Horses

This morning I got the opportunity to take Noah to a therapeutic riding company here in Tucson.

My new co-worker, who I've mentioned before, and who is the most amazing OT I've met, is a director there.

So I just had to check it out.

And of course, I had to take my little man there with me.

I wasn't sure how he would do.

Last time the border patrol had some of their horses out to meet, it took N 3 visits before he would touch one.

But he took to it right away. 

I made the mistake of telling him a few weeks ago about it, and he hasn't forgotten about it since.

Trust me.

So we drove out there at 9, after a stop at McDonald's for a biscuit.

It was kind of a wild goose chase, because the first one I went to didn't have any ready.

Never tell a 2 year old about what you are going to do unless you are totally sure its going to happen.

So I drove around town looking for a biscuit.

But we found one, and life was good again.

We took a tour of the indoor therapy part, which was somewhat similar to my clinic.

Bikes, balls, toys...you name it.

The outdoor part was amazing,

SOOO many horses.  I'm not even sure how many.

It's interesting, I never would have known how "perfect" a horse has to be in order to be a therapeutic riding horse.

Their gait has to be just so, and so does their demeanor.

They are very limited on how much therapy they can do a day because of how difficult the work is for them

I had no idea!

So Noah loved it, and got right up in the business, petting the horses, feeding them hay, watching the tractors drive around, and checking out the different "obstacles" set up to challenge the kids that are ready for it. 

He was SO excited about getting to see the horses teeth.

Don't know why that was so interesting.

Maybe cause their lips are outrageous, and the teeth are so big.

N did start to wear down towards the end of our tour and got a little whiney, but he was really good for the most part.

He was saying hi to the riders and asking "what's your name?" 

He even "introduced" me to someone as "Jamie".

??!??

What an amazing opportunity!  

We are so grateful that Jess was able to take her time to show us around!

Circling

So this one is a little hard to follow.

Jeremy looks at/posts on these airplane blogs.
Last week, he posted this blog about some work he had done on his airplane.
It was a big hit and he got a lot of really nice comments.

So then on Sunday,  I was sitting on the couch enjoying a little quiet time (nap time) and I got a text.
My next door neighbor wanted to bring 2 friends over to look at Jeremy's airplane.
They looked around, and were very complimentary of Jeremy's build.
Jeremy face-timed in, and chatted with them too.

Turns out that my neighbor's friends (who flew in from New Mexico for the day in their RV4) saw Jeremy's blog post.
And were commenting on it to my neighbor.
On how they saw this guy on the airplane blog.....
And my neighbor said "i know him!  He lives next door.  Want to go check out his airplane?"

So its this weird circle.
What are the chances?

Anyway, I'm proud of my hubby for all the hard work he has put into this plane so far.
Its gonna be so weird to see it up in the air!

Cause Life Is Not Always Perfect

1.  I took the most wonderful, hottest, longest, hardest (water pressure) show you could ever imagine at my mom's house last night.  I almost didn't take it (I had taken one earlier in the day too), but at the last minute I did.  WOW.  Our water on base is regulated (??), so its not super hot, and the water pressure is bad, so it was SUCH a treat.  I came out beat red from top to bottom.  It was a total extreme high of my day.

2.  I went to an extreme low within 2 minutes of getting out of my fabulous shower, when I went to get dressed and realized I didn't pack underwear.  Enough said.

3.  I, apparently, spent the whole day, out and about, with a big poppy seed in between my front teeth.  I can only guess that it came from a bagel I ate this morning, but I'm really not sure.

4.  About an hour into our drive home this afternoon, my son told me that he was sick and needed to go to the doctor.  We took a quick rest stop, where I purchased him a $2.50 hot dog (yikes!!!!), and all was better, and the doctor trip was no longer needed.

5.  After a short scream it out session upstairs this evening, I went in to figure out what N's problem was.  I asked him if he needed his humidifier on, and he said yes, and he went back to sleep.  Sometimes its such a simple (and usually totally unrelated) solution that seems to satisfy him.

6.  Noah is really into kissing.  Big, wet, sloppy, on-the-lips kissing.  It is very sweet, and of course I love that my little man loves to do that.  We were sitting out on the front porch last week, and he kept kissing me, and I thought "I wonder if my neighbors are a little creeped out by this".  :)

7.  Speaking of neighbors, we went over to dinner at our neighbors the other night.  N and the husband were in the kitchen, and all of a sudden we heard Noah ask "Who tooted?".  The husband started laughing that he was busted.  Guess you can't get away with much.

