Five for Friday

So due to the house fire yesterday I am a day late with this.....but better late than never. lol

1- You talk to me on the phone when I have had a bad dream and am scared, or need reassurance that all is well.

2- You have become so protective of Baby Bear and who will influence him in the future.

3- You will watch a girly movie with me if I watch a manly movie with you.

4- You never give up on me and you put up with me....even when I am being....well....me!

5- I look up to you in so many ways from how you have overcome your childhood, how you handle the Marine Corps instead of let it handle you, How you always put your Marines first even when I may not like it...it makes you a great Marine and a good leader.

P.S.-I love You

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Parks, poop, Tiffany's, and Fire

Friday was an excellent day. Baby Bear and I went to Walden Park in the early afternoon. Momma stopped in at Burger King to get herself a Dr. Pepper as the case she got at Lucky's a few weeks ago said Diet. Dr. Pepper.....but she failed to notice it said CAFFEINE FREE!!! Who does that? Why would you make caffeine free Dr. Pepper? Ughhhh So with Caffeine in hand Mama and Baby bear went to the park to meet up with some of the other mommies that she knows. I was kind of timid about the idea as I always feel like I don't fit in. But now that Baby Bear is here....we fit in a little better.

The park was super fun. Baby Bear had a blast. I stripped him down into his dah dugh ta da's (diapers) because it was so hot and let him kick around and play on the blanket. He loved looking at the tree we were sitting under, and at the dog named Moby who was trying to snitch french fries off of us. ha ha

After everyone left Baby Bear and I sat in the car while he finished eating his chow. Then we drove over to Tiffany & Co. where we picked up my bracelet from getting the heart Mom charm attached from Christmas. When we were heading into downtown Walnut Creek......We noticed an art/crafty fair going on. Booths lined both sides of the street. So after we picked up the bracelet Baby Bear and I walked to Five Little Monkey's. It is a super cute little toy store. Then we walked up and down the street looking at all the fun crafts. There were paintings, carvings, jewelry, pottery, and things that I am not sure what they were. Baby Bear enjoyed all the attention he got and was awake and alert the entire time. Mama Bear had a few dollars left from what Papa Bear left her and so she bought herself a treat from Kara's Cupcakes. Baby Bear finally crashed out as we walked back to the car in the last two blocks.

When we got back to the car he woke up and screamed the whole way to Lucky's. Poor little guy was tired and hungry. So I fed him in the parking lot before heading into the store to buy some essentials that we ran out of. On the way home I saw that it was kind of smoky/smoggy. I found it odd as normally it is not smoggy here. As we turned onto Sunnyvale we saw flashing lights. I started to pray out loud begging that it wasn't our home. As we got closer I had to drive around a fire truck and found that I couldn't even drive down our street. But as we passed our street I saw that there were 8 fire trucks there. And the way they were angled they were facing my home. Tears started to well up in my eyes as I thought about Harley being trapped in our home, and all of our belongings. I had to park a few blocks down the street and so I grabbed Riley in his car seat, threw some blankets over him and ran back to the scene. I asked the fire Chief what happened and he looked at me like I was dumb and said a house was on fire. I asked him what house number and he said I don't know but you can go down there and see. I was afraid to go, but wanted to know if we still had a home. Baby Bear and I walked down the street and to our relief it was the neighbors home and not ours. I feel bad feeling relieved that it was someone Else's and not ours.....but I am also thankful we could come home to a home. So for hours our street was filled with 8 fire trucks, two ambulances, 4 squad cars, and two city fire vehicles. The fire trucks all had the generators going and it was loud. Poor Harley was having a melt down and was happy his mom had come home. I called Papa Bear needing to hear his voice as my nerves were shot from stressing about our home. He told me to use the stroller to get the groceries home. So Baby Bear was strapped to my chest in his sling, and we walked back to the car. I was able to load almost everything into the stroller, and we walked back.....

