The Arguelles Family

Happy Birthday Eric!!!

2010-07-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ok so Eric's birthday was two months ago but I couldn't let the occasion pass without posting something about it. We went back to Orlando for vacation and did Eric's birthday in two parts. We went to Disney on his actual birthday and then on that Saturday we had a famiy party at McDonalds. Eric got to meet Buzz Lightyear which at his age is like meeting the President or the Pope. He loved the Buzz Lightyear ride and loved playing at the fountain in Epcot. He loves McDonald's so this year his party was great! He danced with Grimace and had a blast playing in the game area. He got tons of presents which mostly were Toy Story related. He loved opening his gifts. We are so grateful for him and for all of wonderful joy he brings to our lives. He is an amazing and smart little boy who is super curious and very loving. We can't wait to see what our third year brings :)

2010-07-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Eclipse

2010-07-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today Elmer and I went on a date to see Eclipse. First of all a big thanks for Ashley for watching Eric. It was a gret movie and we had a good time. The theater was mostly full and it was at 10:30 in the morning! We loved it!!! It stuck to the book better than the other two and the graphics were good. Best of all I got to watch it with my wonderful husband! I highly recommend this as a great date.

Independence Day and the Potty!

2010-07-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

We have been attempting to train Eric for a while now. He showed very little interest in giving up his Pullups. We have used gummies and other various things to bribe him into going. I cringe every time I have to buy more Pullups. Finally yesterday he decided that using the potty wasn't a bad thing. He used it and he got lots of hugs and a sucker. What a great way to end our Independence Day! We have only had 2 pullup today and he has used the potty 3 times. I know this may not be a big, huge, world changing deal to some but to us it is the biggest thing since sliced bread and debit cards! I can't wait to officially buy our last package of Pullups and kiss that $9 price tag good bye :)

Update...

2010-04-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

Ok so since my best friend Alyson updated her blog I was inspired to update ours. Here is what is new with us.

We survived the holidays and our move from Germany. We are settled in Colorado Springs now and loving it. Eric is growing and learning so much. He loves letters and is starting to write them out. Most of them I can see the letter but some are harder to understand. He loves to color and draw faces. He knows his emotions, shapes, colors, nunbers up to 30 and all of his letters. Elmer loves his job and is still working on organizing all of his stuff. The movers did a poor job packing. I am finishing up our apartment and exploring new outings for us to do. We have been to Garden of the Gods, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Denver and the Children's Museum and most importantly Chick Fil A! We love having a mall, Target and Walmart right by. We hope to go home in May so that we can celebrate Eric's 3rd birthday.

Homecoming Dinner

2009-09-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at our homecoming dinner. It was held at the Schloss Hotel restaurant. The meal was great and it was nice to spend some time together. Eric also had a great time. He spent the evening with the Keahl family. They went to the pool, had dinner and he got to play and spend time with a family he loves! He had a blast!

Eric and Elmer

2009-09-13T10:42:00.001-07:00

Eric found all kinds of good stuff when Elmer started to unpack. He loves trying to walk around in Daddy's boots. He is still in his hat phase and had a great time trying on Daddy's various hats. It has been an adjustment for them both but it is so great to see them happy and reconnecting.

Welcome Home Daddy!

2009-09-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

On August 24th Elmer finally came home from Iraq! We somehow survived 12 months without him. It was crazy and so sad sometimes but we are so grateful that he is home safe. It is so good to be with him again!

Happy Anniversary! 6 Years and Counting...

2009-08-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it was 6 years ago that we were sealed for time and all eternity. It is so wonderful looking back at all of the good times and see how much we have grown. I am so grateful for my husband and all that he does for us. He is a great husband, friend, father and provider. I can't imagine life without him. I look forward to celebrating when he gets back. I love you Mer!

Update...

2009-07-06T04:16:00.001-07:00

before
after

It is that time again when I update what is going on in our lives. We are counting down the days until Daddy comes home. We are both tired of living without him. It seems like the days are longer and the months too. Eric is growing so fast. He loves Thomas the Tank Engine, Elmo, Blues Clues and Bear in the Big Blue House. He also loves Diego. Seriously he doesn't get to watch a lot of tv. I promise! He loves to play pretend and go to the park. He constantly asks me if we can go to the slide. He also loves to chase butterflies. He says "Bye" to every gate gard and loves to stop and pet dogs. He is speaking very clearly now and has picked up on several funny sayings including "Oh man!" and "That's Cool". He has four stuffed animals in his bed, two penguins, one bear and Daddy. Every time he gets up in the morning or from nap he has to give each one a hug and he has to give them to me to hug also. He is a wiz at his shape sorter, he is learning his colors he knows red, blue, yellow and green and he can count to ten while going down the stairs. He knows the names of most of the foods he eats and can even spot an elephant in his books and clothes. He loves his Blue's Clues book and his ABC picture book. He asks me to read Mama llama books all the time. They are his favorite. For thos of you wondering they are Llama Llama Mad at Mama, Llama Llama Misses Mama and Llama Llama Red Pajama. I recently got him on tape reading Slowly Slowly Slowly Said the Sloth. He just says "Slowly Slowly Slowly' as he turns the pages. It is really cute. He loves to pray at meals and sometimes we end up praying four or five times. He is an amazing little man and we couldn't imagine life without him. The pictures above are the before and after of his hair cut. What a difference!!!!

The Fourth of July!

2009-07-06T04:07:00.000-07:00

Not liking our stroll in the heat

This year fireworks were done on the base across from base housing, since Ramstein is under construction. They asked all of the housing residents to walk due to limited parking. They have a foot bridge that connects the two bridges. Since we live on housing I figured that it wouldn't be that bad to walk. I know that the bridge has steps instead of ramps (stupid!) but I figured that I would just wing it and take the big stroller. I didn't realize that there was a huge hill/mountain on the other side of that bridge that I would have to climb to get to the festivities. Let's just say that it is uphill both ways! I wore comfortable shoes but one broke when I was playing with Eric waiting for fireworks and so I now have a huge blister from my 30 min walk home. Thanks to all of the people who helped. Thanks to all of the guys who carried Eric across the bridge for me both times and my friend Connie for her help too. Thanks to the older gentleman in line with me waiting for food. Eric choked on an apple and ended up getting sick so I had to take care of that and he offered to get my food for me and was really helpful. Thanks! Thanks to the gentleman who helped me get my stroller up the curb when it got stuck and I had stuff in my hands. Also thanks to those who have served and are now serving our country. Thanks goes to Eric for always making my day better and for being my buddy in all of this. A special thanks goes out to my amazing husband. I can't thank you enough for serving and for the sacrifices you make. I am so grateful for you and I wish so much you could be here with us. I know it is soon but still I miss you! I hope everyone had a Happy Fourth and once Eric decided that the fireworks were not going to hurt him, he acutally enjoyed them.

Golf Cart

2009-07-06T04:06:00.001-07:00

Eric did this all by himself. He got a mini golf course for his birthday and decided that in order to be a true golfer he needed a cart. So here is Eric's invention. What a smarty pants!

Bubble Boy

2009-07-06T04:01:00.001-07:00

Eric loves to wash his hands because of the bubbles. I decided that it was time to introduce him to the bubble bath. I bought some of my old friend Mr. Bubbles and loaded up the tub. He just stared at me and then back at the tub for a while before he decided that it was safe to get in. He had a blast! I showed him how to put bubbles on his head and chin and he thought it was funny. Now every time he takes a bath there has to be bubbles in it. I don't mind since Mr. Bubbles is safe for sensitive skin. It is now hypo-allergenic. When I was a kid Mr. Bubbles could have contained high amounts of lead and asbestos and our parents wouldn't have cared and neither would we. I love how things change and how safe most of the stuf is now. Though I am sure that some where in the future they will come out with research that Mr. Bubbles causes you to grow a third eye or something crazy like that. For now we are just enjoying the simple things like bubble baths.

