Brace yourself forJulie's political rantings...

I have been plagued lately by my rage over this election.

I was just wondering about the basic logic and reasoning in this country. I have never claimed to be "in to politics," nor do I claim to know the historic patterns or deep seeded root of the problems we face in America. With that being said, I did not watch the entire convention. From what I gathered, Obama basically listed every problem that any American can face or that is present in our country and vowed to change them without raising taxes, actually while cutting some huge percentage of taxes. I wonder how that can be. It doesn't take a genius to see the error in logic. How can you fix all the problems in your term without spending money (putting the country in more debt or taking tax payers money). Not to mention that it would only be a matter of time before the empty promise of such would leave him in the position to have to renege on his word. How does he plan on changing the problems that he sees as being completely at republican fault...skyrocketing tuition, housing prices going down, and mortgages people can't afford (just a few of the problems he named in his theatrical performance the other night). Other politicians, like Al Gore have in so many words claimed that electing Obama will, by itself, reverse melting of glaciers, green the earth, and make the world love us. Seriously, did he complain about his wife and him having to repay student loans? How much do they make again...I think she makes $600,000 a year! It is so sad we believe anything that makes us feel good for the moment. Such an entitled and self-gratifying bunch of people. It is not enough to identify the need for change or to identify the issues. I feel like neither of our candidates are really skilled for the job. Isn't it a fact the only one in the race with any experience running something is the new Republican VP Nominee from Alaska who has been criticized already for her lack of experience? Does this scare anyone but me? or are we all sooooo eager for promises of change and pie in the sky dreams of a perfect country that we all get caught up.

This pretty much sums up my feelings about this political race. It has always been about who promises nicer outcomes (fancier dreams for us idiots to believe), none of which are truly backed with any experience, moral background, data, or a simple desire to do what is right. It is not a race for president and leadership, but a race to see who can become more popular to the massses before we all find out what they are really about behind closed doors. Both parties have been nasty and they always are...the commercials, the press being completely one-sided thus propelling the race whichever way they see fit (a subject all on its own), and dirty tricks to get ahead. All it really does is show the true colors of those fighting to run us. I go back to the question I posed many posts ago...why do we want to be completely run by some guy we barely know and will never really know. Even those who are far more educated on the issues have got to be confused by the craziness of the election. This begs the question why? Why do we allow ourselves to be preached to from all news channels and from these men that are supposed to lead with us? Why is it so difficult to get an actual plan to fix the issues in our country instead of a passionate promise without any idea of how. I don't know about you, but I am tired of the games politicians play and even more exhausted by us who allow and buy into this entire charade...as if this country will magically change by who we vote in for the next 4 years, while allowing our leaders to treat us like puppets, tugging our strings to say, "Aye Aye, Captain!" I will say one thing...we sure do like good speeches or should I say speech writers...maybe we should elect them.

Luke finally outsmarted one..

a fish that is! He caught his first fish and it wasn't too shabby either. He was so proud. I received the proud phone call while I was in Walmart with Carys. (He evidently called everyone else too) He told me how big it was, how he reeled it in (by himself), what bait they used (chicken livers), and that it was indeed a Striped Bass. Rob and Luke have been fishing many times now and this is the first time they have been successful at catching a fish. They joke that they have to figure out how to outsmart the fish. This truly has proven to be a great father-son activity. I never would have thought my rambunctious boy who never sits still could enjoy the long and drawn out activity of fishing. Go Luke!

Here's a cute story:

After a few errant casts that plopped a few inches in front of him, Luke said, "AW! Who's going to take me fishing again with a cast like that?!" Rob replied, "I will!"

There a few pictures from our recent camping trip and from another quick overnight trip Rob and Luke went on at a local park. Luke just can't get enough of these outdoorsy activities...like father, like son!




Luke loves corn!

I wonder where he learned to take up this hobby? :)

Luke's first fish!
Carys getting ready for church in curlers for the first time!
Captain is looking pretty dopey in the picture, 14 mths old.

