The Adventures of the Lake County Kilbrides

The end.

2011-12-19T16:48:00.001-08:00

a good ride.

2011-10-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

it's been exactly 20 months since we made a house payment.

when i met justin 6 years ago he had purchased a home here in hidden valley- the home we live in now- and had just completed a deal to take out a second mortgage to buy the empty lot next door. real estate was booming here. homes were being built all over. one of the first impressions i had of california was the number of trucks with lumber racks driving down the road. it seemed that everyone was building and selling and make heaps of cash.

a year later justin and i were engaged, a business loan had been procured, and justin and my brother were building a spec home on the lot next door. my memory of that summer was sunny and hot with lots of dust, dirt and laughter as the boys built the house and i tried to keep them clean and fed.

as completion neared, justin had both houses appraised anticipation of putting them on the market in the spring. we would be married in july, purchase a new home jointly and start married life off pretty well.

the houses appraised in the neighborhood of $400k each. i told justin that the appraisals were ridiculous- that no one in their right mind would pay $400k for a 1500 square foot house an hour away from the closest shopping mall, that the economy in california was grossly inflated and that the prices wouldn't hold.

it is not something i am proud to be right about.

by the time the new house was finished it was march of 2007. rumors of a housing collapse were circulating. hidden valley was littered with half-finished houses and for sale signs, and when july rolled around and we were married, there had been no interest in either house and it became clear we needed to stay in one and rent the other.

we were unwilling landlords for 2 years- had horrible drug offender tenants the first go round and a fantastic young family the next. even still, we couldn't rent the house for even half of what our out of pocket expenses were.

those two years were filled with discussions about how to continue to hold out hope for a rebound of the housing market. the obama plan came and we couldn't qualify to have our mortgages adjusted. the houses were both bad investments. i was pregnant. we asked advice. we prayed. we received encouragement from our families.

it came down to this:

did we want to live in hidden valley forever? no.

would a growing family be comfortable in our home? maybe. but probably not.

would we have to be here for the rest of our foreseeable future? yes.

did we want to be able to have more children, provide opportunities for them, and send them to college? yes.

was justin young enough to recover from a negative credit rating? yes.

was our faith strong enough to let go of things beyond our control? yes.

so we let the rental go. and shortly after, 20 months ago, we stopped paying on our house.

i struggled a lot with this. i was proud. i didn't want to admit that we would fail to honor an agreement with the mortgage company. i was attached to the home that justin and phillip built- the one i picked out the door knobs and ceiling fans and counter tops for. the first month we didn't send a payment though was a breath of fresh air.

in the last 20 months we've paid off all our debts (obviously not the mortgage/business loan debts and excluding one small student loan and a personal loan from justin's grandma from his original down payment.) we've put a sizable down payment on a we'll-have-this-forever car, beefed up rex's college savings account, taken several nice trips, and stashed a nice nest egg in our savings account.

and it's been a waiting game. a full year came and went before we heard from the bank at all.

but today, our official notice came (6 times at the post office, 5 times in the mailbox, and 1 time pasted to our front door- and i was actually worried we might miss this) that our home- the one we moved into after our honeymoon, furnished, landscaped, loved in, laughed in, and brought our firstborn child home to- will be auctioned october 31st- 20 days from now.

20 months. 20 more days. it's been a good ride.

so long from the lake county kilbrides. we'll see ya on the flip side.

Dude on a trike.

2011-09-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Relaxed! Confident! A Leader!

2011-09-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

funny

2011-09-02T07:03:00.001-07:00

so i've not been a very good blogger although i've figured out how to upload pictures from my phone which makes for quick/easy/uninformative posting.

but i still like to read blogs.

here's one that made me laugh today.

mostly because i too just changed purses and amongst the crumbs and such did have one infant sock and a smashed cereal bar. Recently I came to work with a dog toy tucked in with my stethescope.

This lady got it right!

Ready for my check up!

2011-09-01T11:22:00.001-07:00

2 years, 30 pounds, and 36 inches tall!

Breakfast

2011-08-31T10:09:00.001-07:00

Outside? Yes, please!

Perpetual motion.

2011-07-26T15:07:00.001-07:00

best of intentions.

2011-07-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

i'm gonna try to blog more.

wish me luck.

This lady has no name.

2011-03-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

After a year and a half (!) I still have no name.

Justin is most certainly "dada". For a while we were both dada but now I'm... nothing.

A picture will come on my computer screen saver of Justin and Rex, and Rex, in his oh-so-sweet baby voice, softly says "dada."

Justin will call while we're in the car and Rex will hear his voice and a tiny voice pipes up in the back seat, "dada!"

Strangely, we're in that cling-to-mama phase where Rex has to be either on my lap or on my hip or in some pursuit of either option. Justin jokes that he stinks. He might, but at least he has a name.

Now, I've totally been working on this. I thought that maybe he was hearing other people call me Emily and Emily is certainly a hard word to say for an 18 almost 19 month old. So we practice. Favorite game these days? Point to me, I say mama, point to him, say Rex. Endless giggles. I find pictures of me and Rex and say mama, mama, mama. Blank look. Stand holding him in front of the mirror, make silly faces, say, "oh, MAMA's funny." Nothing.

I'm not into counting how many words exactly he says. I guess I could sit and make a list but there are plenty. He's by no means ahead of his peers in language but he's not delayed in the least. His favorites are animal sounds and he knows and responds to most everything we say to him. Now he's loving pointing to everything, over and over, saying "dis?" to which I name everything he points to. Oh so fun. But if I point to me and say "Who's this?" he points to himself and says with certainty "Dis."

Oh good grief. Just say my name. Just once and I wont put you down all day. I'll let you play in the pantry and spend as much time in the freezing cold outside. You wont have to nap and you can run around naked instead of wearing a diaper. You can eat all the cheesy poofs, grapes, and oranges you want. You can HAVE my computer. Just. Say. Mama.

I love...

2011-02-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

... the fact that every grocery trip costs $3.99 more because we HAVE to buy a balloon.

... having a sweet V Day dinner and frozen yogurt date with my little man.

... the beautiful roses sitting on my counter.

... a windowsill full of thoughtful cards from my (immediate and extended) family.

