I Forgot One.

Ahhh, my little muppet :)
Thank you, Great-Grandma Peterson!

The Girl Can Work A Hat.

These are *some* of my favorites from this past year.
That "perfectly round head" turned out to be great for hat modeling :)

Weekend with my Valentine

I didn't get a card.
I didn't get flowers.
I didn't get chocolate.
I got something much better:
A weekend away from home, away from mommyhood, to rest and soak in the beauty of the Rockies.
While Grandma Marcia came to care for the Buggin, Chris and I spent the weekend in Colorado Springs.  It was such a surreal feeling traveling without a stroller, without a diaper bag, without a baby in my lap!  I had forgotten what that freedom feels like.  And, ohhhh man, was it nice.  We had two different flight delays on our trip out, causing us to miss a connection.  But we looked at each other and thought "WHO CARES!"  No nap schedule to think about, no fussy baby to entertain.  Delay us all you want...just being alone is a treat.

And at the same time, I missed that little girl like CRAZY.  

Grandma Marcia took over Mommy duties for the weekend!

Our beautiful view of Pike's Peak and Garden of the Gods.

A Valentine's Day visit to the Garden of the Gods.

The "Kissing Camels" got into the Valentine's Day spirit.

Chris with the weight of the "Balancing Rock" on his shoulders.

Same Dream, Different Night.

Calling all "Josephs" out there- wanna dust off those dream interpretation skills and clue me in on this one?  I've been having this same dream for a little over a year now.  Have at it.

-I show up at Lincoln High School (Stockton) as a student.
-I'm wearing a red backpack. (That may or may not matter at all)
-It's the first day back at school after a break.
-After first period, I have absolutely NO idea where to go.
-I cannot find my class schedule.
-I try to access my schedule on my iPhone, but it takes too long.  (*note*- the internet didn't even exist when I was in high school, let alone iPhones.)
-I head to the office to get a replacement, but there is a long, slow line in front of me.
-I stand there for hours, realizing I'm missing my classes.
-When I finally get to the class where I think I belong, nothing is familiar.
-I leave, and wander the corridors until I wake up.

Lincoln High School (see, in California, we don't need to have the entire school inside)

I Came Home To Find This...

I remember my thoughts when I first heard we were having a girl.
Pink.  Barbies.  Dresses.  Ponytails.  Dollhouses.
It's a world with which I am familiar.
And Chris is quickly learning the ropes.
I love watching these two play together.
Kendall is so lucky to have such a fun Daddy!

Hawaii Five-0

Grandpa Keith, Grandma Donna, Kendall, Chris and Jamie

In desperate need of a winter getaway, the five o'us (clever, huh?) headed to the "big island" of Hawai'i for a week plus of January sunshine.  It was really challenging packing for 80 degree weather when you reside in 8 degree weather- you just don't think it's going to be *that* warm!  But we were pleasantly surprised and immediately shed our turtlenecks :)

The weather was secondary to the best part of this vacation:  quality time with our family!  It was so fun watching Grandma and Grandpa love on Kendall, absorbing all the facets of her budding personality.  She even pulled out some new tricks during the trip, like deciding walking (with help) was her new favorite mode of transportation, clapping to the "potty dance" commercial, and entertaining us with her wiggles.  For more pictures from our trip, you can click here!

Exploring the shops at the resort.

Kendall fits in so well on the island!

Outside our room

Love those island sunsets.

Kendall loved the boat ferry around the resort!

She did NOT love walking on the sand.

Chris lived it up on the waterslide...

....while mommy and Kendall played under the waterfalls!

Grandma shared some beach blanket time.

Beautiful Hapuna Beach

Chris and I got away for a date at the Hilton Waikoloa Luau!

Chris got pulled up on stage to dance.  It was amazing.

Kendall took morning walks with Grandma.

Grandpa Keith "holding" a seahorse at the seahorse farm.

We spent a lot of time at our quaint resort pool!

Watching the dolphin show!

Taking the stroller for a walk.

Our favorite.

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for the fantastic accommodations!

What a happy little girl!  And a happy daddy, too.
 

Vacation Needed.

