Just Because....

....he loves me!! These are my favorite kind of flowers to get, the just because flowers. Not attached to a birthday, anniversary, Valentine's day or other 'flower' day. But, just because!
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Aiden's new obsessions:
1.) The vertical blinds in the living room. Boy can he go wild with those.

2.) The cords of course. This one is his favorite. 3.)Is also pictured above. The ziploc container lid. That kid could have hours of fun playing with it, though by the time I got new batteries put in the camera to take a picture, he had moved on to the cord. He loves to look through the lid and just giggles.

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Hold on Aiden, that must be one crazy dream.

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"Oh, Alexis is so close. Maybe I can reach out and get her hair."

"Getting a little closer and she still doesn't notice me..........""Almost there........ Wait for it......"

"Got her!!! But wait, she doesn't look as happy as me."

Yet ANOTHER Plastic Surgeon Post-Op

We had our SEVENTH post-op appointment with Aiden's plastic surgeon today. Why so many? We are asking the same thing. I know they did a lot with his surgery; repaired his lip, nose, palate, gum line and tubes in the ears. This just seems very excessive and an excuse to charge our insurance for yet another visit and us a co-pay. Most days we have to wait an hour minimum to be seen for less then 5 minutes. He always comes in, says a few words, has his hand on the door like he is ready to run, and then does so shortly after saying hello. Today the actually visit wasn't much different, but the wait time was nothing. We were in and out of our 3:00 appointment by 3:10!! WOW, that has never happened there before. He did say that Aiden seems to have too much tissue in his upper lip, which is the best negative outcome one could ask for from the surgery. He doesn't want to touch it till we watch it for a while since sometimes that can correct itself as the repair heals. If we were to go in and correct it now then we could do more damage. We talked about the need for a good pediatric dentist to help prevent cavities early and the potential for a cosmetic surgery before school starts depending on the continued healing of his repair. Overall I don't feel it was all that necessary of a visit, but hey, Alexis got a sticker out of the whole deal.

We did get a chance to stop by his old orthodontist's office (Dr. Garcia, who did his NAM). We always love saying hello and letting her love all over him. She is now 7 months pregnant with her own little guy. She could not get over how big Aiden has gotten, nor the fact that he will be 1 in two weeks. And as always, she was super impressed with how well his cleft repair turned out. She took the time to show off Aiden to her students, and showed us pictures of the other little bilateral girl she did the NAM on after Aiden's was completed. I had seen some of the pictures already, but was super interested to see the after surgery pics. She looked great! Dr. Garcia does such an awesome job and is a major assett to the cleft team. And, if she mothers anything like she has cared for my kiddo as if he was her own, then 'little Eric' is very lucky to have her as his mom.

Not Me! Monday

Come join me on this free therapy Monday. Get comfy on the couch and get prepared to confess all the things we did not do this week. Then, head on over to MckMama's blog to read what other mommies are not doing.



I did not break the preschool rules and take Aiden with me to Alexis' class. I have not had the opportunity to work in Alexis' class because I always have Aiden. She reminds me of this often, which really tugs at my heart because I want more then anything to be involved in her class. So, I took my chances and just showed up to her class for her Valentine's Day party, baby in toe. I was not then approached by a snooty mom (mind you not the teacher) who was kindly rudely reminding me that the rules state no siblings are allowed. I did not then proceed to stick around regardless of the dirty looks I was getting. I did NOT want a repeat of the Halloween party where everyone got picked up early, leaving my little one there by herself since I couldn't be a part of the party.She was so jazzed to have me there and showed me everything she does during her school day.

She was not super proud of her Valentine's Day shoe box. She did a great job decorating it and really enjoyed getting lots of fun cards and treats from her friends. We are not now on sugar rations from the whole weekend.The kids and I did not enjoy going to story and craft time at the school, where they got to decorate these cool Valentine's picture frames. The frames are not still sitting on my bar waiting for a picture to be placed in them. Of course I promptly came home and put a picture in them so they could be displayed right away.

I am not super proud of my son making intermediate band that I immediately began calling everyone to brag share with them his accomplishment. And of course Aiden is not at all curious about the noises that come out of the end of that shiny thing.

I was not saddened by the fact that my husband forgot Valentine's Day and didn't even get me so much as a card. (**I am NOT, seriously, trying to make him feel guilty for this, I know that he works long and hard hours to provide for our family**) Andrew did not make up for this sadness by making me a homemade card when we got home from grandma and grandpa's house. He is my super sensitive guy and really seems to take after my dad, who always spoiled my mom.

