Winter Joys

Larry, Joey and I decided one fine sunny day to head on up the hill for a little fun in the snow.  We each got bundled up and into the truck and began our journey.  This year I got smarter and packed a 2nd set of clothes for each of us "just in case".  We drove just north of Pollock Pines and found a great place to play.

We started off with a few sled runs down the BIG hill, a little scary at first, but more fun with each run.  Then we progressed to the action portion of our day with a snowball fight or two.  Joey wasn't so great at making them, but he was a champ when it came to throwing them.  I'd build him up an arsenal so that we could "get" Daddy only to have my little guy do sneak attacks on me, his loving Mommy.  I know that's hard for some of you to believe but its the truth (lol).

When we tired of our fight (or at least when Daddy and I got tired) we moved on to building a new friend for Joe.  We lucked in to finding a couple of already rolled snowballs that we just had to add on to and before you know it had the body of our snowman put together.  Then Larry and Joey rolled the last one out together for his head and got him assembled.  We went hunting for items we could use for his facial features and arms and before you could say winter wonderland we had ourselves our very own frosty the snowman.  Note to self for next year... bring a carrot, some buttons, raisins, and outerwear to finish off the finer points of Frosty.  Larry and I even managed to get a photo of us taken with Frosty by Joey himself.  He's becoming quite the little photographer thanks to his birthday present of a camera from his Uncle Chuck and Aunt Kelli.

Before we left we decided to take a couple of more sledding runs but on the smaller hill this time.  We huffed and puffed our way up and laughed our way all the way down.  When we got back to the car we stripped out of our outer layers and discovered the boys had stayed fairly dry while I somehow had gotten soaked all the way through so I headed in to the ladies room to get on my dry clothes and then we were on our way again towards home with a quick stop at Carls Junior for a late lunch.

It was an awesome day and I'm already looking forward to repeating this tradition next year.

My Little Prince

Joey and I were just having an ordinary day, one like so many before it, and decided to have a Playdoh day.  We built hamburgers and pizza, snails and snakes, and of course a crown for my little prince.  Isn't he just the sweetest thing?  I'm sure in the years to come he'll be kissing his fair share of princesses but right now all his hugs and kisses are for his mommy and that's just the way I like it.

My Little Skater Dude

Larry's Birthday Bash

Well it's another year past and another year older for my hubby and of course he had to have a party too (lol).  This year he selected Dave & Busters for dinner and fun.  We celebrated with his family as well as our very good friends, Paul and Jackie.  There were so many of us that we had to take over one super long table and a big round one.  We all had some pretty delicious eats and drinks and then lost our shirts playing arcade games.  Joey had a blast playing shoot em' up games with his daddy and Uncle Chuck.  And Joey kicked my behind in a motorcycle race... I kept crashing into the walls.  I guess the deck is going to be stacked against me on this one and he'll be riding along side his daddy in no time at all.

We went in and put in our table request at 7:30 and didn't get seated until almost 9:00.  They don't take reservations at D&B's unless you have a party of 20 or more and then you have a preset buffet to choose from which is not what we wanted, so we waited and waited and waited but in the long run it was worth it.  Larry's parents and sister only stayed for dinner as they rode on over together and Elsa needed to get home and into bed.  Mary was sweet and offered to take Joey home with them but Larry said he really wanted Joey to stay and celebrate with him and so he did.  Chuck, Kelli, Jackie, Paul, Larry, Joey and I stayed until about 1:30 and I must admit I enjoyed myself a lot which I didn't think I would.  For me though the joy came in watching everyone enjoying themselves, though I did have fun playing the games with Joey.  He loved everything about the place just like his Daddy does, but then again Larry is just a big ol' kid himself.

So another birthday celebrated and I'm sure another one be planned for next year at least in Larry's mind.  Who knows, maybe next year I'll get the birthday fever and plan a big ol' party for myself.

Joey's 3rd Birthday

Boy am I ever behind in my blogging.  Joey's birthday has come and gone and now he's a BIG boy at the ripe ol' age of 3.  We had a couple of different celebrations this year.  The first one was a superhero playdate with my Cradles to Crayons mom's group.  There were about a dozen mom's there and twice that many kids.  It was a lot of fun.  Crystal made the Spiderman cake for me and Joey and Elsa went dressed up as Spiderman and Spidergirl respectively.  They looked so cute.  We had several Spidermans as it turned out plus a firefighter in the mix.  He got all kinds of great presents and they all had a lot of fun just playing at the park.  I think the highlight of this celebration though had to be the pinata.  Let me tell you those kids are dangerous when you put a big stick in their hands.  The great part was that everyone got a turn (3 hits each) and the pinata wasn't broken open until we were on our second go around with the kids.  It was so much fun I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, me or the kids.

His second birthday celebration was the weekend after his actual birthday and it was with all our family and our five closest friends and their kids.  We went with a pirate theme since that has been Joey's big passion this past year and all of the kids, and some of the adults, came dressed for the occasion.  We had it at the pavillion park on the North side of Rancho Murieta which turned out to be a good thing since of course it had to rain on the one day that I planned an outside function.  The pavillion was large enough to accomodate all our guests, the tables, chairs, food and games for the kids.  Though I must say the rain did not detour the kids at all from playing at the park as they didn't care if they got wet or not.

Larry did the majority of the cooking, smoking and then barbecuing ribs, plus we had all kinds of sides, soda, beer and juice.  I ended up going with cupcakes this time around simply because it was easier to do.

Joey loved this party and wanted to have another one the following weekend.  He didn't quite "get" that you only get one birthday a year.  And he had so much fun with his friends and cousins and loved being the center of attention... and getting all the presents.  Larry and I got him a skateboard that he'd been asking for for the last six months, along with some other small treasures.  He loved everything he got though and of course wanted to play with it all as soon as we got back home.

It's funny because each year I say I'm going to do something smaller, more intimate the next year and instead we keep going bigger and bigger with our celebrations.  I'm just so enthralled with my little man that I want to give him the world and to make sure that all of his childhood memories are something to be remembered.  So again, when we wrapped up this party I was saying again that next year was going to be smaller in scale and yet I find myself already teeming with new ideas for next year.  I just can't seem to help myself.

So for all of you who celebrated with us, and/or sent him birthday wishes, we thank you for making it his best birthday yet.

