Remembering Spc. Segun Frederick Akintade

My brother had the honor of serving with Spc. Segun Frederick Akintade in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Akintade served in the Army National Guard to help pay for college and when his unit (2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, based in Utica, NY) was called to go to Iraq he went willingly. He was killed on October 28, 2004 by a roadside bomb and small arms fire in Abd Allah, Iraq at 34 years old.

He moved to Brooklyn, New York from Lagos, Nigeria where he sent money home to his Mother. He had plans to marry his girlfriend in NY upon his return from Iraq. Spc. Akintade also had plans to become a US citizen since he felt our country had been so good to him.

Spc. Segun Frederick Akintade, I am personally grateful to you for your service and I pray for your family and friends that they find a peace and grace that only God can provide. I'm deeply saddened that you paid the ultimate sacrifice for me and everyone else in America and I truly appreciate all that you've done so that we can go on with our lives here at home. May God bless you and your family.

If you'd like to honor a fallen hero click HERE to visit Some Gave All where they are Remembering The Fallen By Name.

Refreshed

Ok, so I have much more confidence in my parenting skills today. We took a drive up into the mountains and had a picnic and soaked up a little nature. Ah, refreshed! Before kiddo (and before $3/gal gas) my husband and I used to love to go for drives and just talk to each other so it was nice to do that again with the kiddo, who snacked and slept.

I wanted to document the following silly thing that our 2 year old does (can't believe I can actually say that now!). During a meal if there is mention or sight of another food that is more enticing than what we are currently eating he'll hand over plate/bowl/fork saying "no, no, no" until we take them away or ask him to finish eating x,y,z if he hadn't eaten much yet. Occasionally he'll actually grab out whatever food is in his mouth and put it back on the plate as well. (Gross!) My husband say’s it’s like he’s decides to “abandon ship.”

Today, we stopped for ice cream and while we were lazily enjoying our treats we asked him if he wanted to go to the park and as fast as he could he held out the ice cream cone to Daddy and said "no, no" and then "yup, park". Trust me when I tell you that he is definitely our kid when it comes to ice cream - any mention of it is joyfully responded to by the ice cream sign and the words "num, nummy, num." It's sort of nice to know that being outside at the park on the swings is more fun than that!

A Life Lesson

Yesterday afternoon at the fair my son played in this sort of sandbox that they had set up but instead of using sand they used grain, dried pinto beans, and corn. They had tons of small tractors in there for the kids to play with but my son kept taking others' toys away.

Patiently, my husband and I kept teaching and showing him how to share while talking to another Mom. In response, this Mom said about sharing: "It's a life lesson, one that I'm still learning."

I've been thinking about this off and on for a day now and realizing not only is she SO right but how the heck can I expect to teach my son something that I'm not very good at. I gripe if my husband wants a bite of my ice cream or pretty much anything that I'm eating. A couple of hours ago I thought of a bunch of ways that I needed to share more- now I don't remember but I think I can make my point anyway.

Seriously, it's not only the sharing thing because he's still young it's everything else. I am so not a perfect example of probably anything I'm going to be teaching our son over the years so how am I going to do it? How can God expect ME to mold and shape my son when I am so imperfect? I'm sure that this must be one of life's parenting lessons in that I get to relearn all of these lessons in hopes that they might actually stick! I guess that's also why I need God to help me because I have absolutely no clue on my own!!!!!!!

A Fanfare

A $30 food bill at the county fair.

A 30 minute visit petting and feeding countless animals.

Mommy and Daddy purchase $2 toy trumpet since their son was a trooper behaving so well at the fair on a day with no nap.

2 year old figures out how to actually blow the trumpet in the car on the way home while 1 and a half parents are plugging their ears (Daddy has to drive with one hand:), all are giggling emphatically---PRICELESS

Show me yours and VIP

First of all I wanted to thank Mary at Owlhaven who gave me her VIP (Very Interesting Person) award for my comment on this post about college memories. It was fun and there are lots of other interesting comments there as well so go check it out! Mary's blog was one of the first blogs I'd ever read and I love it! She's a great writer and her posts are humorous, educational, insightful and refreshingly real so check her out if you don't know her already...go on, I'll be here when you get back!!

Secondly I wanted to join the fun over at O Mama Mia a few days late for Show me yours & I'll show you mine
Show Me Your (Inner) Domestic Goddess. Are you in suburban bliss? Do you get lost in your kitchen, flouring the hours away, baking? Do you love your home? Or maybe you’re in suburban turmoil & you live amongst desperate housewives? Show Me!! Let me hear all about it!

