Easter Sunday in Shakey San Diego

(Taken last year)

Easter Sunday was especially special this year for many reasons. The first, being that although it is Hunter's second Easter, it's his first easter that his daddy was actually here for! Also, it was our last weekend together for 6-8 weeks, as Kiefer is (now) in Yuma for specialized training.
When we woke up, it was a special treat that I was able to get ready for church and Hunter was still asleep---I even woke up fully rested without the assistance of an alarm clock! Once we were ready we went to wake Hunter up and he seriously did not want to wake up. Kiefer pointed out that it was probably him giving us a preview of what his teenage years will be like, ha!
We went to church and Hunter just loves the nursery. I didn't take him in this Sunday, Kiefer did and he said that when they got in there Hunter saw two little girls and just took off to play with them. He does love the little girls, what can I say--he's a ladies man. ;)
After church we went to Lakeside Cafe and ate lunch then headed to MCRD because Kiefer needed to pick up some supplies to take to Yuma with him. He figured since the exchange on Miramar was open, the exchange there would be open too. Not so much, so we watched the recruits drill and then headed to the beach.
We found the nicest beach I've seen in San Diego. It's on NAS North Island and it's gorgeous and not crowded at all (since it's on a base). It's just parallel to Hotel Del Coronado so the views are spectacular. We took some terrific pictures, as shown in this post!
We headed home because the water started getting really rough and unpredictable, and what do ya know? We were at a stop light on our way back into the town we live and an earthquake happened! It's the first one we've felt since being here, and the first one I've felt in quite a number of years. Originally it measured at a 6.9 but they later upgraded it to a 7.2. Crazy! Everything is fine, the dishes rattled and some picture frames knocked over but all in all we're fine, thank goodness! Hunter thought the whole thing was funny. We did feel some aftershocks too, those bother me more than the initial earthquakes I think..
This wraps it up, how was your Easter?

Trip to the Zoo

So before my last post we went to the zoo. I took a ton of pictures and they were oh so adorable---and then my camera deleted them. SOOOOO, only (a very limited number of..) cell phone pictures for now.
We absolutely heart the San Diego Zoo and Hunter does too! He was especially thrilled with the cats--jaguars, tigers, lions. He wasn't a fan of monkeys, he cried when he saw them.
Before (Me!)

During (Adorable Hunter!)
After (Tired Hunter!)
He picked out his stuffed animal from the zoo, the first ever stuffed toy he's actually picked on his own. It's a fox and it sleeps with him at night, along with Mr. Bear, Mrs. Bear and Hippo.
Easter & beach photos coming tomorrow!

ABCS and 123s

I saw this on another blog and had to do it, so cute!! I have an update on taking Hunter to the zoo and a recent doctors appointment for Hunts, but it'll have to wait because I'm just too tired tonight!

A. AREA CODE : Conroe, still!

B. BED SIZE: California King. Best. Purchase. Ever. No more elbowing Kiefer or getting pushed to the floor from our old full size bed.
C. CHORE YOU HATE: Laundry

D. DOG'S NAME: None but soooo want one!

E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY!" ITEM: Cinnamon raisen toast and DP.

F. FAVORITE COLOR: Pink.

G. GOLD OR SILVER: White gold, but I'm starting to like some yellow gold too.
H. HEIGHT: 5'5. Hunter is half my height, ha!.

I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: None, it's quite sad.

J. JOB: Mommy.

K. KIDS: One. Maybe another in a couple of years.

L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: With the hubby and baby in CA. Military townhouse? LOL.
M. MOM'S NAME: Melissa.
N. NICKNAME: CoCo.
O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: 4 times in the last year and a half, only two other times (once as a toddler, once after knee surgery when I was 13.)
P. PET PEEVE: Pens tapping. And Kiefer cleaning the kitchen and him doing my laundry, lol.
Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: You ought to spend a little more time trying to make something of yourself and a little less time trying to impress people. - The Breakfast Club
R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Right
S. SIBLINGS: 1 brother, 2 half brothers, 2 step siblings. I'm the oldest.
T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: 7, sometimes 8 if Hunter is feeling crazy.

