I'M A GENIUS!!

Alright, so I don't mean to brag...but truly, it took a genius to fix this dumb blog!! My sidebar had somehow gotten down to the bottom of the page of my blog and not let you go through to older posts. Anyway, it made me not want to update anything until I got it fixed. SO...I started learning a little html coding...and I FIGURED IT OUT!!! There were some extra letters in a couple of the picture codes that made them too wide or something so it kicked the other stuff to the bottom.

WOO HOO!!!

soo...needless to say...pictures from the past few months are coming!
(Circus included just for you Jess!)

Playing Catch Up

In an effort to update my blog, I'm enlisting the list...in picture form for your viewing pleasure. My life in 30 snapshots or less.

My man turned 32...which...until November makes our ages exactly reversed. I don't know how I feel about that...I'll try not to think about it...


I planted a ghetto garden in our tiny backyard...



Planted: snap peas, green beans, cucumber, cantaloupe, butternut squash, tomato, tomatillo, strawberries and boysenberries. It made for some back breaking work but it'll soon be worth it!


We went to a great Air Show where we got to sit in a jet! As I climbed up the ladder the pilot greeted me by saying, "Hi! Welcome to my office!" I think I could get used to that life!! Thanks Landon and Tasha for letting us tag along.





I visited my favorite sister where we laid in the sun, hit the Bob Jones trail, walked farmer's market, cooked and baked, roasted marshmallows at the beach and shredded. Sadly we were having too much fun to take many pictures...






that last picture is our genius windbreaker, and though it looks a little redneck, it worked like a charm...until the wind shifted that is...

Brian and I went to Muir Woods where we enjoyed a Friday walking around the cool bay area. The huge red woods were incredible. We wandered up a trail that claimed it led to a view of the ocean, but as we neared the top, we just saw the highway we came in on and realized we could see whatever the view was from our car...turned around and went back down. After over an hour of sweating and walking up what felt like a million steps, I regret not finishing what we started.





I tended, watered, weeded, exterminated, picked, pruned, and enjoyed! My ghetto garden has turned into a respectable one! I'm so proud!





The snap peas have been growing like crazy and they taste as sweet as candy!


We attempted a family camping trip. We called it a "trial run" to see if it would be a fun way to vacation as a family. It ended up being just a few of us with a relaxing day spent bundled up in 40 degree weather continuously stoking the fire we were huddled around. Ice House truly was ICY! We made some fun memories and will definitely retry the "trial run" after working out some kinks (like how not to chop wood with a horse shoe stake causing you to borrow your neighbor's splitter, breaking the splitter and taking a road trip to find a hardware store to replace said splitter). We ended the trip early to thaw out in the hot tub and learned how to work it at garage sales.









On the not so happy news front, two of my favorite people moved away; back to their Oklahoma roots. These young women doubled our miamaid class and added endless laughter and love. You two can't ever be replaced!



After finishing MANY unfinished craft projects, I needed a new hobby. Thanks to my parents, I've fallen in love with bike riding. I admit, I'm amateur as my bike is proof, but I really enjoy it. I've practically begged, borrowed and stolen to custom-make this beauty. I'm borrowing my brother's mountain bike that's two sizes too big, slapped on some road tires, decapitated my beach cruiser to use the cozy seat, jimmy-rigged an Ipod (also borrowed) to the handle bars and inherited my dad's 1980's bike gloves complete with beige netting. I'm sure I'm the bud of many jokes made by the passing swarms of speed racers in spandex but our recent excursions around Folsom Lake have been so much fun!



The latest and greatest news is my new baby nephew. I saw him for the first time today. What a tiny little cutie!

**This man previously pictured inside mama's tummy in the air show pics. Grateful to see you made it here safe and sound.

uh oh.....

It's finally happened.

I've developed one of my husbands quirks!!!

After 4 1/2 years of marriage I guess it was bound to happen at some point. But last night I was coming home from dinner with Brian's family and it happened. I was listening to some old school Cold Play really loud and I did it.

I began tapping my thumb on the gear shift!

It might not seem like a big deal to some of you, but I always make fun of my man when he does this. It's not like the kind of tapping along that most people do. It's full blown "I think I'm the drummer carrying the tempo of this song" tapping. And seriously...it was like I was watching his hand, only it was attached to my body!! AHHH!! I laughed at myself, and then felt bad that I would always give him such a hard time..but you try to NOT tap to Cold Play's "Politik!" (I told you it was old school.) It's nearly impossible.

