Glow Worm

I just couldn't resist this little guy! I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries today. Nothing big. Just some things I couldn't find at Albertson's. Then I spotted this guy. I think someone was buying him for Christmas.



I had to get this Glow Worm. I'm already done with my shopping. But I thought Mikey might like this little guy. I know I loved my Glow Worm when I was little!

♥Rach♥

Ruffled Scarf Giveaway

It's raining. I should really say...pouring!!! And Mike is working. Mikey is fast asleep. What does that leave me to do? Enter blog giveaways of course! I found a new and exciting one. Trina is giving away this fun scarf from Charlotte Russe. If you are really fast, you can still enter the giveaway. But if you have missed it, still go check out Trina's blog. It is a girl's dream blog! No lie! ♥Rach♥

Custom Necklace Giveaway

I almost cried when I saw this necklace. I have been looking for one just like it. When I was pregnant with Mikey, I really wanted something like this. You can just imagine how excited I am right now. Now that I found my necklace. And oh ya, you can enter and win it! Go enter the giveaway. You know you want to!

♥Rach♥

Lawn Frock Giveaway!!!!

This is another one of those dresses that I am in love with! It reminds me of fields of green grass! As a kid, I loved to run through the tall grass in the spring. There is something about this dress that has me super excited! Maybe it is the memories that come to mind. Or the sophistication of this dress. Either way, I am going to enter the giveaway.

♥Rach♥

Poppy Fields Set Giveaway

The minute that I saw this, I thought of summer. You could wear this beautiful necklace with a crisp white button down shirt. Or you could wear it with a casual white t shirt. Either way, it would just look gorgeous! I can already see it! The flowers just scream to be worn every single day. And the simplicity begs you to wear this piece all the time! Go enter the giveaway for your chance to win this beautiful necklace too!

♥Rach♥

Limoncello Dress Giveaway

I have to admit, I am in love! In love with this dress. Tell me about it. I would never have thought. But when I look at this dress, I see sunshine and happiness. I want to win it. It would just make the perfect dress to wear to summer BBQs. Or picnics. Oh, it is cute! You can enter the giveaway too! Just go to this blog for your chance to win.

♥Rach♥

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Yes, my son likes this show. How did it happen? I don't know. OK, I sorta know. Every afternoon, I start making dinner at 4:30pm. Early I know. But my husband generally gets home around 5pm and is starving! My big boy is usually hungry by that time too.

So I put on the small tv in the kitchen and start dinner. At about 4:45pm I put Mikey in his high chair and finish dinner. Oh, and my son is watching whatever PBS show is on. We don't have cable on our small little tv. Why? We only watch it in the kitchen when we're cooking.

About 5 times now, I've forgotten to change the channel. And instead of watching PBS, it's on FOX. On "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" And Mikey just laughs hysterically. It's so cute! I even had to record a video for our families. Mike just loves to get home a little early to see too.

I don't know if it's the host, the kids, the lights. But whatever it is, my son loves it! And he laughs. Even when they are just showing the promo commercials for it. :)

♥Rach♥

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! We had such an amazing day. It really was fun. And my little man, he looked oh so cute! He was a fireman this year. Yes, my husband went out and bought him this costume!



But my little man sure did look handsome. We spent the morning at the Farmers Market. Where they had a parade for the kids. It was so cute! And of course, Mikey was a HUGE flirt. Only my son! He and Spot won for the 1 year old group. We were so proud!

This evening, we took Mikey trick or treating. Something we skipped out on last year. Oh last year, he was so cute. He was a dalmatian. Very cute! But this year, we went to a few houses. Actually, we went through 2 neighborhoods. And stopped to see some of the guys from the Fire Station. They were handing out trick-or-treat bags.