Color My Patio Fun

The other day we had a play date for my mom's group at my good friend Sam's... no small thing considering she's 36 weeks pregnant and has been on restriced movement for 16 of those weeks.  We had about 9 mom's in all and about 16 kids.

We tried a new painting technique (cornstarch, water, food coloring) that didn't work quite as well as we hoped but the kids still gave it their best shot.  They also got to play on the playground equipment in her backyard and run through the sprinklers.  It was about a gazillion degrees outside, or maybe I just felt like it was thanks to my hot flashes.  We were there from 9 to 1, and then everyone but me went home and I hung out with Sam til 4:30.

I tried to be helpful and fixed everyone sandwiches for lunch.  Sam has two kids, Gracie who's 4 and Ethan who's 2.  After lunch we put Ethan down, and then Gracie and Joe read books together and watched a video and then headed back outside to play some more.  I wish I had there energy.

I tried to get Sam to lay down but she refused and instead stayed up and we chatted.  She's one of the nicest women I know and just really down to earth.  I feel blessed to have her, and her family, in my life.

When it was time for us to go Joey didn't want to leave.  He kept telling me he just wanted to stay at Sam's and play with Gracie until it was dark.  They are so cute together.  Gracie is like a little mom, telling the boys what to do and what they can and can't play with... but in a nice way.

All in all we had a great time.

My Little Picasso

I set Joey up to paint the other day and then went to work on something else.  When I came back instead of painting just on the paper I provided Joey had decided to paint himself.  I had to use a q-tip to get all the paint out of his nose.  Too funny.

Ahhh The Joys of Childhood

I baked a cake last week for the family, chocolate with chocolate frosting.  And yes before you ask, I did get distracted and burnt the edges.  Mom and Larry said it was fine, but I could taste the burnt after effects.  Having said that, it still didn't go to waste as Mom, Larry and Joey still loved it.

Anyway Joey got to help me mix the batter and pour it in the pan.  Then once I put it in the oven to bake, he kept coming back to me every few minutes, "Is it done yet, mom?".  He must have did this 20 times... I guess I should have listened to him and maybe my cake wouldn't have burnt.

When I took it out he was anxious to frost it right away and I had to explain to him that it had to cool before we could frost it.  He didn't understand and kept asking why.  Why and No are his two favorite words these days.  Even when you answer his why question, he just proceeds to ask why to whatever answer you gave him and this can go on and on until finally, exasperated, I'll end up saying "because mommy said so".  I'm always so disappointed in myself when I hear that come out of my mouth.

Finally the cake was cool enough and Joey and I opened the can of chocolate fudge frosting and began spreading it on the cake.  Joey is getting good at spreading as he's begun helping to make his own sandwiches at lunch and loves spreading the peanut butter, jelly, mayonaisse, etc.  When we'd cover the cake completely I scooped the rest of the frosting out with the spatular and let him have at it.  He loved it.  I loved watching him.  Before he was done he had frosting all over his mouth and looked like he had a mustache just like his daddy.

The joys of childhood can be found in the simplest things.  So can the joys of mommyhood.

Wonderful Weekend = Making Memories

I am in awe of how a simple day can turn into one of my favorite memories.  This past weekend was a bunch of ordinary moments shared with family who have become friends and because of this fact I am sure they will be some of my, and Joey's, favorite memories.

On Friday Larry had the day off as a special way to recognize and reward him for all his hard work at Delta Dental.  We had planned to get up early and head down to the Marin Headlands for some beach time but as the old saying goes "We make plans and God laughs".  I just had no energy.  I kept lollygaggin' and Larry slept in some and before we knew it the clock showed Noon.  We decided to stay local and went out to lunch at Rubio's which is one of my favorites, but then again I don't think I've ever met a Mexican restaurant that I haven't liked.  After we had made complete pigs of ourselves we headed to down town Sacramento to have some fun at Funderland, a kiddy museum.  I had prepurchased all-ride tickets at 60% off some time before so this outing would practically cost us nil.

Joey got so excited when he realized where we were going and started to rattle off the list of rides he wanted to go on and in what order.  He started with the planes, and had to ride twice, then we all went on this circular coaster, and of course we had to go twice.  He and Daddy rode the Dragon coaster next, only once around on that, and Joey didn't look like he was liking it much at all but Larry had a huge smile on his face.  He dreams of the day that he and Joey can go ride the big coasters at Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm.  I hope he doesn't end up being disappointed if Joey's enthusiasm for today's roller coaster was any indication.  Then Joey rode the Octopus ride and we all loaded up for a ride around the park on the small train.  And boy is it small - I thought Larry and I getting on and off it was going to flip that tiny sucker right over.  After our ride we went on the teacups, all three of us in one and Larry proceeded to spin us so fast I thought I was going to lose all that lovely Mexican food.  Next time I think I'll make him go in his own teacup while Joey and I spin at a more reasonable pace.

Wanting to let my food settle back down I suggested the boys take a ride on the log flume by themselves while I found a bathroom and then got a sprite for us all to share.  Of course I had to get a cotton candy too.  Who would believe that any child of mine would not just love cotton candy as much as him Momma, but mine doesn't.  I think he doesn't like it because it sticks to your fingers.  Oh well, more for me (and yes I did go back for a second one before we left the park for the day).

Larry and I each took turns riding the antique cars with Joey.  He just loves to be the one to "drive" the car and get to turn the steering wheels this way and that.  His smile went from ear to ear.  We decided to end our day on that high note, but then Joey begged to be allowed to go on the planes just one more time.  One turned in to two, two into three and then we began to notice that he was no longer really flying his plane but had begun to nod off.  I guess it really was time to head home.

On the way out we went buy the horse corral and let Joey pick a pony to ride - he chose Rocky.  Daddy walked him along the circular paddock, shaded by towering trees, the sunlight catching the red highlights in Joey's hair.  It made my heart happy to watch my two boys engaging in an age old pastime.  I asked him if he wanted to go around one more time and of course he said yes so this time I took him.  We walked a while, and trotted some, but Joey preferred just amblin' along.

The whole day couldn't have been a better memory in the making.

The next day we met up with Larry's family at the lake and had another wonderful outing.  We all just brought a little of this and a little of that to share and had ourselves a nice little picnic on the hillside overlooking the lake.  Then we took Joey and Elsa down to the lake to play.  They are both such water babies.  Before I knew it, Kelli, Dad, and I had all joined them in the water even though we were fully clothed.  The water was the perfect temperature and so clear.  We swam out to the float and taught the kids how to climb up the ladder and jump off into our arms.  So long as you stayed mostly under the water it was perfect, but once you stood up and felt the cool breeze blowing across your skin you'd start to shake.  Joey and Elsa played so hard in the water, splashing each other and chasing Mary along the shore line trying to push her in.  When Joe's shivers got to be to much we decided enough water was had by all and headed back up the hill to dry off.

