Latest grocery list

just a short trip this time
milk (rice)
cheese
tortillas
dog food
chew bones
new fish
shampoo
bananas
noodles
alfredo sauce
bread
onion
sesame oil
cereal

summer blueberries…yum?

i got some blueberries for the kids to have. Ehm has never had them. her reaction was not what i was expecting. she got a tart one right off the bat, and she made the cutest face.

but she tried again after spitting that one out. and she loves them. the 3 pound package was gone in about two days. those girls can pack away the berries!

how do you feel about blueberries?
what kind of berries do you like?
as always; thanks for reading…

My Story in Photos: Patriotic Edition {how we spent the day}

first a big shout out to all the military men and women past and present who fought and gave their time and lives so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. thanks to the family members too. what a sacrifice you give to others every day. so we had no money to go away for the fourth. but we weren't planning on it either. daddy-o had to work on the 3rd and i had to work on the 4th. i work from 11p to 7a and we weren't sure if there would be time in the day for me to see the kids enjoy fireworks or not, so when daddy-o got home at 3:30a on sat morning, we woke the girls and lit fireworks. yea for walmart and combo pack for $7. the fireworks were lots of fun. this is us lit by one of the fireworks. we are sitting on the back deck wrapped in blankets to keep the skeeters away. (Jam is in bed. i did not feel like dealing with a cranky 7 month old, so we let him sleep, he would not remember it anyway) and yes we are in our pajamas

of course there must be a kissing pic too. i am glad we have the independence to marry whomever we see fit. and i am glad to be married to daddy-o.

i really like the fountainy effect of this one.

sparklers have always been my favorite. here is Yah. you can just see her face.

she is concentrating hard on not letting any sparks get on her. looks like she is not having fun, but she said she loves "sparkers."

Ehm did not know what to think, but daddy-o convinced her it was ok.

then she went crazy flinging sparks everywhere. (notice the glow of  Yah's face on the left)

of course you have to try to make a perfect circle with your "sparker."

now it is my turn. i have a remote shutter in one hand and the sparkler in the other. i absolutely love sparklers. you can take away all the rest of the fireworks, just leave me some sparklers and i'm good. (looks like i have three legs hahaha)

well after sparklers we went back to bed. daddy-o and Yah went to home depot for the kids workshop. she made a bird house and a picnic caddy. when they came home about noon, i got up and we played. daddy-o has been working on getting the pool ready for Yah's birthday party (three weeks to go)  Yah wants to have a "mermaid party." Ehm wanted in the pool, of course, she is a water baby! so daddy-o held her over the side and let her get all wet. when they came in, she took all of her clothes off and her diaper. she would not let me put a clean one back on. Ehm declared her independence from diapers (for a while) and insisted on playing us all a song on the piano (she sang too).

you can see how pleased she is with herself. yeah for "independence" day!

i did convince her to put on a diaper finally. Yah wore her home depot apron all day. she got a notebook, pen, and tape measure to put in the pockets too, just like daddy-o. he works the night restocking shift there.

here are all three kids together. aren't we blessed? hooray for the independence to have a family of your own!

no independence day is complete with out a barbecue! we went to papa and grandmas to partake of one. the kids were playing and having a great time.

Jam decided he had the freedom to have a pink binki. (or rather his mom did) but he liked it just the same.

 Yah played with this little light. her eyes are so pretty.

Jam has the freedom to be a mechanic on the tricycle, or to chew in the pedal (same thing.) i am thankful for the freedom we have to choose our own careers.

this is the tree in the back yard well and us of course, in our patriotic outfits. yes i planned what each of us would wear. as a mom i have the freedom to veto outfits on any special occasion. you can choose for yourself every other day.

we did get to stay long enough to shoot off more fireworks at papa and grandma's. here are all the girls (left 2 right) corky (2), baba (4),  yah (almost 7), ehm (20 mo). they sat there and yelled out the color of the sparks. too cute.

Jam got to see then too, and he loved it. he just stared and stared and had a funny look on his face. he was really trying to figure out what was going on with all that pretty light.

sun has just set and the show is started.

the kids had a blast. they liked the few that screamed the most. corky tried to whistle too. and Ehm just screamed back at them. then the older girls had to do it too.

i like the glow of the sky in these here. it is difficult to get good pics of fireworks. first it is dark and how do you know where to focus and then i can't figure how to adjust the time setting for the shutter, well and there is only one day each year when we get to light fireworks. no wonder why i got so-so shots. i like them just the same and the memory is here to stay.

it was really fun to watch our shadows "jumping" on the wall behind us. hard to tell in the photo, but it was comical.

after we were done here, i had to go to work and that was the end of the day.

i am glad that our independence lasts for more than just a day. i rejoice in the knowledge that we have the opportunity to be forever free from the bondage of sin and that Christ paid my debt on the cross. so that one day i may live with Him forever.

i am also glad that God gives us free will to choose or not, but He loves us just the same.

i look forward to seeing other's patriotic edition posts. just click on the link below to see more great photo stories. and you should post yours too and tell us what are your traditions and memories of independence day. mr. linky will be open all week. you know you want to...

