Updating...

Sorry I have been slacking on our blog, but we have been busy...

Troy and I just bought our first house, and we are thrilled!! Needless to say it has been hectic.. But I love everyone and haven't forgotten you....

I wanted to do a little update about Beez. He still doesn't talk much but says 'yes' constantly. To everything. Even if he doesn't mean it... or maybe he does.... I asked him all this in about a minute...

Me: "Beez, are you hungry?"
B: "Yes."
Me: "Do you need to go potty?"
B: "Yes."
Me: "Did you toot?"
B: "Yes."
Me: "Did you make this mess?"
B: "Yes."
Me: "Do you stink?"
B: "Yes."
Me: "Did you hit?"
B: "Yes."
Me: "Did you like your Veggies?"
B: "Yes."
Troy: "Does mommy have a nice butt?"
B: "Yes."
Me: "Should mommy hit daddy?"
B: "Yes."
Me "Hard?"
B: "Yes."

At this point I'm sure you all get the picture. Any advice how to get a two year old to talk more... well I'm all ears.

When Will Fall Get Here?

Seriously, when will it be cold? When will I be able to put on my jacket when I walk outside? When will I get to snuggle on the couch, with my hunny, hot cocoa in hand, oh and a blanket? When will that happen? When will it STOP with the consistent 100 degrees outside? YucK on so many levels!! I'm so ready for fall! Hurry up and get here! NOW!! 

Our New House!

We just put in an offer on our very first house. The house was in foreclosure and on the market for a day when we found it, the next day it had so many offers on it that the bank decided to leave the opportunity window open for just one day. Well, a few excruciating days later and a lil bid war as it would seem, we found out or offer was accepted. We should close at the end of September and we are super excited!! The house needs paint in a bad way, a fridge, dishwasher, and a built in microwave, but other than that, it is in great shape! Oh and the best part is, its in a court and when we walk out onto our driveway we can see the Temple. I know it sounds cheesy, but we are less than a mile away from it and it makes Vegas seem more like home.

And for those of you who can't see it in person, I drew up a floor plan to give you a better idea of what it looks like. 

Water Fights Rock!!

It was 110 here last night, and my 2 special kids had a water fight... 

Checking to see if its cold and wet..

Loving his new toy...

Oh yeah! This thing splashes! 

I think I'll attack dad...

And I got him good....

But I forgot he's dad, and stronger than me...

He got me soaked!! 

And I cried....

Daddy felt sad, and gave me back my weapon...

The grass got slippery and I went for a dive...

In the end, dad won...

And I was "all d, all d.."

aka: all done, all done!! 

For more pictures on this fantastic water fight, go check out my face book!! 

July Already!

Wow, I can't believe its July already.. and since some of you are getting on my case about it, I decided I'd do an update and post some pics.

Brayden. He turned 2 on May 30th. And let me tell you, he's good at it. Here are some naughty techniques that he's picked up:

Taking off his diaper, check.
Hitting others, check.
Throwing toys, check.
Coloring on the walls, check.

Wait, wait... he's doing some good things to....

After he's done disposing of his own diaper, he comes and tells me.
When he makes a mess, he cleans it.
When he hits, he says sorry and gives a love.
And when he colors on the walls, he grabs the wipes and wipes it off.

Now, if we could only get him to not do the naughty thing in the first place, then we'll be set!!

Current Obsession: Curious George, the movie.

My favorite part of the day: When I tuck him in at night and tell him I love him, each time I say it he leans up and gives me one last hug and one last kiss with a very loud 'muah' after it. That does it, he just melts my heart.

Eating some ice cream with daddy.

Driving back from Utah, amused with Cheetos.

This is what happens when he dresses himself.

Trying to teach him about the color blue.

Sweet Sweet.

And last but certainly not least.... is this picture. This was taken the same day he put his shirt on as shorts, and it made him look like he was wearing a skirt... a really low rise skirt. Hehe! What a pill! He's crazy if he thinks I'm letting him go out like that!!

I Left My Heart In San Fransisco

We spent one day in San Fransisco... and we were supposed to be there for a full weekend but things didn't really go as planned. Here are some pics that I got, enjoy!!

