My Highlight

For me, the highlight of our trip to Vegas was actually visiting the Grand Canyon. It has nothing to do with Vegas, but it has been one of those things that I have wanted to see for a long time. It was even more vast and more impressive than I expected it to be.

We rented a car and drove to the canyon and back in one day. That is one LONG day! The drive is about 4 to 4 1/2 hours each way. We left at 8:00 am and got back to our hotel at about midnight. We were in the park for about 3 hours, and we actually stayed in the park to watch the sunset. We left right after sunset and drove the whole way back to Vegas in the dark. I have to say, it was worth it. It was beautiful.


Here is a pic from our vantage point as the sun was setting! I have no idea who that guy in our photo is....he was in every photo I tried to take. I finally just gave up and let him be in my frame.

I like this pic of Kevin watching the sunset....note the person in the background (again)!

Same guy.....dude in the blue vest! Would be a great photo otherwise, don't you think?!

Some deer (or are those elk?) that we saw on our way through the park. Yes, we were very close!

Trying to show the vastness of the canyon........

Not the best pic of us, I admit, but it proves we were really there!

I have dozens of other photos too, but I am having some problems editing and rotating them right now. I am guessing you don't want to view them at a 90 degree angle! I will try again later!

It's Official

I am officially employable in the USA! I just received my permit yesterday in the mail, complete with lovely mug shot.

I am not sure what I am going to do with the card....but it is nice to at least have the option of working (outside of my house, that is....I do plenty of work at home already). I was feeling a little bit 'limited' (that's really just a nice way of saying trapped) a little while back, so we decided to submit the paperwork for my permit. That way, if some unbelievable opportunity were to present itself at my feet, at least I could pursue it!

Now I just need to find a job that is only a few hours per week, pays really well, preferably with benefits, close to home, understanding of work home life balance, and looking for my skill set! Should be a piece of cake! :)

Thankfulness

Noah brought this drawing home from school yesterday. He was supposed to draw a picture of something he is thankful for. That's me on the left, and it's supposed to be Kevin on the right. I love our haircuts, don't you?



I did notice that Noah conveniently forgot to draw Rebekah in the picture, but he redeemed himself tonight. We went around the table at dinner and each took a turn listing something that we were thankful for. Noah said that he was thankful for Rebekah. :)

Sometimes Mommies Have Wings

Today, my baby lost his very first tooth! It was a long time in the coming, as it has been hanging by a thread for about four weeks now. Noah did everything he could to keep if from falling out. He was so worried that it would hurt, and that it would bleed, that even the lure of the tooth fairy bringing him a reward was not enough to convince him to let us pull it out. He wouldn't bite with it, he wouldn't let us brush it....nothing.

Well, eventually, nature took care of things for us. Noah was playing with a blanket, swinging it around and it must have hit his tooth, because out it flew! We had to search on the floor to find it.



This led to all sorts of questions about the tooth fairy. Where does she live? How does she get into our house? How does she know when I have fallen asleep? Will she still come if the night light is on? etc, etc, etc

This morning when Noah woke up, he told Kevin that he saw the tooth fairy. He said she was small and pink and that she had wings. He said he can't remember if it was a dream, or if she was real. I just smiled and thought to myself that if I get the chance to talk to Noah about it first hand, I will tell him that I think it must have been real.

They are little for such a short time.....

Cute Boots

I have to start out by saying that overall, I am a very practical girl. I do however, admit to falling in love with things that have a high 'cute factor' even if they aren't the utmost in practicality.

It all began when I gave birth to a little girl. I loved dressing my son when he was a baby, but as boys grow, the clothes just seem to get less cute. What's up with that? Well, right at this time of transition into the world of 'less cuteness' is when Rebekah made her entrance. How convenient was that?!

When we lived in Switzerland, I was a total sucker for the shoes. European shoes for babies....they are the cutest thing ever. Expensive as heck, but oh so cute. It was in Switzerland that I purchased my very first pair of 'cute boots' for Rebekah.