Now let me ask you this kids...What do you do when your neighbors house burned down and due to the 8 fire engines on your street your mom can't get the car home and has to use the stroller to get groceries in the house? Why you do what any little boy should do....You poop down the front of your mom while in your sling in front of the neighbors and fire men! Oh and don't forget to poop in the little pink bag that holds the Kara's cupcake your mommy bought herself as a treat!Yah super awesome good time! So we went home cleaned up and put stuff away. lol ohhhh what a day we had!

Baby bear ate and then crashed out from exhaustion. Mama Bear cleaned up in the kitchen, did the dishes and then with monitor in hand went outside to see if she could move the car into her driveway. She went with another neighbor and nicely asked a police officer since there were only 4 engines left on the street an they were past our house so it would be safe to move the cars. The officer was really rude about it and got snippy with me. If I wasn't asking him for a favor....I would have been snippy back. He got rude and said no since it would block the fire engines. I said we didn't want to park on the street....just pull into our driveways where we would be out of the way. He got mad and said fine. Then he turns around and tells us well hurry up if you are going to do it then hurry I need to respond to another call. MY BAD! I thought I was being nice asking to drive down the street instead of assuming it was all right and doing it anyway! Ughhhh Awnry guy!!!

After I got the car back in the driveway I went to talk to the awnry old lady that lives across the street. This woman is nice one minute and then crabby the next. You never really know which one you are going to get. lol She reeked of alcohol and was gossiping about someone whom she thought was my neighbor when she was really talking about me. I guess she didn't realise who I was. lol I talked to a few of the people who's home burned down...so sad.....Then I came in pumped, and went to bed only getting two hours of sleep before Riley woke up. Go figure. lol

So that was my adventurous day!! lol

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Easter

Or should I say a lack of Easter.

This year was Riley's first Easter and I did whole bunches of nothing with him. I feel bad that I didn't do anything for him. I know that he is to young to remember, and that he cannot even have candy. But I wanted to have an Easter basket for him with things in it that he might like, and things that he needs. Maybe I will make him an Easter basket when I visit family, or when Chuck gets back. Hmmmm what are your thoughts?

We didn't do anything for Easter because frankly I didn't see the point with just me around. I mean let's face it Celebrating holidays with an infant is more for the parents than the child because the child could care less.

I am tired right now. I miss Chuck, and I hate to admit that I wasn't appreciating how much he helped me out when I needed him to take Riley so I could gather my thoughts and sanity back together. This whole playing the single parent thing is wearing me down to a stump. But alas I need to keep trudging on.

Well my little man is about to wake in bout 10 minutes so I need to get his bottle ready so we can do this feeding thing and I can get to sleep before 1 a.m. Sigh! I am sooooo tired. I feel like a zombie!!!


XoXo-Andrea Carla (aka-Mama Bear)

Sunday's Shenanigans

I decided to do the Five for Friday each week, but that just focuses on my man husband......so I decided to start a Sunday one that will be solely for my little man. I wanted to come up with a name that would be ours and ours alone. It's not easy coming up with a word that would sound okay with Sunday. But shenanigans is a great word. This weekly blog will be about 5 things that I love, appreciate, or funny happenings about my little man.

I came up with this in the shower last night. Okay so it wasn't a shower as more of a streaking through water as little man was waking up from round 1 of sleep for the night. But I like to plan ahead for events. I am always scared that I might die, and little man wouldn't know how much I loved him. Sure people might tell him.....but I want him to know from me for sure how I feel in case the worst ever happened. Now don't worry I am not dwelling on my doomsday. I just want to make sure that I create something amazing for him just in case the worst happens. I don't ever want him growing up not knowing how loved he is. I plan on having things made for him when his dad deploys for the same reason. This boy is loved and I don't want him to ever doubt that.
Now let's say I don't get killed by a satellite from space that falls on me....or a toilet that falls from the sky and I live a long healthy life to the annoyance of a few....lol Then this can become a gift I can give my son someday. I can have it printed off and when he is old enough...he will enjoy it. lol (hopefully)

................So without any more chit chatting.....I present................

- Sunday's Shenanigans!!!-


1- I love your funny guy smile!! You do this after you have done something not so funny.

