Goldilocks & The Three Baers

New Blog Site

It's getting to be the time of year I need to renew my dues for the web blog.

So I am saving a dime, and switching to a freebie site.

Here's the new address:

http://goldilocksandthethreebaers.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you there!

Cleared for take off...

 

My big strong boy went to the doctors office first thing this morning. He received a hearing test, three shots, a TB test, and two blood tests. He weighs 46 pounds, and 42 inches tall. He only cried for a little while... and in my book... is one of the bravest boys I know.

Then we had to go to the shoe store for more tennis shoes. Over the summer, he outgrew the shoes that had tags still on them. The only pair that fit him I was certain he still had six months until he grew into them.

And, as promised we made a trip to Toys R Us. I was firm about him picking out ONE toy. I wasn't thinking about a spending limit. He picked out a $50 train set... oops. He made a point... it was ONE box... and he can't help it if it came with lots of little tiny pieces.

I think I should stay out of the toy store, and start saving my money for law school.

I am so proud of him, and what a smart, loving, compassionate child he's become. The doctor said he was all ready to start school... cleared for take off.

I wish he could say the same for mom.

It seems to be nothing but work, work, work around here. The boys are so very good about playing with each other... but I feel guilty that they don't have 100% of our attention.

(But, it's not like I'm tending to my pot garden... lol. We are working on THEIR new bedroom and bathroom!)

I promised them on Wednesday night before bed we would go to the park... imagine my surprise when we woke up and it was cloudy and cool. I was tickled... that's the most fabulous kind of picture weather!! (Uh, oh yeah, it's great weather for playing in the park too!)

They are both big fans of Tom and Jerry... we love classic cartoons around here!

It's starting to sink in that pretty soon, I won't be able just to scoop them up and hang out in the park. He's going to be in school soon... ugh. :(

I don't think this little guy will mind having my undivided attention. :)

After we hung out at the park, and ran some errands, I gave them a big ol' surprise. They got new/old train snowglobes. When we went to the coast last year, Zach got a snowglobe that he took everywhere. It eventually broke, and he was devistated. My co-worker, Kristina Ann, was able to find these for me while visiting Ft. Bragg.

I had two very happy little boys...

 Of course, not happy enough to look at the camera for mom. :S

But they put up with me a little longer trying to get that perfect picture... I marched them all over the property... hee hee....

 Is it me, or does that sun-bleached hair on his head resemble little horns? hmmm....

Ooohhhh... I see someone else has them, too!

I almost got them to look at dear ol' mom, but the sun was starting to come out, and they had to finish building a train track. And I had more drywall to work on.

So our day of fun was short lived- but very well deserved.

We are hoping to be done very soon, so we will be back to having fun again all the time... I hope. John and I worked all weekend on the drywall... as of tomorrow I will have applied 10 GALLONS of joint compound to our walls. I should finish that tomorrow... and then be able to paint next weekend.

Whoo hoo! I know how jealous you guys are... wish you were here to help!

Just a little behind...

Ahhh... it seems once a week is about all I can update the blog... so buckle up... here goes.

I finally got to the flooring store to order tile and carpet. Oh my... that added up fast. I believe it's our last big expense... so until phase two.. we are done spending money! :) :) :)

My parents are going to spend two weeks at home to help us finish. It's also their 35th wedding anniversary... so if you'd like to come up for dinner... we will get together on August 22nd around 5:30. EVERYONE is invited.. please, no gifts.

John and I are still working on drywall, and in order to work on the boys bedroom, we had to move their beds into our room. I figure this is incentive to work faster... at least for hubby. j/k!

As for my birthday.. it was fabulous. The gals at work had all sorts of treats... and ice cream cake. Yum :) Then on Saturday, I went to my sis in law's parents house. Her mom, Nancy and stepdad Paul are such gracious hosts. They sure know how to make a family feel welcome.

 

This is three generations of the NICEST women you'll ever meet. (L to R, Grandma Marlene, Mom Nancy, and Sis in Law Missy)

 

And this is Paul. He makes one hell of a margarita, top shelf tequila and shaken- not blended.

Yum...

