Black an' Gus

My mom recently traveled to Washington to visit her parents. While there she was watching the evening news where they were sharing "Breaking News" about a man hauling cattle who blew a tire and then had some of his cattle get out on the highway. They had a news helicopter covering the story and it went somewhere like this:

"The guy hauling the cattle got a flat tire and Black and Gus got out on the freeway. Looks like they caught one of them, I'm not sure whether it was Black or Gus..."

Then the news cut back to the anchors in the news studio and the anchor said:

"Yeah, it could be Black and Gus who got out on the freeway...or maybe it was some Black Angus cattle that got out..."

It was a hilarious story!

Water Works

Our neighbors came over Saturday with a surprise for M! It was a wacky sprinkler-thing...obviously I don't know the technical term. So, immediately we got ready for an afternoon in the water. After sunscreen, swim diaper, swim suit and swim cover-up were on, M grabbed her ball and was ready to go out.





Little M was excited to help set the hose up...though she probably didn't help as much as she thought she was!

Isn't she a doll! 96% of her clothing are hand-me-downs from her cousin Kristal. I don't know what I would have done without my wonderful sister Mel sending me all Kristal's old clothes! Plus, it makes me think of them every day.

I really should have gotten a better picture of the wacky sprinkler, but here you can see it. It hooked up to the hose and the tiny hoses coming off the orange hose wiggled around spraying water.

She loved it! She is such a water-rat.

As she always does with water, she immediately tried drinking it.

Our beautiful girl!

Here M is getting water sprayed in her mouth. She thought it was hilarious!

Here Natasha showed M how to run through the sprinkler. Thanks a million Mike and Natasha for making M's day!!!

Chocolate is a Girl's Best Friend!

This was the birthday cake Mr. N wanted for his birthday, but I wasn't able to get the recipe in time. We opted instead to make the cake for Mother's Day, which we celebrated yesterday due to our bout with the stomach flu last week. It was a 4 layer cake with a truffle kind of chocolate in between each layer, and frosted with a ganache at the end. A lot of work, but VERY good.

I actually started the cake Saturday (that is baked the cake part on Saturday), and we finished it together Sunday Morning. Our stink'n church doesn't start until 1 pm so we always have a ton of time before church. Sometimes I feel like we wait all day for church to start, and when we get home the day is over. Anyways, back to the cake. Mr. N did a really good job cutting the layers. I tried cutting one...it didn't turn out so well...

Once our little girl figured out we were dealing with chocolate, she wouldn't take no for an answer. And really, what's wrong with chocolate for breakfast every once and a while!

Check out the pig tails. She slept in them the night before.

I think she thought we'd been holding out on her all this time! Who knew there were such tasty things in the world!





The cake was great! We took it to Lorie Jo's for our belated Mother's Day celebration. Terry grilled steaks and asparagus, Lorie Jo made baked beans and her amazing rolls, and we brought a cabbage salad and the mother of all chocolate cakes. It was a good meal. I'm disappointed though I never took a "final" picture. Oh well, it was GOOD!

We're Going!

I'm actually not as excited about this move as that exclamation point above may indicate. Don't get me wrong, I am excited, but also not. I'm excited to have a change and to be closer to my family, but I'm sad to be moving away from from Mr. N's family. Also, I'm not a huge fan of selling almost everything we own and starting over. :(

A couple days ago we purchased my airplane ticket out east. I'll fly out with Natasha and the babies on August 13th at 11 something pm. We'll arrive in Newark, NJ at 6 am the next day. Mr. N and Mike will leave the morning of the 12th (I think) and make the cross country drive. We're trying to plan it so we arrive in NJ at roughly the same time. We've already started shipping things (M's 3-6 and 6-12 month clothes) to NJ. It's going to be so sad to leave.

Somehow, though, I feel like this move is unifying. This is our first real move together as a family. Granted, we are moving in with my folks, but somehow going together and starting over together makes things seem more real, like we are a family starting our life together. It will be nice when we're all done with school and can move back out west. It will be at least 4 years before that happens though.

Last Weeks Movie Quote

I love last weeks movie quote!

"He's in a vehicle!

Make and Color?

He's in a black....tank!"

Here's a picture of the Black Tank from Batman Begins.

3 Little Monkeys...

Last Wednesday I went upstairs to our neighbor's house to visit. M absolutely loves to visit Bence. She gets so excited when we knock on the door and usually screams in excitement when Bence's Mom opens the door. The first time she did this she really scared poor Bea.

We were excited to see that Leah was visiting while her mom went to the dentist. We got this photo as all the kids sat on the couch to watch Baby Einstein.

Random and unrelated, this is the type of breakfast Mr. N made for me on Mother's Day. Sugar free syrup plus sugar free whipping cream...my blood sugar was even in the right ranges after the meal!

This picture was taken at about 30 weeks. I'm not a fan of pictures after that point, so don't be expecting them. I prefer to rely on my poor memory when it comes to what I looked like later in pregnancy. Less is more. The good thing is this blasted diabetic diet has actually caused me to not gain any weight since about 28 weeks. That's not something I'm use to hearing. Usually it's like 5 lbs gained between every appointment. I'm measuring right on now too, so I'm either not taking on as much amniotic fluid or the baby has slowed down on her growth towards "massive." I have no problems with big babies...I just don't want to get her out! One of the funniest things I ever heard my mother-in-law say was about Ian, her youngest son, when he was born. All her babies had been upper 5 lbs to 7-ish lb babies (I think). When Ian was born he was like 9 lbs or something. I can't remember exactly. She was telling Mr. N, Ian and me about it and said, "Yeah, I don't know what made you such a fat boy!" It was hilarious! Ian got this look of offense on his face and said "Hey!" Mr. N and I just cracked up laughing.

