Poppin' In

... to say Hello!

Life is busy busy here... tball has taken off... we have practice 2 days a week and as of Saturday, our games have started.

We had opening day on Saturday and it was nice. We played our first game and let me say, it was interesting.

The kids did surprisingly well. They paid better attention during the game than I ever imagined! Only a few decided to do that cute thing called "Chasing Butterflies" instead of paying attention to the ball game.

I threw Rowan in as the catcher the first inning the other team was up to bat. The child has never played catcher before... but I was SUPER surprised and VERY pleased on how she did. She caught balls, she threw them back to the other coach with no problem. As we came off the field to get ready to bat, I started to tell her how well she had done and she broke down crying!

I guess she was rather flustered playing the position and she also said the dirt and something in the helmet (??) was making her eyes burn. I told her to shake it off and get ready... but kept repeating how well she had done... and she kept telling me that she didn't do good at all.

In fact, she is still telling me that... Truly, if I have anything to say about it... she'll be a rocking catcher - just like her momma was :)

Zach did pretty well... although I did have to carry him off the field after he "struck" out at batting. See, the kids get three pitches from the coach and if they don't hit off of those, they get three swings off the tee... if they don't hit the ball on those three swings or if they hit foul balls, they are "Out".

Well, Zach didn't want to hear that his time up to bat was over. He kept saying, "Puhleeese Momma... let me have another try"... well, it couldn't happen so I ended up just picking him up and carrying him off. Oh how he cried... but it was still too cute!!

Dear husband was unable to make the game... which was a bit of a disappointment, but its okay. He made some OT and my parents and his mom came to watch the kids. They had a blast watching the munchkins... and truly, I pretty much enjoyed the whole thing. I did get a bit flustered a few times, but I pushed on... LOL

I wish I had some pictures... I will have to wait until my momma emails me some pictures because I wasn't able to take any.... but when I get them, I'll share for sure :)


Everything else is going well.

My tattoo is healing well. Itchy like a muther f'er... but its healing and I love the way it looks. I'm already contemplating another one. I've got a few ideas... its just a matter of figuring out what I want and where to get it!

I will be getting another piercing done this weekend, I believe. I'm going to be getting a Monroe piercing... the one that looks like a beauty mark above the lip? I think it will look totally cute... and I get to go with one of my bestest friends (who is also getting pierced) Coley.

So, now I have something to look forward to besides another busy weekend... and house cleaning.

Hope you all have a good week!!

New Ink...

Okay, I know this isn't the best picture - Rowan took it and you know, a 7 year old isn't the best picture taker... but this is my new art...

I had it done this morning, so its still sore and oozing a bit... not to mention a bit more red than need be... LOL

Its a Celtic Motherhood Knot... which each circle at the top, the color of each of my kids' birth stones...

I'm sure happy with the outcome... its my first tattoo in 8 years!! Craziness... I'd like to get more later on, just not sure what though. LOL

Pass me a vacation in a bottle, um, k?

Okay, I know I'm technically on vacation right now... but that is from work... not life. LOL

I could really use a few days away from my normal life - preferably with the husband and to somewhere nice... doesn't have to be warm, but that would be a plus.

Derek and I have talked about when he is done with all this mess of a case about us going away for a day or so... just him and I. We threw around the idea of doing a Northern Cali tour - going to Great America and Six Flags Marine World - also hitting up bars and hotels along the way, ya know?

I think that would be fun... but I'd like to spend the weekend in the City - San Francisco for those who don't know it as that - but Derek isn't a fan of San Francisco, which totally blows!! He says its dirty and there are too many bums there. He is partially right about that... but there are other parts that are truly beautiful there!!

Yet, who is to say when Derek is going to be done with this... he is gone again... He left today and won't be home until late tomorrow night... if not Thursday. We'll see.

The kids and I have enjoyed our first two days off together. Zach is still going to school, but his days are over around 1145am.

Yesterday, we didn't do much... but today, we went and saw "Monsters vs Aliens"... and then tomorrow, we are going bowling with my SIL and niece and nephew. Thursday, we are going with a girlfriend and her daughter to the Sacramento Zoo. I'm excited about that. It will be the kids' first time! So you know there will be plenty of photos from that!!

