And we're OFF!

Well...we're off! If you are curious as to how our flight is going to go - we're hoping for the best. :) Hopefully it won't turn out like THIS little classic! We'll post when we're in Utah with all the details!

Before we leave...a rose update

LOOK! They're actually growing! Woo Hoo! :)

So pretty...now don't die while we're in Utah! Pleaaaaase!

An Actual Date!

It's been 3 years since we've seen Lyle Lovett in concert - the last time I was pregnant with Ryan! Now, before you say something like..."Lyle Lovett? Isn't he the country singer with the funny hair who was married to Julia Roberts? etc..."

Yes, he has funny hair. Yes, he was married to Julie Roberts. No, he is not a country singer. He's really not one who can be classified as country - I could call him more bluegrass and folk, even a little rock and roll too! He doesn't have anything "twangy" about him!

Anyway, Ric and I have seen him at least 5 times that I can remember...and each time is an incredible show! Talk about musicianship - his "large band" is so tight - meaning that they play so well together, it's almost like they are one person. The songs are fun, the kind where you can actually understand the words. In fact, Ric and I chose a Lyle Lovett song for our first dance at our wedding! If you haven't heard it before, make sure you check it out... She's no Lady, She's my Wife. (SIX months of lessons to learn the Western Swing!) The video is pretty old - his hair isn't that wild these days!

Personally...I'm really looking forward to driving ALONE with my husband, eating out ALONE with my husband, listening to great music ALONE with my husband, and driving back home ALONE with my husband. (It's about a 1 hour 45 minute drive to the Cape, where the concert is being held.) Of course, we may not have anything to talk about...funny how kids suck the conversation out of you!

Anyway...enjoy the music, I know we will!

A comparison...

BEFORE:














AFTER:

Ryan's First PawSox Game

From the time Ryan knew what a ball was, he's been Dad's companion on the couch when the Redsox play. He even has a pretty good pitch, with a windup and everything! (Left-handed too!)

We've been telling him that we would take him to a baseball game for a while, as a reward for good behavior (or something like that.) So when the opportunity came for Ric to take the Young Men in the Ward to the Pawtucket Red Sox game, Ryan got to go with them.

Just a few pictures of Nacho Boy at his first PawSox Game!

(For those of you outside of New England, the PawSox is the AAA RedSox Team.)

Tough times for the USPS - my rant

I don't think in the nearly 22 years I've been in the USPS that we've ever seen things this bad before. Business is down...WAY down and it's only going to get worse as long as the fuel costs for all of us are at the $4 per gallon.

One of the emails that we received at work from our manager inquired as to why our Priority Mail revenue was down. Luckily my co-worker and head clerk Tom had some pointed answers and insight that gave our manager something to think about. #1 is that we can't sell to people that aren't coming into our office for any reason at all. If no one is in line at our office to mail or purchase anything, we don't stand a chance to increase our revenue. #2 is that all of our daily eBay and online business customers are also feeling the sharp decline in their business and they too are hurting. People simply aren't spending their money on non-essential items right now when it takes more to gas the car and put groceries in the fridge at home. #3 is that our "leaders" in the USPS have beat us over the head with "use Click+Ship" service that we provide online so now many people that are still shipping and doing it from home and getting their items picked-up instead of wasting gas and coming to my office. #4 is that with the new inception of the Forever Stamp, less people have had to come to the post office to purchase stamps or the 1-cent increase stamp since they stocked up on the Forever Stamp in large quantities before the May 12 rate change. Again, less people in line = less opportunity to sell or maximize revenue.

I will say that our office in particular does a great job of maximizing opportunities in generating money for the USPS, along with protecting the revenue and services that we provide our customers as well. One of the ideas being floated right now as a trial period is that Saturday delivery of mail will be terminated in order to control our fuel costs. For each penny the fuel rises, it costs the USPS $8 million.

You can help me keep my job and ensure that you get the best personalized service by either NOT using Click+Ship online or at least not paying for postage online (just create the address label without postage) and go to your local post office to mail anything you need to.

Ric

Da-Eeeeeee!

There are many days that I take a shower LATE in the day....sometimes it's because I plan to work outside, and why take a shower only to sweat again in the New England humidity?