Alexis did not make us all laugh at the grandparents' house when she had the following conversation with grandma:

Grandma: Are you J-E-A-L-O-U-S? Alexis: No, I am A-L-E-X-I-S

I am not happy that today is a non-school day since it is raining pretty hard right now. I do not enjoy sitting around with my kiddos, all of us in our jammies till noon, when it is yucky outside.

Alexis did not make me laugh really hard this morning when she woke up asking what we are suppose to do to celebrate Presidents' Day. She was hoping this celebration included exchanging gifts and getting more chocolates and candies. This girl has a one track mind, SWEETS!

HAPPY PRESIDENTS' DAY! Don't forget to stop on in at MckMama's blog to read what other moms are not doing. Better yet, join in the fun and have a free therapy session where you can download about all the things you have never done.

Our Valentine's Day

Well, our morning started off with a Valentine's breakfast, talking about "makin' bacon" and then got much more G rated after that. We had plans to go out to Dale's mom and dad's house to celebrate his mom's 75th birthday. After giving the kids their Valentine's gifts, we packed things up, and headed out the door. Dale's sisters and their families were suppose to be there as well but were either sick or snowed in so it was just us there. We went out to lunch at a place called Upper Crust Pizza. It was really good.
Andrew and Grandma must have called each other to plan their outfits.Aiden of course didn't eat any pizza, just his blanket. This is THE #1 best teething device in the world according to him.This is what happens when a 9 year old takes possession of the camera. You get silly, up close pictures of their noses on your memory card.Andrew was getting attacked by grandpa when he told him that he had been moved up to the intermediate band at school. We are SO proud of him. Only one other student was selected to move up. She is a 5th grader in second year band and Andrew is only a 4th grader in 1st year band. He now has the opportunity to learn more songs, participate in more practices, and of course be involved in extra performances that only the intermediate and advanced groups get to do.Alexis is always a little shy of Grandpa since they don't see each other often enough, but once she warms up things are all good.Aiden always misses his naps when we are at their house since he won't give in and go to sleep, afraid he is going to miss out on something fun and exciting. Instead, he took a little quiet time and snuggled on Grandma's lap during the movie Fireproof, which is a VERY good movie.Grandma had made her own cake, a yummy chocolate heart shaped cake. Alexis of course was her best friend from the moment she said cake. That girl loves her sweets.Aiden was intrigued by Grandpa's buttons on his shirt but didn't want to get too close at first. I really wish that the kiddos could see them more often so it didn't take so long to warm up each time we see them.Alexis and Aiden had a great time playing peek-a-boo and hide 'n seek around the footstool. Aiden was giggling so hard he would loose his balance. It is nice how he is getting old enough now to interact with the other kiddos and it warms my heart when she plays nicely with him instead of just being up in his face all the time. Grandma of course wanted to teach Aiden how to walk. He isn't ready for that yet but it doesn't hurt to try. Overall, we had a great day and really enjoyed our time with them. We are looking forward to having them at Aiden's birthday party in two weeks.
**Donna, if you want to save any of the photos to your computer you just have to click on the image. This will bring it up bigger in a new screen, and then you right click on the picture and pick Save As. if you have any cute pictures from your camera I would love to see them. Thanks for having us over to help celebrate your birthday.**

Me and My Hunny - Happy Valentine's Day!!

You and Your Spouse. This was a post going around facebook and I thought I would post mine here. Come on, play along - inquiring minds want to know! ;-)

