Grandpop Visits

Evelyn's Grandpop came to visit this weekend!! He was so much fun and Evelyn really enjoyed hanging out with him. We all really missed Mimi but she couldn't make it because of work. We can't wait to see her whenever she can make it here! Grandpop is Ben's Dad and as you will see in the pictures, they look like twins. Since Evie was born everyone has said she looks like Ben's side of the family. So I will ask you, Dear Readers, do you think Evie looks like Ben or me? Or is she turning out to be an even mix of the two of us? You be the judge.

Evie Might Be Going to School

Ben and I are going to be working full time starting next week. Grammy is going to watch Evelyn for us while we work. She has offered to watch Evie full time, 5 days a week 8AM-2/4PM. She is really awesome. She is going to take Evelyn to baby gym classes and take her to playgroups, etc. It is super sweet of her and very reassuring to Ben and I. But we feel like Grammy needs a break during the week. At least one day a week when she can get her farm stuff done or just sit on the couch and eat bon bons and watch Netflix. So today Ben and I are going to look at a Montessori Day School by where I am going to be working. The plan is for me to take Evie to the day school one day a week on my way to work and pick her up when I am done with work. She will be there from 8AM-2PM. It is scary for Ben and I because we want her to be happy and healthy and safe. But this school has a really great reputation and I have only heard great things about it. So today we will go see the school together and make our final decision. If we aren't comfortable with it then we will keep Evie with Grammy and wait for the local Catholic school to have an opening in their Mother's Day Out program. The Catholic school also has a really good reputation, but they are full in the toddler class until mid September.

Camel Baby

Back on Track

We ran today for the first time in 2 weeks. Yes, I have been totally slacking on triathlon training. And Gramper has been travelling, so today we finally ran together. I missed our bike ride yesterday. But it felt really good to run today. I like being physically active and healthy. And for the first time in a long time it wasn't oppressively hot outside! Praise the weather God!



Ben and I went on a date for the first time in a few weeks Saturday night. It was really fun! We went to a delicious pizza place and had some slices and shared 2 pitchers of cheap beer. It was exactly what I wanted. We were supposed to see Bourne Ultimatum but because of the beer and fun at the pizza place we missed our movie. So we ended up seeing Rush Hour 3. I have never seen any Rush Hour movies until this one. I have to say, even with 2 pitchers of beer in us, the movie kinda stunk. Maybe if we had had 2 pitchers of vodka the movie would have been funny. But despite the bad movie the date was wonderful and just what we both needed after a long week. Thank you Grammy and Gramper for babysitting Evie for us!!

Grammy is going to babysit Evie for us when Ben goes back to work after Labor Day. In anticipation of her new "job" Grammy has been researching info about 13 month old babies and what developmental toys and activities they should be doing. It is very sweet and just makes me feel so lucky that:

a. she wants to and is going to watch Evelyn for 30 hours a week for us for free.
b. she wants to teach Evelyn appropriate cool stuff and not just eat bon bons
while Evelyn runs a muck.

I couldn't have better family, I am truly so lucky. And Evelyn, well she is just in heaven. Grammy and Gramper went to Toys R Us yesterday and bought toys and puzzles, and activities and a slide for Evelyn's "school". Grammy has cleared out half her living room to make into Evie "school". It is super cool and so sweet. And Evelyn LOVES it! Oh and I ordered 5 DVDs and matching books from scholastic yesterday. The titles include Curious George, Good Night Gorilla, Corduroy, Giggle Giggle Quack, Tikki Tikki Tembo, and The Wheels on the Bus. I know she is too young to really read the books but she loves when we read books to her and let her turn the pages and by having the books and DVDs I think it will be really cool for her. I am excited because the books are so nostalgic and the DVDs should be a new fun element for us and her.



Oh and in other Evie news, we turned her car seat around to face forward. I haven't really been paying attention to her weight and age in that context. But in Grammy's research I read that at 20lbs and 1 year you can turn your kid around. Well, Evie is about 27 lbs and 13 months so I felt comfortable turning her around. It is so exciting! She'll have a whole new view of the world. I haven't driven her anywhere yet but I am really looking forward to today when I drive her to playgroup.



p.s. Sorry the photos are so small. I am trying a new image hosting site because photobucket is down right now. If you click on the images you can see them a little bit bigger.

