. This is a piece of art, really. No two exact chests are out there. Years ago I found an art gallery in Eugene called Sticks that carries a wide array of furniture and decorative pieces from this artist. The chest is made of poplar wood, hand carved and hand painted/stained. It is beautiful. I knew someday I wanted to own a special piece. This hope chest is extra special as it was bought with my wedding dress money. I knew that I didn't want to have my wedding dress stuffed in box in the back of my closet to become yellow and aged. I decided to keep certain pieces of my wedding attire like my veil and garter, but sell the dress so some other bride could enjoy wearing it. Upon consigning and selling it, I wanted to roll the funds into a special piece of furniture that could be handed down and stay in the family for years to come. My mom and I headed down to the Eugene gallery to pick out just the right art piece. My chest now sits in the family room to act as a coffee table while holding other special keepsakes, but one day it will belong to another generation, who I hope will treasure it as I do. This photo does not do it justice - it is quite striking in colors and design upon seeing it in person.

Prince Ruffian. He's a loyal old dog. He turned 10 this past summer. In college I discovered him in a pet shop in Grants Pass for a whole $50. A lot of money for a struggling college student at the time, but the best $50 investment I've ever made! I remember my mother being so mad at me for spending the money on him, but years later my parents will tell you they've dubbed him "The Hero" and that he has saved them hundreds of dollars in therapy bills for me! I found him and he found me at the perfect time in my life. Ruffian has seen me through several rocky and failed relationships, the roller coaster college years, unemployment, marriage, deaths in the family, and even the sometimes shaky ground of becoming a mother - all with the pure trust and friendship he offers unconditionally - even when he gets yelled at for getting too close to the baby. With a smile I look back and remember that Mike and I had our first "real" fight over Ruffie. Ruffie also has the nickname "Prince Ruffian" for a reason, and has always slept on my bed since puppy-hood. Mike didn't like this idea when we got married and thought Ruffian should learn to sleep on the floor. I basically told him, "Ruffie was here before you, so deal with it" and thus, our first argument developed. Ruffian won, however, and continued to sleep on the bed until our newborn came along, and then he finally did get relegated to the floor. Pictured above with his salt-and-pepper coat that was once jet black, you can see the gentleness and adoration in his eyes. I keep hoping a miracle pill will be developed that will allow good dogs to live forever, as when the day comes for Ruffian to go to doggie heaven, I will truly be heartbroken.

I can't mention Ruffian without mentioning our youngest dog Orion. Far from my favorite as Ruffian will always hold that position, but Orion still strives to be a good dog. He's hubby's fav. I think he's a pain in the butt, but he tries to please (when he wants to). He's our "deal dog". The deal was I get a new puppy and Mike gets a new boat. The "puppy" is now 5 years old, and Mike still has the same old boat in the garage that he had when we married. Oh well. Orion has many interesting nicknames that I should share with you also...Piddly Poop (thanks to Matt Riddle), Piddler, Nubbs, Nubbin-Butt, Nubby, The Nubbernater, and Mike's personal favorite: Nubby Nubbs Nubberson as his "full" nickname.

Tune in next week for more of my favorite things!

7 years ago...

2007-09-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago yesterday I was starting my first day of employment with the Salem Police Department. I remember that unsettling feeling everyone probably has when starting a new job - not really knowing anyone, trying to get a feel for the place and pack everything one needs to know about duties and their new workplace into a quickly overloaded brain. I had volunteered for the police department for a few months prior to being hired on September 9th, but that is was a whole different ball game than being at the helm of the Domestic Violence Response Team. It was a lot of responsibility for a shy, quiet 22 year old fresh out of college who just landed her first "real" job! The shy, quiet girl was soon replaced by an assertive, opinionated (though politely so) woman broken in by working with the vast personalities of officers (some who didn't WANT an advocate working with them) and members of the public. Really I was a bit naive and blind coming into the job - I thought I'd just be an advocate for victims, plain and simple. I think back now and see myself in my job doing things I had never thought I'd be doing as the program grew, evolved and changed (public speaking on a very controversial topic, training law enforcement officers and advocates, writing grants, budgeting, picking through police reports for problems and figuring out the best way to address them, and occasionally having to fire a volunteer). Had I not grew a thick skin fast and become who I am today I would not have survived the job. It is very strange to look back now that I've been gone three months. I don't miss my job one bit. In fact I am very relieved to not be juggling a 24/7 pager, office work, volunteer supervision (which also has a way of being 24/7) and home life as a new mom. Now I've graduated to a different 24/7 pager that calls me in the form of, "Whaaaaa!". One that I can't push a button to turn off in a blink of an eye, either! All in all, though it was hard to leave my handsome paycheck and the job I worked so hard to land behind, I am so glad that I did. I don't regret it for a second. Even though Mike was very against me not working for pay initially and took quite a while to warm up to the idea, he now tells me he wouldn't have it any other way. He sees I'm MUCH happier, Tristan is happy and Mike is happier this way. I'm also proud of Mike for becoming an advocate for the female half of another couple we know who is expecting and wants to stay at home with her child. I know I will probably never make as much money as I did in this job, but that is okay. I'd much rather save and scrimp to get by so I can be at home with my son - that is much more valuable than any dollar I could earn. So all of this being said, I'm still going to raise my milk cup (since I can't have wine yet!) to what would have been 7 long years (only 3 months shy of!) in my old job! Emily, I'm perfectly happy that it is all in your hands now!