♥ What are your middle names? Bennett and Renee ♥ How long have you been together? Married - 5 1/2 yrs, Together - 6 1/2 yrs, Friends - 10 1/2 yrs ♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? 4 yrs ♥ Who asked who out? There really wasn't any asking, more just a kiss that started it all off, initiated by Dale. ♥ How old are each of you? 39 and 32 ♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? mine ♥ Do you have any children together? Yes, two boys and one girl. ♥ What about pets? 1 dog that Dale says he doesn't like but acts otherwise. ♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? finances ♥ Did you go to the same school? No ♥ Are you from the same home town? Nope, Dale was from all over and I grew up solely in San Diego. ♥ Who is the smartest? We are both smart, just in different areas. ♥ Who is the most sensitive? Me, certain commercials can make me cry at times. ♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? eat out? that doesn't happen. ♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Ohio ♥ Who has the craziest exes? That is a toss up, probably me.♥ Who has the worst temper? I have a more vocal temper but Dale has a silent temper. ♥ Who does the cooking? We share - he does the grilling and I do the baking and stove top stuff. ♥ Who is more social? Me, I have to drag Dale into a social setting and then once he is there he is fine. ♥ Who is the neat-freak? no neat freaks here. Wish we were better at that. ♥ Who is the more stubborn? Dale ♥ Who hogs the bed? DALE!! I guess he is making up for when I was pregnant and told him that the bed had to split into thirds and I got two thirds of the bed since I was carrying his child. Now I am lucky if I don't fall off the bed at night since he is so dang close to me. ♥ Who wakes up earlier? Dale :( poor guy has to be up around 3:30 or 4:30 to get to work on time. (that is when I finally get to have my half of the bed) ♥ Where was your first date? Well, we met online and then our first official meet in person was at Olive Garden, but we were just meeting as friends, not a date. Our first date after he kissed me 4 years later? Can't remember. I am sure he will though, he has a knack for that stuff. I know we had gone for Chinese food the night that he kissed me becasue I was worried about my orange chicken breath. :) ♥ Who has the bigger family? Me, but we both come from large families. ♥ Do you get flowers often? Flowers, what are those? One would think he was allergic to them or something. ♥ How do you spend the holidays? We try and rotate Christmas and Thanksgiving depending on what is going on. We always spend Christmas Eve as a family. New Years Eve, 4th of July and Halloween are usually spent with my best friend, Jen and her family. ♥ Who is more jealous? Neither of us is really the jeaouls type, though I think he is jealous of the time I get to spend at home and I in turn am jealous of the time he gets away from the chaos of home. ♥ How long did it take to get serious? Well, by the time we started dating we knew we would be planning or wedding. When you take a leap from friendship after 4 years we both knew it was forever and not just a trial thing. Everyone on the outside thought we were already a married couple because we spent every evening and day off together. ♥ Who eats more? Looking at us you would think it is me, but Dal eats A LOT of food. ♥ Who does/ did the laundry?Me, but I am home the most so it is only fair that way. ♥ Who’s better with the computer? We both are pretty good at it!! I think we know different things!! ♥ Who drives when you are together? Dale, unless he is just too exhausted from driving all day and then I take over.

Makin' Bacon

The following conversation took place at the breakfast table this morning.

Me: Thanks hunny for makin' bacon.

Dale: There's one piece of bacon (pointing to Alexis), there's another piece of bacon (pointing at Aiden)... you get the point.

Me: HUNNY!! *blushing* Those aren't pieces of bacon, those are our children. And I really hope we have 'made bacon' more then three times.

Dale: Then those are the fruits of our labor bacon.

ENOUGH SAID!! Happy Valentine's Day.

I love all very much and thank each of you for the blessing that you are in my life.

Am I Raising the Biggest Bully?

Aiden has REALLY started getting aggressive. I can't tell if he is being a bully or if flailing his arms all over the place, hitting anyone and everyone, and creating chaos is just his only way of communicating. I noticed this happening in church nursery last week. I was the lead teacher and we had three kids in there. An 18 month old, and then a boy 2 weeks younger then Aiden (just turned one on Wed.) and Aiden. Aiden was going around hitting the other two kids. Seemed like he was happy and wasn't really pursuing what they had but it still made the other two kids upset when it happened. I redirected him and told him he had to be nice to his friends, but come on, let's face it, he is 11 months old and his ability to reason isn't there. So, this past week I have been watching him closer in this department. The poor dog runs away when Aiden gets going and has received the brunt of his beatings. Alexis has gotten clobbered a few times, not to mention my poor computer, the dvd player and any other electronics that don't stand a chance at getting away from him. He will hit your face when you are holding him and can get you pretty good if you aren't on guard. Even his babysitter said the other day that she had to raise her voice at him for the first time because he clocked her pretty good in the nose. Of course when you correct him he gets all poochie lipped for a few seconds and then returns to the hitting task at hand.

Am I raising the bully or is he just so excited and his hands happen to be the way he expresses himself. Any suggestions on what I can do to curb the hitting? or is this just something he needs to outgrow? I don't want the other moms at church to hesitate putting their kid in nursery just because my bruiser is in there.

Wordless Wednesday - The Box, The Crayon, The Tears

Ok, I try my hardest to be wordless, but for those of you who know me well, wordless is not really in my vocabulary (hunny, avoid the urge to say something here). So, here is my SEMI-wordless Wednesday with only captions.

