~GOOD~

Holy Cow!  I feel GOOD.  A good nights sleep and a Venti Carmel Mochiato on top of it... Oh yeah, I'm good.   

As you can tell, I'm in a pretty good mood.  Zachary slept great last night for the most part.  He did have a crying fit around 1030pm last night that lasted a good 10 mins, but other than that, he slept until 4am!  Derek and I couldn't figure out what was going on with him when he did have his crying fit.  It kinda scared me, because he'd be almost asleep and then he'd act like stuff was coming back up his throat (like acid reflux) and start crying again.  Finally, I got him asleep and then just put him in his bassinet.  I checked on him a few times in the middle of the night and at one time, he had the cutest little smile on his face!  Aww, what a sweet heart.  

Anywho.  I hope you all enjoyed those pictures from yesterday.  I had a good time taking them!  And yes, my parents have good genes :)  

Speaking of pictures.  I'm so bummed.  I took my camera to gymnastics last night.  I was so proud of the fact that I did too... Well, none of the pictures came out that I took!  I guess it has to do with the fact that there is plexi (sp?) glass up.  So, there was this awful glare each time I took a picture.  I guess next time, I'll have to ask the teacher (who I know is younger than me!!) if I can go out there to snap some pics.  Hopefully she'll say Yes.  

Oh!  Zachary had a cardiologist appointment yesterday.  My Little Man weighs 18lbs and is 27 inches long!  The doctor said he is doing really great and actually told us we didn't have to come back until October.  No more monthly visits.  He did happen to say that because Zach had such a rough start that he wasn't sure if he'd start to take him off of his meds at a year old, but thats okay with me.  I want to make sure Zach will be just fine off of the medication!!  He also didn't seem to be worried about Zach and he's new eating habits.  That sucker won't eat more than 4 ounces at a time, unless its really late at night or early in the morning!  I just don't get it...  

Anywho.  Yesterday afternoon, we went to dinner over at my inlaws.  Actually, we brought dinner over to their house... In a thank you to them for letting us keep our quad there.  It was really tasty too!  I'd have to say, Derek can sure cook yummy.  Potroast in a bag, with carrots and potatoes, and then mashed red potatos.  Oh those were NUMMY!!!  

Well guys, I know I didn't spill too much today... But I'm fresh out of stuff to talk about.  I hope you all have a grrr-eat Tuesday and what not.  

~Toodles~
Jennifer

~Photo Entry~

As promised, I am sharing pictures.  Pretty much, this will be a photo entry.  I'm super busy and need to get my butt going on work!    
                 Fuzzy Photo... Rowan in the stroller
   
          I don't know why they are fuzzy, but they are...
   
                    Rowan and I on the carriage ride
  
        YaYa (my mom) and Rowan... Carriage ride again
                  Rowan, all proud, sitting by herself!
   
                Velvet, the horse pulling the carriage...
   
                   My Brother, Chris (Uncle Boo), 
                         his gf Amy and Rowan...
  
                     Rowan in a mini log cabin...
                  She had a blast playin' in there...
  
                                Pouring Coffee...
  
              The Three Musketeers in front of Gold :)
  
                 Rowan, pouring tea for the girls...
  
                          The Girls, enjoying tea...
  
                 The Boys... Boo, Grandpa (my dad)
                            and Mr. Zachary...
  
          Boo... It took me 3 times to get this picture...
                    Damn him and his Goofy Faces!
  
                Rowan in the Old School House,
                         pretending to read...
  
                     Rowan again... Reading. 
               She had been playing with Chalk...
  
          Rowan, Crashed Out... She'd been watching
                            "Finding Nemo"...
  
               Zachary, chowing down on a popsicle...
  
                 Holding on tight to that popsicle...
  
                         Num Num Nummmm....
  
                  Rowan, getting in on the action...
  
                                 What Mess???

Okay, thats all I've got :)  I know its a lot... hehe... Gotta run.  Tons to do!   ::Toodles::
~Pickle~

~Road Trip~

Oh goodness.  Such a busy day.  My brain is overloaded with things to tell you all!   Today, we went to Old Sacramento and bummed around for a while.  My brother and his girlfriend Amy, also came down from UC Davis, to spend the day with us.  

So, this morning, we left the house around 945am and headed up to Sacramento.  It was a smooth ride.  Rowan watched "Snow White" the whole way up there and never had to stop to use the potty.  Big plus there... It took us just an hour and twenty minutes to reach Sacramento and then another 10 to park and get down to Old Sac.  

I do have to tease you a bit and tell you that I do have pictures from today... A bunch or really cute ones.  But because I'm not going to load them up on my parent's laptop, I'll have to wait until Monday to post them.  Don't fret though, I will do it!  PROMISE.  

The first thing we did there was take a carriage ride.  Well, at least my mom, Rowan and I did.  It was so cute to watch Rowan waving at everyone and bouncing along to the clicky-clack of the horses hooves on the cobble stone.   

