The Adventures of Moose and Goose

Christmas Eve Eve Breakfast

2011-12-23T11:45:00.003-06:00

And the new traditions continue! Chris and I made the kids breakfast this morning for Advent. We had Christmas Tree Waffles with "ornaments" (M&Ms). This is SUPER special because I never let them have candy for breakfast (a constant request by Ramona) AND I let Chris put green food coloring in the batter. (Last time, Max had blue poop.) They loved it! Max kept banging his empty plate and begging for more. Ironically, Ramona decided she didn't like candy on her waffles. But wanted to know if she finished her waffles, could she have dessert? Um, this IS dessert! I am spending the rest of the day making Christmas presents...yes MAKING, Handmade Christmas, baby! Hopefully Chris can keep the kids entertained. Good luck!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2011-12-06T21:08:00.006-06:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been entertaining the idea of never telling Ramona and Max that Santa is real. Last year, Ramona HATED Santa. See a proof here. As a result, I came to terms with never having "Santa" bring gifts to our house. And then this year, Ramona started asking who Santa was. After putting her off for awhile and talking to Chris, we decided that we would try to tell her that Santa is just a fun Christmas cartoon, like Dora. That seems to be working so far. Hopefully she won't shatter any other children's Christmas dreams in the years to come.

Anyway, on our Advent calendar the other day our activity was to "write a letter to Santa". No way! That would just confuse her. Instead, we made Jesus a birthday card. She immediately asked how we would give it to him? Uhhh.... I don't know. After talking to our sunday school class about their Christmas traditions, we settled on air mail. Tie a balloon to the letter and send it straight up to Jesus! Awesome, right? Ramona thought so. And HEB gives away free balloons to kids. BONUS! This activity was free, baby!

My favorite part of our trip to HEB to get the balloon was the elderly woman in front of us in line talking to Ramona.
Woman: Are you excited for Christmas?
Ramona: YES!
Woman: Have you seen Santa yet?
Ramona: (Confused look...)
Woman: Have you written him a letter?
Ramona: (Confused look again...)We made Jesus a birthday card.
Woman: Oh! (Awkwardly turns around and proceeds to check out her groceries.)

I promise this actually happened. Poor woman, probably thought we weren't celebrating Christmas at all. Oh well, I thought it was funny that she got all weird around a 3 year old who mentioned Jesus. Go Ramona, speak the truth! This is Jesus' holiday!

She let go of the balloon and we all screamed,
"Happy Birthday, Jesus!"

This will definitely be a new tradition. Happy Advent, Everybody!

Band Trip!

2011-11-06T21:48:00.003-06:00

We hit the road with Price Hill again last Wednesday. Max as per usual got sick as soon as we left. He has high fevers, vomiting and a nasty cough. So, we were lovely house guests to the Salas family that hosted us for 2 nights. We pretty much took over that house. Max was afraid of the dogs, so they had to stay in their kennels. Max got sick and fearing that it was a stomach bug, I kicked Chris and Ramona out of our room the second night to sleep in the game room. But, our hosts were so nice, they gave us their another one of their bedrooms so that we would be more comfortable. Their poor son had to sleep on the couch. Best house guests EVER! Thankfully we spent the third night in a hotel and their family got their beds back. Aside from the sickness, we had fun! One of the best parts of Chris' band playing at churches is that there are playgrounds, instruments, nursery toys and sporting equipment to play with. Otherwise the children would revolt and this would never work.

Guess which one's gonna be the drummer.

Ramona introduced Max to slides!

He loves the danger.

We had to skip out on the second half of the trip this weekend. Hopefully Max will be better by tomorrow, if not it's off to the doctor!

It's Halloween Night!!!

2011-11-06T21:07:00.006-06:00

For as long as I can remember, my Dad and his good friend Billy have called each other every Halloween night and screamed at the top of their lungs: IT'S HALLOWEEN NIGHT-A! No, that is not a typo. My Dad adds an "A" sound to the end of "Night" for effect. You know, like the count on Sesame Street. One-A-A-A, Two-A-A-A...well you get it. I don't know how this tradition started, but it always makes me smile. I'm pretty sure they call each other on St. Patrick's Day also and yell, "TOP OF THE MORNIN' TO YA!" Again, I don't know why. But who cares, they've been doing it for 30 years!

What does this have to do with my kids' Halloween night this year? Nothing! It's just a fun story.

Ramona designed the Jack-o-Lantern this year.
This is what she wanted us to carve.

This is what we actually carved.

Princess Ramona

Froggy Max and Fisherman Poppy

Step 1: Knock on Door
Step 2: Say, "Trick or Treat" and accept candy

Step 3: Sit down, make yourself at home
and befriend the whole neighborhood
while ransacking their bowl of candy.

Hope you had a wonderful Halloween! We are slowly eating all of our candy...the kids are, I mean. I am, of course, pounding back handfuls of fun sized candy bars all day long. Stupid chocolate.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-19T15:30:00.011-05:00

Get ready for pumpkin picture overload...

Super handsome!

Max tripped over quite a few pumpkins.

This one's perfect!

Yep, it's the exact same size as my belly.

Put me down!

Oh yeah, Max walks now...no big deal!

And bear crawls.

Max couldn't be bothered with family pictures.

Tiny orange balls, FUN! Do they bounce?

Mom, they have tiny pumpkins!!!

A lady never goes anywhere without her purse.

As I mentioned before, Ramona goes to her Cubbies Class every Wednesday night. We were practicing her Bible verses this morning. Chris and I hear her talking to herself in the kitchen with what sounded like her reciting her own, made up verse:
"Ramona will obey her teacher. Ecclesiastes 6:8-toot" Chris laughed till he cried.

J&M Salvage Yard

2011-10-14T08:18:00.003-05:00

Hello, Friends and Family! My friend, Justine, and I have been super busy the last few weeks crafting our little hearts out. We signed up for a booth at our church's craft fair with hopes to make a little extra cash doing something we love...CRAFTS. This quickly turned into a small business we named J&M Salvage Yard. Most of our products are made from everyday materials, either found at home or in garage sales. We then upcycle those materials into beautiful items for you. Our main focus is recycling. We want to cut down on waste and cost, thus keeping the cost low for you! If this sounds interesting to you, check out our Facebook page (search J&M Salvage Yard) and you can see all of our products and shop online! Just message us or comment on a product picture to buy. Most of our products are one of a kind. Our products will change from month to month (maybe week to week). So if you see something you like, act fast! We have 3 craft shows coming up also: Central Baptist Church's Craft Fair, MOPS Home Based Business Fair and Jonestown Street Festival. Thanks for all of the positive feedback we have received so far!

Sweet, Tiny, Newborn Baby Jesus

2011-09-23T08:15:00.004-05:00

Ramona has been learning a lot about God and Jesus in her Cubbies class on Wednesday night. She has memorized the following verses:

1. God loved us and sent his son. 1 John 4:10
2. All have sinned. Romans 2:23
3. While we were sinners, Jesus died for us. Romans 5:8
4. God is love. 1 John 4:8
5. And of course the Cubbies motto: Jesus loves me!

I am absolutely amazed at how quickly she learned these. She loves to stand in front of the mirror in her Cubbies vest and say, "Hey, Cubbie, what's your motto? Jesus loves me!"

Ramona is also learning how to say her prayers. The other day, she asked Jesus to forgive her for sinning when she disobeyed me earlier that day. And then last night while we were saying her nightly prayers, she thanked God for her family. There is nothing sweeter than hearing a 3 year old pray.

And on a low note for Jesus, Ramona was vacuuming her room earlier and I hear her frantically yelling, "Baby Jesus is in the vacuum!" Apparently, she was cleaning too close to her doll house and her tiny Jesus doll got in the way.

Ramona with her new Cubbies vest and book.
Also, notice her new haircut!

Max's love affair with fish continued at the San Antonio Zoo.

Rain and Name Calling

2011-09-19T20:45:00.004-05:00

It rained! And it came at the best possible time. The whole family went to the park on Friday to feed the ducks and after 10 minutes it started pouring! Ramona was so excited and started dancing around in the rain (not that she realized we were having a drought for the past few months). It was wonderful, we waited out the storm under a tree by the pond (don't worry, no lightning...I don't think). We were soaked by the time the rain stopped. But the fish, turtles and ducks were glad we stuck around. We fed them 2 bags of bread. But best of all, we made some good memories.

And here's a conversation from earlier tonight:
Ramona: I ran all the way to the house! I beat Daddy!
Me: You did? Is he slow?
Ramona: Yeah and fat.
Me and Chris: Fat?!?
Ramona: Yeah, like Paw Paw.

Wow. Neither Chris or Paw Paw are fat, by the way. I was temped to ask if she thought I was fat, but was afraid of what the answer might be. The other day she was watching me change in the closet and she came over and grabbed my stomach and said, "Look at this chunky belly!". RUDE! I told her she and Max were the reason for that! She's lucky she's so dang cute!

And now, for your enjoyment, here are some chicken pictures.

More of Max's Birthday

2011-09-13T15:01:00.004-05:00

I finally found Max's cake pictures! Enjoy!

He LOVES cake.

This is my favorite family photo!

Happy Birthday, Shark Baby!

2011-09-13T12:06:00.006-05:00

Well, this is embarrassing, I'm posting Max's birthday blog 2 months late. Sorry, Max!

We had a shark themed birthday party in honor of Max's favorite hobby. He was teething like crazy and biting me all the time. I usually saw it coming, because he would get his "bite face" on. His chin would jut out and he got a crazed look in his eyes. (No picture, unfortunately.) So, of course, I made a shark cake and other sharky decorations. We had a blast!

Shark Decorations and Watermelon Punch

The cake!

Allie (one of Max's many girlfriends) and the Shark Watermelon.

His big gift.

Daddy couldn't wait to get in on the fun!

The party ended with a big jam session. Thanks to our family, Price Hill and the band wives for making Max's first birthday so special!

I also made Max his first book. A preview can be seen here.

