Thank Goodness!

I have never been so happy to see the end of a month get here until today! May 31st means

THE LAST DAY OF NABLOPOMO!!

Whew... I did it... again.

Before I leave you for awhile, I just want to give you the update on Brian's tournament. I know that you have been waiting ALL weekend to find out if he won or not. So without further ado.... Chamisa Hills Country Club has a new Member-Guest team winner.

And the winners are Brian & Robbie! Yay them! Not to toot my own horn (well, I didn't do anything) but they won by quite a bit. 4 shots to be exact and they had to give one or two shots because they played so well. Brian is pretty excited. I'm sure we'll be back next year. Michelle and I decided that next year we will plan ahead and have our guys wear matching outfits each day of the tournament. How cute huh? Yeah. The guys are thrilled.

Thank you for sticking with me this month. I hope that I was able to make you chuckle a few times with tales from my little boy.

Just because this is the last day doesn't mean you shouldn't check in. I have some ideas planned for the next few blogs. We may have a blog tomorrow we may not. Check in to find out! :)

Cuteness

I've just come across these random pictures, well not too random. And with only 3 days of NaBloPoMo to go I thought I'd post them.

A few weeks back Jaxon & I met my friend, Becky and her 2 girls at the Children's Museum. The last time we went to the Children's Museum with them Jaxon couldn't even walk!

These 3 are so stinkin' cute together!

On a totally separate note. My friend Karen gave Jaxon a Little People playset. I cannot tell you the hours of quiet this playset has given me. He LOVES it! He will play with it, by himself, for hours. Ok not hours but at least 45 minutes.

One More Jaxon-ism & Some Blubbering

Hearing things come out of Jaxon's mouth cracks me up. It's fascinating to me how he hears some words. He is such a great communicator and has great verbal skills, but some things just come out funny. In one 20 minute car drive he sprinkled me with these two lovely comments. Cracked me up.

From the backseat he says, "Mama you had a chameleon da other day."

"A chameleon? No I didn't see a chameleon."

"Yes you did. At church you had a chameleon."

"No there wasn't a chameleon at church."

"Yes Mama! You had a chameleon at church."

"Umm, no Jaxon. I don't know what you're talking about."

"At church you and Rora had chameleon."

And then it hit me....COMMUNION!

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I registered Jaxon for pre-school this week.

I am so flippin' happy for him! He is going to love it! I am even more happy that he will be going to my old school (where I taught for 5 years, not actually attended). This preschool program is so awesome! I cannot even begin to do it justice. I can't wait for him to start and have all of the wonderful experiences he is going to have.

On the same note, I can't believe he will be in preschool! To me that means that in 2 short years he will be in kindergarten. That just blows me away. I've always been on the other end of school and now I have to send my baby, with a back pack and a snack, to school.

I know, just know, that I am going to be that mom that wants to stay to make sure he's in ok. I will be that mom that cries when she has to leave. I will be there with my cameras, yes more than one. I want to volunteer weekly, join the PTA, help with carnivals and fundraisers. I want to be room mom and bring in cute snacks for birthdays and special occasions.

I know that his teacher is either going to roll her eyes, call me crazy and tell her co-workers I need to get a job. Or she may be the teacher that hopes she gets Jaxon in her class so she can have an awesome volunteer. Let's hope for the latter and that I don't cross the crazy mom line.. I've had my share of those!

I cannot wait!

Part of me is so sad he is growing up, I want him to be that little baby I brought home 3 years ago. But the big part of me is so happy for him. He is just going to soar in school.

Practicing writing already.

Top 10 Things We Miss about ABQ

As I type this I am sitting at Tucson International Airport waiting to board a plane to ABQ. When I've been in this position in the past I've been sad. I was leaving home. But funnily enough, today I'm excited. I can't wait to get there and visit with our friends. I also feel guilty because we left Jaxon at home with Lola and Abu. I feel so bad because he misses ABQ something fierce. He tells me almost everyday how he wants to go back to Rio Rancho and live in his "real" house. Instead, Brian & I are going without him. One day, I promise, all 3 of us will be going! He did ease my guilt when I dropped him off at my parent's house this morning and he says, "Mom, when are you leaving? I don't want you to have a sleepover." Yes, he did break my heart a bit, but I know he is in good hands and will have a blast with Lola & Abu. But, Dude didn't even PRETEND to miss me! Sheesh.