U. UNDERWEAR: Yes?
V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: Brusslesprouts.
W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: Well I usually don't allot the proper amount of time for getting myself ready, Hunter ready and packing the diaper bag.
X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: Knee, kidneys, back, ankle
Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: Kiefer says my chicken casserole, I'll have to post the recipe!
Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: Koala bears. I'm allergic to birds, we learned Saturday.

Hunter's 15 Months Old!

Oh Hunter Scott, I cannot believe you are 15 months old!
You are a CAMERA HAM and make the funniest faces when I tell you to "say cheese." The above picture, included.
You way 26 lbs and are 32.5 inches tall--half Mommy's height already!
You say "bye bye," "all done," "hey," and I think "ni-ni" is "night night" because you say it when I put you in your crib at night and wave at me as I turn on your nightlight and shut the door.
You are such a momma's boy but you are really starting to shadow your daddy. You always put on his combat boots and attempt to walk around the house in them.
You finally have adjusted to the very best bed time routine I could ask for, and you did it without me even trying. You get your bath and bottle at 6:30 then brush your teeth and you put yourself to sleep in your crib and sleep 12-13 hours every night. Mommy thanks you so much for finally adjusting to a terrific routine!
You love to color, type on the keyboard and read your books. You even bring me books you want me to read you now, and I l-o-v-e it. You especially love your Bible stories book and of course your Mickey Mouse book.
You are obsessed as ever with Mickey Mouse. We don't give you a lot of t.v. time, but after your nap in the afternoon, you're usually extremely cranky so we turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and you cuddle with me for about 15 minutes of it. I know you're in a better mood when you dance to the Hot Dog song at the end.
You also love to "sing" songs and hum to tunes in the car. You definitely have your favorites. You love Walk This Way by Aerosmith most of all.
You eat just about everything under the sun that we let you now. You love Smucker's Crustables and any Gerber Graduate meals. It is difficult to give you breakfast because you hate being put in your high chair in the mornings, so I usually give you raisin toast and you seem to like that.
You love to help clean up now, you grab the broom and try to push it around, and you also shut the dishwasher for me when I'm done. We are working on how to "clean up" your toys (and you have so many, many toys....), but you'd rather just throw them over the baby gate. "Out of sight, out of mind" is your theory on that, I suppose.
We love you so very much!

Smile

Who could resist this little guys big blue eyes?
Not us!

A Collection of Quick Thoughts

I haven't been updating because I haven't had a computer. My laptop is broken at the moment, a very wonderful one-year-old ripped the charger out of the computer, resulting in the charging port cracking. I had to order a new computer though, because I have a final tomorrow--and our usual computer repair guy is out of town. As usual, please forgive the pictures. I actually uploaded pics from my camera on to my laptop....right before it died. *Crossing my fingers we'll be able to recover the hard drive* which we should be able to.

Speaking of out of town, Kiefer is in Key West. I've actually done quite well all alone by myself, but don't tell K, haha! I was very scared, since I've never been alone for more than 1 night since Hunter and I moved out to California, but we've adapted well. It's a good mini-vacation (it's actually a deployment work up, but he's having fun) for Kiefer. Heaven knows he deserves it more than anyone!
Our time together will be short lived though once he gets back from Key West he'll only be home a short time and then head out again for well over a month to Arizona. It's going to be a long year of deployment work ups, promotion schools and training schedules.
Oh and I have to extend a welcome to Kiefer's aunts new baby, who is being called "Prince Charming" to the blogging public, and I couldn't agree more--he's just so cute! Congratulations Alisa! (I don't want to post her personal pictures on my blog out of respect, but he's so darn cute!)
I got my hair colored and I absolutely love it. I got very chunky blonde and red highlights put in. I didn't get it cut as short as I did last time (to my shoulders with my bangs more of a swoop), but that's my own fault because I told her just a trim.
School is going well, I have my first course final this week and I'm pretty excited about it. Not nervous, just ready to move on to the next course.
I'm looking into moving back to TX in early 2011 while Kiefer is deployed for 6-8 months. We're going to try to find a place that is furnished though, we'd like to avoid moving all of our stuff to and from TX again. We'll just put our stuff here in storage. We'd save more to move back and put our stuff in storage then we would be able to save if I stayed here. Not to mention I have family and friends in TX, and I miss every one a whole heck of a lot.
And.... That's a wrap.. For now.