Cookbook Chaos

Okay, so I really am going to be better about posting on my blog. The last few weeks I have been glued to the computer, and obviously not enhancing THIS at all, but stuck typing recipes into some website for our girls' camp fundraiser. That's right! For all you poor souls doing girls camp, a cookbook is the way to go. (Note to self:...and all of you:....DELEGATE!) I've practically camped out in my computer room for the past 3 weeks typing recipes, checking out formats, typing more recipes, proofing recipes, typing more recipes....I even moved a fluffy chair in front of the computer to save my derriere for becoming eternally flat! It was quite a bit of work, but I'm totally stoked about them now! Almost 350 recipes strong and all are delicious! As I typed them in, I kept thinking...mmm, that looks yummy....ooooo, I've GOT to try that one! The young women seem excited about it too, we're going to have a contest to see who can sell the most cookbooks, and they win a fancy duffel bag to go to camp with! It'll be good, but man, this president thing is kinda wearing me out...I'll be excited when the books are here and SOLD!
So, anyway, that's where I've been the last little while...right here...typing away. At least I'm a quick typist or it would have been MURDER getting it all done!


oh, and don't be surprised when I hit you all up to buy one of our snazzy creations to help my fabulous ladies! They're the best!



here's what the cover will look like, but our title is "Favorite Family Recipes" and then in the corner, "Mather Ward 2009." Fancy...I know, what can I say?

I LOVE HER!

Alright, so I'm smitten with my newest niece Rylee Ann! Is she not the cutest thing you've ever seen?!?

Shhh...it's a secret!

Alright, people will be mad at me for sharing the secret location of our favorite hot spot but seriously, you have to check out this park! It's in a Gold River neighborhood and not very well known because there aren't ever very many people there...but this 3-story slide it way too much fun! It's better than a ride at the state fair! (and no fear of it crumbling to pieces on you half-way down) I feel a little silly wanting to go there just Brian and I, but it's that fun. (and if you bring towels to sit on, you go even faster...only something Ryan would think up!)



(thanks Michelle, I stole this picture from you!)

Testing.....

Testing....1...2....testing...do my fingers still work??

Wowsers, it's been a while....and a whirlwind for that matter...but I'm back, with big things in mind, so stay tuned.

My New Favorite Things...

This song is so cool--I bought the music but it's been a work in progress...Thanks Jessica for teaching me about this guy's website!


This is the most fun music book! It's just piano solos of beautiful melodies that are quick to learn and sound great!


We got these bags at the store a couple weeks ago and I HAD to have it! It doesn't go with a lot but the colors were so cute I couldn't resist. :)


Isn't this the cutest flannel? My grandma found out about this fabric store online and I bought this piece for the perfect baby blanket. I'm excited to start working on it.


My new favorite shoes! I'm not really a name dropper, but I found these Michael Kors shoes at Ross for $14.99--originally $160! That's 93% off! They were such a great deal that I just picked them up and bought them! I didn't wear them for awhile and now I wear them every chance I get--totally cute and the most comfy heels I've had in a long time!

Toothache...