2- You turned 3 months this week, and still wear newborn diapers and clothing. I love that you are staying my baby

3- You discovered your toes this week. I am afraid you might try to pull them off. lol

4- I love how handsome you are. Okay so I am biased.....but you really are so amazing and handsome.

5- It doesn't matter what a beast you might have been the night before because you wouldn't sleep. When you finally do fall asleep.....one look at you and I know that I am so grateful you are in my life.

P.S.-Mamma Bear loves you

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Five for Friday!!

I read the other day HERE something amazing that she does every friday. So I thought I should do that.

So here is the birth of Five for Friday. Every Friday I will write 5 things tha I love or appreciate about my husband.

1- You drove me 60 miles to a Sonic so I could have the Tater Tots I was craving.

2- You have gone on 6 deployments to protect and provide for our family.

3- You went to the store late in the evening and bought me Spaghettio's and a cheeseburger to satisfy my crazy pregnancy cravings.

4- You are an amazing daddy to our handsome son.

5- You gave me the most amazing gift.....my Riley bug.

XoXo-Andrea Carla

P.S.-I Love You

3 months

I read somewhere that Riley is now officially no longer considered a newborn. He is now officially an infant. I don't like this one bit. But you know he still wears newborn diapers, and newborn clothes. lol So he is still my newborn. ha ha ha

The other day I put him in the outfit that he came back from the hospital in. It still fits just fine. I was a little relieved as I love that outfit. Although I have been noticing some of my favorite hats of his are starting to get a little tighter. ;0( I will have to find some more cute ones to replace them. ha ha

Riley is getting stronger and stronger each day.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Extends Discounts for Military Families

I found this update here

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Extends Discounts for Military Families
posted on April 19th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks


Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a long-standing history of honoring military personnel and their families, and today, we’re pleased to announce that we are extending our discounted theme park tickets and room rates for active military and spouses, retired military, National Guard and Reservists through September of 2012. This extension coincides with The Walt Disney Company’s participation in “Joining Forces,” an initiative launched by the White House to bring attention to the unique needs of America’s military families.

Earlier this week, First Lady Michele Obama and Dr. Jill Biden joined the hosts of “The View” to discuss their involvement with “Joining Forces.” They encouraged all Americans to show their gratitude to service members and their families and discussed how companies like Disney and others from across the country are coming together to help military personnel. For more information, go to www.joiningforces.gov to learn how you can get involved.


All areas of The Walt Disney Company are working with “Joining Forces” to support this great new initiative. Disney plans to donate 25,000 Disney/Hyperion books to the USO for the United Through Reading military program, which gives deployed troops the opportunity to read their kids a virtual bedtime story when they can’t be there in person. Disney will also send more than 200 “Operation Disney” care packages filled with DVDs, books and games to USO centers worldwide which will also include 4,000 Disney Digital Book online memberships.


Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is proud to support the brave men and women who serve our country in a variety of ways. Discounts are available throughout the year on select Disney Cruise Line itineraries and Shades of Green, a resort on Walt Disney World property operated by the U.S. Armed Forces, caters exclusively to military families and provides discounted room rates. And at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida, military personnel and veterans from all branches of the military are honored daily at a special Flag Retreat Ceremony where they are asked to step forward to be recognized as the colors are retired each afternoon.

XoXo-Andrea Carla

The Prettiest Pretty EVER!

This is not the happiest post, but I wanted to blog about it.

Our beautiful Paige passed away at 4 a.m. on 4/18/2011. Yah I am pretty sad about it. Paige was given to me on our second anniversary. That would be 2002 for those who don't know. She was only 8 months old at the time and so small. She was the runt of the litter, and had been slightly abused before we got her. She was rescued from a guy that was fighting Pit Bulls. Her parents were champion fighters and had bred her mom. She would not fight. The guy who owned her was upset that she was so cold and wouldn't fight back. That was a blessing for us. So we took her into our home after she had been adopted by a young kid and his grandma and then given back after they fought and she no longer had a home. We loved Paige. This was Chuck's first real pet. Sure he had pets growing up as a kid. But he had never had one that had become part of the family. The first night we had Paige we put her in her kennel at the bottom of our bed. I had turned on a night light so I could see her, and not kick the cage in the middle of the night. She cried and cried, so once Chuck was asleep I put her in bed with us and then moved her to the cubby in our headboard. She slept in that for a while. ;0) Little did we know that I had just created a monster. She became the biggest bed hog. lol