I think I'll start by saying that I think I'm more of a nerd than a "domestic goddess." I'll have to put on some high heels one night while I bake cookies and see if that brings less nerdiness! I find that the house cleaning part of being a SAHM is not my favorite, I mean I do it but I sometimes let the dishes go until the next meal and I sweep only when I notice the dogs hair against the floorboards. Terrible, I know but I do spend a lot of time with my Son that I know I'll never get back so that justifies it to me!

Back to the point, I love, love, LOVE to bake. My Mom and my Gram are both awesome bakers so I've managed to pick up some pointers along the way. Both my son's birthday cakes so far have been made by me from scratch. No box mixes here, last year's was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and this was a yellow cake with a creamy frosting. I won't even pretend that they came out looking professional, they look homemade but it's something that's important to me to do for my son.

One side dish to Tuesday night's dinner was stuffed zucchini - from the garden and everything from scratch (sautéed onion and garlic, seasonings, celery, breadcrumbs and chicken broth). When it's almost done baking then I melt cheese over the top. So goddess/nerd well, what's in a name after all?!

It's not surprising that blogger won't upload my pics currently so I'll update this to include some pics after I go do the dishes! Uggghhhh blogger!

Dishes are done and blogger's now partially awake you can look at this post to see this years cake if you missed it since blogger only let me upload the one pic....

Wordless Wednesday: A Walk in Daddy's Shoes

A moment last night...

Before I went to bed last night I grabbed a handful of almonds out of the freezer and was munching while getting out my vitamins and chatting with my hubs. The last two almonds were really hard to chew and then after a second I realized that those were indeed the vitamins that I was chomping on....yum!

Gave us a good laugh anyway!

PARTY!

We had my son's birthday party this weekend so, I'm attaching a bunch of pictures for family that couldn't be here! He's two this week (hubby's afraid of internet predators etc so we are still not doing kid names or birthdays on here!)!!

Had to have bubbles!

Elmo was the ever present theme

Kisses from Grandma

In a sugar zone!

Present time was crazy! I felt like I was encouraging ADD by making him put down the last one and open the next. We made the streamers in my Niece's hand by tying ribbons to a piece of elastic - easy and it was the party favor too. My kiddo likes to wave them around while he dances to music.

Thanks for a great party Elmo!

A Wordy Wednesday!

I seriously missed doing Wordless Wednesday today now that I've looked at all of yours. I think I'll post some pics tomorrow - I'd have to get up now and get the card out of the camera and well I'm just too tired. I took a 2 1/2 hour nap today and I'll probably still be in bed by 10. I don't remember being this wiped out with my last pregnancy but at least my wonderful hubs is home to get our son up from his nap so I can sleep longer!!!

In the last two days I've cleaned out two hall closets and made a pile to bring to my MIL's garage sale next weekend. I went through a lot of stuff and got ahead on vacuuming, mopping and bathroom cleaning.

Wondering why I'm doing all this? We are getting ready to put our house on the market and I want to make it easy to "put stuff away" when we have a showing. We are going to buy something with more land probably in a neighboring town. This will mean a longer commute for my hubby but we both have wanted more land since we moved to Idaho and we don't know what we've been waiting for. Both of us want to be able to have horses, chickens, fruit trees, (much) larger gardens and just not to be looking out our kitchen window into the neighbor’s window 15 feet away. We probably wouldn't do all that stuff right away but just to have the option to grow enough peaches to can instead of having to buy them first sounds amazing. I love to garden if you haven't guessed.

If you’re still with me, here's where you'll really think I'm crazy! We moved to Idaho when I was 8 weeks pregnant with our son, and then when he was 13 months old we moved into our current house and rented out the other. I guess we are going to make a habit out of this moving while pregnant thing...hopefully one last time for the moving thing but not necessarily the pregnant part I hope!

Thanks for all of your comments on volunteering, I really, really want to do it somewhere but I'm seriously not sure if I actually have the time right now. Eventually the nursing home or something like that sounds doable (is that really a word?) ah, off to bed for me!

Volunteers?

Thanks to you all for sharing some fun cravings, in the last two weeks I can't stop eating those little green canned chilies (mild), so yummy in quesadillas and scrambled eggs!

Well my next question is do any of you volunteer anywhere with your kids? I have been trying to find a way to volunteer maybe once a month or so but it needs to be somewhere kid friendly since I'd probably go during a weekday or we could all go together on a weekend. I've called a local food bank and they need help in the warehouse where there is heavy machinery (forklifts) anyway, not really an option with a toddler on my back or running around. I think it's important for us to do something for others every once in awhile and I think it will be good for our kids to see that example. Any ideas?