We had such a great time! And Mikey had a blast. We have candy for years. No lie! One of our neighbors dumped her entire candy bowl in a bag and gave it to us! Yes, my son was showing his cutie smile! Now, I'm going to go curl up on the couch with my hubby, and dig into our candy. :)

♥Rach♥

Spot

I don't know if I mentioned this. But we got Mikey a puppy. A real dalmatian. So cute! And they're already the best of pals. Spot, our dog, sleeps under Mikey's crib when he's napping or sleeping at night. I think it's adorable! And they are really best friends already. I think Spots is the best present we could have gotten Mikey for his birthday. :)

♥Rach♥

Mikey's Birthday Party

We had an amazing birthday party for Mikey today. We had so many friends and family over. And all the guys from the Fire House showed up too! Mike was really happy about that. Mikey got so many gifts! I swear, we don't have to buy him clothes or toys for a long time! I mean a long, long time!

I owe a lot to my friend Lola. Who completely hooked us up for the party! She made Mikey's cake. I wish I had a way to get my pictures from my camera to my computer. It was so cute. A fire truck. With a little dalmatian! And she made a bunch of the decorations for us. Thank you so much Lola! And she came way early to help us decorate, put together the gift bags, and help with some of the cooking.

Our families were amazing too! Helping us with all the cooking. Thank you guys so much! It was amazing. And it was so yummy! and we just had a great time. Mikey just loved ripping all the wrapping paper. I think he enjoyed it more than the actual presents. Silly boy!

Well, my son is asleep. Our house is...well it survived. And we have lots of family over. Me, I'm ready for a nap. I'm definitely ready for a few hours of good sleep. But we had an incredible time. I really enjoyed my son's 1st birthday party. I hope he had a great time too!

♥Rach♥

Lots...

I'm so exhausted! But it's great to have Mike home. :) And today was moving today. Lots and lots of stuff! How did we fit all this in our apartment? I still have no clue. But all the guys from the fire house came to help. Thanks so much!

Our house is in shambles. Complete shambles. But some new furniture was delivered today. :) And all we really cared to put up was our bed and Mikey's crib. Which looks adorable! It's nice that Mike got the painting done yesterday. That way we could start putting Mikey's room together.

Oh, and it's been raining. A lot. It's ridiculous! But there's nothing we could do. But get our stuff from our apartment to our house. And we did that. The next few days, I'm going to have to work hard to get our house in order. You know, I have 4 days...

But we have some good news. Our friend Jose is back from Iraq. He has been out there forever! And he is going to be getting out of the military soon. He was so happy to be home. And his wife Jelly, she was so excited to have him home. We all enjoyed a big "Welcome Home" dinner. So much fun!

Well, I'm falling asleep here. And I have so much to do the next few days. Please send me all your positive thoughts. I'm going to need them. :)

♥Rach♥

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Dear Little Man,

Happy Birthday! You turned 1 today. You are such a big boy. We went to your doctor's appointment earlier this week. He said you are perfect. Absolutely perfect! I already knew that!

Your Daddy surprised us all! He came home early this morning. With a big birthday cake too! We are so lucky to have him. And all the guys at the fire house. They made it possible for your Daddy to come today. :)

I still can't believe you're 1. It feels like I just found out I was going to have a baby. When I think about you, I still see your little newborn face. But my baby is growing into my little man. Too cute you are! I love to cuddle with you in the mornings. And I absolutely melt when you start to flirt. You're just like your daddy. Flirting all the time! :)

This morning you just loved tearing up all the paper. I think you liked the wrapping paper more than you liked your presents this morning. Daddy and you just loved playing with all your new fire trucks.

Other things that you are doing that just surprise me, well you've been walking for about 2 months. But you are getting a lot better at it. Definitely not falling as much. But when you fall, you usually just laugh and smile. And you are definitely a good eater like your daddy. Hmm, you really liked your birthday cake too!

This past year has gone too quickly. It really has. But it has been so much fun being your mommy. I can't believe how amazing you are...my little man! And I'm so happy to be your mommy. I can't wait to see what this year is going to bring for us! I hope you enjoy it all!