Speaking of... here is a picture that I took of Rowan in the car the other day... I'll leave you with her toothless grin:

Easter 2009

We had a fantastic Easter... Brunch with family and then dinner with my grandma. The kids were spoiled and ate too much junk... but so did I. I hope your Easter was just as nice!

Rowan and Zach - my cheese balls.

The kids and I at my in-laws... this is right in the middle of the egg hunt - hence the kids looking like they are being interrupted.

Out of Nowhere...

... in walks me... ha!

Hello! I decided today that I would blog... so here I am.

Life is, as always, a bit hectic here in the Pickle Jar.

I feel as if I've been running around ragged for the last three weeks. In fact, I'm sure I have been.

My lovely husband is on a new assignment at work and they have a ragging case going on right now... I will not and can not tell you what it is... but its keeping him from us. He is working his damned sexy ghetto booty right off on this case.

I am extremely proud of him... and I can see him enjoying taking on this new aspect of his job - this is one of his first REAL investigations - but I can also see it taking a toll on him.

In this last pay period, he has reached 100.5 hours of OVER TIME! Yes, over time. So, he worked a total of 180.5 hours in just two weeks. Craziness, I say. Craziness. It will be a somewhat nice paycheck... but surely the money isn't replacing the time he spent away from home.

I know all this is part of the job... I grew up with my father being gone because he is a police officer... I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I got with him... I accept it. I am a VERY proud police officers wife... but I can tell you this, I do miss him greatly when he is gone...

And my children can sure DRIVE ME UP THE F'ING WALL when I'm all by myself with them! LOL

The last two and a half weeks have been quite interesting actually... I've made a trip to the Urgent Care for a child - you'd expect me to say Zach, yes? Nah... wrong. It was for Rowan. She is fine... she just did a number on her leg jumping on a trampoline at a friends house. If my parents hadn't been with me (Derek was out of town for his job) I think I might have gone off the deep in just a bit more than I already had.

You know, when your daughter screams bloody murder and cries out in pain when they are carried/moved, that something is truly wrong. At the urgent care, the Dr thought Rowan might have broken her femur... but in the end... after x-rays and wraps... she only pulled muscles or ligaments. ::whew:: She was on crutches for two days, but she is doing just fine right now...


This weekend should be a pretty good weekend if Derek doesn't have to leave out of town again... I hope to get all four of us out in the front yard to do some landscaping. My WONDERFUL mother came over week and a half or so ago and brought with her plants and a swift kick in the ass for me... and we worked in the yard... There are just a few more things for us to do in it to make it look perfect... and I'd like to get that done if the weather is nice.

I'm also looking forward to Easter. We are going to Derek's parents house for brunch and an egg hunt with the rest of his family. My parents will be out on a cruise enjoying some time to themselves... Derek and I plan on spoiling the kids a bit this time around. Both kids have been interested in the Nintendo DS Lite... so we are thinking of spoiling them and getting them one. We know its a lot of money at once, but Derek (and I) love to spoil them and since he'll be getting some extra money this check, he thinks its a perfect gift for them. I can't complain. Daddy is gonna do what he wants to do ;)

After Easter, I'll be off all week... I took vacation because Rowan is on Spring Break and my childcare (parents) are going to be off on their own vacation. I'm looking forward to spending time home with the kids and doing some fun things with them. I'm thinking of the movies and possibly a trip to the zoo. I'd like to take them to the San Francisco Zoo... but its a bit farther than I'd like to drive... so it might be the Sacramento Zoo instead. I've never been there, but I think the kids would have a fantastic time!!


Well, I know I've rambled on about a bunch of different things... LOL. I hope everyone has a nice holiday!!

It seems...

... that two weeks is my normal 'in between blogging' time now. Or at least pretty darned close.

I guess its the only way I can give myself enough time to come up with something to write about - not like our lives aren't super busy or anything ;)

Yep. We are Super Busy. I feel that sometimes, I need a Super Mom costume to run around in! I'm zooming from one place to another, it would make a whole lot of sense!!

We started Tball practice two weeks ago. So far, so good. Its a bit different for me. I guess I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. Dealing with 10 children at once is a bit hard. Thankfully, a few father's have stepped up to help lil' ol me do the practices.

