A resolution (other wise known as the longest history in the history of posts)

"It is both relaxing and invigorating to occasionally set aside the worries of life, seek the company of a friendly book...from the reading of 'good books' there comes a richness of life that can be obtained in no other way."
Gordon B. Hinckley

I have always loved reading, but in recent years life has just gotten in the way and other things have filled my free time. After seeing a resolution from one of my friends blogs (who I also stole the quote from, thanks Erin!!) and recieving a kindle for Christmas I decided I needed to get back into reading.

The resolution I stole from Erin was to read 50 books this year, which if you do the math averages a book a week.Yikes.

Well, I've reached the half way point and it's been a blast! If you're looking for a book, take a peek, also if you can recommend any I'm always looking for a new one :)

1. D is for Deadbeat: I am a fan of Janet Evanovich and her books and I was looking for something similar, this totally fit the bill. The books are about a female detective that finds herself in funny and semi suspensful predicaments. They are a real quick read and very entertaining.

2. The girl who played with fire: I loved this series. It's a little darker than I normally choose, but I absolutely

LOVED the first one, and I thought the second would be just as good, I wasn't disappointed.

3. The Help: I'm sure you've seen this at the top of many book club lists. This was a good book

written during the 60's about African American women working as hired help in homes of white women in

Mississippi.

4. The Omnivore's Dilemma: This was an interesting and eye opening book about food production in the U.S.

In it was included a short book titled Food Rules, which is a quick guide book for anyone looking for a simpler healthier

way to eat. This gave me a lot to think about and we've made a few changes in our eating habits, and I'd love to make

a few more.

5. E is for Evidence: another Sue Grafton

6. I is for Innocent

7.C is for Corps

8. The happiest Toddler on the block: When Ambrose was an infant I read The Happiest Baby on the Block and found

some of the ideas pretty helpful. This book however wasn't quite as helpful, but I did underline a few things and plan to skim it again.

9. K is for Killer

10. Art of Racing in the Rain: I am not a dog person even a little bit, but this book ranks at the top of my favorites.

It had everything love, happiness, heartbreak, suspense..... I loved reading this book.

11. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. This is another one of my top books thus far. It started out sad, but

the end is so feel good I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's a great summer read!

12. Have a little faith: I've read all of Mitch Alboms books, and liked them all.If you've read Tuesday's

with Maurie, this book is very similar.

13. P is for PEril

14. The toddlers busy book: this book had lots of fun ideas of activities to do with Ambrose.

It was on sale, other wise, I never would have bought it. It has some cute ideas but nothing fantastic.

15. Roses

16. The hunger games: this was the first of many young adult fictions I've read recently. I had head great things about it

but put off reading it. After a while I gave in, and I'm so glad that I did. I really like this book series and am really

looking forward to the third book coming out.

17. Love walked in: This was an ok, but not great. I actually tried to read another book by the same author

and couldn't get through it (which I can count on one hand how many times that's happened).

18. The happiness project: Erin's book club was reading this book, so I decided to tag along.

There wasn't anything life changing in this book, but it was so great to hear someone else who had an awesome blessed

life sometimes get a case of the blah's too.

19. The girl who kicked the hornets nest: the third book in the Stieg Larsson sieres. This book

is the final book in the series and bring closure to the characters and was another great book.

20. The lightning theif: this is the second young adult fiction series that sucked me in. This is the first

book in the percy Jackson series and it's a great quick read. I look forward to making my way through these books.

21. Sizzling 16: I started this series a couple of years ago and they're a lot of fun to read. They're quick, funny and

just the right ammount of mystery. This one however was my least favorite of all 16.

22. Catching Fire: This is the second book in the Hunger Games series and I found it to be just as

enjoyable as the first. Another quick and entertaining read, I look forward to the third!

23. Little bee: I initially shyed away from this book because I thought it was going to be a dowern. While there

are some serious and sad parts in the book, it wasn't a (total) downer and I'm so glad that I decided to pick it up.

24. The Sea of Monsters: the second book in the Percy Jackson series.

25. The girlfriends guide to toddlers: I read The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy when I was pregnant

and it was funny and had some good "advice." The toddler version I found not quite as good. I kept waiting to laugh

like I did in the previous book, but I never really did. I started skimming the book about 70 percent of the way through.

Thank you

We've been working on saying or signing thank you (as well as help, the sign you'll see in the video), but when prompted to say thank you, he usually responds with "you're welcome" (well a toddler version of you're welcome).

Another chapter

We are soaking up all the last moments of the beach life because today we bought tickets to move back home.

I am surprised at how sad I am that this short chapter is coming to an end. Initially, I was tentative to move out here. The town is small, it's far from the city, not real close to john's work and last but not least, I am NOT a water, well specifically ocean, person. Have I told you about how much of a ocean person I am NOT? No, let me share with you....

