half work, all play

Thanks to "Half Day Fridays" during the month of July at Scott's work, he got to come home early and spend a little extra time with his little Rue Rue.  They had lots of fun if you can't tell...

He just loves her to pieces.  Now, if only every day was a half day Friday and that it was summer vacation for me all year round.....then I'd sure be a happy camper.  

luncheon with my ladies

It seems to be a tradition in the making with these ladies.   Every summer after we've all had a chance to wind down after the stress of teaching, we I congregate at the fabulous Kneaders and eat some yummy french toast (to die for actually) and catch up on some girl talk.  I love these girlies.  

 chelcie & camille

me, mr will, and mama mair aka christine

 french toast divine

finished product

familiar faces

Look what I found...

I think I've seen this person before?  But who does she remind me of???  

Could it really be?  A resemblance of.....me? 

 Eat your heart out Scottie.  I'm on the up and up. 

peek a boo

A few weeks ago I went in to get Gabby after her nap.  I thought I'd take my camera in and snap some fun pictures of her expression when I snuck in and surprised her.  She was in all sorts of laughter and giddiness.  I just love this little girlie.  

 

Oh my I can't say it enough.  I LOVE this little girl! 

big sister lemons

Lemons after she lost a tooth

Three years ago Scottie was quite the busy man spending long long LONG nights at the library studying his brains out trying to endure the awful Junior Core,  Well me and my lonesome self had had enough with being lonely.  If you were to ask any wife of an accounting major in the Junior Core they would agree.  It's pretty grueling.  So in order to cure my loneliness I decided I needed a furry friend of some sort to stay by my side.  Since Scottie hates dogs, take that back, despises them, I knew that was out of the question.  So we opted for a cat.  I know most of you are probably thinking "Really?  A cat?  You couldn't think of something else like... a hamster?"  No friends, I wanted something that would curl up on my lap and cuddle up.   You know, fill the void.   Don't worry I'm not one of those people that has cat posters and cat calendars, cat mouse pads or kitty slippers.  No no I just wanted something lovable to keep me company.  

 So since my parents were our landlords at the time, they agreed we could get an animal under certain circumstances.  It had to be declawed, female, litter box trained, spade, etc.  And so the search began.  KSL was the means by which we came across an animal that met all the requirements and so we looked into it some more.  She looked like a really cute kitty and apparently this cat was very friendly and needed a good home because the owners were never home and felt that she needed more attention.  It was a match made in heaven and did I mention she was FREE?

We later arranged to pick up the cat at around 9:00 at night.  When we arrived we knocked and anxiously awaited to meet our soon to be cat.  The owners opened the door and invited us in.  From what I remember they failed to turn on the light in the entry way and the only light that was on was the kitchen light leaving us standing in the dark.  After the owner shouted to the kids to get the cat, they came running in barely able to hold the thing all the while the cat was meowing all sorts of hysterics.  You could tell it was not happy.  Then the owner said "Oh by the wasy, she does NOT like to be held.  At all.".  Really lady?  I would call that false advertising right about now since you said the cat was very friendly.  From the looks of it I think you are lying to me.  But what was I to do?  After all the cat was free?

When the kids brought the cat closer to me the glare from the kitchen light lit up the cats greasy fur and I was beginning to wonder what on earth we had gotten ourselves into.  Ya this cat was free but obviously not free of disease. I'm sure at that point the owner could tell that I was worried by the frightened look on my face.  That's when she told me that she had tried to clean her up before we came with a cat wipe but it ended up making her fur stick together and appear to look greasy.  Sure lady, keep on telling me what you want but I'm still not sure about this cat.  But honestly what was I suppose to do?  "Sorry lady I just remembered that we never checked with our landlord about making sure we could have pets.  We'll have to get back to ya." 

Before I could decline they had thrown the cat in the cat box handed me her extra cat food and water dish.  I didn't know if I should thank her or not but before long we were in the car headed down the road with this moaning cat in the back of our car.  I thought it was a cat but I couldn't be sure.  After all, was that the reason they didn't turn the light on?  Had they been trying to get rid of this creature but had no takers so they decided that they would deceive us into thinking it was a cat?  For all I knew it could have been the huge rat off The Princess Bride in my back seat.

As we made our journey back home it really hit me that we were now cat owners and I contemplated putting her back on KSL for free.  Maybe even offering a small cash prize for the taking.  Poor thing, I hadn't even been with her for 10 minutes and I was already planning to give her up like a step parent who wanted to ship their new found children off to boarding school.