... turning on TV to find "Enchanted" playing on the Disney Channel... and for that matter park dancing scenes!

... my husband for working hard to provide for our family.

... Mama and Daddy and my sibs because, well, you're the best.

... Avery Elaine and her parents. Can't wait to meet you baby girl!

XXOO

"I'd like you were being a man"

2011-01-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

Hello my name is Emily and I don't check my voice mail. Ever.

This became irritiating to my work colleagues and so one day one of my coworkers introduced me to Google Voice. I'm not sure how it is supposed to work, but basically when someone leaves a message on my cell phone it will transcribe it to a text message and an email that I will presumably read and therefore have no need to listen to the actual message. Perfect.

Turns out, the transcription is TERRIBLE and so, while I still don't address what the true intent of the message might actually be, I am more entertained by Google's translation anyhow.

This message was from mom this morning:

"Hi Honey, it's mom, this Tuesday 11:15 ish, and I just wanna let you know I just mailed your package.

With person stuff. So. You Might Be watching for that. I'd like you were being a man.

Whenever youand I can't remember if you're working today or not. But, your phone bye."

Perfect, just perfect.

Happy Baptism Anniversary Rex!

2011-01-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Kilbride Family Christmas Update 2010

2010-12-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

For those of you who got our Christmas cards and actually logged on here I apologize for not having this ready and written before Christmas Day-- but here it is and here we are and Merry Christmas 2010!

As I write this (and I do apologize that this will be short and vague and fairly uninteresting) I am sitting in Houston at my parent's house where my mom has once again successfully pulled off a fantastic Christmas celebration. We are all here this year- 10 of us in my parents house: Mom and Dad, Justin and Rex and I, Phillip and Constance (recently returned from Thailand), Ellen (on a short break from snowy Switzerland), and Sam and Abraham (our resident African students.) It's a crazy, busy, and sometimes loud gathering and incredibly special to us all.

2010 has been a year of growth and change for our family. We've streamlined, simplified and strategized, traveled both domestically (AZ, TX) and internationally (Switzerland!), completed big projects (Justin) and cut back (Emily) at work, and watched in wonder as our tiny baby has steadily grown into a full blown toddler. We've learned how to function on absolutely no sleep (well, maybe this is still a work in progress!) We've celebrated announcements of new babies to come (no, no cousins or sibs for Rex) and mourned the losses of some special family members. We recognize that 2011 will likely prove to be just as crazy, unpredictable, and topsy-turvy a year as this has been for us and hope that we will have the information AND energy to do a proper update! Until then, we'll do our best to keep this blog current and will welcome reminder calls or emails if it gets away from us!

In closing, we remain mindful from whom our great blessings are received and wish all of you a Wonderful, Happy Christmas!

Love, Justin, Emily and Rex

KIVA

2010-12-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

remember my buddy joel mentioned here that i got to use my KIVA gift certificate from last christmas to help fund a loan to purchase a new dairy cow?

we'll he's payed back his loan in full.

i was a bit concerned at first when he had no repayment for the first two months. he's essentially been delinquent every month with repayments ranging from $6 to $46. today i get an email to the effect that he's caught up on his past payments and paid off his loan a full 2 months early!!

good job joel! i am so happy you and your cow are finding success in kenya!

the best part about this is that i got to turn it around and find a new loan to support.

so with out further ado, meet Maria. it didn't take me long to single her out! isn't her baby so cute in that little hat? she's going to pay to remodel a bedroom and kitchen in her parents house. go maria!

eye hate you- part 2.

2010-12-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Our sweet, brave boy had that gross yucky chalazion removed off his eye today- and what would have been a 10 mintue office procedure on an adult became an outpatient surgery procedure for a 16 month old.

So I'm not sure who was more nervous about this- parents or patient... except that said patient had no idea what was up when we woke him at the crack of dawn this morning. I have to say he was such a good boy with us all- waiting 3 hours at the hospital for his turn in the OR and us refusing him food and fluids...

There is something amazingly scary about seeing your baby asleep on an OR table, even if it is for a very minor procedure (they let me stay in the OR suite and watch.) But it's amazingly sweet too- sleeping so peacefully- and I wished I had brought in nail clippers and q-tips to trim those nails and clean those ears good.

He cried a bit- ok alot- when he came too and his eye patch managed to stay on for about 4 mintues before he got it off. He had a champion 5 hour nap, had a decent lunch and was tucked in to bed even a little early tonight. I can only marvel at how well today went, send my sincere thanks to all those who said prayers for his safety, and thank his caregivers at SHH from the bottom of my heart.

Wayne.

2010-12-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

Our Super Great Uncle Wayne passed away this Friday. We saw him in October in Arizona and as usual he was my favorite part of the whole trip. He's been very important to me for a long time and has become important to Justin and Rex as well.

I have been feeling sad about this for a day now, but suddenly I had this image of Uncle Wayne and my Grandpa reuniting (ok, so there are actually alot of Orchards up there but I like to think Grumps was first in line to greet Uncle Wayne.)

Oh what a celebration there must have been!!

My heart doesn't hurt quite so badly any more.

eye hate you.

2010-12-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

Rex has been battling a blocked eye duct thing since his birthday almost 4 months ago (a chalazion to be specific.) It looks gross and is gross and when the initial one seemed to go away another followed right behind it.

We have to hold him down a couple times a day and put a warm washcloth on it which he hates and I hate and Justin hates.

This weekend it looked particularly nasty and is accompanied by a healing but colorful bruise (thanks to a block on the floor and a mama who gave him a tickle that resulted in the cheek and the block having a brief but meaningful close encounter) on the opposite cheek. I've had more than one person in the last 48 hours comment on the fact that he looks like he got beat up and in a sense he has.

I'm actually thankful for the bruise right now since it prevents people thinking he has some nasty communicable eye disease. Go figure.