Bay Bridge.

Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.

My first major league baseball game Giants vs. Athletics.. and yes, the Giants won!

Troy and I in front of this random curvy street.

Me and my Ruthie!!

The trip was a little bittersweet. We were on a trip up the coast because Ruth was moving and we wanted to go along for the ride. I wish it could have lasted much longer like planned, but sometimes things just don't work out that way. It was so hard saying goodbye to one of my best friends. While I know Ruth is needed in Anchorage, and I know God has a special plan for her, I'll continue to be hard headed and bitter that she's gone and left me to rot in hot Vegas!! Hehe!! Just kidding baby girl, well... kinda...ha! Anyways, she's truly a sweetheart and great friend. I already don't know what to do with myself with her gone. UGH!!! Love ya mama!!

BEEP BEEP!!

Brayden LOVES cars! Riding in them, helping mom build them, and in some cases he thinks he's even big enough to drive them!

It doesn't matter that Auntie Ruth's truck weighs 4,729 pounds, he thinks he can handle it.

Brayden's sunglasses or 'Oh Yeahs!' are a must in the car. It doesn't matter if they're on properly.

He hates getting in the car seat. But once he's in there, it doesn't matter that he's strapped in.

And when I tried to buy him his own car, it didn't matter if it wasn't built yet, he still wanted to be in it.

VOOM! VOOM!

Brayden...

On Saturday my lil Beez turned 2. It is hard to believe that he's that old, has a mouth full of teeth, and weighs 27 pounds!! It feels just like yesterday I had him and honestly.... this all went by a little too fast!! I wish time would SLOW DOWN just a bit and I could enjoy my baby {little boy} just a little bit longer.

The Cooler the BETTER!

Recently our AC went out in our house. For those of you who don't know, Vegas has been well into the 100's and 110's, and our little house has been 81 degrees INSIDE!! So on Friday we call housing to put in a maintenance request to get our AC fixed. They send out this guy who replaces the battery in our thermostat and he takes a quick peek at our unit out side. He tells Troy all is well, and leaves....

The weekend hits, along with a 2 degree increase inside our house... Monday rolls around and they send out another guy. He looks at the unit outside and is out there about 5 minutes and then says "its fixed, just wait an hour and the air should go down. Remember its hot outside." Really? I had no idea that it was so hot, those thoroughly cooked scrambled eggs on my driveway show me no proof at all! Anyway, we decide to leave and go out to dinner and 'wait' for the air to come down.... well we get home and our house is another 2 degrees hotter! It would seem that we are headed in the wrong direction here.... Anyways later on.... its in the middle of the night on Monday, 86 degrees, and we have one very unhappy 23 month old who is sweating like crazy and crying. Oh yes... that was soooo much fun.....

So Tuesday morning rolls around and I call housing again. I was very calm, but I let them know that I was not happy at all and informed them {yet again} that we had pets AND a 2 year old who doesn't do well in 87 degree weather inside his room. Yes 87, it climbed up another degree in the morning. So, they send another person out. This man was close to being twice the age of the other two men, and you know what-- he identified the problem in about 30 seconds and went to work FIXING my AC unit, and not giving me EXCUSES that its 'hot' outside! It turns out that the fan motor was broken and needed to be replaced. This was a 90 minute job that he had to do in 105 degree weather and this kind man still managed to give Brayden a 'hi-5' when he left... and here's why I'm upset:

Two very capable young men (both in their late 20's) had previously came to my house and gave me poor excuses as to why my unit didn't work properly (probably because they knew how much work was involved in fixing it). Then this older gentleman came out and fixed it without complaint. It upsets me because he was older than the two other guys and it must have been harder for him to work out in that kind of heat for such a long time. Not to mention removing and assembling various pieces of my new AC motor outside in the scorching heat!! Even the birds were sweating, it was sooooo freaking hot!! So, the moral of my story is next time I see those two lazy gentlemen... it will be hard to NOT pick up Brayden's rubber bat (that doesn't really exist) and beat them with it! And the next time I see the older, kinder gentleman... well I think I'll bake him some brownies and tell him how much I appreciate hard working people like him that made my home a better place to live.