My kids seem to enjoy it. Although, Zach is one of the youngest on the team and he seems to get bored if we are moving at a slow pace. At Thursday's practice, I looked up to find him on the bench just sitting there. I asked what he was doing and he said he was bored and wanted to sit down. I gave him about 3 mins on the bench before I made him get his booty back on the field.

We don't even have a game until April 25th - our opening day - and I'm hoping that by then, we can get most of the "techniques" down. Basically if they can hit the ball, throw the ball and make sure they get the ball to 1st base and back to the picture to stop the play, I'll be golden. So far, we aren't there yet. But I'm sure we'll get there.

4 H has also taken up a bit of our time this month... We've had 3 meetings and total and its just the 15th of the month. I can only imagine as Fair approaches (July) that it will be more and more. Rowan is practicing with her rabbit daily - the nice rabbit, not the feral one. She seems to be getting used to the idea down on how to show a rabbit.

This last weekend, we had a dinner we had to attend for the City. It was where they acknowledge the new hires, promotees, and the Police/Fire/Personal person of the year. I told Rowan that we had to look nice because Daddy was getting up in front of the people... so she picked out her own outfit. She looked so pretty in her green dress... Such a good Irish Girl.

Of course, I had to get a picture of the Super Model. She loves to pose - always has. And even if she is missing 4 teeth - with 2 more lose ones - she is simply gorgeous...

Of course my son couldn't be left out... I dressed him in such a cute outfit - although I got plenty of Shite for it. See, I put him in a pink shirt... and to me, I think that is fine. You know, "Real Men Wear Pink"... but a handful of people had something to say about it and by the end of the evening, I was ready to lay into someone! Now tell me, isn't he damned cute in that pink shirt??

Who can say that him wearing that is wrong??? I think he was totally ROCKIN' the look... not to mention his cool ass flame shoes!

He might be a Momma's boy... But he is surely a BOY! No questions about it ;)

Busy Weekend

This weekend was a bit on the busy side...

I came home from work on Friday early - not feeling all that well - and after making a pit stop at the local Home Depot for a few things. We needed a new filter for our air system and I also picked up a new shower head for the shower in my bathroom. I've been wanting a shower head that has those changeable settings and what not for a while... so I decided to pick one up.

After that, I spent the evening on the couch. I couldn't really pin point what was wrong, but I was just feeling Off. Still sorta am, but not as bad as Friday. That's for sure.

Saturday, Rowan and I spent the day with my mom... a Girl's Day out. We went to a GIANT mall about an hour and 45 mins North of us - Galleria at Roseville. We have a mall here in town, but its NOTHING compared to that one.

We did a bit of shopping - some at the Disney Store - and then met my brother and his wife at a restaurant there at the mall. It was SUCH a nice lunch... the longest I've had in a while. I swear, we were there for an hour and a half! I even tried my first Dirty Martini! I can honestly say that its not something I'll have again - but I'm glad I tried it.

After lunch, we went back to shopping. See, my mom decided to take Rowan shopping as her birthday present - so that's what we did. We shopped at Gap Kids and my mom and Rowan picked out a BUNCH of cute things. I got some outfits for Zach - because I couldn't resist. But damn, now I know why I shop mostly from Target and Children's Place when it comes to my monsters... That place is OUTRAGEOUS!!

The mall has a Louis Vitton store as well... we went in just to look around. The purse I liked was SO cute... but of course, it was as much as a monthly house payment for me! I can't believe it. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one... but its just too much money for me.

We had such a good time, being together... for a Girls Day Out. But we were all super tired... that much shopping and traveling can wear a girl out. For sure. We didn't get home until 630pm... and I was asleep by 9!!

This morning, we had our 4H clubs breakfast. Rowan and I signed up to work 830-1030am. That sure seemed like the busiest time to work, oh my goodness.

The turn out was great though... I'm sure they made plenty of money for later on...

This picture is the picture that we turned in to the Rabbit Leader to put on the Primary Rabbit Group board at the breakfast... Personally, I think she is gorgeous, but I might be a bit biased ;)

And yes, that is pink in her hair... she got a pink extension put in on Friday. It looks so cute. It will be there for about two months or until she gets tired of it. I don't think she'll get tired of it though... LOL. She's already talking about getting another one put in!!

Overall, it was a good weekend... although somewhat busy... now, its off to watch a movie with the hubs... I think it will be early to bed as well! Have a good week!!