Lucky Me

Well, hello there.

I am here once again to brag about my life and my kids, because they are both great you know.

It is 8:03am on a Saturday morning, and I feel as if I should still be in bed, but I am not. I woke up with a headache, but hopefully after a little light exercising and a cup of coffee that will fade, if not theres always Tylenol.

I was sitting on my front porch drinking my cup of coffee, watching the monitor, waiting for Norah to move, wake, cry, when like a wave, peace, contentment, and happiness came over me, and I smiled.

I have days yes, where I would rather claim someone else's life, but most of the time I am perfectly fine with my own. I am thankful for so many things.

 I love my husband. I mean really love him, lol. He gets me. Even when I am crazy, complicated, and don't make any sense at all, he still knows exactly how to handle "me". He loves me no matter what. I love that I can count on him. If I am having a bad day, I can call Jerry at work, and he will listen, or talk me down. He is supportive, and understanding almost always. I love that I can go to him with a problem, or ask him for help, and he hears me, and tries to help me more. I know I am loved by him in so many ways, but the most special and important way right now, is that he is my rock, my friend, my father, my debate partner, my lover, the father of my wonderful children, and my husband. He is my support, he knows what I need emotionally and he does his best to fill that need, he knows I need security, and he tries his best to make sure I feel secure in every way. I feel so lucky, so blessed, so chosen, to have my Jerry. Jerry and I were brought together by a force greater than us, and I am so grateful that he was put in my life path. Thank you Jerry, for being the man of my dreams.

I am thankful for my two beautiful children. I can not imagine my life without them.

Norah is so full of life. She amazes me in every way. I have so many hopes for her for her life. She is interested in everything. She loves to be outside, and right now her favorite thing outside is bugs! She loves rollie-pollie's! She laughs and claps and squeals at the bugs, and points and says "Bu", "Bu" for bug. Norah wakes up happy everyday, she smiles, and laughs, and loves on me. There is nothing better than the love from a child, and nothing better than waking up with her every day.

Patrick is my fantasy child. I love how he pretends...constantly. He changes clothes 10 times a day, and pretends he is someone different with each outfit change. He is usually eager to help with anything, and can be easily persuaded to do my bidding, (being picking up after himself). Patrick is, without a doubt, the best big brother ever. He is so good with Norah, and helps me with her so much. He is so sweet, and loving, and I feel so lucky to have him as one of my children.

I don't know how it works, but sometimes I feel like my kids chose me for a reason, and that we all deserve each other. I have so many good hopes and dreams for my children and family. I love them so much, and they are all my favorites.

My climber!

Norah is climbing, everything!

Yesterday she was climbing on to Patrick's bed. The day before she was climbing into this little red chair, and later in the evening Jerry watched her climb onto the coffee table, lol. She is trying to climb anything and everything. Patrick did not do this until later, and honestly I am a little freaked out that she is already doing this. She is so small, and not walking yet. Anyway, here she is at lunch the other day, she climbed into the red chair, and she was so proud of herself, she was clapping, and squealing, and was just boasting with pride, lol. Thats my girl!

My Kiddo's

I can not imagine my life without my kids.

Patrick is the best big brother ever, and I know as the two get older, he will be there to protect, pick on, and love his little sister.

I always wished I had a big brother, I was the oldest.

I love it that my daughter has a big brother, to lead, to comfort, and entertain her.

Patrick has always been more serious, a thinker, than care free, and that is okay, that is who he is. But occasionally, and more frequently now that he is older, I can get him to show me his silly side, and he loves to.

My kids really like each other, and I love that. They get along most days, and play well together. Now that Norah is a little bigger, they can roll around in the floor together. Norah thinks that everything her big brother does, is the absolute coolest and funniest thing ever. Patrick loves to make her laugh and giggle, and when she is in a good mood, it's not hard to do.

Every time we go anywhere, people make comments about how much Patrick and Norah look alike. I know they do, but sometimes I can't help but think they say that because of their ears, lol.

I love my kids to death, with all of my heart. Yes, we have days where everyone is cranky and we don't get along so well, but who doesn't? They bring me so much joy. They make my heart happy. They make me feel alive. And I would not trade them for anything. I mean it! They entertain the crap out of me, and each one of them does something everyday that makes me smile, or that makes me proud. I think have have really great kids, and thank God for them all of the time.

There has been "controversy" in the media this week about the taboo question of parenting. Are parents actually happy? Do children make you happy?

I really have been surprised by what I have heard lately. I imagine I will blog about it at another time and share my thoughts on the subject. But for now.........will leave it alone.

All about Norah

Tonight will be a late night. Norah's evening nap went a little late today, and now at 11pm she is still revved up and going, going, gone, lol.


I thought that since it is just her and I this evening, that I would blog about her. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my baby girl?


She is something else. I have never met a child like her, and she is so different from Patrick in every way.
Norah, always wakes up Happy!  I love co-sleeping with her, it brings me great joy. Jerry is gone in the mornings most of the time when I get up, but I always have a sweet, smiling face greeting me each morning. There truly is no better way to start off the day.


Norah loves to make funny sounds, and thinks she has some kind of gift, she takes great pride and joy in the discovery of a new sound she can make with her mouth.


I love how excited she gets about everyday things. She will laugh and giggle over nothing.


She loves to clap, and dance, and she loves music. We have one of those leap frog refrigerator magnet things, lol, and if you put a letter or number in it tells you what it is, and if you press the red button, it sings the ABC's. Norah loves to press that little red button, and she moves her mouth and sings like she is singing the abc's right along with it. It is so cute watching her prepare herself, and she just can't wait to start clapping along.


Norah has learned to stand alone, and claps for herself.