Anyway, today was one of those days. I planned to stay off the computer all day long and work outside, which I did - all the wood is stacked! But I had to record this before I forgot - it's too good to miss! Just in case anyone is wondering, I put up the gates and plop the kids down in front of Blues Clues or whatever is on Noggin for the few minutes I'm showering...that way they are relatively safe - unless they go after each other! That Megan is starting to show some strength!)

-----------------------

Overheard as I was drying off...

Megan: Da-eeeeeee! (Daddy)

Ryan: No Megan, Mommy.

Megan: Da-eeeeee!

Ryan: No Megan, Daddy is at work. Mommy is in the shower!

Megan: (laughs) Da-eeeee! (Now I KNOW she was just teasing him - that's my girl!)

---------------------

I think that this is the first official back and forth conversation I've heard - too cute!

Priceless...just priceless

I wasn't going to post any more today, but I'm sitting in my office right now. The kids are playing the living room. All of a sudden I hear:

Hello Daddy, what are you doing? Are you working?

Daddy, are you coming home soon honey?

Daddy, I have a message for you.

Babycakes is playing Daddy.

And on it goes....

First, I check the phone to be sure he's REALLY not on it, then I smile.

I LOVE that Ryan is starting to make up his own things - the conversations he has with his toys (i.e. a dead cell phone) are priceless!

Just overheard...

Ryan: Mommy, let's go to the store, honey!

Mom: (laughs)

Ryan: Don't laugh Mommy!

(I had told Ryan that we'd take a trip to the store for diapers after his nap. Apparently, I say "honey" WAY too often! hehe)

Who needs a white glove?

Especially when you have MEGAN'S PIGGIES! :)

How clean her feet are tell us when it's time to clean the floors! She gets this way as she crawls all over the house!

(To be fair, she managed to get out into the garage - a place that NEVER gets cleaned! But it's a great photo to illustrate a point - I NEED A CLEANING LADY! HAHAHA)

(Sorry for the blurry picture!)

PS - MOM - we're on our way in just 7 days, Megan will be able to tell you how clean your floors are next! :)

Trailer Art

I'm beginning to enjoy having this trailer around more and more! Now that the sides are up and bolted on, it's a GREAT way to contain a certain 2 1/2 year old! :) Of course, it's a lot more fun with sidewalk chalk!

Ryan's drawings are getting better and better. He mostly draws balloons or faces with eyes. Sometimes he'll even get a mouth or nose on there too!


Still a lefty - who knows how we'll teach him to write since we're both right-handed! (Anyone want to volunteer?)

I'm sure that Daddy will LOVE to see this when he comes home from work (unless he has the chance to check it out here first!) The best part? The next time it rains, it's all GONE!


Can't wait to see what you draw next Ryan! :)

PS - his name this week is "Scrape" - because of the scrape he got below his eye. He was just a LITTLE TOO CLOSE to the trailer when I was working on it a couple of days ago, and got himself a nice little boo-boo. At least it missed his eye! eeeek!

One big happy family...

Chalk drawings outside while Megan was napping this morning. I was "ordered" to draw the following...

Daddy with his new reading glasses.


Mom with flippy hair and big eyes.


Ryan with spiky hair.


Just Megan - that's supposed to be a bow in her hair.

ChiChi - Skinny Cat.


Fat cat - SuziQ

Ann Marie - the kids babysitter.



And last but not least...Bob, our neighbor. The only reason he ended up with his portrait was because he happened to come outside while we were drawing and Ryan asked for Bob's picture too. (Sorry Bob - it's the best I could do with chalk!)

Gotta love sidewalk chalk - it's good for at least a few minutes of fun! (Oh but wait...the artistry continues in the next post!)

Overheard last night...

Dad: Hey Ryan, did Mom do a good job on the trailer, or what?

Ryan: (pause) What.

Leavin' On a Jet Plane!

In just about a week and a half - we're ALL flying to Utah to visit my family! Woo Hoo! I'm excited about being there - but not necessarily the flying part of it. (See previous post about #1 boy)

So...I'm asking (begging) all of you who have traveled lately...how do you to it?