Time to think: Since when did we get the mind set as to 'not working hard' and still getting a pay check? Apparently people that are my age need to be reminded by the generations before us, and work on our 'working ethic' sheesh!...... Sorry for this major soap box. I'll make you all brownies just for listening.

Photography Class....

My photography class has ended and I'm so sad about it. It's going to seem like forever until my next class starts. Well, I'll put in some of the work I did. All these pictures were produced in the wet lab. So please forgive me if they look weird, my scanner is dumb and acts like its 957 years old. But the originals are awesome.. here's a little bit of my work. But before I show you anything, I have to give a special thanks to Shannon and her boys Ethan and Evan. They were my models through most of my class and I'm so thankful of the time I got to spend with them. I'm also grateful that they put up with me too!! Did you know that Shannon actually watched Brayden while I went to class? As if I didn't ask enough from her already!! They did a lot for us, and I just needed everyone to know how amazing they are. Thanks guys, love ya lots and lots!!

This is Ethan and Evan at Spring Mountain Ranch, the old "Howard Hughes" place.

All the rest are of Brayden at Mount Charleston and Spring Mountain Ranch. I'll post some more soon, I just have these close because they were part of my final. Anyways, I'm thinking about doing some more outdoor children's photography if anyone is interested.... the more I do it, the better I'll get {hopefully}.

Why I SUPER Love My Boys!

For moments like these that remind me that time is precious and worth every minute.

We met 8 years ago today!!

Cinco de Mayo mind as well be our anniversary. We met on this glorious day 8 years ago! And let me tell you, its one funny story. Or maybe its just funny to us, but here it goes:

We met at a club, and it was completely by chance. I really don't like clubs, and I'm not a fan of going to any unless I'm really really really really in the mood. Even then, I still don't like them. But I went anyway. And I wore something I would now come to regret. I wore these cheetah pants with a black tank. I wore the pants because someone else was wearing them too, and we decided to match (typical stupid girl move). I also let this girl twist up my long locks and have it spiky at the top. It looked funky that's for sure, but we didn't care because we kept saying "Its Cinco de Mayo, so who cares? Its not like where gonna met anyone!!" riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighttttttttt. Well, then I met Troy. And let me tell you, our first impressions weren't very good . He thought I was a gangster girl with all my attire on and with a name like mine, I told him my name was 'Drea'. Everyone who knows me calls me that!! Geez. I thought he was cute, I had this feeling I'd know him forever, BUT after I asked for his name twice (and not because I forgot, but because it was too loud where we were) when he wrote his name in the air with his finger, I thought "WHO IN THE WORLD DOES THAT!?!?!" And you know what, I still left that night not knowing his name, but he left with my number. So the ball was in his court.

What do ya know.... 3 days later...... he called. We chatted for a while, and I told him I was off to work. So he decided to drop in (at Pearle Vision, whoot!). Apparently I made a better impression this time, and so did he. I wore my usual gray slacks with a button up white shirt, and had my hair down and curled. (I can't believe I still remember this).. But Troy later said that the 'school-girl look' was much better on me, and he read my name tag that said "Andrea" not this supposed gangster name of Drea. He looked hot, even though I can't remember what he wore. Then he decided to take me out on a date, and that's how it all started those long and happy 8 years ago.... whoot whoot!

The FACTS about Swine Influenza...

Before everyone freaks out, please know your facts about the Swine Flu. The media is completely blowing it out of proportion. My sources are the CDC Website, and the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak on Wikipedia.org, as well as hospital informants. Those links will also take you directly to the statistics.

