My Baby.

I made my baby's hair go bye-bye :'(

I think his long hair with curls at the ends made him look more tiny, so it was my security blanket, if you will.

And now he talks and says things like, "Mommy, you have a boo-boo? What happened?" And kisses my "boo-boo"s... Which are actually just beauty marks, or an occasional bruise from god knows what - I bruise very easily.

He looks like such a little man. It freaks me out. I just want to stop time and hang out with him before he gets any bigger. And I kept saying, "I can't wait until he can crawl." "I can't wait until he can walk."

I could've waited :(

I love when he lays on our bed and watches TV. He gets really excited when you lay down with him, and if for any reason (even to go to the bathroom) you have to get up, he gets upset and points to the bed and says, "Down!" to try to get you to sit back down.

I wish I could've been a stay-at-home Mom. At least for a little while, I went right back to work after having Gavyn. I see and spend time with him every day, but I still feel like it's not enough, because every day he looks bigger and bigger, and every day he learns something new. It's hard.

The picture to the right is of my sister, Brooke. This is what I've been doing in my spare time. James and I have been going to thrift stores, buying vintage and trendy clothing, and selling it on eBay. I've broadened my horizons a bit by picking up some cookbooks that I thought I could sell for a small profit also.

All of my items are here.

Who knows, maybe you'll find something you like ;)

Ps, it's hard for me to do this because I always find things that I like, that I want to keep - like the owl belt buckle :'(

Slacker.

I know I've been slacking lately. I promise I haven't been up to much. Just hanging out with friends and family (mainly my Mom + kids, Shane, Alyssa, Russyl, and Jen). Actually, Russyl and Jen left about an hour ago and now myself, James, and Shane are watching A Scanner Darkly starring Keanu. What a weird but neat name. Keanu.

I should've known that this post was going to be a lot of rambling since I didn't have a true subject to post about. Here, you want some news? You want to know what's new? Will that be a little more enticing? 1. I cut Gavyn's hair today. It's not short, by any means, but it's definitely shorter. Pictures to come. 2. James and I have pretty much decided that we're going to have another baby in two years. I'm set on a girl, but he's convinced (and hoping) that it will be a boy. 3. Today is my second day off in a row, followed by tomorrow which will make Day 3. We've just been relaxing lately, and tomorrow I think we're going to hit up a few thrift stores (I can't remember the last time I've done that) and go to Urban Outfitters. I love having three days off in a row, it's a real treat since my usual days off are not in a row.

Ah, I forgot to mention... After I cut Gavyn's hair, I showed him the new do in the mirror and he started waving and saying 'Hi' to himself in the mirror and blowing kisses at himself. I am going to take that as an approval. James, of course, was not very thrilled... But is he ever when it involves a haircut? Not usually.

I'm actually kind of into this movie and really into the idea of munching on some chili cheese dip that Shane is currently hogging, so I'm going to cut it here. I apologize about the lack of posting, and I will try to better myself, as a blogger, for you!

Ps, that is Rachel, my younger sister. --->

Flickr Favs

1. I love... photoprojects., 2. . . . . . . ., 3. A Study in Branches: 3, 4. Tracce

I found this neat little project over at ArtMind and decided to try it out. If you go to Multicolr Search Lab you can sort out Flickr images by color. It's really neat and fun to put together.

I decided to make a mosiac of gray today because this is what it looks like outside and so it is, in turn, how I am feeling inside. The weather has always drastically affected my moods, especially when it's dreary outside. And because of the weather, it's very slow at work today, so the day has been dragging on like a...

I was drawing a blank there so I googled "dragging on like a" and came up with some really funny results that made me giggle:

Dragging on like a...

1. Turtle with knee problems
2. Congressional election
3. Drawn out celebrity trial
4. Soap opera
5. Puppy tied to the bumper of a speeding buick - it just keeps getting bloodier and more painful to watch
6. Death row inmate's last meal
7. Superstition in a nihilist
8. Handicapped snail
9. John McCain speech

...What's your phrase?

For Your Amusement.

I honestly think that we are the parents of one of the coolest/goofiest kids on the planet. I just love being around Gavyn. He's so smart, so funny, and I mean, look at him ---> he's obviously very cool.

Every day when I get home from work I talk to him about how our days went. Usually, he'll just agree with anything I say and finally reply with, "OUTSIDE!?!" So that he can go out on our porch and draw on his chalkboard. I've been carrying on conversations with him a lot lately because that's how he picks up on new words.