thanks for reading...

hot tub man

so, here i sit eating chili cheese fritos...how i love them, but i only eat them once in a great while when there is no husband or kids in sight or within smelling distance...which means i eat them at work. i eat my fritos in a nice way, i just hold it in my mouth until all the chili goodness is sucked off. this, i think, prolongs the enjoyment. and also means i will stop with just one small snack sized bag. if i just horked them down, which i have done, i will eat a family sized bag in one sitting! this is not good for my waist line or my cholesterol, but who really keeps track of that until it is life or death? i run the night audit shift at a wonderful hotel...so there is some down time which needs to be filled and tonight the vending machines were calling to me. well i was on the fourth floor any way. a guest came in and said "i want your penthouse suite." i said very upbeat, "sure thing coming right up"...it was then that i realized he was serious...and that he was slightly (or maybe more) intoxicated. i quoted the rate and he didn't blink an eye, just flipped me his card and waited for keys. well i checked him in and wished him a good night. a while later, phone rings "front desk this is christina, may i help you?" hot tub man was on the other line. he says "there is something wrong with this tub in here" i asked what was the problem. "the jet covers keep blowing off" well i have never been in a hot tub that is in a room since my wedding night and i don't remember any thing about the tub, so i offer to move him to a different room. i ask if he wants to get the key or have me bring it to him. he says "well, i'm naked so could you just bring it to me?" ahh...sure. i take him the key and stop by the vending room while waiting for the elevator to come back up, why do they put that room right next to the elevator? oh yeah, convenience, right. so i wilt under the pressure, i am doing a good job at my job so i can have a little treat, a mug root beer and fritos. ahh bliss. phone rings again, hot tub man..."this tub is doing the same thing! i want you to come up here and look at it so you can see what is going on. give us about ten minutes so we can get dressed and then come look." first of all i am freakin out! i have never gone into an occupied guest room. are they planning to murder me, or hurt me? ahhh! deep breath, things are going to be all right. people only do psycho things like kill the desk clerk in the movies...right? right. off i go, still shaking. now to the third floor and in to the room. hot tub wife is on chair, visibly intoxicated. "hi there!" now i know something is wrong...do i stay or do i go? around the corner to the hot tub, full of water. now i get it they are going to drown me and the housekeepers will find me in the morning. "see that right there? that thing keeps coming out" sure enough it is a jet cover. i reach in and screw it back into the tub. "well lets try it again." hot tub man starts the tub and the thingy flies off again. :well sir i an very sorry. i will go and check the tub in a different room and you can move there if you like?" "i came here for a romantic night with my wife and now it is ruined. i don't want to move again. this is just wrong, i want you to comp my room." "well i will have to call my manager, i don't know if i can so that without a manager's code. i can move you, and i will make sure the tub is working before i move you." "no you call your manager and get my room for free. this is not your fault i am not taking this out on you. but i want this to be fixed. this is wrong." "yes sir, i agree, i'm sorry for the inconvenience to you and your wife. i will call my manager and see what i can do to make this right. i will call you back in ten to fifteen minutes." "yeah, you talk to him and get this fixed. and you need to call me and tell me what he said." first of all my manager is a gal. i call mrs h and tell her situation. she says "offer to discount the room. give discounted rate and let them move again if they want. if they choose to stay then charge them for a regular king room since tub is not working." "okeydokie, by the way, sorry for ringing you at 1:00 am, sleep well. see you tomorrow" call hot tub man and tell him what manager said he is very and i mean very upset. "i want this to be a free room, i am trying to have a romantic night with my wife and now it is ruined!" "well, i can move you again, or you can stay where you are and i will give you x rate." "i want to stay where i am. do you think that $40 is going to make a difference? i will not move again. do not change the rate of my room, i will come down in the morning and talk to your manager face to face and i will work this out myself." "ok i will leave your rate the way it is and you can talk to my manager in the morning. have a good night sir." wow now i am really glad that i got these fritos. i did need some comfort food, i know that you aren't supposed to turn to food for the answers, but it is 1:30 in the morning and everybody that i would normally talk to are all sleeping, it seems selfish to wake them. oh no, the phone is ringing again! hot tub man again! "hey, how do i get this tv to show me my dvd?" *sigh of relief* "well sir, simply push the source button and blah blah blah." "sure 'nuff there it is, great." i am now out of fritos...maybe i will get some more, it has been a stressful night. ok i will write out my experience as a way to distract myself...right, good idea. this is the responsible option right? interesting side bar: my relief in the morning is a guy, j. hot tub man will think the manager is a guy...hahaha.

just for the record, this is an older post, but it is true and i thought it was funny. join in the tst fun click on the button to see other stories and to add yours as well.

hooray! Ehm is six months old and now she can start solid foods. rice is by far her favorite and she likes carrots too. as you can see, she is a very happy baby. she likes swinging and music. she has learned how to sit up on her own and that makes me very proud. even though she is little and the doctors say she has failure to thrive, she is getting her develop-mental milestones just fine. yes she is little, but she is sure smart! God has blessed our family with a cute baby.