Like Father...Like Son

2007-08-31T13:27:00.001-07:00

Both of my boys are birthday boys! You might think the first photo below is of Tristan, but it is Mike at Tristan's age or thereabouts. As I said before, like father, like son.

Mike turns 35 today. He's having a bit of a complex because it is so close to 40, yet he still feels young since his wife is still under 30 (for a few more months anyway). That's what you get for robbing the cradle I guess! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Hubby! What a great year to turn 35, actually...the year you have enjoyed many of the joys of fatherhood. I'm sure you and your son will have many more fun moments ahead of you - probably in a bass boat if you have your say in the matter!

Tristan also had a bit of a birthday - 8 months old this last Sunday. Where has the time gone? I ask myself this a lot. It is a great age though - Tristan's days are filled with wonder and exploration. And innocence. Yesterday we were all sprawled out in the back yard on a blanket enjoying the weather. Tristan happened to be as naked as the day he was born as we are trying to clear up a diaper rash with the fresh air. There he is, rolling around with reckless abandon in his birthday suit, little rump stuck high in the air as he uses his body to make a bridge, not a care in the world. Mike said, "You can't get more innocent than this." It is true - such an innocent age before our nasty world and society have had a chance to try and sink it's influential talons into him. No bad friends, no drugs and violence at school to deal with, no TV or video games filled with foulness, nothing else evil has made it's way to our son yet. My hope for him is that he develops into a strong little boy who knows right from wrong and can stand on his own two feet when faced with such dangers and decisions.

For Tristan's 8 month birthday we headed down to get some photos taken. Pictured here, JC Penney worked their magic. It was SO hard to decide what to buy. That is how they make their big bucks...on suckers like us parents who think their baby is the most adorable ever photographed and each and every shot should have a framed place on our wall.

Happy 8 month old birthday, Tristan!

Mean People Suck.

2007-08-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've had it. I'm getting very weary of mean people. I am a person who is quite tolerant, a skill I have learned largely from working in the victim assistance/criminal justice field for 9 years prior to being a stay-at-home-mommy. I have learned the skills of active listening even when I don't feel like it, keeping a neutral face even when something is super shocking, and putting up with a lot that I shouldn't really have to put up with - to sum it up. I've had a couple experiences over this last week that have just about tipped over my tea kettle as far as tolerance goes. Perhaps motherhood has done something to me and I'm less likely to sit back and take it and more likely to speak my mind now. I don't know - but I'm going to tell you about my experiences as I feel I need to vent to the normal, un-mean people who read my blog.

Wednesday: I've been unwillingly sucked into a million dollar civil lawsuit involving a lady (who happens to be a former victim advocate from DVRT) that has filed against the City of Salem. Because I was her supervisor during that volunteer sting, and because I was aware of some things the city was quite interested in regarding her behavior, I'm being considered a witness. Though I don't feel I have much to do with it all. I can't give details since it is an ongoing lawsuit, but I can tell you I despise her attorney. He one of those mean people that I have referred to in my blog title. He uses defense attorney tactics - and is very unprofessional in his conduct in my opinion. When I had to testify at a deposition hearing on Wednesday, he was snide with me, sarcastic, implied I am incompetent with is tone of voice and phrasing, and is manipulative. This is the conclusion I came to in the 3 hours I was questioned by him. He is just plain mean and I don't like talking to mean people. I don't have time for it. I know that because I am a soft spoken female that some people decide this means I am timid with no backbone. Boy are they wrong. Back me into a corner or cross my tolerance level and you will see my backbone of steel rear back at you!

Today: We are having a yard sale so I post an ad on Craigs List for it. Another mean person rears his/her ugly head. I took a stab at humor and used the phrase "game rules" in my ad, followed by a polite request that early birds not knock on our door - that since we do not appreciate early birds they will pay triple. A posting from the mean person follows mine ranting about my calling the request for yard sale shoppers to have some boundaries "game rules". He signs it "dealer" which tells me he's one of those that shows up an hour early asking to pick through the pile before everyone else and then go sell it elsewhere for more. Well, Mr. Mean Craig's List Responder, I don't want you at my dang yard sale anyway if you have such an attitude. You are mean. Stay away. Why are people like this? What harm did my innocent little ad do to this person to call for such a lashing out as he/she gave? Have a sense of humor - life is boring without it! He must be a very unhappy person.

Below, Tristan is pictured on the play structure that we have due to a NICE person!

I am sure glad I know nice people too. I am lucky that I have surrounded myself with persons I feel are in the nice category - though I don't see them all as much as I'd like. I just hope I can teach my son to do the same, and to not let mean people use him as a doormat throughout his life. Becoming an independent, solid-thinking, know-who-I-am type person is what I hope for my boy. But not too independent - I'd still like it if he needs his mom every once in awhile even when he's grown. Anyway, one of the nice families we know (the Hoopers) gave us an excellent buy on a Little Tykes play structure and swing set - a better buy than we could have ever found anywhere else! You will see that while Tristan isn't climbing quite yet, he'll be able to use the infant swing and he likes to bang his toys on the platform. Isn't he cute - his outfit is even color coordinated with the playset colors. My boy is so talented, if I do say so!

Look at those two teeth peeking out!

What a cool play structure!