On the road with Price Hill...

2011-08-30T20:55:00.007-05:00

Alright, it has taken me way to long to post this update. You would think with Chris at home now, I would have more time to blog. Not the case. Anyhoo...

We are BACK! In case you didn't know we were gone, last month the whole family went on tour with Chris' band, Price Hill...for 3 weeks. Yes, it was hard and yes, it was awesome.

Here's a rundown:

Week 1: Christian Camp of the Living Word in Point, TX
1. We got our own bunk room with a bathroom! And it was attached to the cafeteria and game room, so we could actually leave the room with the monitors after the kids went to sleep. Priceless.
2. Max ran a 102 fever for a couple of days, so we had to take him to the ER. I know! The ER? For a fever? But, we couldn't see any local doctors with the kid's insurance so they sent us to the ER. Come to find out, they didn't take CHIP either. So we owe them a few hundred dollars...for giving Max Tylenol. Frustrating.
3. Ramona had a blast playing with the camp director's daughters, listening to Price Hill, swimming, sleeping in a bunk next to Mommy and Daddy, etc...

We left Point, TX and hit the road for Cincinnati, OH.

No way were we going to drive the whole way without stopping like the band, so we took our own car and camped (in a tent) for the night in Memphis, TN.

Camping in Memphis, TN
1. We arrived before dark and set up camp and the weather is beautiful!
2. I tore a small hole in the tent...oops.
3. Chris leaves to go get dinner for the family while we play at the playground.
4. We have a wonderful picnic of roasted hotdogs and chips and salsa.
5. We clean up and get ready for bed.
6. Chris starts looking for the laptop. (Ramona has been watching movies on it in the car.)
7. Chris realizes where it is and starts freaking out.
8. Apparently, when he got Ramona out of the car earlier, he set the laptop on top of the car...then went to pick up dinner.
9. Chris drives around looking for the laptop...on the highway.
10. Chris finds the laptop smashed to smithereens.
11. Chris mourns.

RIP, sweet mac.

We left Memphis, TN early the next morning and arrived in Cincinnati, OH that evening for dinner. That drive is beautiful!

Week 2: Cincinnati, OH and Surrounding Areas
1. The band plays in Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
2. We stayed with a band member's in-laws in their awesome basement.
3. Me, Chris and the kids had our own room. The kids did great sleeping all together.
4. Max hit crazy milestones: cruising, pointing, table food. And he developed a love for the drums, fish tanks and the guitar player's wife, Allie.

The obsession begins.

Allie and Ramona running out of the misting cloud at the zoo!

5. Chris gets a speeding ticket. Dang!
6. The band van breaks down, but a good Samaritan at the Kentucky church we were at fixes it for free!
7. Our car breaks down, so we buy a new battery.

Week 3: Road Trip to Illinois, Iowa and Oklahoma
1. We hit the road to Illinois, only to have the car break down again in Indiana. It's the 4th of July, by the way, so not a lot of places are open.
2. We manage to get the car to a Auto Zone and they confirm that it's the alternator.
3. We say quick prayers and tell the guy that we are from Texas and have no place to go.
4. He calls a friend at NTB and they fit us in right away. (Thanks, God!)

5. Luckily, there is a Goodwill and a Dairy Queen open in the same parking lot, so we are entertained while we wait. I don't know what we would have done for 2 hours in a NTB with 2 kids.

Max had his first taste of desserts on tour.

He cried when the ice cream was gone.

6. We spent the night in Illinois at a lovely couple's home who volunteered to take us in after the band played at their church.
7. We spent another night in Iowa in the middle of beautiful farm land at a camp choc-full of kids Max and Ramona's age! I wish we could have stayed there longer.
8. Then we drove to Oklahoma and spent a night with my cousin and her super cute family.

Ramona and her cousin, Olivia, were instant friends!
(which means they didn't fight TOO much.)
I'm so sad we don't live closer.

9. Luckily, we had planned on stopping there, because Chris' car broke down AGAIN! I honestly, can't remember why this time.

And, finally, we headed home for a few days.

The kids and I were supposed to go with Chris to yet another camp for the final week of tour in Tanglewood, TX. But, the camp was too full and we didn't have anywhere to sleep. Honestly, we were fine with that. We were exhausted.

Nap times are quick and dirty on tour!

So, as you can see, there were many set backs on our trip. But it was amazing! God really took care of us. Every time we broke down, we were never in danger or had to walk for help. And when we got home, Chris' parents had bought a (relatively) inexpensive lap top for Ramona to play her games on. So we decided that would be better used as the family computer...sorry Ramona.

Even with the hard times, it felt great traveling to different cities doing what we believe God made us to do. And as an added bonus, we were able to see so many beautiful parts of the country. I took several breathtaking drives through the Kentucky hills while the kids napped in the backseat. (Note to self, taking pictures while driving is bad parenting!) I would love to settle down nestled in the Kentucky hills one day. Maybe after we are done touring like crazy with the band. (fingers crossed!) Our goal is to have the band be our main source of income. So far, God is blessing us like crazy with new opportunities. More posts to come on that, hopefully.

Extreme Save Mode

2011-08-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

My family has been going through some big changes for the past 9 months in order to save money. Here's the rundown:

1. We sold our house. We bought it when we had two incomes and I was nine months pregnant with Ramona with no plans to be a Stay at Home Mom. Well THAT'S changed!

2. We signed up for CARES Apartment Life so that we could plan events for a local apartment complex and live there at a discount. CARES is a great Christian program, but as it turns out won't work with Chris' band schedule. We found that out AFTER we sold our house. But we knew that God wanted us to sell, so we moved in with Chris' parents for 5 months to figure out what our next step.

3. We purchased The Doublewide! It is a fraction of the cost of our old house with more square footage. Our mortgage payments are less than half of what we were paying. Yay! Also, because Chris' parents live on 3 acres of land, we get to set it up on their land for free! I am so excited about the kids being able to play on all of this land everyday. And best of all, the kids can walk over to Nanna and Paw Paw's house all by themselves. Well, Max can't walk yet, but you get the idea.

Chris and Doug built a deck for The Doublewide.

I LOVE it.

4. Chris and his Price Hill band-mates are finally quitting their day jobs and pursuing the band full time. They play Christian camps, youth events, concerts at churches and parks, revivals, etc... For many years they have been really successful at doing this part time. But we all believe that this is our calling and that God wants us to spread his word through music. What does this mean? Chris quit his job in June to play all the summer camps they had lined up. That's right, you read correctly, we are SELF EMPLOYED! So we are trusting God 100%. Chris had to turn down a promotion which would have led to a significant pay raise in order to play with the band this summer. Which was really scary, but we were not put on this earth to earn money. If this is truly our calling, we believe God will take care of us....and he has. (more posts to come)

Hence the EXTREME SAVE MODE. We are not spending ANYTHING unless we absolutely have to. Here's how we are making it work:
-No TV
-A shared cell phone plan with Chris' parents
-No internet...unless we sit by the window in the living room with our lap top.
-Food stamps (Thank you, LORD!)
-CHIP health insurance for the kids
-Medicaid for me and hopefully Chris soon
-$400 a month mortgage for The Doublewide
-A collection of odd jobs for me and Chris

We have managed to get our monthly bills down to around $1000 a month! Amazing! Hopefully Chris and I can actually earn that much a month. So far, so good!

Well, that's the updates. With the addition of eating organically, we are pretty much overhauling our whole lives. The organic thing is going great by the way. I lost several pounds and then we went on tour and ate camp food and pizza for 3 weeks.

The next post: Price Hill Summer Tour 2011!

Phase 3: Homemade Green Products and Other Updates

2011-05-27T16:33:00.007-05:00

Alright, are you ready for tons of updates? Here we go!

Me and a few friends got together the other night and made our own laundry soap. I have tried it a few times and it seems to work. I will test it on Chris' socks today. If they still smell, it's not strong enough...sorry Chris. Here is the recipe we made. The only change I made is that I only used one bar of Dr. Bronners soap. I'll keep you posted on the cleanliness of our clothes. I'll be line drying our clothes soon also...as soon as Chris builds the, uh...lines. Is that the right word?

Isn't it lovely? You only use 2 tablespoons per load!

Secondly, I made my own deodorant. For weeks I have been only using coconut oil...and then Texas summer hit. And, basically, I just got tired of smelling myself. (TMI?) So, I tried this recipe. So far, it totally works! I'll update you on how it holds up to the rest of the summer...or if Chris starts complaining.

It smells like coconuts!

And, are you ready for this??? I successfully baked bread!! WOO HOO! AND Chris and Ramona liked it! Here is the recipe I used. I, also, used her tip on substituting 2 cups of ground oats for 2 cups of wheat flower. I'm going to try my bread machine today and see if it makes a good loaf. Hopefully it works for those weeks when I don't have alot of bread kneading time.

They didn't rise very high. But they tasted GOOD.

And my CSA box came in! Here are a few meals we made with the veggies.

Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Salad...YUM.

Homemade Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust and Veggies. I meant to take the picture before we ate it. But I was too hungry.

And now, an update on the kiddos! Max is growing up super fast. He just learned how to dance and he's got some moves! Mainly jazz hands and popping his torso up and down. He also might have said his first word. He says "Dada" all the time. But I'm convinced it's when Chris is in the room. Still no "mama". But he does say "nana" to Ramona and Nanna. Whatever, Max, I only gave you life!!! Take your sweet time learning "mama".

He is my little eater. He tries everything I put in front of him. I love it!

Ramona is super helpful with Max. We are finally to the point where they can play together and do for hours!! This is the dream, people! It is actually harder when Ramona is napping and Max is not. She is so helpful with him. She is constantly watching to make sure he doesn't crawl anywhere dangerous or put anything small in his mouth. Which is apparently his main goal in life.

She is totally into braids right now. It's so cute!

That's it for now. I'll hopefully have a garden update soon. Several of the plants are dead. It's TOO HOT! But we do have a mystery plant spreading around the garden. Hopefully it's not a weed. DANG! I need to go water it now. See ya later!

