Random, Spontaneous, FUN Day!

Every time we hang out with the Olsons we have a good time. Yesterday we had plans to go up to Big Bear with them and rent a pontoon boat and then grab some pizza at Paoli's. When we got up the mountain there were no pontoon boats left to rent until 4:15 which meant we had several hours to kill. All of a sudden we heard loud rumbles coming from the sky.... Was that THUNDER?? Whoa... and LIGHTNING? Yep, down came the raindrops and soon enough we were in the middle of a downpour! It was so random because it came from no where and we had been experiencing 100*+ heat and very sunny skies back at home (which is only an hour away). So we headed to lunch early since our plans on the lake seemed to have been cancelled by the weather. After eating some yummy pizza we decided to head back home. As we passed the rocks on the lake, John spontaneously decided to pull over and take a look so we all went down the trail to the lake shore. When we got there it was still sprinkling and kind of cold but there were a few people jumping from the rocks. John and I had done some rock jumping there before but we weren't planning on jumping yesterday. After some back-and-forth discussion, we decided to jump! It was sooooo fun and we all had a really, really great time. Here are some pics... Jason, me, Madison and Alexis when we first got to the rocks

(John had already jumped at this point!)

There's John halfway in the water after DIVING HEAD FIRST from the top. I think he was trying to give me a heart attack.
"Lucky, Lucky, Lucky!" We were all chanting her name to get her to jump. After the first time she had no fear and jumped from the top!

There's Maddy and Jason doing a father/daughter simultaneous jump!

And yes, that's me. I can't believe I'm putting a full body picture of me in a bathing suit on here...

Lisa and Caleb hung out on the shore and took pictures of us. I wonder what Caleb was thinking as he saw his mom and dad rock jumping!?!

After rock jumping was over we headed down the mountain where we browsed around a motorcycle shop (Caleb already wants one - he was sitting on all of the quads and bikes saying "vroom-vroom". Sorry baby, no motorcycle for you!). Then we grabbed some burritos at a yummy mexican restaurant and headed back to the Olsons' house. When we got there Lucky started pulling out her dirt bike and quad so we hopped on and rode around the hills by their house. I held on to John for dear life. And after that we went in the Jacuzzi and ate ice cream. It was such a spontaneous, fun day! Caleb was such a good boy the whole time. He loves hanging out with the Olsons -- we do too! :)

It is so stinkin' HOT!

i love California because of the weather and the fact that there is always something to do. we don't have to worry about snow storms or shoveling driveways or driving in ice and stuff like that. but this week, wow, has it been hot! i would welcome a snow storm on days like this.

since i do not possess the power to make it snow, maybe reminiscing on colder days will help. these pics were taken in january on a snowboarding trip to Big Bear. we had such a good time and it was sooo COLD!!! on our way up the mountain...

here we are posing with our boards.

this is me and my bestest friend, kaelia. we are pretty much on the same snowboarding skill level so i was really glad her and her hubby came with us. john goes way too fast for me! on this day he was teaching her son elijah how to snowboard. he did awesome!

6 YEARS!

today, July 20th, is our 6 year wedding anniversary! it has gone by so fast yet at the same time it feels like we've always been together because that's just how it was meant to be. we've sure come a long way in the past 6 years. look at us now, all grown up in our 30's with a kid and trying for a second. sure, we're in a tough spot now with money being tight and jobs being shaky but we're together and we'll get through it. my friend jason always says "if all your problems could be solved with money then your problems aren't that bad". it's so true. i tell myself that every day. we have our health, we are in love and our son is happy and thriving. we are so blessed in so many ways. we'll get through this together as a family.

Happy Anniversary, my Love! Here's to another 60 years!

Field Trip & Last Day of Swim Lessons

Today was a big day for my Caleb! He had his first "Field Trip" and his last day of Swim Lessons today. He is a rock star. The field trip was with our Stroller Strides group and we had a blast. He even got his own apron. How cute is that?? "Okay, Mom. I got my apron on. LET'S DO THIS!!"

Time to add the dirt... he dumped the whole cup all over the place!!

Concentrating on adding the seeds

All done!! Look at what a good job he did!

Here we are with the rest of the Mommy & Me class. Caleb is like a little fish now. The difference from his first day of Swimming Lessons to his last day is amazing! He can float on his back, get a toy from the bottom of the pool, kick & pull, blow bubbles, "frog dive", and grab the edge of the pool on his own!!! I am so proud of my little guy. He is a rock star.

Realization

i've come to the realization that money doesn't fall from the sky and in order to pay my bills, i need to get a job. i've been a stay-at-home mom for 16 months. i tried so hard for so long to become a mom and by the grace of God, i became one to the best little boy in the world. these last 16 months have been the best, most rewarding, most enjoyable, better-than-i-imagined months of my entire life. i love my little caleb so much and i would do anything for him. the idea of leaving him breaks my heart. i know, i know, lots of moms do it every day and i understand that it is painful for them too. i'm not trying to discount their pain; i am just voicing mine. i cry real tears at the thought of not being the one to feed him breakfast/lunch every day, not being the one to kiss his owies, sing to him all day long, or be the first to hear his newest word. we are so close. the bond we have is so strong - will it change when i go back to work? will he still know how much i love him? will he look at me with the same smile and know that i would die for him? i miss him when i leave for an hour and when i come back i swear he has grown or his face has changed. i've always wanted to stay at home with my kid(s) and i have loved every second being here with my baby. i am so thankful for the time that we've spent together playing, reading, dancing... but now, how can i leave him? HOW CAN I LEAVE HIM???? i can't even write this without bawling my eyes out.

i don't know what to do.

but, the plan is... i'm going to try to find a part-time job that will allow for me to make a little extra money and still spend time with caleb. i know that it's hard to find a job these days so who knows what is going to happen. i will be lucky to find work with the economy the way it is today. i'm applying to both full-time and part-time jobs, and just praying that God will put me in the job that HE wants me in.

i was supposed to go back to school in august to take a chemistry class as a prereq for the nursing program. i decided when i was on hospital bedrest that i wanted to be a nurse. the nurses made such a difference in my day and i grew to love them. i am a schmuck because i already have a bachelor's degree and student loans that i am still paying on but so what? i want that nursing degree. but now i don't think i am going back to school for a while. i need to focus on the here and now and what my family needs. my family needs me to work.

i am a mess. God help me.

Swim Lessons

Caleb started swim lessons yesterday. The first day did not go well at all. He screamed the entire time and it was quite stressful. I wasn't looking forward to going back and I'm sure he wasn't either. However, today went soooo much better. Yes, there was some crying, but overall he did so good. I was so proud of him. He even smiled a little bit like he was proud of himself too! I think every day from here is just going to get better and who knows, maybe by the end of the 2 week program he may enjoy it! I hope so. My little swimmer. Below are some pics of his first day. :) This was when we first got in the pool -- BEFORE the dunk. Look how happy he is! But then.....

... This was AFTER the dunk! Oh, boy! He screamed like this the whole time. You can imagine why I wasn't looking forward to going back. But, yay, he did good today.

This pic was taken on the 4th of July in my parents' pool. He had a good time on that float. We went to see fireworks that night but Caleb slept through the whole thing and decided to wake up on our way back to the car. Oh well, there's always next year! Happy (late) 4th everybody!!