8.  Someone gave me a great suggestion about the "play with me" requests I get from Noah all the time.  They told me to set a timer for 15-20 minutes and tell Noah that I would love to play with him and when the timer is up, tell N that I have other things that I need to do.  I did this a few times on Thursday, and it was great.  I was able to give 100% during that time, and he seemed very satisfied when the time was up, and ready to play alone again.  Really excited to continue to try this.  During one of our play times, we tried playing hide and seek, and it was SOOOO funny.  I can't help laughing when I watch fear turn into laughter so fast after I jump out at him.  Also I love that he hides in the SAME obvious spot every single time (even though I try to show him so many other spots).  I also love that he tries to make noises (like "psssst" or coughing or fake sneezing) from his "hiding spot", as if I would need any more hints to try to find him.

9.  I bought some pills to give Riley to make his poop taste bad.  You would think that it always tastes bad, but apparently not.  He always ate poop a little, but lately every time I look out the window he has a log in his mouth.  Like a cigar or something.  Gag.  It makes my stomach turn a little, and I'm tired of having a poop eating dog in my house.  Thats gotta carry germs and just overall grosses me out.  So I'm gonna try that the pills and see how that goes.

10.  I thought Noah would be so excited to be able to have a "stay home" day tomorrow.  I was excited as I tucked him into bed tonight (prior to the humidifier episode), and I said "do you want to stay home tomorrow or go to school!??!" knowing for sure he would say stay home.  Um...no.  He wants to go to school.  booo.  I think he will change his mind in the morning though!

And that's all for a Saturday night.
Cause life is not always perfect.  :)

MaTTTress

Him (the mattress stand owner in front of the BX):  Can I help you?
Me:  No, I was just looking at your sign.
Me:  You spelled "mattress" wrong.
Him:  What?  It's not spelled wrong.
Me:  Yes, right there in the middle.  Mattress.
Him:  Mattress has two t's.
Me:  Yes,  two t's.  you have three.
Him:  Yes two t's.
Me:  uhhhh   Okay, right here in the middle.  Three t's.
Him:  ooh ok. I never noticed that before.

And this conversation happened about three months ago.
And the sign still looks like that.

?!?!??!!?

Popi and G-ma Love

The daycare was scheduled to be closed today.

And I was feeling quite overwhelmed and going a little nutty here.

So my wonderful parents came down to rescue me.

N is a HUGE fan of Popi and G-ma.

How could a little guy not love them?

(Or a big one for that matter?)

Right away (at the visitor center) he wanted to hold Popi and G-ma's hands in the parking lot.

And he got undivided attention...

trucks

cars,

slides,

swings,

pirates,

you name it.

And I was treated to a wonderful mom-cooked-meal.

And a few hours out running errands.

And my mom stayed with N and played ALL day today while I worked.

 (his blanket and his candy cane pillow had to be in the picture too).  :)

I am SO thankful to be living so close.

Its been a long time since I got to enjoy that, and I honestly do not take even one second for granted.

Thanks guys!!!

Supermarket Guilt

If you were my cashier when I checked out at the grocery store you would have a little view into my head.
I totally go to the store with a little devil and a little angel

The little angel with me sticks to my list.
I buy things for N.
I buy things that I need for my work week.
I buy healthy things.
I buy carrots, celery, apples and cucumbers.
I buy lunch meat, cheese, yogurt.
I buy weight watchers lunches.
I stick to my list and I faithfully use my coupons.

BUT....

The little devil with me wanders the snack isle.
I buy ice cream.  And cookies.
And queso and chips.
I buy snacks for N that I secretly like....just in case.
Its really bad.

I usually go through the self check out.
I realize a cashier doesn't care what I buy.
But I just feel the stare down anyway.
And also, you kind of have to tip the baggers on base.
You don't HAVE to, but they wear big buttons that say "I work for tips only".
So me, with my cart full of good and bad food, Noah (and all of the chaos that insues) go through the self check out.
But today, since I had more than 40 items, I had to go through the regular check out.

And the guilt...ugh.
But then again, I just had a fabulous dessert, so I really don't feel that bad.

Anyone else understand?

Complainer

I don't want to be a complainer.

But it might come across that way. 

See for yourself.

So this has been a pretty rough week.

One thing you might now know about me is that I don't function well on little sleep.

So it was a bad start to the week on Sunday night when N was up, on and off throughout the night.

I was pretty much awake (still) when it came time to try my AM workout.

So we were both tired.

And so went the whole night.

And the the next.

And the next.

And now, Wednesday night I am so worn out.

When I'm tired I get cranky.

REALLY cranky.

And so the cycle goes.

And nobody is happy.

And that is how my home life has been this week.  

I am REALLY hoping for a restful day tomorrow. 

I need it really bad.

And I think my little man does too.

We have canceled our weekend plans.

And we are going to stay home and watch movies.

And maybe I'll actually cook a real meal.

That doesn't involve chicken nuggets and cheese sticks.

So that is where I've been this week.