Watermelon Farmers

So now you can add watermelon to our farm crops. Remember a few months ago when my brother got married? Well we built a fire that burned all night long for his friends to stay warm by at night. His friends ate lots of watermelon while they sat at that fire pit. Here we are 3 months later and we have watermelon. But not just any watermelon. We have exactly two full grown 21 lbs watermelons. And these watermelon didn't have it easy, there has been drought, more fires burning in the pit, lawn mowing, etc. The watermelon persevered and grew into beautiful awesomeness anyway. Just like Paul and Karen. Love is so cool!









Ah yeah, and we have tasty, sweet grapes that are growing in our orchard. This farm is awesome!!

Evie Photo Shoot

Sorry the quality of these is so bad. I hurridly took pictures of pictures. Trust me, the acutal pics are focused, vibrantly colored, and awesome. But these will give you an idea of the photos we got.

Floor Plan

The entry to the house is a big mud room. We'll store all shoes, coats, umbrellas, hats, etc in there. There will also be a half bath with a urinal and toilet in the mud room. Ben's dream is to have a urinal, so we'll try to make that happen. Once through the mudroom, the kitchen is straight ahead and it opens into a breakfast nook. The master suite takes up the right side of the house. There are 2 kids rooms and a full bath on the left side of the house. There is a dining room/study/bedroom #4 between the mudroom and the kids room's. And the living room is that big space between the kitchen and the kids rooms. Oh, and there is a giant screened in porch that goes the full width of the house, it will measure 12ft x 50ft. So that is our "dream" house. We'll probably have to make changes to it but hopefully our house will look mostly like that when it is built.

9 Days

Wow, it's been 9 days since my last post. I am certain 9 days is the longest I have gone without writing since I started this blog. Yeesh, I guess I owe myself and my reader(s) an excuse. Here goes. Work. Ben. Evelyn. House floor plan. It is all going really well but, whew, it is very time consuming.

Work is going really well. I am really enjoying spending time with Aidan, he is really sweet and so smart. He starts school on Friday and I am excited to go with him and see what the school is like and how he handles the new experience. I hope he and I both do well. So as of now my work schedule will be Monday and Thursday 8:30AM-1:30PM, Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday 8:30AM-3:30PM. I am excited to have the extra money. I really like working again, especially in this situation. It is a very laid back job in some ways. I don't have to sell anything and I don't have to dress up and most importantly to me, I don't have to deal with customer service. I HATE customer service, with a passion! I am so glad I don't have to be a door mat to a$$holes anymore. Yeah, sure I have to clean up a 5 yr old potty accident every once in a while. But really, I prefer 5 yr old literal shit to adult bullshit any day!

In Evie land we are pushing solids really hard right now. She will be 13 months on Monday and she still isn't eating many solids. She eats them but not enough to cut out a bottle feeding. We want to cut down on the bottles because they are expensive and because she is getting older and we want her to eat with us. So far she likes pickles, cantaloupe, pizza, raisins. cheerios, and cheese. So we are making some progress. But she continues to be super happy, healthy, and fun. She loves running around outside and getting dirty. Speaking of running around outside we got our pics from the pro photographer. The pics are all outside and they are awesome! I'll put a slide show up as soon as I can.

The house floor plan is finally drawn out, by Ben. We struggled for a week with deciding what kind of house we wanted. Thank goodness we have Vanessa helping us or we wouldn't have a clue. We are going to build a cinder block house with a huge front porch. I'll put up the floor plan soon, I swear!

And just like I have been letting the blog go, I haven't been training like I should for the triathlon either. It's okay, I'll get back into it this Sunday, I know it, Gramper will be back and he won't let me slack off, thank goodness. =)

Oh yeah, I did finish Harry Potter. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I still think book 3 and 4 are the best.