Ramona wants a Pet

2011-05-22T14:18:00.002-05:00

Here's how that conversation went:

Ramona: I want a pet!

Me and Chris: No

Ramona: I want a puppy!

Me and Chris: No

Ramona: I want a kitty cat!

Me and Chris: No

Ramona: I want a princess!

Me and Chris: Ha! We already have a princess.

A Typical Shower for a Stay at Home Mom

2011-05-19T13:29:00.004-05:00

(I put Max in the jump-a-roo in the doorway of the bathroom)

Me: Ok, Ramona, I'm going to take a quick shower.

Ramona: Can I watch?

Me: Uh...No.

(I quickly prepare to get in the shower. Turning on water, grabbing a towel, etc...)

Ramona: Why are you naked?

Me: Um...do you shower with your clothes on?

Ramona: No.

Me: Well, neither do I!

(Start washing hair...)

Ramona: (Pulls aside the curtain) Mom, I'm hungry!

Me: Ok, you will have to wait until I get out.

(I attempt to soap up...Max starts crying)

Ramona: (Pulls aside the curtain) Mom, Max is crying! Hey, I can see your booty!

Me: Ha! Well, I'm in the shower.

(Start to shave legs...Max stops crying.)

Ramona: (Pulls aside the curtain) Mom, Max stopped crying!

Me: Ok, good! I'm almost done.

(Wash out conditioner)

Ramona: MOM! I POO POOED!

(Turn off shower, start drying off...)

Ramona: Hey, you're naked!

Mr. Congeniality

2011-05-18T21:59:00.007-05:00

Max is all smiles right now.

He just loves showing off his teeth!

Ramona was all jazzed up about starting a garden! Here she is sporting the latest fashions in gardening footwear in JoAnn's Fabrics. (The rest of the outfit is not a costume. Just her everday wear.)

We tried out a new cookie recipe and substitued the flour for whole wheat.

They turned out great! They earned Ramona's seal of approval, at least.

And here's the healthy rundown for the week:

1. We picked up our first CSA box today! It was so exciting. Justine (my shopping buddy) and I picked it up from the Farmer's Market and headed straight to Sprouts. We, of course, lost track of time and totally missed our husbands and the rest of the band playing their first Wednesday night at church as the worship band for the youth group. Dang Sprouts and it's organic food time warp!

2. I tried cloth diapers. They were totally fine! I researched and emailed like crazy trying to find good deals on used ones (don't gross out, it's totally normal) and no luck. So, I think I'm just going to stick with plain ol' HEB brand diapers. Maybe I'll stumble onto a good deal one day. (Alyssa, I need to give you your loaners back. Thanks for letting me try them!)

3. It still remains to be seen if the garden is going to do well...more on that in the weeks to come.

Next week...making my own laundry detergent, visiting a dairy farm and the challenge of using up my CSA box with a carnivore husband.

Phase 2: The Garden

2011-05-14T21:44:00.005-05:00

I was a busy bee this week trying out new recipes and working in the yard. My first project was to bake whole wheat bread. Umm...I did something wrong.

Here's a "before" picture. I have visions of lovely, giant, fluffy, tasty bread.

Here's the "after". Two bricks that did NOT rise.

But, I didn't let that stop me. I went to Facebook and sought advice on how to salvage this bread. The whole point of baking my own is to save money. So, I was not going to waste these two loafs. I got creative and improvised a bread pudding recipe. I served it to my husband, daughter and in-laws....and...BOMB! Then I thought, "Maybe, I'll make breadcrumbs!" But, who am I kidding? Those loafs live in the trash now. But I DID make a successful batch of granola. I over cooked it a little so the granola BARS, they were supposed to be, were just crumbled into plain ol' granola. I took that recipe and added raisins. Very tasty! I'm not too discouraged, it was my first try at a yeast bread.

So, the big news is that I have begun Phase 2 of the hippy movement. The fruit and veggie garden! My friend, Justine, whipped me into shape and did some research and shopping to get our garden together. She is also on the road to hippyville so we decided to cultivate our green thumbs together. We are late in the season, so we could not plant our long list of veggies and settled with the following:

1. Watermelon

2. Strawberries

3. Green peppers (possibly some red ones too!)

4. Tomatoes

5. Bush Beans

6. Mint

7. I'm forgetting one, I think....Justine, help me out here.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

We finished the day with some hilarious stories. Including myself almost falling into the muddy garden in a cartoon-like fashion. Complete with me yelling, "Whoa...Whoa!!" Then, of course, there was the make-shift fence we patched together to keep the rabbits out only to find out that it would NOT keep out the rabbits. I'll tear if down later. If you're lucky I'll snap a picture first.

What's next?

1. Our CSA box is on the way! Hopefully, our paperwork will go through and we can start our bi-weekly pick-ups next Wednesday.

2. A side of cow is in the works. We will be ordering a side of grass-fed beef from a farm in Smithville, TX and splitting it with 3 or 4 other families. It comes out to $4 a pound. Which is MUCH better than the $7 a pound you can buy it for in the stores.

3. Buying raw Texas honey in bulk via a co-op. (Also, much cheaper!)

4. Finding a good source for Fair Trade coffee and chocolate.

5. Visiting a local dairy to find out more about raw milk.

It all seems a little overwhelming, but Justine has jumped in with both feet to help out with the research and shopping. Which is a HUGE help, since I have two little ones scrambling around. We have big plans to have weekly meal planning and shopping trips to Sprouts together. I'm so excited! If you are planning a healthy overhaul in your life, my one recommendation is: Find a buddy!

The Moose is Loose!

2011-05-06T15:55:00.002-05:00

Coconut Oil...Who Knew?!?

2011-05-05T09:19:00.003-05:00

A "hippy product" came in the mail for me yesterday! And I LOVE it already. I ordered a huge vat of coconut oil from here. Why? Well, let me introduce you to the many hats of Mr. Coconut Oil:

1. Moisturizer (face, body, lips)

2. Conditioner (gets rid of dandruff)

3. Cooking Oil (It's REALLY healthy! I'm talkin' improves your metabolism and your thyroid function. What?!?)

4. Bath oil

5. Protectant and healing for cuts

The list goes on and on. But that sold me! And it smells yummy.

I have also been using several other "hippy" products:

1. Dr. Bronners Magic Soap - It's an all in one cleanser. It can also be used as a base for detergents. (He looks SUPER creepy. Do not let that deter you.) I can already tell that this one bottle I bought will last a long time. I use a little to wash my face and as a body soap. I might try washing my hair with it and use the coconut oil as a conditioner when my Dove runs out.

2. I also bought an all natural deodorant...I'm not a fan. I think it makes me smell worse. I'll have to keep experimenting with that area.

3. In the short week or so that I've been trying to eat more organic foods I have seen a noticeable difference. (My skinny jeans fit!) I feel better, healthier. And when I eat unhealthy foods I feel heavy and gross. Also, it doesn't taste that great! Yesterday I took a bite of Ramona's grilled cheese at a restaurant for lunch. Instant regret! I wanted to spit it out, it was so gross. That's the last time I'll order that for her.

I think that's all so far. My next projects are making my own laundry detergent and line drying our clothes. Also, I'm going to try cloth diapers...we'll see how that turns out!

Hello, Lady!

2011-05-03T14:52:00.001-05:00

Max and Ramona LOVE getting balloons at HEB.

He's having sweet balloon dreams!

I glanced in the back seat the other day and this is what I saw.

They held hands all the way to the doctor's office for Max's 9 month well check.

Max is an army-crawling fool.

But he is unsure of how to get out of this predicament.

I found this "treasure" as Ramona calls it at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago. Now everywhere we go she has her eyes glued to the ground lookin' for more pennies.

She's the silliest goose I know. She's making the pig say, "cheese". You might notice me in the background doing the same thing. I wonder where she gets it?!?

She's in her room right now "resting" and singing at the top of her lungs, "London bridges falling down, falling down, falling down. London bridges falling down. Hello, Lady!"

I love my silly kids!

What's Max gonna be?

2011-04-28T16:40:00.000-05:00

What is Mr. Max going to be when he grows up?

A Doctor?

A Nurse?

(One of those manly male nurses, of course.

Never mind the pink blood pressure cuff)

A Marine Biologist?

An Author?

Whatever it is, I can't wait to find out!

But, hopefully time doesn't move too fast.

I can't believe he is going to be a year old in a few months!

Crazy! I am pretty sure Ramona didn't grow this fast.

We're gettin' crunchy! (Phase 1)

2011-04-27T22:55:00.000-05:00

In the past I have had fleeting thoughts of eating healthier. Usually as a way to loose some extra pounds. I have heard all the different reasons why to eat organic, raw, local, etc... But have never followed through. Mainly because I got overwhelmed thinking about all the different changes I would need to make, the cost to buy organic and the fact that my husband doesn't like most fruits and vegetables. So, I would just give up and go back to my unhealthy ways because really I wasn't eating THAT bad. People all over America are surviving on worse diets!

That was my attitude until recently when I read this blog. She presented this way of life from a Christian view. And everything clicked into place for me. I am abusing the body that God gave me by eating empty, man made food! Worse yet, I'm passing this onto my children! God provided everything that we needed on this earth and we are ruining it. That was it, I was hooked. I read her entire blog (like a total nerd/possible stalker). But I couldn't read the information fast enough. (BTW I will be totally embarrassed if she reads this and sees all my gushing.) I've since been to the library, other websites and researched some more at our local Sprouts and farmer's market.

Ramona loves our weekly trip to Sprouts.

She helps pick out and carry all the fruit!

What does all this mean? We, the Chalman family, are going organic, all natural, grass fed, free range, etc.. etc... in our own home at least. I can only do so much. This will be done slooowly so that I don't get overwhelmed. That's why this is just Phase 1. I'm blogging about this to keep myself accountable. I'm sure I will get frustrated and hit some snags along the way. But I don't want to give up! So help keep me motivated!