UH, GROSS! What good is camping if they can't get dirty?!

BatGirl Carys

The big boys checkin' out the tackle box.

Carys "Bluebeard" after eating a blue twizzler!

Look at that striper...not too bad for a first catch!

Luke hates to wear underwear. This is what happens when he doesn't! The funny thing is he knew I was trying to take a picture of it and he informed me that he does not like me taking a picture of his crack! :0

Is it possible, that I am becoming a camper?

I'll admit camping wasn't my first choice of vacation things to do. However, I did marry a guy who loves the outdoors and have two children who also love being outside (like most kids). I committed to give camping the chance it deserves and we have been 3 times now. Each time we have gone it has improved so much! I think a lot of it is because we are getting better at camping. We know what to pack. We know what to cook. We know where to go and who to go with! This last trip was with 4 other families and we had a great time. I couldn't believe how much I relaxed! The adults had actual time to talk and laugh and get to know each other. The kids were filthy and had more fun than imaginable. Rob broke out our dutch oven and we made cobbler (thanks gpa for the recipe) and chicken pot pie for dinner. It was easy and delicious! I left happy to have been there and looking forward to our next camping trip. I honestly didn't think it would win me over. I am pleasantly surprised. Rob grew up camping pretty regularly and he has always planned on doing so with our family. I am glad that I no longer have to consider it my compromise in our family life and it is now just a part of our family life that we all can enjoy together. Thanks to our friends who helped make this trip so much fun. I will post some pics soon hopefully.

Ant Coursey

#1)

Luke: Aunt Coursey, aren't you glad you're not a bug?

Coursey: What?

(all the adults in the room completely missed what he was actually saying until he clarified.)

Luke: Aren't you glad you are an ANT and not a BUG?

We couldn't contain ourselves!

#2)

Luke says "I went to Miami. When are you going to Yourami?"

Too Funny! We explained this a while ago when he first said it, but he just said it again since our trip there. Funny little guy!

A glimpse of what is yet to come

Well, Luke was playing with his Papa Kevin a lot and they did typical boy things...kung fu fighting, pretend shooting like cowboys with their fingers in the shape of guns, etc. Luke began using his fingers to "shoot my words," when he was 3 and he decided he didn't like what I told him to do or rather not to do. I would say, "Luke we don't use guns and we don't shoot people especially your mommy even if it is pretend." He would reply by saying, "I am not shooting you. I am shooting your words." Very clever Luke, but still unacceptable. Needless to say, I broke the habit as fast as possible and haven't had it back until now. He is back to playing pretend shooting. This is fine as a play activity or pretend, but not as a way to disrespect me or others when we do or say something he doesn't like. How do you make the distinction? You really can't. You have to basically eliminate or at least make it clear it is not ok to pretend to shoot people. Anyway, this was my conversation today...I will try and create a visual to help.

Mom: "Luke, stop jumping on my bed, please. (ignored already twice.) Luke, I said stop. If you can't stop jumping on my bed you will have to sit on the floor."

Luke: (points his finger while using a trigger thumb and makes the pshew pshew sound to mimic a shot) (how does he know this sound since he has never actually heard or seen a real gun?)

Mom: "I have talked with you about the shooting. It is not alright to shoot at me ever even if you are unhappy with something I said. If you choose to shoot at me or others again you will have to go to your room." (I thought I said that pretty clearly.)

Luke: He puts his hand back up in gun form and then retracts his finger as if to dismantle the gun. Then he aims at the TV and shoots. Then he stops turns to me and sticks out his middle finger...yes, his middle finger. He points it at me and says, "boom, it's a cannon." Yep, folks, he flipped me the bird in all its glory. He had perfect formation, I might add.

Mom: Holding back the shock and some laughter over his ignorance of what he just did, we rediscussed that all weapons real or pretend are not appropriate for use on people. No aiming, no nothing. All in a days work!

