Sprinklers and fireworks do mix

The fourth of July was fairly uneventful for us as we decided it was far easier to stay home and BBQ then to go out and fight the crowds at the beaches just to get a good seat for the fireworks. So Andy grilled us up some brats burgers and we spent the entire day drenched in sunblock and sweat and a little water from the sprinklers. It was nice to have a full day as a family to just play and enjoy each other. The kids loved having our undevided attention for the entire day. We took turns pushing the kids on the swings, working in the garden, and playing in the sprinklers. Jack and Alex had such a blast. Alex didn't really get the concept of the sprinklers but got wet none the less. He kept trying to get a drink from the spray and it surprised him everytime the sprinklers sprayed him in the face.


Jack on the other hand knew all to well what the sprinklers were for. He started out fully clothed and got progressively more naked the wetter he became until he was running around completely in the nude. It is very difficult to talk a three year old out of taking his underwear off when it is obviously bothering him that it is so wet (no, it never occurred to us to actually put him in his swim trunks). I tried to talk about what the Fourth of July meant to Jack, but he very rarely sat still long enough for me to get much more then "America fought and won our Independence on this day." Alex did not make it far enough to watch the fireworks. He conked out around eight after having his hair cut and a nice warm bath. He had a big day for a 17 month old. Jack also received a haircut as well as Andy.
Jack on the other hand stayed up until about ten. We went out to the back yard and sat up in the playset and watched the 8:30 firework show in national City, which was alot closer to our house then I realized, then stayed up to watch the 9:00 fireworks that were being set off in the bay. We were far enough away that we could see all five shows going on at once. We stayed up just a little longer to finish watching a movie before Jack finally was worn out enough to go to bed.
My kids can be so cute sometimes... I mean, all the times.

Not so secret garden

So when we first had to move from our townhome that we rented, that just happened to be right on the beach, I was pretty upset. Not just because I liked the sound of the waves and had gotten used to the smell of salt water and fish (it really did smell like fish early in the morning), but also because it was a huge place with tons of room and we had lived there so long that it had become like a real home. Andy had lived there for over ten years and I had been there for almost four. Alex and Jack were both brought home from the hospital to that home and my sister, parents, Andy's parents, and various others had come to visit us there mostly to see the beach, but here we are in another rental house about four miles in from the beach and I thought I was going to hate it, but I don't.


There are downsides to this house in particular, like the fact that it backs up to a four lane highway and that it is smaller then we are used to, but living inland and in a house that has its own yard has been one of the best things for our kids and myself that we have experienced. We have plenty of space for the kids to play out in the backyard without having to watch them continuously. We were able to get the kids a playset, which they love, and we were able to get a little wading pool for them to play in on hot summer days. Not to mention the barbeques and the patio set we never had room for before. I never realized how much time we really spent indoors at the other place. I know it seems like we would be out at the beach daily, but there is only so much sand you can take when it gets everywhere...EVERYWHERE!


So now as I was outside this morning I just wanted to share a little piece of sanity that I was able to give myself and my family at our new home (new?...maybe been here almost a year). The way the house is set up there is a kind of useless piece of yard in the back on the side of the house that was full of rocks and glass and trash from the previous renter. We did a lot of hard work, boys included, clearing it all out and digging up the rocks to make the space useable enough to plant a garden.


At first it is a little disappointing to do so much and get so little in the first couple of months. It has been almost two months since we planted lettuce, both iceberg and romaine, but had little success because of an influx of aphids and little knowledge of what we were supposed to be doing or when the lettuce matured. At that same time I planted some strawberries and out of the six only three survived. Bummer.


Since then we have successfully grown onions, sweet potatoes and strawberries, which are so much better then the ones I get at the store. I also just recently put in cucumber plants and they have taken to the garden like a weed. I checked the other day and I saw teeny tiny cukes growing on the vines. I try to weed the garden once a week, but sometimes I don't and then I pay for it later. I am way excited that soon I will be able to harvest the fruits (and vegetables) of my labor.

Now that's a vacation!

OK, I just need to let everyone know how excited I am that in August when we are able to go see Jack and Alex's Grandpa and Grandma Konlock and Uncle Mark that Andy, Mark, and I will be making a short trip to Chicago so we can see Wicked. I loved the book and kept seeing that the musical would be in Los Angelas at the end of this month and the beginning of net month. I had mentioned it to Andy but didn't really think too much on it until I came home from work the other day and he suggested we go see it in Chicago while we are on vacation. Andy's mom, Ann, volunteered to watch the kids so that we could go. Although we had originally asked to see if she would have liked to join us, it was clear after she offered to watch the kids that someone would have had to stay behind with them. Anyway, we got a hotel and plan on making a day of it there in Chicago and then stay overnight and site see the next day in places like Millennium Park, Navy Pier, and the Sears Tower. Fun!!!