Pregnancy cravings?

I might be kind of sporadic in my posting this week and visiting of all of your blogs. I seriously have a large list of projects to finish and things to clean this week. I've got to do this stuff while I feel like it so that's what I'll be doing.

I do have some random questions that I'm going to ask this week, just for fun. The first one is what did you crave when you were pregnant?

I really didn't have any weird cravings when I was pregnant with my son. The only thing my stomach would let me eat for breakfast was eggs and toast, and once I wanted canned peas though not for breakfast. We won't mention ice cream since I love it pregnant or not I don't think it's too special a craving. Tell me what yours were/are will ya???

Overjoyed!!!

I think it's safe to say that most of the people I know and love have been informed already so now I can tell all of you also. We're pregnant with our second and terribly excited! I think that is why today I feel like deleting yesterday's post and yesterday I just wanted to complain. I can't make up my mind about anything and I need a nap daily!

We seriously can't keep a secret (especially one like this) so we tell everyone right away. I'm due April 13th and so am 5 weeks along now! So If you see anything strange going on over here you'll know why!

Just need an ear

I've been to the grocery store four times since Sunday. Yup, you read that right, four (4) times!!!!!! I've had some issues.

I do shop at two different stores, usually one week at one and then the next week at the other. I do this since one store is cheaper for staples but we like to buy organic items so we go to another store for those. I didn't actually make it to either last week and we needed stuff from both so, I thought no biggie I went to each on different days.

Well the following items from store #1 were defective:
* a package of snack items were open slightly
* the chicken I opened to use last night for dinner smelled like rotten eggs even though the expiration date is next Monday! (This is the second batch of bad chicken we've experienced since May from 2 different places -yuk)

From store #2:
* the seal on my sons toothpaste was broken
* the plastic lid on a soy milk container had broken off

What are the odds. Not only did I go shopping twice (my own lack of planning) but I had to return stuff twice and well the chicken we just took a loss on because it almost made me puke!

I'm sorry to vent but I do feel surprisingly better. BTW thanks for all the suggestions about my son's terrible two's. I really am heading to the library and/or bookstore this weekend!

Does he just know....

...that in a couple of weeks he's going to be two? Is there some book that they all read that tells them how to be two year olds?? Please help!!! I'm drowning in "NO" and temper tantrums and I'm sick of time outs!
I don't know why I thought my kid would be so different from those I had seen before us. He just is such a smart kid and he used to listen but the past week he has gone from my cuddly "yes Mommy" boy to, "no dat, no dat, no dis". I know in the grand scheme of things this is relatively mundane but it is MY sanity here.
I do have to say with all that is going on in the world, even in moments of utter frustration, I am very grateful to be blessed with a beautiful son and a wonderful husband and I thank God for them both.

Wordless Wednesday: Just Yesterday

A Meme For All Seasons

I was tagged for this one by Xav's Mama at New Mama's Nest and since I really love living somewhere that has seasons again I do enjoy them all.

1] Your favorite seasons, in order:
Spring
Fall
Summer
Winter

2] Your favorite smells for each season:
Spring: lilacs
Fall: the cool crisp air, dry leaf piles
Summer: hot dry air, roses,
Winter: apple cinnamon candles, Christmas tree,

3] Your favorite foods for each season:
Spring: Berries, spinach, peas
Fall: pumpkin and apple pies, mulled apple cider
Summer: anything grilled:meat, fish, veggies
Winter: Beef stew, extra rich Christmas rolls,

4] What are your favorite colors for each season:
Spring: green for all the new buds and growth
Fall: orange leaves and pumpkins
Summer: red juicy tomatoes
Winter: blue hues reflecting in the snow and icicles

5] Your favorite activities for each season:
Spring: getting back out to the park or for a hike, the first plantings in the garden
Fall: the late harvest, anything that keeps me outdoors
Summer: gardening, harvesting, swimming,
Winter:reading, cuddling, watching movies, long talks with friends

People I tag The Flip Flop Mamma and O Mama Mia but only if you want to.

I am so addicted...

...to sudoku that is. (Along with blogging and keeping up with all of your lives!)

When we went to CA a few weeks ago my Gram and my Aunt got me addicted to it. It is actually fun and very challenging. I still haven't been able to complete the ones from the newspaper but I bought a book that has easier ones in it. Anyway, any of you all love it, hate it, never tried it?