CSN Stores Giveaway @ The Francis' Family Blog!

Just had to tell you guys about this awesome give away at The Francis Family blog. These shoes up for giveaway are soooo cute!
The sole of a Rileyroos shoe is flexible and its rubber-padded sole curls above the toes to provide leverage as a child begins crawling. Unlike many heavy or bulky first walking shoes, Rileyroos’ lightweight construction and protective bottoms support a child’s foot as he or she starts walking and provides traction to prevent falls on slippery surfaces. These shoes were created with a focus on style, comfort and ease, which is most important for little growing feet.

The shoe is available in 4 colors: saddle (shown above), mulberry, navy and sky, and range in size from 3 months to 24 months.

Go enter for your chance to win!

Top 2 Tuesdays!

I'm not trying to not post anything personal lately, I'm just waiting for the new battery for my camera to come in and my new phone takes terrible pictures, so more posts to come!

Love this idea that Taylor at Jimmy Choos & a Baby Too had to start "Top 2 Tuesdays." This week is Top 2 favorite recipes--yummy!!

This one is a recipe my grandma gave me for baked pork chops, definitely one of my favorites:

4-6 boneless pork loin chops
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 soup can milk
1 pkg. onion soup mix

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chops in baking dish.
In bowl, combine soups with milk. Pour mixture over chops.
Bake for 35 minutes in baking dish, then cover with foil and return to oven for 10 minutes more.
Serve over rice and the dish creates it's own gravy.

The second recipe is a Greek salad, no real measurements--I just handful & eyeball it. You can add whatever meat you choose or none at all. Kiefer likes shrimp, I like blackened chicken on top.

Fresh lettuce, as much as desired/1 cup per person
Kalamata olives
Cucumber slices
Cherry Tomatos
Handful of Feta cheese
Sliced onion (I use red)
Quartered artichoke hearts (I use 1 Roland can of quarted artichoke hearts)
Serve with vinagerrette/Greek dressing--I don't like salad with dressing, so I always skip it.

Bon Appétit!

"Truisms For The Younger Generation"

I read this today and couldn't help but post this. So many things in this are SOOOOO true, and it's so funny!

I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

That’s enough, Nickelback.

I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know” feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

Do you remember when you were kids playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear the computer history if you die.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah… if you SUCK at it!

Was learning cursive really necessary?

“LOL” has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say.”

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Step-dads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual step-dads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.” Classy, bro.

Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart” all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart.”

How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies.”

What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it. Thanks, Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories

Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!

Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from. This shouldn’t be a problem….

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just won’t do anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.

There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

“Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this. Ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me about herself but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…

Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call. (You mean you don’t? DUH!)

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time.

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day “Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?” How the hell do I respond to that?

It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

The other night I ordered takeout and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Show Us Where You Live - where do you shop?