The future phases will hopefully include: making my own cleaning supplies, growing my own garden (if I can stop killing plants...I do NOT have a green thumb.), chickens?!? , recycling, cooking from scratch, and the list goes on and on.

And the most important is thing on my self improvement overhaul is that I want to show God's beautiful earth to my children. I want to turn off the T.V. and spend time with them outside (must overcome my bug phobia). I want to spend quality time with them when we are inside. And not just pass the time with play dates and naps until Chris gets home.

These are my lofty goals. God, help me tackle this!

Bologna and Cheese

2011-04-26T07:06:00.005-05:00

Ramona has a new friend, Evelyn. (Yes, I realize this is the worst picture EVER. But you try taking a picture of a bunch of 3 year olds!) They were instant friends, so Evelyn's mommy and I started hanging out too. (She's awesome, by the way!) Well, Evelyn and Ramona are such good friends that they have developed nicknames for each other. Evelyn calls Ramona, "Bologna"...we have no idea why. And with a little encouragement from the Mommies (because we think it's cute), Ramona calls Evelyn, "Cheese". Bologna and Cheese are inseparable! They get along like peas and carrots.

I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N.

2011-04-25T15:34:00.004-05:00

Ramona is totally into her new Praise CD that we have in the car. Or as she calls it "the kids one". I was listening to her sing today and loving every second. How cute is it to hear a 3 year old sing every word to "Jesus Loves Me"! I was very impressed when I heard her singing, "I am a C. I am a C-H. I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N." I can't believe she can pick out all the words...or letters in this case. So when I started singing, "Who built the ark? Noah, Noah!" she quickly corrected me..."That's not right!" Hmmm...I'll have to listen more closely to what words she sings for that song.

We picked up a ton of new books from Nifty Thrift today. (SUPER cheap!) And as we are driving home, she asks me to pass her another one of her new books. Well, I was exiting the highway, so I said, "Not now, I need to keep driving so we can be safe." To which she replies, "You could drive with one hand and give me a book with the other...How about that?" She's a smart one. But that still wouldn't be safe.

Here comes Peter Cottontail...er...the Easter Bunny.

2011-04-24T19:51:00.010-05:00

He's all dressed in his Easter best!

The golden egg! It had 4 quarters in it.

Fiesta! We hid 12 "cracky" eggs. (Cascarones)

"I'm too short!"

The "rabbit hole"

Aren't these eggs adorable!

Max didn't participate much in the hunt.

The loot!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter!

The Easter Bunny works out at the Y!

2011-04-20T15:42:00.004-05:00

This morning we went to the Y to register Ramona for her swim lessons and guess who we ran into? The Easter Bunny, of course! Who knew he had a membership at our local YMCA. Too bad we didn't see him shakin' his tail in the Zumba class!

After Ramona had her swim evaluation we swam around for awhile. Me in the "mommy pool" aka. the hot tub and Ramona in the kid's pool. Ramona was freezing and shaking the whole time. But whenever I touched her with my warm hot tub hands, she would yell, "Ow, why are you burning me?" That's why kids aren't allowed in the Mommy Pool.

1, 2, 3, Pick your nose!

2011-04-19T13:39:00.006-05:00

Ramona asked me to take a picture of her and Max this morning.

I guess this is the moment she wanted to remember.

Max is growing up so fast! He's learning to eat table food and I just started him on water today. He is getting 4 teeth on top. This will bring him to a grand total of 6 teeth. He has also learned how to demand things from us. If he finds something funny (especially Poppy talking like Donald Duck) he will gesture wildly and say "Ah!" until you do it again...and again...and again. It's a good thing we find his laughing so adorable.

Ramona LOVES princesses. She bought this nightgown with her own money that she was given for her birthday. And for the past several days, she has insisted on sleeping in it. She also asked me to wear one of her princess dresses the other day. It's sweet that she thinks we are the same size.

Parents of the Year!

2011-04-17T21:16:00.004-05:00

Chris and I went to IKEA today with my in-laws, the kids and Aunt Kala. We were there forever looking for organizational stuff for Kala's new apartment and our new place. So we were all taking turns watching the kids...BAD IDEA.

We got about half way through the store to the kitchen stuff when I glanced around and didn't see Ramona. Doug walked by with Max, no Ramona. Kala walks up and lets us know Tracy went to the bathroom...no Ramona. Uh oh. She's short and the place is crowded.

So we start back tracking when an IKEA employee asks if we are looking for someone. I kind of ignore her, because I'm so busy walking back to the last place I saw her. Then the employee says, "I think I have what you are looking for." I say, "A blond little girl?" Yep, she starts leading us back to the home office section of the store asking us stuff like what shoes is Ramona wearing? What clothes? And there she is sitting with a group on employees crying. Apparently they had asked her what her parents names were and she just kept saying "Mom and Dad." :( Poor thing!

She was super clingy for the next 30-45 minutes. I held her as we finished shopping and tried to comfort her.

Me: You're ok now, were you scared?

Ramona: Nods

Me: Were you afraid we weren't coming back for you?

Ramona: Nods

Me: Aw, little one, I will always come back for you!

Who knows how long she was looking for us! It could have been close to 10 minutes. We all thought the other was watching her. I received disapproving looks from the IKEA employees. Parents of the year, ladies and gentlemen!

The Prettiest Plumber

2011-04-17T11:11:00.004-05:00

We (and by "we" I mean "Chris, Doug and my Dad") have been working hard setting up the plumbing for our new doublewide. This morning, Ramona wanted to help, so they put her to work.

She's the newbie, so she has to do the grunt work.

........

We celebrated one of Ramona's best friends 3rd birthday yesterday. It was a dinosaur party!

Ramona took a hands on approach to the gift portion of the party

I brought Mimi along to help out with Max.

Max sporting one of his new hand-me-down onesies. Super handsome! Thanks to my friend Kristina for giving me 11 boxes of clothes!!!

We had so much fun this weekend with my parents. They made the trip up here to lend support while Max had his tubes procedure. It went well, he was so brave and didn't cry at all in front of the pretty nurses at Strictly Pediatrics Surgery Center. Hopefully this clears up all of the ear infections he has been suffering through. Thanks, Mom and Dad! The kids LOVED hanging out with you!

Jesus Flowers

2011-04-11T16:06:00.008-05:00

This weekend we went with Chris and his band, Price Hill, to Camp Zephyr. Chris ended up being REALLY busy the whole time, so we had to keep ourselves busy with hiking and the great outdoors! On our first hike (just me and the kids)...

We went over the bridge...

Up the stairs...did I mention Max was in a stroller?

To the lake!!!

Max got hot and fussy.

Ramona learned about blue bonnets:

Me: Ramona, those are bluebonnets. Aren't they beautiful?

Ramona: Yes, I love them!

Me: You can't pick them.

Ramona: But I want to pick them because they are so special!

Me: I know, I'm sorry, but we can't. If everybody picks them, there won't be any left!

Ramona: (Thinks for a minute...) Are they for Jesus?

Me: Yes, those flowers are for Jesus.

Ramona got "cold freezing" in 90 degree weather.

No much of an outdoorsman.

Ramona made herself a light snack.

We took Poppy and Mimi on the trail. Max hikes in style!

And we found a tiny turtle!

We had tons of fun and Price Hill did great! Hopefully we can go to more of the camps this summer. Please send me tips on how to keep the kids entertained at teen camps. I can't wait until Max is a little older, he will have more fun and I won't have to carry him so much...I'm exhausted!

Does that baby doll have tenders?

2011-04-07T15:11:00.005-05:00

Ramona loves to play "mommy" and help feed Max. So today, I asked her to get one of her babies from her room to feed while I gave Max breakfast. Little did I know that she would choose the ugliest baby doll in the world! Her Aunt Kala gave a big box of her old babies to Ramona and one of them is anatomically correct. That's right folks, look closely, it's a boy! Upon further examination, it looks EXACTLY like a newborn...a super ugly newborn. It has "tenders" as we call them in our house, a booty hole and an umbilical cord. GROSS! Ramona was making him crawl around and the behind view was graphic to say the least. This doll is now hidden in the top of her closet.

She and Max played Barbies yesterday. I think he wanted to be Barbie, instead of Ken.

Max is teething like crazy and figuring out how to blow raspberries and chew on his tongue. So, he looks like this most of the day.

Vampire Baby!

2011-04-02T13:55:00.003-05:00

It may be hard to see in this picture, but Max's fangs are growing in. His favorite past time right now is biting anything and everything. No one is safe! He loves to sink his teeth into soft flesh.

I have no picture for a Ramona update, but her new favorite saying is "See you later, Crocodile!" It's adorable and I will never correct her.

Those Swingin' Chalmans

2011-03-27T13:32:00.005-05:00

Friday evening was so beautiful that we spent some time swinging outside.

Max wanted to take a few pictures.

Admiring his sister's swinging style.

And Ramona being the 3-year old that she is, the swinging session ended with some drama.

His Eyes are as Blue as His Pants

2011-03-25T06:48:00.003-05:00

I have never promised to be normal. I'm silly...some might even say weird. Here's proof!

What? My Mommy said this was normal!

Do these pants make me look fat?

You can't escape!

Ramona caught him!

Another sample of Ramona's photography. She's got the eye!

You Gotta Love Friends!

2011-03-24T13:21:00.004-05:00

I love reading my friends' blogs and finding out that the post is about my children! So much fun! Here are two with Ramona:

The Reilly Tree

A Day in the Life of Oliver

Princess Dora Birthday Party!

2011-03-21T21:33:00.005-05:00

Whew! Ramona's 3rd birthday went off with out a hitch. I was planning and baking and decorating all week long and everything was over and destroyed in two hours. The house looked like a tornado tore threw it but we had so much fun!

All the kids helped Ramona open her gifts. It was madness!

I have no idea who brought what gift.

All the kids decorated crowns and tiaras.

I made her cake again. I have so much fun doing this every year, so I took it up a notch and made a Princess Dora cake. It turned out well!