I had brought kiddy versions of horseshoes and lawn croquet, as well as some bocce balls, and the kids had fun playing with them all even not if meant in the order they should be played.  It amazes me how kids this young can be so competitive with one another, trying to throw the farthest or collecting the most balls.

We all had some more snacks and then decided it was time for a nap so we all packed up the gear and headed for home - or almost.  I was the last one to take leave of the park and wouldn't you know it my key would not turn in the ignition.  I tried everything, turning the wheel, pushing on the brake but to no avail.  Luckily for me there were other folks around and one gentleman was nice enough to let me use his phone to call Dad to come to the rescue.  He couldn't get it to start either, but at least we had a way to get home.  This morning Larry went over, sprayed a little WD40 in the ignition, tapped it a couple of times will a ball ping hammer and voila it worked.

All in all, the day was so nice that even if we'd had to walk home it wouldn't have put a real damper on it for me.  I just love making memories with my family.  I'll post photo's as soon as I get copies from Dad.

Salmonella Scare

It sure has been a tough couple of weeks.  Joey came down with stomach pains and a lot of poops and I do mean ALOT.  Plus he had fevers of 104-105 so we took him to Urgent Care Ped's and the doctor just told us that he thought it was a stomach virus that's going around and to keep monitoring him and give him lots of Pedialite so that's what we did... he didn't get any better.  After a few days I called his own Ped's Nurse Practioner and got him in the same day.  She said she'd never heard such an active stomache before and ordered some stool sample tests.  We got back the one for giardia and general parasites - he was all clear.  We put him on the BRAW diet which consists of bananna's, rice, applesauce (unsweetened) and white foods like bread, plain yogurt, etc.  He seemed to improve a bit but still complained of stomache pains and was still having the poops just not near as frequently.

After 12 days we ventured out to a play date.  I mean he hadn't had any high fevers for ten days and his tests had come back negative so I thought we were good to go, that he wasn't contagious any longer.  We headed over to the library for storytime and to check out some books.  We hooked up with about five mom's from my playgroup and their kiddo's.  We lasted about half way through storytime before Joey got to cranky to sit still and so we left and headed over to visit my pregnant friend Sam who's on restricted duty.  Her Mother-in-Law was at the library with her kids for storytime too.  Sam and I had a nice visit for about an hour while Joey played in her kids playroom and then we headed home.

Here is where the other shoe drops... I opened my mail to find results for one more test - Salmonella, and Joey was positive for it. Sh*t, literally.  I called Sam to make sure she didn't touch the diaper I had put in her garbage and to tell Eric to wash his hands after he'd taken out the garbage.  I also had to put up a message on our group message board to let the other mom's know what was going on.  I felt like an idiot exposing their kids to his germs but I honestly thought all the tests were in and we were good to go.

After researching it a little more and talking to Kaiser's Advice Nurse I discovered that he wasn't really contagious anymore at least not in a casual way.  The only way to pass it along is if they come into contact with Joey's fecal matter and don't wash their hands and then touch either their mouth or eyes.  So that meant pretty much that Larry and I were the only ones to have to worry about catching it since we're the ones who change his diapers.  Unfortunately I'm at the highest risk since I have a chronic health conditiona and because I take opiates on a daily basis.

I'd been keeping both his and my hands clean so I felt pretty safe with the practices we'd put into place as soon as he got sick.  Were down to about two poopy diapers a day, and his appetite is starting to come back so I think we're well on our way to recovery.  He only complains that his tummy hurts once in a while so hopefully things are beginning to settle down in there.  Still I think I'll keep him home for a few more days just to be on the safe side.

The real bummer about all this, well after Joey feeling so crappy, is that we were well on our way with regard to potty training and now I'm going to have to begin the process all over again.  So frustrating.

All we have is today

That's how I'm feeling today.  What's past is past and we are not guaranteed tomorrow so we should make the most of today since it is the only thing we truly have. Over the past few days my family has been blindsighted by the death of Jeff's brother Curt.  Don't ask me what happened, or where we all went wrong, it's still just a ball of confusion that's all knotted up.

Curt was an easy going guy, very easy to like.  He could eat so much food you wouldn't begin to believe how much unless you saw it for yourself.  Yes he was like all the Atkinson boys/men when it came to food.  He was polite, especially to my mom and always trying to be helpful.  His life hadn't been easy and wasn't getting any easier, but he was trying and I think that's all you can ask of any man.

My cousin, CJ, is in the middle of all the mess surrounding his Dad's death and I'm not sure any of us will ever know the real truth.  What is it they say... "There's your side, my side, and the real truth".  All I know is CJ is hurting, and we are hurting with and for him.

Our family is sad and our hearts ache for Jeff and Crystal's loss, and for CJ's trouble, and that Curt was robbed of his future whatever that may have been.  I can only hope that some good will come out of this loss and that my families hearts will heal, if not today then tomorrow or the day after.

Curt wherever you are I hope you are finally at peace, having a great meal with people that you love and who love you right back.

Firsts

We've had quite a few firsts today.  Started trying to potty train Joey today, so far two accidents and one success. He ran out and told me, "I peed in the toilet - YIPPEE I get to go to school". I'm probably the only mom in the universe who bribes her kid with getting to go to school as soon as he's toilet trained (lol).  I've tried a couple of times in the past but in all honesty it was a half hearted effort.  Today I decided this is just it and am having him be naked until he gets the concept down even if it takes the next few days.  I'm bribing him with organic lollipops when he's successful and the goal of going to school when he gets to be a big boy and can go potty all by himself.

He also made his own sandwich for lunch today.  I put some turkey, a slice of cheese, two pieces of bread on a cutting board and together we spread the Miracle Whip, then he took over putting on the turkey and cheese and then putting a lid on it (the 2nd piece of bread).  I cut it in half for him and he is now chowing down.  Maybe this is the secret to getting him to eat... let him make his own meals.

I can't believe how fast he's growing up, becoming so independent.  Dressing takes a lot longer now because he wants to do it himself, and can't really figure it out, and so what should take a minute or two at most takes more like 15 until he finally asks for some help.  I don't know how the mom's who have several children ever get anything done... I bow down to their mastery.