So, we are off to ABQ so Brian can play in the Dos Amigos Golf Tournament at the club we used to belong to. It's a member-guest tournament and I think it's ironic that in the 5 years we were members he never played. Something was always going on Memorial Day weekend... Jaxon was due to be born a couple weeks later, I had to be in Tucson to start my cancer treatment, we went to Hawaii.... So this weekend he plays as a guest. He's thrilled! Let's hope he wins... there is a monetary prize :)

In honor of our trip back I thought I'd make a list of what we miss most of our former home.

This list is in no particular order

1. Our "club" friends.... The Wilson's, The Sieverts and The Sisneros'.

They became fast and wonderful friends to us. They loved Jaxon like he was their own. They were there when we needed them, no matter how big or small and they were always down for a drink at the club! LOVE them all.

2. My Kindergarten friends.

These ladies took me into their well established team and made me feel at home right away. They put up with me missing home for the first year and with my "ditziness" for five. I actually miss going to school each day and seeing these ladies as I walk down the hall. I miss hearing their stories about their children & grandchildren. I miss the camaraderie.

3. School.

Yes, I miss teaching. I know I would bitch and complain about working, the kids, the politics, but it was great. I miss having a place to go to everyday, I miss meaning something to someone other than my own family. I miss a reason to get dressed up. Now I don't know what to put under occupation when I fill out paperwork at a doctor's office. It's hard not to write down "teacher".

4. Frances' House

Jaxon misses her and his friends there most of all. Brian & I miss having him socialize with other kids on a daily basis. I also miss the every other Wednesday to myself.

5. Our proximity to everything.

We used to to live 2 minutes from Target, 2 minutes from the grocery store, 2 minutes from the gym, 10 minutes from the mall and a boat load of restaurants. Now we are easily 20 minutes from the nearest grocery store. NOTHING is close to us. Still trying to adjust.

6. Gymboree.

Oh, how I miss going to Gymboree twice a week.

7. The Balloons

No matter how old you are or how long you live in ABQ, there is something about seeing a hot air balloon outside your window each morning.

8. The Zoo, Natural History Museum, Aquarium, Children's Museum

There was always some place to take Jaxon if we wanted to do something different.

9. The Club

We loved going to the club any night of the week. It was such a chill place. A place where we could take Jaxon and he would run around while we chatted with friends. They so didn't mind having the kids around. We also miss the late afternoon golf rounds. Well, I miss sitting in the cart sipping on a frosty beverage, flipping through a magazine while Brian golfed and Jaxon ran around.

10. The Seasons.

I know already I will miss the changing seasons. Honestly, I will only miss Fall. I LOVED fall here. So pretty with all of the colors and the perfect weather... cool enough to wear a light sweater but warm enough to wear open toed shoes.

Serious Preparations

We are heading into a poolside kinda weekend so Brian & I have been prepping!

I ♥ having a pool!

Pure Joy

Remember how fun it was to run in the sprinklers as a kid? I had kinda forgotten how exciting it was until the other day when Jaxon asked us to run with him. So fun to run like a crazy person,

a la Phoebe from Friends.

Jaxon-isms

It's been awhile since I've posted some "Jaxon-isms" and today alone he gave us two. Honestly, as I sit down to write this, I can only remember one other one. Not sure where my memory is lately, but it clearly isn't with me. Let's see if it comes back in the next few minutes.

We were at the driving range the other day and Jaxon looks around with a very intent look on his face. He is clearly looking for someone or something. He turns to me, raises his arms up and says, "Mama, where's Tiger Woods?"

Seriously, the kid thought he'd see Tiger at our little golf course.

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My dad has been over the past few days building some shelves in our "panic room". It's a 3 x3 empty, doesn't make any sense room. So he's kindly converting it into another storage area for us.

Well, he was working during naptime and scooched a ladder across the tile. Imagine that sound, "ta ta ta" Shortly there after Jaxon wakes up and tells my dad, "Abu, you're making noise. Next time I take a nap you go home to make noise."

Yeah. He's not bossy. At.All.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a positive note, the first day my dad was working, he did say, "Can I help you sir?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My mom also came over after naptime to check on the handy man and Jax wanted to show her his room. She went in, opened his blinds and said, "Jaxon, look at the pretty flowers. Look at the colors."

"Yeah, I painted those flowers for my wife."

"Your wife? Whose your wife?"

"Hunter. She's my wife."

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My mom and I took him to church with us again this past week. An outing we quickly regret the moment we walk in. Of course, he talks the entire mass! Not kidding, he just won't quit. The second we walk out he says, "I was very quiet in church."

