tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207822482011-04-21T12:26:50.055-07:00Julie Pnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154839020606534642006-08-05T21:35:00.000-07:002006-08-05T21:38:06.683-07:00

I've moved!! Please update your bookmarks and visit me at http://rarelyhomemom.wordpress.com/ Thanks!

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154751399487463262006-08-04T21:09:00.000-07:002006-08-04T21:16:39.510-07:00

Well. Perhaps he might be right. When my stat counter went boing I got curious, and figured out a freaky way that a lot of people were finding this site. Go with me now - I'm putting it in code so the exact phrase won't come up. Word 1: Short for Jacob Word 2: _______ the Train Word 3: IN Word 4: (opposite of over)-wear Apparently, those 4 words lead all these people to a now-deleted post of

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154549916445298652006-08-02T13:17:00.000-07:002006-08-02T13:18:36.470-07:00

Tioga has his first vet appointment tomorrow. Josh and Jacob still don't have a local pediatrician. And Jake never had a well child 2 year check up (his shots are all up-to-date, though) and Josh is due for shots in a few weeks. Switching insurance is such a pain.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154548430321554682006-08-02T12:52:00.000-07:002006-08-02T12:53:50.343-07:00

The joke in this post made me laugh, but the comments made me almost pee. How's that for an unoriginal post? But you'll laugh, I promise.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154544547772467912006-08-02T11:40:00.000-07:002006-08-02T11:49:07.803-07:00

Last night was a great opportunity to catch up on lost sleep. Or so I thought. I was so tired that I knew I'd fall asleep faster than usual - and I fall asleep fast. Well, I stayed up too late watching Monday's The Closer. Then I was kind of riled. So there I was in bed, making lists of people I forgot to call back and jobs I forgot to do and things I forgot to buy and on and on. You know

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154482364071724842006-08-01T18:23:00.000-07:002006-08-01T20:46:45.633-07:00

[I tried to post videos but don't have the patience to figure out the html problems. So if you're that interested, here: link to the videos Oh, but a very different night from that Four Seasons night. When we first decided upon this new family dynamic of Nathan traveling more often, I had grand ideas. He would leave, and Jake, Josh and I would party. The zoo! The farm! The trails! The

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154105385491881762006-07-28T09:45:00.000-07:002006-07-28T09:49:45.606-07:00

blow a kiss Originally uploaded by rarely home mom.My view from the kitchen window this morning.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154095123401579742006-07-28T06:51:00.000-07:002006-07-28T06:58:43.440-07:00

Tioga is the 11 week old pup who joined our family yesterday. His name comes from Tioga Pass, in and near Yosemite, one of our very favorite places on earth. I'm thrilled, Nathan is excited (it's his first pet) and Jacob thinks it's his birthday. Again. Josh is reserving judgement, until he knows how to make one. Tioga is mostly lab with a little suprise thrown in. His mom is full black lab

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154007445643087752006-07-27T06:36:00.000-07:002006-07-27T06:37:25.643-07:00

Does anyone know of anywhere in Utah I can go pick my own produce? Salt Lake and Utah counties would be most convienent, but I'll drive a little bit. Thanks for any help - I'm having a hard time finding anything on Google.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1154007371161354172006-07-27T06:20:00.000-07:002006-07-27T06:36:11.226-07:00

Yes, those are my feet. Frightening, isn't it? Well. Here in Utah, these people celebrate the state's birthday with all the sha-bang of the 4th of July. It's a state holiday - everyone gets the day off. There are picnics and parades and fireworks. Oh boy, are there fireworks. I knew this, but since I'd never been here on July 24th, Pioneer Day, I had totally forgotten. Every time we

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153954017323033642006-07-26T15:32:00.000-07:002006-07-26T17:01:50.273-07:00

With previous moves and purchases, I have always kept the boxes of my more valuable or breakable objects. Most of my vases have been stored in their original boxes, as was the crystal and china we received for our wedding. Serving trays and serving bowls? Same story. The griddle has its box. So does the crock pot. It's because, every time I moved, I knew it was temporary. I moved to the

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153835901142736982006-07-25T06:52:00.000-07:002006-07-25T07:01:37.253-07:00

I'm, um..."borrowing" Nathan's blackberry quickly to jump online and give a virtual SQUEEZE to my friend Rebecca. She just became a mommy (again) through adoption to a beautiful daughter with a beautiful name. Norah was born on Saturday and got to join her family very soon after. I'm SO excited for their family!! (We'll have internet hooked up by tomorrow afternoon - yeah! See you soon!) p.s

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153403150582996232006-07-20T06:38:00.000-07:002006-07-20T06:45:50.650-07:00

We shall sleep tonight in the new house! The new house where approx. 2/3 of our belongings now reside, put there by Nathan and myself yesterday. And then we got hungry and it started raining, and I said "we are done!" Plus, the other stuff? It is heavy. Anyhow. The new house does not currently have internet. And because we live somewhere referred to as "rural" that is *so* not rural as of

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153272092876642262006-07-18T18:11:00.000-07:002006-07-18T18:22:59.740-07:00