Dress up!

2009-07-06T03:59:00.000-07:00

Eric got a firefighter book, hat and coat for Christmas last year. I keep forgetting we have it and since he loves fire trucks and hats I thought he might enjoy playing with it. He loved it! I was surprised he kept the whole outfit on since it is like 80 degrees outside with no AC! He looked so cute!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

I meant to do this post on Sunday but ran out of time. We just want to say how grateful we are for Elmer. He is such a wonderful father. Eric loves him so much and it is so wonderful to watch them play together. This time apart has been hard for both of them because they usually have lots of Daddy - Baby time. I know that Elmer can't wait to come home and spend time just playing and chasing after Eric. I am so happy that we have such a wonderful man in our life.

Wy Chi Chi

2009-06-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are wondering, that is Eric's word for strawberry. We went to pick some in the first part of June. He really got into it. I was surprised that he didn't try to eat any while he was out there. For some reason he has gone on a strawberry strike. We had a nice time there and I had a fun time trying to get the red stains out of our clothes.

Hats!

2009-06-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

Eric hates having to wear a hat in the winter. I finally had to get him one of the goofy ones that clipped under his chin so that he would leave it on. He actually looked cute in it but since we were in Florida for the winter we had no use for it this year. He was trying to wear a bowl as a hat the other day and it just wasn't working out. He was getting frustrated so I went and got him a choice of hats that included this one and his Mickey ears. He decided that 75 degree weather was not going to stop him from being happy. Notice that the hat is backwards and that he is happily standing in front of the fan while wearing it. He is so independent!!! I hope he is this willing to wear a hat when winter comes but I am not getting my hopes up.

Ok...Daddy needs to come home soon

2009-06-19T02:52:00.000-07:00

It was laundry day in the Arguelles household and Eric decided to help. After dumping all of the clean clothes out of the basket he found what he was in the mood to wear that day. It happened to be one of my shirts that looked like a dress on him. He looks good in pink! He refused to take if off and wore it for a few hours. He also made his way into our room to help put the clothes away and spotted yet another great find...my heels. I do have to say that they make his legs look shapely and fantastic! He loves to play with my jewelry, he loves helping me put on makeup, he knows what the blowdryer does and he is in love with the curling iron. The only thing that gives me hope is that he still does gross little boy stuff like eat dirt and pick his nose. I can't wait for Elmer to come back and show him how to do man stuff. Until then I will just have fun taking pictures that I can black mail him with later.

Bye Bye Daddy

2009-06-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well we experienced our saddest day to date. We had to once again say goodbye to Elmer after only 2 weeks together. I think this time was harder than the first. It was so sad. After Elmer left we have had car trouble and just trouble adjusting to being alone again. It is hard being a single parent. I am in charge of everything and it is tough. Elmer made it safely back to his base and we are keeping in touch via the webcam but it isn't as good as having Daddy with us here so we can give him hugs and kisses. He left May 19th so this post is old news. I just want to thank all of you for your prayers and good thoughts. Soon we will all be back under one roof and this will be something we can look back on and laugh...one day.

Trier

2009-06-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Self portrait

Heaven!!!

Don't you wish your boyfriend was hot like me?

While Elmer was here on R&R we went to Trier. We have been there before but it is just such a nice change of pace. Eric had fun! He got ice cream and Yi Yi's at McDonalds and he got out for a stroll and he got goodies. There are tons of ice cream stands around and he yelled Ice Cream! at all of them. When we went into Dom St. Peter they have candles you can light. You are supposed to be reverent since it is a church. Eric associates candles with birthdays so he began so sing Happy Day To Do at the top of his lungs :) Too funny! We finally found a little mall (WOW!!!) and he got some there. You have to understand that we have lived here for 4 + years and have yet to see an actual mall. It was a huge deal for us! We had so much fun just spending time with Daddy!

Bed Making Boycott

2009-05-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

Eric is taking a stand! That's right no more making the bed. I was attempting to make the bed one morning when he decided that he had other plans. Now it has become a morning routine. He loves to climb up there and lay back on the pillows and he looks at me like he is the king and I am only a lowly servant. He is so funny. He also loves to unmake an already made bed. I guess that he figures since it is going to be slept in anyway what's the point in making it. I tried that when I was younger too. If only I had been a cutie pie I may have been able to get away with it.

Birthday Party, Happy Feet Style

2009-05-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

For Eric's 2nd Birthday we did a Happy Feet theme. We decorated the night before and when he came out he was so excited! It was 7am and I was so tired still. Elmer changed his (Eric's) diaper (tee hee hee) and let him loose. I was hoping to get his reaction on film. I was just getting out of bed when Eric pushed open the door and said "Wow! Look at dat! Happy Deet! Mumble!!! Wow!" It was well worth it. We had tons of balloons which he loved! We also had great food. The Gordon's came to celebrate with us and we had a great time playing with Eric's presents. He really enjoyed his cupcake but he refused to sing Happy Birthday. Usually whenever I light a candle he starts singing "Happy Day To Do" at the top of his lungs. He is so funny! I am so glad that he had a great time. After all of that partying we put him down for a nap and then put his train table together. He woke up to an amazing surprise! He loved it! All in all it was great!

Park

2009-05-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

We went to the park last week and Eric had a blast while Daddy had a heart attack! He hasn't seen Eric play in a long time. In fact when he left Eric could barely walk. We had a great time together playing in the sand and the slides.

Nothing Blooming at the Blumen field

2009-05-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

We went to the Blumen Field in Mackenbach hoping to get some fresh tulips. It is so neat to be able to go through and cut our own flowers. Unfortunately nothing was blooming! I did manage to get some good pictures of Eric and Elmer. We ended up going to a local flower shop and getting some roses there. Elmer was just happy to see something besides sand.

Ikea

2009-05-12T11:32:00.001-07:00

I have been looking for a little table and chairs set for Eric to color at and just play on. The base had nothing promising so we went to Ikea. We originally went to find the rest of our bedroom furniture but ended up paying 60 euro for a red plastic table and chairs set. I have to say it was well worth it and honestly 60 euro was a steal! It was also worth watching them put it all together.

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-05-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

I have so many things to post about but this one has to come first. Today Eric is 2 years old! I can't believe the changes in him. He is a cute little man now! We went to the Doctor yesterday for his well baby appointment and everything is great. The doctor kindly informed us that he would be tall than daddy! We hope he is over five foot five! Then he can reach the stuff on the top shelf for us vertically challenged people. We are so grateful to have him in our family. He is such a sweet boy and has such a wonderful personality. I can't wait to see all of the fun the next year brings us.

The Sweetest Thing

2009-05-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning to this. I can't tell you how happy I was to see my babies snuggling up together. It was just too sweet!

Welcome Home Daddy!!!

2009-05-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

After not having Daddy home with us for many, many months we are happy to report that he made it home for R&R safe and sound. Eric wasn't too sure at first and he kept touching him to make sure he was real. When we webcam he tries to touch daddy through the screen. He shared his snack with him which is like sharing a million dollars and then he ran to the DVD cabinet, searched for the one he was looking for and pulled out... Happy Feet. I am happy to report that Elmer loved it and that they have watched it several time since.

Clean House

2009-05-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

Since Daddy was coming home for R&R (2weeks) we decided to clean the house. Ok that sounded bad. Our home is always (mostly) clean and tidy. I hit nesting mode. For those of you who have had children know that the last month you suddenly have to clean everything and organize like crazy. I thought I would post picture of our home since we now have curtains (9 months after move in date) and most of our furniture matches. We are going to IKEA to finish it out in 2 days. Honestly, I could live there and be so happy. We just go to look around and it is just amazing!!!!! I just want you to note that I did not force Eric to help scrub the floor. He wanted to help! It lasted all of 10 minutes.