Not in bed.  :)

Crossing my fingers for a good night sleep.

Saturday Bullets

1.  My baby has the snots.  I am doing everything I can to make it a speedy recovery, especially considering my new job.  I've got the humidifier going, and I slathered the child in vics rub.  Overall, he is in good spirits though, and the cold hasn't impacted the pirating.

2.  My mom came down yesterday to hang out with us, and it was so awesome.  Mom and N played pirated endlessly and I was able to run a few errands, go for a run, and iron out a few details for a trip I have planned.  It was nice to have the company (and we even went out for dinner and ice cream!!!)

3.  One of my errands was shoe shopping.  I bought a new pair of sketchers for work.  I needed a pair of shoes that I could slip in and out of really fast (with no ties).  I found a pair (no pictures, cause I'm just lazy like that), and I'm so obsessed with them!  If not for my work situation, I would NEVER have bought them, but they are so comfortable, convenient, light weight, and only $39!  Seriously, I am such a huge fan.

4.  My new job went really well.  I am working with another OT who is SO knowledgeable.  I can't remember being in that position (at least not in a while), and I am so excited for the opportunity to learn.    Though they are long days to be away from my little munchkin (and difficult evenings as I try to take care of him and prepare for the next day), I am really looking forward to going to work.

5.  I have to got make some changes with my exercise schedule.  It is so hard to come home from work (a little later now), make dinner, play pirates ;), bath and bed for N, and THEN muster up the energy to work out (after I've already been going for 13 hours).  So this week, I am going to try to drag my lazy butt out of bed before work, so that my workout will be done and I can really concentrate on being a good mom and fellow pirate in the evening.

6.  Um....have you noticed that my child is OBSESSED with pirates?   He loves loves loves everything about swords, maps, pixie dust, eye patches, peg legs, hats, ships.  Oh my goodness.  He can't get enough.  I love watching him play (and I really try to pretend to love playing pirates)...it is such a neat stage!

7.  I got a new book from the library, The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks, and I am looking forward to reading it.  As soon as one more load of laundry is folded I'm going to curl up in my bed and get started.

8.  I gave Riley a bath today.  Um, I mean a shower.  I should mention that he is 100 pounds, and that we have a two story home.  Yes, that was about as fun as it sounds.  I think he was on to me as soon as I started bribing him with turkey.  I was able to get him to walk up the stairs, but had to drag him into the bathroom.  And then he wouldn't step into the tub, but I did mention to trap him in the shower, so I just turned the water on and he got a shower!  He HATED every second of it, and I doubt that he will fall for that trick again, so heres to hoping it warms up fast enough to give him a hose bath.


Thats all for a Saturday night.  Goodnight!

Nativity

Ok, this is kind of a weird post.

I saw this little nativity set at Hobby Lobby for 80% off.

(sorry for the bad picture)

So I thought I would buy it cause it would be super cheap.

Then I saw the price tag.  $279.

Holy cow.

That's an expensive wooden nativity.

So I watched it.

All week.

I went back and looked at it three times.

Yes, three.

Cause 80% off of $279 was still $56.

More than I wanted to spend.

There was only 3 left on Friday.

And I just couldn't justify dragging N there for a shelf check on Saturday.

Hobby Lobby is closed on Sunday, and I had to work Monday.

So I dropped in on my way home from work (thank goodness it is directly on the way).

And there was one left.

Now 90% off.

So I got this baby for $27.

And I walked out of Hobby Lobby with a big smile on my face.

Though it could have easily gone the other way.

I'm a little confused though about why Joseph, Mary and Jesus have halos (?!?!).

So I might remove them.

And Joseph has a weird dot where one eye would be, though none of the figures have eyes.

So I either need to add one or take the dot away.

But overall, I'm pretty pumped about my find. :)

A great after-Christmas find.

The Old Paper

Something about being TWO seems to make you a bit disagreeable.

Okay, a lot disagreeable.

If I say something is hot, N will say "It's not hot mommy, its cold".

If I say something is up, he will say it is down.

If I say something is on, he will tell me it is off.

Usually I don't engage in an argument.

If your two, and you think its that way, there is no changing that.

But today, I couldn't help but laugh when I told Noah that we had to stop and get the newspaper.

He said "its not the newspaper mommy.  its the old paper".

Friday Night Bullets

It has been a few weeks since I had a bulleted list.  Lets see how I can do for a Friday night.

1.  I just mad a pot of broccoli soup.  It was fabulous.  I haven't made a pot in a looong time (2 years+??).  It was much easier than I remember (or maybe my fabulous cooking skills have improved).  It is not really visually appealing, bit it tastes soooo good.