Today on Show Us Where You Live -

It's all about Where do you shop?
On-line or In Stores?
I typically do my "window" shopping online, and then take what I've found in to the store that way I have a little list to go along with everything in store that I can browse!
I love shopping, even if I don't buy anything, the atmosphere of stores make me happy. I just love the whole feeling of shopping. Except trying on the clothes, I don't do it. That part bothers me. If it doesn't fit when I get it home I either return it or list in on Ebay.
I do shop QVC online though, totally guilty of loving it. My grandma actually got me into their channel (I wear Bare Escentuals make up and they always have deals on it). I like their jewelry selection and a lot of their handbags. Dooney, anyone?
I do enjoy Target (especially our 2 story Target and "See Spot Save"), I avoid Walmart if I can. I always check attentiontargetshoppers.com for their deals.
I love, love, love Forever 21, especially lately.
I love how their stuff is versatile, you can dress it up or wear it casually.
I find myself, very often, at J. Crew's website. I am very into ruffles, bows and pearls and the whole look of their clothes. I don't typically go into their store, because there isn't one close to our place here and I'd have to go into the city.
This one is great in San Diego where I can pull the sleeves down in the evening when it gets a little chilly.
I also really like Victoria's Secret clothes. Hopefully next season their "Pink Collegiate" section will have Marine Corps and not just Army/Navy.They're actually in voting. There is no "Marine Corps University" or anything, but it's popular enough that they made it an option. In the meantime, I'll wear my Longhorn stuff!
Besides their "Pink" line, I really like their tops and shoes. I am not a big fan of their swimwear. It's super cute, but I ordered a bikini top/bottom last year and their "full coverage bottom" was waaaay too small for my bum. ;) Or atleast for the amount of coverage I'd like to get.
I miss stores that I can't find near me, like Francesca's (the nearest one is in Oceanside--over an hour away) and Charming Charlie's (No where in CA as far as I know). I'm glad that Francesca's has a website though! Too bad Charming Charlie's doesn't--well they do--but you can't shop on it! Their accessories are so cute!
Of course, I love a ton more stores--Charlotte Russe, Anthropologie, and White House, Black Market, etc. I just can't list them all!

Calling all interior decorators.. Or anyone who can help me!!!

We're redecorating our living room and right now I am looking at area rugs. We are keeping our couch, it's a dark blue (navy) sectional and I like it for the most part, plus I'd prefer not to get another couch until Hunter is out of the food/drool on everything stage--this one is easy to shampoo and clean.

Right now I like this area rug from Target:
http://www.target.com/Home-Organic-Waves-Rug-Blue/dp/B001XVY29A/ref=huc_ic_7_pn
But my concern is that it wouldn't match my black picture frames, and I JUST bought them, so I don't want to replace them if I can avoid it.
Also, what color TV console should we go with? Kiefer likes them in Espresso, like this one, which would go fabulously with the area rug:

http://www.target.com/Manhattan-TV-Stand/dp/B001O03LAQ/ref=huc_ic_6_pn
But I think, once again, it wouldn't match black frames and the black mirror, and I'd have to replace them.
If I do have to replace the picture frames, anyone know where to get them and not pay an arm and a leg... Since I just bought my current ones?
Oh and of course, I can't have a post without a picture of Hunter (on the couch, which needs to be shampooed badly)!

SHOW US HOW YOU LIVE - New Years Resolutions/Goals

Happy New Year! Kelly's Korner is hosting "Show Us Your Life" a little blog Friday tradition that I absolutely love. This week is New Years resolutions. I'm so excited for this one! I don't usually make resolutions, and when I do I tend to break them by February so I'm going to really try this year to make some and stick to them!

My first resolution of the year is to be more interactive with Hunter. I do believe I am attentive to him and do spend lots of time with him and love him to pieces, but I feel like I could get down on my hands and knees and play with him even more often. I often forget how fun it is to see the world on his level!

My second resolution is to get way more organized. I am so Type-A and have really been driving myself and Kiefer nuts ever since I got sick right when we moved in back in October. We haven't even finished unpacking yet! This is our temporary-permanent home for atleast the next 2 years so I want this place to be terrific.
Also, I am starting to focus more on my schooling and photography business. Soon I will be a dual student (something I haven't discussed on the blog or to many people actually), doing a 4 to 6 month medical coding program with Kaplan and of course continuing to work on my history degree at AMU. I am booking events left and right for my photography business and am so excited to be busy and doing something financially productive for our family.
It's going to be a busy, challenging year. I look forward to it though, I enjoy a good challenge. Here's to 2010!

**You may have seen some of these pictures before--they're some of my favorites of the year that happened to be on my desktop at the time of posting!**