Finally we arrived at our house, we opened the door and let her out of the box and to our surprise we were quite shocked at what we had just brought home.  This creature was nothing like the animal I saw online.  The animal I saw online was a sweet little kitten about ten years younger but this, this was something else.  It was balding, it tail was chopped off and bent in every which direction you could bend it, it looked as if she had had 10 litters of kittens due to the tremendous furry flab of skin dangling from her belly and when she ran it swung from side to side. Her front paws were all mangled and looked as if someone watched a You Tube video on how to declaw your indoor cat.  Serious?  How am I suppose to love that?   I was concerned.

 Since Scott's family was there for the weekend they began to laugh hysterically and I couldn't help it either.  This wasn't a cat?  It was a poor excuse for a cat.  Next thing I knew we were running around chasing the thing all the while thinking of what to name her.   Obviously you had to give it a name that had something to do with its looks or personality and since this cat was lacking some serious personality we decided to go with looks.  That's when Scottie decided that we should name her Lemon.  You know, like when you purchase a car and it isn't all you hoped for and falls apart the second you drive it off the lot?   Well that's how it came to be.  And Lemons it was.

Later on we came to the conclusion that this poor cat must have been a victim of abuse from previous owners. No wonder she didn't like to be held, or that she would shutter when you brought your hand up to pet her.  She was terrified.  Day by day Lemons slowly started to come around and eventually started to jump on our laps and let us pet her.  She was making leaps and bounds!  

After having Gabby I was worried about all the horror stories I had heard about cats laying on top of babies and suffocating them.  Well, not big sister Lemons.  The first night we brought her home she slept by the bassinet like a watch dog and now that Gabby is getting older she if fascinated with Lemons.  She loves to touch her and Lemons just sits there and takes the brunt of it.

                      

Gabby & Lem Lems

the infamous tail that's about 6 inches too short



lemons and her flabby belly that we love so much 

Though Lemons may not be the most attractive cat you've ever seen, there are a few reason why this cat is a conversation starter.  Maybe it's that fact that whenever a child sees her the first thing they ask is "Is your cat pregnant?"  or maybe it's the fact that she likes to sleep in the dryer if it's open and ends up going for a ride.  Maybe its the fact that when you scratch her lower back she waddles like a turkey.  Or maybe its because when I'm sleeping at night she jumps on the bed and stares me straight in the face and when I open my eyes she decides to sneeze. Maybe it's the fact that she tries to jump on the bed and in mid air finds out that she is getting too old and occasionally flat out misses the bed.  One thing's for sure, we are quite entertained at our hilarious looking cat.   We love our cat.  We have no idea how old Lemons is or how much longer she'll be with us but we can say that she is our friendly feline, big sister, silly Lemons.

A Father's First

the other night I came home not feeling so great.  I'm not the type of person to throw up.  I will do ANYTHING to get around it if possible actually.  So when my tummy started to feel the urge I knew there was nothing I could do.  Of course naturally the next day was Father's Day.  Thanks to the food poisoning or stomach flu (not sure which) I spent all night with my best friend the garbage can.  Since we didn't want to get Gabby sick, Scottie's Daddy skills kicked into action and he quickly thawed some milk he found in the freezer, fed Gabby, dressed her in her PJ's and rocked her to sleep.  Too bad for him it was one of those odd nights when Gabby didn't sleep well and was up again at 1:00 and didn't want to go back to sleep till 2:00.  I was so grateful for him while I was sicker than a dog.  The next morning things continued as they had and I still wasn't feeling good which was sad because I was planning on making Scottie breakfast in bed but instead Scottie again, fed Gabby, gave her a bath, dressed her for church, put her down for a nap to prepare for the primary lesson, then off to church he went.  When he came home I was finally feeling better.  I felt so bad that of all days I happened to get sick on Scottie's first Father's Day.   Lucky for me he told me that he really enjoyed getting to do everything for Gabby and that he loved spending all day with her.  Boy oh boy did I find a good one.  He really is the greatest dad to our little G.  Every morning when he is getting ready, he always wants to be the first to go get her out of her crib and when he gets home from work I hear the same phrase over and over about how cute his Gabby girl is.  Sometimes when she is asleep for the night he asks me if he can go wake her up so he can play with her and for a bit and while he's at work he wants the update on how shes' doing and wants a daily picture text. He really loves his little  "Gabba Rue Rue" and I  am one lucky girl.  Happy first Father's Day of many to come babe.  I promise next year will be better. 

And a Happy Father's Day to my Fabulous Daddy.  Scottie always tell me how much I am like my dad and I find that as the best compliment I could have.  I love you! 

Oh, by the way Scottie, I think I see a hint of Gabby in this picture.  I knew she was in there somewhere.

Urban Challenge Anyone???

Urban Challenge for MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION

have you heard of the Make A Wish Foundation? They make DREAMS come true for children with life threatening illnesses. well i know what your thinking....pretty cool, right? My mom is a Wish Grantor and gets to work with these kids first hand and make it happen for them.