2.  N and I have had a great week.  I came back from the Christmas trip, fully prepared to jump into a full week of work.  Well it turns out census at the rehab facility has been down and they didn't need me this week (except for one day).  So I ran errands, made phone calls, did a lot of after -Christmas shopping and enjoyed my little man.  We went out to dinner, the library, the mall, Chick Fil A, played pirates, dinosaurs, took the dogs for walks, put away our Christmas decorations...you name it.  And we had a great time doing it.  Love that little squirt.

3.  Well my BIG news for today is that I am starting a new job on Monday.  A few months ago I blogged about a job opportunity that I had, and I am finally going to post that I start next week.  I am going to be working in an outpatient pediatric facility that is part of a big hospital.  I enjoyed meeting all of the other therapists at the interview, and I really feel like I am going to fit in well there.  I feel like I have a lot to offer as a therapist, and I also feel like i have a lot to learn.  VERY excited about it!!!

4.  Speaking of a lot to learn...I feel like I have grown SO much as an OT in the last 7.5 years that I have been practicing.  I have gotten the opportunity to work in many different settings, learn from many different therapists and really grow.  As Jeremy says "you don't know what you don't know"  ;), so I'm excited to see what I will be saying in 7 years.  Also, I can't even tell you how much having a child has molded my OT skills as well.  I was a WHOLE different pediatric therapist than I am now...its amazing what first hand experience can do to your perspective.

5.  The exercising continues.  5 days a week, though my days "off" might change with my new job.  When I was in virginia, I got spoiled by getting to try a few different types of classes.  I really do crave to LOVE working out, but the truth is I just don't.  I do give it 100% while I am doing it, but it is not easy for me, and I really don't enjoy it.  Maybe if I had access to better classes, but after much research I just can't seem to make a location/price/schedule work for me in this stage in life...so for right now, the same old routine continues.

6.  This month my in-laws are moving 1/2 mile from my parents.  How awesome is that?  Not to make it all about me, but, talk about convenient!  Sometimes I look at my friends families, and their stories, and I realize how blessed I am to have such a fabulous family (and in-law family).  I am so grateful to my wonderful parents for their awesome example of marriage, sacrifice, love, and fun.  I have no doubt that watching you guys love each other has taught us how to love.  :)

7.  Enough with the sappy stuff.  I got a good mystery book out of the library today, and a good John Grishm book on CD to listen to in the car.  Its so weird about the John Grishm book...I have read all of them and they are so fabulous, but in a few years I can't remember it at all.  It works out great because I get to start it all over again and hear it all for what feels like the first time. :)

8.  Today was "spa" day at our house.  All living beings got a nail trim.  I don't really enjoy doing it, but it saves a lot of money (mostly for the dogs), and it is so convenient to be able to do it without leaving the house.  Lets just say there is a lot of bribing going on on spa day.

Thats all for tonight...I could make it an even 10 if I put any more effort into it, but my belly is full on broccoli soup, and my tylenol pm is kicking in.  Better sign off before I write something crazy.

Happy Friday.
[Insert selfie here]  :)

Traveling

I haven't had a chance to blog about my flights to and from Virginia.
They were quite...eventful.

So we planned to leave here a bit before 7 am.
But my sweet neighbor forgot, and here I was banging on his door, ringing his doorbell (all while his 5 week old baby slept (??).
He felt so bad, but we made it to the airport in perfect time, so it was no big deal and I was grateful for the ride.

Flight one out of Tucson was good.
We sat next to an airforce guy, an electrician.
About halfway through the flight the guy informed me that our next flight was delayed.
We were going on the same plane, (with just a 40 minute wait) so it was kind of weird.
And it was majorly delayed.
Like 8 hours.
I was trying to stay positive at this point thinking that it would change, that there was just no way I would get stuck in Chicago with N for 8 hours.

Ohhhh how I wish that was the case.
They let us off the plane, and it promptly taxied away.
Boo.
So we passed some time (maybe about 45 minutes) riding up and down the moving walkways.
N got pretty good jumping on and off of them, and loved them.

Then upon my mom's suggestion, we set out to find the USO.
JACKPOT.
It was soooooo awesome.
Free, hot food, movies, cots with pillows and blankets, candy, drinks, and best of all a contained spot to keep N.
It is so kind and generous of the volunteers to man the station and provide all those things to military and their families!

We made it to Virginia.
N never slept a wink, but he was SUCH a good little boy throughout the whole trip.
And they have us $200 credits each for the delay (due to maintaince).

Our flight back to Tucson was much better.
We had a 40 minute delay out of Virginia, and literally had no time at Chicago this time.
Walked off one plane and on to another.
No time for free food at the USO this time.  ;)

Oh and my bags didn't make it.
Which was fine too, because then I didn't have to unpack anything at home.

Ahhhh, traveling.  Gotta love it.
But it was soooo worth it for all the fun over Christmas!