First off, did you know that there have only been 20 confirmed deaths of the Swine Flu? Did you know that it is only 'suspected' that 101 have died from it, and they are all from Mexico? Out of the entire world since March of this year, only about 101 have suspected to be taken from this disease, and yet ONLY 20 have been confirmed. This has been ongoing for nearly two months, and did you know in America alone, 36,000 Americans die from the regular flu each year? Don't believe me, click here at the CDC website (aka: The Center for Disease and Control Prevention). Ok, so 36,000 Americans only, die from the regular flu each year, that's estimate of 3,000 people dying each month. Don't you think we are being foolish to be terrified of 20 confirmed deaths and 101 suspected IN THE ENTIRE WORLD (all of these people were from Mexico-including the child who died in Texas who already had other health problems other than Swine Flu). We live in a world of 6.5 Billion people and the chances of dying form this is 1 in every 38 million. Your chance of dying from the regular flu is (only if your American only) is 1 in every 180,000. If you choose to be frightened in something, you should be more scared of that!

Did you know that the Swine Flu can be cured easier than the regular flu? I was talking to a friend who works at the hospital on base, and she said that no one at her work has been alerted or notified of this 'Swine Flu Threat' and the doctors said that its completely ridiculous that it has escalated to this point. And they work at hospital! So don't you think if the medical professionals aren't worried about it, then why should you? OH and if this pandemic were bad enough, our active duty military personal would have to get mandatory vaccinations, and no- that has not happened yet. So why does the Vice President (maybe even Obama too) and the media want to worry the American public? Could it be that we tend to listen a lot better when we are terrified or scared of something- then we usually do what people say... hmmmmm.... you tell me....

It seems like to me that this is a way to scare us into worrying about our own health, rather than paying attention to some potential bigger issues- like the preparation of another war maybe...? I think that is a big possibility since Troy is slotted to deploy again in early 2010... he wont even be home 10 months this time. So I have to wonder what they are planning outside the control of Afghanistan. Also, in Troy's department alone, it is rumored that they are going for 9 on 9 off as far as deploying and regular CE is 6 on 6 off, which is a huge extension of their deployments (apparently it's going to be the same for medical and military police). So give my thanks to them. Make us scared on our own turf, of our own bodies, during a time when our military will be gone more... leaving more Americans to live with more fear and ciaos because they don't know better? Media over doing it? Am I looking to far into it? You tell me, give me your feedback whether you agree with me or not... I'm open to all opinions even if they are different, and respect them- as you should respect mine even if you don't agree with them. And during your own research, if you come across something, or if I have made a mistake somewhere - I wanna know about it. I'd appreciate the source to be credible, and not from media opinions and warnings, I want the facts and statistics.

On a side note, and this is to give you something else to think about- (this can be a result of global warming/volcanic activity etc.... for those of you who don't believe in a higher power.) 295,608 people died during the 2004 Tsunami, If the Lord chooses to call you home, its your time to go. Do not be terrified of that. I believe He knows best and you shouldn't live your life in fear just because someone tells you to. You shouldn't not board a plane, or take the bus because VP Biden said to be scared of the Swine Flu floating around on it. Because of what we learned then, back in 2004, is that we can leave this world at anytime and anywhere. Do your part to make the world better while your here, please don't live in fear!! Live your life for today with minimal dullness!!!

Thanks for my soap box and hearing me out.

Updated May 3, 2009

Beezees and His First Theater Experience.

Last Saturday I decided that it was time to see how Beez would do in a movie theater. Monsters and Aliens were playing and I told troy we HAD to go! Well.. Troy did not want to do this, but he went with it anyway. He was so nervous when we walked into the theater, he said 'I'm scared, we're gonna be the only people with a one year old in the entire place!' Well I hate to say it babe, but you were wrong. It's a kids movie, and there were babies, one year-olds, twosises, and threesies. Anyways... I thought we needed popcorn and candy to distract him if we had any 'issues' and a drink. So once we had everything we needed, including a booster seat, we headed into theater #1 (kinda cool for his first time!).....and Brayden did so well! He insisted that he hold the popcorn through most of the movie. It was only the last ten minutes were he started to lose it a little, and i don't blame him- it was kinda slow at the end- So he and I decided to stand in the corner and finish watching the movie- it turned out that he just wanted to stomp around like Ginormica and growl. Overall he did really well, and I'm excited to take him again.

Troy, Brayden, and the massive amount of popcorn that we had no hope in finishing.