 

This is my crazy husband... and the event of the BBQ. The waterslide was a big hit... and please don't ask me why he wears flippers in the pool. I can not explain my crazy man.

And yeah, you guessed it... the dare-devil himself, Kyle Baer. He must have went down the slide 40+ times.

 

Kyle wasn't the only fool going down the slide. This is Papa- MIssy's grandad. I sure hope when I am 77 I can keep up with a 2 year old!

 

Ker-splash!

 

 

And this is my sweet boy blowing me birthday kisses. He wanted nothing to do with the slide- and I don't blame him. :)

Well, this week is more of the same. Drywall, and backerboard on the floor. Whoo hoo. Laundry and work, dishes and bills. I am finally getting some embroidery orders done.. sorry if you've waited too long.

Today we played a while at the park... hope to have some fun pictures for ya soon. Until next time... ta ta!

Oh no she didn't!

I am on my second cup of espresso this morning... and I get a phone call. It's my sister in law informing me that I've been CHALLENGED!!

What?? Who would be so silly to do such a thing.. who ever they are, they are going DOWN! (Can you tell I am a bit competitive??)

Well, on my friend Jenn Richardson's blog, she has tagged me to a challenge to post my 10th picture, in my 10th folder.

This could have been ugly... but as luck would have it...

 

Sooo... HA HA! ;)

Enjoy your Thursday...

And oh yeah... I tag Whitney W. and Missy G! I know you don't have a blog... but Facebook will work just fine! LOL! LOL!

Catchin' Up

Ahhh... another week has snuck by.

As always with two little people... there's never a dull moment.

 

Kyle has been running around nude... it's a big help to potty training. He hasn't had an accident in a week. Unless you count the evening he pee'd in his bowl of chicken and rice. I guess he was done eating, or maybe he didn't like my cooking. Either way, the little 'squirt' made for an interesting evening.

 

My guys have spent most of their days lately in the pool. They take their jammies off, and head out to the back yard. Their latest hobby is to catch the frogs (they are abundant in the country) and throw them into the pool. Then they jump in with their buckets, yelling "I'll save you" and scoop them all up.

 

I really do try to put swimming clothes on them, but I always come out to see a pile of clothes, and two naked booty's in the pool. We are running our own little nudist camp around here... good thing for 10 acres, huh? ( He was enjoying cake Uncle David and Uncle Missy brought them- yeah that's what they say!) on top of the pool ladder

John and I are still working hard on the house. I was up at 5:30 yesterday morning painting... and at 8:00 in the evening, I was sanding drywall. Somewhere mixed in there, I spent the morning trying to find my desk. I inherited a cabinet from the old laundry room, so I am trying to use it for all the office stuff. What a world of difference it makes when everything has a place!!

Today, I am going to try to clean the bathroom... no easy task with 4 people sharing a toilet. And drywall, and finish cleaning my desk. And laundry, and take measurement so I can order my tile.

At least this weekend I get a little R&R. My sister in law, Missy, is insisting I take a break and celebrate my birthday. We are going to go splash around in the pool... and ignore the fact another year has flown by! We sure can use the break!

I better get some work done, it is supposed to be 103 today. I might just end up in the pool with the boys again... at least I keep my clothes on! LOL!

GREAT Truths!

Poor Blog.

Poor Me... I am busy today with a pole sander... and for those of you that don't know what that is, consider yourself lucky.

While the blog and I are busy with drywall, I thought I would share this. It's from an email a friend forwarded to me... and I thought it was just too good not to post.

Enjoy your Thursday....

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED: 

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.. 
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person. 
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time. 
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. 
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts..
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap. 



GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED: 

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts 
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.. .. 
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy. 

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD 

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.. 
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. 
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster. 
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions. 
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone. 

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE: 

1) You believe in Santa Claus. 
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus. 


SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . . . not piddling in your pants. 
At age 12 success is . . .. having friends. 
At age 17 success is . . having a driver's license. 
At age 35 success is . . . .having money.
At age 50 success is . . having money.
At age 70 success is . . . having a drivers license. 
At age 75 success is . .. . having friends. 
At age 80 success is . . . not piddling in your pants. 