I love Technology

2009-05-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

I love Technology!

Not as much as you

you see.

Still I love technology

Always and Forever

-Napoleon Dynamite (an awesome movie)

These pictures just reminded me of one of my favorite movies. Eric loves my Ipod Steve. Elmer chose his name. I got to name the GPS. I named her Lola (for explanation watch RV with Robin Williams). I figure it if talks to me it should have a name. It is easier to yell "Lola, I can't make an illegal U turn because I am in the middle of the Autobahn" instead of "Global Positioning system, please stop yellng at me to make a U turn". Lola just sounds better. Anyways, Eric loves listening to Steve. We downlaoded the Happy Feet soundtrack and the movie for him. It is amazing but he can actually work the thing and can figure out things I can't. Smarty pants! Hey, Happy Feet kept him occupied long enough for him to get a hair cut without any major mishaps. I love technology!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-07T00:32:00.001-07:00

It is true that you never understand a mother's love until you are one yourself. I had that Ah ha moment about 2 years ago and I love every minute of it, even the tough ones. I got this in an e-mail and I thought I would share it.

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get backto normal after you've had a baby.... somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother byinstinct... somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring... somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a 'good' mother, your child will 'turn out good'.... somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.... somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first .... somebody doesn't have two children.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery.... somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten ..... or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....somebody doesn't know tha tmarriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home.... somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.... somebody isn't a mother.

On this Mother's day show your mom you care and make sure that she knows you love her. Thanks mom!

Happy Feet!

2009-04-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

I thought I should share with you my belief that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. Case in point...

When I was pregnant with Eric, Elmer played basketball and got poked in the eye. We had to go to the ER and it was really bad. We were there until 2:30am. Now I was 5 months pregnant, it was December (freezing) and Elmer (as much as I love him) without sleep is kinda out of it. They gave him all kinds of meds and made an appointment for the next day. We went home and I had to make him soup (another story that is just too funny) so he could take his drugs. Anyways, I didn't sleep much because I had to call and let them know he wasn't coming to work and that he had Drs. appointment etc. I then had to get Stevie Wonder up and dressed and to his appointment out at LRMC. I had a YW thing that night so my day was exceptionally long. I stopped by the Burger King on Ramstein after the church thing and the drive thru was really long. I decided to go in...big mistake. Now this is 2006 which is the year of Happy Feet. For those of you who don't know, Happy Feet is about a penguin who dances instead of sings to find his love and somehow saves the entire penguin nation when he goes off to tell the humans that they are taking their fish. Good moral and it has Robin Williams which is too funny. Anyways, I am in Burger King and there is a kid in front of me with his mom. Now there is a display of the Happy Feet toys that come with the kids meals. For 10 that's right 10 minutes all this kid did was SCREAM "HAPPY FEET, HAPPY FEET, HAPPY FEET!!!" Now, imagine if you will a 5month pregnant woman who is hungry and tired. It grated on my nerves like nothing before. I was to the point that I was going to rip the display apart just to get him a toy to quiet him down. I promised myself that night that I would never, ever let my kid watch Happy Feet.

Fast Forward 2 and a half years.... the picture above is of a Happy Feet party invitation. Yes, that is right, our little boy is obsessed with Happy Feet. We watch it almost every night. I bought it on Black Friday for $3 and actuallly had to get another copy from Todd and Alyson because our first copy wore out. I won't tell you how much we spent on the party supplies. Let's just say that I never had a party that expensive and that included the trip to Disney. I spent hours on line scouring websited to find everything and have them ship it all to an APO. I know that the look on his face the day of his party will be priceless and eventually he will move onto some other movie phase but for now I am eating my words. I know that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor and I have enough life experiences to prove it, though I think this one tops them all.

Baby Shower in a Box

2009-04-30T12:26:00.001-07:00

My best friend Alyson is having a baby shower soon so we put a box together for her and her hubby Todd. We bought them some diapers, cute clothes, lotion and all kinds of goodies. I was tempted to buy them What to Expect the Toddler Years but I didn't want to scare them. Seriously if you ever want to read a scary book just look at the 24th month :) Eric had a blast wrapping and un wrapping stuff. He carted around the lotion and pulled most of the tape out of the dispenser. He got it in his hair which effectively ended playing with the tape for the moment. We are so excited for Todd and Alyson and we wish them the best and hope they enjoy their baby box!

Washing Dishes a.k.a. Child Labor

2009-04-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

We ran out of stuff to run the dishwasher so I had to do it the oldfashioned way...by hand. Eric loved it! He "helped" me by washing a set of plastic cups until there was enough water on the floor that I had to use a couple of towels to sop it up. He enjoyed pouring the water from cup to cup and splashing around. I enjoyed the fact that he did it without complaining. I know that the day is coming when washing dishes won't be fun anymore and he will use the Child Labor line like I used to.

Easter

2009-04-30T12:18:00.001-07:00

Easter morning was interesting. I was tired and not ready to deal with all of the Easter excitement at 7am but apparently Eric was. He walked out and was so surprised to find a basket full of goodies and a new train set. The Easter Bunny forgot to open it and Senor Swanky Pants wanted to play with it right away. Dumb Bunny! Anyways, the morning egg hunt was too much fun!!! The eggs were hidden in obvious places but Eric only wanted to play with his train. I finally convinced him to go get them and bring them to me. Some of the eggs contained money for Bobby (his piggy bank) and the others had these Gerber preschool juice treats in them. Eric loves them! He walked up and shook an egg. The money fell out of it and since it wasn't candy he left it. He shook another egg and realized it was money and just brought it to me. It didn't take him long to determine what sound the juicy treats made versus the money. After the eggs were found he then began shaking all of the toys in his toy box to make sure that he didn't miss any treats. We got ready for church and he had a melt down so this is the only picture of him I could get.

Coloring Eggs

2009-04-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot that we needed to color eggs for the Easter Bunny! It was Saturday night when we ran to the commissary and picked some up. Initially Eric thought it was a drink. Luckily I caught him in time and that the dye kit called for water and not vinegar. We had tons of fun. Eric decided that all the eggs should take a dip in each color and that the little metal thing they give you is for losers. If you want to really experience coloring eggs you have to use your hands, baby! According to the box it should have washed right off but apparently the box lied. Eric went to church the next day with blue and purple hands and so did I.

Egg hunt

2009-04-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Pulaski Park on base threw a huge Easter egg hunt this year and we decided to go. We were almost late due to traffic but it was ok. Eric had his basket, I had my camera and I managed not to forget anything. They made an announcement "Parents please let you CHILDREN pick up the eggs" We got in line and they said go. By the time we got through the little gate into his age group area, all the eggs were gone. There were parents carting around two year olds who by this point are crying because mom and dad promised eggs and there were none left. Apparently the plea to allow children to pick up their own eggs fell on deaf ears. Well lo and behold a man with a large box of eggs came around our area dropping them on the ground. Someone should have video taped the whole thing because they could have made a fortune. There are at least 100 kids in just the 2 year old category plus their parents and nothing and I mean nothing brings out the competitive side of a parent like an Easter egg hunt. I have never seen parents scramble to get their kids a plastic egg like that. You would have thought that the egg had keys to a new car in it. It was pretty funny. Yes, I was one of those parents who ran to the egg man because we originally didn't get one egg. It was so sad. Eric actually picked up a total of three and I was disappointed in the candy. What kid likes Lifesavers mints? No kid I know. I went out and bought Eric a treat for being so good and for not acting embarassed of his mother who did all she could to get him his eggs. Next year he is on his own!