I know what you're thinking...YOU JUST GOT BACK from vacation!  It's true.  We spent some time in California and had an amazing week in Hawaii with my family.  Two days after our return, our house essentially exploded with home maintenance issues, and since then my place of rest and comfort has become a place of stress and mess.  What was once a weekend trip to scope out the area for a possible future move has morphed into a much-needed retreat from the endless phone calls, repairmen and tasks that have consumed these last couple weeks.

Thank you, Lord, for your perfect timing.  You knew that we'd need this break.

So Chris and I are Colorado Springs bound, sans baby, to enjoy the beautiful, mountainous landscape and catch a breath or two.  We'll get through this winter yet!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

Hi, I'm Jamie and I'm a Stat Addict.

Since comments aren't usually an accurate indicator of blog readership, I pay a lot of attention to my statistics.  I recently discovered that Blogger itself keeps readership statistics, so I checked it out!  It only backlogs stats from May 2010, so I can't accurately say these are the "all-time most read blog posts" like it reports, but here are the most popular posts on this blog, according to blogger! The Shrutebuck and the Stanley Nickel May 20, 2007, 2 comments       382 Pageviews

Popular Worship Songs 2010 Jan 1, 2011, 3 comments           230 Pageviews

Overhaulin' Sep 20, 2010, 6 comments        178 Pageviews

The Dog Conversation...Conclusion. Aug 24, 2010, 4 comments       160 Pageviews

Christmas Eve at First Baptist Dec 29, 2010, 5 comments       134 Pageviews

One Year Later. Sep 29, 2010, 9 comments        117 Pageviews

I have been HIJACKED!!!! Aug 1, 2010, 5 comments         115 Pageviews

It's a Christmas Miracle! Dec 8, 2010, 1 comment           107 Pageviews

Neener Neener :) Feb 6, 2011, 2 comments          104 Pageviews

Tonsils the Size of Golf Balls. Mar 16, 2009, 5 comments By the way, it really bums me out when I post something that gets random visitors from Timbuktu (like the first two posts below).  I want to know who is reading my blog for ME, not the lyrics to Hotel California.  Does this bother anyone else? 100 Pageviews

Mystery Diagnosis

We're no strangers to weird skin rashes in this house.  Now, Kendall is showing off her talent for showcasing blotchy red spots.  Mommy is kind of partial to her smooth baby skin, so off to the doctor we went last week. 

The red spots (dry and flat) showed up only on her arms and legs, just prior to our trip to Hawaii.  The spots have darkened and increased in number and area in the two weeks since.  Because they didn't seem to be bothering her, and were not present on her torso, our doctor thought this was a case of Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome, which would heal itself with no treatment in 2-8 weeks.

As I've been rocking her to sleep the last few nights, I've observed her scratching any exposed skin (mainly on her calves and wrists) causing the rash to bleed.  She is also developing spots on her torso, which would mean that it is NOT the syndrome originally diagnosed.  Hopefully our doctor will have some answers when we go back today. 

Poor baby.

Neener Neener :)

I took my engagement/wedding ring in for it's biannual checkup yesterday, and discovered that I am the envy of the Zales world.
The first clerk asked me if it was "The Zales Diamond".
(The Zales Diamond was an exclusive patented 8-sided solitaire which was discontinued in 2007 because the person owning the patent pulled it.  It has 82 facets, 24 more than a regular diamond cut making it SUPER sparkly :)
When I told her it was, all three clerks dropped what they were doing to come look at it.
I felt like I had brought in an original copy of the Constitution.
Two of the sales persons argued over who got to clean it.
They ALL looked at it under the microscope.
I was informed that none of them had ever seen one in person.
Talking amongst themselves, one of the sales clerks (engaged) said (sadly) she wanted this cut for her engagement ring.

Then, in it's sparkling beauty, it was returned to my finger, where it belongs.
It may be valuable, but to me, it's priceless.

Our Wedding Day, April 26th, 2008

Every Day.

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord.  Apart from You I have no good thing.  Lord, you have assigned me my cup and my portion...you have made my lot secure.  The boundary lines for me have fallen in pleasant places;  surely I have a delightful inheritance.  I will praise the Lord who counsels me;  Even at night, my heart instructs me.  I have set the Lord always before me.  Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore, my body rests secure, because You will not abandon me.  You have made known to me the path of life;  You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand."