Chris drew the map. For those of you who watch Dora the Explorer.

It's the map, it's the map, it's the maaaaap!

Max is working so hard on crawling.

He's just scooting backwards and turning on his tummy, so far.

Black-eyed Baby

2011-03-10T21:41:00.003-06:00

We had a busy week! Everyday we had somewhere to be and something to do. It's weeks like this when I wonder how I would get it all done if I were still working. Working moms, I don't know how you do it! Then again, maybe I used to be a better multi-tasker. When I was a career woman, I could eat lunch at my desk, graphic design a poster, check my email and make some phone calls all at the same time. Now I watch Dora, change a diaper, breastfeed and kiss a boo boo while wondering how my "to-do" list will ever get done. Oh well, I only have two hands. Here's what we did instead of the "to-do" list this week!

Ate lunch with Daddy at Firehouse Subs.

Introducing...Fire Marshall Chalman.

Max is spending more time on his belly and rolling around. Crawling should be soon!

Yep, that's a shiner! It was a rough play date. She smashed into Oliver and got a black eye and a bloody nose. But no tears! We left after she peed outside like the boys...only the boys didn't get pee all over their pants and shoes.

This one was a couple of weeks ago. I just found the picture on my phone again.

Ramona learned about grey clouds while a storm rolled in.

Go, Dora, Go!

2011-03-04T14:30:00.006-06:00

Max thinks Ramona is hilarious! This morning I walked into the living room

to find them staring at each other and cracking up. So cute!

Last week we bought a Dora The Explorer kite and finally we were able to get it in the air. Ramona ran all around the yard with the kite flying behind her yelling,"Go, Dora, Go! You can do it! You can do it!"

Max and Chris watching Dora fly.

Ramona loves to take pictures with my camera. This one is pretty good! I won't be posting any of her photos of me...they are not very flattering.

$50 Anthropologie Giveaway!

2011-03-03T15:33:00.003-06:00

My lovely friend Lauren is having a giveaway on her blog. Check it out here if you want to enter. Her blog is super cute and she updates it all the time with awesome fashion advice and adorable stories about her husband. I hope you check it out and enter the contest. But if you don't, that just means it's better odds that I'll win! Haha!

Pedicures and New Teeth

2011-03-03T08:00:00.004-06:00

Hello, I'm back! I really want to start updating this blog more (I know, I've said that before). My goal is to update it a few times a week (or daily?!?) with a quick picture and story about what we are doing. Mainly for my own benefit so that I don't forget all the adorable things my kids are doing. But if you want to follow along, great! So here it goes, this is our week so far...

Ramona has found a new outfit. She's big on dressing herself,

so she has worn this for the past two days...everywhere we go.

Also, she has been going through a dramatic phase. A sneak peek to her teenage years, I'm sure. Daily she's rolling her eyes and saying "Moooom, ugh, just kidding, ugh!" And fine tuning her acting skills. When a camera is out, you better believe you are going to get a million pictures of her practicing her sad, silly and happy faces.

Max has two new teeth! I now call him Shark Baby.

He bites EVERYTHING with those razor sharp teeth.

And I'm not talking about bottles, people, he is a breastfed baby. OUCH!

Ramona is a girly girl. For years she has been getting pedicures from her Nanna, Aunt Kala and myself. Now the tables have turned. I won't be wearing flip flops for awhile.

Mr. Monkey's Sleep Trouble

2011-01-04T15:51:00.004-06:00

Me: Ramona, did you sleep good last night?

Ramona: Yes, I sleep my whole nap. So, I need to watch Dora.

Me: Ok, that sounds fair. How did Monkey sleep? Did he sleep all night?

Ramona: No

Me: He woke up?

Ramona: Yes.

Me: Why?

Ramona: Because his eyes don't close!

Christmas conversations with a 2 year old

2010-12-27T21:51:00.005-06:00

Christmas was so much fun this year! This is the first time that Ramona understood what was going on. At least the presents part of it. I had a conversation with her that went something like this.

Me: Ramona, do you know why we have Christmas?

Ramona: Yes.

Me: Why?

Ramona: Presents.

Me: Crap, next year we need to get a nativity scene.

My parents took the kids to see Santa one day when Chris and I were busy. It turns out that Ramona is not a fan. She likes the idea of Santa...from a distance.

Ramona: I want to open my presents.

Me: We have to wait until Christmas day.

Ramona: I want to open my presents.

Me: I know, but we have to wait until Saturday. On Christmas Eve Santa will come to our house and...

Ramona: WHAT?!?

Me: (Thinking: Santa is going to come in our house...no...at night...no....down the chimney...nope...) Never mind. On Christmas Eve reindeer are going to come to our house OUTSIDE and bring you presents. Do you want to leave them food on the lawn?

Ramona: Yes!

Me: Phew! That was a close one.

Maternity Photos!

2010-09-05T15:51:00.006-05:00

I had my good friend, Jill, take maternity photos of me awhile ago (a week before I had Max). And I am just now getting around to posting them online. They turned out great! Thanks, Jill!

My Model Children

2010-08-30T22:08:00.005-05:00

Check out my beautiful children! My friend, Jerra, came over today and took infant photos of Max. She is SUPER talented! Check out her website if you are interested in having some photos taken in the Round Rock area.

LOVE this one!

He's so handsome.

He's Here!

2010-07-27T15:03:00.007-05:00

Max is here! Well, actually, he arrived two weeks ago on July 15th. But I am just now getting around to posting pictures. He is adorable, of course. He was 2 1/2 weeks early and already over 8 pounds....so glad he came early! Ramona loves him and loves being a big sister. The biggest problem I've had with her is that she doesn't want to stop touching and kissing him. And she doesn't understand why he sleeps so much. One of the funniest moments I've had with her recently is that she is struggling to understand breastfeeding. She has decided that Max eats boobs. The other day, I was getting ready to feed Max and asking her if she was hungry for breakfast and she gave me the weirdest look and shook her head while doing a double take at my breast. Poor thing, I should have been more clear. "Would you like some pancakes, Ramona?" Well, I am loving every minute of being Max's mom. Turns out that infants are easy, it's the terrible twos that are super-hard!

I hate that this picture is fuzzy. If you look really close, you can see his dimples!

Sweet Boy

Big Sister is checking out the new baby.

Look how much he loves me.

8 pounds!

That's my boy!

This is the first time I held him, seconds after he came out.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-05T19:43:00.005-05:00

We spent July 4th at my parent's house this year. They are helping me relax so that little Max doesn't come out early. We popped fireworks and ate watermelon, hot dogs, chips and other holiday favorites. Ramona loved the fireworks (and the fact that she got to stay up late). Here are a few pictures of our day!

Mimi is helping Ramona throw poppers....

not sure of the exact name of them...

they are small and white and make a loud POP when you throw them...

you know what I'm talking about!

Some of the fireworks were too loud!

Yummy!

Wow!

Pretty!

Quick Picture Update

2010-04-29T21:19:00.005-05:00

We visited another farm on Monday and had so much fun! So, of course, I have to share a few pictures. The farm only had a few animals (bunnies, a chicken, goats, a donkey and horses) but it was a blast! I didn't post all the pictures, it was surprisingly hard to get good pictures of her and the animals.

This photo does not capture her true feelings about riding horses.

She hysterically laughed the entire time, except when I took pictures.

Playing with Ambree.

Watching the other kids ring a bell non-stop for 30 minutes.

........

And then today she dressed herself for the first time.

Inside out...

...and backwards!

That's it for now. I told you it would be quick!

Sweet Berry Farm

2010-04-15T14:59:00.007-05:00

We visited Sweet Berry Farms again this year. Ramona had a blast picking (and eating) strawberries, or "Dobbies" as she calls them. This farm is great! If you have never been, you pick your own berries, there is a petting zoo, homemade ice cream and lemonade...pretty much just some good clean fun! Well, except for the clean part. I recommend bringing a change of clothes for the kiddos. After Ramona ate her weight in strawberries, she was pretty filthy. Here are a few pictures of our field trip.

This is the first time I have ever seen a goat climb a tree.

Is this normal?

Ramona's favorite part was feeding the donkeys strawberries. Hopefully that is not bad for them, because they couldn't get enough!

And now, I have a million strawberries in my freezer.

Ramona's 2nd Birthday and Easter!

2010-04-08T21:25:00.005-05:00

Ramona is TWO! She's getting so big...SO fast. We had a blast at her birthday party. It was monkey themed, of course. I made her cake again and it turned out great! With only a brief incident when his head almost broke off. But icing covered that nicely. She had so much fun surrounded by friends and family...and did I mention a bouncy house?!? She jumped on it for three days straight. Thank you to my Mary Kay lady who loaned it to us. Here are a few pictures from her party:

She loved her tutu and wore it for the rest of the party.

Then, a couple of weeks later, it was EASTER! She found all 48 eggs. Yes, we went overboard. But, it only took her 10 minutes to find them. We have video proof. She had tons of fun hunting for the eggs, but had a little trouble understanding why she couldn't eat all the candy that day. She had a valid point that the candy was her's. I had no argument for that, I just ended up hiding the candy out of reach.

Baby Makes Four!

2010-03-10T20:33:00.003-06:00

We'll, as usual, I am not keeping up with my blogging. But hopefully most of you already know that...I'm pregnant again! I am almost 20 weeks along and we found out today at 3:00 p.m. that we are having a boy!

Our original sonogram was at 9:00 a.m. but Baby Boy Chalman decided to cross his legs the whole time. I guess he was feeling shy or maybe it was just too early for him. Because he was ready to show it off at our afternoon appointment!

We are so excited and are frantically searching for awesome boy names. I'm pretty sure I don't like ANY boy names. Nothing sounds right. I LOVED the name Jack, and then EVERYBODY started naming their kid Jack or Jackson. DANG! So, I decided that Charlie was adorable until I realized that my last name is Chalman and that sounds an awful lot like Chaplin. So, back to the drawing board. Please post any and all suggestions you may have. I like older names that are not weird but uncommon today. We have the middle name picked out. Douglas is a family name on Chris' side, so right now it's: __________ Douglas Chalman. Suggestions? Anyone?