Here's a link if you want to try one

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week

I decided to join in with Jess over at O Mama Mia and share a picture of my son nursing and a story to go with it. I am sad that our nursing experience is over but I am so glad that we will always have that experience together!

These pictures are from a trip we took to Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia last May when my kiddo was 9 months old. In our three day visit across the border I noticed a huge difference in the comfort level of the public and breast feeding. We went to a street fair where there was a tent set up for Moms and baby's to nurse, BTW the tent had no sides on it so it was just for comforts sake, I could still see everything that was going on around me...totally cool.

We saw this sticker on restaurant windows which I thought was so awesome! The glare from the flash makes it hard to read but it says, "Breastfeeding Friendly" at the top and "anytime. anywhere." at the bottom.

For many reasons we felt at home in B.C. and loved our stay there, the fact that breastfeeding was really no big deal, just feeding your kid, really helped.

The weekend we were there it was gorgeous, so gorgeous in fact that I had to buy shorts to wear when we went to the famous Butchart Gardens, I packed for spring in the NW, nice weather but overcast and rain right! We enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful ocean breeze and this is making me want to go back! My son nursed on the bus ride to the beautiful gardens so he was quite content for some time once we arrived. Of course when he needed to nurse there was not a bench open that wasn’t in the blazing sun, so I stood under a tree by a beautiful pond and nursed. You can see my son is half way undressed because we were all sweaty I love that my husband thought we were sweet under the tree and snapped away.

That's one of our nursing experiences want to share yours, please do and note it in the comments and visit Jess to read more stories.

My Cleaning Spree

Last Wednesday I spent the majority of the day cleaning out the closet in our master and catching up on the laundry. For me these are VERY big deals seeing as how our clean laundry usually spends a good deal of its life in baskets or on a couch. The closet is um, well, yeah it’s my dark, dirty little secret. Whenever we are having people over (I can't believe that I'm admitting it LOL) anything that is hanging out in piles elsewhere - bills on the island, random papers, clothes to be mended, items to be returned, you get the picture...stuff that doesn't have a "home" gets thrown in there and is off limits to even the best of friends.

I actually cleaned out my closet bills, clothes and all. I have two bags to donate full of anything smaller than a size 10 because if it hasn't fit me in the last three years, it probably won't in the next three.

After cleaning out the closet, putting the rest of the laundry away didn't seem as daunting so for the first time in, ehem, well a long time the laundry baskets only hold dirty clothes. I am also going to do one load of laundry a day so it doesn't pile up and then on days that I have to do diapers, (we use cloth) bedding, towels, etc. I'm sure I'll get to do two loads but it seems more manageable this way. I've done it for four days in a row now and I'm telling you just so you’ll hold me accountable, hopefully I haven't bored you to pieces.

I do have a question for anyone still with me: What do you do with your mail when it comes in and what do you do with bills after they have been paid? We have a file but I have a hard time getting stuff into it, any advice? I come from a long line of hoarders, pilers and stuff keepers and I need to know what normal people do with this stuff!

Happy Friday!

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. Praise God, hubby did get a job offer this afternoon! He'll be going back to work on September 1st at the latest!

I'm always so amazed at how God works and while I don't understand things, I know that he is in command which is a GREAT comfort!

But Seriously

We've had a busy day and a half which I will catch you all up on later. I’m sure you are truly biting your nails with anticipation! LOL!

Seriously though my husband was laid off from his job a few weeks ago which somehow I've avoided blogging about but tonight, it just felt right. He's been called in for a second interview tomorrow (8/4) and we'd love prayers for him and all of us that he finds a job SOON! He did receive an OK severance package which we are VERY grateful for, but my friends, my hubby needs a job.

I do enjoy him being around here a ton, we like to say that we never get sick of each other and we truly do love spending time together. Lately, I have read about how many of you love Monday's and suddenly I find myself really wanting a Monday to get things back to some semblance of normal. Plus a paycheck is always nice so that I can continue to be a very grateful SAHM!

Thanks!

Wordless Wednesday

I think this was the ONE time I had to wake him up from a nap and even snapping a dozen pictures didn't do it!

Hit the road Jack...

My hubby plays the piano and recently learned how to play Hit the road Jack. It was stuck in my head last night while I was making dinner so I was singing it while our son played. At one point I stopped singing after "and don't ya come back" to focus on food prep for a second when our little sponge took it from there, "no more, no more, no more."

On another note, I seriously can't believe that our son will turn 2 this month. It sure has flown by!