Pass this on to someone who could use a laugh.
Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way;
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

Working for Crackers....

 Child Labor? Oh you bet! And he wasn't doing a half bad job! Too bad for him he works for goldfish crackers!

My Dad was home last week... and since Kyle can't be more than a few feet from Papa... he was working right along with us!

He asked what I was doing, so I showed him, and I will be darned if he didn't join the party. I might have stopped him... but it's his new room afterall.

And let's face it... I will take all the help I can get!

Other than working, we've just been super busy with construction...

I know I sound like a broken record, but we've just been plugging away at the addition. I spent Sunday spreading mud on the walls, but I had it easy compared to John. He went under the house in 108 degree weather to work on the plumbing, ugh!

He had to disconnect the old bathroom, and install all the hook ups for the new bathroom. He also installed our water line for the refrigerator in the kitchen! Whoo hoo! It's been 2 years since we've had our ice maker hooked up... and soon I will be in ice makin' heaven!

Just in time with this heat, too!

It's been such a huge project to complete... but we've pretty much gutted this house, and replaced everything. I am so proud of my husband, and hard work and dedication he's given to this project.

We watched the kids play in the pool tonight, had a beer, and talked about our vacation we are going to plan. It's going to feel good to get back to normal soon. :)

A NEW Mortgage is Born!

CONGRATS to my brother, David and his wife, Missy! They just purchased their very first new home!

It has FOUR bedrooms, and a huge master suite... and I am pretty sure the boys will have fun spending the night there! (hee hee)

They have worked very hard this year at getting out of debt... and now they get the payoff! I am so proud of both of them... WAY TO GO!

 

Lake Oroville is about 15 minutes north of us, and is one of our favorite boating areas. On Tuesday the boys and I took a ride across the dam to see how low the water levels are. We ended up at the Visitors Center, where there is a great museum, and a look out tower. We climbed the four flights of stairs to the top... and got a great view.

Zach didn't like one bit of this, he stayed as close to the wall as he could. Kyle on the other hand, was trying to climb up the railing.

 

This should be interesting having one child who loves heights, and one that hates them!

 

Inside the musuem, it told about the Native American Indians that lived in our area... and the boys seemed to be interested in most of it... but they really loved the train section. When the Oroville Dam was built (the largest earthen dam in the world) they used trains to transport all the material... and my boys always love a good story about trains.

Mom loved the air conditioned museum on a 104 degree day.

Well, back to sheet rock work on the boy's new bedroom... have a great day!

I am trying very hard to make Thursday our designated fun day. It's so easy to get wrapped up with work, and all the construction, and I forget to spend time with the boys outside of the house.

So today, despite the heat, we packed up and headed to the park. We were there for over two hours... and we had a great afternoon.

I should have named him DareDevil Baer... He made it up the rockwall in half the time it took me to rescue Zach from it.

I guess the goggles are for wind resistance when your running 90 mpg in your mom's kitchen...

 Even SuperHero's need to refuel, lucky for me.

And so I guess, despite having to grocery shop... we still managed to have tons of fun today.

Good, Good news.

I read somewhere that worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but you get no where.

That was the definition of my week, I went "no-where" fast.

Last week, Zach had his 4th episode of tonsillitis. The doctor said he thought there was another underlying problem, since his spleen was enlarged. We went to the lab, and let them do all kinds of test.

On Thursday the doctor said the Mono test had come back negative, so he was sending the blood to another lab.

I was standing in the middle of Walmart when when he called, and I heard something about white blood cells, protein levels... and worst case scenario of Leukemia.

The doctor still believed he had mono, but he wanted them to run the test again. And I shouldn't worry until he finds out more answers with the results he expected on Tuesday.

I didn't remember much after the bombshell he dropped on me. And I figured I would do enough worrying for both of us, and there was no reason to ruin John's weekend. So I couldn't even think about it... yeah right.

I have been praying so hard, my fingers are cramping...

On our way home from the funeral service today for Grandma Juanita, I got the call from the doctor.