Make A Wish foundation is asking for the communities help by putting on a Urban Challenge (June 25th) that YOU can participate in! kinda like the Amazing race except everyone who signs up gets to do it! AND you don't have to be in shape to win the grand prize. did someone say "GRAND PRIZE??"


 drum roll please...

A TRIP TO AKUMEL MEXICO!!! for 4 people!! 

click here to find out more!

next part is- MY MOM AND DAD WILL SPONSOR THE FIRST 20 TEAMS TO COMMENT BELOW OR CONTACT  MY MOM AT karenswalz@gmail.com. 

each child gets to raise a star after their wish is granted.


meet my sister's sweet friend Brigham. he had a wish granted to him. read his tender story below.

the witching hour

Bedtime at our house starts at 7:30 (for Gabby that is).  But if she doesn't go to bed between the magical hours of 7:30-8:00 it's a lost cause.  Well one night we were out running errands and didn't get back in time for bed.  So consequently Gabby was laughing up a storm and was squealing in delight!  I had never seen her like this before and it was quite hilarious.  We eventually put her in her crib and thought she'd go to sleep.  I at the time was being a paranoid new mom and noticed that she would nuzzle her face into her bumper and I was nervous that she would fall asleep all relaxed and suffocate. So I pulled the bumper up around the crib so there was a gap where her mouth and nose were.  After we put Gabby down I went to check on her and this is what I found....

She just couldn't get enough of her new view and finally fell asleep an hour later.  Silly girl.

The Connection Game by Scott Lamb

If you have ever spent time with Christie in new circumstances you may have noticed her playing what I like to call “The Connection Game.” It drives her absolutely crazy if she cannot find common ground with her new acquaintances. A typical conversation would start something like this:


Christie: Oh so where did you go to school?

Christie: You went to SUU. So did I. (Let me preface that you will instantly become Christie’s best friend if you attended SUU)

Christie: So where did you live? Oh really I didn’t know anyone living there. So who were your roommates?

Christie: Interesting I didn’t know them either. Who did you date?

Christie: Really I don’t know any of those guys either. So what classes did you take? Maybe I saw you on campus.

Christie: Oh I never went to that part of campus. Maybe I saw you while eating lunch. Where did you eat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?

Christie: Yeah I don’t really like Chinese food so I never go to Panda Express. Do you like chicken salad? Maybe I saw you at Rumbi’s. Do you go to Rumbi’s?

The questions will continue until Christie finally makes a connection. The connection doesn’t have to be strong. Maybe you were a friend of a friend of a friend who was friends with one of Christie’s friends? Maybe you served her fries at Wendys? Or maybe you share a friend on Facebook. The important thing to note is that the sooner Christie finds a connection the sooner you will be able to steer the conversation in a new direction.

If Christie hasn’t met you yet (maybe she saw you in church for the first time) she starts playing the connection game with me.

Christie: Babe. See that girl on the third row next to the guy with the bushy eyebrows and the woman singing slightly off key. I think I know her? I wonder if she went to SUU.

Scott: Babe you think everyone went to SUU.

Christie: No I don't.  I take that back.  I think I may have played basketball against her. I wonder if she went to American Fork High school.

Scott: Babe you think you know everyone.

Christie: She doesn’t look tall enough for basketball. This is going to bug me. I have to figure out how I know her before we meet so its not awkward. Was she in our old ward?

Scott: Babe I don’t think you know her.

Christie: Oh…I know how I know her. She looks like my hair stylists sister-in-law. Babe…I told you I knew her.

Scott: You’re right babe. Apparently if she resembles someone you know, then you know her.

Of course I take every advantage to tease her and to point out the flaws in her connection game. Christie took the game to a whole new level when she desired a physical/visual connection when we found out we were expecting.

When Christie and I found out we were having a girl she was beyond ecstatic. She couldn’t wait to be a mother. As mothers often do she started to imagine who our little girl would be and what she would look like. Soon she started soliciting my thoughts and would ask me every night what I thought our little girl would look like. Our conversations would go something like this as we sat in bed while Christie envisioned our little girl and I watched TV.

Christie: Do you think she will have blond hair?

Scott: Sure

Christie: Do you think she will have blue eyes?

Scott: yep

Christie: Do you think she will be friendly?

Scott: Chicken.

Christie: Babe were you listening?

Scott: Of course I was. I meant ….um….yes.

After answering these questions week after week I realized Christie was describing her own attributes. I didn’t mind humoring my wife considering I find her beautiful inside and out. In fact, I started to believe she would look like her myself. Apparently my reassurance wasn’t enough. Christie wanted visual confirmation. About a day after having an ultrasound my wife presented me with the following two pictures and said with a straight face said “Don’t you think she looks just like me?”