Love,

Your ♥Mommy♥

Eastwick

Have I mentioned Eastwick on my blog? I don't know. But I really, really like this show! The characters are amazing. And honestly, I just like this show. It sorta reminds me of Lipstick Jungle. Another show that I loved. but it got cancelled. Oh, I hope this one doesn't get cancelled. I would cry.

If you haven't seen Eastwick, I would recommend you take a look. It's cute and quirky. These 3 are amazing. And the storyline is good. I haven't seen it advertised on ABC. And only stumbled on it one night looking for a show to watch. I'm glad I found it!

♥Rach♥

He's Coming Home!!!

All my fingers and toes are crossed! If no new fires start up, and if they continue to do progress, Mike gets to come home in 10 days!!! Yes, 10 days!!! I'm so excited!

I did change Mikey's birthday party. I guess I didn't think about a lot of things. Like our friends are going to be out of town. Mike was going to be working. And we're moving. Oh, and I'm just overwhelmed. So the party is set for October 25th. Now, I'm really happy!

My hubby is coming home. He's safe. My son is happy and healthy. Oh, and the packing is going better. Just keep us in your prayers. Please. We need a break here.

♥Rach♥

How Do They Do It?

Just thinking about this. How do military wives do it? I mean their husbands are deployed for 6 months to a year at a time. Lots of times, they're husbands are in wars. I just don't know how they do it. Honestly, I repect them so very much. I can barely handle that my husband is gone fighting a wildfire. Because there is so much going on. And I'm so very worried about him. Wow! I just need to breathe. It's going to get better.

♥Rach♥

So Much Fun

We went to a friend's party today. It was for Sarita. She is Lola's goddaughter. Lots and lots of fun! OMG, the food was so good. I hate so much! And now, I can barely breathe. But it was so good! And let me tell you, they know how to throw a yummy party. :)

Mikey and I also went to the Farmers Market. It was so good! We try and go every Saturday. I just love how good the food tastes. You know, fresh and yummy. Oh, and everything just has more flavor. Not only did we buy some delicious apples and lots of veggies. But we also bought 3 bags of Kettle Korn. That's pretty normal for us. Because it's so good! And we snack on it all week.

We've had a fun Saturday. But now, I'm going to go get some packing done. Maybe I'll get on the treadmill for a little while first. Because, I really did eat too much. And I feel uncomfortable too.

♥Rach♥

♥I Like it Like That...Hard and Strong♥

Something funny, my husband and I like to workout. Obviously he needs to be in good shape. Me on the other hand, I don't. And I used to really hate working out. And my hubby used to always tease me.

Because well, we don't have a whole lot of money. And to be honest, we used to go to the gym as a sorta date. Because Mike wanted me to "live a long life." So he got me into working out. And he'd tease me so much. Because my favorite catch phrase is..."I like it like that." I don't know where I picked that up. But that's what I say.

So Mike would joke that I liked to work out. Because I wanted muscles that were hard and strong. So where am I going with this? I went to the gym this morning. Like I do 5 days a week. And I was talking with a friend. I don't even remember what we were talking about. But I said something like, I like it like that. Immediately I thought about Mike.

I just can't wait until my best friend is back home. I miss him a lot. I never realized how much stuff we do together. I realized that this morning.

♥Rach♥

Little Spot

This is Spot. Mike bought him when I 1st found out I was pregnant. Now, he is Mikey's best buddy! He goes with us everywhere. I mean everywhere! Oh, and it's almost impossible to wash him. Mikey needs Spot with him when he sleeps.

So I will usually tell Mikey in the morning that Spot needs to have a bath. And we put him in the washer with Mikey's bedding. We have breakfast and do a few things that keep my son busy. By the time he remembers Spot, he's clean and dry. Ready for his next adventures.

Do your kids have a special little buddy? I just think it's the sweetest thing to watch him love his puppy. :)

♥Rach♥

Too Cute

I seen this and about died from the cuteness! I was google-ing for some birthday stuff for Mikey. And I found this picture. I really want to get Mikey one. Now, I just need to do some searching. I really want to buy this back pack. :)

♥Rach♥

*Update: I found the backpack. And of all places, at Wal-Mart! It's $28.88. I never new that you could find such cute things there. They have this cute one for girls too!