Watermelon Festival Pics

While Vanessa was visiting we went to a Watermelon Festival. It was super cute and they let us take home free watermelons, score! Here are pics of us at the festival.












I worked alone with Aidan today for the first time and it was awesome! He did really well and we got through all the material we needed to get through plus we had tons of fun running around and jumping on the trampoline! I really am enjoying this job a lot =)

Only 100 pages to go in HP. It's goooood!!!

So Much News

Sorry I have been gone for a week. Time has flown by so fast. This week I am taking care of the entire farm while Grammy and Gramper are on vacation. I had no idea how much it took to maintain the farm. There is sooo much to do twice a day, everyday. I have all new sympathy and respect for Grammy, she has a hard job.

Also I got the ABA tutor job that I mentioned in my previous post. I started training on Monday and I am working everyday this week. It is challenging work, and there is a lot to learn, but I like it. School starts for this little boy on Aug 20 and my main job will be to go to school with him and help him keep up with the other kids. The little boy's name is Aidan, he is really cute. His mannerisms and little quirks are quite adorable and he is a good kid. He has been testing me everyday and that has been challenging, I am supposed to get through 3 hours worth of material with him everyday and I have yet to make it through because of all the disciplining I am doing with him. But unlike most autistic kids Aidan is not violent at all. He is actually really cuddly and sweet. He loves to be hugged and squeezed. But he tries to use the cuddling as a way out of doing his work, so I have to keep him on task and in his chair like a big boy. He also has tried the crying/tantrum thing to get out of work, and that isn't so hard to handle. I am learning all the tricks and methods I need to get him back on task when he acts out or stops paying attention. On top of all that I also have to keep really thorough records of everything we do and I have to write down every word he says as well as all the activities we do together. It is a lot to keep straight but I am getting there. I am going to be with him by myself for the first time tomorrow. I am really super nervous. I want to do a good job and get everything done correctly but I just don't know if that is going to happen tomorrow. The head therapist that is training me is really nice and actually was our next door neighbor in our townhouse. What a small world! She thinks I am doing well and handling Aidan's behavior and testing really well. Hopefully this will all be like second nature by next week.

In other news Ben's sister Vanessa came to visit us this past weekend. It was really wonderful to see her, we hadn't seen her since x-mas. Evie loved her Auntie V and they had a lot of fun together. We are planning to go visit Vanessa in the next few months while the beach is still warm enough to enjoy.


I haven't finished Harry Potter yet but I am very close to the end, only 200 pages or so left. I just finished the chapter about Gringots, for those of you who have already read it.

Ben and I have started seriously talking about what we want when we build our house. Vanessa is in the business and she is going to be a big part of our building process. It is very exciting and I literally can't wait to get started! Hopefully we'll be building by early spring.

Triathlon training is going well. This week is supposed to be our rest week but I went running today anyway because I missed a run and bike ride last week. I took Bonnie with me for the first time. She did really well. By the end of the run she was starting to understand that she needed to stay close to me, or she was tired and didn't want to run ahead of me. Either way I am glad I took her and I am going to try to make her run with me on days that I run.

I think that is all my news. So how is everyone else? What have I missed?

Hi - 7

I couldn't go a full week without posting and reading HP is going way slower than I expected. So... I'm back. I am finding lists to be the easiest way for me to post lately because I am just not awesome enough to write a post that makes sense and covers everything I want to say. So here ya go.

1. I ran this morning, for 30 minutes. I decided to try a new route. It was wonderful! I had to stop a few times because it was really hilly, but it felt really good to run. I am finally getting to the point where I don't dread running. I am kind of enjoying it, kinda. So maybe after this triathlon I will train for a half marathon.

2. We should start the process of building our house really soon. If we want to get it done before next August we need to start very soon. We need to be done by next August for many reasons, a few include the need for more space as Evie gets bigger and the need for more privacy now that Ben is home. My parents have been overly awesome about us living with them but I don't want to wear out our welcome. I can't wait to get started! I am very excited about making our house a reality.

3. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, so forgive me if I have. Ben is getting out of the Army next summer. That is another reason why we need to build our house before next August. He will be out, no more deployments, no more moving, no more uncertainty of safety and time together. I am thrilled!! We are both scared of what our financial situation will be post-Army. I truly believe we will be okay. I am thinking I will work more and try to bring more income into the equation.

4. Today I answered a job ad for an ABA tutor. I don't know what ABA stands for but the job is basically being a tutor to an autistic kid. I have worked with autistic children in the past, I have subbed for special ed teachers and when I was a camp counselor I taught autistic children. I had an opportunity to be a ABA tutor in Indiana a few years ago but I couldn't take the job because I knew I would have to move. Anyway, I am really excited about the idea of getting free ABA training and getting paid to help an autistic kid. I love working with families and children, especially special needs kids (as long as they aren't violent, which this kid is not). So, wish me luck that this family and I will be a good match and they will hire me. It would be about 10-25 hours a week of paid work, depending on what they need.

5. I just got another job from the Art Museum for January. They are gonna pay me $100 to plan and execute an activity in conjunction with a new exhibit. I am really excited to get another job and be able to create an activity. I am still teaching twice a month at the children's hospital, it doesn't pay much but I really enjoy it.

6. Ben's sister is coming to visit this weekend. I am really excited to see her and I am especially excited for her to see Evie. Last time she saw Evelyn was Christmas, Evie is so much more fun now, I know the two of them are going to have a blast! And I know Ben is really looking forward to seeing his sister.

7. I think I will be doing more and more farmer stuff in the future. I am actually pretty excited about helping take care of the animals. At some point the goats and donkey are gonna need vaccine shots and I think I will be helping with that. I like giving shots, is that weird?

List

1. I just finished watching all the episodes of Heroes. Ben totally got me hooked on it. The last 2 days have been all Heroes, straight through, nothing else. I feel like a total nerd, but it was really fun!

2. Ben may have broken his foot. He is in a lot of pain and it is swollen. He is getting it xrayed on Monday morning. Hopefully they can make it better.

3. I started Harry Potter. I am only on Chapter 4 so far but it is really good. I can't believe how action packed it is just in 4 chapters. I hope to be done with the book by next weekend. I am trying to restrain myself and not spend 24 hours straight reading. We'll see if I can do it. ;)

4. Evelyn has been constipated the last few days. I don't know whats going on. I may be taking her to the pediatrician if it doesn't get better by Monday. Hopefully the extra water and prune puree will help the problem.

5. I haven't been reading blogs or writing here as much in the last few days because of #1 on this list. And because of #3 I may not be back to normal blogging habits til next weekend. So have a great weekend everyone, I'll see you after I finish HP! =)

I am a Farmer

I totally administered a shot to one of the goats today. Our pygmy goat Fred got neutered a few days ago and he seems to have an infection from the procedure. Grammy got a syringe of antibiotics from the vet but she was a little weary of giving the shot. So I stepped up and did it. I totally feel like a bad ass for doing it! I am quite a good shot giver, if I do say so myself. So I think I could be a great vet, diabetic, or IV drug user in the future. What do you all think?

7 - the Ketchup Edition

1. Ben skipped work today to finish reading the new Harry Potter. He was up til 5AM reading and now is back in the book. I let him read it first because he is a faster reader. I made him swear not to tell me anything. He slipped once already, hopefully, that is all the slips he will have.




2. Evelyn got a lot of wonderful, thoughtful, and fun gifts for her birthday! Grandpop and Mimi sent presents to Ben and I in traditional Jewish style, instead of gifts for Evie. We got little bottles of our favorite alcohol and water balloons and some fun tabloids. We love it all! Evie's GiGi (my Grandma) got Evie a beautiful new dress and shoes, as well as a new super cut bathing suit and coverup. Uncle Paul and Aunt Karen came to visit Evie for her bday and Karen's brother got Evie a very kickass shirt which I will post a pic of soon. Evie got a nice card from her Oma and Opa (Ben's grandparents). She also got a nice card from my awesome friend Angie! Our friend Heather got Evie some awesome books. And our other friend Melissa got Evie a very cute outfit (pictures to come). Evie's Aunt Vanessa also sent her a very sweet card. I think that is everything. I am gonna post pics of her loot later, but suffice it to say that Evie is a very well liked lady. =) Thank you everyone for your kind words and thoughtfulness!


