Photo Shoot!

As a true scrapbooker, I had to shoot some photos for a layout for a contest. So I took the girls to two different parks today. It was sunny until about 4pm and then its been grey and rainy! Go us for getting out in the morning! Enjoy the pics... I will post the Contest LO on my scrappy blog later :D

YUCK!

Dustin has to work the next 21 days in a row from 0700-1900. YUCK! They are doing some type of exercise and he has 12 hour shifts for basically the entire month of February. Keep him in your prayers - and me and the girls too - so that they don't drive me crazy!! Love ya all!

My Guitar Heroes!

I think I finally figured it out!!!

Just a cute video of the girls dancing. Enjoy!

This is not a joke

MONDAY: The adapter to Dustin's laptop was cut down to the wires with part of the wires frayed and showing... I rigged it with some electrical tape and ordered a new one.

TUESDAY: Our cordless phone broke... we are only here 7 more months, so we just plugged in our corded phone and will make do.

WEDNESDAY: Karis brought me a plastic piece with a wheel and spring on it from the scanner/printer. I spent about 2 hours messing with the thing trying to figure out where it went. I *think* I found were it went, but I cannot get it to go back in - I think she broke off a prong. So now it doesn't feed paper in to print!

THURSDAY: Dustin's adapter started to shooting sparks! OOPS!! Okay, no more laptop!

FRIDAY: Our main PC crashed!!!!!!!! AGGHHHHH! SERIOUSLY!!! I lost all my pictures from January (Sierra's bday, tea party, and a bunch of cute ones of the girls!!!) And of course, all the other junk you lose because you never think to back it up. They're not really too important, just a PIA to recreate - bill spreadsheet, bookmarks on your internet, saved passwords, etc! That, and I had no internet/computer all of Friday!!! lol

So Friday night we went to the BX and purchased a new CPU and scanner/copier/printer/fax. $700 on two things! GRRR!!! And to think I could have bought a Nikon D80 for just a couple hundered extra!!!

Oh, and it has Windows Vista and not reading my camera stuff... I can still download pics and edit, but I have to use their software to download my pics and I'm used to mine. And it absolutely won't let me install my photo editing software so I have to bypass the editing software they want me to use and download a different program from the internet. FYI - Picasa2 looks pretty cool - haven't totally explored it, but it might just be better than the ACDSee and HP Image Zone I was using.

So, if you think your week sucked - reread this post!

Crazy Girls!!

Happy Birthday Sierra!

My big girl is 5!! Sierra is getting to be so grown up - and acts way more mature than 5 - lol! She has to have a say in everything, even her own party, cake, and presents. We had a Tea Party on Jan 4th for her while Grandma Patty and Papa Donn were here. Sierra got to pick out her own birthday presents, she helped make her own cake, and helped make the tea for her tea party. Here are some pictures from her party.








She also got a fish tank because Daddy had promised her fish for her birthday (months ago!) and she rememebered last week. And then on her actual birthday (Jan 13th) we took her to Chili's for lunch and the Baskin and Robbin's for ice cream. Oh, and she has a Webkinz coming in the mail. So spoiled!

What a DIFFERENCE!!!

A whole nights sleep makes!! We moved Karis into the third bedroom Sunday night... she only woke up once, at 3am to nurse and then I put her back in her bed and went back to mine. She fussed a little, but did great. So I wasn't so tired, and when the girls woke up at 8:30 I was well rested and did not have to drag myself out of bed. That is a big accomplishment for me as I usually have to drag my butt out of bed about 9am and change diapers and get juice because Sierra can only do so much! LOL!

Well, last night, I nursed Karis before she went to bed (we had cut out that nursing as she was still waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse). SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! I woke up at 7 am to pee and checked on her and she was out. Then Ruby woke up about 7:20, and when Karis woke up to nurse at 7:35 I GOT UP!!! I wasn't tired or anything!!! That is a GI-NORMOUS feat to get me out of bed before 8!!

So cross your fingers that Karis keeps this up and I am able to sleep through the night... I mean, its only been 18+ months since the last time I was able to sleep through the night without nursing 2-5 times! (add a few months to that for having to pee 10 times a night and being uncomfortable while pregnant too!)

On the other side, Dustin said it breaks his heart that his baby is in a room all by herself! LOL! I think her moving rooms is the hardest on him! But HE wasn't the one having to nurse all night long!



And because a post is not a real post without a picture *wink wink*

This is from the day after Christmas when it snowed about an inch! Note the leaves peeking through the snow - apparently this is what 'desert people' call enough snow to sled - LOL! It was just enough provide a smooth slide down the hill by our house and melted the next day.