Truthfully, I think Rowan had the most fun out of us all today.  She got to explore the Discovery Museum and all other things.  She was a very good girl and ate well too!  Thanks Mom and Dad for lunch... and EVERYTHING else :)  

I did treat myself to some treats today though.  We stopped at a Chocolate store and I picked up a Carmel Apple, two chocolate covered carmel squares and a big square of English Toffee.  Oh yum yum.  I only have one piece of carmel left and the carmel apple.  Hehe.  I'm naughty naughty!  

We left Old Sacramento around 3pm.  We weren't there long, but it felt like a long day.  But unfortunately, the ride home wasn't as great as the ride up.  Poor Mr. Zachary started complaining as soon as we hit Stockton, which is 40 minutes from home!  Thankfully my Daddy is awesome and kept him pretty much occupied the whole way home.  

Miss Rowan also fell asleep watching "Finding Nemo".  I had my Mom take a picture of her... She looks too cute.  I can't wait to get the pictures up for you all!!  

Well, I just wanted to drop in and say "Hello" to you all and wish you all a great Sunday.  Hope you all are enjoying your weekend.  

 ::Many Smiles::
~Pickles~

~Lazy Dayz~

Boy.  It is such a lazy day, it isn't even funny.  I know I could be doing a million things, but the last thing I did was sit on the couch, watching a movie, while Mr. Zachary got a much needed nap in my arms!

I'm sure all you mother's (and Dad's, Jimmy) know what I'm talking about... How hard it is to get things done when you've got a VERY Cranky child on your hands.

Poor Zach.  He has a runny nose still.  His gums are still inflamed... Which you can only catch sight of when his fingers come out of his mouth, for those few seconds.  His appetite has even gone down.  Instead of his normal 6 ounces a each meal, he is eating just about 3-4. 

Of course, this bothers me.  One of his signs of SVT when he was sick was no appetite.  But, like the worry-wart mother that I am, I've taken his pulse just about 5 times today and each time, its been fine.

I'm going to say that his lack of appetite is due to the stuffy nose and it being hard to breath and eat at the same time.  That and the fact that he is now very easily distracted by things.  He'll quit eating and check everything out around him.  If you sit off by yourself and feed him, like I do in the wee-morning hours, he will down 5-6 ounces!

So, needless to say, when you have a child that doesn't like to be out of your sight or set down too often, it is very hard to get things done.

The only other thing I did do today was go and get my nails done this morning with Mom.  Goodness, did they need it!  We went the same wait (3 weeks) in between last time and this and my nails grew sooo much.  The gal did a really great job and cut them down a bit.  Boy, does that help on the typing.  Haha.

I did get some dragon flies and flowers painted on my big toes.  Let me tell you, this gal does great work.  All by hand too!  I can't believe it.  I'm going to have to take a picture of it and share it with you later... haha... Thats if I can get just the painting and not my whole toe in the pic!

Oh!  To all you gals out there.  I did try that Veet Razorless shave gel this morning.  I was pretty happy with it.  Yes, it did stink a bit, but it worked okay.  I left it on about 6 mins (it says not to exceed 6!) on one leg and 8 on the other.  The one that was 6 came out okay, but the other leg with 8 mins was better.  It was worth my $6.  I just hope it prolongs the hair growing back.  Hey Nae, how long does your mom get away with it???

Tomorrow my parents, the kids and I are going up to Old Sacramento for the day.  My bro and his girlfriend are going to meet us down there for lunch.  It should be fun, just as long as it isn't too hot and that Zachary doesn't get too cranky!  Lets keep the fingers crossed, okay??

The kids and I are home alone tonight.  Derek is working his normal shift tonight.  I tried to get him to call in sick because he is sick... But he won't do it.  He says he can't because he is the street warrior and they need him out there!

My parents went antiquing up in Jamestown.  So, I guess its just us for dinner.  The local Chinese joint in town just started a delivery service, so I think I'll take them up on that and order me some yummy dinner!

Well, Zach is cranky and Rowan is getting into stuff... Better get going!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

::Many Hugs::
~Pickle~

Weekend Assignment #72: The Ultimate Battle

VS      

From By the Way...
Weekend Assignment #72: The Ultimate Battle

Weekend Assignment #72: Which is better -- cake or pie? Explain your reasoning. Will you choose the moist sponginess and frosting-topped goodness of cake? Or will you side with those flaky crust-adoring, fruit-filling fanatics of the pie nation? You must choose one -- and only one! No trying to suggest that Boston Creme Pie is really kind of like a cake, or how cheesecake is actually not unlike a pie. Take a stand! Be true to your pastry orientation!

Extra Credit: Having chosen cake or pie, now admit your favorite variety of the dessert you did not choose. So if you chose cake, tell us your favorite pie. Prefer pie? Tell us your favorite cake.

Oh John... Why did you have to make this so hard??  And we only get to choose ONE???

Well, I'll go and say that I will take Cake over Pie any day.  I know, it is hard to just choose one... But thats what I'd choose.  My favorite?  Chocolate cake with Chocolate frosting.  A big ol' chunk of cake, in a bowl, with milk poured on top... Just the way my Daddy likes it!