Planting

2009-04-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Since Spring is finally here we decided to spruce up our balcony and add some plants. I took Eric to pick out the flowers and his input was very helpful. When it came to getting dirty he just wasn't interested. I was shocked! He loves to roll around in the dirt at the park and get filthy but he wouldn't touch the plants. He did enjoy playing with the pots but quickly lost interest in those. I have to say that my mom was right, the flowers did add a nice touch to the back and they do make me feel better.

It's a ghost, it's a bride...It's Super Baby!

2009-04-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of Eric's favorite things to do. He takes one of his crib sheets (soon to be a toddler bed) and he puts it on his head or he puts it on like a cape and goes all over the house pretending. He goes back and forth between acting like a ghost, super baby and sometimes the way he walks he acts like he is getting married at the Ritz. When he plays a ghost it is too funny. I think he scares himself sometimes. I love watching him run around the house yelling "Da Da Da DAAAAAAA" That is our Superbaby theme song. Not very elaborate but it works. Maybe one day he will make enough to get a professional to compose a cool theme song for him but by that time he will be an adult and sadly out of the super hero phase (I hope so anyway).

Cookbooks!

2009-04-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

Our Family Readiness Group is selling an amazing cookbook to raise money for our troops homecoming festivities. If you would like one please e-mail me or post a comment. Thanks!

E/208 Finance FRG Cookbooks Are Now on Sale!!!

Tired of cooking the same old meals?
Spice up your dinner table with a collection of great new recipes and support the troops!

Contains over 150 recipes including Historical First Lady Favorites, German Cuisine, & wonderful resources.

$10.00 per book
(plus $3.00 per book if stateside shipping is required)
Checks can be made payable to: 8th Finance Battalion C Det FRG

Colorado Baby!

2009-04-18T23:46:00.000-07:00

That's right we are moving!!! Ok so it isn't until Spring 2010 but at least we know where we are going. Elmer re-enlisted on Friday and he had his choice of bases and a killer bonus. We tried for NC but they were not available. We then tried for Fort Carson, Colorado. It was taking a while and Elmer didn't want to lose his bonus so he was just going to re-enlist with the bonus and let the Army send us where ever. On Friday only hours before the ceremony he was informed that we had gotten Fort Carson! We are so excited! We have lived in Germany for 4 years now and it will be 5 by the time we leave. We have enjoyed it but we are ready to get back to Barnes and Nobel, Walmart, Target and of course family and friends. We are also looking forward to learning to ski and snowboard! We are really looking forward to our next adventure!

Gratitude

2009-04-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was an interesting day. Our FRG (Family Readiness Group) participated in an indoor flea market. Thank goodness it was indoors! It rained all day long! Now, one of the reasons for my post... I am grateful for my fellow FRG ladies for all of their love and support. I am grateful for the new friends I've made and for their abilities to make me feel good even when I feel bad. I have been searching for a train table for Eric for his birthday but have been unable to find one that won't cost us $200 or more + shipping. The postal service is kinda funny about shipping large items. As I was walking around the back of our table yesterday I spotted what looked like a toddler bed. We need a toddler bed! As I got closer and I read the sign I realized that it was a train table! I could have given that family a hug of gratitude! I bought it and brought it home and it is now waiting for Eric's birthday in the comfort of our basement. After picking up my babysitter to take her home I realized that I had a headlight out. Unfortunately there was no one who could help me replace it since Toyota is closed, the base garage was too busy etc. I called up one of the brothers in our ward and he changed it for me in the rain under a Sponge Bob umbrella. I can't tell you how grateful I was for him and his family. They are so special to us. Eric was excellent in the store later which I am truly grateful for!!! We didn't even have the car cart and he was still good. Ok, so I kinda bribed him with snacks but sometimes you have to go with what you've got! I came home humbled that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me enough to realize when I just need a few little things to fall into place. I am grateful for our safety and for Elmer's I am also so grateful for our family and friends both here and at home. We love you all !!!

Gartenschau!

2009-04-14T04:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I ate the whole thing!

Forget a dog, I want one of these!

watching an airplane

Spring is here! We went from 38 for the high to 70+ for the high in a matter of two weeks. We are pretty stable now which means that we can get out doors! Here in the city they have a garden show that opens every year on April 1st. We waited until the 6th to go because we wanted to skip the crowds. While not everything was in bloom it was still beautiful! Eric loved being able to run around and not have to wear his monkey harness. We climbed up the hill/mountain (depending on which family member you ask) and we got to see the Biblical gardena and the Willow Curch. It was well worth the climb! Before we left Eric got the bigget popcicle of his life! We can't wait to take Elmer when he comes home and just relax.

Mom! Look What I can Do!

2009-04-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

Eric definitely grew in the few months we were gone. When we left he loved to play in his closet but he couldn't reach the bar. I thought he wanted to get in there and play like he used to but he realized that he can reach the bar now and that it is fun to hang and swing. Needless to say we no longer play in the closet. He is too smart and too strong for his own good.

The Zoo...again

2009-04-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Since the weather is finally nice we decided to go to the zoo on Saturday. It was beautiful day and we all had fun. Unfortunately the racoons were not out. We did get to see the monkeys and Eric's favorite... the goats. He loves the petting zoo part. They are just his size and pretty nice to him. They had several babies born this spring including a goat and a zebra. They were adorable. The goats are pretty smart. They know if they hang around the gate that eventually someone will let them slip by. After getting two of them back in we decided to move on. It was a really nice day.

Picasso

2009-04-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

Since my Mom and Ashley were here I decided to try finger painting with Eric. At first all he could say was ewww. Then he realized that the paints were fun to play with and that when you mixed the colors it made new ones. He had a good time and yes, he tasted them to see what flavor they were. He was not so thrilled with the taste. So here is a big shout out to Crayola for making wonderful finger paints (needs flavor) and also WASHABLE crayons!

Handsome

2009-04-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

We went home for several months so ofcourse I shopped! Eric has a winter and summer wardrobe that will hopefully last him until we leave here. He loves getting dressed for church and has learned that when you see a camera you pose and say cheese. He is too funny!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys

2009-04-02T11:55:00.001-07:00

An interesting thing happened today that made me realize that I need to watch what I say. Eric adds to his vocabulary everyday with some of the funniest phrases. Today as we were coming in the gate the SPs/MPs were there getting ready to do a speed trap/DUI check. They had their lights flashing so Ashley and I started singing the theme song to COPS. We didn't have the windows down so it wasn't a big deal. That was until Eric picked up on it and started singing "Bad Boys, Bad Boys (somethig something) Do Bad Boys, Bad Boys" Luckily I don't think the gate gard understood what he was saying when she checked our IDs. Needless to say I learned a lesson. He is too smart and too cute for his own good.

More vacation pictures

2009-03-13T04:46:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from our vacation to Florida. These are from Seaworld! Eric loved seeing the penguins. We also got to see the polar bears and the horses. He wasn't too sure about the horse but the polar bear was out playing and he thought that was cool. Thanks again Alyson and Caleb for a great day!!!

Vacation Pictures (round one)

2009-03-13T02:11:00.001-07:00

Here are some of our vacation pictures from Disney, Universal and Christmas. He wasn't too sure about the Whos from Universal but he loved the characters at Disney. I got to march in the Universal Studios Macy's parade with a bunch of crazy people! It was a fun experience. We had a great Christmas and Elmer was able to watch via the web! Santa brought Eric tons of stuff but his favorite gift came from his Mom mom and Pop pop which was the car that he refused to get out of. He ate breakfast in it. He would drive away and then drive back for another bite of cinnamon roll. Thanks goes out to my Dad for getting us in to Disney for free and my grandparents who got us in to Universal.

It's Potty Time!!