The Scene: putting Jacob to bed, he's on his makeshift couch/bed about 10 feet behind me; I am sitting in the same room, at the desk working on the computer Jacob: Mommy, I love you. Me: I love you, Jacob. J: Mommy! I squirt Grandma. I squirt Grandpa. I squirt Stacy. I squirt Grandma Gerry. (he's remembering what he did at my parents house 2ish weeks ago - pretty good memory!) M: I know,

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153250168999779822006-07-18T11:42:00.000-07:002006-07-18T12:17:38.363-07:00

1 - Apparently, when you fill out the on-line form for the post office where you pay $1 and request they forward your mail to your new address, there is someone who receives the e-mail, sees this: asd;kfjads;kfjs;adljf asd;lkfja;ldkfj as;dfljads;lkfjads instead of the request, and pockets the $1, with a trip to dollar night at Baskin Robbins in mind. At least, that's what has seemed to happen

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153190654074518412006-07-17T19:05:00.000-07:002006-07-17T19:44:28.760-07:00

Why would I quit swearing in my head? Because if it's this hot here: (On the way to Target) (On the way home from Target) how hot is it in hell? And swearing...probably not the way to get the free ticket to heaven. And while I'm not exactly looking for a free ticket to the good place in the sky, we all know I don't like paying full price for anything. So at least a discount ticket to heaven

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153163534137052082006-07-17T11:35:00.000-07:002006-07-17T12:20:26.656-07:00

Happy birthday, Jacob! Do you remember that Jacob couldn't decide if he was four or five? From an earlier post: Jacob will not be turning 2 this month. We've been teaching him to answer "2" when asked "how old are you?" And for the past month or so, Jacob has been right on like a trained seal to answer what we want him to, on cue. Yesterday, Nathan asked him how old he was, and Jacob replied

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1153102611888807642006-07-16T19:07:00.000-07:002006-07-16T19:16:51.906-07:00

...and came out with a pedicure (me) and a full set (sister-in-law). Things I learned today: 1 - what a "full set" is in manicure-speak 2 - that I still get freakishly giddy at the Super Wal-Marts cheap prices on food 3 - what wheat looks like. 4 - that my husband and sister-in-law were awed that I had not known what wheat looked like. 5 - that a vita-mix will ensure you live to be 397 years

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152986315590140062006-07-15T10:45:00.000-07:002006-07-15T10:58:37.076-07:00

The bank teller was so nice. Ultra nice. And she was taking awhile to do her task for me so we chit-chatted. She found out we were moving to Utah. She asked where. She asked why. She asked if I had children. "Yes. Two boys. One turns 2 today and the other is almost 5 months." And that's when the ultra-nice teller turned into the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me teller. She actually pushed

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152844913090385822006-07-13T19:37:00.000-07:002006-07-14T18:33:58.796-07:00

(I wrote this post last night, but blogger wouldn't let me add photos. This is happening so frequently, I'm getting more antsy to ditch blogger. Anyhoo, it finally let me do the photos tonight. So here. And you get the post intended for today tomorrow. Probably.) We're upon the eve of Jacob's 2nd birthday. And I've just had a blast going through some pictures as he's lying about five feet

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152760911317561662006-07-12T20:20:00.000-07:002006-07-12T20:21:51.336-07:00

I was looking on our new city's website to find out info about who to call for garbage service and whatnot. And I found a grammatical error that makes me want to crawl out of my skin. When asked what services the city provides, the answer was: "all services accept your gas and phone". No, no, no, no, no. Just - no. And just as I was falling in love with our new little town/city.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152718561192479922006-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:002006-07-12T08:40:43.200-07:00

Simple question. My site meter keeps going up, yet the comments are stagnant. SO - if you're a reader who has never commented, or maybe you commented once a long time ago, would you please drop a quick comment just to say "Hi! I'm [insert your name here] and once in awhile, I read your blog!"? That would be lovely. Thank you ever so much. XOX Julie

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152713362115240072006-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:002006-07-12T07:44:30.320-07:00

This: is a "fark". This: is a "jell". This: is the state of "Utahr". The thing on top of the house: it is a "ruff". People who go here: are "Marmens". I totally know that not all Utahns speak this way. The grandparents do for sure. And my husband's cousins (who are young) do, too. Soooo....there.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152630810488169862006-07-11T07:55:00.000-07:002006-07-11T08:13:30.743-07:00

Two years ago today, I went into labor. Please note the date: July 11. Jacob was born on July 14, after 75 hours of labor. If you're a pregnant, first time mom, you may not want to read this. Be warned. My contractions started on Sunday, July 11 at noon. They were 15 minutes apart. I didn't tell Nathan what was happening because I didn't want him to get all excited if nothing was going to

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152563165510647162006-07-10T13:04:00.000-07:002006-07-10T13:26:05.743-07:00

(ok - not the best family picture ever, but taken on Fathers Day, this is the most recent) So. In California, our transracial family didn't get too many stares when we were out in public. Or in private. (Hee hee. Because staring at myself in private? Not so fun.) I, in fact, had many people make comments that led me to realize they thought that both Jacob and Josh were my biological

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152555800634203192006-07-10T11:10:00.000-07:002006-07-10T11:25:16.886-07:00