Gavyn has recently learned how to:

- Pee on the potty (not full-time yet)
- Draw a "clue" (Blue's pawprint), a smiley face, a circle, and an apple.
- Say 'grandma', 'come here', 'go outside', 'want to eat this', 'sorry', 'please', 'thank you', 'welcome', 'i love you', 'blue's clues', 'batman', 'a clue, a clue!', 'what's up?', 'what are you doing', 'ice cream', 'chicken' (he calls just about everything he eats chicken), 'banana', 'apple', 'cars', 'sky', etc, etc. I could go on and on.

The point is, his vocabulary is becoming very expansive and I'm so proud of him!



He has also learned most of the words to the Blue's Clues song, and at the very end when Steve says, 'Think, think, thiiiiink', Gavyn puts his hands on his face like Steve. He'll draw a clue on his drawing paper, on his chalkboard, or on his little doodle pad and then exclaim, "A CLUE, A CLUE! MOMMY, A CLUE!!!"

I can't believe how big he's getting. And I know I say it all the time, but believe me, I'll be saying it for the rest of my life.



Oh, and about the picture to the left... This is what I walked into at about 11 pm. I was getting ready to go to bed and checked on him. Prior to picking him up and laying him down on the bed, I snapped this shot.


HOW DO YOU FALL ASLEEP LIKE THAT?!

Left 4 Dead.

Left 4 Dead. I've never been one for zombie games that freak me out OR for playing games on Xbox Live. But this game has really caught my attention. James got it several months ago, I had never heard anything about it, it was no big deal. Then all of a sudden my sister realizes that we have it, and every time she comes over she's always saying, "Let's play Left 4 Dead!" I'd always say no. I finally 'picked up my sticks' as James and I like to put it, and couldn't put them back down. It's a very simple concept. Find the zombies, shoot them. Or if you're playing on live - find the humans, throw up on them, pounce on them and tear them apart, or grab them in a chokehold with your tongue. It's a cooperative first-person shooter, so it's the kind of game play you would find in something like Halo. But it's no where near as complicated. Shown in the picture above is the infamous Witch of Left 4 Dead. You'll hear her loud, creepy sobbing long before she actually runs after you to attack. You can't actually make them out in the picture, but she has really long claws that she uses to tear into you. So anyway, I just thought I'd share one of my guilty pleasures. If you're looking for a fun game to play with a friend (or maybe some "friends" online), or just a good first-person shooter, give this one a go.

Ps, I also have Viva Piñata and Viva Piñata: Party Animals on their way to me, but those are worthy of another whole post.

Pss, I almost typed 'a whole nother' but couldn't bring myself to publish that.

Aloha!

The wheels are turning and the wedding bells are ringing in my head. Here I go again, but this time I'm actually looking into the wedding, not just the honeymoon. Yesterday I said out of no where, "Wouldn't it be amazing to just get married on our honeymoon, so to speak?" And that's all it took. Yes, it is very far in advance. I'm sure it will not happen until 2011-2012, but I feel as if it's necessary to have it all worked out very far in advance so that a) we can save up, b) our guests can save up, and c) we can have everything where we prefer to have it, since the best places book up far in advance. And since the main excitement in the whole wedding business was the honeymoon destination, why not bring the wedding there, too? I've found some really affordable packages. The opportunities there are limitless, but our budgets are not so much, so we'll have to do a lot of planning. Gavyn would look so handsome in a little white button-up, khakis, and barefeet! So... My closest friends and family reading this, start saving! This is what I want. I am not dead-set on Hawaii (except for the honeymoon, of course), but after looking into it, I think I'm beginning to like the idea of a beach wedding more and more. James always said that he'd like a beach wedding, but I wasn't keen on it before just because we live in Florida and it's kind of a cliche... But they are really beautiful. So maybe if a wedding in Hawaii is out of reach, we can look into Indian Rocks Beach?

Happy Mother's Day!

This is how we'll be celebrating Mother's Day! It's decided. We're going to Red Lobster. The Cheddar Bay Biscuits are actually not my favorite part of going to Red Lobster, believe it or not. What I love the most is the New England Clam Chowder. It's so delicious. I usually fill up on the salad, chowder, and biscuits and by the time the food gets there I can eat maybe a couple of bites!