2009-03-08T00:45:00.000-08:00

We have officially started potty training. Eric learned to take off his diaper and pants a while ago but never showed much interest in the potty. Mom mom and Pop pop bought him an Elmo potty chair that talks and encourages him to use the potty like Elmo. Well at first he only wanted to put his toys in the seat and then he finally sat down on it clothed. The other night when he was getting ready for his bath he sat down without his diaper. I gave him a book to look at hoping he would stay a little longer. Well, as fate would have it he stood up went over to the tub and took a pee all over the carpet and the side of the tub! We are getting closer everyday. Hopefully he will catch on quickly and we can stop buying diapers for a while!

Eric

2009-03-06T03:17:00.000-08:00

I remember one of the many times (ok not so many he was a really good baby) that I wished Eric could talk and just tell me what he wants. Well, I am not so sure I feel that way anymore. Just kidding! He has grown so much and so quickly too. He has some pretty funny phrases he loves to use like "no no no, that's not nice" He used this one on me when I was wiping his bottom one day. Apparently he wants us to invest in a wipe warmer. I bought home a Happy Meal for him one day and he got all excited and yelled "I see Yi Yi's" (french fries aka his favorite food). His speech is so clear and he is learning new words everyday. He has hit that independent stage that comes with being almost 2 and he loves to say "I do it!" He loves life and playing at the park. He loves animals, especially dogs, cats and penguins which he calls Happy Deets. He loves to hide in his tent and get out the Monopoly money. Apparently he is now paying me for my mommy services. He only gives me fives! He loves putting (real) money in his piggy bank since it plays music. He loves singing Popcorn Popping and his Pizza Jesus song. These are his two favorite words and he made up his own song for them. He is a little ham! One thing that he loves the most is talking to daddy. He talks to Elmer everyday on the phone and gets to see him on the webcam. When I do something he doesn't like he goes over to the computer and talks to daddy (we have his picture up there as a backround) and tells him all about it. I can't wait to see what the next year brings for us especially with him. We love him so much!

Made it!

2009-03-06T03:04:00.000-08:00

We are home! We made it back to Germany on Feb. 24th but we have been sick so I haven't had a chance to post. Eric got sick the night before we left so I went 48 hours with no sleep. He was really good on the plane but proceeded to throw up once a day for the next few days which resulted in a trip to the doctor. He was his normal usual self and the doctor reassured me that he would be fine. Needless to say the virus made its rounds. My mom and Ashley came back with me and so far my mom has avoided the plague.

We had a good trip (pictures to come). One of the highlights was seeing my best friend Alyson who is expecting her first baby this summer! We had some girl time which was great. She took us to Sea world where Eric could see his new obsession Happy Feet! On the day after Thanksgiving I went shopping. I love Black Friday! I bought the DVD of Happy Feet. I thought Eric would like it, I didn't know he would love it! We watch it every night. He goes around dancing and singing. He loves to get up and dance during the movie and when we dont' watch it for a few days he walks around asking "Mumble okay?" He has several stuffed penguins and can pick out a Happy Deet from a good distance.

While we were home I got to see my sisters in Tampa and their families which was nice. We also got to eat a various restaurants including Chick Fil A which quickly became Eric's favorite. We have Taco Bell, Charlies Subs, Subway, Burger King, McDonald's and Popeyes over here so something new like Chick Fil A is a big deal. We also loved going to Walmart, Barnes and Nobel and Babies R Us. Eric loved Barnes and Nobel the most since there is a train in there he could play with. We went to Lake Eola a few times and he loved going to nursery on Sunday.

We enjoyed our time home but it is nice to be back!

I promise to post pictures of our trip soon!

UFOs and Evolution

2008-11-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight I realized that Evolution is a load of poop. In my case literally! After dinner of cheese ravioli I gave Eric a bath. He played and laughed and then I inspected the water a little closer and realized why he was playing and laughing... We had UFOs!!! That's right Unidentified (what did he eat?) Floating Objects. I scooped him up, got him dried off and dressed and then went back to fish them out of the water. Tonight I have to go and clean everything! He laughed and thought is was the funniest thing in the world. This incident made me think about the theory of evolution and how we all evolved from monkeys etc. I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! There are days I could use a tail to open the door when my hands are full or an extra set of arms to carry all the groceries in. If we had evolved, labor wouldn't hurt so bad and the baby would just slide right out. I guess that one could argue that we have evolved into a nice little technologically advanced society but I for one want my tail back!

Patches aka "No No" the Horse

2008-11-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

I tried to get my Christmas shopping done early this year. Since I don't have help and have 2 flights of stairs to go up I put Eric's Christmas on lay a way. Over here if you see something and don't buy it, it won't be there when you go back to get it... even the next day. I found little Patches the rocking horse and thought how wonderful it would be for Eric. The best part was that the box was light and I could carry it and Eric up the stairs, so I bought it. While I was packing I decided that Patches came in a nice lightweight sturdy box that I could use to pack clothes and shoes in to ship. What I didn't expect was for Patches to come with thirty something stickers. I began putting them on being careful to make sure that everything was in the right place. Eric loves stickers! He tried to pull them off as I put them on and I said "no no" Now Eric understands what No means and he can even point to the things he isn't supposed to touch. I finished Patches and I felt proud that he actually looked like a horse. I gave him to Eric and he walked up to him, pointed to him and said "NO NO" and walked away. It took me an hour or more to convince him that he could ride his horse and that he wouldn't get in trouble. He kept giving me this look like "Lady, I know it is a trick! You just want a reason to put me in time out so you can get a break! I am not stupid! You can keep the horse!" Needless to say I learned yet another important parenting lesson. Put stuff together after the baby is in bed. As of today (2 days later) everytime he gets on Patches he looks at me just to make sure it is ok.

Cheetos

2008-11-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

Apparently it takes me a while to learn a lesson. I should know by now that anything left in Eric's reach is fair game. I gave him cheetos for the first time a few weeks ago and he loves them. He just loves them! I gave him a few at lunch for a treat and I left the bag on the edge of the table. I was getting us ready to go out and I heard a rustling noise. I came out to inspect and this is what I found. In a matter of seconds, Eric had dumped the Cheetos on the floor and had two in his hands with bites taken out of each one. The look he gave me was priceless. It was ha ha I am smarter than you are... I guess that it is time to invest in chip clips. Hey if anyone needs a Christmas gift idea there it is.

Packing

2008-11-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

No we are not moving again, we are just coming home for a semi extended stay. The holidays are hard like we knew they would be so we are on our way. I decided that it would be smarter (and cheaper) to ship clothes, toys and Christmas presents home instead of attempting to carry all that luggage plus a car seat and a tired baby As I started packing Eric made it his personal mission to make sure that I was packing the right stuff. He found his little box of toys which contained his books as well and decided that suddenly he just had to play with them. Now mind you there are two baskets FULL of toys, actually overflowing with toys and a big basket full of books. He looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to pack his stuff up. I just hope it all makes it or he may not forgive me for losing his Doggie book.

Little Pumpkin

2008-11-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Halloween was really fun this year! I think that I was just as excited as the kids in the neighborhood. Trick or Treating began at 6 so I got Eric dressed early which worked out great because it took me a while to get pictures. We went downstairs and I opted to use his umbrella stroller so that he could get candy, be safe from cars and other kids and so we wouldn't spend an hour and a half getting to five houses. He can run like there is no tomorrow but he is so interested in everything that we would never had gotten to half the houses we made it to. At first he couldn't understand why I was taking him up to strangers to get candy but after a few houses he began to understand that if he was cute and played the shy card then they gave him lots of candy. I ended up carrying the bucket because he had a piece of candy in each and and the bucket got heavy. He had a blast! He laughed at the people all dressed up and was so excited to see so many other kids out. It was really a lot of fun. We ended up sending (most of) the candy to Daddy.

Two things to be happy about this morning!