Tonight Jerry got out of the shower, I has holding Norah on one hip, and I came up behind Jerry to rub his neck, and head, and to love on him. She watched, and then she turned towards me, and took both hands and started stroking my head, gently, from the top, all the way down. She is not even 1 years old, but she fully understood that I was loving on Jerry, and then turned to show me the same form of affection. She is so small, but constantly taking in everything, learning, thinking, growing. It astonishes me every single day.


I put my bedroom wall mirror in the living room floor today, and as I sat at my laptop in the kitchen, checking my facebook page for the third or fourth time during the day, I caught Norah making faces at herself and fake crying, watching her reflection. It was something really neat to watch. I already thought she was a pro with the fake crying and her faces, but apparently they needed some fine tuning.


Norah is full of life. She loves to snuggle, and she loves to roll around in the covers. She is strong, and sensitive. She is perfect, and I love her so much. I adore her personality, and her mannerisms. I like her a lot, and I think she likes me to :) She will forever be my baby girl, and I will never, ever stop being her mommy.

BUBBALou Bands Giveaway

I had to blog about this giveaway on another blog. It increases my chances to win, lol. I am all up for free stuff. As some of you know, I have been trying to kreep my way into photography, and I am specializing in pregnancy and newborns. On of these would be perfect for my newborn photography, and even absolutely adorable on my baby girl

So her it is.

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My little Piggy

Norah loves me playing "This little piggy" with her toes.

Norah, being Norah, lol. She is exploring everything, crawling or standing. She is walking while holding on to everything. She has been doing laps around the coffee table. For the last two weeks she has been letting go, and standing on her own. Of course she is not standing long, she gets so excited and proud of herself that she starts clapping and then falls, lol. She is way cute, at least I think so. :)

It appears that Norah has Blue eyes. I have been in denial for a while I suppose, believing they would be green like Patrick's, but hers are so light, with a dark ring around the outside. Some days they seem kinda green, so I guess they may he labeled as a hazel. In any event, they are stunning, and everywhere we go, her eyes are the first thing people comment about.

Norah is going on 11 months old. I can not believe how fast the time goes by. It is almost supernatural.

Norah waves and says Hi. She is also doing Hi5's which I think are supper cute. She is saying mama and dada, she shakes her head yes and no when you ask her a question as well. I have begun teaching her baby sign language and she seems to get a kick out of me making all of the signs to her when I am talking.

Norah loves music, and she claps and dances.

Norah loves the pool, and she got a kick out of the fireworks show.

Tae-kwon-do

Patrick has been to two classes so far. He loves it.

Patrick is in Little Dragons, for ages 5-7.

They start out class by doing some warm up exercises like jumping jacks, sit ups, toe touches and jump roping. Then they move on to learning their stances, arm movements and kicks. He is

really loving it. Here are a few pictures of his first class.

Aa-The very beginning of our Home-school adventure

We are starting our homeschooling. Patrick turned 5 in June, and as soon as we hit the end of August he is required to go to school.

Some may think, especially with all of the other things I do with the kids, that I am just as crazy as they thought, lol, but I have my reasons.

We have decided to home-school for the following reasons.

a)Patrick is not vaccinated, he had reactions to the first two sets, therefore, we did not finish his vaccinations and we would be indefinitely harassed for this decision when having Patrick in the public school system. We can get a waver, however, the school system treats parents like criminals and the children as if they were diseased in situations like this.

b)The school system here sucks.

The last years review of the public school system, and the academic rating was some of the lowest in the country. Out of 13 schools in Clovis, I believe that

10 failed to meet all of the requirements. The schools here are underfunded, under staffed, and frankly I know I can teach my child more, and more efficiently than the school system can.

c) Kindergarten is now all day. ALL DAY! From 8-3. That is 7 hours away from your child. I have known three sets of parents who have pulled their children from kindergarten for multiple reasons. Their complaints were that it was too long, the children were irritable and exhausted at the end of the day, the teachers were isolating, and humiliating their children, and one parent

compared the kindergarten to a prison camp for children. No talking, expectations beyond 5 year old capabilities, and only one recess for the entire 7 hours.

d)And lastly, the Attachment Parenting mother in me just won't allow it. Patrick is a sweet, sensitive, highly gifted child, and I know, without a doubt he would be crushed, and humiliated, and guided into the same little box with all of the other children. There is no "unique", there is no

"individuality". Patrick is highly imaginative, and I know that this would be stomped out of him, his desire to create, to learn, to ask questions and get answers. As an ap parent my job has been to protect my child from things that may hurt him, and his spirit and curiosity would most

defiantly be in jeopardy in the school system. I am a stay at home mother, and my dedication is to my children, my job does not stop at age 5, where I can ship him off for 7 hours. At the cost of

what? No thank you.

So we are homeschooling. He can learn more from me, how he needs to, how he learns, at his pace. We will be joining a home-school co-op so that we can be involved with other children, activities, field trips and sports should he choose to be involved. We just started him in Tae-kwon-do, and he is loving the socializing and activity. The homeschooling laws here seem pretty easy. I have to register our home-school each year, and I have to file a vaccination exemption form once a year. Then just keep all of his work, calendar, and info in a file should the state choose to come in and check our progress.

Patrick is excited to start, and we have been, "unofficially" doing some home-school already. He is excited to be learning his letters and his name among other things. Here are a few example of some of the things we have been doing.

Every day we are learning the days of the week, and the order they go in. We also check the weather and change it for each day.

For our first week, we are focusing on the letter Aa. Each day we do something different. We talk about A through the day, we rhyme A, we find A wherever we are, we sound out A,

and do activities that start with the letter A, or eat food that starts with the letter A.

Patrick has been learning to write the letter A, and his own name. It will take practice and time, but he will get it. I am so proud of his efforts.

And we read a story about the letter we are working on. He loves the little stories about each letter so far.