Nummy Nummy Num.

Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is a close runner up!  But geeze, is there a theme with the chocolate?  I think so :)

Extra Credit:  My favorite pie would have to be Berry.  Warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.. Oh yeah!  Totally tasty!

Thanks John... this was fun, but such a tuffy!

If you play along guys, let me know!

~Pickle~

~Lucky~

I don't have much to share today.  I really don't know what to write... Infact, Barbie and I were talking this morning and we were talking about how we both were pulling a blank when it came to writing.

Well, I thought I'd share a thought or two that popped into my head at 230 this morning, while feeding Mr. Zachary Justice.

As I was feeding him, I looked down at this pretty perfect child.  Yes, he does have to take heart medication, but besides that he is pretty much a normal, healthy child.

I realized how lucky I am.

I'm lucky to be able to have children first of all.  There are many, many deserving, loving couples out there that should be having children, but they aren't able to... For many different reasons.  And then there are the unloving, undeserving people popping children out left and right. 

I'm lucky because my child survived a very scary incident.  He was dealthy ill and because of medication and good doctors, he was able to pull through it.  Some parents aren't so lucky when it comes to that.  Their children get sick and never get better...

I'm lucky because at 23 years old, I have the life that I've always dreamed about.  I have a husband that loves me, children that I adore and a family that is supportive and caring.  I have a home, cars and a great job...  Don't get me wrong, just like the "normal" people out there, we do struggle with personal and money issues, but I love my life.

Not everyone is lucky to have a life like I do.

And I realize it... More than you probably think.

As Zachary finished his bottle and I burped him, I flashed back to the first time I was able to hold him again after being taken off the ventilator in the hospital.  I never wanted to hold him so much... And truthfully, for the first few days there, I wondered if I would be able to hold him again.  And I did.  And I continue to...

That is why I'm lucky, besides many other reasons...

As I lay Zach down to go back to sleep and checked on Rowan sleeping in my bed (oops, we backslid on that one!) I got this warm happy feeling in me... And I thought...

"I'm one lucky gal"

And off to sleep I went...

Have a great day Friends.  Thanks for sharing in this 'semi-sappy' entry...

::Love and Hugs::
~Pickle~

~Damn You Mr. Sandman and Pics for your Viewing Pleasure~

I am so mad at the Sandman it isn't even funny.  He needs to learn how to make the little man sleep better... But that is all I am going to say on that topic!

Today is going to be more of a photo entry than anything else.  I think I will post a few pics over at "And One More Thing" too.  So, watch out for that alert too!

Yesterday Derek got his Quad.  Such a Little Boy he is.  So, I thought I'd show you what he is so proud of!
   
   
   
Yes, she (do you call a quad She??) is pretty.  And mighty fun if I do say so myself.  I did ride her around the court a few times... While Derek sped up and down the road :O  Miss Rowan even got a few little rides... Slow at first, but of course, the dare devil she is wanted to go Faster and Faster!!

Derek is keeping the quad at his parents house in their empty third car garage.  Good thing they offered too, because I didn't want to keep it in the backyard like Derek was going to!  Ugh, no way.

While we were loading up to go, I snapped the above pictures and then some pictures of Derek and Rowan:
   
Derek caught off guard.  He had to pre-approve all the pictures I took before I could post them... Something about not wanting to look stupid???
   
The Princess and her Daddy... Can you tell she'll never pass up taking a picture??
   
My pretty little girl... She told me, "Mom, take my picture too!"  Sheis so darn funny!!

Yesterday, I think the picture bug bit me because I decided to take my camera with me and take some pictures on the way over to the in-laws.  These are the pictures that I snapped while going and coming from there... Its mostly country roads:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
I know, a lot of pictures huh??  My favorite is the barn in the corn with the sunset behind it and then pictures of the red barn.  But how sad is it that this poor engine is covered in graffiti!!  Some people!!

Hopefully I haven't bored you to death yet with all these pictures, because I'm not done yet... lol.

I'm sure you'll like these the best, because they are of the kiddos!!  I had to take a picture of Rowan on Monday with her pink shoes... She is still only wanting to wear those shoes and no other!!!
   
   
                   The famous shoes... They never come off :)
                
                             Rowan and one of her poses!

Isn't she hilarious?  I swear, she's such a Ham!  Gotta love it though.  Some kids shy away from the camera... But not her.
   
I snapped these pictures of Zachary this morning while he was hanging out on my parents bed.  Even with his lack of sleep, he was still in a good mood!!
   
My smilie boy... And yes, them eyes are still BLUE at 5 1/2 mons!!

Of course, I couldn't get out of the house easily this morning.  Missy Moo started crying, so the only way I could get her to stop was take a few pictures with her... So, I will leave you with these!!!
   
God how tired I look... I guess I need to do better on my eye makeup!
   

Have a great day friends... I will be around... Maybe I'll add more later, but I've spent way too much of my work time doing this... So I best be off!!!

::Loves::
~Pickle~