I didn't used to be so out if it - in fact, in a previous life I traveled about 85% of the time for work. I even kept a list of all the airports I had been in! (Hmmm... I wonder if I still have that list somewhere.)

The last time we traveled, was when Ryan was only 4 months old. He was portable and controllable. Now, not so much. Also, the new restrictions for bringing liquids on board. Are they still in effect? What about juice/milk/desitin/baby tylenol/benadryl? Do we have to purchase them once we get through security (at inflated prices?)

We do have to bring BOTH carseats - should we bring a stroller to just carry all our STUFF? eeeeek!

I'll take ALL and ANY advice for this one! PLEEEEEEZE! (Before I panic! hehe)

By the way, I did pick up some toys and activities for both kids that they haven't seen yet (and won't see until we get on the plane) so they'll be fresh and new. Other than that, I'm clueless!

Are we terrible parents?

Ryan has been a challenge lately. Especially when it comes to nap time. He so desperately needs a nap, but fights me every day. (If he doesn't get his nap, there's HELL to pay later on in the day!)

Is it awful that I've had to put up this latch to keep him in his room? (Especially now that he can climb out of the crib, so that's no longer an option for time outs.)

(Just my luck, some "do-gooder" will find this post and call DCYF! *sigh*)

Here's hoping that Ryan grows out of his terrible 2's by the time he's 3 in December! (And no...I don't want to hear from ANYONE about how THREE is the new TWO!)

:)

It WAS painted...

After spending the afternoon and some of the evening yesterday painting the wood sides and bottom for our trailer (I promise...you'll get the FULL story of the trailer when it's all done!) THIS is what happens when you finish...and not more than 30 minutes later, there's a DOWNPOUR! (Which lasted for quite a while!)

Luckily, it's just one piece that has to be redone! Yes, I know the color is kind of puky - what do you expect for $15 Walmart Stain? We just wanted to protect the wood, it's not a piece of fine furniture! hehe (Though...when it's time to paint again...I'll be picking a DIFFERENT color! Would you believe that the name of this color is "cedar?" Hmmmm...)

Anyway...my next painting project is the front door and shutters. I'm thinking a RED of some sort. What do you think? I should take a POLL..in fact I will. Watch for another post to gather YOUR ideas for color! :)

Megan's 1 Year Stats

Just a quick update - Megan's 12 month appointment was today. Here are her stats:

21 Pounds
29" Long

That means....she gets to face FORWARD in her car seat! Woo Hoo!

The Results are In...

...and it's not good.

Well, thanks to WAY too many foreclosures around here, where buyers were able to get homes comparable to ours at minimal prices, our house was only appraised at $200K. (That's down from $245K only 2 1/2 years ago! WOW!)

This is going to be a problem in November. Unless home values start going up again, or interest rates stay REALLY low (which doesn't look like it's going to happen.), or I go back to work full time where I know that the salary is consistent. We're not going to be able to afford our mortgage payment. (I'd LOVE to work my Stamping Business so that my income was more consistent, but when most people's disposable income is paying for a gallon of gas these days, it's hard to convince people that card stock, rubber stamps, and ink are a necessity!)

We still have a few months to hope that things turn around and/or figure out what we're going to do, but it's not all that hopeful right now. Maybe it's time to start thinking about moving West... where we can afford it! :(

Guess it's a good thing that we tried out those MRE's we might be eating them more often! :) (hehe)

Good enough for the soldiers, good enough for dinner (I guess?)

Last night for a change and since it had to be done sooner or later, Marni and I decided that we should try a few of the MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat)that she received in the mail as part of her 72 hour / preparedness kit. She needed to try them out anyway before she can demonstrate them and/or recommend them personally so we got to sample a few of them along with the kids and were pleasantly surprised that they tasted good. The self-heating pouch was especially neat to try out and did a good job of warming the meat tortellini that was one of our meals. All-in-all it was a neat experience and a very different "dinner time" at our house.

Ric

Happy Father's Day!

Yep - it's that time of year where dad's everywhere attach themselves to the couch to watch the last round of the US Open. I hope your day was FABULOUS Ric! :)

(Though it was difficult - I SOOO wanted to take a nap too and try to get rid of this sore throat - I even let you take your nap when Megan decided to wake up this afternoon. But it's Father's Day...the sacrifice HAD to be made!)