Can you believe it? My kid shot me the bird! I know he had no idea that a cannon is practically the same idea as saying the words that flipping the bird would mean. It was probably some kid that invented the whole shoot the bird business in the first place as a way to stick it to his mom...it is elementary enough and pretty immature at that! I have to admit I got quite the chuckle out of it. Rob did too. My Luke does not miss much and he is pretty darn quick to the draw. He is going to be a force to be reckoned with one day and I hope that serves to bring him much success! (just give me the strength to keep him on some sort of good path)

Luke did get the concept in the end, though. The rest of the day whenever he went to raise his hand to form a gun, he stopped and retaliated...Mom won this battle! Phew! Let's just hope this isn't some foreshadowing of the cleverness or should I say sassiness that is yet to come with my teenage boy! (if he is anything like Mom, I bet it is) ;)

Bonefish Grill

So, I have been to Bonefish Grill two times since we've been here and both times it has practically been deserted. I cannot believe how the economy has effected Miami so much. It is sad really. Anyway, it was great tonight because I have never dared take my kids with me to this restaurant. IT is just too nice a place to ruin it with kid craziness. We met my step-father's dad (Poppa Tom) and sister (Aunt Sharon aka Sheffie) there for dinner with the kids and it was empty...a perfect kid restaurant. They also sat us at a half booth so Carys and Luke were locked in. It worked well. It was really nice to visit with our extended family. We also spent a few hours swimming at Aunt Cindy's house. They have always treated me and my sister like we were instant family despite the fact that my mom married into the family after we were in college. Kevin has treated us like his own daughters. The same has been for their love of my children and my kids love them, too! Anyway, it was a lovely dinner and I got a couple of great shots with them! Thanks to them for all of their love and support and to Poppa for the yummy dinner tonight!

One more day!

A friend of Rob's sent this to him as a tribute to him and the bar exam...pretty funny! Check it out. One more day!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuffHRacZMQ

I'm too stressed to be gourmet!

I have just figured it out. I have always loved to cook and try new recipes. I just don't have the time, energy, money, or patience with the kids to do much that will require too much attention these days. I think it is the kid factor and more importantly the stress factor! Now, here in Miami, I have cooked many dinners, but a couple that were brand new...they turned out awesome. I think it is the fact that my mom entertained the kids while I worked. It took at least 1 1/2 hours, so that would be hard with kids in your face. I have been really relaxed and so even when my kids are being demanding it is easier to handle. Therefore, cooking was a blast and successful! Here are my new recipes:

Eggplant Parmesan: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/eggplant-parmesan-recipe/index.html

Macaroni and Cheese: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=6de461876e70f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=header_4&autonomy_kw=macaroni+and+cheese

Both of these are NOT low fat. They are high in taste and flavor. I made half of the parmesan with the quick marinara recipe the provide, but added some basic chunky ragu with onion and garlic because I had way too many eggplant slices for 1 dish. I made two. In the Mac and Cheese, I was striving for simple like my grandmother's (missing her recipe) and searched all over the web for what I wanted. I found this one and then couldn't bring myself to buy the expensive Gruyere cheese that was 11 bucks here. I used white cheddar, swiss block, and 1 bag of yellow cheddar/monterey jack cheese shredded blend for the topping. I didn't have nutmeg or cayenne pepper. It was still delicious and honestly, I can't imagine those flavors in mac and cheese so I don't think I will use them next time either. This was my first time ever making homemade mac and my kids devoured it! YUMMY! Fatting, but yummy!