Aiden was intrigued by something in the box and before he knew it he had fallen in. And of course being the caring Mommy that I am, I ran right over and scooped him up grabbed my camera to catch it all on film. The intriguing object in the box? A crayon.
Is it ok if I eat it mom?Did she just tell me no?Maybe the tears will help win her over.

I *Heart* Faces - Silly

She may be my wild child, free-spirited child, or crazy kid; but she is also very silly and funny to have around on rainy days for entertainment and of course a major ham whenever the camera is pulled out. Head on over to I *Heart* Faces to check out other silly faces.

Not Me! Monday

Here we are at Monday again. Don't forget to head on over to MckMama's blog to read what other women are not doing this week. Join in the fun, I hear there is a contest this week. And when MckMama does a contest it is usually grand in style.

I did not start this post on Sunday so I wouldn't forget to get it done in time to join in the contest.


I did not go crazy the past few days as we experienced rainshowers. This southern CA gal is of course totally prepared for rainy days with kids pent up in the house 24 hours of the day. I did not want to scream at the top of my lungs every time one of the kids told me they were bored and wanted to know what they could do next.


I did not start a new diet on Tues., only to regret that diet I did not start when it came time for my hot date on Friday night. I was not a good girl and found something nutritional on the menu to get instead of just blowing it all. Trust me that is a big deal for me.


I did not cheat on my plan to stay off the scale, only weighing in once a week, not just once, but several times this past week. I did not jump up and down and squeal like a little girl when the scale said that I had lost even more weight, even after my hot date meal.

I did not throughly enjoy my hot date with my hubby this past Friday night. This is seriously one of only a dozen or less dates we have been on. Not this year, but total from our entire time together. To say the least, dates are at a premium in our lives. I do not wish that my husband was more proactive at planning dates.


We did not get to the movie theater, only to find out that the movie was sold out and would not be shown again until it was too late for us. We have attempted to go to 5 movies in our time together, of which 3 we were not successful with. Guess we are just not meant to watch movies in the theater.

Instead of seeing a movie, we did not then go shopping for supplies for Aiden's first birthday party that is taking place in three weeks.

I have not gotten totally carried away with the whole frog theme to the point where I am now seeing frogs in my sleep.

Well, I am off to print froggie inviations and get the to-do-list updated. Don't forget to join in the fun over at MckMama's blog.

*HAD to add a new one this morning. My husband did not sleep with a princess comforter last night. And, as he was snuggling up with it he did not specifically tell me that this little bit of information better not make it on the blog. And of course being the obedient, loving wife that I am, I am not posting about it right now just wishing I had taken the time to take a picture of him not sleeping all cuddled up with Cinderella, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty. Wait, now I am getting jealous that he wasn't all snuggled up with me.

Someone Feed the Kid, Please

I just found Aiden with three pieces of DOG FOOD in his mouth!! Yuck! He was enjoying it as if it was a yummy baby biscuit. Either the baby food he eats doesn't taste much better or my son has VERY underdeveloped taste buds. No kisses from me!

Sometimes You Get More Then You Bargain For

Aiden has started this new thing with kissing. If you make the noise he will generally kiss back. If you pucker your lips he will usually pucker up, lean in and give you a kiss. If you are holding him and he wildly flaps his arms and hits you (happens often), then he will lean and kiss it to make it all better. Well, those lovely kisses now have a suprise in them. He was leaning in for a kiss and then right before our lips touched he slipped his little tongue out. Come on kid!! Where did you learn that? Not exactly what I call endearing. Since he got a reaction from it, now that is all he wants to do. The little lizard won't give me a regular kiss anymore, he has to try and slip the tongue in there with every opportunity given. Hopefully this is just a tongue phase and not a life long problem of kisses with a last minute suprise.

Wordless Wednesday

Statistics Show....

Statistics show that babies with fevers over 102... blah blah blah


Statistics show that humidifiers in a room..... blah blah blah


Statistics show that a baby's cough.... blah blah blah


Statistics show that tylenol...... blah blah blah


STATISTICS SHOW THAT KEEPING A MOM WAITING TWO AND HALF HOURS FOR HER SON TO BE SEEN AT URGENT CARE IS ABSURD!!!!