Not that any of this is slowing him down at all.

winter=yuck

2010-11-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

jack frost came to see us last week and in the span of a few hours all the leaves fell off the trees and all the plants died. he hasn't left since.

a few years ago for my birthday, my mom helped me create my sanctuary on the back porch, a place i fondly call my pot grotto (and not the stinky kind you might be thinking of.) i have pots with plants, comfy chairs, a space heater and some tables. i love it here. it's my spot.

this summer my plants got so big- especially a lovely bean plant that trellised up a post and sheltered my grotto from outside eyes. it's dead now and justin pulled it out over the long weekend. he also hacked back the banana plants which were HUGE. my spot feels really bare.

i really liked to sit in my grotto with a cup of coffee and ~~spy on the neighbors~~ read a magazine while rex napped. now i can see them and they can see me.

stupid winter, who invited you anyhow.

visions of handbags dance in my head...

2010-11-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

So there's not really anything I want for Christmas (truly the only thing on my list is a travel toothbrush sanitizer, how creative!) and Justin and I are trying to stick to a budget so we can stash a little away in savings instead of contributing to the economy (ha! take that lousy economy!) but I open my email this morning from work (humbug) and get my daily RueLaLa fix and find a Carlos Falchi sale. Let me just tell you how much I love Carlos Falchi.

When I was in college I had a boyfriend on and off who had a family connection (god-parent I think) to this handbag and shoe designer named Carlos Falchi. I had no idea who he was, acted impressed, picked up my kate spade (who also happens to have a deal today only on RueLaLa) and went on about my business. For my birthday that year I was given a Falchi bag. It was (is) zebra print fuzzy material with two long black skinny straps and since animal prints were the current fashion that year my bag was my new hot accessory. Of course an accessory such as this should not be left at home and thus ended up under every smoky, beer spilled bar table in Fort Worth, kicked around the bleachers of Amon Carter Stadium, and buried under laundry piles in the dorm. Blame it on handbag ignorance - or innocence for that matter - but today my handbag looks like it was subjected to a college sized hurricane. (Not that this is really on topic and not that i would EVER post a picture to prove it, but my memory recalls faintly pairing my bag with a pair of fuzzy leopard wedges and a snake skin print shirt. Pink. Wowzers. Hot stuff.)

It wasn't until several years later that I was educated about who this guy was and for that reason only I haven't tossed the bag. Now I wish I had treated it a little better (it is still to this day crumpled and buried in the corner of the top shelf of my closet.) Who knows, maybe animal print fur (?) will be back in style one of these days.

So back to RueLaLa. And this bag in particular. No it's not in the budget. Yes, I can read "Item cannot be shipped to California due to a law banning sale of products made from genuine python." Yes, I am a mom and diaper bags are my new go-to-accessory. But still. A girl can dream.

Reason 551 my baby is a genius.

2010-11-22T12:07:00.001-08:00

When Rex graduated from the typical tiny baby tub waaaaaay back when (ha! just feels like it!) and moved into the inflatable Duck Tub, Justin and I got a big kick squeezing the duck bill and making the "quack quack" motions with our mouths. Rex either ignored us or looked at us uncomprehendingly (is this an indicator of the teenage years or what?!?)

A couple weeks ago when I squeezed ducky's bill again Rex started doing the quack-quack motions himself. No sound. Just mouth opening and shutting. Totally cute.

So last night he finds a coloring book in his stash of junk and on the back page is a teeny tiny picture of a duck. Mouth open, mouth shut, look at mom, repeat. Pure genius!

November 11th, 2010.

2010-11-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

Hang with me on this...

This morning I wake up early... I have a loooong list to do today and so I lay there and start planning and organizing my thoughts and feel pretty good when I get up.

Here's my list:

1. Take Recycling to "Friendly" Neighborhood Recycling Man

2. Visit friend Susan at favorite M'town store Bunk House

3. Take Packages to Post Office

4. Meet with HR Coordinator at work to discuss enrolling in hospital insurance

5. Stop by ER with Department Christmas Party Announcement

6. Attend Lunchtime Meeting with Education Directors at Hospital

7. Stop at Safeway to Get Groceries for Dinner and Rex's Supplies for Babysitter's

Ambitious, no? But very well planned. I need to leave at 9 to get everything done by my 11:30 lunch meeting. Get Rex up, feed him breakfast, pack his bag of entertaining treats to take along. Justin gets up (has a cold, Nyquil hangover) and I run through this and ask him to load the recycling in the car. He reminds me it's Veteran's Day and the post office will be closed. Excellent! Cross one thing off my list already! Justin goes off to work.

Rex and I are dressed. We get in the car. Dang, no recycling. Thank you Nyquil. But it's ok, there's not that much and it's not that yucky to do and now I'm only 30 minutes behind schedule. Dang, I've got it together today I think to myself.

But the recycle man doesn't open until 10 and neither does the Bunk House. Rats. But it's ok, because I can head to St Helena early and Rex can nap in the car and if I get there and he's still sleeping sit in the parking lot awhile, and I can stop by here again on my way home.

But Rex doesn't nap. Not until we turn onto the street where the hospital is. And when I pull in to the parking spot Rex wakes up. Ignore his happy sounds a few minutes and when he doesn't go back to sleep think, well this is alright, we'll go to HR and then hang out in the cafeteria which won't be open for lunch yet so he can play around.

Get to the hospital, unload Rex and bag of treats, go to lock the car- remote not on my keychain? Huh? Ok, lock with the button inside, have my keys, if something weird happens I have the new OnStar app on my phone and haven't tried it yet but can apparently unlock and remotely start my car with my phone. Can't wait to try it!

HR goes ok. Hospital insurance looks like a promising and cheaper option for Rex. Stop by Pharmacy to ask Pharmacist about Rex's medication costs (she doesn't know). Stop at ER, not busy, visit for few minutes. Head to cafeteria. Rats, Employee Forum day which means the CEO is on a mic giving a schpiel about how great the hospital is and what they're planning for the next year etc. Free Food (but getting that at my lunch meeting anyway). Can't get a soda because they've closed the registers and I can only have the free stuff. Need caffeine. Hot coffee not a good idea. Rex is getting heavy. Set him down and he immediately heads to a table full of men in suits. Leaving.

Only 10 minutes to meeting time so head downstairs. When our Education Guru approached me about this meeting last week I told her I would need to bring Rex and she says "Great! There are other nurses bringing their kids and they can all play." But other nurses DIDN'T bring their kids and now Rex is hungry and having lunch on my lap while charming the other early attendees. The rest of the group arrives. Meeting starts in earnest. Rex poops. Change Rex on the floor in the corner. Rex wants to play with the plant, push the sweeper thing, touch the Sterno flames warming the food, drink his juice, throw his juice, pull the computer cords. I'm getting looks. Fine, we'll leave.