By the way....Ryan's gift to Daddy for Father's Day was the new Red Sox flag. At this point though, I'm wondering who the gift was REALLY for! hehe :)

Megan's Birthday Party!

Since it is Father's Day and the kids are napping, Ric has taken up residence on the couch for the rest of the day. This gives me the chance to put a few pictures up of Megan's 1st Birthday Party!

You'll see that we had a lot of friends and family there, as well as some neighbors - so glad you all came! The company was fabulous, and we couldn't have asked for better weather! (OK, I could have done without the slight bit of humidity! )

I love the first picture... there's Megan in the middle of the presents, holding on to a can of soda. Now we all know, she doesn't care about the toys - just give her a soda can! :)

Who's that gal in the "Foster Grant's?" LOVE the shades Megan! hehe

Of course we had party hats for all the kids (and some of the adults.) Megan posed perfectly! The Chocolate cake was FABULOUS! (Thanks GiGi!)

While everyone else was running around, Megan just sat with her cake and ate and ate - loving every bite! We even found cake in her belly button later that night!

Her cake had Strawberry Shortcake on it - and she had a hat to match!

Then there was Ryan - he was everywhere! I honestly don't know HOW much sugar he ate, but it was a TON! He just had a ball playing with all the kids, eating whatever he could find that was sweet, and helping Megan open her presents.

Happy Birthday Miss Megan - WE LOVE YOU!

PS - Special thanks to Scott Gooch, who stepped up and took pictures for us with our camera - we probably would have forgotten with all the craziness going on and missed something important!

It's not official until...

...channel 10 announces First Birthdays! :)

Who ROCKS?!?!

Mommy ROCKS - that's who! :)


We started this little project last Saturday - the day it started to get REALLY warm around here. It wasn't something we planned to do so quickly, but as Ric started digging the holes for the posts, it went so much faster than we thought, and since the kids were napping, why not?

(Yeah, work around the house is what we do when the kids are sleeping - how boring are we? hehe)

We knew that eventually, a fence would have to be put up so that our 2 1/2 year old escape artist would be safe. So we picked up the fence posts and pickets from Lowe's. As Ric was digging the holes, our neighbor behind us asked if we wanted some "QuickCrete" that was left over from a project they did.

We hadn't picked up any concrete yet, so we took it off their hands. It was just enough for the 5 posts we had to place! Woo Hoo! That saved us some $$ and gave them more room in their shed! (It made up for the fact that we were sweating with post holes and they were putting up a huge inflatable pool!)

Unfortunately, all we did on Saturday until last night was the posts and the easy part of the pickets because it was so HOT outside. Last night, we built the gate. It turned out pretty darn good if you ask me! (Actually, Ric did most of the building, I wrangled the kids and made sure Ryan didn't play with the table saw.)

Now to the REAL reason for this post...Mommy rocks because she JUST INSTALLED THE GATE ALL BY HERSELF! WOOOT!

Thanks to my dad (and mom too!) who taught me how to use power tools correctly (and a hammer for that matter) I put this little puppy up in an hour while the kids were asleep! I only had to make one phone call to Ric because the drill bits weren't in their normal place.

Check out the crafts- "woman"-ship! hehe This gate even closes and latches on its own. I'm quite pleased with it if you can't tell! I did have to do a little finagling because the hinge was too large, but the extra picket on the end matches where the latch was installed.

Last thing to do is cut the posts down to size, and when we find a nice cap, we'll cover the tops of the posts. (Oh yeah...one more gate for the other side - but that's a piece of cake since we've already put this one together!)

Here's hoping that a fenced yard adds to the value of our home when the appraiser comes tomorrow! Keep up those good thoughts and prayers - we'll keep you posted!

Did something spill?

Today, I was bringing in some things I picked up from Target. Ryan, Ric, and Megan had just woken up from afternoon naps. (Tuesday is Ric's day off.) After bringing in the last of it, I noticed a "wet spot" on the floor. Almost as if someone had spilled juice. (BUT, there were no sippy cups anywhere to be seen!)