Our Halloween Beach Vacation!

2009-11-04T15:59:00.008-06:00

Instead of going trick or treating this year the Chalmans and the Ishams headed off to Port Aransas for a weekend getaway. We had so much fun and Ramona had a blast on her first beach trip. The weekend was, of course, too short but I took tons of pictures! Enjoy...

She fed the seagulls with Nanna

Quality Time with Daddy

I think Chris liked the vacation most of all.

She looks so old!

The bee is flying! (with a little help from Uncle Mark)

Yum!!

It's Pumpkin Time!

2009-10-18T23:17:00.004-05:00

We took our 2nd annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Here are just a few of the pictures I took. I'm so excited for the holidays!!!

Pumpkins are hilarious!

The bumpy pumpkins were a great distraction for pictures.

Ramona did not trust the stranger taking our picture.

Wagon Ride!

Now she's filling the wagon with tiny pumpkins.

And from the looks of it, she's trying to shop lift them.

Next stop...HALLOWEEN!

Pampered Chef

2009-08-07T08:43:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I just became a Pampered Chef Consultant and am booking shows like crazy! I am trying to book shows with my family and friends first so that I can practice my presentation in order to avoid looking like a fool in front of strangers. PLEASE email or call me if you want to book a cooking show or a catalog show. You can get FREE stuff and discounts. Also, I can write off my mileage, so book a show even if you are out of town! Go to www.pamperedchef.biz/mandychalman and click on "Our Products" to order online. Thanks for all the support, everyone, hopefully this will help me to be able to continue to stay home with Ramona and pay our bills!

Mandy Chalman

Independent Consultant

512-787-7796

mandychalman@yahoo.com

www.pamperedchef.biz/mandychalman

Pictures!!

2009-07-24T20:50:00.006-05:00

It's been a busy summer. Here are some quick updates:

1. We flew to Illinois to watch Chris play the drums at Cornerstone, a Christian music festival. Ramona did fantastic on the plane.

2. We went to schlitterbahn and Ramona rode a ride...in her OWN TUBE!!! I was nervous, but she loved it.

3. We have spent as much time as possible in the water.

4. Ramona has officially been weaned off her pacifier!

5. She is starting to talk. Saying things like: ball, Mommy, MaMa, Daddy, Poppy (Pappy), Pa Pa (Paw Paw), Shoe, Yes, Nooo, Meow, Oh Nooo, Ha Ha Ha, Who's That?, Whas That?, Whas This?, Woof, etc...

Here are some pictures of our summer.

Ramona fitting in with the hard core rockers at Cornerstone.

Collecting leaves in the front yard.

Playing with Daddy in the sprinkler.

Playing in the pool at Nanna and Paw Paw's house...NAKED!

Watching TV with Pappy.

Thank You!!!

2009-05-29T15:24:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone who voted for my husband's band, Price Hill. They won the New Band Showcase competition for Cornerstone 2009. They are the Grand Prize Winners and will be playing on the main stage on July 2nd. We are so excited! Hopefully a record label will fall in love with their music and sign them!!! Thanks again, this could NOT have happened with out your votes. Click here if you want info about Cornerstone.

Pink Slip Designs—Laid off and getting crafty!

2009-05-28T10:19:00.006-05:00

Hello Everyone! I have been busy for the past few weeks starting my own crafty business on www.etsy.com. I am selling handmade coasters, magnets, onesies, and whatever else I can dream up.

If you would like to check it out, you can click on the Etsy button at the top right of my blog. OR you can go to www.pinkslipdesigns.etsy.com. Check it out and by all means, if you see something you like...BUY IT!!! (By the way, if you live close enough for me to hand deliver a purchase, you do not have to pay shipping costs.)

Thanks for your support, love you guys! And thank you to all my ladies in Craft Club for the spectacular ideas.

Lots of Updates

2009-04-13T20:25:00.010-05:00

It's been a busy few months. I know what you're thinking, "Is Ramona a year old yet? What kind of lazy mom has a baby blog and doesn't post birthday pictures in a timely manner?" I'm sorry, geez!!! Well the wait is over. So, here's what the last few months have looked like in Ramona's world.

Easter was a big hit! We hunted easter eggs at Old Settlers Park on Saturday. Ramona did great! She got a whole basket with a little help from Daddy.

Since it was freezing, I was able to sneak the bunny ears on top of her hood without her knowing.

We took pictures with baby chicks. Ramona wasn't too fond of them.

"Nobody move, there's a chicken on my head!"

*****

On a serious note. I have been trying to wean Ramona, now that she is a year old. So, I asked her doctor how she recommended we do this. She said give her three meals of solid food a day and replace the remaining breastfeeding sessions with milk in a sippy cup. Do it slowly, it should take about a month for her to be totally weaned. Ok, sounds simple enough. She eats food...check! Start giving her cows milk in a sippy cup...not working...how about a cup with a straw...nope...a bottle...not a chance.

Two weeks later I had purchased every kind of kids cup and nothing was working. She refused to drink AT ALL from anything but my breast. We were making zero progress. So, I turned to the internet, friends and family asking for tips on how to introduce cups to Ramona. Everyone said, "She will drink when she's thirsty." And some said, "Just stop offering the breast." Ok...I was skeptical but figured I would give it a try. Three days later, Ramona is dehydrated and I'm in pain from weaning "cold turkey". I'm panicking because all she has had to drink a few sips of water and milk and one juice box. She is sticking to her guns and NOT drinking when she is thirsty.

So, I give in and breastfeed her only to find out that 99% of my milk has dried up. This is when I start to FREAK OUT. How am I going to feed my baby, now that I physically can't feed her? I turn to prayer, Fenugreek and family for help. Also, after alot of research I find out that weaning "cold turkey" can cause delayed postpartum depression and anxiety. It absolutely did! I have never felt so insane in all my life.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT wean your baby "cold turkey". It is traumatizing for the mother and the baby. Ramona was feeling neglected and confused because she actually did not know how to drink from a cup, therefore, she couldn't drink when she was thirsty. I didn't know this until AFTER I dried up my milk.

Anyway, the Fenugreek and praying worked and I have enough milk back to feed Ramona if she needs it. And in the middle of all this she started drinking juice boxes (mixed with water) and milk (with a straw out of my giant blue cereal mug with a hint of strawberry Carnation instant breakfast flavoring...whatever works!) I'm still trying to get her to drink just plain water. We are still working on weaning but it will be at a much slower pace. Hopefully she will be weaned soon, but it will be only when she and I are ready. I refuse to jeopardize her health and my sanity again just because I think she is too old to breastfeed.

This is how much she hated all the bottles and sippy cups.

*****

Back to happy stuff! Ramona's birthday party was a smashing success.

The cake. Yeah that's right, I made it.

She wasn't a huge fan of cake. She prefers ice cream.

The gifts!

The birthday girl...with a giant bow. I couldn't resist.

It only stayed on for two seconds.

Ok, that's all. I'll try to stay on top of the blogging in the future. (Truth be told, we all know that's not gonna happen.)

Did I mention I'm married to a rock star?

2009-04-02T20:45:00.004-05:00

Hello! This is not a Ramona post, sorry. My husband, Chris, is in a christian band called Price Hill. And they are in a new band competition for the live music festival, Cornerstone. In order for them to get to play on a gigantic stage they need to get as many votes as possible. The top ten bands will win a spot on the big stage. Price Hill is number 12 right now! Please go to Cornerstone's website (click here) and register for a password. Annoying, I know, but it takes two seconds. Then you can vote once a day until the contest is over.

Fame and fortune, here we come!!! Ok, maybe not...but a girl can dream.

:) Thanks everyone!

Stupid Strangers!

2009-03-23T21:25:00.003-05:00

The other day I was in Walmart and a couple stood and watched as their daughter put both hands on Ramona's face and touched her nose to Ramona's. They smiled and said, "She LOVES babies". While I silently FREAK OUT that she could have just blown a stupid cold into my child's mouth. What the heck were they thinking?!? Personal space, People! Ever hear of it? What should I do in those situations? I hate to be rude...Stupid Strangers.

Party Plans and the Zoo!

2009-03-07T21:46:00.007-06:00

Today was a big day. As I type this, Ramona is passed out in her crib. And might I add, she put her self to sleep without shedding a single tear. So, here were today's activities:

1. I won the ebay auction for Ramona's birthday present. It's a giant frog tent. I fell in love with it when I saw it at another mom's house and had to have it. I'm quite sure I over paid. I HOPE it gets here in time for her party on Saturday.

2. We bought all the decorations for Ramona's party. I'm so excited! I thought I might be sad that she's turning one, but I can't wait to see her smash the cake in her face. It's not sad seeing her grow up, everyday is more fun than the day before. It's the teen years that I worry about.

3. Since Chris went out of town for the day, we had to do something fun to get out of the house. So we went to the...ZOO! It was so much fun. But when did house cats, ducks and roosters make it into the zoo? Those were, of course, Ramona's favorite zoo attractions. Forget the monkeys, show me a chicken!

I took thousands of pictures, here are a few of my favorites.

I'm pretty sure there's a sign that says,

"Do not poke fingers inside the cage." Whoops.

Fear not, everybody left with just as many

fingers and toes as we came with.

The turtles were not such a big hit.

But she LOVED all the leaves.

She thinks she's invisible. Where's Ramona?

Ramona's Book (0-12 months)

2009-02-19T12:35:00.004-06:00

A good friend of mine told me about an awesome website, www.blurb.com. You can design, publish and sell books online. So, of course, I had to try it. I made a book of Ramona's first year of life for her upcoming birthday. Hopefully I will keep it up and make one for each year. If you want to see my work of art you can preview it here. If you are at all interested in making a book, I highly recommend this website. It was so easy and I now I have a forty page, one of a kind, book-o-memories for only $30! You can't beat that!