"Uhh, no you weren't. You talked the entire time."

"Well, I talked softly. I didn't talk LOUD."

Three year olds are obviously very literal.

"I got chased by a Woody Pecker!"

Yesterday afternoon Jaxon & Brian headed down to the golf course to practice their putting. When they came home an hour later, Jaxon bursts in the house yelling, "Mama! Mama! I got chased by a bird! It tried to woody peck me!" Huh? chased by a bird really? A few minutes later Brian came over and said, "did Jax tell you he got chased by a bird? Check out this video."

Sure enough... Jaxon got chased by bird!
!

Only to Brian!

On Saturday Brian woke up and said, "I want to do something different today." Jaxon immediately piped up and said, "Let's go to the zoo!" So we did.

It was a nice, relaxing time and it was quite uneventful. For the most part.

We got to the bird aviary and of course Jaxon wanted to go inside. I am not a fan of birds. I think they are pretty. I like the way they sing. I don't even mind admiring them. What I don't like is them flying around my head or getting too close. I started to tell Jaxon no, we were not going to go in, but he was already half way in the door with no intention of coming out. I had no choice but to follow. Behind me Brian declares, "I know I'm going to get s**t on."

Jaxon is have a grand time looking at the birds and trying to match them to their guide so we can learn their names. He becomes fond of pheasant and insists on having a long, drawn out conversation with it. All the while, Brian is standing by the door urging us to leave.

Finally, we go. As I get closer to Brian I notice, that sure enough, he has gotten pooped on!

Before I can even form the sentence out loud I am doubled over with laughter. Of course HE's the one to get pooped on. Why wouldn't it be. Oh you can only imagine the colorful language that came out of his mouth when he realized why I was laughing so hard. I tried to make it better by telling him it was good luck to get pooped on. I know I've heard it somewhere. And since I've heard it, it must be true.

I have not laughed so hard in my life. Hilarious! I am still giggling just thinking about it.

The best part. Jaxon telling everyone the rest of the weekend that "Daddy got pooped on by a bird!"

We spent a little over an hour at the zoo (it's a small zoo) and I only took one picture.

Jaxon says he's going to be a salesman like his Daddy, but I beg to differ. I think he's going to be a teacher like his Mama. This is him walking backwards in front of us, clapping his hands and saying, "C'mon. Dis way. Follow me." Just like a teacher. Keeping his eye on his class!

Then & Now

Brian's all time favorite restaurant is Rosa's Mexican Restaurant. It is a little family run place in mid-town. It is delicious. Brian and his dad used to go there weekly for lunch, even when JP was not allowed to go, they would sneak over behind Sue's back... it is that good. The first house Brian ever bought was conviniently 5 minutes from Rosa's. So as you can imagine, we spent quite a lot of time there. When we moved to NM, we would visit Rosa's each time we came to Tucson. Albuquerque just did not have good enough Mexican food (sorry).

One of the many things we were excited about moving back to the Old Pueblo was Rosa's. And can you believe it has taken us over a month to visit it? Last night was the day. We scraped our dinner at home plans and made the trek to Rosa's (you see, where we live now, every where is a trek... a good 30 - 40 minute drive. Nice)

With my blog a day marathon on my mind, I thought, "I have a picture of the first time we brought Jaxon here. Let me do a then and now post."

Boy, what a difference. 3 years ago we had a nice, quiet dinner. With a sleeping child next to us. Now, we had a little boy who insisted the chips were all for him. Who insisted that his dinos eat the table with us and who did not stop talking the entire time we were there. Oh and did i mention he saw it appropriate to dance? Yes. Yes he did. Music lives inside this kid. I believe it's either Lady Gaga, Rhianna or The Black Eyed Peas.

Brian & Jaxon then... July 2008

Brian & Jaxon now... May 2011

Brian so graciously offered to take a picture of me with my boy.

*Not exactly sure why it uploaded so small.

How quickly life changes.

Best Friends

I completely forgot about this pictures and just came across them.

On the day that Brian & I loaded up the Uhaul we sent Jaxon to his babysitter, Frances', house for one last time. Since it was Jaxon's last day Ravae (Frances' daughter who helps watch the kiddos) invited his best friend Jacob. They went to the park and to Applebee's for lunch. They had a ball. They are truly best friends and love each other so much. Leaving him has been the hardest for Jaxon. He talks about "Little" Jacob daily, it's been more than a month. Breaks my heart. I know exactly how he feels leaving his best friend. I've done many a times in my life.