But I've parked on the other side of campus. Rex walks a good way. Steps on the begonias. Security gives me a knowing look. Pick him up. Should have peed before I left. Get to car. Get out phone. Select OnStar app... oops, need to register! Push button for them to send me my registration code. Wait. Nothing. Refresh email. Nothing. Ok, well there's a keyhole on the drivers door. Put key in, unlock door, open door, ALARM!!!!! Close door quickly, feel like a vandal. Rex is squirming. Check phone again. Rex is HEAVY! Nothing. It's getting hot out here standing in the sun holding a baby and my stuff and wearing a too warm sweater. Rex squirms again.

Here's where it gets interesting.

When Rex squirms for the umpteenth time he leans waaaaay over to try to get down and in doing so kicks my bladder. And that friends is when I wet my pants.

I just thought I'd let that sink in for a few seconds. Yep, I did. Lord Almighty. Not alot, just a little but really how much does it take. Here's something they don't tell you in Sex Ed and if they did there would be alot less unwanted pregnancies but you see, my childless friends, after babies come out things are a bit.... different... and this includes bladder control. But come on, 15 months ago I had a baby and I do the Kegals etc and yes there was a time early on that I couldn't sneeze without leaking somewhere but I thought that was behind me now. Nope.

I did get the doors unlocked with a quick CALL to OnStar and Rex was asleep by the time we got out of the parking lot and he slept the whole way home and I skipped the recycle man and the Bunk House and Safeway because how does one go there with WET PANTS anyhow and Rex slept while I moved him out of the car seat and into his crib and got myself cleaned up and changed and although NOBODY would have had to known about all this feel somewhat better already getting it off my chest and know that someday I WILL have fun reading about it again.

For now though.... if it wasn't 2:30 I'd be well into a glass of wine.

Here Come the Holidays...

2010-11-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

... and the first order of business is going to be picking up P&C in SFO for a brief stopover on their way home (for good! or for now at least!) from Thailand in December.

*I skip over Thanksgiving because I'll be at work and, while I am thankful that I have a job most days, eating cafeteria tofurky while running to take care of the usual too large turkey bite lodged in an esophagus, sharp knife cuts pie and finger together, and I ate too much and now have GERD is not generally my idea of a holiday to impatiently look forward too.*

I digress.

So I booked a night in this hotel in SF where P&C will be staying for their few nights in the city (better for us to stay over than to drive to SF and back with carseat drama and this way we can do some Union Square window shopping!) Looks like a neat place but if we end up in this room I'm not sure how we'll be able to sleep and this one might be hard to explain to little Rex (yeah I know he cant read but still, I'll know...)

The Sweetness At The Bottom Of My Pie.

2010-10-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Among some really big milestones (walking!) and fun new sounds (tsie tsie- translation: anything furry that walks on 4 legs) Rex has become a champion hugger.

Melts.My.Heart.

Tantrums? What tantrums?

steps

2010-09-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

Rex took his first tentative three steps yesterday. I'm not really even sure if he meant to or if he just forgot that he wasn't holding onto anything. I cheered so loud he cried. Once again I am fascinated at how babies turn into toddlers seemingly overnight. I'm keeping the video camera close at hand so we can share with the world. I've never been so proud :)

excuses and updates.

2010-09-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

I am tired.

All.

The.

Time.

And so I don't blog. I mean, I think about blogging... think about what I want to say throughout the day... and I really have ALOT to say... but at the end of the day I am so wiped out, I just want to sit for a few mindless minutes and try not to drool on myself.

I wouldn't change this life for anything. The Boy is SO MUCH FUN. But he also has SO MUCH ENERGY. And he is growing so fast right now- I mean, I can actually SEE the little synapses in his brain making connections as he learns and explores. I am entertained just watching him play. With play, comes accidents- foreheads into table legs, nose into floors. I'm scrambling around, childproofing, and just when I think I've got it covered he finds something else to get into. And I'm tired.

But I really have so much to say! Like, we had a birthday! At the park! And it was FUN! And the way Rex looked around as we all sang "Happy Birthday" and the little light bulb came on as he realized "They're all singing to ME!" And we built him a time capsule and asked people to bring something to put in it- which only worked so-so since alot of people CHOSE NOT TO PARTICIPATE! (weird, huh, I thought it was a great idea!) and somehow ended up with (among other great, really appropriate things) an Adult Magazine. Really?!?

And Rex is perfecting his Tantrum Technique. Take away the computer cord? Tantrum. Take away the empty sippy (we're on sippy's now, hooray!) Tantrum. Diaper change? TANTRUM. He says "Dadada" and "Hiiii" but not Mama and it's not because he can't because he once called the ceiling fan "Mum". He's broken my favorite necklace and door-hangie-thingie in one day. And I'm tired.

But there's more- great things! He crawls everywhere and pulls up on everything! For two days now he's tries letting go of whatever he's pulled up on and actually balances for a second or two before falling (usually on the behind, thankfully!) I'm pretty sure he'll skip walking and go straight to running. I'm preemptively tired (preemptively isn't a word, my spell check says, you get my drift).

And we traded in Tyrone (Trailblazer) and I have a shiny new car which is so fun and so comfortable. We're planning a family trip to Arizona next month to the Grand Canyon, my Great Uncle Wayne and Great Aunt Aletha's, and my favorite small town of Jerome. A week driving around in shiny new car with tantrum prone Boy. Tired but excited.

Oh, and Rex feeds himself now! Woohoo! Peanut butter toast is his favorite and he loves fruit. Ruby has become very picky what she cleans up now which means Justin spent a good amount of time on Saturday scraping dried food bits off the floor before mopping. Now he's tired too.

All in all, this summer has been a good one for Justin. Although he's had a good amount of work, he's not having to leave as early or get home as late as his summer projects have required in past summers. But now he's into the final push to finish the stadium before the first HS football game and so his days are a little longer. Yesterday, Rex was having a breakfast tantrum (NO EGGS) begfore Justin left and I asked what time he'd be home. He said maybe never. He did make it home in time to put Rex to bed. We're tired.