NEWS FLASH:

2009-02-10T11:09:00.006-06:00

Ramona is eating solid food!!!!! It has only taken 10 1/2 months for her to start liking anything but breast milk. I was so afraid that I would be that woman nursing the 10 year old. Now hopefully after her first birthday, I can start weaning her. (Please, God!) It has been almost 2 years since I have been either breast feeding someone or growing someone in my body. I'm ready to have a glass of wine in the evening without being terrified that Ramona will wake up hungry the second the alcohol touches my lips. (She has impeccable timing.)

Now, please enjoy the photos of today's snack time. Strawberry yogurt is yummy...and messy.

Holy Teething Baby, Batman!

2009-02-02T20:10:00.003-06:00

Ramona is working on 4 teeth growing in. That will bring her to 6 teeth total. Her new favorite past time is grinding them together. Not a fun sound. Also, she has her second cold this cold and flu season. The first lasted 3 weeks and then we had a week off, now she is coughing with a runny nose again. So, she is not very happy, therefore not sleeping much. The nights are long in the Chalman house.

I know, I know...I'm a bad blogger!

2008-12-21T21:09:00.006-06:00

OK, you would think that since I'm staying at home now that I would have tons of time to update the ol' blog. Not the case. So here is a quick update on what Ramona is doing now.

1. Crawling like crazy

2. Pulling up to standing

3. Waving

4. Clapping

5. Teething (just one for now)

6. Bumping her head on everything

7. Eating solid food? NOPE.

8. Getting spoiled by grandparents

9. Turning nine months old (I know! How did that happen?)

10. And Yelling (This baby is getting very loud.)

I was going to post a video of Ramona showing off all that she can do, but that will have to wait until another time. Sorry! Here is a picture to tide you over.

This is Santa Pope on Christmas morning.

The countdown has begun...

2008-11-12T10:10:00.003-06:00

I FINALLY know when my last day at Freescale is, thank goodness! December 3rd is my last day as a career woman and December 4th is my first day as a Stay at Home Mom! We have not ironed out all the details yet. But it looks like we will be able to scrape by with me staying at home and maybe doing a little freelance design work on the side.

Lesson of the day: Getting laid off is not so bad, it's not knowing how much longer I'm going to have to work at the job I've been laid off from that sucks!

Countdown Until Freedom: 3 weeks

It's sinking in...

2008-11-07T07:52:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a hard day. One side of my brain is wondering why I was chosen to be let go and most everyone else gets to stay. While my rational side says, "This was obviously meant to be, something better will come along." I'm just struggling with feeling utterly replaceable.

And to make matters worse, Ramona had a HORRIBLE day yesterday! She scooted herself off our guest bed onto the carpeted floor, flat on her back with a giant THUMP! Luckly that bed is only 2 feet off the ground and not 4 feet off the ground like our other bed in the house. THANK GOD! Poor thing is fine, just got scared. (Me too). And then, last night in my sleepy stupor, I forgot to turn the baby monitor on after a night feeding and she went 6 hours unmonitored. I'm quite sure she woke up and screamed until she fell asleep. Because she does NOT sleep that long peacefully.

Sorry, sweet baby girl, Mama's losing her mind.
:(

Don't get too comfortable!

2008-11-06T06:57:00.007-06:00

Doesn't God have a funny way of keeping us on our toes? Chris and I have been very comfortable for the past four years with me being employed at Freescale Semiconductor. Well, things are getting shaken up a bit. I found out yesterday that I will be losing my job due to the falling economy. In fact, they are getting rid of my position all together. We will not know when my last day will be until next week. To be honest, I expected it. Freescale was kind enough to create the position for me, so they can get rid of it just as quickly! So, now Chris and I are in limbo. Our original plan was that he would be staying home until January and then he would (hopefully) be getting a big raise and benefits at his job so that, wait for it....I COULD BE A STAY AT HOME MOM!!! Well, as I kind of expected in the back of my mind, Chris' raise will not be coming as quickly as we would have hoped. BUT, after calling his boss (a wonderful Christian man) and explaining the situation and asking him to pray for us, he is going to try to help us out so that I can stay home. Key word: TRY.

Dear Mandy's brain, please do NOT get your hopes up. This may or may not be what God wants you to do.

So here are a few things I'm worried about:

1. We pulled Ramona out of daycare. So if she has to go back there will be a long waiting list and we may not be able to afford it anyway.

2. Our medical benefits disappear with my job.

3. Should I be actively looking for a job if I'm trying to stay home???

And now for your cuteness fix, how about a rousing game of Where's My Pacifier?

Good bye, for now. I need to go cancel some luxuries. Good bye, sweet Tivo, you have served us well.

Halloween and Big News!

2008-11-02T15:43:00.005-06:00

Well, we have big news! Ramona's last day of daycare was wednesday. Chris is going part time until the end of this year, so that he can take care of Ramona and be a stay at home Dad. He will be home with her Monday–Wednesday. And I work from home Thursday and Friday until 2009. This is very exciting for us. We worked with our budget and found a way to pull her out of daycare. This came just at the right time. She was sick for the entire month of October and I actually had to use the phrase "Should that baby be standing on that other baby?" when I dropped her off at daycare a few weeks ago. Not exactly comforting...

And now, I present... Ramona, the baby ballerina!

6:45 p.m. Just before we set out to Trick or Treat

6:55 p.m. Ramona doesn't understand what we are doing.

7:00 p.m. At home with her loot!

By 7:15 p.m. she is asleep and we are eating her candy.

Happy Halloween!

The Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-19T14:49:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we took a trip to Round Rock's Pumpkin Patch. Enjoy our photos!

We've been skunked!

2008-10-15T15:39:00.002-05:00

Last night I went into Ramona's room and was overpowered by the smell of skunk. When I went into the living room to tell Chris, it was wafting in there too. I can only assume that a skunk was making his way around our house and spraying like crazy. Who knew a skunk took walks in the suburbs! So all last night (every time our air conditioner turned on) the skunk smell came back. Well, I guess I got used to it, because when I got back in the car after dropping off Ramona at daycare, my car reeked of skunk! Which means I most-likely smell like a giant skunk too! (My friends at work assure me that I smell fine, but I'm not sure I totally believe them.) Anyway, Chris has purchased the strongest bottle of Febreeze on the market. But, that is no guarantee that we won't still smell like the Skunk Family tomorrow. I'm giving Ramona an extra bath tonight.

The Pink Eye

2008-10-13T14:42:00.004-05:00

Ramona has got "The Pink Eye". How did she get it? At daycare, of course! During the 5 seconds we were there for picture day. Dang daycare! I swear Ramona is sick every week with something new from stupid daycare. And still I pay THEM for this! Here ya go, Daycare, let me give you ten thousand dollars a year to infect my kid, just so I can turn around and pay a copay at the doctor's office twice a month. Thank you, Daycare, you're a HUGE help!

Dr. Ferber, I think I love you. (Picture Update)

2008-10-08T14:37:00.005-05:00

Picture Update!

Ramona in her pink Alamo hat that Grandpa gave her.

Sitting in her high chair reading her Noah's Ark book.

.................................................................................................................

Sorry it's been so long since my last update. But a lot has happened!
1. Ramona is sitting up like a pro.
2. We are trying (unsuccessfully) to start her on solid foods...She hates rice cereal. I dont mean she dislikes it...she HATES it. And shows us how much by cringing and gagging and blowing it out of the spoon before it hits her mouth. I think I'm going to try mixing it with fruit or buying a different kind. She's six and a half months old now, she's a grown up baby who wants solid food! One of the daycare workers told me today that every time Ramona sees other babies eating solid food she yells at them as if to say, "Hey you stingy baby, did you bring enough for the class?"
3. And last but NOT least. We are teaching her how to put herself asleep! And get this...it's working!!! We are using the Ferber Method, which basically lets the baby cry it out while the parents go into reassure the baby in timed intervals. Here's how the first couple of nights went:
First night, it took 30 minutes. Not too shabby, but certainly not fun.
Second night, it took TWO MINUTES! WHAT?!? Maybe this Ferber guy isnt a complete moron.
Third night, it took (no lie) thirty seconds. She was asleep before I even got the baby monitor turned on. Now, not all of the nights since then have gone quite so well, but it hasnt been bad at all.

I have a bunch of adorable pictures I need to post, but I will have to do that at another time. Just to give you a little teaser, Ramona is wearing a tiny pink hat in alot of them. She looks great in hats. Also, tomorrow is picture day at her daycare, so as soon as I get those proofs, I'll post those too. See ya!

Cool babies wear their headbands to the side!

2008-09-03T20:47:00.006-05:00

It's been awhile since I have posted a Ramona update, so I thought I would take some time to catch you up. Here's what we have been working on since our last posting:

1. Sitting up/balancing on her booty. This is a tricky game, because at any moment she could do a nose dive into the carpet. But she is doing pretty well. She looks so cute propped up on the couch.

2. Sleeping through the night (Round 2). You might have known that just 1 month ago, Ramona was sleeping 11 hours at night. ELEVEN HOURS!! It was awesome. She kept this up for several months. Yes, we were "those parents". We would smile and shrug when other parents would ask us how we managed to get our 3 month old to sleep that long. "What a good baby!" they would say. And then out of no where, she started waking up one and two times a night. So, at five months old she is sleeping 6-8 hours at night. Not too bad.

Side Note: I read my baby bible (Baby 411) and it turns out we are doing everything wrong sleep wise. Here's the checklist:

- Lay her down while is still awake, but almost sleeping. (She Cries...Loudly)

- Don't give her a pacifier because she will wake up crying if it's gone. (Whoops we do that too!)

- Don't let her fall asleep for the night while feeding. (But that's how she goes to sleep!)

- Don't feed her during the night, offer her a pacifier first. A five month old can go 6 hours with out eating at night. (What?!? Doesn't that conflict with a previous rule? And eating will put her back to sleep, I've got work in the morning!)