Glee

I'm in love with this new show. That's all I have to say. It reminds me of high school so much! You know, all the little groups and stuff. But I really like it. I found myself sitting there singing to the episode the other night. It was amazing! And I really enjoy it. I hope that it sticks around for a long time. I think you should watch it too!

♥Rach♥

Amazing

Yesterday was my birthday. It was a little sad to not have Mike around. But I know that he is doing something very important.

But Mike called me early in the morning. And he had some roses sent to me. Love this man so very much! Honestly, I don't feel whole when he's not with me. That's how much I love him.

My parents sent me some yummy gift cards. And my in-laws sent me the most amazing necklace ever! Oh, and a gift card for Olive Garden. One of my favorite places to eat. Thanks so much!

My friends, Lola in particular, made me feel so special too! She brought me a homemade cake and lots of fun girly presents. Wow! Thanks everyone. It means so much. I had a great day with my little guy. The only thing missing...my true love.

♥Rach♥

Planning a Fireman Birthday

I've been trying to plan Mikey's 1st birthday. I'm not sure it's going so well. Because I'm stressed out. We have a move. And Mike is away fighting a wildfire. But being a mom, you've got to learn how to deal with these things.

I can't find any fireman birthday things anywhere. Nope. Not anywhere! It makes me so sad. I've gone to every local party place within an hour's drive. When I was about to lose hope, I found this website.



I really like these! They're candles. I didn't find them on the party page, but at this UK shop. For about $4.50. I'm definitely ordering these!



I would really like a fire truck birthday cake. But I don't know. I think it could be pricey to buy. And I can only find this cake pan on ebay.



This set is $34. I really like the favor boxes, but they're $5 a piece! If only I could find just the box. I could fill them up myself.

I just need to get over feeling so down. I think I just miss Mike. And I don't want him to miss our son's 1st birthday. But I need to get moving. I want this to be a very special day for our son. I know he probably won't remember this. But I still want the day to be very special.

♥Rach♥

Friday Updates

I figured I would start a weekly update on my blog. Look for it on Fridays. Just to let you know what is going on with me and the family!

♥Rach♥

1. Mike called last night. He is pretty tired. His job is tough as hell! But he is optimistic. He wants to believe he will be home before my birthday. And that they can contain this fire soon!

2. Mikey's new favorite place to hangout, is the laundry basket. He somehow manages to climb into it. And when there are towels or blankets in there, he lays down to sleep! :)

3. We only have 1 month, 1 week, and 3 days until we move! I am not even thinking about packing. I should though. We have a lot of stuff that needs to get packed. On the bright side, there are lots of boxes that I never unpacked when I moved in with Mike. But we have a baby now. And triple the stuff!

4. Emmers and Paul are in town. They got here Wednesday. I finally got to see them yesterday. And they are moving back! I can't believe Lola and J kept that secret from me!

5. I started to go to church with my friends during the week! We go on Tuesday and Thursday nights. And of course, Sunday mornings. I am totally getting into the Catholic Church. Almost like I have been a Catholic my entire life! I am about halfway through my classes.

6. I baked cupcakes. And didn't burn them! Too bad Mike wasn't around to try them. I baked yesterday morning. Then loaded them with chocolate frosting. And I have already ate 6 by myself! I'm gonna get fat.

7. Mikey loved running into the guys, from the firehouse, this morning. I went on my morning run as usual. Pushing him in his stroller. Thanks mom for buying me a running stroller. And he saw the guys. He about jumped out. Good thing I had him all buckled down! :)

8. It's official, only 1 of our 7 strawberry plants still lives. I don't know if the drought has anything to do with it. Or do I just have a black thumb? We got a total of 4 strawberries since the spring. The birds would eat them before they got too big.