I made a chocolate "dirt" cake for the party.




Here's Ben with the outfit we got from Melissa.


Thanks Melissa and Emani and Jerome!


Here's our gifts from Grandpop and Mimi, thank you!!


Thanks Steve and Anne and Nora (Karen's Brother's Family)

The shirt reads "ABCD: For Those About to Read, We Salute You!"


3. The days before and on Evie's birthday I was kind of a wreck emotionally. I was really caught off guard by my emotional reaction to Evelyn's birthday. I am not upset that she isn't a baby anymore, I loved her as a baby of course, but I don't miss the baby phase at all! I was just hit by what a major year this was for me and Ben and our life together. We had a lot of really amazing and sad stuff happen this year. And our lives pretty much turned upside down at least 3 times. We had Evie which turned us upside down. Then we found out Ben had to go to Africa for 6 months. Then Evie and I moved to the farm with my parents. Two out of three of those things were really great and wonderful changes. So the days around Evie's bday were pretty emotional for me, I was crying a lot and just feeling really raw. It was really weird. I feel a lot better now.

4. Mamma Tomato, Daddy Tomato and Baby Tomato are walking down the street. Baby Tomato is walking really slow. Daddy Tomato repeatedly tells Baby Tomato to speed up. Finally Daddy Tomato walks back and squishes Baby Tomato and says "Ketchup!"

5. Training is going really well for the Triathlon. I am really proud of myself for not giving up. It has been really hard! I am pretty sure the only reason I haven't given up is because I don't want to disappoint my Dad. He is a GREAT motivator for me. I do love the feeling I get at the end of a run/bike ride/swim, I feel really proud and healthy. But I hate the feeling I have at 6AM when I wake up and I know I have to bike 5 miles and swim 400 meters. But I keep doing it, and I am getting stronger and more confident that I can do the race.

6. Ben is having a really hard time not talking about HP. I might have to kill him. ;)

7. Ben and Evie and I had our pictures taken yesterday by a professional photographer. She came to the farm and took pics for about an hour. The proofs are great! I don't think she really caught the essence of who we are as a family but she did make us look really fancy and pretty. Even the goats and the dog look fancy! I'll put up pics soon.

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Thanks Grammy and Gramper!

Evie's present from Grammy and Gramper! Whoo Hoo!

Our Friend's Birthday Party

Here's Emani's Mom and I last year with our girls.



Here's us with our girls when they were 1 month old. Now they are a year old!!

Don't Tell Me!

I haven't bought the new Harry Potter book yet, which means I don't know what happens. Please don't tell me any spoilers! I will be reading the book next week, after that we can discuss and disect as much as you want =)

Pet Cemetery

Since our move to the farm and out acquiring of animals we have had to come to terms with some less than ideal aspects of farm life. The most difficult one being death. We have lost five animals since we got to the farm. All for different reasons but all very sad. The first animal to go was a baby duck. She accidentally drowned in the water dish when she was 2 days old. We have also lost my parent's pet chihuahuas, Logo and Simca, I posted about their passing here. Next was a baby kitten that my Mom was fostering. Rocky got sick and because he was so young he couldn't fight off the illness and passed away. And finally my grandmother's (Evelyn's Gigi's) dog, Nala, had to be put down a few weeks ago for medical reasons.

In honor of our lost pets my Mom has built a pet cemetery. Tonight we had a memorial service for our animals.










Here we all are telling our favorite memories of our pets.




Here's Evie wandering around...




And here we all are having dinner.






Here's Evie and her Grammy and her Gigi




P.S. Evie's birthday is today but we are waiting until Sunday to have her party so that Paul (BigBro) and Karen (DocRom) can be here to celebrate. We're having a grill out/pool party. It should be big fun!