On my honeymoon John and I went to the romantic island of Hawaii. I knew I wasn't a surfing, swimming snorkeling type of a beach person, I was more of a lay in a lawn chair with magazines, books and drinks with umbrella's type of beach person. John however, is the exact opposite. I recognized this and was content to let us each enjoy the beach in our own way, John on the other had was going to make me an ocean convert. So....on the first day of our honeymoon he convinces me to just get in up to my waist. He reluctantly drags me in and for a few moments, I'm enjoying it, it's not so bad, the rhythmic motion of the waves was nice and it really was picturesque. The enjoyment however came to an abrupt halt when I was pummeled by a wave. I was turned pot over tea kettle and drug along the sand and came dangerously close to having my bathing suit bottoms washed out with the wave. I come out if the ordeal with half a beach worth of sand in my hair, pulling up my bathing suit bottoms and bleeding from my waist. I assume that the ocean and I have mutual feelings toward one another and I vow to spend the rest of my honeymoon on the beach.

Fast forward a couple to the last day of my honeymoon, I've remained true to my promise and have not gone into the ocean again. However, I see John almost sprinting in from the water with a huge smile on his face. He tells me that he's never seen snorkeling like this and I HAVE to come and see. I resist at first but he convinces me that I'll regret if I don't, so I schlep myself up to the beach gear rental place and I check out a boogie board with a hole cut out so I just stick my face in and can see the ocean life, but I don't actually have to commit to putting my entire face in the water. It sounds like the best of both worlds and I decide to get that. John also convinces me to grab a snorkel and goggles" just in case."

I reluctantly hop on my boogie board and john pulls me out to where he saw seat turtles, and fish and star fish and blah blah blah. We get out there and john tells me to put my head into the hole and take a look. I do, and I must admit, it was like looking at an underwater post card. It was beautiful. I decide john is right, I'll regret it if I don't take put on my goggles and snorkel and take a better look. I'm certainly not swimming around, but I'm on the surface of the water, spread eagle, head in the water and not drowning and dare I say, enjoying it. However the enjoyment was short lived again because from behind one of the rocks comes an eel. It may has well have been a man eating Parana. I immediately take my head out of the water and try and scream at John. But, when I go to scream at him, I can't even open my mouth. I'm sure this is sounding a little melodramatic, but trust me, when I say I could not open my mouth, I COULD NOT open my mouth, my jaw locked shut. with the snorkel in it. I try and free it, can't. I stressed myself out so much my jaw locked shut. For Pete's sake. I flail back to shore (where John doesn't even notice I've left) with my boogie board and a barely breathing because the tube-y part of the snorkel keeps going underwater somehow and water keeps making it's way through the tube-y thing and into my mouth, thus almost drowning while my head is completely above water.

I reach the shore, again try and free the snorkel and realize it's still stuck. Well, hmm, now what? I certainly am not going back in the ocean,so there I sit on my beach chair, looking through a magazine,.....with a snorkel in my mouth.

So, you can see how I was less than thrilled to be living on the beach, but John is very persuasive and so beach life it was. I am happy to say that I could not have been more wrong. These last 4 months have been one of the highlights of our time as a family. The life out here is simple, we don't have anywhere we have to be (well at least Ambrose and I, someone has to bring in the bacon around here) and our daily uniform is a bathing suit (and even that is being generous for one of us). To top all of our beach time, John's work has required significantly less of him lately and he has been home more in the last 4 months than in the last 5 years.

So, we again close a chapter on our life feeling incredibly blessed.

Father's Day

This is what he was meant to do. He had no idea and I'm not sure he expected it, but he was/is meant to be a father. His true gift and calling in life is to love his little boy in only a way that he can, if only I could put into words how well he does it.

Even at 15 months, I see the feelings are totally mutual. To see Ambrose interact with John is to see love as an action. The smiles, squeals, laughter and just plane old contentedness is in full force when this little boy is with his dad. I watch Ambrose just soaking up all that is John, he immediately runs to him after John walks through the door and Ambrose doesn't let him out of his sight until he goes to bed.

So today I want to recognize the father that he is not just today, but every day.... engaged, loving, nurturing and patient, all the time. with out fail!

Happy father's day!

Atlanta

As luck would have two days after Ambrose and I returned from our month long vacation John had to be in Atlanta for a week for work. Initially the thought of traveling with a mobile toddler for one more second made me break out in hives, but after a lot of thought I figured if John's job allows us to be together we need to take them up on it. So, Ambrose and I flew in on Saturday night (did I tell you how awful it was, 2hr delay, then flight cancellation, rebooking, another delayed flight and finally ending up at our destination without our luggage....good first impression Delta), unpacked delayed luggage on Sunday, repacked Monday morning and hit the road for our 5hr road trip.

After a fairly painless drive we arrived in Atlanta only to discover that we arrive in the heart of rush hour traffic. Fantastic and a total stress free way of starting our "family adventure", as john so affectionately called it. As we sat in traffic I started to feel a little panicky. I'm not a big city driver, I'm not aggressive enough, I always seem to end up in the exit only lane and when not in an exit only lane I'm darting across three lanes as I cut off a handful of people trying desperately not to miss my exit. I began to feel that Ambrose and I were going to sight see in our room the entire time because there was no way I was getting out and driving anywhere. John reminded me that I'd be out in not rush hour traffic and I had my Droid navigation system.