9. I really did clean out the junk drawer in the kitchen. It was stuffed with junk. Pens that didn't work, old AOL CDs, takeout menus. Packets of ketchup, salsa, and mayo! You name it, I found it! How long has Mike lived here? If I could just clean out my makeup drawer we would be in business.

10. I got some good news today. I can't tell you yet. But it is good news. Something that will add more joy to our upcoming move! I should tell Mike first. So you just get to wait!

Thursday Thunks

I found a new addition for my blog, the Thursday Thunks. It's like a weekly survey for your blog. So here goes nothing!

♥Rach♥

1. Your thoughts on truck drivers?
They are hard workers. I had 3 as neighbors before Mike and I moved in together. They may look mean, but they are just big 'ol teddy bears!

2. Did you hear Michelle Duggar is pregnant for the 15th time? (but that will be kid #19 if you lost count....)
I saw it on the news. I just can't wrap my brain around that. I just hope Anna and Josh don't go and have this many kids!

3. Have you ever done something to hurt someone intentionally... just for the sole purpose of hurting them because you thought they deserved it? Maybe a paybacks a bitch sort of thing?
I did. I had an awful roommate when I first started college. She stole everything from me. My clothes, money, my boyfriend. She had it coming. And I don't regret it. Someone had to teach her a lesson.

4. Is there anyone in your life that when you go to their place of residence, you just walk in without bother knocking? Does anyone just walk into your house without knocking?
Not that I can think of. Mikey is just crawling, and he already pushes doors open. Could be a problem in the future...

5. Whats in the trunk of your car? Do you even have a clue?
A blanket, extra shoes for me, a diaper bag with a change of clothes for Mikey, some toys, and 2 jackets.

6. When you go to a family holiday get together (such as Christmas or Thanksgiving), about how many people are there?
When it was just my family, about 25. With Mike's, I would say easily 100.

7. What is in your kitchen sink right at this very moment?
A bowl, a glass, 2 spoons, and 4 bottles.

8. You go to a store to buy an expensive item... say $150. You pick up that item and a couple other this n' thats. You get to the register and the expensive item rings up at $40. The cashier doesn't seem to notice and tells you your total. Do you go with what they say and pay it or do you question the price difference? You know you would question it if your $40 item rang up at $150...
I wouldn't. I have worked in retail. They rip off the consumer so much that a minor detail like that is not going to dip into their pockets at all! I would probably go spend the money on something else in the store anyway!

9. Do you fold your underwear or do you just toss it in a drawer?
I toss mine in the drawer and fold Mike's. Come one folks! You can fold boxers, you can't really fold...

10. There is a Harley-Davidson giveaway. Chances are $100 and they are only selling 250 tickets. Do you buy one?
I would. Hoping to win it for Mike.

11. Who is your favorite Disney character?
Daisy Duck, she is so overlooked!

12. It's September - most of the weekly sitcoms/dramas are starting new seasons again. Which one are you most looking forward to?
It's a toss between Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and House.

13. You are at a grocery store and are on your way out to your car with your cart full of grocery bags. On your way to your car you see a black kitten in an empty cart. What do you do?
Call the store to let them know what is going on. Then move on. I am allergic to cats!

14. Is there anything that you do for a hobby that you are asked to do for friends/family that most people would hire a professional to do? (example: cake decorating, fixing cars....)
Not at all! I am not crafty. Although, my cousin paid me to do her makeup and hair when she got married. Does that count?

15. Are we there yet?
Are we where? You sound like Mike!

Gmail Down

Is it going to result in more births 9 months from now? I don't know. But apparently, the wives of some of the firefighters around here, think so.

Do people really check their email that much? Are people that addicted to the internet and all it has to offer? I have been wondering about this for a while now. And with gmail down yesterday, I began to get my answers.

Personally, since I left school, I don't HAVE to get online daily. If I happen to be around the computer and need to do something, I do it. If I am bored and need to occupy my time, you will also see me there. And if I am trying to shop for something, I will be online. That happens when you live in a small town, with no good stores.