Chinese Zodiac

So, if you had the endurance to read my L-O-N-G post down below, you'll know I had Chinese yesterday while waiting for the windshield to be replaced in our...former car. I was by myself, so I read all about the Chinese Zodiac. It was interesting. So, since I don't want to do the other stuff I need to do, I'll share what I learned with those who care to read! Sorry this is biased towards my family, since I don’t know a lot of birth years of my in-law side. Sorry!

Year of the Rat
(1936, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 2008)
You are ambitious yet honest. Prone to spend freely. Seldom make lasting friendships. Most compatible with Dragons and Monkeys. Least compatible with Horses.

**My real dad is a rat, as is my father-in-law and our new baby will be one as well. My dad is ambitious and likes to spend. My father-in-law is ambitious too I would say, and he is honest. My newest niece Kami is a Rat**
Year of the Ox
(1937, 49, 61, 73, 85, 97)
Bright, patient and inspiring to others. You can be happy by yourself, yet make an outstanding parent. Marry a Snack or Cock. The Sheep will bring trouble.

**I want to be an Ox! Mr. N's sister Lorie Jo's an Ox...lucky!**

Year of the Tiger
(1938, 50, 62, 74, 86, 98)
Tiger people are aggressive, courageous, candid and sensitive. Look to the Horse and Dog for happiness. Beware of the Monkey.
Year of the Rabbit
(1939, 51, 63, 75, 87, 99)
Luckiest of all signs, you are also talented and articulate. Affectionate, yet shy, you seek peace throughout your life. Marry a Sheep or Boar. Your opposite is the Cock.

**My brother-in-law is a rabbit. He’s one of the funniest people I know. He IS NOT shy. I think he could carry on an interesting conversation with a brick wall, and I don’t know if I would classify him as “Seeking peace”. I’m his opposite!!! **My nieces Kayla and Alyssa are Rabbits, and so is Tara, Mr. N's sister and Kayla's mother.****

Year of the Dragon
(1940, 52, 64, 76, 88, 2000)
You are eccentric, and your life complex. You have a very passionate nature and abundant health. Marry a Monkey or Rat late in life and avoid the Dog.

**Mr. N's brother Ian's a Dragon**

Year of the Snake
(1941, 53, 65, 77, 89, 2001)
Wise and Intense with a tendency towards physical beauty. Vain and high tempered. The Boar is your enemy. The Cock or Ox are your best signs.

**My mom is a Snake. She is wise, but not vain. Although she does like to wear jewelry. High tempered? I’m not sure what that means. For the most part she’s easy going, but when she is in a bad mood, run for cover!!! M is a boar…as is my dad (step-dad)…so I sure hope they aren’t her enemies! I’m a cock though, so that means we’re compatible! Mr. N's brother Bryan is a Snake.**

Year of the Horse
(1942, 54, 66, 78, 90, 2002)
Popular and attractive to the opposite sex. You are often ostentatious and impatient. You need people. Marry a Tiger or a Dog early, but never a Rat.

**My sister’s a Horse. I would say it’s mostly accurate…though she might be mad a me for saying so! Good thing she’s in OK! I think Kenny is a horse too?**

Year of the Sheep
(1943, 55, 67, 79, 91, 2003)
Elegant and creative, you are timid and prefer anonymity. You are most compatible with Boars and Rabbits but never the Ox.

**My nephews rj (as my sister has blog-named him) and Braden are sheep.**

Year of the Monkey
(1944, 56, 68, 80, 92, 2004)
You are very intelligent and are able to influence people. An enthusiastic achiever, you are easily discouraged and confused. Avoid Tigers and seek a Dragon or Rat.

**My niece Kara is a Monkey. So is Mr. N's sister Amy and my cousin Hila.**

Year of the Cock
(1945, 57, 69, 81, 93, 2005)
A pioneer in spirit, you are devoted to work and quest after knowledge. You are selfish and eccentric. Rabbits are trouble. Snakes and Oxen are fine.

**I’d rather be an Ox**Year of the Dog
(1946, 58, 70, 82, 94, 2006)
Loyal and honest, you work well with others. Generous yet stubborn and often selfish. Look to the Horse or Tiger. Watch out for Dragons.

**Mr. N’s a dog, and for the most part it fits (minus the whole selfish thing). He’s one of the most unselfish people I know. I wouldn’t categorize him as compatible with my sister (the Horse), though. They get along, but would probably kill each other if they lived together. It’s safe to say that cause I think my sister and I would also kill each other if we had to be roommates! Love ya! My nieces Kymber and Kamber are Dogs too.**

Year of the Boar
(1947, 59, 71, 83, 95, 2007)
Nobel and chivalrous. Your friends will be lifelong, yet you are prone to marital strife. Avoid other Boars. Marry a Rabbit or Sheep.

**My step-dad and Little M are Boars. I’m sure they get along. She’s only 1 though. HYBP (as we nickname my step dad) is noble and chivalrous in his way. He does have friends he’s had forever too.**

So, what is everyone else? Do the descriptions fit???