Here's how the rest of this scenario played out:

Mom: Hey - what's this? Did something spill?

Dad: (coming into the living room from the kitchen) I don't know, it wasn't there before.

Mom: Ryan, do you know what this is?

Ryan: Uh huh... (his answer for everything)

Mom: (grabs paper towels and starts to blot it up)

Ryan: From my leg...

**a quick note... Ryan says things all the time that we don't understand. It might take a few repetitions for us to finally figure out what he's trying to say. OR... sometimes it's much later when we realize what he was saying and put it all together.**

Mom: (sniffs paper towels) Doesn't smell like anything.

Mom: (patting Ryan's bum) Ryan, do you need a diaper ... wait a minute... Ric, I figured it out.

Ric: What is it?

Mom: (pulls down Ryan's shorts - where he's wearing NOTHING underneath and standing there in all his glory!) There's your culprit!

At that point, I finished cleaning up while Ric took Ryan by the hand, led him to his room, and put a diaper back on him. We have NO idea when he took it off! He even put his shorts back on himself!

It took us a minute, but we also figured out what he was trying to say. He pee'd down his leg! That's why the floor was wet and from his leg!

hehehe - I still can't stop laughing about it!

Hazy, Hot, & Humid!

It's WAY too early for this kind of weather! Doesn't Mother Nature know that I positively melt in this stuff? *sigh* Thank goodness that Ric put the window units in yesterday - I would have been a puddle of sweat! YUCK! :)

On the lighter side... Ryan and Megan experienced running through a sprinkler for the first time.
It was too funny, Ric turned on the sprinkler and showed Ryan how to run through it. The first time he did, he said "Daddy, I'm all wet!" and started to cry like it was a bad thing! But soon enough he got the idea that getting wet was the POINT of running through the sprinkler!

Then there was Megan's first experience. Dad made her walk in the grass, where she instantly turns into a stork - or even better, lifts both her legs so her feet don't touch the grass!

Her reaction with the sprinkler? I think that the picture says it all! :)

Too much fun! Of course Ryan is already asking to go back out and run through the sprinkler again!

Dad's cremains are layed to rest

This past Saturday (June 7th) was a day I had been dreading and looking forward to for a while. At 10am there was a brief and solemn ceremony held at the RI Veterans Cemetery in Exeter RI (about 20 minutes south of where we live). The ceremony was arranged and lead by funeral director Ray Butterfield along with the RI National Guard Honor Guard and Pastor Barry Arruda.

The entire ceremony last only 15 minutes, but was very formal and emotional with the Guard firing a volley of 9 shots (21 if killed in action), the playing of "Taps" by 2 buglers (one present and the other in the distance simulating an echo) and finally, presentation of the ceremonial burial flag and 3 shell casings from the firing volley to me the oldest child. Dad was proud of his brief military service in the USAF from 1963-1967 and it gave him the career and training he would later use to go on to working for US Airways for 30 years. It probably gave him some time and responsibility to grow up and become a family man (since I was born in 1964) too.

Many of our friends and family attended the ceremony including some of my Mom's friends as well as Dad's closest friends from PA., Sonny and Mary. Marni and I were so happy they would attend and grateful they made the trip out here for Dad and for us. After the ceremony in the chapel, we drove over to the actual grave-site where I dedicated the grave with prayer. The weather was very warm and sunny and quite a shock from the previous day of 55 degrees and periods of rain; now we're at 90 and H-H-H!

After the burial service, we gathered at a restaurant (Chelo's in Warwick RI) for lunch and conversation with our family and friends that attended and a chance to catch-up. To all of you who attended, we are so grateful that you spent your time with us, for us and for Dad. It really means a lot to us that you were there and traveled to be with us and Dad. We are also thankful and touched by the time and service of Ray, Pastor Arruda and the Honor Guard for their professional and distinguished participation for Dad.

Ric

Think Good Thoughts!

OK everyone... we need your good vibes, thoughts, energy, prayers, etc.

Three years ago, Ric and I refinanced our home to consolidate debt. The loan we ended up with was one of those evil ARM's - and it's scheduled to start adjusting in November. We've been looking around for alternatives, with not a lot of luck. The main problem is that the value of our home has gone down compared to the amount we need to borrow for refinancing.

