Story Time-Oatmeal

I can't make a decent bowl of Oatmeal. I would stop there but it probably needs to be a documented and proven fact for you to believe me. That, or Brynner and Rusty both hate oatmeal which is practically impossible in every way. Our dog will eat anything. Well that's not entirely true. He won't eat two things...and I can only think of one thing right now-olives. So back to the fact that I can't make oatmeal.

A couple weeks ago I made Brynner some strawberries and cream instant oatmeal. Yes it was the instant kind, the kind with sugared dehydrated strawberries in it and I happen to love it. I put in the 1/2 cup recommend amount of water. Pop it into the microwave (Not to go off on a tangent or anything but I think I've watched Sandra Lee WAY too much for one life time. Does it bug anyone else how often she uses the word Pop?! Makes me insane and there I go and use it!) for the recommended minute and wait. I can see the deliciousness bubbling up through the microwave window. It beeps. I take it out. I realize it's probably the same temperature as liquid lava. I put it in the freezer. I wait. The only problem is Brynner doesn't want to wait any longer. So I start to jump up and down in my PJ's singing Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree as animated and loud (with full blown hand actions) as I could. After the third round and a little Itsy Bitsy Spider thrown in the mix the oatmeal had finally cooled down enough and this is kind of how it went down.

Me: Mmmmm...Strawberry Oatmeal...

Brynner: Gag

Me: You OK buddy? Here's some more! Hmmm... Oatmeal!

Brynner: Dry heave

Me: My gosh are you OK? Do you have something in your mouth? Let Mama see....what's in there? .... Nothing, try again. Hmmmm...Strawberry Oatmeal!

Brynner: Gag. Gag. Dry Heave

Me: OK maybe you don't like this kind. We'll try another day.

A week later....

Me: Hmmmm....Cinnamon Oatmeal!!!!

Brynner: Dry Heave

Me: See look, Mommy will take a bite!! Hmmmm...Oatmeal!!! Your turn!!

Brynner: Gag. Throw up.

Me: Oh No! Sorry baby, no more oatmeal I promise!

What do I do next? Scoop the left over yummy oatmeal that suddenly doesn't look that yummy, into Rusty's bowl. And it kind of went down like this...

Me: Hmmm....Oatmeal!!! (Scrape, Scrape).

Rusty: chomp, slurp, inhale....... Gag. Gag. Dry Heave. Throw up.

Me: You've got to be kidding me!!!!!!!!! My oatmeal is NOT THAT BAD!!!

So it's now documented and proven that I shouldn't be allowed to make oatmeal. My dog who will not eat olives and one other thing I can't remember; now won't eat olives, one other thing I can't remember, AND my Oatmeal. Sigh...

All in a days fun!

It's 11:00 am. I decide I want to take some pictures to kill some time while Mr. Roska is at work. I wasn't ready yet and Brynner had just woken up from his nap. I quickly get ready, feed Brynner lunch, clean up and get him ready. I gather up the camera, tripod, jacket, snacks, keys, and throw it all in the stroller. I have one hour left before the next nap time, gotta hurry! I turn on the security alarm and open the back door just in time to see the first few splatters of rain on the concrete. Darn it! I look up at the sky and think by the time we walk there, it will be over with. Just as I have this thought, the heavens open and a good down pouring begins. Not to be defeated, I decide to take some picture on our front porch. Not my first choice, but it would have to do. I close the back door and wheel the stroller to the front door. By this time our security system had set and as I opened the door, the ear bending alarm goes off! I'm trying to keep Rusty from bolting out the door while digging through the stroller to find my car keys and turn off the ruckus (we have a key less entry for our alarm system). Crisis averted. I lock the door, look outside and lo and behold the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Perfect! Now if only I could get Brynner to cooperate like that. Most of the time I got pictures of a screaming toddler trying to rip chunks out of my hair. On the other hand, a grumpy face is what I need sometimes to make me smile.

While setting up the camera and tripod and looking for that darn self timer button, I pulled out 9 leaves, 2 rocks, 3 pieces of bark, and about 5 handfuls of grass out of Brynners mouth. Even with all these glorious distractions, I had squeezed in a few more shots then I had anticipated. Feeling satisfied, my little boy and I strolled leisurely back home just in time for his afternoon nap. I was excited for Mr. Roska to see the fruits of my labor. All in a days work. Or should I say, all in a days fun!

6th year!

Our wedding anniversary was last Sunday. I can't believe it's already been six years! I'll try and not be too mushy because frankly no one but Brad probably wants to hear this kind of a thing anyway. So that's my disclaimer-read on at your own risk!

Brad knows me well and surprised me Saturday with a 1/2 day at the Sanctuary Day Spa. (Holly, next time he knows to book it at Sycamore Massage and Bodywork!) It was heavenly with a foot treatment, body massage, sea scrub, herbal tea with scones, and to end it all with a good sit in the steam room followed by a nice hot shower-basically the works and I loved it! Then my Mom came over and watched Brynner so we could go out to dinner (thank you Mom!). We went to Ruth's Chris. It was soooo good! I felt especially fancy because Brad had called ahead and had a bottle of sparkling pear/apple cider chilling in a bucket by our table. Just like our wedding night! We had such a great time being alone together outside of our house and without child in tow. It was a very much needed night out! I hope he feels how in love with him I am. I'm so attracted to him in every way. He's such a good dad and husband. He knows how to lighten a mood and make me feel better no matter what ails me. I can honestly say I like who I am when I'm around him. He has taught me to stress a little less, to not be so critical of myself, and to not hold back a laugh when something amuses me. I love you Brad, Happy Anniversary!