We drove from Cedar City to northern-ish Utah yesterday (stopping for new tires along the way - wheee!). Before we got to my sister-in-laws house, where we're camping out until the house is done, we stopped at the new house. We got out, looked around, and were generally very happy with what we saw. True, it's not my dream house. There are about 417 things I would have changed if we would've

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152414841459906352006-07-08T19:48:00.000-07:002006-07-08T20:39:33.256-07:00

(lots o' pics: click on any to enlarge) Dear Internet, Please save me from my two-year-old. No, I'm not kidding. No, I'm not being funny. I am a very tired, very exasperated mother. Jacob can be the funniest, wittiest, cutest kid on earth - no joke. He's incredibly smart and stinkin' adorable. But even when our life is on "normal" and our schedules are...on schedule - he still has his 2

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1152108444549820412006-07-05T06:53:00.000-07:002006-07-05T22:12:25.263-07:00

The morning started out like many other holiday mornings in my parents house: everyone in pj's way too long trying to figure out what to do, and my mom cooking in the kitchen. And then, as is the case on most holidays when stores are open, the women pile into a car and go shopping. Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of shopping anymore - unless there's something I need or am given the opportunity

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1151933531602299112006-07-03T06:04:00.000-07:002006-07-03T06:32:14.280-07:00

How's the nomading going? Nathan and Josh and I are surviving. Jacob is in heaven. But of course he is! He spent all of last week being spoiled by Nathan's mom and dad and running in their huge backyard. We went to lunch multiple times, chased (too) many trains, and Jacob was entertained at every corner. Now, when he does something - anything - that makes people laugh, he bows and says "

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1151713809080744932006-06-30T17:09:00.000-07:002006-06-30T17:30:09.103-07:00

...or - "how much stuff do you think I've really got!?!" Here's the deal - moving sucks. Huge. Especially when you do it the Rarely-Home Family way. We move out of our condo about 3 weeks before our new house is done being built. Smart, no? Instead of packing a truck, driving to Utah, renting a storage unit, unpacking the truck, getting a hotel for 2 or 3 weeks, renting another truck,

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1151616281724921472006-06-29T14:05:00.000-07:002006-06-29T14:24:41.886-07:00

Last night, Nathan asked me how it felt to be married to an old man. a) he was 12 hours early; and b) is he the last person to hear that 40 is the new 30? Really, now...I've been 30 for a few months and - when I remember that I'm no longer in my 20's - have no problem with being 30, since I won't be 40 for 10 years. And if he's 33, he's got 7 years to go before we're talking "old". I

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1151585095318990882006-06-29T05:38:00.000-07:002006-06-29T05:46:24.323-07:00

You might remember when my best friends moved a few months ago. K left in March and S left in May. Those ladies were like appendages to me and I haven't been the same with them gone. Especially this week. Last Monday, K gave birth to her second baby, a beautiful girl. If it weren't for the fact that I was moving out of our condo seven days later, there is a very good chance I would've been

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1151012039673099862006-06-22T14:25:00.000-07:002006-06-23T07:22:43.886-07:00

I have no idea if this will work, seeing as I have probably 5 regular readers. But if it somehow worked, I think it would be a blast. If it's going to work, my readers are going to have to recruit people - somehow, anyhow. Our dining room table is a hand-me-down from a friend of my grandma's who went into a nursing home. My grandma got this table for me, and believe it or not, I've been really

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150924648931469262006-06-21T14:09:00.000-07:002006-06-22T09:04:46.266-07:00

Two mornings ago I woke up in the morning after a very vivid dream where Nathan leaned over and told me "Honey, I just got laid off." With our move and all, that would be quite inconvienent. I became more alert and saw Nathan getting ready for work in the dressing area that's just off my side of the bedroom. After I filled him in on my dream and calmed my quickly-beating heart, we decided that

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150896003561455772006-06-21T06:17:00.001-07:002006-06-21T06:20:03.583-07:00

Most people have multiple computers in the home right now. When I first started jumping back and forth between the laptop and desktop, it was a pain not to have all my bookmarks on the current computer I was on. I discovered www.mybookmarks.com It took a little bit of work getting used to having 2 windows open all the time, and switching between them for bookmarks, but now I don't even notice

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150814371828998842006-06-20T07:08:00.000-07:002006-06-20T07:39:31.956-07:00

As we're preparing to leave our home, I've thought a lot about the memories we've made and experiences we've lived while here. And I've been thinking about our failed adoption a lot. More than I've expected to at this point, almost nine months out. If you've read my early archives, you might have read a little about the twins we lost. We were matched with their birthmom 1 month before she was

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150757325760363522006-06-19T15:47:00.000-07:002006-06-19T15:59:08.163-07:00

Linda Hirshman. Not one of my favorite people. Not that I like to judge, but I'm not feeling very badly about it right now. I'd heard all the hulla-baloo about what she has said lately about women choosing to stay home to be full-time mothers, and temporarily - or permanently - foregoing the workplace. And it didn't upset me a whole lot because I thought I'd heard it all before. Old news.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150561324975576012006-06-17T09:03:00.000-07:002006-06-17T09:23:12.466-07:00