Paige became my little girl. She sure loved us. We spoiled her an took her everywhere with us. When Chuck deployed, I would take her to the beach every morning around 5 a.m. She was afraid of the waves, but loved splashing in the pools of water she could find. Paige wasn't to big on playing with other dogs, but since Chuck was deployed a lot I would take her to the dog park as much as possible. She played well with other dogs, but she enjoyed running around the most. The neighbors downstairs from us got a Chihuahua, and that scared Paige. That little thing actually backed my Pit Bull into a corner. Yah she was a scaredy Cat in her younger days. lol

I taught her early how to tell when Chuck came home. She learned to recognize the sound of our car and would get super excited when he came home. That was a turning point for her. She started to become a daddy's girl big time. She would jump up on the back of the couch and look out the window to see Chuck's car pull up. No matter where we lived, she would find a way to look out the window for him. Even at our place in La Mesa she would stand on her back legs on our bed and just barely be able to see out the window to the back parking lot. ha ha ha

In 2007 Chuck and I adopted another dog. He was a rescue we got from a Pit Bull rescue and was a pit Bull / Pointer mix. Or rather we called him a Heinz 57. lol He was the tiniest little guy. Paige thought we were nuts for bringing a whiny puppy home. But it was fun having 2 dogs now. Paige tried to teach him manners, but she was lacking slightly in that department. lol

Paige was a great guard dog and older sister to Harley. If you were to have robbed our house....she would have come to greet you, and then gone back to sleep. lol We had several nick names for Paige. Here are a few.....The prettiest pretty ever, Pumpkin, Our Pretty girl, and a Cow.

Paige loved tennis balls. One year for her birthday we I gave her a whole box of them. She was in heaven! She wasn't sure which one to play with first. lol Paiges was also a lover of french fries. sometimes when Chuck was deployed I would get Subway for dinner, and stop and get french fries for Paige. ha ha ha Spoiled much?

She was convinced that our Cal King bed was for her. We had to upgrade to the bigger bed because Chuck and I were losing room with Harley and Paige. lol She would cuddle as close to you as she could get. Her normal cuddle spots were in the small of your back, or your knee pitts. lol And she always insisted on being under the covers. She didn't understand when we got a new couch and told her she couldn't get on it anymore.

Paige loved to ride in the car but insisted to ride on my lap with her sunglasses on. Even when we would take the long car ride back to Utah or Idaho....she would sit on my lap the entire time. She would hang her head out the window as much as possible. And would bark at anyone who got to close to the car, or our house.

Paige saved our marriage on more than one occasion. Because of Paiges childhood before we got her......she had some issues. No one could raise their voice in our house and yell. So that meant.....Chuck and I never yelled at each other. If we got in an argument....and voice started to raise....she would get super upset and either run out of the room....or start shaking and climb in my lap with her ears back and her tail tucked under. So in 10 1/2 years of marriage I am proud to say that we have never yelled at each other. lol Paige was also afraid of tall things. What do I mean you ask?.....well Tall lamps, things that towered over her. If you moved the shade of a lamp, she would run from the room so fast. And the funniest one. Chuck could not chew gum in the house. Paige was deathly afraid of bubble gum. We are not sure if it was bubbles, or the smell of the gum. But Chuck (who loves gum) would forget a lot and come home with gum in his mouth and I could tell because Paige would come running to find me and stand in my lap. It didn't matter what I was doing....she would find a way into my lap and sit there shaking like a leaf. Yah it was funny but I felt bad for her. Who knows what happened to her in her life that made her afraid of these things. She hated bubble wrap, or anything that made a loud noise. She was pretty timid for a Pit Bull.


Paige was a great dog, a blessing for our marriage, and such a wonderful cuddle bug. I miss her so much, but am happy that she is no longer in pain. Paiges you will be missed.

Here are some pictures I was able to find.


XoXo-Andrea Carla