4th of July Fun

Wow did we ever have a great 4th of July this year.  We started our day off with a pancake breakfast put on by the Kiwannis Club.  They had a nice band playing background music, a yummy breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee and orange juice and good conversation.

Then Crystal and Jeff came over later in the afternoon and we spent several hours soaking up some sun in the pool.  Larry cooked up a bunch of pork ribs, corn on the cob, store bought potato salad, and watermelon.  Joey our little chef in the making took it upon himself to shuck all the corn and did a darn good job of it.  I only had to pull of the silk threads that he left behind.

Then later that evening we headed back over to the north side so that Joey could play in the park while we listened to the DJ.  Thought it was going to be a live band again, but it was still nice if a little loud.  Aunty Crystal and Joey took a spin under the gazebo and Daddy taught Joey how to moon walk.  It was too cute.

After a while we headed on over to our blankets and settled in with chips, soda and a beer or two to await the fireworks.  Larry always manages to snag just the perfect spot for viewing and this year was no different.  We were located directly underneath where they were going off, and were all wowed.  Joey was a little scared at first, but once I got his earplugs in and he settled in my lap, he really got into it, calling out the colors for everyone's enjoyment.  Of course almost everything to him was either orange, red or purple, regardless of the actual color, so he got quite a few chuckles from those sitting around us.  At the end of the night he'd crawled out of my lap and layed flat out on top of Daddy, to enjoy the finale.

Crystal and Jeff hadn't taken in a firework display like this in over ten years so they really enjoyed it and already told me they were planning on coming out again next year.  Who knows, we might have just started another family tradition.

Mom didn't join in the firworks with us as depending how crowded it is, and how far away we'd have to park, it can be quite a trek to our blanket.  She did however take a chair out to the end of the walk in front of our house and was able to not only see the majority of the RM fireworks, but also the displays that our many neighbors put on.

All in all, we had a lot fun.

Fish Boy

I swear my boy is going to grow fins he spends so much time in the pool these days.  Daddy has him already able to swim the length of our pool all on his own without any floatation devices.  I'll be honest and say that I did not think his teaching style was going to work, it sounded like he was torturing him out there on most days, but all his efforts have paid off.  We still put him in his vest to begin with and let him play and such for the first hour but then he wants out of it, and he swims and jumps off the steps all by himself.  He's so amazing to watch.  I know you people are all thinking, "She's biased.  She's his mom, she has to feel that way and say those things", but seriously he really is amazing.

And my niece, Elsa, she came over yesterday after her swim lesson and hung out in the pool with Joey as well.  She's really got her kicking down and the ability to go round and round in an inter tube.  I bet in a few more weeks she'll be swimming like a little fish too.  Everything Joey does she tries to imitate.  They really look like your typical California kids - all blonde hair and tan lines.

Lazy Days are the Best

Today was one of those low energy, do nothing kind of days.  I didn't even get dressed until after Noon.  Crystal and Jeff came over, Larry cooked up a passel of ribs while I threw together a pasta salad and opened up some canned fruit.  Joey took a 3-hour nap which is unheard of these days, and then we all just lazed around eating and floating in the pool.

It turned out to be a really nice low key day.

Peddle Power

Joey actually peddled his tricycle for the first time yesterday.  It was a bit of a battle at first as he likes to just push it with his feet on the ground, but once we helped him by strapping his feet onto the peddles and utilizing the handle on the back of the trike to push it while he steered and tried to get his feet into some kind of a rhythm we moved along pretty good.

We've decided we'll just practice with him a little each evening until he learns to do it all by himself. I can't wait til he can actually do it all by himself because then he and I can ride along together. 

My Water Boy

Daddy took Joey in the big pool with him last night and Joey did just awesome.  He had a life vest on, but he insisted on swimming by himself from one end to the other.  He did the dog paddle and used his legs to kick.  He maneuvered pretty well, only getting a few mouthfuls of water.  The pool was only 74 so it was kind of cold, at least it felt cold to me, but he didn't seem to care at all.

We kept asking him if he wanted to get out and these were some of his responses:

"I'm enjoying being in the big pool"

"No, I like swimming"

"NOOOOO"

When we asked him if he was getting cold, we got the same exact response.  After a while I made him get out cause you could see him physically shaking.  Had to make Daddy get out too, just to be fair.  They looked so cute in the pool swimming together.  Can't wait til it gets a little warmer so that I can join them in the fun.  I'm sure Grandma feels the same way.

Crystal's Spa Boutique

My sister finally got back posession of her dog grooming shop in Pollock Pines albeit without any of the furnishings.  The lady who had been buying the business - Sherone,  defaulted on everything including paying her rent to the property owner and got evicted this past Tuesday after much back and forth and a couple of trips to through the court system.  She opened up shop directly across the street with all of Crystal's equipment plus all the personal stuff that my sister had put into the shop such as photo's and plants and such.

I have to give credit to my sister because she has taken the high road throughout the whole process doing everything by the book while I'm sure deep down she'd just have liked to beat the snot out of Sherone.  I know I would have.

She, Jeff and Jeff's nephew Earl went up on Saturday and tore out all the bad water board around the tubs and the rotten steps and then spend the rest of the day installing new water board while Crystal began cleaning the shop.  It was a filthy mess.  We were going to have a painting party but she decided to skip that for now and just washed down the walls.

Mom and I drove up yesterday and brought her a little fridge, a table and two chairs and a rug for the reception area plus we purchased her a couple of beautiful potted plants.  All combined it made the front of the shop very welcoming.

All she has to do to complete her business application is to get the fire department to sign off on Tuesday morning and then she's good to go.  She's already got five appointments scheduled for Tuesday.  While we were up there people kept stopping by to see what was going on and were so happy and excited to see that my sister was coming back.  The majority of past clients didn't have anything complimentary to say about Sharone or the way she ran the business.  I have a feeling that that young lady is going to be in for a rude awakening when Crystal really gets up and running, because even without her shop cards with all her past clients information, I think they will find there way back to my sister.

Anyway sis, congratulations and good luck.

