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.

A couple of firsts and one repeat.

So in case you didn't know, recently it was my birthday. As I am sure most of you do, I received some cash. Usually I am totally money conscious and I apply it toward bills and what not. But this year, I really wanted to do something fun with my money. After hohuming about a couple of different options (A day at Catalina, a short weekend trip away with the men in my life) I decided on the gift that will last throughout the year. Tuesday the 23rd Sam experienced Disneyland for the first time. We had such a good time, but note to parents, 14 month year olds are still too young for Peter Pan and really any ride that is kinda dark on the inside. He did okay on the Storybook Land tour and the Ferris Wheel at California Adventure, but beyond that, it was a tough time for Sam. But he enjoyed Pluto! ;)Another first we experienced is below. I decided it was time for Sam to get a haircut. I thought about this one too and though I wanted a wonderful memory in a cute little shop somewhere, I thought it would be less traumatic if I did it myself. Sam was such a good boy. The only thing I might have done differently is to have done a number 3 instead of a number 1. I am getting "chemo baby" comments from the fam. Here is the before...
And the after....
Friday night we had the opportunity to go to the LA County Fair. Now, as I stated in the title of this blog, this is not Sam's first time at the fair. We got to go last year when Sam was 2 months old. Daddy and son got this cute little picture together. Quite funny if I do say so myself.
So, try as he might, Matt could not find the same cut out board for this year's picture. So we had to settle for this one:
Still pretty cute if I do say so myself. Well, I have to go get Sam some dinner. Hope all is going well in all of your lives!

Breaking News!

So I don't expect to post this often, but I had to come on and share this with the world. I knew Sam would be getting close, but this is about as good as it gets. I am so proud of Sam.

Mind you, it is just a few steps, but seeing as he just started standing a couple of weeks ago, I am so proud of his accomplishment. I can seriously credit his tractor in helping him go. This is the John Deere Sit and Scoot Activity Tractor made by Learning Curve and given to him for his birthday by his Uncle Rob, Aunt Angela, and cousins Ryan and Aidan. He absolutely loves pushing around this thing.

This was probably a video shot in late August. At this point, as shown in the video, it was pushing it until he ran into something, then getting on the other end and pushing again. Sorry for the length of it, feel free to stop it. A couple of weeks ago, he turned pro and started steering the thing around the house. Pretty soon it will no longer be used to push, but instead to sit on. How quickly they grow up. (insert sad face here, lol.)

Gosh, he is napping now, but I am on cloud nine! My little boy can walk!

Day at the Park

Today Matt finally had a day off from his full time job so we could spend some time together as a family. After a great lunch at Hometown Buffet, I had him swing by Slauson Park in Azusa so we could play with Sam for a while. I also wanted to get some pics of the weather per my dad's request. It is a cute little park that also has a pool attached to it. The pool is awesome. It has a large slide available to kids and a little splash zone, but sadly, it is now closed for the season.

Of course, our first stop with a baby almost toddler is the infant swings. Sam for the first time truly loved it. He smiled and laughed.

Matt and Sam had a good old time playing on the swing.

Here is a still I just love...
Then, it was my turn to get in on the fun.
Thank goodness for timers on the camera. Had we known we were taking pictures, I think we may have dressed a bit differently, but hey, I am representing (though they are as rotten as rotten eggs) and Matt is still in work clothes from doing a part time shift earlier. Sam looks great thanks to some snazzy clothes from Becky and shoes from Grandma Judy.
Sam poking Matt's eye out.
Ahhh bab bab bab bab bab. Sam and I making noises on our hands.

It was such a nice day. Not too hot, so jeans were an option to wear... finally! I LOVE autumn. Welcome Fall, good riddance Summer! Until next time...

Sick of it all

I am sure I am not the only one, but I am going crazy with all of the political crap being inundated on us. The sad thing is, it is only September. How did it ever get like this? You know, I am really too young to know any different, but my guess is that it was not like this 20 years ago. There were no "I approve this message" commercials, only what mattered: debates. I could be sadly mistaken, but it seems counterproductive what they do. The sad thing is, it's not! People judge their votes by commercials because we don't have the time or will to do the research. I am not criticizing this approach; I totally understand it. I for one am so sick of hearing all the politics that I really don't want to make the effort. Not to mention that I feel like my vote totally does not count. IMO, unless you live in one of those swing states, it is pretty obvious what your vote is going to do. On the other hand, if everyone felt the way I do, our electoral system would not work. So, let's all get ready to endure another 7 or so weeks of hell. Just get this dang election over so we can return to worrying about the economy, war, natural disasters, and all the other wonderful stories waiting to be reported on.