Josh in May Josh's First Hickey I went in to get Josh around 10 one night to give him a late bottle, and found his pacifier stuck to the side of his face. I, of course, thought it was hilarious. Maybe just because it was late and I was tired. Jacob's Personal Spa This would not normally be allowed in our house. But it was hot, and I was tired of saying "no" all day. He was outside

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150518302845200562006-06-16T21:20:00.000-07:002006-06-16T21:25:02.866-07:00

We're out of town for the weekend - a last jaunt to a favorite coastal hideout before next weeks packing frenzy begins. We brought the computer so we could catch up with the Netflix (that Lost is addicting!), but other than watching movies, I planned to stay off-line and just "be". Well, Jacob and Nathan went swimming and I was inside watching Josh as he napped, and TV was uninteresting and

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150407281308273632006-06-15T14:28:00.000-07:002006-06-19T15:59:52.916-07:00

I just cut Jake a piece of cheese (and am laughing extra hard when I re-read that because it reads oh-so-close to "cut the cheese") and noticed for the first time a warning label. On cheese. It reads: Warning: Made with milk or milk derivatives. What? Cheese is made with milk? No... And then I was reminded of the warning labels on Jake's "fruit snacks" (yo-go's): Warning: made with milk

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150320435054281692006-06-14T14:24:00.000-07:002006-06-14T14:28:07.213-07:00

Jacob woke up from his nap today yelling at me from his bed: "MOM! MOM!" I walked in there to see him, still tucked under the covers, holding out his orange sippy cup for me to take. "Mom. Ago. Ago, mom." Huh? Ago? I get apple juice, "lem-ade" and milk. But ago? I'm guessing he meant "agua", probably courtesty of Sesame Street. So, dear Sesame Street, we bid you farewell. Thanks for

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150208768714394872006-06-13T07:22:00.000-07:002006-06-14T09:47:51.566-07:00

Yesterday we were at Kohl's getting Nathan's fathers day present. (and if you think I can go into Kohl's and get just one thing - ha! wrong!) I turned to Jacob, who was doing a shockingly good job holding onto the stroller as he was told and I brought up his birthday - just a month away! "Your birthday is coming up. Should we have a party?" "Nope." "No party? For your birthday? Do you

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1150088309319062262006-06-11T21:55:00.000-07:002006-06-12T11:30:05.790-07:00

1) Chapstick is about to become my constant companion 2) The cheap lotion (Suave, my current favorite - and I'm picky) will simply not cut it anymore. We need to pull out the big guns now. 3) Early summer bedtimes will be a hoot/disaster. Note to self: you are moving to Utah, not Alaska. (I embrace early bedtimes, no matter the season...I'm all about grown-up time with the hubs) 4) The

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1149948680156989282006-06-10T07:05:00.000-07:002006-06-10T07:11:20.173-07:00

What days? The days where I can go up to a person and say "I am going to buy your house for this much money and I'd like to move in on this day" and the person will say "sounds peachy" and we'd shake hands and the deal would be DONE and official because hey - we're both people of integrity and it's just a whole lot easier to do it that way than to fill out 958 pieces of paper that require my

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1149433977677580832006-06-04T07:37:00.000-07:002006-06-04T14:20:56.886-07:00

1 - I was greeted by Jacob this morning (after the 1:15 am and 5:00 am screams of 2 year old in-coming molar distress) peeking his head around the corner (I was already feeding Josh in the dining room) and looking at me with a smile while saying "W, X, Y, Z!!!" like it was some amazing secret he couldn't wait to share. In addition, he's been peppering our morning with "Good Morning, Mom!" and

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1149288120727332562006-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:002006-06-02T15:42:00.756-07:00

SOLD! The offer came in 14 days after it went on the market, we countered, and they'll be signing our counter by tomorrow morning. Wow. This went so much faster than I anticipated. The dollar amount is fair, but it's going to move quick...I had been sticking to my guns about wanting a 45 day close so we'd have time to find a new house and make a smooth move from one into the other. Last

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1149176262775424032006-06-01T08:27:00.000-07:002006-06-01T08:37:42.776-07:00

But not really! Because all of you, with your families and whatnot? Wouldn't really fit in my cozy place. Plus, the mess? Did you know we were trying to sell our house? Probably, since I speak of little else. And the messes are something we're trying to avoid. So, while I would love to have you over for dinner - or lunch - or breakfast (and actually, I mean it...warm fuzzies), what I

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1149048583133049292006-05-30T21:09:00.000-07:002006-05-30T21:15:24.890-07:00

Just as I was wondering if I was doing anything right, if I was teaching Jacob anything at all, I got warm fuzzies tonight. We were driving back from our Families Supporting Adoption meeting tonight and it was late. The meeting went from 7-9, and I had taken the kids since I expected it would only last one hour. I turned around, and talking to Jacob, asked him if he was tired. "Yes." "When

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1149022606140303922006-05-30T13:53:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:00:27.426-07:00

I take pictures of the boys. Lots and lots of pictures. Nathan and I each have grandparents that like to see those pictures, but they don't have access to computers. Costco Photo Center to the rescue! Costco has the cheapest prices per print (17 cents) that we've found, plus FREE shipping - no matter where the pictures are going, and no matter how many prints you've ordered. It makes it