Birthdays

We celebrated this weekend with Elsa who was turning 3 and Pop Pop who turned 60.  On Saturday we headed over to Elsa's for a playdate party with the birthday girl and a handful of her friends.  The kids got to do bubbles, draw with chalk, ride tricycles and play on the playset and climbing bars.  Mary provided lunch, PB&J, 1/2 bananna and fruit chews for the kids and sandwiches and chips  for the parents.  It was supposed to go from 11:30 to 1:30 but the kids were having such a great time playing together that Joey and I didn't get home until almost 3:30.

On Sunday we had a dual family birthday party to celebrate both of their birthdays.  We had finger foods, presents and cake with ice cream and of course the kids (and us adults) played more bubbles.  It was a really nice get together.  They both made out like bandits and I think liked all the different gifts they received.

COOKIES!

Joey and I made chocolate chip cookies this morning thanks to Grandma.  She had bought the premade dough the other day, and Joey and I rolled it into balls.  Since he's become a master playdough ball maker, he had it down in a jiffy turning out perfectly round balls which he placed on the cookie sheet and then immediately smashed down into a pancake, thus making us have to do the process all over again.  He only dropped one ball on the floor so we still managed to get 24 cookies out of the package.  Now they're baking away and Joey is learning just how long 14 minutes truly is as he's waiting in anticipation to be able to pick out exactly the cookie that he wants to eat.

What fun, huh?  We're definately going to have to do this again in the near future.

Pool Time

Well Larry bit the bullet tonight and tested out our pool... 78 degrees on the surface and probably more like 70 in the deeper recesses.  Joey got in and skinny dipped along the first and second steps... this boy really loves his water.  He kept asking if his friends could come over and swim in his water and I of course said yes and then we had to go through a list of his friends that would get to come.  Elsa?  Yes.  Gracie?  Yes.  Sandr?  Yes and on and on.

Then while Daddy continued to do his laps Joey decided he needed to pee pee so he got out.  However he didn't tell me he had to go to the bathroom and my first inkling was when I felt the warm water hitting my back.  I hollered to Larry that, "Your son is peeing on me" and Larry started to yell at him while I started to laugh.  He stopped his stream the instant Larry raised his voice but as soon as he heard me laughing he let it go and finished... on me.  Needless to say we had to have a talk about not only not peeing in the pool, but that it wasn't acceptable to pee on people either.

The whole thing was a little surreal, but it did provide some comic relief.  What can I say, that's my boy.

Mother's Day

I had such a lovely Mother's Day yesterday.  It started out with Joey crawling in bed with us to cuddle... love that, then Larry got up to cook sausages and bacon to take to brunch at his sister's house.  All of his family was there and it was a mini feast.  We had belgian waffles with nuts, three kinds of berries and fresh whipped cream.  Mary had made this wonderful frittata that was really delicious, plus muffins, cinnamon rolls and mimosa's.  I got lots of cards, flowers and a belgian waffler maker like they use in the restaurants.

Then we came back home and Larry got cooking for our own family BBQ.  He made ribs, and tri tips, grilled asparagus and corn on the cobb.  Crystal brought homeade potato salad and a fabulous ice box lemon cake that was probably the best lemon cake I have ever tasted.  We just hung out, cooking and chatting and despite the occasional rain had a really nice time.

I must admit I wasn't the best host as I snuck out of my own party to try to catch a cat nap for an hour.  When I got up Crystal and Larry had cleaned up all the mess and I was left with a clean kitchen and dining area, as well as the rest of the house being tidy as Larry had picked it all up the night before.

I ended the day babysitting for my good friend JoAnna so she and her hubby could go out to dinner and catch a musical performance.  I had the best time hanging with her three boys, ages 8, 5 and 4.  We watched a movie, and had gun fights... three against one and I got the gun that didn't have any bullets but it was still a lot of fun.

All in all it was a really nice day and I enjoyed spending the time with all my family.  I appreciated how Larry took charge and I didn't have to do practically anything... it was a really nice gift.

Date Night

Larry and I took a little time for ourselves last Friday and planned, and actually executed, a date night... I can't even tell you the last time we did this.  We dropped Joey off with Grammie and Pop Pop around 3:00 and lucky little guy that he is not only did he have his grandparents to play with, but his cousin Elsa too.  Knowing he was in capable hands allowed us to head out for some couple time without having to worry at all about his well being.

We drove into El Dorado Hills since that's where the Regal Cinema is and since I had pre-bought tickets at Costco for that theatre.  We decided to see How to Train your Dragon (which Larry and Joey had already seen but Larry said he wouldn't mind seeing it again).  Our show didn't start for over an hour, so we moseyed on over to the adjacent restaurants and decided to get a bite for dinner.  We chose this lovely little Mexican cantina that neither of us had been to before and actually got to sit out on the enclosed terrace.  It was really lovely.  I had fish tacos that reminded me of the ones we'd had in Mexico and Larry had the Tamales.  Neither of us could completely finish our plates the portions were so generous.

It was really nice to be able to just sit down and have a conversation with my husband without any interruptions for a change.  We got to talk about his school, what's been going on at his job, my plans for my two mom's group, Joey of course and just life in general.  It was a really sweet time.

Then we headed over to the movies and got to sit in the dark together, holding hands and watch the 3-D love story... I teased Larry afterwards that it was the perfect movie for us as it was animated and in 3-D for him and had a love story in the mix for me.  We both really liked it alot and might just have to add it to our movie collection.

After the movie we headed back home to pick up Joey and had an opportunity to hang out with his parents for a little while, which also was very nice.  When we got there Joey was all cuddled up on the couch with Grammie, under a lap comforter, reading together.  It was so sweet.  We are both so gratefull that Joey gets to have special time with all of his grandparents.  I know I still treasure the time I got to spend with my grandparents, especially Grandma Hill, and am happy to know that Joey will have those kinds of memories too.

All in all it was a very successful date night and I'm looking forward to the next one... I was smart enough to buy a few movie tickets (lol).

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Yesterday Joey and I headed out to Hagen Park to meet up with some of our friends for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.  There were six of us moms and nine kids altogether and we had a really nice time hanging out in the glorious sunshine.

The kids got to do bubbles, play on the playground (the swings being the big hit of the day), play emergency spy games, build mounds with their shovels and buckets out of the tanbark and last but not least, break open the pinata.  It was a string pinata so no bats were involved, but the kids loved taking turns pulling the strings and even after the special string was pulled that released the candy, they still wanted to continue pulling the strings until there were none left attached.  The candy and toys rained down on the ground and it was so cute to watch them want to dive in and get some but each unsure if they were "allowed" so they held back until all us moms hollered "go for it, get some goodies".  It was interesting to watch what they all picked.  Joey went for the suckers and some gum (which I made him put back since he likes to swallow it), then sweeties, and last a boucy ball.  Later it was sweet to watch him offer up his bounty to some of the other kids without any prompting from anyone else.