                                                                         -Psalm 16

Home Improvement Headaches

Why haven't I blogged about Hawaii?  Because, in the five days we've been back, we have been swamped in fix-it projects- none for which we "signed up". 

Prior to our vacation, we hired Home Depot to rip up old carpet and install our new carpet downstairs.  When they came for installation, however, they told us that the carpet was SO glued down (whoever installed it used 3-4 times the recommended amount of glue) that they wouldn't be able to remove it.  Thus, Chris and I are left to pick away at it inch by inch before we can get our new carpet installed.  Chris as been hard at work on that project, channeling his inner "Tim the Tool Man Taylor".  

All that yellow stuff...is glue.

Then, THIS happened.  Chris noticed some water leaking downstairs, and promptly investigated.  What we discovered were bubbling kitchen floorboards that oozed water from the seams.  Water damages specialists decided upon first response the problem was serious enough that the floors needed to come up.  And sure enough, the pad underneath was SOAKED.  A rupture in our dishwasher pump to blame, we're now dealing with water damage restorers, contractors, plumbers and appliance techs to remedy the problem.

The bubbling floorboards

The aftermath of our inspection.

Reality says "Welcome back from vacation!  Here's a swift kick in the pants."

Everything Chris Hates in One Recipe.

Technically, not everything.  But the only thing that would make this recipe worse, in his opinion, would be adding a smattering of diced tomatoes on top.

I, on the other hand, had a craving for stuffed mushrooms yesterday, so I whipped up a batch.  You should have seen Chris' reaction when I asked him to print up the recipe for me:  "Mushrooms!?  I'm not eating that!!"  No, darling, I would never serve you such a thing.  This one was purely for my enjoyment.

Compliments of my awesome friend Amanda, here's a simple recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms.
Or, as Chris would call them, "tiny balls of evil".

*1 lb fresh mushrooms with caps
*1/2 to 1 stick of melted butter
*1 cup bread crumbs
*fresh chopped parsley
*1 Tbs. oil
*1 crushed garlic clove
*1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
*1/2 cup white wine
*1 minced medium onion

Remove mushroom stems and chop.  Place caps on buttered baking sheet and set aside.  Saute' chopped stems, onions and garlic in oil.  Mix other dry ingredients.  Add them to melted butter and wine in a sauce pan and stir together.  Mold a small amount on the cap.  Bake 20 minutes at 350 F.  Eat the leftover stuffing gluttonously (whoops- that's just for me).

Eat warm, preferably in front of your husband as he cringes in disgust :)

Flying the Kid-Friendly Skies.

Keeping a thirteen-month-old busy on a 5 hour flight is no easy task.  It's not "fun" at all, but rather exhausting, always anticipating the next activity to keep her interested.  With the help of my parents on flight TO, and Chris on flight FROM, we certainly didn't make any enemies on the plane.  Here was our plan of attack:

Headphones and Dora.
Bottles.
Favorite Book.
Safety Guide in Seat pocket.  Open and close a thousand times.
Use Barf Bag as hand puppet.
Get extra peanut bag to use as percussion.
Open and shut window screen over...and over.....
Cheerios!  Cheerios!  Cheerios!
Headphones and Yo Gabba Gabba.
Walk back and forth on Grandpa's seat while he's in the bathroom.
Up and down the aisle (catwalk) waving to new friends.
Turn pages in SkyMall catalog. 
Point out the window and tell her to look for "puppies!" (Her favorite)
Giddy-up Horsie!
Play Peek-a-Boo with passengers behind us.
Push buttons on remote control (yes, I brought it with us).
Open and close Mommy's wallet, pull out credit cards.  (Chris is apprehensive about this skill being      learned so early!)
Cheerios!  Cheerios!  Cheerios!
Juice!  (Or whatever Mommy is drinking, which looks more interesting!)
Headphones and Blues Clues.
Forget the headphones, she keeps ripping them off.  Just Blues Clues.
Grandma's TicTac box as rattle.
Repeat all of the above several times...
Nap.

You're welcome, fellow passengers.
 What are your favorite airplane tactics for the kiddos?