Viewing the photographs side by side I was overcome with laughter. Not taking Christie’s feelings into consideration (or at least that is what I was later told)I blurted out “She looks more like Casper the friendly ghost than she looks like you in that picture.” Like a Sunbeam realizing the answer to every question isn’t “Jesus” I could see the disappointment engulf Christie’s face. Although she didn’t think it was funny at the time, looking back, we both chuckle when we remember this moment.

On January 11, 2011 our beautiful baby girl Gabby Lamb was born. We all were very excited for her arrival. As friends and family came to visit and take a peek at our new bundle of joy, my wife and I kept hearing the same reoccurring comment “She looks just like Scott.” Our friends and family might as well have put a dagger straight into Christie’s heart. Weeks went by and Christie continued to desperately search for a physical connection. Christie started looking for other similarities that may not be as obvious to the untrained eye. She set the record straight with a blog post titled “Bits and Pieces.” Apparently, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, Gabby and my wife share similar fingers and big toes. This was enough to appease Christie’s need to find a connection.

We have been married for four years and my wife still plays this game. Although my post light-heartedly pokes fun and maybe even embellishes Christie’s need for a connection, its one of the many reasons I love her to pieces. You see, Christie inherited a compassionate heart for anything that walks the earth from her father Steve. The reason Christie wants to make a connection is because she cares about you and wants to make you one of her friends. So if you ever meet my wife for the first time let me give you some advice. Tell her you went to SUU and that her baby is the spitting image of her mother. She will never question these comments and you will have a friend for life.

mama & me

It's so strange to me that last year on Mother's Day I discovered that I was going to be a mama.  It was really a fabulous unexpected surprise since that very day we decided that it was time to start a family when little did we know, it was already in the works.  I can't imagine going back to life without Gabby.  She really brings so much joy to my life!  Right this minute she is sleeping and I really want to wake her up so that I can snuggle her and give her lots of hugs and squeezes.   And at this very moment I think about all the things I have to learn.  Boy it's a good thing my mama is just a phone call away and I can ask her for her motherly advice. 

I am so grateful for my mama.  I sure wish I would have taken notes along the way as to how she handled every situation that came her way.  Like back in the day when I was in the 11th grade, I walked into health just in time for the teacher to announce that we were "going to be pinching each others fat and finding out our body fat percentages".  Sweet.  I couldn't wait to get out of there!  What a great day to ruin any high school students self esteem.  So right after the teacher took the roll I darted out the door.  Clever me, she would never know I was missing.  There was no way I was going to be pinching my fat or anyone else's for that matter. 

Therefore, I met up with my friends and together we ditched 3rd hour.  We kicked back at my friend Lanae's house since her parents were out of town.  Life couldn't get any better.  I had fooled my Health teacher.  That is until I got home and my mom said 

"So how was school today?"  

"Good", I told her.  How could she possibly know?  

"So what did you do in health today?"  

HUH??!!! How did she know??? NO? She couldn't have?   I quickly dodged the bullet.  "Ah, you know not much."

"Really??So what did you do instead of going to Health?"

Apparently I had forgotten about the school wide absence calls that went out if your child was missing one or more classes that day. 

I fessed up.  It was the only day in my WHOLE entire life that I had been grounded.  My parents never did ground us.  They just didn't believe in it or something.  I don't know why exactly but I could have cared less about the grounding issue.  The worst punishment BY FAR was knowing that I had let my mom down.   I had never felt so bad.  I knew that she expected more out of me and I had let her down.  And from then on I never wanted to disappoint her again.   It was not the only time that I knew my mom loved me and wanted the best for me.  She had always made that a well known fact in my life, and still does to this day.  

Another time back in my college days, I had started dating this guy that was definitely not marriage material.  I don't know how she did it but she never told me what to do or that I should have dated someone more appropriate.  She just listened to me and somehow guided me to make the right decision to loose the guy.  I guess she knew that it had to be my decision, not hers.  

Or how about her clever tactics to get us to give her a back massage?  Oh how sly she was!  There she was sitting at the computer and I just loved to play with her hair.  Before you knew it, the rest of the kids had somehow all gathered around her and she would say "Ah, my shoulders hurt."  So I would start to rub her shoulders and before you know it she was going off about how I gave the greatest back rubs in the the world!  That no one could give them as good as I.  Well that's when my sister would step in and try to out do me.  And well,  I couldn't be defeated so I wanted another turn and then she would want to do better than me and before long my mom had a full out hour and 1/2 back massage.  Clever mom.  

So hopefully I did learn a thing or two while I lived at home.  I sure hope I can raise Gabby and the rest of the little lambs like she raised me.    Love you Mom!

 

mom and me on the first day of pre-school 

mom and me at Disneyland

Grammy and Gabby Girl 

And who can forget this moment???

I love being a mom