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148961411013458072006-05-29T20:35:00.000-07:002006-05-29T20:57:17.363-07:00

I generally hate picking titles for posts. I'm just not witty or conscise enough. Plus, there's so much swirling in my head right now, so I don't know what's actually going to get typed out. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a successful parent. More precisely, I've been wondering how to make sure I can get through the day not feeling like a failure as a parent at least six

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148741608042214252006-05-27T07:51:00.000-07:002006-05-27T07:53:52.650-07:00

Nathan spent over an hour last night showing me some of the very basics of this HTML stuff. I have this vision in my head for this site, and have been waiting for a long time to get pretty. This, of course, is no where near that vision, but doesn't it just say "summer is here!" to you? And it's much more cheerful than navy blue. Thanks, Nathan! (and Stacy, my sister, for a last minute color

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148595060352478082006-05-25T14:37:00.000-07:002006-05-25T15:15:06.880-07:00

One day, I might get the daughter I dream of having. One day, she might ask me about my first love. And I'll giggle a 45 year old womans giggle while I remember being five years old. My daughter and I, we'll lie on our backs on the sweet green grass and watch the clouds and I'll tell her. It was at this school: At a playground that looked nothing like this: I had long, shiny hair.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148579574384557742006-05-25T10:46:00.000-07:002006-05-25T10:54:55.703-07:00

1) My drivers license expired on my birthday. Over a month ago. Woo!! Thankfully, I got an appointment at the DMV for tomorrow morning. This appears to be a small miracle, as the last several times I got online appointments, they were several weeks out. Phew. Stay tuned to learn how much in extra overdue fees I'll get to pay. Yeah! 2) We didn't get FBI fingerprinted for our adoption

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148481509338926322006-05-24T07:29:00.000-07:002006-05-24T07:38:29.356-07:00

I discovered Shannon's feature a couple weeks ago, and last Wednesday I went through almost every link and got some awesome, helpful, and fun tips! Yesterday I looked at the calendar and actually thought "hey - tomorrow's Wednesday - new tips!!" Oh, the excitement that is my world. I was sure I had nothing to add, but you know what? Once in awhile I do get a bright idea to pass on. So, not

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148423731398688252006-05-23T15:34:00.000-07:002006-05-23T15:48:24.836-07:00

...unless you are me and you are writing Josh's birthmom each month with updates. In our agreement that we signed with Josh's birthmom, D, and the agency, we agreed to write one letter each month for six months, and then one letter each year until Josh turns 18. We also agreed to send pictures with each letter. I called the agency today to see if D has requested any of the letters we've sent (

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148181566917386562006-05-20T20:02:00.000-07:002006-05-20T20:20:26.440-07:00

Picture this. The brick in the middle of that photo is me. The bricks going around and around that center brick are the tracks Jacob runs around me. All day. All night. He never, ever stops. People don't believe me, but it's absolutely true. He wakes up, starts playing, wakes one of us up to ask for juice or milk, and is off running around the house again. He runs around outside. He

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148169882787835892006-05-20T16:59:00.000-07:002006-05-20T17:04:42.800-07:00

I love dogs. Love. One of the reasons we are excited for a yard is so we can get a dog. I refuse to dress my dog in any type of clothing unnecessary for survival. I refuse to paint the dogs nails, dye the dogs hair (did you see that Super Sweet 16 - you know you watch it - where she dyed her 2 dogs hot pink? Oh, the horror). I kid you not - I have a collection of photos I've taken of dogs that

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1148067052645613362006-05-19T12:27:00.000-07:002006-05-19T12:30:52.680-07:00

I. Am. Naive. This is what my front door and front fence looked like last night: That first picture? That would be a for sale sign. Next picture? Lock box. All the signs of a house for sale. My brain has all the signs of an owner in denial of a house for sale. The denial exists in my not expecting one offer for at least 3 weeks. The last house in our condo complex took 38 days to

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1147834620631477302006-05-16T19:47:00.000-07:002006-05-16T20:16:05.276-07:00

These are the years, the gentle years, the soft and sentimental years when wee little fingers reach and touch and little eyes gaze with wonder and trust, when you love so tenderly and so so much, these are the gentle years.These are the years, the rainbow years, the quiet, walk-on-tiptoes years, the years of laughter and smiles and sighs when both of you watch with misty eyes the tiny bed

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1147469713492779712006-05-12T14:28:00.000-07:002006-05-12T15:03:31.346-07:00

I was so excited when the 2nd issue of Wondertime Magazine showed up in my mail box yesterday. There's an article about teaching our children to remember more details about events so the past will be more real and meaningful. Part of the article is about telling family stories repeatedly, and using details. I went to bed wondering how many family stories we've lived during the short three

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1147469249947493192006-05-12T14:19:00.000-07:002006-05-12T14:27:29.963-07:00

Two for Togetherness 2 things you compliment your husband on while in his presence. 1. his brains 2. his helpfulness 2 compliments you make about your spouse to your friends about your spouse. 1. how great he is with our children 2. that our family really is his first priority 2 traits you married him/her for. 1. humor 2. ability to provide 2 Days you charished the most with your husband