Good News. Zach has was positive for mono... and nothing else. The doctor wants to wait for the surgery, and other than all of us being exposed to one nasty virus... he'll be fine.

John has watched me cry all weekend over some really crazy things... but on the car ride home... I finally confessed how worried I've been. I thank God that we got a positive outcome, because I don't know how I would have handled anything else.

Now I feel like celebrating, I wonder if there are any firework shows tonight? Maybe I will have to settle for a beer instead!

 Happy 5th of July... as usual... I am a day short.

We had a great day yesterday... we decided to have a breakfast picnic in the park. We thougth we would beat the crowds (and the heat) by getting there early.

You can see, I packed a hearty breakfast. Spent all morning squeezin oranges...

Thankfully this little guy is feeling much better. We're not out of the woods yet, the doctor is running  more tests to rule out some nasty things. I can't even talk about it yet... we are supposed to get the results back on Tuesday.

 

I just don't know why the doctors find it necessary to tell you 'worst case scenario'... then tell you not to worry. I'm just going to keep praying, and try to stay sane until then. (I'll keep you all updated...)

 

Look at these two. Do you think they could look any grumpier?

 

I thought about putting a pitch fork and a chicken in this picture... or maybe it's like those old time photo's where people didn't smile.

Or maybe they were just waiting for mom and dad to dance and cluck like chickens in the middle of the park for a tinsy weensy smile.

Oohhh..they're starting to look like two spoiled children that got to go to the park first thing in the morning...

Ahhh... there's two happy-ish faces... BOTH looking AWAY from the camera. You should have seen the 40+ pictures of one smiling, one not... but I didn't have the energy to post them all.

And on other news... John took his two days off and whooped some butt on the boys room. He's got all the wiring done, and almost has all the sheet rock up! I guess if you don't hear from me, you'll know I'm knee deep in taping and mudding the walls! We just might make our Labor Day goal!! Wish us luck, or better yet... get your butt up here and help!

More Ice Cream therapy??

 Isn't this the most pathetic little face you've ever seen?

For those of you on Facebook, you already know... sorry to bore you again.

The last two days, Zach hasn't felt real well. We've all have had a tummy flu, so I thought he was last in line. Today while I was doing the dishes, he just laid on the kitchen floor with his blanky. I noticed he was warm last night, but chalked it up to a warm summer night. When he refused breakfast and lunch, I knew I was in trouble.

Boy was I right. I started playing Dr. Mom and noticed his lymph nodes were huge, and his throat was all swollen inside. I can diagnosis this now with my eyes closed... tonsillitis.

Sure enough, the doctor confirmed it. He also thinks that since this is the FOURTH time we've had this in just this year... that Zach is a candidate for surgery. He said he hasn't had to refer anyone in years... lucky us, huh?

He's running some blood work to rule out other things, like MONO. However, pending the outcome, it looks like my little man is going to have his first surgery. Gulp.

I know, I know... it's not life threatening. And in the long run he'll be in less pain... but I still don't like it.

John says we should be happy about the ice cream party we get afterward. (Maybe men do understand the therapeutic value in ice cream... )

Or maybe he's not the worry wart in the family.

 We had a little family Popsicle moment tonight... and that's always makes everything a little better. 

(And just a little shout out to the little man, aka Kyle Baer, he went #2 on the potty TWICE today! First time ever, and now he's a pro! I came into the bathrom, and he was putting the chair up on the seat, saying "I a beeg boy!" And just like that, he went 'poo'! I guess if I leave him alone, he'll just train himself!)

Juanita.

Just got word that Heaven got a new angel this morning.

Our Great Grandma Juanita passed away, and we are going to miss her.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Ice Cream Therapy

 I know this isn't the greatest picture of Kyle... but in my defense, I was driving. Yeah, not a good thing to do when your driving- but I looked back at him and this was what I seen. (It's a bad picture, but I was watching the road... and not my camera... I swear!)

We were enjoying an ice cream cone... can you tell?

On Thursday we went to the library to sign up for the summer reading program, and enjoy the "Busy Bodies" program that my sister in law puts on. We went to lunch with her, and ran some errands. On our way home, there were two cars that were messing with me on the bridge. It seemed they were trying to make me stop, or make me wreck into them. I finally got away, and when I came down off the bridge the light was turning yellow. I could see everyone was at a stop, and I didn't want to be sitting at a light with these bozo's... so I went through it.