If asked this time last year when we'd have more kids, you could have talked me into thinking "Right Away!" I'll stand by my observation that the 3:30 am feeding session is the lonliest time ever (NO ONE will get up with you for that one!) but the frequent naps during the day for both mama and baby make life bearable. Now, as my 13 month old is threatening to drop that afternoon nap- the one where I need the break more than he does- adding sib's to this clan is being pushed back further and further.

But really, I do have alot more to say- how I got to drop back my work schedule to only 2 days a week and LOVE it, how my BFF is incommunicado and I am saddened, how excited I am that my bro and sis-in-law are coming back to the states this winter and we're all going to be together for Christmas for the first time in years, how I wish I could plan another trip to Switzie to visit with Ellen, how it never really warmed up this summer and I am dreading the rainy weather blues that are soon to come my way, how we've made new friends with Little LJ and his mom and Rex now has a weekly playdate and has joined a weekly pre-tumbling class that adds a bit of sanity to my life. Our table grapes are ripe and delicious, we have an orange pumpkin in the garden already, we've grown delicious cherry tomatoes, and I accidently touched a slug yesterday and didn't scream. Ruby is still a pain in the you know what, Rex shreaks and laughs when he sees the cats and actually will crawl to me when I call "here kitty kitty!" We've had no need to use Rex's Hemophilia Factor and our insurance has changed again and not for the better. Since I've written this, Rex has unfolded the laundry, fallen off his chair, tried to climb up the sliding glass door, and cuddled with me while I read him a story and put him down for a morning nap. He still is the Sweetest Boy in the universe.

Life is busy. Life is beautiful. But I am tired.

shoppers delight.

2010-08-03T10:05:00.001-07:00

I've long been a fan of two websites, introduced to me by my sweet friend (and new mama) Katie B. The first, Rue La La, mostly because it has a fabulous name, but also because I've ordered some darling stuff from them (most recently the most adorable pair of Keen tennies for not-so-tiny Baby Rex.) The second, One Kings Lane, has provided some lovely odds and ends for my house (and is giving a $10 credit just for signing up with them before August 12th- email me if you want me to send you an invite for this one!)

So it was to my delight to be introduced to my newest indulgence last week by my own mama: Zulily! It's all kids stuff- and cute kids stuff at that- or stuff for mama's. And while I'll admit that the baby girl stuff is to.die.for, looooove the baby boy stuff too. How cute are these?!? And 45% off?!? Bargain!

Lunch Time

2010-07-19T12:49:00.001-07:00

4th of July catch-up

2010-07-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

My Fourth of July

by Rex

First I got to hang out with my new friend Amy.

I got my very own American Flag to wave!

I practiced singing Patriotic songs.

Then we went to a parade!

Mommy shared her ice cream cone.

My favorite part were the firetrucks.

Mops and Auntie Ellen came too!

Daddy and I had some good bonding time.

Our friends came to visit from Switzerland and everyone played with sparklers.

Next year I hope to stay up till dark so I can enjoy the fireworks!

Happy Fourth of July!!

balloon overload

2010-07-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

too many balloons and even daddy can't make it better.

why i love july

2010-07-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

I love summer. Specifically July. July in California is when summer starts- June is just practicing for the main event. I'm pretty sure I have some form of seasonal affective disorder, but I promise I am not lying when I say July 1st I wake up able to breathe again and then wonder why I have been holding my breath all winter.

But July really is the best. I love to be hot. I love the blueness of the sky and the vivid colors of the land. I love that the dog can lay in the sun and the cats chase bugs in the grass. I love the smell of the grass drying up in the hills. I love that our rogue sunflowers are in full bloom ready to cut and put in vases all over. I love that it is time to start Aqua Aerobics at the pool and that I can sit out on the porch to dry off. I love that Rex is fascinated by the world outside our home and can sit in the shade and enjoy it too. I love 4th of July- fireworks, bbq, and country music.

Mostly, I love that 3 years ago today I married by best friend. What more to say.

Life's a Beach!

2010-06-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Plot Summary:

Rex goes to the beach with measuring cups, plays with (and eats) sand, and ends up naked with a container of watermelon.

Several sequels planned for this summer!

Sesame Street

2010-06-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

I've decided that the most fun thing about being a parent is getting to relive my childhood as Rex lives his.

Most recent example: Watching all my favorite Sesame Street moments on this DVD (thanks Mops!). This is the good stuff- not that disappointing junk they show now. It's so refreshing! Did you know Oscar the Grouch was originally orange?!?

Oh and I doubt we're going to get a picture of Rex anytime in the next 5 years or so without a balloon.

Blueberries!

2010-06-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yum!

summer!

2010-06-09T18:36:00.001-07:00

waiting for the pool to fill...

being cute.

colder than the bath water!

the water shoots up *this* high!

and finally:

baby growing up

2010-05-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

i don't update my blog as much as i thought i would or would like to, but i credit that to the fact that rex's change is predictable and gradual and he meets his milestones like all kids so i put the computer aside and am just present for it all as much as i can. until last week when i noticed him chewing his cracker. CHEWING!

now i've read the "what to expect book" and i don't remember reading anything about the child suddenly chewing. and how do kids learn this stuff? we didn't sit down and say, ok rex now move your jaw like *this* and your food softens up better. besides, he still only has two teeth.

chewing, really, it's amazing.

dreaming?

2010-05-16T12:04:00.001-07:00

Friday Morning.

I wake up at o'dark thirty and came out to the living room where Justin was already awake. A rare moment for us, we curled up on the couch and talked about our upcoming day- me: headed to work, Justin: staying home in the morning with Rex (since Rex's sitter has a kid with croup, yuck) then taking the babe down to the job site where Rex could "supervise." I noticed the clock was wrong in the living room- it was 2 mintues to 6 instead of 2 mintues to 5 which meant: I was late. Dang.

Beep Beep Beep Beep.

Alarm? It was a dream? How weird.

But Justin IS awake and I tell him about this weird dream. We're laughing at it and again, discussing our plans for the day. I'm up then, and getting dressed. Go into the bathroom. Hair looks surprisingly good which means I save myself 10 minutes today by not needing the stupid flat iron to get the pillow kinks out. Makeup goes on. Reach for deoderent. Different brand. When did I change brands?