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1147358291735470502006-05-11T07:35:00.000-07:002006-05-11T07:38:11.763-07:00

The first appearance of the blow up pool this year. The first time I passed out this year (couldn't find the bike pump). Jacob's got a thing for wearing "mommy's shoes!" Trains. It's always trains.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1147230174010933822006-05-09T19:55:00.000-07:002006-05-09T20:03:42.403-07:00

Remember this post? Me neither. Just kidding. We're doing great. Especially since I discovered sparkpeople.com, which I'm hooked on. We're eating vegetables like scurvied pirates and things are going great...when Nathan's home. And when he's away on business, we eat ice cream for dinner. Seriously. Listen, people. It was 88 today. It's hot, ok? But mostly, now that the dad's gone I

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1147142376378445932006-05-08T19:39:00.000-07:002006-05-08T19:39:36.400-07:00

"No, Jacob. Mommy can't hold you right now. She's playing with power tools."

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1147133202551613832006-05-08T16:53:00.000-07:002006-05-08T17:06:42.593-07:00

I came home from church yesterday frustrated, again, with the place we've chosen to move. I go through the week neutral about moving to Utah. Then I'm happy with the idea. Once in awhile, I even get excited. Those mountains? Beautiful. All of the outdoors things there will be to do as a family? Fantastic! The family-oriented community? Great place to raise kids. And the seasons - Utah

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146927231495618402006-05-06T07:39:00.000-07:002006-05-06T09:34:00.523-07:00

Lots of things are genetic: hair color, height, skin tone, even foot size. But the passion for shopping for shoes to cover those feet? Most certainly genetic, if my family is any indication. My genetic shoe-shopping marker can be traced to my maternal grandmother. She was passionate about shoe shopping to an addictive point. We lived in Los Angeles and she in San Francisco. She would visit often

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146670510495700932006-05-03T08:19:00.000-07:002006-05-03T08:39:16.846-07:00

I eat my breakfast in front of the computer every morning with the news in the background , checking e-mail and getting in my fun computer time before kids and chores and errands and other things call to me. The last read for today was the best. Smartmama was talking about her thankfulness to the feminist movement because it opened a world of choices to her. In her words: I am a woman, a

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146591447494136442006-05-02T10:19:00.000-07:002006-05-02T13:18:23.616-07:00

I'm all consumed with the move. Two nights ago the things that I would miss about here were swirling around my head so quickly that I couldn't sleep for hours (and usually, I'm asleep within 30 seconds of my head hitting the pillow). So last night after dinner, Nathan and I made a list of the things we'll miss about being here. For a list of 56 things, it sure didn't take long. Ideally, I'd

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146582337007404232006-05-02T08:00:00.000-07:002006-05-02T16:00:20.890-07:00

I wish it was a real day off, but it will just be the next best thing, I suppose. I'm sick of house stuff, and I'm sick - these allergies are just kicking my butt. You'd have no clue I spend as much money on stupid meds as I do each month to still have this amount of snot come out of my body. And the eyes? Massaging them with sandpaper has occured to me many times in the past two weeks. I'm

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146376673231656202006-04-29T22:35:00.000-07:002006-04-29T22:57:53.270-07:00

I was looking on line for journal prompts that weren't too cheesy, just meaningful enough, and that my kids might like to read one day. I found this site, and I'm going to give it a go. One of my goals for this year was to journal in my personal journal every week and our family journal once a month. I've been doing pretty good with that goal. But honestly? My life isn't too thrilling, and

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146334615755513922006-04-29T11:10:00.000-07:002006-04-29T11:18:13.610-07:00

I just got a phone call from my sister. "Did you know that Dad reads your blog?" Ummm...no, I didn't. Well, Dad, at least you could drop a comment that says something like "Hi, Favorite Daughter. I read your blog!" (note, watch for a comment to this post where my dad leaves the exact comment I just suggested. Because that's just like him. Well, except for the Favorite part. Because my

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146093161181257132006-04-26T16:07:00.000-07:002006-04-26T16:12:41.206-07:00

Jacob never used sidewalk chalk before today. To get him excited about it - ok, to get him to stop screaming after I so rudely yanked him out of the library - I talked about it the whole 4 mile drive home from the library. Chalk! We're going to color! Outside! Where it's 75 today! With CHALK! Chalk is SO fun! Chalk! We got home, and I got him a sippy and the chalk and he started to

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146072044112537882006-04-26T10:10:00.000-07:002006-04-26T10:20:44.136-07:00

I am just dying here, people. DIE-ING. Today is the day to pack up all the books. Actually, it was yesterday, but I'm never, ever on time since becoming a mom of two. Which is kind of a pain since being late and behind schedule gives me these really fun panic attacks. And digressing and getting sidetracked just like I'm doing at this second (by 1 - writing and 2 - getting off topic in my

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146024609735349622006-04-25T21:04:00.000-07:002006-04-25T21:10:09.750-07:00

Why are we in trouble? We have a wiseguy on our hands and he's not even two! This weekend we were at my parents. We had friends over to visit. The friends had a son, Taylor, who is about 11 or so, and whom Jacob adores. Jacob and Taylor were on the couch, probably because Taylor could not take two steps without Jacob following on his heels. Remember Jacob's infatuation with trains?