Alex becomes a big boy!

We finally decided that it was time to get Alex a toddler bed. Lately when I have been putting him down for his afternoon naps he has just climbed out of his crib and spent the next hour or so playing in his room quietly, which is nice, but I am afraid he is going to fall and crack his skull during one of his escapes. IKEA here we come.
Jack's bed.

IKEA is where we got Jack his bed and we really liked it. We were hoping to get another one for Alex just like it so they would match, but, of course it has been about 2 years since we purchased Jack's bed so they had a newer, updated version. It is still nice and well made, but slightly larger. Normally we do not buy anything large from IKEA, but they did a really good job in the construction of this particular piece of furniture.
Alex's bed.

We got it home and Andy put it together that night. I was kind of hoping he would do it the next day when I would be working a double, but he didn't want to, so i stayed up later then I should have helping him put the room in order and get the bed in. needless to say, I was exhausted after working 15 hours the next day.I still have yet to recover.

We also got some character sheet sets with matching comforters for the boys. Jack got to pick them out. He already had Cars and Transformers, so he chose Thomas the Tank Engine and Spiderman.
They are so cute together.

Anyways, Alex loved it and immediately crawled in and pulled the covers up. He slept pretty good in it that night and didn't fall out even once. The next night (last night) he decided to crawl into bed with Jack after playing in the dark for about an hour with each other. I checked on them this morning and Alex was sleeping right beside Jack at the foot of Jack's bed. So cute. I wish I hadn't been on my way to work this morning, I could have enjoyed it more.

I guess my baby is growing up. He no longer will be in his crib, he walks around and climbs just as well as Jack does, and pretty soon he will be talking too. All his milestones are going by so fast. He is no longer a little baby but a little boy. It is hard to say when that change takes place, but you can see the little boy in his face now. I saw it when Jack turned from a baby to a boy too and it was just as hard then as it is now. This is just a little hard to swallow only because I know I will not be having anymore kids, so I will not get to see these milestones anymore in my immediate family until My kids grow up and have kids of their own. Makes me sad. makes me love them more each day. Makes me want to take lots of pictures. makes me happy.

My babies are growing up

I am being matriculated!!

I have been patiently waiting for my grades to post in my last two classes. I was worried that I really didn't do too well and was expecting a B or less; however, I was pleasantly surprised when I checked today and got 100%. 100%!! This was in my grammar class, which I am not fond of, and the teacher had always marked my assignments off by 1 point every time, so I was expecting to be graded harshly. Who knows... maybe I was and I am just that good. Anyway, I passed both classes with flying colors and can star putting my full focus on my 2 new classes. I have another grammar/writing class and, finally, an accounting class. It's about time, considering that is what I am trying to get a degree in. I am super-excited. That's right, I am happy to be in school. I forgot what it was like to learn and I love it. Frustrating sometimes, but I love it.

Speaking of school, I am waiting for the new GI Bill thingy to pass to see if it allows spouses of veterans to use the GI benefits . If it does, i will be doing a lot more educating of myself. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Coincedence? Perhaps

So we finally decided to take the time and go see the new Indiana Jones movie. We took the kids to the drive-in and were all set for a really good movie... were we sorely disappointed. For anyone who has not yet seen the movie, I can tell you to save yourself the money and just stay home and re watch the earlier movies. It made me think that George Lucas really has no more ideas in his head and was truly in it to make money and not a good film. I don't know how Harrison Ford can look at himself in the mirror after making such trash. X-files the movie remade.

Anyway, we got home and put the kids to bed and went to bed ourselves. At 3:42 am I awoke to Jack coming in my room to tell me he had thrown up in is bed. I was smart and had covered his mattress with plastic due to several previous events, but still had to get up and change the sheets and wash the bedding and remake the bed and put him back in it. I don't recall him eating anything out of the ordinary or feeling at all sick prior to putting him to bed; therefore, I can only conclude that the movie was so terrible it made Jack physically ill. This is just a guess and I am not willing to sit through the movie again to test his theory.

Robert... you were right.

I just wanted to share this with everyone. It is a poem I wrote for Alex when I was putting together a scrapbook page for him. I tried to find a poem that fit, but ultimately made up one of my own. I submitted it to poetry.com for publication and they liked it enough to put it out in their current book. Unfortunately the book is only for sale online for about $60. Out of my price range. Anyway, I like it and hope you like it too.

Little Baby Pieces

You're tiny legs and your little feet,
Little baby pieces that are so sweet.
You're small, small hands I want to hold,
You're big eyes shine bright as gold.
Ears so cute and a button nose,
You barely fit in you're baby clothes.
So small right now, It's hard to know
These Little Baby Pieces are going to grow.


Jessalee Konlock
Copyright ©2008 JessaleeKonlock