Beep Beep Beep Beep.

Alarm.

Damn. As if the mental challenge if getting up at 4:30am isn't enough, I have to start all over for the 3rd time now.

Needless to say, I was pinching myself all day.

i want (or rex does and he just doesn't know it yet!)

2010-04-14T10:27:00.001-07:00

we played with this in zurich. then i saw a friend has it here. found it today online and it gets cooler every time i watch the video. too bad it's not $42.20.

i love park dancing scenes!

2010-04-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

there should be more of these in movies. any kind of movie. they pretty much make all movies worth watching. what others am i missing?

bonus day.

2010-04-08T21:46:00.001-07:00

so, yay, today was bonus day at work.

lots of balloons, free food, more "no wait er" paraphanalia.

and did i mention a bonus?

this was a long awaited and much celebrated event- the first bonus in several years (that have also seen no raises, cuts in benefits, layoffs etc.) so it was a big deal.

bonuses were based on a percentage of our gross income from the hospital last year. bummer for me, being out on maternity leave last year was already going to decrease my bonus by 1/4th. but still. a bonus. yay. who can complain.

of course, bonuses were taxed. this is to be expected. it makes sense. and since two years ago we were reamed by taxes, we have an extra $250 taken out of my check each pay period to offset our tax load (which proved to be a smart decision this year.)

so... my bonus... 1/4th of the years income not figured in... taxed... $250 more deducted (ok, that part is stupid) = $42.20.

yep.

ok. so still a bonus, right? and while i had entertained a new dishwasher for our maybe new house, donating it to rex's college account, or finally purchasing our wedding album, i now commit to myself and my readers that i will make every. penny. count. i'm going to stretch this puppy out and account for every last cent.

i'm accepting suggestions on how to best spend my $42.20 bonus. lets all have fun with this!

oh man.

2010-04-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

survivor.

james vs colby.

"it's like finding out your superman sucks." (and i do admit i laughed out loud at this)

damn, colby, pull it together!

and here at tribal council:

hemophilia

2010-03-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

My family tree's strongest trait is the prevalence of hemophilia in our male family members. This was determined after my brother was diagnosed in the mid 80's followed by a handful of male cousins. And although technically and genetically speaking there is a 50/50 chance that this gene is passed on through the mother, our statistics run much higher with the majority of the girls carrying the gene and the majority of the boys inheriting it as well.

This was a fact that was known when Justin and I decided to start a family and, although I was not tested for my carrier status until midway through my pregnancy, we knew hemophilia was likely to be a road we would be navigating.

I have readily admitted that I am somewhat lackadaisical when it comes to hemophilia. My brother and our cousins who are hemophiliacs are normal. They do boy stuff. They get hurt. Their bruises are prettier than most. They get treated. They do it again. Mom and Dad did their best to impress upon us the importance of staying insured, respecting the fact that treatments are expensive, and did I mention the importance of staying insured?

And as I had known deep down, I do carry the gene. Rex was tested at birth and also has hemophilia. Precautions were taken ("gentle birth"- tell that to his mama!) and he was born a healthy (and I like to think Incredibly Smart) baby with just a little occipital bruise that went away on it's own within a few days.

We were given 6 sample doses of his medications which I have guarded like gold but which, thankfully, he has not needed (well, he is just an infant- how much trouble could he get in!) These medications expire at the end of this month and now it's time for Mommy and Daddy to pony up and buy Rex some new medication.

Which leads me to the point of this rant.

I actually think we have pretty great insurance. Justin's benefits through his company are better than most these days and we have always been very thankful for them. And while I was on the phone for over an hour yesterday with Aetna, the process is really quite simple.

1. Authorize Aetna to order the medication.

2. Promise Aetna that we will pay for the medication.

3. Aetna orders medication and determines exact cost.

4. Pay Aetna.

5. Medication delivered to house overnight in fancy refrigerated box.

Problem: we happen to have a pretty significant deductible which means this FIRST order will be paid for (at least to start) pretty much out of pocket. Now this is, at it's worst, an inconvenience. We are likely to have most of this reimbursed to us by another of Justin's work benefits.

But this is why it's scary: Rex is small. His medications are weight based- so wouldn't need much right now. But Rex is going to get big. And he'll need alot more medication as he grows. He's also starting to move- reaching for things, tilting waaaaaay over in his chair, rolling over, scootching. Soon he'll be crawling, and then pulling up on things, and then toddling. And bumping his head. We may actually use this medication and need refills. And as I'm on the phone yesterday I see the future of this road ahead and it all gets a little overwhelming.

Fortunately, at this point, we can afford to pay our deductible- be it not fun and really, really, really bad timing. But every year? Will we always be able to find the right way to take care of this? If Justin's benefits are cut? If he changes jobs? And if not, how on earth do you say "not now" to life saving medications? It would not be an option.

I will not be lackadaisical any more.

bounce bounce snooze

2010-02-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

rex has learned to bounce.

Actually, this is a bouncer we borrowed from a friend while visiting Texas. When, ahem, Santa was shopping for activity centers for Rex for Christmas, he/she wouldn't buy this one because he/she (and mostly she) is paranoid about springs pinching off fingers. Turns out they are covered pretty well with some fabric that won't easily come off and well... as you can see... Rex loves it. (His exersaucer doesn't bounce... now Santa feels guilty!)

Anyhow, enjoy!!!

All bounced out!

my new friend joel...

2010-01-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Mom and Dad gave Justin and I both gift certificates to Kiva- a not-for-profit organization that facilitates micro lending to entrepreneurs globally. I've been excited to use mine but there has been a lack of available loans available (really not something to complain about since this is indicative of more people lending money) and I was waiting for the *POW* moment where I would realize *THIS* is the guy going to get my gift certificate.

Today I found Joel and I like him for many reasons.

First of all, his name is Joel and that is a friendly sounding name. My buddy Joel. I like it.
Joel has a great picture. There he is looking proud of this leaf-thing he's holding (or is that a machete- can't really tell.) But he's standing tall and I like that.
Joel wants to buy a dairy cow. I think dairy cows are great. And I like milk.
Finally, this will be Joel's second loan after successfully paying off his first one. So I know he's good for it and I'm already looking forward to paying it forward again.

squashed!