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146023565513773202006-04-25T20:52:00.000-07:002006-04-25T20:52:45.533-07:00

I'll join the fun...here's your chance to learn all the nitty gritty boring details of my life: How many times has someone on your friends list posted about something and you were really confused, but you didn't want to ask because you knew you SHOULD know? How many times have you felt 'guilty' asking a question that should be 'obvious'? Well, here's your chance. If you've missed a few things,

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1146008497817199272006-04-25T16:22:00.000-07:002006-04-25T16:41:37.836-07:00

There's a new round of commericals on TV. I wish I could remember who sponsors them, because I would love to find a clip on the internet and link to it here. Hopefully I'll get to edit it in soon. Anyhow, it's full of cute toddlers asking their parents not for snacks, but diseases. "Mom, can I please have some diabetes?" "Will you pass the heart disease, please?" I love these commercials,

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1145566846424554752006-04-20T13:58:00.000-07:002006-04-20T14:02:40.693-07:00

Found at Tracy M's blog, I really needed this quote: "There are years that ask questions, and there are years that answer." -Zora Neale Hurston I keep praying the questions are over and that the answers will soon come.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1145490522861013222006-04-19T16:46:00.000-07:002006-04-19T16:48:42.883-07:00

I walked into the bedroom, found Jacob typing, heard an "uh-oh" and saw this: Your search - eq'fsxsl dgdeweeietrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhuiik0lkmk,kl;/?l]y - did not match any documents. He obviously doesn't know how to type "train" yet, or "save me from another time out" or "how to avoid being packed in box when I keep hiding in them". At least he wasn't searching for "new mommy store". It's only

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1145461792425385282006-04-19T08:27:00.002-07:002006-04-19T08:55:55.293-07:00

I got tagged by Jennifer for the six things meme. Reason I don't usually do memes: I can rarely, if ever, think of enough bullet points to finish the darn things. You know how so many bloggers do a Thankful Thursday Thirteen or whatever it is? Like I can promise to think of 13 things in the same category on the same day? As if! So I'll do my best to think of six weird things about myself.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1145454543767402892006-04-19T06:46:00.000-07:002006-04-19T06:49:03.783-07:00

Jacob has this really annoying habit of screech-screaming when he's mad. Say it together: we love the terrible twos! Anyhow, now when he does it he gets the much-hated time out. I had started out with the attitude that the screaming isn't actually hurting anyone, it's just plain annoying. But really? Can't take it anymore. Yesterday on the way to the farm he got mad at something, most

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1145417383787623082006-04-18T20:16:00.000-07:002006-04-18T20:29:43.823-07:00

We went to a farm/ranch near out house today. It's just small, and mainly used as historical field-trip teaching thingy (yes, I've been out of the classroom a long, long time) for 3rd graders. It was full of animals and their poop and mud which made it heaven for Jacob. He wouldn't stop chasing the twin goats, and insisted on trying to pull daddy goats beard. He also kept trying to poke the

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1145307969920523982006-04-17T14:06:00.000-07:002006-04-17T14:35:59.993-07:00

I'm going through all of our closets and throwing away bagful after bagful of "stuff" as we're getting ready to put our house up for sale in the next several weeks. This "stuff" has generally been sitting in closets for most of the last 2 years. Some of the stuff has made a Very Important Cameo during its residence in our home, and then gone back to being unused and neglected. I'm throwing

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1145201299939227392006-04-16T08:26:00.000-07:002006-04-16T08:28:19.953-07:00

Yesterday, I was talking to my sister on the phone when I told her where we had decided, just hours earlier, to move. While I feel peaceful about the decision and know it's where we're supposed to be for now, it's going to take me awhile to get excited about this move. I ended my explanation to her with an emphatic "CRAP". To which Jacob replied with the following: "CRAP! Joshie, say 'crap!

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144960867630628312006-04-13T13:36:00.000-07:002006-04-13T13:41:07.643-07:00

I had a good 90 minute cry last night and got all the frustrations out. It turns out that the move, while the largest ouch to hit, wasn't the only thing bothering me, and crying about one thing got everythin else out. I'm better. I'm moving, for heavens sake, it's not like California is going to drop off the map and I will never be able to come back. (but, oh...to be away from the beach, the

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144889669452836532006-04-12T17:51:00.000-07:002006-04-12T17:56:25.306-07:00

Why? I don't want to move. I want to live in CA, in the Bay Area, until I die. Yesterday we got the "all systems go" to move. I was so excited...for about an hour. Then we made the list of all the things we need to do before we can put our house up for sale. That took a good chunk of excitement out of me. By the evening, I was mad we were moving. It occurred to me today, after I had another

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144790738672785382006-04-11T14:11:00.000-07:002006-04-11T14:25:38.686-07:00

Getting ready to leave this morning, I was rushing, which has become my new normal, which does not leave me living in a happy place. Jacob and I were in the skivvies when I went to open the very packed dryer. Guess what I found!! You can't guess if you read the title. Oh, wait! That's all of you. The crayons were blue and yellow, and my mood was black. Many of my favorite clothes were in

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144727104391725272006-04-10T20:41:00.000-07:002006-04-10T20:45:04.410-07:00

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144266835544665192006-04-05T12:53:00.000-07:002006-04-05T12:53:55.566-07:00

How interesting that I'm as excited for the Wiggles concert we're going to later this month (just found out about it this morning!) as I was for the New Kids on the Block concert when I was in 7th grade?