RANT: And since I mentioned work, how the heck can all these Mom's afford to stay home? Even with rising gas prices and paying $825 a month for daycare, I still can't afford to quit working and stay home. That's crazy! It's like paying rent for a separate baby apartment. I've run the budget and cut out EVERYTHING... Tivo, Netflix, gym membership, cable, the cat. And we still come up short. Somebody please email me your budget and how you afford to live on a single income. Because I would love to stop paying someone to raise my baby. Rant over.

On a lighter note, here are some pictures!

5 generations. Ramona and I are looking the

wrong way, because there are two cameras.

He's Baaaack! (UPDATED)

2008-08-25T12:52:00.006-05:00

Sooo, does anyone want an adorable orange cat? Pumpkin is full of personality, but Chris and I do not have time to pay attention to him with a newborn in the house. It is better for him and us if he finds another family that will love him and give him the attention he deserves. Here are his selling points:
1. He's the fuzziest.
2. He's litter box trained and outdoor trained.
3. He has thumbs/mittens. (polydactyl)
4. VERY affectionate
5. He's independent. All he wants is to play outdoors.
6. He's fixed.
7. He's handsome, all your neighbors will envy you.
8. He alerts you if there are bugs in the house. He was a lifesaver when we had roaches!
9. You can leave him with a pile of food and go out of town with out worrying about him. But he also travels well!
10. He comes with all his own stuff. No need to buy anything!

You may be asking yourself, "If he's so great, why are they getting rid of him?" Good Question! It breaks my heart to give him away, we have had him for 4 years. But with Ramona learning to crawl soon and playing on the floor/eating the carpet. I can't take any chances with germs. Honestly it freaks me out. And Pumpkin feels abandoned, because he used to be the baby. If Ramona was a few years older, then it would be fine. But I can't time travel, nor would I want to. So if anyone is interested in an awesome cat, please check out the craigs list posting below and let us know if you would like to meet him.

http://austin.craigslist.org/pet/811264038.html

UPDATE: It looks like Lt. Pumpkin will remain in the family. My parents have offered to take him into their home until my brother finds an apartment. Then, hopefully, my brother can officially adopt him. Watch out, ladies, soon there will be two handsome devils livin' it up in their very own bachelor pad! When I told Pumpkin about this new plan, he told me (with his eyes) that he was excited about moving back to San Antonio. But, nevertheless he was very hurt because he obviously had no idea we were trying to give him away on Craig's List. And with that, he left the room to take a 12 hour nap. Thanks, Mom, Dad and Mark!

She Rolls!!

2008-08-11T20:28:00.010-05:00

She's done it! Ramona has rolled over and let me capture it on film! She rolled over for the first time a few days ago but refused to do it again in front of the camera. She's not a circus monkey for heaven's sake! So I now have 15 movies of her almost rolling over and one movie of her rolling over completely in the poorest quality a digital camera has ever filmed. See for your self below, it looks like I filmed it 20 years ago. (Don't panic, Dad, I didn't film it with your fancy video camera. I used my digital camera.) The video is not too long, but she doesn't roll over until the very end. But she doesn't disappoint. While you are waiting for the main event, you get to see her grab her toes and make various baby noises.

I couldn't get the video to upload, so I put it on YouTube. Enjoy!

YouTube - Roll Baby Roll!

Farewell Lt. Pumpkin

2008-08-05T19:12:00.006-05:00

Lt. Pumpkin, our cat, moved out tonight. It has been inevitable ever since Ramona was born. He is not a fan of Ramona. He especially hates it when she cries and interrupts his nap. But don't worry about Pumpkin, he has moved in with our friends, Austin and Kirsten. (Thank you so much, by the way!) So, are you wondering what the final straw was? MICE! I guess Pumpkin has been feeling a little ignored lately, so he started bringing home gifts. LIVE gifts and setting them loose in the house. Now, I previously mentioned that Chris was out of town. So who had to catch and get rid of the mice? ME! That is so not in my job description. Here's how it went down:

Mouse #1 (6:00 a.m.)—I chase him around the house, following closely behind Pumpkin, and finally corner the little guy behind the toilet. Then as quickly as possible I trap him in a Christmas popcorn tin and set him free out side near the neighbor's yard. I quickly throw on some clothes and take the baby to Wal-mart to buy 16 glue traps.

Mouse #2 (4:30 a.m.)—Pumpkin has a mouse cornered behind the kitchen trash can, which is where I placed one of the glue traps. So the mouse is stuck and PISSED. Long story short, we have a mouse dying a slow death in our outside trash can. I felt bad putting him in there, but what was I supposed to do!?! Maybe he chewed himself free.

And then, of course, Pumpkin hobbled into my room a couple hours later with a glue trap stuck to his leg. So, I put him in the outside trash can too...Just kidding. I pulled it off and sent him on his way.

He remembers when he was our baby.

So handsome!

Lt. Pumpkin, you will be missed.

Water Baby

2008-07-27T20:19:00.006-05:00

Well, Ramona visited the pool for the first time this weekend! Here's how it went:

1. She arrives at the pool wearing the tiniest swimsuit I have ever seen.

2. We put her in the water...and she hates it!

3. We get in trouble for bringing a camera to a public pool.

4. She gets sunscreen in her eye.

5. She gets a heat rash.

6. She cries.

7. We leave.

This all added up to a grand total of 20 minutes. But doesn't she look cute!

Beautiful baby!

It's nice to get away from daycare and just RELAX once in a while!

One too many bottles of milk...

She is not sure about this.

"Why on earth would they bring me here?"

Hey There Ramona

2008-07-23T21:00:00.011-05:00

I was listening to the radio today and the song "Hey There Delilah" came on for about the zillionth time, so of course I started singing along because I know most of the words. Only this time I was substituting the name Delilah with Ramona, because I thought it was cute. (And if I got good at it, then I could sing it to Ramona later without her judging me when I forget the words.) Anyway, I almost started crying when I listened to some of the lyrics (Bear with me! You might be crying by the end of this blog too!):

"Hey there Ramona, don't you worry about the distance, I'll be there if you get lonely, give this song another listen..."

"A thousand miles seems pretty far, but they've got planes and trains and cars, I'd walk to you if I had no other way..."

"Ramona, I can promise you that by the time we get through the world will never ever be the same and your to blame..."

"Hey there Ramona, you be good and don't you miss me..."

"Oh, it's what you do to me...Oh, it's what you do to me"

These corny lyrics made me cry, BECAUSE Chris is out of town for 2 weeks touring the United States with his band and all I can think about is him singing this song to Ramona!!! NOW reread the lyrics and picture Chris singing it to his baby girl. Try not to cry now, tough guy!!!

Anyway, here are some pictures that I have taken while Chris has been out of town.

Half naked pictures are strictly forbidden

This is one of her new outfits. She went on a baby shopping spree.

Another new outfit. She's the best dressed baby in daycare.

"I LOVE toys!"

How can I get any work done when this face is looking at me???

"Well, what do we have here?"

"You wanna lose a hand? Go ahead, touch this toy again"

Chris, pull yourself together now, you don't your band to see you crying.

We miss you!

The Mother's Room (WARNING: Girl Talk!)

2008-07-16T12:43:00.006-05:00

When I'm at work I frequent "The Mother's Room" daily. In fact, I'm there so often that I feel like it should be my new office. It's quite nice! My favorite part is the giant privacy curtain you can pull around your self. However, apparently this is not everyone's favorite part of the room. Many mothers just see no need for the curtain at all. So here is my question... Am I the odd ball for not wanting my coworkers to see me in this particular situation? I don't think so! This is a moment that should only be seen by your husband and maybe your mom. And even they will be shocked the first time they see it. Picture a cow wearing a Madonna-style cone bra. It's unattractive and embarrassing. But who am I to judge other mothers who want to share it with the world?

Moo!

Muffin Top (WARNING: Girl Talk!)

2008-07-15T10:54:00.003-05:00

So I have decided to make this blog about me also and any post baby/new mommy stories or questions that I have. I figured, I have some pregnant friends and them might find this interesting. But, who knows, there might not be anyone reading this. And in that case, I'm just using this blog as an outlet for my own entertainment.

Anyway, how many of you know what a muffin top is? Cause I got one, dang it! A muffin top is what magically appears above the waist band of your pre-pregnancy jeans. It's good times! I cant wait for it to go away. Could it have something to do with the 6 cookies I had yesterday? Nah! I don't regret them, they were delicious. My solution to this phenomenon is to go shopping for new shirts that cover the muffin top. There, problem solved!

Dang it, now I want a cookie.

Wait a second... I have hands!

2008-07-15T08:33:00.002-05:00

So, this is what the doctor meant when she said, "One day Ramona will stare at her hands like she has never seen them before." Amazing!

Roll Baby Roll!

2008-07-14T21:03:00.002-05:00

This is her Red, White and Blue outfit. She wore it until she pooped on it. Happy 4th of July!

Then she drove us home.

Chris and I went into Ramona's room on Sunday to see if she was awake. And this is how we found her, sleeping on her side like a grown up baby! Soon she will be on the move, rolling about the house like a crazy baby.

The End.

Headbands and fingerpaints!

2008-07-14T20:50:00.003-05:00

She's really getting good at this smiling thing!

And this is how happy she is in the morning. I wish I was that excited to get up.

This is her first art project. She brought it home from daycare... it's on the fridge.

This is why we don't wear headbands.

Later.

It's been almost 4 months since Ramona entered the world...

2008-07-14T20:12:00.002-05:00

Here's what you've missed so far!

Here's a before picture. This is me about a week before I delivered.

And then along came...

Ramona Leigh Chalman. She was born March 22. She was perfect from the very begining. And started trying to hold her head up on the first day!

Yeah, Yeah, I'm her Mom, but that's impressive!

1 month old. Just hangin' on the floor.

2 months old. She's pretty excited about her first car trip.

3 months old. She is smiling and laughing and starting to realize she has hands!

I'm making this blog to keep family and friends updated

on all the major (and not so major) milestones in Ramona's life.