As for me, I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in quite a while and the opportunity to catch up on what everyone else had been up to.  It was nice to swap stories, share parenting oops and get some sound advice from others who had been exactly where I am now.  I'm so fortunate to have my mommy groups and to be able to create the friendships that I have.

Gardening with Grandma

Today was so perfect outside, a light wind, around 70 degrees at 10:00 in the morning, and Joey and Grandma spent the time together in the backyard gardening.  It was so cute to watch the two of them together, digging in the planters, placing the plants we'd bought over the weekend.  A lilly, some geraniums, an african daisy, plus some alyssium.  It really will add just the right touch of spring to our otherwise green backyard.

I even got my hands a little dirty as I helped finish off the planting when mom was ready for a break.  Joey's favorite part of course was digging in the dirt, moving it from one container to another, and basically spilling have of what he was shoveling onto the patio. 

In the end, we all ended up having a nice morning, got a little dirty in the process and built up our appetites for a hearty lunch.  A picture perfect day.

Making the most of the funky weather

This weather has been giving us fits... sunny one moment, hailing the next.  I never seem to be able to follow through on our play dates and Joe gets plumb stir crazy.  So last week I decided to make the most of it and when it was sunny, he got to swim in his baby pool.  Playing with his boats and his water can - basically having a splish splashing blast. 

When it was raining, I put him in his raincoat and boots and let him have puddle play once the worst of the storm had passed.  As it turned out it was Thursday, garbage day in our neck of the woods, and our neighbors cans made the perfect dam to create quite a deep puddle so Joey could stomp and splash until to his hearts content.  He even got to run through another neighbors sprinklers since they were going off.

I decided if I can't beat the weather, then we might as well make the most of it.  Joey seemed to agree as he had a blast with the assortment of playtime activities we came up with.

Pet Groomer Extraordinaire

Boy did my sister save my bacon today.  We've been infested once again with the flea virus and so she flea dipped both cats, blew  and combed them out while at the same time bathing and conditioning our dog, and combing out the bunnies winter coat as well.  And let us not forget all the nails... 16 nails clipped to a more manageable length and all done with a smile.

While we were at the shop grooming, or should I say while Crystal was grooming, mom and Joey stayed at Crystal's place so that we could bomb the house and get the infestation under control on all levels.  Larry got home at 2:30 just when we'd finished up with the animals and aired the house out so it would be safe for the rest of us to inhabit once again.

While Crystal was on a roll, she also trimmed up mom's hair and it turned out looking much better.  It had gotten quite long and mom was having to roll it every time she wanted to look presentable.

Did I mention that my sister is the best groomer around?  If not, then let me say it again, Crystal your the BEST!

Time is slipping by so fast

Been a while since I last blogged and since then we've celebrated Easter, been on quite a few park play dates, and celebrated four birthdays... luckily they were combined in one party.  It was a lot of fun, 60's themed, all peace and love and lots of bubbles for the kids (and us adults if we're being honest).

I've been just too run down to feel much like doing anything, even typing.  I'm trying to switch that up and get more active; just bought a beachcomber bicycle and am hoping to work myself up to nice meandering rides along the paved bike trail that's out here in Rancho Murieta and that runs along the river.  Larry, Joe and I are starting to do family days in the park on Sunday afternoons.  This past Sunday was our first and we took a kite, bubbles and big wands, some chalk and had a blast.  By the time we wound up our day, we had over a dozen kids blowing bubbles with us and taking turns flying the kite.  It was one of the best days ever.

Larry's taken the cover off the pool, and our pool guy has begun to get it back under normal levels.  In a couple of weeks we'll put the solar cover on and heat it up so we can begin swimming in it.  I know mom, Joey and Larry are looking really forward to that.  I'm looking forward to it too, but don't use it as much as them since I like it to be at least 80 degrees.  Plus I'm looking forward to all the BBQ's we have with family and friends during the nicer weather, the fresh corn from Sloughouse, and all the other fresh produce that comes out of Davis Ranch just down the road from us.

Daffodil Hill in the Spring

A couple of weeks ago we ventured up the hill to the town of Volcano to experience the phenomenom called Daffodil Hill.  It was started many years ago by a simply farmer/ranchers wife who began her journey by planting a few bulbs.  Each year she added more, separated others until she had more than 300,000 bulbs planted.  As they emerge in the spring for their short life span it is like a river of gold flowing down the hillside, and fortunately for us the owners of the ranch as it stands today, have been kind enough to share it with the public.

Larry, Joe, myself along with Mary and Else made the trip, with picnic lunch in tow.  It took us just under an hour to get there and when we did, there were a lot of other folks with the same idea.  Although there were many people present it didn't feel overcrowded.

We had dressed Joey and Elsa in the Easter outfits and were going to attempt to take some photo's.  I still haven't seen the end result, so am not sure if we got any good ones or not, but my optimism says we did especially in light of how many pictures we took.

The kids had a ball running up and down the paths, flirting with the mostly senior population in the area.  Once we had sufficiently seen all the blooms on display we made our way down to the picnic grove for our lunch.  We had simple fair - sandwiches, chips, cookies and soda pop and juice boxes.  It made for a nice picnic.

After we finished we gathered our stuff and meandered over to the meadow to take a short siesta in the sun.  It made for a wonderful outing for one and all and it was great to get a chance to hang out with Mary and Elsa.

As soon as I get copies of the photo's I'll post a couple for your viewing pleasure.

Pacific Grove = Relaxation

Larry, Joey and I were the guests of my inlaws at a house they rented in Pacific Grove the second week off March.  It was literally right across the street from the ocean, and only a one block walk to a beach... it was perfect.  Joey got to spend some quality time with his grandparents and had a blast with them.

We spent one day at the beach building sand castles and checking out the tidepools.  Pop Pop was an expert at locating starfish and other crusty crustaceans on the sands floor... but then again he was raised just a few miles down the road in the city of Marina so he's had years of practice.

Another day we ventured over to the Dennis the Menace park which was fun for all of us.  They have a full size locomotive engine (which Joey was bummed would not move), and tons of innovative slides, bridges and tunnels.  Joey had us go back a couple of more times while we were there because he loved it so much.