Sprinkler Fun in Miami

One of our first adventures at Mima's house was going to a local garden that has sprinklers for kids. Luke loved it and posed for pictures galore. Carys enjoyed it too and especially loved it when mommy ran throught the water with her. After the water fun we went to the petting zoo area. It was a sorry petting zoo, but they got to pet a pretty nasty black pig. They liked it and that is all that matters. Is it just me or do petting zoos make you want to puke? I have to cleanse their hands three times just to make sure they don't carry any yuckiness on them. As I was in the pen with the kids I realized I wouldn't touch that scaly pig with a ten foot pole; why, then would I let my kids? I don't know...we do a lot of things so our kids smile, I suppose.

fun times with mima, papa kevin, and family

These are some pictures from some other adventures we had.
Papa Kevin took us to Chuck E. Cheese. It was so much fun! Luke and Papa loved playing the fighter pilot game and then Carys stole Papa for some fun on the Race Horse game. She loved the horse. Mom had fun too sneaking in a few tokens to play skee ball!
Mima took us fishing with Dad Dad. It was loads of fun. We caught a couple of tiny fish, but Luke loved it. Please notice my grandfather is covered from head to toe and is every day of his life...only a floridian who is used to baking in the sun can handle that sort of heat. He says it is protection which it was when we were being eaten alive by bugs!
We arrived in Miami on the fourth of July. We immediately picked up a bucket of fried chicken and hung out until it was time to head to see the fireworks. The kids enjoyed the little snappers. They were just mesmerized by the fireworks...I was relieved they liked them rather than scream through them like I did as a kid. Carys clapped and squealed and danced to the music that accompanied them. It was a great show and a wonderful time with family.
The other thing I did for the first time was eat sushi. My life-long friend, Angela, took me to a great and popular sushi spot. I ate sushimi and it was surprisingly tasty. I did have a little indigestion later that night, but I enjoyed it and would eat it again. Thanks, Angela, Rob will have someone to eat sushi with now.

Just some good family shots

I have finally finished my Miami photos! These are just random shots. They are mostly posed pics of the kids. My favorites are the ones with my grandmother. My grandparents are pretty incredible with my children. They came over to "babysit" whenever we (mom and I) wanted to go somewhere to play or eat. They had us over to swim many days. Plus, they endure so much abuse from my children as Carys thinks my grandfather's feet at dancing shoes and my grandmother's face is a blank slate for pretend makeup. The kids demand constant attention from all of the family here and I have yet to see them disappointed. My family really teaches me about patience. This trip was a great break from my life at home. Rob and I miss each other terribly, but he needed the study time and I needed to get out of the line of fire.

My kids seemed to have relaxed a lot during this trip also. Luke is reading like crazy with my mom and now seems to enjoy reading this book on his own. He is crazy about riddles and jokes and games. He could learn a new card game or board game every day and then play until we all cringe at the name of it. He took swim lessons and did great! (now he is slipping back into his old ways, sadly.)

Carys is talking up a storm and is a dancing machine. She is really pottying regularly too. I guess that means I have to bite the bullet and put her in undies if I really want her to feel success. (sigh, moan) Her latest favorite thing to do is copy every single thing Luke does. If he jumps off the couch. She jumps off the couach. If he yells, "I am batman!!!" She yells her 2 year old version of the same! It is adorable and although Luke has been annoyed at times he seems to love her more.

I have to publicly thank my family for taking me in. I love them. My kids love them. Rob loves them. There support has been unwavering and for that we can never repay them. Both of our families have been wonderful throughout this law school episode of our lives. Now, one last plug...PLEASE say a prayer on Tuesday and Wednesday for Rob since he will be sitting taking the bar exam during that time. Hey, every little bit helps.

Animal activity!

Like most kids, my kids love animals. We went to a place called Jungle Island (formerly known as the parrot jungle) and we had fun watching animal shows and looking at monkeys. Then we visited my Uncle David who has a lot full of exotic cats like Lions, tigers, cougars, white tigers, tabby tigers, lemurs, jaguars, etc. You can visit him at www.tigerhomes.org. It was raining pretty hard so we had a difficult time getting picutres of the animals. It is pretty impressive to me eventhough I have been there many times. Luke thought is was "awesome."