Let me tell you, I stressed and stressed and stressed about getting that phone. Not only is there the expense of the phone, but the new monthly expenses that go along with having a smart phone. In the end I went for it, and that phone earned it's keep while in Atlanta. I can't sing the praises of that navigation system enough. Even when I miss my exit, or miss my street the thing reroutes me and somehow I magically end up at my location. Love love love it.

We first went and saw the aquarium, I wasn't sure what Ambrose was going to think, but the love for fish must be in his genes because he couldn't get enough of the place. He ran from aquarium to aquarium babbling and pointing. There were very few moments he was confined to his stroller because I just couldn't keep him in there. He loved it.

after our success at the aquarium I though this kid was going to loose his animal loving mind at the zoo, and he might have, if he could see the animals. I was constantly pointing at things in the distance, and I couldn't get him to look further out than the fence or the dirt and leaves surrounding the enclosures.

Here he is, he loved the dirt around the fence, loved pointing to the water, but I know he never even notice the giraffe's. There was a petting zoo, an elephant undergoing some sort of a blood draw who was nice and close and some beautiful birds, but other than that, I don't think he really saw many animals.

He did go on the carousel, which of course I'd pick the one animal that was stationary the whole ride, but despite the unamused look on his face he really seemed to enjoy it.

We also went on the train, which was a great escape from the heat as it wound through the grounds of the zoo, he played on a playground and for the most part I just let him wander around stopping at what he found interesting. I think he had a wonderful time, but as far as the animals go, he was more enthralled with the birds in the Wal mart parking lot.

You win some you loose some.

Life is good

We are back at the beach and life is good. The swim lessons we had back in SD were great, but have created a little evil knievel. He runs head first into the nearest body of water and expects to sprout gills and swim. This has yet to happen so I'm frantically running around trying to save him from his sink or swim moment at a mere 14mo old.

You'd think the waves would deter him slightly, but not so much. He's been knocked over a couple of times, not because I'm a neglectful parent and don't pay attention, but because the kid goes gang busters into the ocean and thinks hand holding is for sissy's. I am all sorts of nervous when it comes to water, so if he doesn't hold my hand I'm grabbing on to the back of his shirt ( so much so that many of his shirts have a strange stretched out spot between his shoulder blades).

You'll also note the beach attire we've been donning lately (which makes hand holding absolutely necessary). The amount of sandy laundry I've been doing is ridiculous, so to minimize it, Ambrose has been basking in the sun European style, diaper, hat and copious amounts of SPF gabillion. Despite the strong sunscreen the little guy is sporting the cutest sun tan.

We're soaking up every last second at t he beach because (for the millionth time) they're forecasting the oil will be coming our way :(

playing catch up

Going to play a quick game of catch up and then hopefully start updating with some regularity.

We are back from S.D (for about two weeks, yikes, I'm behind) it was so much stinkin fun. I've always loved my times back home with family (mainly because of all the helping hands), but this time has topped the charts. My little guy is at such a fun age, and to experience all that my home town had to offer with him was amazing.

Ambrose loves all things animals so off we went to Old MacDonalds farm. They can bite, bark or charge him and he just keeps right on smiling. With his love of animals and early wake ups, this kid would make a great farmer :)

*right after this pic was taken the baby goat in the picture climbed right up on Ambrose's back and stood there like he'd climbed a mountain. Ambrose of course, didn't care.

Here he is practicing his goatwhispering skills.

We went to Storybook island (the name says it all), and he had a blast.

We ended our trip with a visit to Story time at the library. Ambrose and I went last week, and he sat with me for 90% of the time, which for this on the go, in your face, screeching little guy, was completely out of character. Although quiet, he seemed to enjoy it so we went back again this week. However, the said on the go, in your face, screeching little boy came back with a vengeance and he chose to sit about 10% of the time this time, and truthfully it was only because we fed him. I was a little horrified, but, he was in fidgity company and there was much more wandering around babbling than listening to any story, so I just let him wander.

here he is sitting, but only because he has a mouth full of Life cereal, without it, he's loud and on the go.

The reading minor in me would love to say that his favorite part of the morning was the book reading, song singing or finger puppets, but no, he much preferred pushing/tipping over the chairs surrounding the bead and wire toy. All boy this one.

While at Story book island there's a train that takes the kids around the park. My little guy is about as independent as they come, but even this I thought would test his limits. They told me I could walk next to the train and see how he does, if he cries, just let them know and they'll stop and take him out. I expected to be removing a puffy eyed snotty nosed kid shortly after leaving the station, but we went for it. I started out walking next to him, but soon realized he had no need for me there. He rode all by himself, and didn't look back once. The roles were sure reversed on that ride, it certainly wasn't Ambrose puffy eyed and snotty nosed. He is growing up so fast.

* He looks so little. Apparently it's not routine to throw a 14month old on the train and wave goodbye.