Paris and Disneyland Trip

We had a blast in Paris. Here are some highlights of our trip:

1. The Notre Dame Cathedral looks so much cooler from the back! (we only saw the front)
2. No pictures, no flash is not even a 'guideline' Not even for the Mona Lisa or places of prayer!
3. The Louvre is HUGE!!!!! But I enjoyed the wing we did see
4. Um, yeah, La Grande Roue is one of the largest Ferris Wheels in the WORLD!!! Way too high for me!! Won't make that mistake again!
5. Just because you can see the monument from 3 miles away does not mean its close enough to walk to!
6. There are 704 steps from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower to the bottom - it feels like 1408 when you are carrying your children down!
7. Disneyland is COLD in December!
8. The Euro exchange rate SUCKS!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!! I'm changing up the blog template and colors because apparently the other one is harder to see because some of the backgrounds are not loading. I also think I got rid of the crazy rap music... and I'll be changing the Christmas music soon now that its not Christmas anymore. Here are some pictures from Christmas - enjoy!

BeforeThe girls in their matching jamas! Thanks Grandma 'Salvo

Karis playing with the Santa and Reindeer

Mommy and Sierra

Karis opening a baby doll

Chocolate kisser with stylin' glasses

Vacuuming with her Barbie Vacuum

Daddy getting all the Barbie crap opened

More Barbie crap...

And more Barbie crap!

Karis was such a little stinker!!! She kept getting into MY stocking and stealing the candy out. She had candy in her own stocking, so I put mine up on the couch. I turn around and she had pulled it off the couch and was sneaking candy out of mine (which her hand is in now) and putting it in her stocking... which is behind her in the pic. LOL! Such a character!

Aftermath!

Whaddaya Think?

Karis broke my glasses a few weeks back, so I got new ones yesterday. The style these days is colored plastic frames. You should have seen the 'selection' on base. WOW! Um, yeah, I don't think tiger striped is for me! Or lime green. They also had blue, red, white, orange, yellow... lots of purples and pinks! I told Dustin I might go back and get the hot pink with bling as an alternate set! LOL! Finally decided on these... they are a burgandy red. Still not too sure... the pictures look okay, but every time I look in the mirror I think - what did I do - I have to wear these every day!



Oh, and I picked the frames out by myself, but I had the girls with me when I picked them up. Sierra saw the kids Disney Princess glasses and asked if she could have them. I told her, no, they are for kids who can't see and need glasses... you have sunglasses. About a minute later, Sierra tells me, Mommy, I think I need glasses, things are blurry and I can't see a lot of stuff, can I get the Disney Princess ones? LOL! Um... no, you little stinker!

Thanks Shawnel - Dustin said... oh, that's who you look like! GRRRR!

Whoa Santa!

We went to the Sugar Plum lane again this year. Santa had his hands quite full. We told the girls to stand on the side. Then I told Santa I was going to give him the baby, take a few pictures, and take the baby for the girls to talk to him. So we did. And this is the best picture I got! Oh well... the girls were pretty quick with Santa, I didn't even get another pic of Sierra and I got one of Ruby just as she was sliding off Santa's lap. They said they had already covered their lists when they had Daddy help them write an email to Santa! LOL!

Look What Sierra did!

I have been 'playing' in an online crop this weekend. So I've spent a lot of time in the scrapbook room. Sierra had asked me to stamp some pictures for her to color while I was in there. Instead, I gave her a little 4x4 scrapbook, some pictures (that were doubles) some stickers, and the markers. Added a little glue stick and she went to town!!! Check out what she did, it is SO VERY CUTE!

I love the doodles - which are very 'in' right now and the colored in images. Watch out, we have a scrapbooker in the making ;-)

Okay, I'm going to call it OFFICIAL

At 3 years, 2 months, and 17 days Miss Rubriana Lynn is finally potty trained!!!! Woohoo! She woke up Wednesday and changed her own pullup (like she does every morning) About an hour later I caught her with her 'poop face' You moms know what I'm talking about! LOL! So I asked her if she had to poop, fully expecting her to tell me no like she usually does. But she said yes! I asked if she wanted to poop in her pullup or on the potty. She said potty!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS! We rushed into the bathroom and I sat her on the potty. She asked me to shut the door and leave. So I left, thinking, okay, she's going to play, I'll put a new pullup on her, and then she'll poop in it.

SHE CAME OUT AND SAID 'MOMMY I WENT POO-POO!' YAY! I did a happy dance for her in the bathroom! Then I asked her if she wanted to wear underwear or a pull-up. She said UNDERWEAR!!! Okay, calm down, trying not to get my hopes up... she'll probably pee and go right back to pullups. Nope, a few hours later she came to me and said she had to go pee-pee. And when I sat her on the potty she went!!! OH YEAH!!! Can you tell how excited I am!!!!

She's had 3 accidents in the last 4 days. All because we didn't make it to the potty in time when she tells me she has to go. So we are working on it, but at least she's telling me and she can get up and down and pull up her underwear and wipe all by herself!!! Before she would hide to pee or poop and then sit in her wet clothes until I noticed because she didn't care!!! YAY! RUBY!!!!

So we picked out underwear at the BX and she has been such a big girl. I'm going to call it official, Ruby is potty trained!! FINALLY!