Just look at my handsome hubby of six years! ahhhhh....

High School Tag

I haven't done a tag for a while so why not! 1. Did you date someone from your school? Sure did. It's kind of hard not to when there is only one high school within 30 miles or so. 2. What kind of car did you drive? The 'Grandma car' was my favorite, Purplish/Brown Buick. Fact: We named it that not only because it looked as though a grandma might drive it but it was, in fact, my Grandma's car before we got it. 3. Did you pass your driver's license test on the first try? I'm comin' clean... I never took the driving test, only the written exam. My teacher said I didn't need to. Gotta love the great example South Summit is to impressionable young minds! :) 4. Were you a party animal? No. I was a good child, not perfect, but good. 5. Were you considered a flirt? Good question. I probably was. After high school I got pretty good at it but I'm not sure during high school? 6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Choir; we called it Tapestry. 7. Were you a nerd? No 8. Were you on any varsity teams? Cheerleading 9. Did you get suspended/expelled? No. Good child, remember? 10. Can you still sing the fight song? Not without the music. And maybe not with it either. 11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mz and Mr. Draper. Mr. Dougherty was just so different I always enjoyed seeing what he'd say next....but I wouldn't say he was a favorite. 12. Where did you sit during lunch? Usually in the far north hall in front of our lockers. Even when I was a senior my Dad would pack lunches for me sometimes. I remember he'd always pack like 10 cookies for me. It was really cute. I remember he would write me notes sometimes on my napkin. I'm definitely going to do that with my kids. I loved it. 13. What was your school's full name? South Summit High School 14. School mascot and colors? I remember I dressed up as the mascot once at a football game. so fun! We were The Wildcats and our colors were Kelly green and white. 15. Did you go to Homecoming and who with? I recall a formal dress up dance...but others are saying it was just a regular dance. Either way I'm sure I went and I'm sure it was with Tyler. 16. If you could go back and do it again, would you? I wouldn't go back but I do wish I would have done a few things differently. My biggest regret is not hanging out with just the girls more often. 17. What do you remember most about graduation? It's all kind of fuzzy. I remember the all night party after graduation and I won a Leatherman (then traded it for a vacuum with Curtis Cox) We danced, ate a lot of food, and I tried, key word tried, to roller blade down the halls just so I could say I did the same thing my brother did at his all night grad party. I also remember hanging out with Ben and Dave afterward at Dave's house. 18. Where did you go senior skip day? Lagoon 19. Were you in any clubs? I think I was in FBLA and GYC even though I couldn't prove it because I was sick the day all the pictures were taken for the yearbook. 20. Have you gained some weight since then? According to my scale I've actually lost weight. But I also lost all my muscle too :( 21. Who was your prom date? My senior year I went with Cameron Page and all the other years I went with Tyler. 22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? Yes, if we have one... 23. Did you have a job while in high school? Dick's Drive Inn, Levi Outlet, and Yarrow Hotel

Dress up

The other day I saw a jean jacket that Brynner had never worn and thought how cute he would look in it. I was a little sad that he would never wear it outside before he grew out of it. I put him in it and it turned into a fun game of dress up so I took a couple pictures. The game was that I would put on his sunglasses and hurry and snap pictures before he could take them off. He won most of the time. I managed to get a couple cute ones in between trying to get him to sit still and get Rusty (our dog) out of the way. Finally I took a couple pictures of Rusty with the glasses on and he wanted nothing to do with us. A little reverse physchology was just what he needed.

It's about time I posted some pictures from the last couple months. Brynner really has turned into a little man lately. He can say Dada, give kisses, crawl, feed himself, pull himself up on furniture , and gets into everything! I can't wait to see what he'll do next.

We can always get a smile doing this.

He loves to empty all the toys and books before he plays.

I love him in just his diaper!

He already has the look down when he gets into something he's not supposed to

This is his expression when he's saying MMMMMM!

First tooth! It's coming in crooked and it's all my fault!

He loves to look outside at the tress blowing in the wind.

Uncle Drew pretending to be a Rhino.

Story time! This is his favorite book right now.

When I pull out the camera he crawls over and wants to look into the lens.

Anything he can bang on is his favorite toy!

He thinks grass is funny and sometimes laughs when he feels it.

Working on getting that Cheerio in his mouth!

Cheerio Addict

Brynner has been learning to feed himself finger foods. We usually put him on a towel on the floor so he can crawl around and prey on his cheerios to his hearts content. It's the circle of life...sorry Cheerios! Rusty, our dog, thinks this is the greatest idea because a soggy Cheerio or two always make it his way. This is how we discovered our dog's secret talent in entertaining our son. Brynner thinks it is the funniest thing in the world to see Rusty catching Cheerios and will gladly give up a few! I had to share part of the video we got tonight.