FLASH... I didn't know there was a red light camera in the intersection.

Crap.

So to make mom feel better about the $400 ticket she's going to get in the mail... we stopped for a soft serve cone. (It's Ice Cream Therapy 101, and it makes sense to us girls...)

I guess I didn't get carjacked, or robbed... so it's a small price to pay.

As for the rest of our week, it was busy-busy.

Kyle has decided to really get good at going potty. It figures since we only have one toilet right now. He's so cute, he climbs out of the pool to go pee. Pretty smart 2 1/2 year old!

The boys are just keeping busy between digging holes and playing in the pool. John is finishing up the wiring in the bedroom, and has installed almost all the new lights in the kitchen. Today his job is to put the window AC unit in- at 10 am this morning it was already 88 degrees.

That's why I stayed up past midnight baking zucchini bread... 10 batches of it. We freeze it and enjoy it all year, so it's worth the hassle. It's just sad that it's in season the worst time of year to turn the oven on!

I can hear the boys squealing... they are catching frogs... better go check on them. Have a great day!

Thank You Tonka.

 

It's been really busy around here lately. We are hoping to have the boys in their new bedroom/bathroom by labor day. In order to do that, we have to keep our nose to the grindstone... and that means the boys are keeping themselves busy.

They have discovered their love for playing in the dirt... and capturing bugs and frogs. (Oh joy!)

And as you can see by the picture... they have plenty of dirt hauling equipment to keep them busy. They also have lots of water transportation devices... which means a big ol' muddy mess for mom.

It's okay though, I knew these days were coming!

As for John and I, we are keeping up with a crazy schedule. We actually had a 'date night' on Friday... we went to dinner... then to LOWES and HOME DEPOT! Whoo hoo...

But we really needed to pick out some important things for the new bathroom... and it just can't be done with busy boys chasing each other down the aisle! So my sis in law came to the rescue... yet again... THANKS MISSY! I just don't know what we would do without your help watching the kids- we'd be lost!

Missy's friend Michelle and her two daughters took the boys to "Old McDonald's" for dinner. Then I hear they went to Dairy Queen... where Zach complimented the staff on such good ice cream on his way out the door. Then they went to the park... and played for a couple of hours. They fell asleep on the way home, and it was a great date night with hubby.

We kept busy all weekend with working on the house, and even snuck in John's favorite dinner for Father's day. The boys also found him "Dr. Pepper" pajamas... and they couldn't wait to give them to him.

And in other big news... for those of you that have been giving me crap about the 5 light bulbs hanging from the ceiling in my kitchen/dining room area, you'll be happy to know I FINALLY picked something out! It's not my fault I wouldn't settle. I knew something would eventually jump out at me... and it did.

It's been a nice conversation piece though... "Yes, come see our new remodeled kitchen... new cabinets... new counter tops... new light bulbs."

I think I jumped around enough to make most English teachers have a heart attack... so on that note... good night!

Happy Daddy Day

 

Here's hoping you always remember the day you became someone's hero.

Happy Father's Day.

Ma- watch this!

I ran an errand for John last year to Orchard Supply. I don't remember what I was there for... but I remember walking past a small pool on the clearance table. I think I paid $65 for a 12 foot pool- it was a great bargain.

Little did I know that it would be the best money I've ever spent. I have two very happy water-logged little boys that can't stop giggling when they are in the pool.

 

I get some great shots of two cuties...

 

I also get two very tired little fellows at bedtime.

Lifeguard duty also reminds me to go outside and get some fresh air. (Which is easy to forget when your busy trying to keep a path cleared through the house.)

I also got a new great book that I was going to read while on lifeguard duty. I keep reading the same chapter over and over though... because I get the same interruption...

"Ma- watch this!"

And I do.

Dimples.

 He's got the most incredible dimples.

And the cutest smile.

And the brightest eyes.

And he loves attention.

 And he reminds me every day how fabulous life is.