We had intended to go to the Aquarium but because Joe was having an off day decided it wouldn't be pleasureable for any of us to go, especially at $30 a pop.  Instead we took him to the MY Museum which was created with kids in mind.  They had an actual ambulance inside with a dummy that you could gtive CPR, a farmers market, a lagoon with a boat in it, a small version of a golf course, and so much more.  Totally worth the $7 per adult to go - kids get in for free with an accompanying adult.

We checked out Fisherman's Wharf and ate at one of the local restaurants - seafood was yummy.  We also got to walk around the cannery and do a little shopping which was nice.

On our last night there Larry's parents watched Joey so that Larry and I could go out for a romantic dinner on our own.  We decided on Lattitudes which overlooks the bluff and was only about eight houses down from where we were staying.  It made for the perfect ending to a perfect mini vacation.

Thanks so much Mom and Dad for havings us, we had a great time and it made for some wonderful family memories.

Splish Splash Joe's having a BLAST

Yep it's all about splashing these days.  In the puddles, in his sandbox that has become a pond with all the rain... anywhere he can find half an inch of water he's jumping in it and making a splash.  We just got him some new rain boots and he wants to wear them all the time.  I think he believes if he has them on then it will rain.

We spent two hours playing in the backyard the other day... well me reading, and him playing.  He played with his boats, trucks, spiderman... all in his sandbox which now has a layer of sand covered by about four inches of water.  He had a blast and got totally soaked with sandy water in the process.  When he started to shiver from the cold, I had to strip him down, empty his boots of water and throw his naked little behind in the shower to rinse all the sand away and warm him up again.

It was a lot of fun watching him get so much enjoyment out of making a mess and playing in the water. 

Momma's Helper

Joey has become my little helper when it comes to laundry.  I sort it all out in to different load piles, start the washer and then he starts bringing stuff from one pile or another and throwing it in the machine.  He has pretty good aim to.  Then when it's done washing, I put it on the door of the dryer and he places it inside and adds the dryer sheet and shuts the door.  Now if I could only teach him to fold (lol).

Wonderful Weekend

Larry, Joey and I had the most pleasant three days this past weekend.  On Saturday we were joined by Larry's parents and his sister and niece for an outing at the Sacramento Zoo.  The weather couldn't have been better and the little ones loved riding on the new conservation carousel and of course the small train.

On Sunday we just played it lazy and hung out around the house.

Then on Monday we headed out to Joe's first dentist appointment (which went really well), and then headed over to a dog park in Citrus Heights to let Duke run with the big dogs while Joey got to play with Daddy at the playground.  Once we were all sufficiently worn out we headed over to Larry's favorite barber JoAnna who cleaned both my boys up quite nicely, so now they both are sporting fuzzy heads.

All in all it was a very satisfactory weekend and we made the most out of the gorgeous weather that was given us.

Our Boy

This is Larry's favorite photo of Joey to date... and of course it doesn't hurt that he's the one who actually took the photo (lol).

And of course it didn't hurt matters that they were working on a motorcycle engine together, along with Pop Pop, and that Larry has dreams of the day he and Joey will ride together on that long ribbon of roadway.

Duke

Well we bit the bullet and adopted a new dog, Duke.  He's approximately 3-years old, a Dachsund/Chihauhau/Manchester Terrier mix and a little love bug.  He sleeps between Larry and I each night in bed, and plays with Joey every day.  So far, so good.  Joey can tend to get a little jealous when Duke's around me, which is all the time since I've become his "person", so it can be a challenge.  We've tried to emphasize that Duke is his dog to lessen the jealousy factor some... only time will tell if our ploy has worked.

My sister found him for us.  One of her elderly clients passed away suddenly and the family didn't know what to do with the dog.  One minute we were getting him, the next we weren't as another family member stepped up, then a week later Crystal called to say it wasn't going to work out with the family member, and that evening we had a dog.  So now our house is feeling more like a home cause again we have a dog in it.  I still miss Bubba daily, but Duke has already won me over with his charm.

Yeah for blue skies

Joey and I spent our time enjoying the beautiful day given us by creating chalk masterpieces on our driveway and having toy car races down the same driveway.  While out there we also got to see several huge hawks, a half dozen airplanes, one jet and a helicopter all of which Joey pointed out with an exlamation of WOW!

I really enjoy just sitting back and seeing the world through his eyes.  It's amazing what is brought to one's attention when it seems brand new once again.  I'm so thankful to have this little, headstrong, man in my life.

Ear Pain is just no fun

Well Joey has experienced his first ear infection and let me tell you it's no fun.  Yesterday there wasn't hardly anything we could do to console him.  Finally Larry went to the pharmacy and they gave him some OTC ear drops and tylenol and that seemed to help some.

I took him to the doctor's today and he had to have both ears flushed out and as it turned out the infection wasn't in the left ear like we thought, but in the right ear instead.  The doctor gave me a prescription for some drops that also have a numbing agent in them so that if it gets really bad again Joey won't have to deal with the pain while he's getting over it.  I hope this will be the end of it because I, we, hate to see our little guy in so much pain.

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to the snow

The boys, Larry and Joey, joined Pop Pop this morning on an adventure to the snow.  I was too stick to partake of the fun.  Anyway Pop Pop did the driving since he has a 4X4 Jeep Liberty and up the hill they headed.  They went just past Sly Park up on Emigrant Trail as far as the jeep allowed.

Once they'd reached their location they had all kinds of fun in the snow - sledding, slip sliding and not to mention getting stuck.  Apparently the Jeep could only go so far before it got stuck in the road and with a little assistance from some other snow goers was soon unstuck and they made a quick u-turn and headed back down a little ways to were the going wasn't so rough.

Apparently the jeep wasn't the only thing to get stuck as Joey too had to be unstuck a number of times due to the deep snow drifts.  Larry said he soon learned how to crab crawl across the tops of the drifts so that he wouldn't get stuck as often.  He and Joey took a few turns sledding down the small slopes, along with the other 4-5 families that were playing in the same area.  They made snowballs and in general just had a rowsing good time.

On the way home they stopped off in Placerville and had all you can eat Chinese for lunch along with ice cream and pudding for dessert.  Yummy.

All in all according to the boys it was a really fun day and they enjoyed spending it with Pop's.