2010-01-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I had said that we were going to try some real food for Rex in a week... but he was ready and I was excited to use my new appliance! Mom and I went to lunch yesterday in Calistoga and Rex was watching (more like STARING) at us eating. Spoon in bowl, spoon in mouth, the whole thing. So... Rex got his first taste of real food tonight- spaghetti squash made by yours truly in my nifty Babycook! Good thing Mops is on diaper duty tomorrow (teehee!)

learning the high chair...

2010-01-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Here's Rex's first attempts at sitting in his high chair and playing with his spoons-- preparing for first food introduction in about a week!

aww..

2010-01-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

a year ago today we heard Rex's heartbeat for the first time. how time does fly :)

this was then.

this is now:

OVO!

2010-01-18T12:50:00.000-08:00

We took Rex to see OVO in San Francisco yesterday (he slept thru about 90% of it, good thing we didn't have to pay for his ticket!)

A cast member kindly pointed to Rex's head and said "OVO."

Hmmm, what do you think?

Anyhow, it was fabulous and has usurped "Alegria" for my favorite traveling Cirque du Soleil show. I encourage all to go see it if it comes to your town (p.s. the trampoline act alone is worth the ticket price.)

alone!

2010-01-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

Justin and Rex are at Ruby's first dog-training class (sans Ruby oddly enough) which means I got home from work to an empty house (plus Ruby of course.) It's been so great- I got to read my email, read my blog list, balance my checkbook, transfer $ around thats been sitting in the wrong accounts for too long, change my clothes, play with Ruby, and now blog this. So much done in only 30 minutes! But now I'm bored and lonely and can't wait for them to get home. Sigh.

thoughts on haiti

2010-01-14T06:46:00.001-08:00

Hello 20 year old self. It's me, 30 year old self. If you could see me now! I actually caught myself saying "poopie woopie" (to Rex of course) last night. I think even Rex was embarrassed for me.

On a more serious note, there's so much information going around right now about Haiti and the help needed so desperately there. Yesterday at work (a rather slow, NON-emergent day) we spent alot of time reading information coming out of the country and viewing pictures that rip our hearts out. Frustrating for us who are sitting here, with nothing TOO critical to do... recognizing that the amount of supplies and medications wasted (literally- in the trash) could be providing someone with relief... trying to maintain empathy for the next horrible earache that walks through the door.

What I really wish I could do is this. Not to be whiny, those small emergencies keep me employed. (And I am exaggerating. I am an ER nurse- we see all kinds here.)

So how to help? My brother and sister-in-law were involved with and still support an organization, Makarios, referred to here on Constance's blog. Makarios is already in neighboring Dominican Republic and are bringing in much needed supplies and manpower to Haiti.

Donations to Concern Worldwide here can be earmarked specifically for Haitian relief. Concern has committed to raising 5 million euros to be used for food, water, medicine and shelter (ok math people, how much is that in the American Dollar?) and already has emergency response teams in the capital city.

American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, the list can go on and on but I encourage everyone to donate time, talent, and treasure where they can (go ahead, skip the Starbucks for a day or two).

For those of us who can't physically help, may we all take a moment to count our blessings, acknowledge the great fragility of life, hug our families and be grateful for "poopie woopie" moments with those we love.

Christmas Joy!

2009-12-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

A message from Rex (watch your volume, he gets loud!)

The 2009 Kilbride Christmas Letter!

2009-12-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

So blame it on the baby... or the fact that I'm working again... that I don't have any pretty paper to print on... that the price of ink has gone up (ok, I made that up) but the truth is I just procrastinated in writing this year's Christmas letter and am posting it here instead for all to enjoy.

If this is your first time to our blog, welcome! For those of you who check in with us periodically you may already know most of our adventures this year. Nonetheless, we want to extend our thanks to you who make our life richer in so many ways and wish all a very, very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Here it goes:

Merry Christmas 2009

So it’s time once again to wish all a Merry Christmas and to offer up a short-ish synopsis of our year!

We started 2009 bursting with exciting news- the “Coolest Couple in Lake County” were going to become the “Coolest Family in Lake County!” We were actually able to share our news with our families over Christmas dinner but got to first see our little baby in January (in Ultrasound of course.) For the two of us, it was love at first sight… and it pretty much shaped the rest of our year!

In February we continued our Tahoe weekend tradition although I skipped the skiing this year and was treated to a massage instead (why do I torture myself on skis when there are massage options anyhow!) This year we joined with a several other couples and friends and spent a fun weekend in a cabin on the South side of the lake. The snowfall was minimal but it was wintery and cold nonetheless.

The spring went fast with baby planning and showers in both California and Texas. Summer followed and with it a trip for both Justin and I to New Orleans for wedding fun (combined with Emily’s 11^th! Annual Girls Trip… which does by the way include our boys too!) returning in time for Justin’s best-bud’s wedding and a road trip for Mom and I from Texas back to California.

After much anticipation, Rex David was welcomed to our world August 10^th at 3:39am. At 7lbs 2oz and 20 inches he was perfect sized (aka thankful mama) and immediately one of the most photographed babies in history (or so we like to think!). He is a mild mannered, generally happy baby, which makes for very happy parents. Already it is hard to imagine our life before he was here.

Our last big adventure of the year was a road trip to Texas. We (Justin, Rex, Ruby the dog and I) took 5 days and drove down the Eastern ridge of the Sierra mountains (crazy wind), drove through Death Valley (beautiful sunrise), short stop in Las Vegas (Rex gets Justin kicked out of the casino!), overnight visit with Great-Great relatives in Prescott AZ (Rex charming as usual), up to the Grand Canyon (GRAND!), through NM and West Texas – arriving in Houston 2000 miles later still (mostly) sane and still speaking to each other! After a 3 week visit in which Justin remodeled mom and dad’s bathroom, Rex made a whole stateful of new friends, and I turned 30 we made a much faster return trip with my Dad teaching us the geology along the way and a visit to Justin’s aunt in Palm Desert.

On a sad note, Justin’s grandpa passed away unexpectedly before Thanksgiving. We are so thankful he got to meet his great-grandson and we will be able to tell Rex that one of the first people to hold him was his “Grandpa G.”