2008-11-04T22:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it is 7:30am my time which means that all of my friends in the states are sleeping as we start our day. Eric has been really sick the last two days and I got very little sleep last night. I woke up this morning (for the 50th time) to a child with a normal temperature and a normal appetite. I went online to check my mail and saw that the results are in... OBAMA WINS!!! I don't usually let my political views be known but I did vote for Obama. In all honesty, we can all find fault with someone and I know that some of you are dead set against him but from my point of view and in my situation we definitely need a change. I am happy to say that I lived to see the day where we looked past race and saw the bigger picture. Well, I have to go and chase after Eric. He knows that I am dragging and can use that to his advantage. I should also probably start cleaning up a little since when he gets sick everthing else goes and the house is a mess. It is going to be a SUPER FUN day. I just hope no telemarketers call me or they may regret it.

Funny Things

2008-10-30T00:28:00.001-07:00

Eric had developed a funny personality along with the typical toddler attitude. He wakes up every morning and starts jumping in his crib. He has a nice mattress so he gets some good height. He has also learned how to say "hey me" and "hey Mommy". He has a whole list of words and knows how to operate the DVD player, the ipod and what the web cam is. He pretends to talk to daddy on his little play computer and on his play phone. The conversation goes something like this.

Eric: Hi Daddy! Babble babble babble. Love you! Bye!

I wish I knew what he was saying and that he would tell me he loves me! I take care of him 24/7 and what do I get... well, I guess I can't complain because I get cute baby kisses and sweet baby hugs. He knows how to do all of the parts of the bus on wheels on the bus. He can make the motions for Popcorn Popping and can sing parts of Bad to the Bone. I think that is his favorite. We make it fun and silly! We are working on I'm a Little Teapot. He is obsessed with Elmo and Blue's Clues and he also loves Veggie Tales. He loves to play outside and run around. He also does some of the funniest things like putting everything in the bathtub or the trashcan when I am not looking. He loves to climb in his cabinet and play "Where's the baby?" He always responds "There he is!". I just wanted to let you know how he doing and let you in our life a little. My next goal is to teach him how to change the channels, make toast and get his own milk. Maybe then I can sleep in once in a while.

What's up with us

2008-10-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

A lot of you have been asking how we are doing and well here it is... life is hard. I miss my husband so much and Eric misses his Daddy. Everytime a plane goes by he says "Bye bye daddy" We are surviving. I hate living on the second floor and how everything is set up. Taking out the trash is the biggets pain. That is why I only take the trash out every so often. Over here we have to sort our trash into paper, plastic and then the rest of the stuff. I put it out on the balcony until I absolutel have to take it out. Actually bringing in groceries is the biggest pain. I have to go down one flight of stairs and up two to get to our door with Eric trying to get what he wants out of the bags. I am so exhausted by the end of everyday that I fall into bed and just want to sleep. Eric wakes up every morning literally jumping in his crib yelling "Hey Mommy!" at the top of his lungs. I would be remiss if I didn't say that I am grateful. I am grateful for the families in our ward that treat us like family. I am grateful for all of the sisters and Young women who give me much needed breaks and encouragement. I am grateful for the shoulder that is always there for me to lean on when I need it. I love living in a military ward because we are all in the same boat. At any given time there are husbands and wives deployed from our ward and we all know what it is like to be there struggling. We all band together and I think that that is what has helped me the most. We have been invited to several Thanksgivng celebrations and Christmas dinners. Even people who are new to our ward are so friendly and so giving. I had one brother who just got back introduce himself to us in the Commissary. I know his wife and daughter but he reassured me that I was welcome to come over to their home any time and just hang out if I needed to because he understood what that meant to his wife while he was gone. I am also grateful for my family and their support. I am most thankful to my Heavenly Father and the safety he provides for Elmer and for us. I know that the next several months are going to be hard but in the end it will be worth it. We just have to keep pushing forward and not look back. Thank you all for your prayers and support. They really mean a lot to us.

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-29T14:12:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had our annual Trunk or Treat at church. Halloween isn't a big to do over here with the locals but we make sure that the kids get pleanty of fun and candy. The activities board did a Candyland theme with games in each room. We did the Mr. Mint room and had a mint relay. It was fun. There is also the chili cook off and the scary dessert. The kitty litter one won this year. Let's just say that it looked too realistic to try. Eric wasn't too sure what trick or treating was all about but he caught on quickly. We only went to a few trunks because he can't eat it and I don't need to eat it. We did have a good time and I just think he is the cutest pumpkin in the world! I can't wait until Friday and we get to go around the neighborhood. It should be loads of fun!

Brushing your teeth never looked so good!

2008-10-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Eric is learning how to brush his teeth which roughly translates to he can suck the toothpaste off the brush and then gives it back for more. He is starting to get the hang of it. I just thought this picture was too cute to resist. For those of you who watch Friends go back to the one with the prom flashback and look at Ross. This pictures reminds me of that. He wants to look cool. I love his little expressions and how everday there is a new adventure.

I love this man!

2008-10-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't enjoy mushy romance, don't read this one.

One of my favorite commercials is the one where the older couple is walking in a European town and the man stops and yells at the top of his lungs "I love this woman" He says it several times and then gives her an anniversary ring that you could probably feed a small country on. I think it was put out by Kay. Anyways, that is how I feel about Elmer. I just want you all to know that he is a wonderful man. He is so sweet, caring and special. I can't imagine life without him and this is killing me right now. I don't feel complete. We are so close and have grown even closer since he left. He is an amazing father and the man every woman dreams of. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me feel special. I just want the world to know "I LOVE THIS MAN!" and I am so glad to be his for eternity. Thank you Elmer for everything!

My Birthday (Sorry it is so long)

2008-10-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 25th birthday this year on October 25. Sadly Elmer was not here to celebrate with me. I did recieve some wonderful surprises! On the Thursday before my birthday he sent me roses. On my actual birthday some super friends took me out to dinner at an amazing German restaurant. The dinner I had must have had enough calories to kill me but it would have been worth it. NOTE: IF YOU ARE COUNTING POINTS OR ON ANY FAD DIET STOP READING NOW!!! For dinner I had one of the specials... it is a slice of deep fried bread covered in gravy then they put a sliced beef steak marinated in something out of this world and they cover it in a holindase sauce that is to die for. If that isn't bad enough they serve it with a huge platter of fries and veggies. Needless to say I ate lite for the next few days. It is one of my favorite meals. Since mail is slow over here (people get Christmas cards in April) I didn't recieve my birthday box until Monday. I was so excited and a little nervous. As much as I love him, Elmer makes me nervous when he picks out gifts. For my first birthday after we were married I got a pair of boat shoes and Crazy Bunny. For those of you who don't know the story let me inform you... Elmer got me a plastic rabbit statue that had bugged out eyes. Even to this day he still can't explain why he got it for me. Since we had only been married a couple of months I didn't want to hurt his feeling so I did what any wife would do... I put Crazy Bunny in the bathroom. I didn't want to put it out where other people could see it and honestly it kinda creeped me out. After Elmer did his business he came out and handed it to me, at first I thought that I had hurt his feelings but he handed me Crazy Bunny and asked that I find a different place for him since it creeped him out and he couldn't use the bathroom with it in there staring at him. This year was different. After almost 9 years together and 5 years of marriage Elmer got it right. He got me an alarm clock that allows me to plug in and play my ipod! He also got me a Twilight calendar, the Twilight soundtrack, a Dilbert desk calendar and some candy. Even though he wasn't here I still felt special. I just want to thank all of you for helping me through one of the tough days.

Shoes!

2008-10-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Eric has developed a fascination with shoes. He hates his! He constantly tries to get them off but he is in love with every pair of mine. He especially loves my running shoes and my church heels. He love the sound they make. He doesn't like my flip flops because they are too much work. I feel bad because with Elmer gone he spends so much time with me and has developed some strange interests. He knows what a blowdryer is for, he wants to get into my makeup and now he can't stay away from my shoes. The only thing that reassures me that he will grow out of this phase is the gross little boy stuff he does like eat dirt and play in the toilet. Yes, it is always clean! I am just never fast enough to get to it before he gets his hand in there. Anyways, enjoy the pictures.