But I am not one of those, I just HAVE to get online every single day. Or I have to be online every minute of the day. You know the type. The ones that check every single email as it comes in. Or live on MySpace, Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter.

So is the modern day, email is down, the equivalent to the past power outages? I don't know. I find this to be hilarious! I guess we will find out in 9 short months.

♥Rach♥

Charlie the Bear Man

You can tell I am insanely bored. I just finished watching ABC's Outsiders. The story was about Charlie the Bear Man. Not that I think only bored people watch Outsiders. I actually like to watch this show. But I was tweeting about the show, while I watched.

Charlie is a man who created a Bear Haven in Alaska. He has been "friends" with these bears for 20+ years. Feeding them, living with them, interacting with them. There is also a camera man that was documenting this crazy situation for a year or 2. Recently, Charlie has had to leave his bears and now faces tons of legal issues for feeding these bears.

The questions are just swirling in my head. How does a person become friends with bears? How did this start? What happened to Charlie's family? Why would you allow bears into your home? Or to be that close to you? I am just at a loss here.

The story was very interesting. But I am not sure that I really understand Charlie's train of thought. It freaks me out if I see a roach outside. Or a lizard in the house. But to allow bears to live with you, that is a whole different story.

The real reason I am watching Charlie's story, and blogging about it, is because I miss Mike. Is this crazy or what? He has been gone for a matter of days. But it feels like years! I don't know how military wives do it. To be without their loved ones for months, even years. That has to be tough.

The last time there were large fires in California, Mike went. He is trained in fighting wild fires. They have to go through special training. Then when crazy fires like this happen, they have to go. There was actually a large group of firefighters that left from our state. Avs feels my pain. As do a group of the firefighters families. But it is still hard.

Maybe because Mike and I are now married. And we have Mikey to think about. I just worry for all of us. Especially Mikey. I know I shouldn't, but I do. Mikey is also missing Mike too. He keeps trying to get his daddy's pictures. I have to be strong for all of us. So I say an extra prayer for my husband. And wait for his healthy return.

♥Rach♥

Oh Mikey!

My son cracks me up! He really does. This morning, he ate 2 bowls of cereal for breakfast. Which, the doctor, and Lola said is to be expected. I was watching GMA while I was feeding him. I turned to put his bowl in the sink, and my little squirt was eating oatmeal out of my bowl. Apparently, he could reach it.

My now covered in oatmeal son was sucking on his arm like it was the most delicious steak. I took a ton of pictures to show Mike when he gets home. Because it was hilarious! Like if it was the last thing he would ever eat. And the most delicious thing!

Obviously, the boy needed a bath. In our house, that is always an adventure. Today was no different! He played and squealed the entire time. Got me and everything in the bathroom wet. All good. We had fun!

But the kicker for me was, when we went grocery shopping. After his bath and a nap, we went to Albertson's. My son sat there flirty with this 80 something year old lady. She was shopping at my speed. And was just behind me. Mikey was the biggest flirt. Winking, smiling, blowing kisses. I think we are going to be in trouble when he gets older!

By the time we got in line, he had this lady laughing so hard. It was too cute. Even I have to agree to that. But this boy! She ended up buying him a balloon that he liked. She was really nice. I have actually seen her a few times at Albertson's. I guess we shop on the same day.

But my son, he makes me laugh. Whether he is covered in oatmeal. Showering me for a second time. Or flirting with the 80 something year old lady. I just love that chubby little bundle of baby boy!

♥Rach♥

Here We Go!!!

I'm giving in to the online trends. I did this a few years ago with MySpace. Then I forgot all about it. But I hear blogging and twitter are different. They keep your interests up. Whatever?! I just need something to keep me distracted while Mike is gone. He is my hubs. the love of my life. And a firefighter. He left yesterday to help in California. he and a bunch of his friends are trained in fighting Wild Fires. He did this the last time they had bad fires. I'm staying busy with Mikey, our 10 month old son. But it is quiet without Mike around. I miss him dearly! But before I know it, he will be home!

♥Rach♥