Miami at the Beach

We slipped away for two days to Hollywood Beach. It was a great idea. We walked the boardwalk, lounged in the room when it rained, ate seafood, and soaked up the sun on the beach and at the pool. Then when the kids collapsed with exhaustion, my mom and I watched so you think you can dance and played yahtzee...our new favorite passtime at night. I know I take a lot of pictures, but I can't help it with these digital cameras! Just wait until we get back from Alaska!!! I may have to send you to a link then.

What is it about being in the buff?

Do your kids enjoy it too? My kids love running around without clothes on. As soon as Luke could use the toilet without m help he began conveniently forgetting to put his underwear back. He would go all day free as a jay bird until I noticed. He still does it to this day except now he hides the underwear behind the toilet, under the sink, and in the tub so I don't notice unless I actually help him change his clothes. (sneaky sneak) Carys loves being free too! If I allow even a second in between changing, she makes a mad dash and hides or dances in the buff! It is really funny. Truly, it is one of the cutest things to see...a running toddler with a naked little butt! Yesterday was no different except when I finally caught her she was staring out the sliding glass door at the dog...uh, hello? you are naked?!!! Now that the neighbors on the lake got a eye full, she ran down the hall. I had time to grab my camera off the table and snap a few pics while I was laughing at her cuteness! I wish I could run around naked...maybe I would feel free and relaxed. Somehow, I doubt it would bring the same comfort it brings to a kid. :) oh, to be young and flawless and carefree!

Memories tag

I thought this was a fun tag...you are tagged if you read this, plus it will let me know who is reading my blog!

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments!

Favorite photos of the Miami trip...

I was going through the pictures and trying to make a few slide shows to share from the highlights of our trip and just wanted to share a few pictures that I love. I will post more specifics later.

Brother and Sister and hopefully friends too! (sprinkler park)

Carys strikes a pose for Aunt Cindy after swimming. I just think she looks pretty here.

Luke feeds the parrot and yes he got bit!!! It was priceless. You can see his mouth saying, "OW!" It broke skin too...dirty sucker! Luckily he was still in a good mood for the rest of the jungle island adventure and animals.

This is Goliath, my uncle's giant mastiff! Look at how huge he is next to Luke. It took Luke a while to realize he was quite the gentle giant despite his scary appearance. (stay tuned for pics of my uncle's wild animals...tigers, cougars, leopards, lions, and monkeys)

Look at that butt!!!! Carys bathes herself in sand. She actually scoops it up and exfoliates every ounce of skin with it...so funny! (this was at Hollywood Beach where we spent the night and two days hanging out.)

Luke was my little bathing beauty at the sprinkler park. He seriously posed at every single sprinkler fountain. Those of you who know Luke know that this is rare behavior. This one made me laugh.

We were out to dinner and Carys saw two kids with these balloons. She wouldn't stop saying, "ma-ie (mommy) loon (balloon)!" We had to search the mall for the store that gave them out and she was in heaven when she finally got her yellow (ya-oh) balloon!

My mom and I took Luke to the Backyardigans Live! It was a lot of fun. Here is a picture of the two of us that I actually like.

Finding "Mi" (spanish pronunciation) in "Miami"

It is funny that after all these years not residing in Miami I have come home to realize this is really where my personality was shaped. Therefore, I found a little piece of me in Miami. I know my family, obviously, is the largest contributor to my personality, but for the first time in a long while, Miami felt oddly similar to my life. I think I may have subconsciously created a little bit of Miami in my everyday life. For instance, I can't sit still...neither can Miami. I seem to create busyness and clutter...the city i grew up in is overgrown and heavily populated and really there is no space anywhere. My loudness...Miami Hispanics are exuberant and love life. My dramatic flare...yet again the Hispanic in me. What is really funny is that my husband used to call me his little Cuban wife...now I get it. He saw what I never did...our basic differences. I find comfort in the city pace (to a degree, I mean who really loves traffic?), city lights, city lack of conformity to all the expectations of life. I used to call this city chaos and craziness. But now I call myself that...perhaps I have morphed to become like where I grew up or maybe it is just the phase of life. I now find new meaning in the phrase, "I'm a Miami girl."