Arguelles Look-alike Meter

2008-10-24T07:11:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

I think Eric looks more like me now. When he was born it looked like I was his stepmother because he looked so much like Elmer and nothing like me. This was really easy and fun to do. I wonder if they have ever had any kids that look almost 100% like one parent or the other. That would be an interesting discussion! Enjoy.

Twilight addiction!

2008-10-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know there is a series our by a lady in the church called the Twilight series. Elmer and I love it! At first he couldn't understand my obsession and hated it when I dragged him to the release party for Breaking Dawn. I read the other three books in the series in a matter of 2 weeks and fortunately we were in the states when the book dropped so we went to Barnes and Nobel. He started reading it before he left and got hooked. I have even had to send some of our copies downrange for his soldiers to read. I read it for the romance and he read it because vampires got into fights and ripped each other apart. Go figure! I was watching Eric play the other day and I looked over and he was reading something. He loves to "read". He even makes up words in his own language to go along with the pictures. Anyways, I went to see what book it was and sure enough it was Breaking Dawn (the last book in the series). The funny part, was that he carted it around with him for a while and every now and then he would stop to read a few more pages. I realized that my obsession was rubbing off on him. I have all the books, a tee shirt, the calendar is on its way, the soundtrack should be shipped on the 4th of November and a whole bunch of the ladies in our ward are getting together for a Twilight movie night as soon as it comes out. I hope that eventually I will find some other series to get into but for now I am a shamless Twilighter and not afraid to admit it! Enjoy!

Highchairs...some assembly required!

2008-10-23T03:43:00.000-07:00

With Elmer being gone I am in charge of furniture assembly. I recently bought Eric a new highchair because his old one was gross. We had it for over a year and it is the one he learned to eat in so needless to say it had survived many sweet potato battles. I opened the box and of course it came in like 15 pieces and I had to put it all together. It wasn't too bad once I realized what all the pieces were. I didn't even have any parts left over! The real test came the next day when Eric had to eat breakfast in it. He looked at me like "lady if this things falls I am never trusting you again". It has been several days and it is still standing!

Playing in the Leaves

2008-10-23T03:38:00.000-07:00

I took Eric to the park after several days of cold, wet weather. He loves the playground and just running around. I took him over to an area under the trees where there were nice piles of leaves and just let him play. He loved it! He was so interested in the sound they made and how when he ran they went all over the place. I love this time of year because everything is so colorful. I missed that in Florida. Unfortunately palm trees don't change their colors. I hope all of you Floridians enjoy these pictures and know that when the snow starts falling we will be thinking of you in your 80-90 degree weather.

Pumpkins

2008-10-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am really cheap. Every year the commissary brings out pumpkins way too early for Halloween and they over price them. I found that the longer I wait the cheeper they get. Last year I waited until the 25th until I went to get them and they were 6 cents a pound instead of 30. This year I couldn't wait that long so when I had some mommy time I went an picked a few out. The price was good and they were well worth it. Eric wasn't too sure at first and didn't want to color on his little one. Once I got the top off of the big one he was facinated with it. He learned the word 'ewww" a long time ago so the whole time that is all he said. he actually stuck his hand in and touched the gooey stuff inside. I gave him the top while I gutted out the inside and he tried to eat it seeds and all. Luckily he didn't like the taste so that made fishing the seeds out of his mouth a little easier. Daddy got to watch the whole thing via the web. I love technology and the fact that even though daddy is miles away we still get to see him and he gets to share our special moments with us. I decorated my pumpkin with stars. Getting a little fancy in my old age...

17 Month Pictures

2008-10-17T12:11:00.001-07:00

Since Elmer's birthday is the 2nd of November I wanted to send him some pictures of Eric. I decided to take Eric outside and get some of him playing with a football. The ball is almost the same size as he is. We got out there and of course a cat walks by breaking all of Eric's concentration with the ball. Eventually he forgot about the cat and I got some cute pictures. He is such a ham!

Hey ladies! Introducing the cutest firefighter ever!

2008-10-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

For fire prevention week the Air Force brought out Smokey the Bear and each child got a firehat and a football. Eric screamed when I took his football away to put his jacket back on him after leaving the store. He carried it around the rest of the day. He has a little firetruck rideon that he wheels around here all the time. It is nice until he tries to run me over and then it is a game of outsmart the baby. He loved the hat too. He even tried it on me which brings up to the expression in the third picture. Either he is disappointed that he didn't make the firefighter calendar or he is embarassed of his Mommy. I will laugh years from now if he actually becomes a firefighter. I will laugh and then spend the rest of my life worrying about him. I love being a mom!

The next Steve Irwin

2008-10-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Introducing Eric the next Crocodile Hunter! Eric loves animals. Right now everything is a goggie (Doggie). Cats, birds, characters at Disney...everything with fur is a dog. He wanted to wear his monkey backpack so I put it on him. The last time he wore it we were in the airport. The tail is the handle and it gives him freedom without really being a leash. He loves it and his doggie! Enjoy!

Fun at the Park

2008-10-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate to have a playground right near our building. It usually takes us a while to get to it because Eric has to inspect every interesting thing we pass on the way. He loves going there and he wishes he was big enough to play on the big kids area. He isn't too sure of the swings but he loves the slide. This last trip he decided that he was big enough to go down the slide without help. It breaks my heart that he is growing up so fast! He gets more independent every day. I guess that is how it is supposed to be.

Hug a Hero

2008-10-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

After Elmer left I sent in for Eric's Daddy Doll. Or as Elmer would perfer me to call it an action figure. Doll sounds too girly. Two women thought these up and don't make a dime off of them. They also make bears and blankets. You can even have other family members made up into dolls. It is wonderful because Eric gets to see daddy all of the time and give him hugs. Sometimes I sneak a hug in too. He loves to take Elmer everywhere with him. It is 17 inches which is almost lifesize. Just kidding Mer.

One tired toddler

2008-10-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we were on our way home from an outing and Eric fell asleep in the car. Usually when I get him out of his seat he wakes up and refuses to go back no matter how short his nap was. I brought him upstairs and stood him up in our hallway. I went a few steps to hang up the diaper bag and get my shoes off. When I turned around this is what I saw. Eric was still tired apparently because he laid down on the hallway rug and went back to sleep. I felt like such a bad mom! Don't worry I didn't leave him there but I couldn' t resist these pictures. Just so you know he slept for another 2 hours after this. Must be nice!

Eric vs. The spoon

2008-10-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well since Eric can feed himself and use a cup we have moved onto the spoon. The fork is pretty easy for him unless he is really hungry or just too lazy to use it that particular feeding. The spoon is a completely different story. He doesn't want any help which results in a huge mess. I am happy to write that he did get quite a bit of yogurt in his mouth which is better than last time. It was after these pictures that I realized that we need a dog. Anyways I hope he gets the hang of it soon.

Deep thought

2008-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I went to wake Eric up early from his nap one day because we had an appointment and this is what I found. It looks to me like he has some pretty serious dreams. Who knows he could have the answers to rising gas prices, global warming and why there is a 6 setting on the toaster. That has always bothered me. I have yet to find a recipe that requires burnt toast and lets face it after 3 it is getting kinda crispy. Oh well. I guess we will just have to wait until he can talk in complete sentences before we find out the answers.

Eric and Mommy

2008-10-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would post a little picture of us since there are pleanty on here of Eric and Elmer. This is after a night out in which Eric decided that eating in a restaurant is for losers and that causing chaos is better. Needless to say we won't be going out for a while. I see a lot of take out in our future.