I gave Ravae my camera and she took a few pictures of the two buddies together.

How cute is this? Frances had the fire hydrant in front of her house painted! Adorable!

Later that night, our friends Lynn & Jana brought over pizza and hung out for a few hours in our empty house. It was great because Jaxon was able to play with his other best friend, Bailey. These boys are awesome with Jaxon.

Notice the adoration on Jaxon's face?

Jaxon with Bailey and Riley

Edward Scissorhands Anyone?

Someone

is learning

to cut!

Starbucks Addict in the Making

Hi. My name is Anabelle and I'm addicted to Starbucks. I take comfort in knowing that MANY of you are too. I, however, cannot handle the caffeine. I immediately start to twitch, my heart races and I feel light headed. So I started by drinking a Tall, no water, Chai. Yummy. But sometime last Christmas I discovered a Tall, decaf, peppermint white mocha. DELISH! Oh and imagine my happiness when I found out you can get it year round!

I am also raising a Starbucks Addict.

It seems that Jaxon likes a little coffee too. I would like to blame this on my mom. She has to have her coffee and toast every morning and a little more coffee every afternoon. With as much time as Jaxon has spent at my parent's house in the past 3 years, he has come to love having coffee and toast with "Rora".

In the past few months, Jaxon has put two and two together... I like coffee & Rora's house and Mama has "coffee" every time we go to Target. Hmmm.

It began like this, "Mama can I have a sip of your coffee?" "No Bud, it's too hot for you."Now it's something like this, "Mama, when your coffee is cold I'll have the rest ok. When we get to the car your coffee will be cold and you'll give it to me."

The little bugger has even figured out that I only get through 3/4 of it while shopping! And if I even give him a sip he chugs the rest.

The other day I came home, set my Starbucks cup on Brian's desk while I put away some groceries away and when I came back the little theif had swiped it! And there was more than 1/4 left! I could hear him saying to Brian, "Shhh Daddy. It's our secret. Don't tell Mama."

"I drank it all"

I believe he's saying, "Good manners!"

Oh Jaxon!

This conversation cracked me up! I don't know if I found it so funny because he's my kid, or if it really is funny. Any in case, I'd like to share. I'd like to say that Jaxon will not be going to school tomorrow! The imagination of a 3 year old!

Melts My Heart

This little boy has been driving me CRAZY lately! He's definietly asserting his independence and testing the limit. Plus I think he is missing his friends from NM and Gymboree. We've never spent so much time together.

We are having growing pains.

I find myself being much less patient than I'd like to be. Today I lost it and yelled at him. A few minutes later I apologized for yelling (I'm not sure if I should have, but I want him to learn that it is ok to say your sorry) and he said, "It's ok. I think we need a break." Oh this kid cracks me up!! Makes me smile everytime.

Another thing that makes me smile...

When I find Jaxon quietly reading

I've caught him reading to himself a thousand times, but a thousand times I feel a tug on my heart. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that he loves to read.

What's for Dinner?

A few weeks ago my friend Nicole posted her menu for the week on her blog to help out our friend Ami. Since I am in the middle of a blog marathon I thought, "Why not do the same?" I find it so much easier to plan what to make for dinner over the weekend. It helps me stay on track and it let's Brian know not to eat a "late lunch" and to be home in time for dinner. We did have issues with that early on in our marriage. I would slave over a hot stove after a long day of teaching and he would either a) come home and say, "Oh, I had a really late, big lunch. I'm not hungry for dinner. or b) I'd get a call that would say, "Taking Dr So & So for happy hour, not going to be home till later." Yeah. That had to stop. So I got myself organized and he got his happy little butt home in time for a home cooked meal. Win win.