I got the blues

Winter weather has got me down and out or should I say in as I feel like a prisoner in my own home.  I've had to cancel on three playdates in a row because it was just to nasty and windy out to be running around in the car unnecessarily. 

Poor Joey this morning just kept telling me over and over, "I want my friends" referring to whom I'm not sure but am thinking the boys at his old day care.  At least if we had to miss playdates he still got in some fun each week when he was going to Miss JoAnna's.  I tried tracking down my sister in law to see if we could get together with her and Elsa for a playdate since they only live down the street, but had no success in making contact.  What a bummer.

And it looks like we're bound to be housebound for at least another couple of days.  I sure hope we get a break by this weekend or I, and Joey, are going to go seriously crazy.

Out of the mouth of Men

Scene:  Daddy and Joey playing playdough at the table.

Daddy:  "What is this Joey?"

Joey:  "A motorcycle"

Daddy:  "Look Joey Daddy made a cow"

Joey:  "Cow"

Daddy:  "Lets make some turds"

Now I know where Joey gets all his wonderful words from

Out of the mouths of babes

Scene:  Joey and Daddy sitting at the table playing playdough.

Grandma:  "He sure is bossy" (speaking of Joey)

Me:  "Yep, he sure is"

Joey:  "I'm the boss"

5 Minutes later is still walking around telling everyone he's the boss.  Too funny.

Daddy's Boy - Pt. 2

Three generations of Monson's all working hand in hand.  Larry and Joe got his grandfather's bike over to Pop-Pop's house without a hitch, unless you call them leaving before Pop got here a hitch.  It was a comedy of errors, all on our end, that caused the communication failure.

Anyway once they got it over there, they began dismanteling it so that Pop could begin the refurbishment process.  I think it will turn out to be a true labor of love, with three generations of Monson men putting their heart and soul into it.  Already they've begun working as a team, even little Joey getting in on the fun.

Pop Pop is teaching him the different names of tools, and Daddy's teaching him how to use them.  It may take them a year to get the job done, but by the time it is finished Pop will have a nice motorcycle to ride and hopefully Joey will have learned some mechanic know-how while getting in some true bonding time with his grandfather.

Daddy's Boy

Joe sure is his Daddy's boy.  It makes my heart happy when he always wants to help his Daddy with whatever he's doing.  Just this morning Larry was loading up a motorcycle to take over to his Dad's and Joey had to be right in the mix.  He lifted and carried one of the ramps to the truck and helped Daddy put it in.  Then he rooted him on as he rolled the motorcycle up and into the back of the pickup.  They really are two peas in a pod. 

I can just imagine in the years to come the projects they'll do together from building birdhouses, to boyscouts, to restoring old cars and motorcycles.  Makes me a little jealous, but at the same time like I said earlier it makes my heart happy... and I know that Joe and I will have our special moments too from hanging out in nature and camping, to getting his first dog, learning to cook and do laundry - you know the things a wife will really appreciate down the road (lol), to just having fun together.

For now though it's all about boys and their toys.

Bubba's said his final goodbye

I have been so sad this week coming to the realization that I was keeping my Bubba dog alive more for me than for him.  He has been failing in health this past year and let's face it Joe with his youthful enthusiasm has not been easy on him these past few months.  It's been getting harder and harder for him to get around with his hind quarters just completely failing him at times.  After watching him collapse several different times on Thursday morning I decided enough was enough and I wasn't doing him any favors making him live in constant pain and struggle.  Larry and I had known this was coming and had called around to several vets and the SPCA to determine which service was the best for us.  After speaking with the SPCA it was a no brainer.  They seemed the most compassionate, were cost effective, and cared for your pet up until the last moment of his life.

I waited until Larry got home from work, we dropped Joey off at Grammie and Pop Pop's and headed over to the SPCA.  I did my best not to cry on the way over as I'd been crying on and off all day and I didn't want Bubba to sense how upset I really was.  When we got there, Michael helped us through the process and then they allowed us as much time as we wanted before they were to take him back to the exam room, with a long hug and a kiss amongst my tears we said our farewells.  I will miss him dearly.

For those of you who don't know I inherited Bubba 8 years ago when my then boyfriend Ron passed away unexpectedly.  His family asked me if I'd be willing to take him since they couldn't think of a better home than mine for him, especially since they knew I was already in love with the big lug.  I said yes and we've been the closest of companions every since.  He got me through some very difficult times, and I'll always be grateful to him for that.

It was also because of him that I met Larry, while taking him for one of his many evening strolls.  If it weren't for him I wouldn't have Joe, or my hubby.

Bubba I love you and always will.

The nasty cold bug has got us in it's clutches

Yep, we're still stick.  Joey came down with it the Monday after Christmas, and Larry and I both caught it from him within the next few days.  Larry had taken the week off basically so we could have a staycation - hit the snow, visit with friends, head to the seashore, but all that planning was for naught since this cold nocked us on our fannies.  We've been plagued with fevers, coughs, sneezing, congestions, loss of appetite, and low energy.  No fun at all.

Joey has started to rebound over the last couple of days and has his energy and appetite back.  He hasn't had any fevers for three days or more but still has the occasional coughing fit and congestion in his nose.

Larry is slowly starting to gather energy and has been a real blessing handling Joey while I rested.  I don't know what I would have done without him this past week.  He had really bad fevers the last couple of days but they finally broke through last night.

I haven't had the fevers as bad as the guys, but everything else has hit me hard and as a result my fibromyalgia has been flaring up too.  It even hurts just to bend my arm or to lay on my side.

I'll be glad when were all back to normal and can resume our lives.  Luckily mom was not touched by the bug and has been a great help to me with Joey as well, and chores around the house.  She has one hearty constitution because whenever we get sick she seems to skate free of whatever we manage to bring home no matter how hard we are hit with it.

The funny things that Daddy's say

We've all been sick now for days, our nerves are a little worn, not enough hours in the day to get adequate rest to fight this bug and Joey who brought it into our house is on the mend (thank goodness) but that means his energy level is back up while ours are definately still down.

Anyway, I've let him watch way to many cartoons in the last couple days because face it its an easy babysitter that can't catch his cooties.  So tonight he's begging for more Barney, then Elmo, etc. and Daddy says "No" so Joey gets louder and finally Daddy says in response, "Tough, it's my turn" and I burst out laughing.  It came out sounding like he was a little kid himself in competition for TV time.

I just gotta love my guys as they always make my days more interesting and somehow manage to make me laugh at the same time.