Toddler-Centric Post

This last weekend was actually kind of cool and overcast. We must be getting into monsoon season! It's a good thing actually, Albuquerque is dying for some rain. We did get a bit on Sunday accompanied by a little hail in some places, but it's not nearly enough to get rid of that pesky high fire warning. We took advantage of the cooler weather by not really ever leaving our house ;) Actually, we did take awalk over to visit with the De-I's on Saturday. After clearing them out of berries, we returned home to never again leave the house until Monday morning. We did do a movie night on Saturday where we camped out in the living room with hotdogs, popcorn, candy, rootbeer floats, and Dinotopia (don't ask). So we weren't complete sloths!

J amazes me more and more everyday with her vocabulary and understanding of the world around her. Some recent exchanges:

J: *runs up to me and hands me a handful of air* This your birfday cake.
Me: Oh, this is my birthday cake?
J: No! This your birfday. This my birfday cake.

Me: Look at the clouds. Aren't they pretty and so many different shape
J: Yeah, my like clouds. You like clouds, too?
Me: Yes, I like clouds, too. Mmmm, clouds look like big, fluffy marshmallows. Wouldn't you like to taste one?
J: Ew, clouds gross. Yucky. *wipes off tongue vigorously with dirt-covered hands* Thbbbpppt!

*Hubs and I are sitting in the lawn chairs in the backyard when J comes running up* Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daaaaaddeeeee!
Hubs: What!
J: Daddy, this is my friend Mommy.

Hubs: *tucking J into bed* Okay, night, night.
J: Oh no! Where my binky?
Hubs: *looks all over J's room, C's room, and A's room* I can't find it, J. You're just going to have to go to sleep without it.
J: Ummmm, what about kitchen?
Hubs: *checks the kitchen and dining room* J, I still can't find it, so you're just going to have to go to sleep without it!
J: Ummm, maybe big room*?
Hubs: Fine, I'll check this one last place but then you're done *checks every other room in the house* Sorry, J, you're out of luck.
J: *pulls out her binky from where she was sitting on it* Oh! There it is! My find it!
Hubs: I cannot believe I just got played by a two-year-old.

* big room = living room

Super Mega Happy Busy Day

Sorry, we were watching that new show where American contestants go on a Japanese game show. God, I miss Japan sometimes! :) Sorry I have not been posting much as of late. I am incredibly busy at work with a project they want way sooner than I think we can deliver it. Also I vastly underestimated how much time I would be investing for my reserve stuff. I am having to cram in my reserve annual tour days before the end of the fiscal year, so I will be taking a week in July and another 1 1/2 weeks in September to do that. But I am also working from here to do all my planning and coordination in anticipation of actually being there in person. Our unit will also have a UCI (similar to an ORI for those of you that remember the pain I went through last year in LA) and since I am currently the intel shop for the entire Wing...let's just say I've got a lot of work ahead of me to prepare for the inspection :(

In other news, A has developed this incredibly frustrating aversion to all water. He fell into a bucket a few weeks ago (long story, but I was right there and fished him out immediately) and now absolutely refuses to have anything to do with water, whether it's in a pool or just rain falling from the sky. We literally have to hold him in the tub and physically restrain him (because he screams and flails about) while we wash him. If anyone has any suggestions to help him get over this, I would appreciate it!

A's Birthday in Retrospect...2 Weeks Late

Ooooh, what is that?


Hmm, I like that it's kind of squishy


And, it's pretty tasty...just like Play-Doh!


I better shove it down before Mom notices!

*burp*

Is it football season yet?

I know, I know, it's too early for football talk. Above is the photo of a man named James Hardy, listed at 6'6...he should be playing in the NBA; instead, he will be catching touchdowns in Buffalo...all season long...in your face...GO BILLS!!!

I'm Outtie

Quick post just to let ya'll know things are about to get crazier than normal around the Pu household (I know, I didn't think it was possible either). I am driving to CO on Thursday night for my reserve weekend (evidently our admin unit no longer exercises on the same weekend we do, so I have to go up a day early to take care of some admin-y stuff) and driving back Sunday night after a nice restful weekend of working. With just enough time to kiss my Hubs and remind my kids I'm alive, I then I fly off to Dayton Monday morning for a two day conference with a bunch of scientists (and if that sounds like fun...we are no longer friends ;) I'm flying back Wed night right after the conference ends (hopefully Dayton traffic is not too bad!) so Hubs doesn't have to suffer another day with the urchins whilst I'm off frolicking among my, um, work. Bleh. Anyways, I'll see you all in a week!

Yet Another Weekend Round-Up (+ Monday)

Well, at least you're getting posts once a week, right? :) This weekend was crazy busy. C had her first swim meet, which was marked by her absolute refusal to jump in the water for her first race (cold feet, which wouldn;t have been so bad except she was part of a relay team). Her coach eventually got her to get in the water (he threatened to toss her in!) and she swam all her other events with no problem. Meets start at 7am (!) and can go as late as 12 or 1pm, so this took up most of our day. Also, they are not nearly as fun as I remember them to be. Perhaps it is the fact of being the parent rather than being the swimmer, as C seemed to have a total blast. Then we went grocery shopping, came home and put everything away and promptly collapsed and took naps (hee!). After that we walked over to Mom and Dad's and had caperinas (sp?) and hung out for a few hours before it was time to walk home and have dinner. On Sunday we played outside all day and then Mom and Dad came over for a small birthday celebration for A (after seeing me make A's cake in the morning, J could not stop asking me, 'Eat happy birfday cake?' with that hopeul look in her eyes every time she passed the kitchen counter). A was so hilarious. At first he didn't seem to understand that the cake was food and was just content to squish it up between his fingers. Then he accidently got a taste when he stuck his hand in his mouth and you could just see the light go on in his head, as he went to town on that cake! (pics coming soon, I promise)

Today I worked all day (of course) and I also had my first soccer game of the season (yay) and I also didn't totally suck! (double yay) I had to leave a bit early to take C to swim practice, so I had both the girls with me at the game. I actually tackled this other girl and kicked the ball away from her and all I hear is, "Go, Mommy!" from the sidelines. :) I was kind of worried that this decision to play soccer was not going to have been one of my better ideas since it has been over 15 years since I played competetive soccer, but it turned out to be a lot of fun, and I felt like I was as good as most of the girls on my team and it was good for my kids to see me out there being active and being competetive. When I was driving C to swim practice I asked her what she thought of my performance and she said, "You really stink, Mom." I was a little offened since I didn't think I was that bad. "No, Mom," she said, "I mean, you really, really stink. Can we open a window?" Hee!

Also, apparently there were over 10,000 phone calls made in NM this weekend to police to report a UFO sighting...it was a hot air balloon (Hubs and I actually saw it on Sunday afternoon). Go rural New Mexicans! (In case you weren't aware, NM is like the hot air balloon capitol of the world so this really speaks to the level of dumbass-ness that abounds)