Without offending my Miami readers, I still can't see myself living here or raising a family here. Though there are many reasons to love it here (to visit), there are still many reasons to flee this city. Plus, my life is in DC, a new city/suburb area, that does fit my personality much better than the west ever did. Nothing against Utah. Just stating the fact that east coast and west coast is very different...don't you agree? Rob is every bit a west coast guy and his personality is shaped accordingly. What about you? Do you see how you were shaped by your hometown?

By the way...our trip was extended for another week. Rob is almost through with the h#@**ish bar. I will soon post pictures and stories about some of our Miami vacation adventures.

Miami here we come!

Well, we are finally leaving to let Rob get some real studying done. We fly down to Miami tomorrow morning and will be there about 18 days. I am hoping for a relaxing and fun trip with my kids and their grandparents. We plan to spend many days at the pool and the rest of the days just hanging out catching up on one on one time with each kid. Anyway, I am going to try and keep up with the blog as I am sure there will be many adventures to keep track of.

Competitive or Scared?

We just finished up a two week round of swimming lessons for Luke. Let me tell you that is was NOT fun. Luke began the lessons being totally brave...he went underwater the first class and did everything his teacher told him. I thought we finally crossed over to learning how to swim rather than just getting used to the water. Anyway, we got a little derailed with him getting sick, but then he just plain old wouldn't participate. Needless to say, I was really, extremely frustrated. I did keep taking him and plopping him in the water and insisting that he stay with his class even if he didn't do all of the activities. Well, Thursday he was first in line in the class and he did every single stroke and activity! He said, "Mom, I did good because I was first today!" Every other day he was last in line. After each class he would talk about all the kids being able to, "do it by themselves," especially his best buddy Nick. (just a side note...Luke and Nick compete about nearly everything...even whose brain is bigger and therefore is smarter.) He would say, "I can't do it!" Well, being first set the competition differently. I think in his mind now they had to follow him. What is it about boys? I didn't completely understand or believe this was the sole reason for the change in attitude, but I was going with it. I told him to make sure he was first in line so he can do it by himself. Friday started much like the old lessons...no action and he wasn't first in line... UH-Oh! (record screech to a halt) I refused to end these lessons on this note! I walked over to the pool and nonchalantly whispered to Luke, "Hey, why aren't you first in line...maybe you should move over on the other side of Claire for the rest of the lesson so you can do your best." (can you believe that mom move? I am a little embarrassed about it.) Well? IT WORKED! He had a great class and we are finally through the lessons! WHEW! Now lets see how he does in private lessons in Miami... I wonder when this competitive stage will pass? My husband says it really doesn't, but the boys learn to keep their desires to win more private and subtle. All I know is that I am not programmed that way. I am probably one of the least competitive women...can't we all just get along I say? This is just another reason I had a boy first...I needed to learn about this world of boys. I learned a lot about my son during this experience and I am sure there will be many more of these AH-HA moments.

My little Carys has been dancing like a crazy woman lately. It is really quite entertaining. When she was younger she used to "stomp, stomp, shake your bootie!" Now, she does a bunch of shakes and waves and stomps. I don't know if it is the girl factor, but Carys loves dancing and music soooo much more than Luke did. Plus, she has had much less exposure. Oh, we can't find our little video camera and this is off of Rob's phone and my sister's phone...so, you can't see her too great...but you can't miss the moves! :) She was so much fun tonight when we were watching kids during our babysitting swap. She ran around with jewelry on and pretended to be one of the big girls here. They were great at including her. You could just see how much she has grown socially in the past 6 months even. It is really getting fun having a little girl!