Playing or Working?

As I sit here watching Sam, I still cannot believe where Matt is. Monday he started a new part time job he got through a friend. If you can believe it, some company is paying Matt to test out video games. Now, I find this highly annoying. Admittedly the pay is low ($9/hr), but seriously? SERIOUSLY?! Not that my part time job is horrendous or difficult, really quite the contrary, but I wish I could find a job where I could... say... walk. I love to go out walking. I also thought, "Ok, this is going to be good. Now after playing a game 8 hours there is NO WAY that he will come home and head for his XBox as soon as Sam is asleep." Wrong again. Monday he couldn't wait to plug it in since he had been playing (yes, I did say playing) PSP all day. Sigh. At least he is doing something he loves and is getting paid for it. Isn't that the whole purpose? Well, I on the other hand, have got to change a poopy diaper. (grumbles)

Let's Go Outside!

So Sam has figured out that if he grabs your hand, he can basically lead you (or pull you) wherever he wants to go. Well, it seems the only place he wants to go is out the front door. It is pretty annoying because a) the weather has been getting cooler b) Sam is getting quicker c) Sam is getting more brazen d) outside requires a jacket and shoes e) Sam knows no time of day. But how can you resist when your little boy wants to go outside and explore? You can't.

So yesterday he picked a good time to grab my hand and I had time to grab my camera. Here he is on the way out the door.
Not sure what he was looking at here, but I loved the lips. He has started to say "wow" not really knowing what it is though.
I was trying desperately to get this with him looking at the camera. It WOULD have been a perfect Christmas card with the red and green leaves.
Ok, so Sam of course finds the only thing that could get him into trouble: mushrooms.
It was such a nice day, and it is always sad when we can't go outside, especially for Sam. Pull your fingers away from his hand, and you get a face similar to that shown here:
Ah, you gotta love these times. I know I will miss it when he no longer wants to hold mommy's hand and take her with him... so for now, I will savor every moment.

Seven years and counting...

Well, we finally made it to year seven. :) It seems like yesterday when Matt and I were married in that little church in Rancho Palos Verdes, but at the same time, it seems so long ago. We have come so far, so much has happened, and we have a family finally. I must say, at least on my side, that I am as happy as ever. We are going through tough times right now, but there is no one I would rather have struggling with me at my side. We had a very nice Anniversary. We spent most of the time just hanging out with each other. Tonight we got a sitter (aka Grandma) and had a nice dinner at Bucca di Beppo. Great restaurant... sigh. If you ever go, the green beans are a must. Seven down... many more to go!

Religious Hands

Ok so I came upon this video by accident. I was working late into the night, as usual, and I really needed some music. This is when I turn to Youtube due to a lack of music on the computer. (Don't ask, about 3 months ago I wiped my lappy clean) So listening to Casting Crowns, I saw this video and knew I had to share because I thought it was so cool. Kudos to the Oslo UPC Youth Group for a cool presentation. Enjoy!

What a thriller!

So I found it interesting to hear that they are celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Thriller." They had a huge event worldwide to try and break the record of people simultaneously dancing the thriller dance. So secretly, I have always wanted to learn how to do this, especially after seeing the movie 13 Going On 30. So tonight, I downloaded a three step tutorial learning how to dance the thriller dance. I would link the one I did, but the owner states on their website they want permission that I really don't feel like going through the hassle of getting. Just google it, you will find some. So check in on me and see how it is going! BTW, like the pumpkins??

My 'lil pumpkin!

Today we had the pleasure of going to the Cal-Poly Pomona's Annual Pumpkin Festival with my mom and my sister and her family. It has kinda turned into a family tradition almost. We had such a good time, as usual. There were so many pumpkins, but none compared to my little pumpkin Sam. We took Sam last year when he was just a little baby, but now he is my little boy and was stumbling around the patch. It is so hard to get Sam to look at the camera, but what can I expect? I am just not a professional...

We found this stack of pumpkins and knew it would be a great spot to take some pictures.
Sam was bewildered by the surroundings. He got some use out of some Shaq tennis shoes though.
Left to right: Aidan (22 months) Sam (14 months) Lauren (2.5 months) and Ryan (3 years). What a good looking crew!
Sam and I in the pumpkin patch.
It was such a nice day. A little hotter than I expected, but we survived. I look forward to carving them with Matt and Sam, except for the mess that I have to clean up afterwards! Here's looking forward to a great Halloween!

How many jobs can he apply to?!

I don't know how many of you are aware of Matt's job situation. Let me just say it is crazy. He went to school to be an Air Traffic Controller, got his 2 year degree, was hired, sent to Oklahoma to train, sent to LAX (due to confusion of his experience in the Navy), could not pass Clearance and Delivery, and resigned so he could reapply. He is still in the re-application process.

Since it is taking so long, he has now applied for the CHP. He has made it past the written test, physical ability test and vision test. This makes me a little uneasy, not only because being a cop can be dangerous, but also because the CHP academy is in Sacramento for six months. But the pay is good, and that is a major necessity right now.

So in the meantime, Matt has taken a job selling Nissans, which I thought would be better than Assistant Manager pay at GameStop (it is, but not by much), but the way the economy is going, people are not buying a lot of cars. At least his pay is not strictly commission!

Please keep our family in your prayers. We would love to become a normal functioning family in a normal family and financial situation, but life sometimes throws curves. You have to make lemonade with those lemons.