This weekend was a blast. My Aunt and Uncle came to town to visit and we hung out with them and my cute cousins and played games, colored and just plain ol' relaxed. It was very nice. Well, Monday rolled around and I started getting a toothache. It was a little bizarre. The last time I remember my mouth aching was when my wisdom teeth started growing in. At first I figured that's what the problem was is that it was just continuing to grow and maybe bugging another tooth. Well, by Wednesday is was unbearable. A great diet tool because I didn't want to, and couldn't eat hardly anything, but other than that it was pretty miserable. I called the dentist to make an appointment and they could get me in Thursday (yesterday) or next Thursday--(I would have gone insane waiting that long!) The only problem was that I couldn't get out of work because my dad was out of town. So, Brian graciously stepped in to go to the store in the morning and would head off to his job when I got back, so yesterday I headed up to the dentist.
Of all of the professionals that are allowed to poke and prod, the dentist is my least nerve racking. I still get a little antsy, but nothing compared to the rest of the medical world. So I got there and told him what the problem was a he took an x-ray...He then said the only problem could see right off would be my wisdom tooth and that he could 'extract' it if I wanted. HOLY COW! I was not prepared for that. I was thinking he'd refer me to an oral surgeon and give me something for the pain while I waited. I didn't even think dentists took out wisdom teeth anymore. I asked if I could go to the restroom first, so I composed myself and came back ready for the 'extraction.' Which, by the way, I think they should have code words instead of these awful ones. Extraction sounds terribly painful...if he called it 'cotton candy' instead, even though he's doing the same thing, I don't think it would psych people out as much.
So he gave me the usual q-tip with ambesol and let it sit while he prepared the shot. (you may want to stop reading if you get queasy..) In my head I was thinking, "I can't believe I'm losing a tooth today.." Usually when something like that happens you have a couple days at least to think about it...rather than the couple seconds I had. So, the normal cheek wiggle and two quick shots on the outside and then, the most painful think I've felt in a while, he stuck a shot in the roof of my mouth! I actually let out a little squeal of pain, and I consider myself pretty tough. Wowsers. He did tell me though that's the best his arsenal had so I guess the worst was over, right? The only thing really keeping me going was knowing that a friend of mine had been induced the same morning and if she could have a baby, I could get a lousy tooth pulled. So I got all brave and numb and the dentist came back in. He did a small filling first being as I was numb and then began the 'cotton candy.' See, doesn't that sound better... I can honestly say it was the weirdest feeling in the world. There was intense pressure, but no pain. ewww...I'll spare you the details, but lets just say I'm all for the quick band-aid rip rather than the slow go which is what I got on my tooth. And word to the wise, close your eyes so you can't see the shiny tools being used. Anyway, it was like 2 minutes and then done. He went over how I needed to take care of it the next few days and then I was off. Well, not really. I went to go pay and get an appointment for my teeth cleaning and I felt so dizzy. I figured it's because I didn't eat breakfast and then like a water pitcher, I felt the blood pour out of my face. I asked the lady if I should feel a little dizzy and she grabbed me and sat me down. I don't recall walking but all of a sudden my head was between my knees and I was on the couch. THAT was fun. So I sat there for a few minutes and then the dentist took me back and told me to lay down for awhile. The problem was that I had gone alone (i didn't think I would have a tooth pulled) and my dentist is in Placerville. (trust me, when you find a good one, you'll make the drive..) So, he told me to stay awhile so I would be okay to drive home. After about 20 minutes I hopped in the car and headed home. What a morning! I stopped by Costco to pick up my prescription and I'm sure I looked like a wreck. I had gauze still in my mouth and the numbness was wearing off, so each step I took rang in my mouth. The pharmacy gal looked at me like I'd just come back from the dead...
Anyway, yesterday was pretty bad, but today I'm feeling much better. I'm still sore, but nothing like it was. I do find the whole thing a little ironic though that I went in with a toothache and came out with a whole MOUTH-ache!

such a cute box for such scary procedure...and I know, that tooth is disgusting, but I couldn't believe how enormous is was!!

Long Beach: Episode 2: All Alone...