If you can believe it, CCO Mortgage (Citizens Bank), our current lender wouldn't refinance because "now" they're following the rules and won't lend if the value of the home is a certain percentage of the loan. So, I asked the person on the phone if they would rather have us default on the loan and go into foreclosure in November, and his answer was YES! Can you believe it? (I'm actually sorry to say that I worked for Citizens - this is just another example of horrible treatment to their customers. Boy do I have stories I could tell you!)

Anyway...there is HOPE! Lending Tree is coming through for us! Yipppeeee!

I applied online yesterday, we have initial approvals today for everything to be refinanced (FHA) and so on. The only thing that will help get our payment and interest rate lower is the appraisal. So... here's where we need your good energy flowing our way. We'll have an appraisal in the next week. Three years ago, our house (aka - our shoebox - you know how little it is if you've been here!) was appraised at $245K. We need at the very least to be appraised at $220K for everything to go through. Higher would be even nicer because then we have the options to "buy down" our interest rate and lower the payment even more.

We definitely believe in the power of prayer, and know that everything will work out for us in the end. There's just a *tiny* bit of anxiety with this whole process, though. We've worked really hard the past couple of years to get ourselves completely out of credit card debt - having this refinance go through so that we have a fixed interest rate will be the final step to being completely debt free. :) (Thanks Dave Ramsey!)

Thanks so much in advance! We'll keep you posted!

You HAVE to read this...

...for all Mom's everywhere. This is TOO FUNNY!

A post from the McMommy Chronicles.

(Make sure you've already gone potty and you are sitting down when you read it, I can't be held responsible for any accidents because you're laughing your butt off! hehe)

Rose Update

Remember when I planted these? Just in case you were wondering...they're growing!

Woo Hoo!

Let's not forget Dad

I'm not talking about Father's Day either! :)

We were sitting at breakfast this morning - talking about plans for this Saturday. If you've been reading our blog for a while, you'll know that Ric's Dad passed away last October. We've finally planned his memorial service/burial for this coming Saturday. (Since he was cremated, there wasn't any hurry, plus there were tons of details that needed to be sorted out before hand. (Remember my RANT?)

Anyway...for a long while, Dad's remains have been sitting in a cardboard box in the cubby hole in our hallway. It's the running joke, "Dad's hanging out in the hall." Then Ric ordered an urn online and we dumped him in, so he's been in there since. (I know, it's a little creepy, but if you think about it, how do they transfer remains at the funeral home? Yep - I'm sure they use a funnel too!)

So today at breakfast...Ric says "Don't let me forget to bring Dad on Saturday!"

:)

Playing Hookey

(Is that how you spell "hookey?")

Anyway...today was the annual "Touch the Trucks" event at the Kent County YMCA. I had heard that it was something a little boy would LOVE, so Ric and Ryan left Church a little early to check it out. Ryan had a BLAST - and I know that Ric will be posting more about it (I'll be adding video eventually too) but for now, here's a slide show of the pictures Ric took.



PS - I just figured out how to put in this slide show from a Picasa Web Album - VERY COOL if you have a lot of pictures you want to show!

Overheard today...

Dad: (in the kitchen) Who's ready for a nap?

Ryan: (walking down the hall) Somebody...


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At dinner tonight...

Dad: Hey Ryan, the Red Sox won last night.

Ryan: Uh Huh.

Mom: And guess what Manny did?

Ryan: Hit

Dad: What did he hit?

Ryan: A Ball

Mom: (laughs...)

Dad: You're just full of blog posts today, aren't you?

PS - Manny Ramirez, Red Sox outfielder, hit the 500th home run of his career - in case you don't follow baseball. :)

It's ABOUT Time! :)

My good friend Rachael has FINALLY started a blog! She's always told me that she doesn't think she has much to say. HA! (Ric will tell you that EVERY time we get on the phone, he writes off the next hour BECAUSE she has so much to say! I have to remind him that she's not the only one on the phone! hehe)

Anyway...check her out - Mommy Learns to Blog. I can't wait to see what tidbits of your life you share with us! :) Welcome to the Blog-dom Rach!