Here's my menu for this week:

Monday: Left over night

Tuesday: Fettucine Carbonara

Wednesday: Chicken Roll Ups (from Nicole)

Thursday: Pepper Steak

Friday: Mad Pasta (from Jen Corbelli)

Saturday: Chicken Tacos

Fettucine Carbonara

Ingredients:
¾ Lb. uncooked fettuccine
4 Oz. pancetta, cut into ½ inch-wide strips
3 Garlic cloves, cut into halves
¼ Cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk
2/3 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Dash white pepper

Directions:
Cook fettuccine

. Cook & stir pancetta & garlic in large skillet over medium-low heat 4 minutes or until pancetta is light brown. Reserve 2 TBS drippings in skillet with pancetta. Discard garlic & remaining drippings.
Add wine to pancetta mixture; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until wine is almost evaporate. Stir in cream, cook & stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk egg & egg yolk in top of double boiler. Place top of double boiler over simmering water; adjusting heat to maintain simmer. Whisk 1/3 cup cheese and pepper into egg mixture; cook and stir until sauce thickens slightly.
Pour pancetta mixture over fettuccine in pot; toss to coat. Heat over medium-low heat until heated through. Stir in egg mixture. Toss to coat evenly. Remove from heat. Serve with remaining 1/3 cup cheese

Makes 4 servings

Chicken Roll Ups

Ingredients

1 can of 8 refrigerated crescent rolls

10 oz can of chunk white chicken or cook your own- 2-3 pieces, diced

1 can cream of chicken soup (optional 2 cans for creamier taste

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese- divided use

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Spread out some foil and lay out the crescent rolls

. In each roll put: A little chicken 2 T. shredded cheese salt and pepper

. Roll them up and put in deep dish

. Whip cream of chicken soup with 1 can of water, or simply use 2 cans without water for a creamier taste. Since its thicker, you'll have to spread it with a spoon)

. Pour spoon around the rolls

Cook for 30 minutes

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese and cook for 5 or 10 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve over a bed of rice

Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

1 1/2 TB Vegetable Oil

1 clove garlic

1 lb beef for stir fry

1 cup beef broth

soy sauce

2 TB water

2 TB corn starch

1/4 onion

1 green bell pepper

1 zuccini

1 squash

mushrooms (these 3 veggies are optional)

Directions:

Pour oil in pan

Add beef, garlic and some soy sauce (to taste)

Brown beef

Add beef broth

Add corn starch, water & more soy sauce

Mix & stir until sauce thickens

Add vegetables

Mad Pasta

Ingredients:
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

1/4 cup of oilve oil

1/2 cup grated romano cheese

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 lb. of penne

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 butter

2 oz. of pancetta or lean bacon

1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper, depends on your heat level

2 tsp. dried basil

Directions:
In a medium pot, saute onion, pepper and bacon in oil and butter.
When the mixture is golden brown, add the wine.
Once the wine is evaporated then add the diced tomatoes.
Cook over low heat for about 45 minutes.
Cook pasta according to pkg. directions, drain and coat with the sauce mixture.
Top with cheese and serve with warm bread.

Chicken Tacos

1 packet Taco seasoning

1 cup chicken broth

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Dissolve taco seasoning into chicken broth

Place chicken breasts in crock pot & pour chicken broth over

Cover & cook on low for 6 to 8 hours

Shred chicken meat into bite-sized pieces

Use in tacos, burritos, nachos or salads.

We Rock!

Last night was girl's night! Hip hip hooray! This is one of the many things I missed while l living in Albuquerque. I missed these girls. Girls that I can be myself around and won't be judged. Girls I know will be there for each other at the drop of a hat. I definitely want them around in a crisis. We've known each other for quite some time. I've been friends with Ami & Mary for around 10-11 years now. And Nicole came along 8 years ago as Ami's student teacher and fit right in.

We all taught kindergarten at Cottonwood together and funnily enough we all lived together at one point. Well, Nicole took my room at the house after I got married, but still. We had some fun times at that house, the house that is now a "grown up" house and where Mary & Emilio will be raising their baby girl.

So here we are all grown up. If those wall could talk...

Before we left Ami noticed our purses... a Coach parade. And how they decreased in size by the number of kids we have. Oh and did you notice the silouette in the background? Does that look like the backside of a pregnant lady? Damn her! :)

Oh and then later Ami noticed that our Starbucks drinks went with our purse size.

We went to Guadalajara Grill where they make salsa at your table!

Then we got serenaded. Which is awkward. How do the girls/guys on The Bachelor do it? Where do you look? Nicole started rearranging the table.

Clearly, Ami & I are the piggies in this group. Our chip bowl is to the right. Nicole & Mary's to the left. Notice a difference?

Umm, concrete chairs? Really?

In our single, care-free, wild days, we would have gone drinkin' and dancin' at the Cactus Moon, but now that we are respectable mothers and wives we went to Starbucks instead.

We decided to make it a monthly event. Why not? We need a break from our kids and husbands every now and again. It's good for our sanity.

By the way... we stayed out past 10:00 pm! Yeah baby! We Rock!