What is the definition of a 'cute boot', you ask? Well, it is basically a boot that has no practical use...it isn't warm,it isn't water proof, it is simply adorable...particularly with a skirt or dress.

I was in a shop in Geneva during one of the bi-annual sales (yes, things only go on 'solde' twice per year!) and I found this darling pair of boots for less than half price. I had to buy them!



Every time Rebekah wore these boots she got compliments on them. She loved them as much as I did. Well, of course, this year they are too small. I had planned ahead enough to buy another pair of 'cute boots' in a bigger size before we left Geneva, but the growth of Bekah's feet has been so slow that she hasn't grown into them yet! So, I had to go on a hunt for a pair of 'cute boots' here in the USA that would fill in the gap.

I found this pair on sale......

They are cute too....but it just isn't the same. It isn't just the boots either. Bekah is still wearing a few pairs of shoes from Europe, and it never fails that she gets comments on how cute her shoes are. I love that they are unique...that she isn't wearing the same things as every other child we encounter. I love that these shoes provide a reminder of her unique and very special past. That as I dress her in these items each day, I get to reminisce a little bit about our past life in Switzerland.

And each time she grows and I have to put another item of clothing or another pair of shoes away, it feels like that past slips a little bit further away, and I sigh with the sadness of it all.

She's A Master

I decided not to register Bekah for any extra curricular activities this semester because I wanted to seriously tackle the task of getting her potty trained. I have been procrastinating for a few weeks now...using the excuses of visitors, appointments and illness to avoid the task at hand.

So, this week was the magic week.

Some readers may not want to read the details I am about to include in this post...so be warned. I am just so incredulous at it all, that I can't help but share the blow by blow.

Day one was on Tuesday. I got out the little potty, put Bekah straight into underpants and started talking about the wonderful world of going on the potty! She caught onto my excitement and was eager to sit on the little potty and be showered with praise. She sat for quite a while....distracted by the wonderful world of Dora the Explorer....until all of a sudden, the potty needed to be emptied! I don't know who was shocked more, Bekah or me! Well, after the big production of emptying the potty, standing on the big stool and washing our hands, she wanted to try again right away.

Fast forward to dinner time...and Bekah had been dry ALL DAY and had had FIVE successes! At dinner time things unravelled a bit with two accidents in quick succession. This really upset her, since she hates being messy. And let me tell you, the accidents were of the messiest variety. I think she was getting tired and beginning to lose focus.

Day two, Bekah was 7 for 7 on the potty, including the 'dirty deed'. No accidents!

Day three, Bekah was 8 for 8 on the potty. The real test came when we went out for three hours during the day. I thought for sure, this would be our downfall. We came home, and much to my surprise, she was dry. I put her on the potty immediately and she did ALL of her business right on cue! Later in the day we made a stop at a friend's house, and she used the potty there also. That was the first time she used the potty somewhere other than at home.

Day four, dry all day and dry at nap time too.

Today is day five, and we have had nothing but success again.

Unbelievable. If I had known it was going to be this easy, I would have done it a long time ago!

A Lesson Learned

Well, we have learned a valuable lesson.....soccer is not Noah's 'thing'. We got through the season attending only about half of the games. The half that we did attend, were more or less in an attempt to teach Noah that you have to give something a fair chance before deciding you don't like it, and packing it in. I hope he got the message.

Let's just say, soccer wasn't a big hit. The major problem....being crowded by the other kids. He wasn't into the contact part of the sport.


At least Noah was exposed to his first team sport, and I am hoping that some of the groundwork has been layed for future lessons in sportsmanship. We also got this really cute picture. :)

Here is Noah with his trophy and his little friend, Blackie the Webkinz dog. Noah was so excited when the coach stopped by to drop off his trophy. It was a huge hit....and at least we ended the season on a high note.