Eric and his man purse

2008-10-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Eric found one of my purses and has confinscated it! I may never get it back. He loves to carry it around with him and put stuff in it. He is the one that puts it on his shoulder like that. I personally love how he chooses to accessorize with a mini Star Wars light saber. Perhaps he has to keep some super cool Jedi stuff in that bag that I can't know about. Who knows? I especially enjoy the blackmail benefits of these pictures and yes, I will be publishing them in his highschool yearbook. I love being a mom!

Farmer Eric

2008-10-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

Elmer loves kids in overalls. I wasn't sure why but I guess that he thinks they are cute. Well, now I love them too. We had an appointment one day so I dressed Eric up in his overalls and his matching monkey jacket. He is too cute! He looks like a little farmer. I am sure one day he will look back on all of these pictures and see how we dressed him and be throughly embarassed. Well this is just payback for all the embarassing moments he will cause us to have in our lifetime. Being a parent has its perks!

Coloring

2008-10-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

So excited!
Masterpiece!

Eric and I have a special coloring time every day. He loves it! He is actually getting pretty good at scribbling. It is always so much fun watching him see what each crayon does. He tasted one of them and decided he didn't like the flavor. We ended up sending the pictures to Daddy.

Eric and his Sunglasses

2008-10-03T02:24:00.001-07:00

Eric found a pair of Daddy's old sunglasses. He attempted to put them on to look like daddy but couldn't quite grasp the concept. I helped him and he gave me the cutest smile. What a little ham!

Saying Bye Bye to Daddy

2008-10-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

Eric looks so sad in this picture like he knows what's going on

We said bye bye to Daddy. It was such a sad day. Elmer finished packing the morning of and Eric couldn't figure out why he was up so early. Daddy will be gone for about year with two weeks to come and visit in the spring. We miss him so much!

Refried Beans!

2008-10-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

Eric loves refried beans. I mean loves them! Unfortunately he is still having a little trouble with a spoon. He is our little beanie baby. Funny thing is, he hates rice. Poor Elmer I guess that Eric is more Mexican that we thought. I thought you might enjoy these pictures.

Merry August Christmas

2008-10-03T02:11:00.000-07:00

He went straight for the broom!
Checking out the vacuum

Since Daddy won't be with us this year we decided to have an August Christmas! We held it a few weeks before Emer left for Iraq. Santa even did us a big favor and dropped in and gave Eric some wonderful August Christmas presents. Eric is very into cleaning so he got a vacuum, mop and broom. Now I don't have to share mine.

New favorite hiding place

2008-08-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Eric discovered his new favorite hiding place. He can fit into a little cabinet in his room and he loves it.

Finally a reason to watch golf

2008-08-26T07:18:00.001-07:00

Elmer loves golf! Golf hates Elmer! We still go to the range every now and then and we decided to take Eric. Everytime we hit the ball he would laugh. It was too cute. towards the end we let him out and he had his turn to show off. He didn't want any help and was more interested in throwing the golf balls but we still had a great time. I finally have a reason to watch golf.

The Fouth of July 2008

2008-08-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

For the 4th we went to Ramstein to see fireworks and pay way too much money for food and games. Eric had a good time watching the people. I got to see Gary Sinise from CSI NY play with his Lt. Dan Band (reference Forest Gump). He is one of my favorite actors and yes, I screamed and yelled like the rest of them. He can really play. Elmer was outside with Eric who decided to nap during the concert. Eric cried a little at the fireworks but then decided that it was too late and that fireworks are lame so he went to bed. All in all it was a lot of fun!

Magically delicious and good for the skin too...

2008-08-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

I decided to be the cool mom and give Eric the sugar cereal we were never allowed to have (Ha Ha Mom!). You can tell by the pictures he loved it. He also thought his hair needed to share in the sugary goodness, along with his elbows, tummy, knee and toes. It took two baths and a good scrubbing to get it all off the floor and him. I had a great time watching him pick the marshmallows out of the mix and leave the puff things. I honesty don't know why they don't just make it without them. I mean that is why we buy Lucky Charms in the first place. We don't think, Hey! I am going to buy Lucky Charms for the whole grain wheat in those little puff thingys. It is like being on the Krispy Kream diet. We can lie to ourselves to make us feel better about eating but when it comes down to it, we love sugar!

Finally Walking!

2008-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Eric flat out refused to walk. He had been pulling himself up for months but crawling was faster. Finally he decided to take his first steps on June 24th! We video taped him walking between Elmer and me. He would walk half way and then clap for himself, say "Yay!" and then walk the rest of the way. It was too funny. In the other picture he is looking for loose change (food, toys etc).

Eric's new ride

2008-08-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

We went to Toys R Us (to play with the toys of course) and ended up buying Eric a little ride on toy that is supposed to be a firefighter truck. He loved pushing it around. As all boys/men know having their own car is a good way to attract chicks! Plus girls love firemen! Good luck Eric!

Zoo Day

2008-08-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

I am trying to catch up on everything in Eric's life so here I go... In June we went to the zoo here in Kaiserslautern. It is interesting because one of the exhibits is a bunch of racoons living every racoons dream. They get fed on a daily basis and they have a nice area with a little pool. I can't believe that the Germans treat the things that ransack our garbage with such respect. Eric enjoyed the zoo. He especially enjoyed the lama and the goats. I assume that lamas don't bite. He loved it when the goats got close and he could touch them and they sniffed him. He laughed so hard until we took him away to head home and then he cried and made us feel like bad parents. We thought about sneaking a goat out with us but we had to walk past the lion cages and didn't want to risk it.

Moving Day

2008-06-27T02:52:00.000-07:00

For the record I hate moving! The movers got to our house about 9am and left us one guy to pack up the house. It took them all day to move us! We spent the rest of the night unpacking and attempting to set up some of the apartment. Eric was a big help! The movers put stickers on the boxes and furniture to identify what is what on the inventory. It became Eric's personal mission to find all of the stickers and peel them off. Even now, weeks later if he comes across a sticker he has to get it off the box. He also enjoyed looking through all the boxes to see what he wanted to get out.

Eric's Birthday

2008-06-27T02:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

It has been a while since I have signed on. I apologize for this but with the move and all life was just too crazy. Eric had a really good birthday on May 12. We celebrated with a Sesame Street party at our old house. He enjoyed it but wasn't too sure about the cake. He loves Elmo so we got him a Tickle Me Elmo Special Edition which he loves to push and make laugh. We can't believe he is a year already!

Our Family One Year Ago

2008-05-06T02:37:00.001-07:00

Eric will be one year old on May 12th so I thought that I would post this picture first. It is amazing to see how much our little family has changed in a year. Back then all Eric did was cry, eat and stare at the ceiling. Now, he is walking all over the place (with a little help) and is starting to use actual words we can understand. He has developed a crazy personality and is so much fun. We can't remember what life was like without him.

Just starting out

2008-05-06T02:12:00.000-07:00

Well, here is goes. We are finally starting a blog. It is kind of a crazy time to start one. We found out a few weeks ago that we are moving on base. We have been living out on the economy for three years and we are ready for a change. We love it here in Germany! It has finally warmed up a little. Today's high was 71 degrees! Everything is in bloom! It is a wonderful time to be here. On Saturday we went to a Blumen field and picked tulips and we took Flat Stanley with us. Flat Stanley, for those of you who don't know, is a little paper dude that was sent to us by our cousin in California. We had to take him everywhere and take pictures of him in different places and write a little adventure for him. Flat Stanley is on his way home now. I hope he makes it! Sometimes the mail can be a little off. We have had friends get Christmas cards in April! Ah, the joys of living overseas. We still aren't sure when we are coming home. Things change daily over here. We are praying hard about our next decisions and making pro and con lists. In the end though it really isn't up to us. Home is where the Army sends us. I promise to write more when life settles down a little.