Last night I took Aiden to the after hours extended care because not only was he coughing like crazy, had a fever for 4 nights in a row that was over 102, but then he started to leak fluid from his left ear. So, after dropping off the other kiddos and my hubby at the condo, Aiden and I made the trek to urgent care. Upon checking in I was told that we were 7th in line. Didn't seem too bad at the time. Here I was with Aiden all bundled up in his faux Mobi wrap to not only keep him comfortable but mainly to minimize exposure to everyone elses' sick germs. Slowly the patients in front of us are called back one by one. Aiden was not tolerating anything that day and just wanted to be rocked and walked. By this point he was burning up and struggling to catch his breath with each coughing fit. Did this jump us to the front of the line? Of course not! And actually they got things a little out of order and took a few others ahead of us (and no it wasn't because their sickness were more severe, the lady admitted she messed up). So now we are no longer 7th but 9th in this LONG line.

Once we finally got called back 2 and half hours later, I was less then pleased with the speech I received from the doctor, as if he was reading from his medical journals the entire time. He looked briefly at Aiden and then responded with something about statistics not being significant enough to prove that a fever over 102 does harm to a baby in any way and that statistically tylenol is not necessary and is only 'prescribed' for our comforts and not to eliminate the fever. When I asked if I should be using a humidifier at night to break up the cough I got some statistical study thrown at me again saying there was no change in the group that did use compared to the group that did not. He went on to say that a baby's cough can not be interpretted accurately according to statistics and that we must base our diagnosis on other factors. BLAH BLAH BLAH!! I know my baby's wheezing is a sign of an asthma attack. This isn't my first rodeo, I have two other kiddos with asthma and home nebulizer machines. His oxygen levels supported the asthma fact, being only 89%. But, did he give him a breathing treatment? NOPE! He simply told me to take him home and if it would make me feel better then I could give him some prednisone to open his airways. "Oh, and by the way, here is a prescription for an antibotic to just tuck away for when you might need it in the future." Statistically, isn't it bad to over medicate with antibiotics since the body builds up resistance to being treated? Just wish I had some medical journal statistics to quote back at him.

Needless to say I was not pleased with his visit and have called to have him seen again later this week by his regular pediatrician.

Not Me! Monday

Here we are at another weekly installment of "Not Me!" Monday, a time were we can confess all the things we did not do this week. If you want to read what other moms are not doing then head on over to Mckmama's blog for some free therapy and plenty of laughs.

*I did not drive the kids to school 4 out of the 5 days last week because I was too lazy to walk them through the condo complex and across the street (yes, it is literally that close). Granted one of those days I was subbing at the school and one other day it was drizzling a little. See I am still justifying my laziness. I need to break that bad habit and get those tennis shoes back on more consistently.

*I did not spend three nights this past week getting up multiple times during the night to check my little guy's temperature, only to find that it was spiking at 102 degrees almost every time. He did not then proceed to have a normal temp all day long. What's up with that? Night time temperatures only. Hmmmm

*I am not starting to plan Aiden's 1st birthday party already since he turns 11 months tomorrow. Why is that they have the cutest little girl stuff but I can't seem to find what I want for my adorable little guy? I am thinking about just making up my own stuff. Frogs maybe. "Hop on over to a TOADily unFROGettable party!!" That might need a little more thought. I am also not toadily thinking about asking Darcy if she will consider making a frog cake for my little guy. She has made some cute stuff and we are lucky enough to live pretty close to her. :)

*We did not successfully make it through the pink eyed monster with only one kiddo having it. We adverted the monster spreading with constant washing and fear of the (nonexsistent) shot that would follow if she caught it.

*I did not thoroughly enjoy the E*trade Super Bowl commercial with the babies 'talking.' I think those are SO funny. I did NOT (seriously) enjoy the Go Daddy commercials!! Thankfully the kids were occupied with playing in their rooms or enjoying the food in the kitchen. Why? That's all I have to say about that.

*And lastly, my husband does not think I have toadily lost my mind this past week. Or, maybe he has always thought that but has just come to the point of verbalizing it.

Tomorrow's the Big Day

Tomorrow will be a bittersweet day. I will be handing over the keys to the house and walking down the driveway for the last time. This is the house I spent hours at while Dale and I were just friends. This is the house where I received my first kiss from Dale on June 8, 2002, which officially started our lives together. This is the house that I moved into in 2003 when we got married. This is the house that I brought Alexis home to when she was born in 2004. This is the house I gave birth in to Aiden in March of 2008. This is the house filled with many memories.

But in the same breath, there are many more memories to be made no matter where we live. So, I see this as a blessing. A chance to move forward in life and not look backwards.

Here is to many future memories no matter where life takes us.