Some of you recall the first episode of "Long" Long Beach with my momma and the security search and the plane ride and the barf bag and the 'Wicked' adventure...Quite the experience. Anyway, my bro and his wife needed help again with Sam-Sam during their busy time and I was crazy enough to do it. (Secretly I was hoping I could get my mom to come again, but business was a little rough.)
SO, I got all my courage up and packed my things in the car and began the adventure. Yes, I drove this time--even though I HATE to drive, especially alone, but I hate throwing up even more, so I was okay with the white knuckles rather than the nauseated stomach. Well, it started off alright--I drove down the day before labor day, so a Sunday, and thanks to Austin's IPOD I had plenty of 'church music' to keep me occupied. About an hour after I hopped onto the 5 I was really sick of driving and I still had 4 HOURS TO GO!! Ugh...The worst part was that I have a hard time keeping my speed steady, I would just follow the car in front of me, but there were a lot of cops out on the road so we would be going along and then all of a sudden, everyone would slam on their brakes. In fact, I started to count cops to keep myself entertained. Well, I stopped at 14 because it started getting depressing. I don't think I've ever seen double digit cops in one month's time, let alone ONE DAY! The good part was that I never saw one driving, they were all pulled over with victims looking sad in their seats. heh...I decided I should just set the cruise at like 82ish and not worry about them. Only one problem: I didn't know how to work the cruise in my car. I've only had this car a little over a year and haven't been on a trip ever in it, we've always taken Brian's more roomy car. Well, with gas prices as high as they are--(well, were on labor day weekend), my little Jetta would have to do. I looked all around for a 'cruise' button or switch and after turning on my windshield wipers, flashing my brights, spraying my windshield, and trying every other switch on the dash, I FINALLY figured it out. Whew...the car in front of me must have thought I was insane! Turns out it was on a wand right behind the bar in my steering wheel so it was well hidden. The rest of the drive was alright...boring, but okay--until I got onto the 405. Man, I've hated being a passenger on that freeway since I was a little kid, and have only driven it like twice before, once when I was an invincible 18 year old and once at night when it was quiet, so it was quite the white knuckle drive. The cars are going like 85 miles an hours and following behind each other by 6 feet! The crazy part is that they aren't just clunker bumper cars, they're $80,000 mercedes, bmw's, and I even saw 2 bentleys. CRAZY! Needless to say, I was happy when I finally got to Long Beach. My fingers needed a rest. :)
The week with Samuel was filled with fun...and lots of tears...his AND mine! On Monday I felt quite confident that I could help him form the habit of falling asleep in his crib rather than the car, but 12:30 rolled around and the munchkin was tired! I read him a story and plopped him in his crib...well, lets just say I gave up on that idea and we went for a car ride. ;) Sorry guys, but that's a battle I'm not patient enough to fight. I did get VERY familiar with the roads down there--no freeways of course--but I had a nice little half-hour and hour loop depending on how stubborn Sam-Sam was feeling for nap and bedtime. I do have to say, there aren't very many places I've been in the world, but the SoCal coast is one of the prettiest places in my book. From about Huntington down to Laguna, it's just GORGEOUS! There's nothing more perfect to me than 75 degrees and the wind, and the sand and the sound of crashing waves. Ahh...it makes me miss it.
Anyway, apart from anything related to sleeping, Samuel was a fun guy to be around, exhausting, but fun. And super smart! It was great to watch him little mind soak everything in. We read lots of books, played cars a lot, went to the park and the beach, waded in the pool, went shopping and fed the ducks a few times. Well, twice we fed the ducks...The first time he had a BLAST and there was a park close to their house so we went there and he would just say "quack quack" and laugh and clap and a couple times clocked the ducks in the head while throwing them bread. I put him up on a picnic table because there were some geese as big as him and I remember being little and deathly afraid of the big white ones. (they still make me a little nervous). So the second time it was hot and shaded picnic tables were all full so I decided we could be brave and feed the ducks on the ground...At first there were just little guys and Samuel was loving it! Then out of nowhere a swarm of both ducks and geese came over to get in on the food action. They started making me nervous so I helped throw some food farther away from us to keep a safe distance and then I felt a pinch on my leg! Not a light pinch either. A GOOSE BIT ME! Not a little goose either. He came up to my waste and got me bad! I think he was a baby ostrich. I totally screamed--one from the shock and two because IT HURT! He came in for another bite and I didn't know what to do so I kicked him! Yeah I know, I'm not proud of it but I was terrified! And I must have hurt him because the squawking got louder and weirder. I grabbed Samuel and ran for the car! He started crying because I'm sure my screaming scared him too. Whew, that was the end of the duck park.
We also had a lot of fun at the grocery store. I know how hard these Loooong bookstore days can be so I wanted to make the bookies this yummy Indian dish I just discovered. I was a little nervous to go with him because I didn't really know how he would react if he saw something he had to have and I didn't get it for him. It turned out just fine. In fact, it was pretty entertaining. I'd hand him whatever it was we were buying and he'd turn around and launch it into the back of the cart then he'd clap for himself with a huge grin on his face. It was cute. He even got some stickers from the check stand man. Score!
I don't really know what other entertainment to share with you since it's been almost a month since I've been down there, but I'm ready to go back. Sorry guys, not to watch Samuel, but to visit DISNEYLAND!! We were sooo close to it but there was no way I would take him by myself, just because I would be too sad paying for a ticket and not getting to ride all the fun rides. :) Soon....

Okay, I totally don't know what he's doing here, but it was so funny I had to record it. He would make funny noises with his mouth and fingers and if you did it back to him he would just laugh and laugh and laugh!


Having Fun at the Beach!


What's in the bucket?


Alright, this is an awful picture of me, but his face says it all...