The three of us are going, and unfortunately Red Lobster (near us, anyway) doesn't take reservations. So as soon as we get off of work we're going to get dressed, pick Gavyn up from Tammy's, and head over there - since I'm sure there'll be like an hour wait. Everyone keeps asking if someone is watching Gavyn for us. I think it's kind of silly to not spend Mother's Day with your child. Isn't that the point? Otherwise they might as well call it "Significant Other Day". Anyway... I hope everyone enjoys their Mother's Day!

EDIT: I am a hypocrite. Turns out today was Danielle (James' cousin)'s graduation party that we forgot about. So James' parents had Gavyn in Clearwater and we could either a) go to Clearwater with all of James' family in our work outfits (James had a polo and pants, not bad... I, on the other hand, was sporting a sarong and tank top)... Or b) continue on our plans to Red Lobster and hope they'd have Gavyn back by a decent time. We went to Red Lobster and it was delicious. James and I each ordered our own chowder and appetizer and then split a meal. It was the perfect amount (plus leftovers) so I think that's the route we'll take from now on. Gavyn was home by about 7:30, so we kept him up a little late so that I could spend time with him. Why do I always write about food as if you care about my eating patterns? Whatever, it's almost midnight and I am sick and delirious, but a proud Momma whose Mommy's Day is almost over. Goodnight!

Swyn Floo.

To say that I simply HATE BEING SICK would be an understatement. I don't think I could ever instill how much I absolutely hate it into your brain. I ended up calling out of work yesterday, and felt similar this morning but decided to go in anyway. After all, I'm pretty sure I'm only allotted 3 sick days per year. Melissa (from work) offered to work for me tomorrow and I'd work her Monday, but if I could do it today, I can do it tomorrow. And I enjoy my Mondays and Wednesdays off. So here I am, at my desk in the back office munching on caramel rice cakes and waiting for my little electronic clock in the lower righthand corner of my computer to read 4:00 PM. Only 13 minutes to go. The picture to the right was one of the Google Image results for Swine Flu. I do not have any idea how it, in any way, depicts Swine Flu, but I deemed it essential for this post. I am so ready to go home and pass out for a few hours, but NOT ready to study for my Elementary Algebra retake on my CPT. I never was very fond of Algebra. Maybe I'll reschedule it for a time when I can concentrate more and pity myself less.

So you thought I was done.

Maybe because I said, "I'm done rambling" or maybe not. Regardless, can we talk about last night's episode of LOST!? Or how the season finale is next week!? And how I'm not ready for it to be over already!? "Ok, we're from the future. Sorry, dude."

And on top of LOST ending, I have to wait until June 2nd for Season 4 of Weeds to come out on DVD. I got a late start on watching this show, so we just finished Season 3 on DVD. Why do you wait so long to put TV shows on DVD!?!

Sicko de Mayo.

The title on this post basically described how our Cinco de Mayo went. We woke up in the morning to Gavyn having a high fever and vomit on his floor. Since we both had to work, we brought him to Tammy's (as usual) and told her that if he gets worse, she should bring him to the doctor. I called the doctor anyway to schedule a sick appointment for when we got off of work. The latest they could see us was 4:15 pm, when James got off at 4:00 pm, so we ended up having to leave work early. Turned out it was just a mild cold with a tummy ache. His fever went away later that day and his tummy was still hurting yesterday, but he's doing well. That night, we had Russyl, Jen and Jacob over. I drank several Coronas and ate even more limes. I then passed out when James and Jen went to get McDonalds for us, and apparently wanted no part in waking up for the McChickens I had previously begged for. Yesterday we just relaxed, ate some sweedish meatballs over egg noodles, and watched our shows. All of our favorite shows seem to come on on Wednesdays, but LOST and Lie to Me's season finales are next week. Not happy. Also not happy about the fact that I now have a sore throat, as well. Anyway, I'm done rambling.

It All Started Here.

Quick update while James is in the shower and Gavyn is jumping up and down on our bed like a maniac.

I made some scrumptious homemade lasagna and we just finished eating it.

"The lasagna is really good, babe."
"Thanks, I think this is the best I've made it so far."
"Isn't this the first time you've made it?"
"Yeaahumm, how was work?"

Haha. The picture to the left is of James and I days before I found out that I was pregnant. We were both a lot thinner, his hair was longer, my hair was shorter, and neither of us had any idea what was in store for us.

James just stomped into the room.

"Are you kidding me!?"
"What?"
"I can't even grow a beard yet, and LOOK AT THIS!!"
(I glance at the tiny strand of facial hair between his fingers)
"I already have a gray facial hair!"