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144192294962649662006-04-04T15:54:00.000-07:002006-04-04T16:11:34.983-07:00

Oh, how I dislike the bottle. Oh, how I wish I appreciated the boob milk better when it was a'flowin'. I breastfed Jacob for 8+ months. I knew it was best, and that's why I did it, but oh how I hated 2 3/4 of every 3 minutes of it. I really attribute the dislike of nursing (for just one thing, it was never ending - he ate at least every 2 hours for more than 2 months straight) to the

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144179035137149742006-04-04T12:29:00.000-07:002006-04-04T12:30:35.153-07:00

Campusi.com Incredible. It scans all the online booksellers you can think of, then 100 more you can't, and gives you the details on where you can buy your book, how much it will cost at each place, and how much shipping will be at each site. Love. True Love.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144094058101226762006-04-03T12:51:00.000-07:002006-04-03T20:02:15.236-07:00

Some recent faves...not high quality photos, but they show my kids fun personalities! In this one, Josh laughed so hard he fell over. :)

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144087791451822832006-04-03T11:09:00.000-07:002006-04-03T11:20:00.443-07:00

Jacob has a thing with liking his crayons paper-free. It wouldn't bother me so much if he didn't keep whining "paper! paper!" when he was coloring; necessitating my walking over to him every 90 seconds to peel the paper off yet one more crayon. All day long. Did I mention how much fun it is to have crayon wrappings littering the house? I didn't? It is SO fun!

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144031422495917542006-04-02T19:20:00.000-07:002006-04-02T19:30:22.510-07:00

We have this painting above the couch in our living room. It is of a scene on Mt. Diablo in Spring sometime in the 1980's when that barn still existed, and the lupine and poppies were plentiful: Jacob stood on the couch today and pointed at the painting. "Outside! Ooooohhh...outside." It was in such a tone of longing. He misses the outside. We all miss the outside!

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1144011728500451962006-04-02T13:59:00.000-07:002006-04-02T14:02:08.516-07:00

My kids have a mom who, if their grandmas saw what was written in their calendars (an extension of their baby books - I have a calendar for each kid I can update everyday...or whenever I get around to it), said grandmas would gasp, roll eyes, and faint. Example: (from Jacob's calendar entry yesterday) Now, when you say "thank you" it comes out as "tank you" instead of "knock up", the way you

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1143435784168440832006-03-26T21:54:00.000-07:002006-03-31T14:24:26.766-07:00

Josh is big. He's outgrowing the bassinet very quickly. Jacob stayed in our room, in the bassinet, for 8 weeks before I moved him into the crib in his room. Josh isn't going to last 3 more weeks in the bassinet. Remember? He's BIG. I'm having anxiety about putting the two kids together!! Why? Oh, I'll tell you why. The day? Yesterday. The place? My house. The scene? Jacob is sleeping

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1143435072556297202006-03-26T21:21:00.000-07:002006-03-26T22:08:42.960-07:00

Mine was...tear filled. But WAIT! There IS happy stuff in this post. You just have to scroll down a bit. :) We had throw up. Lots of it. And the runs. Lots more of that. Little Josh is incredibly and amazingly healthy. We are blessed. But I guess I should say that Josh is blessed. Because the rest of us spent the last part of the week in the throes of wrestling the Death Germ. Tears?

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1143086545027306812006-03-22T21:01:00.000-07:002006-03-23T15:21:44.203-07:00

The Do-It-Most Diaper Bag came today. In fern. I am adoring it. The end.

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1143084315197448292006-03-22T20:24:00.000-07:002006-03-22T20:25:15.216-07:00

Dear Death Germ, Please see that you have every one of your belongings - and every single one of your followers - and remove yourself from the premises at once. You moved in the week of Thanksgiving. You tried to acheive domination over my family in December, and you almost won. By January we thought you had left, but in retrospect, we see you were planning The Next Great Battle. From

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1142980014719966552006-03-21T15:26:00.000-07:002006-03-21T15:27:07.700-07:00

Or...how the intent to spend $30 on a diaper bag will end with my spending over $250. Ready? I have been wanting this diaper bag from Lands End for awhile. I know it's not super stylish, I know it's kind of plain. BUT - 1) it's red, 2) it's durable, 3) it's red, 4) it's large enough for the needs of 2 kids, 5) it's red. I finally got online last night to buy it, and that is how my request to

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20782248.post-1142440545798647652006-03-15T09:21:00.000-07:002006-03-15T14:04:16.650-07:00

I am a big, huge fan of magazines. I'm a fan of reading in general, but ever since I've become a parent, I'll take any literary nugget that can be digested in 5-10 minutes (possibly why I embrace blogs). I present to you two new finds, and one glorious tip: Find One: I wish I never found this. It's probably the most pretentious parenting magazine ever published, Cookie Magazine. My mom found

Julie Pnoreply@blogger.com3