Poor James. I'm going to go accompany him in the living room and make sure he doesn't have a little episode over his lack of facial hair/gain of gray hair.

Ps, my post about our future honeymoon keeps showing up in the You Might Like These Stories located at the bottom of each of my posts, and it just looks so surreal. I can't hardly wait.

MirrorMask

I watched MirrorMask last night with James. I always browse Netflix for movies that catch my attention, and this happened to be one of them. It was released in 2005 and until I stumbled upon it on Netflix, I had never heard of it. So I'm assuming it was a more independent film. Here's Netflix's description:

Screenwriter Neil Gaiman's masterful allegorical drama, which melds live actors with animated characters, portrays the existence of a 15-year-old girl named Helena (Stephanie Leonidas) in a civilization ruled by light and darkness. When the Light Queen loses her equal hold on the kingdom, plunging it into gloomy shadows, Helena takes it upon herself to restore the universe back to its rightful balance. Dave McKean directs.

It was, by far, one of the most trippy and 'out there' movies I've ever seen. But once the story picked up I couldn't peel my eyes off the screen. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially if you're into fantasy movies.

Neil Gaiman is also the writer of Coraline (photo below), which explains a lot. I watched that movie in the theatre. It's a Tim Burton film that looks similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, but it's definitely one of a kind. It was disturbing and intriguing at the same time. I don't know if I'd recommend it for kids (although it's rated PG), but I really did enjoy it, and I was looking forward to seeing it ever since I first saw the trailer. Every time the trailer would come on, James and Brandie would look over at me expecting me to say "Corrrraaallliiiiiiiiiiinnnee" in my creep voice. It was tradition. Anyway, if you take a look at the work that he's done (which also includes Beowulf - which I have yet to see, but I've read), it looks like he's known for doing movies like this. I've thoroughly enjoyed the movies of his that I've seen, so maybe I'll try the rest of them out.

Ps, in case you haven't already noticed-- I'm sort of a movie junkie. So you might not want to ever challenege me in a Scene It? game.

I'm LOST.

Dear LOST writers/producers,

I just watched Wednesday's episode of LOST for the first time since I had been busy all week. First Charlie, now Daniel? Why must you do this to me? Who's next, Sawyer? You always kill off my favorite characters. Please stop that.

Sincerely,
A concerned and upset fan

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I just got back from watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was intense, I was clenching my jaw the entire time. I've noticed I do this when I'm watching intense action scenes in movies. When I realize that I'm doing it, I have to put conscious effort into releasing my jaw muscles. I was asking James questions throughout the entire movie, which I know must've been pretty annoying, but I was thoroughly intrigued and wanted to know more about the back story. Apparently I'll need to watch 1, 2 and 3 again. It's been awhile.

Ah, yes. And the theatre was packed because we went today, the day that it was released, a Friday. Which means there were tons of children roaming free. When a little boy, Shawn, plopped down on the seat next to me along with his younger brother, Seth, and older brother, Steven... I gave them a few Starbursts and got to know their back story while we waited for the movie to start. Anyway, I came to find out that Shawn is 10, Seth is 9, they are one grade apart, they really like Starbursts, and they really like to express their excitement during the fight scenes. Oh, also, Shawn pointed out to me numerous times that it's metal (it's actually adamantium, but who am I to argue) coming out of Wolverine's arms, "LIKE THIS!!!!" as he motioned to me exactly where the claws came from on his arm.

So, yes. I do occasionally talk to little strangers and feed them Starbursts.

Our Future Honeymoon to LOST Island.

All I can seem to think about lately is how amazing our honeymoon is going to be. We haven't started to really plan our wedding yet, or even set a date. But we've already began looking into the costs of our honeymoon and what we can do when we get there.

We plan to stay at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii. It's where LOST is filmed, and we plan to take a tour of LOST island!

I started looking even more into it and got really excited yesterday when I was watching The Hills with Brandie and they were staying at Turtle Bay Resort! So I got to get a good look at it. It's nothing short of amazing! I love going on vacations. Even when we spent the weekend in Orlando to bring Gavyn to Disney World (Magic Kingdom) for his 2nd birthday, we were so excited to just relax. We ended up splurging a lot while we were there and eating out every night, so that set us back a bit, but I'd like to do it once a year. I think we deserve that. 2009 will be bringing us a second vacation, though. Hello, Chicago.