We are now settling into our new life as a family of 3. Justin has started a new project in Napa building a high school football stadium. He continues to enjoy his job with RGM and looks to remain busy in Napa for the next year or so. I returned to work part time at the beginning of November in the ER at St Helena Hospital although on a day shift instead of a night shift (hallelujah!) And Rex has discovered laughing, his toes, his thumb, Christmas lights, and how to scooch in circles on his back. By the time you read this letter he’ll probably have a whole new bag of tricks. Time flies so fast.

So here we are at the end of the year and at the end of a decade. May this next year bless you all with peace and the same incredible happiness we have found this year.

Love,

The Kilbrides

Emily, Justin and Rex

confession of a frazzled mama.

2009-12-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

last night ruby peed on the carpet. next to the christmas tree. after unwrapping and eating THREE of our advent treats (apparently ruby can tolerate skittles just fine, thank you very much.)

so after an evening of stern looks, basic cleanup and salvaging the rest of the advent treats i found myself this morning in the garage looking for the carpet wetvac and pet stain remover. all fine and cool, except somehow i got locked out of the house. in my jammies. with rex napping inside.

panic!

back door locked. front door locked. BABY INSIDE.

i did what every other mother would do. call 911. knowing several neighbors and coworkers close by with police scanners, this news will travel fast.

as my family and most friends know, in most normal circumstances i would LOVE for the fire department to stop by my house. but i could just imagine my next phone call to justin- "uh, honey, can you come home and put up a new door?" - and by the way I AM STILL IN MY JAMMIES! embarrassing.

so after a rather roundabout and not so productive conversation with the dispatcher (no, there is no one nearby with a key. no, there is no other unlocked door to the house... seriously!) i was put on hold while she called said fire department and started to look up numbers for locksmiths.

meanwhile, not only is there A BABY IN THE HOUSE but ruby (the source of all my grey hairs) as well. ruby is now looking at me through the pet door and whimpering.. aha... the pet door!!! punch door open, reach "monkey arm" up and in, turn handle, open door, return to phone to confess to dispatcher that i was actually not so desperately locked out after all, run inside, baby still sleeping. ruby saves the day in the end.

so these are the things i learned today.

#1. know where justin hides spare keys (apparently we have two, now i know!)

#2. start training ruby to clean up her own messes.

#3. always, always put real clothing on and fix hair if there is even the smallest chance of needing to call the fire department.

how'd i miss this one?

2009-12-10T14:31:00.001-08:00

rex plays air guitar.

life in a few pictures...

2009-12-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

A happy Horned Frog baby!

Rex: No, Mom, don't do it... don't add the heart.

Me: Why do I always think this is the year I will learn to decorate a cake?

Rex: Told you not to add the heart.

This one is for Constance.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Life is exhausting.

still here...

2009-12-04T22:02:00.001-08:00

hello blog, i've missed you. i promise i haven't forgotten about you.

the thing is i've been having to type one handed lately (other arm is holding a really cute baby). oh, and this computer is getting slower and slower so if i type too fast it just skips letters and ends up a bunch of abbreviations.

apparently santa is bringing me a new computer this year so with the lightning fast speed(relatively speaking) at which it will run i should be able to do my one handed typing much more efficiently.

in the mean time i promise to do some worthwhile updating soon. stay tuned for me picking up where i left off last year on my countdown of my twelve favorite christmas ornaments on my tree. lucky you!

oh, and congrats to katie b- the newest mom-to-be i know! she also happens to be a GREAT blogger which turns out is just one of her many talents. if her baby smiles just half as often as she does, baby becker may surpass rex for the happiest baby ever (i know, incredible!)

A special man.

2009-11-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Justin's grandpa passed away yesterday. We are missing him already.

Happy Halloween Y'all!

2009-10-31T21:35:00.001-07:00

Auntie Ann, this one's for you...

2009-10-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Still have writers block but do have a new picture emailed to me today from Constance!

Celebrating Sam's 20th birthday!

Road trip pics part 1

2009-10-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm tired... so I'm going to cheat.

If you want to see the first installment of the Kilbride Road Trip pics click here.

Rex the road tripper

2009-10-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

So it turns out, no surprise, that Rex is a great traveling companion. Apart from the few squawks ("Get me OUT of my carseat") and occasional (ok frequent) spitup on my shirt/pants/foot he's been a champ all the way down the eastern sierras, thru Death Valley and into Vegas (although he did get his dad kicked out of the Bellagio - apparently it is poor parenting to play a slot machine while holding a 7 week old infant.) He's charmed his great-great Aunt and Uncle and Cousin in Arizona. He's now seen the Grand Canyon (Grand!) and the site of the Lincoln County Wars (underwhelming, boo). He too made it thru Roswell without an alien encounter (our hot-air balloon barking dog standing watch for similar flying objects.)

We're now rapidly approaching the Texas border where he can get his first lesson in Texan pride (we'll consider these next few weeks an immersion course in Texas honorary-citizenship.)

Knowing how this trip could very well have been a disaster (imagine the Kilbride parents, baby, and dog abandoning Tyrone the Trailblazer at the closest airport and catching flight home without batting an eye) we're excited to arrive in Houston tomorrow relatively unscathed and with a whole carload of memories :)

P.S. Ruby the Dog has passed her traveling test too ultimately toileting on non-grass after holding out all day in Arizona which for obvious reasons is a no-lawn state.
P.P.S. New favorite town found here- must go back!!!

jack-o-planters!

2009-09-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

officially my new favorite fall project!

weekends = footyball

2009-09-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

it's that time of year... footyball season... and i have only been mildly interested until someone (justin) reminded me that i've actually been looking forward to footyball season since, well, i get to call it "footyball."

whew, he just saved the season!

toot giggle pant flail

2009-09-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

all in a day's work...

rex and pops.

2009-09-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

pictures for mops!!

Rex meeting pops!

Ready to go on his first geologic field trip (to Bodega Bay)

Practicing a smile!

resurfacing?

2009-09-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

not quite yet... still lots of staring at a baby to be done... but with a momentary lull in house guests i'm managing to pry my eyes away for a moment and post a blog.

so here's some pics of rex of course- this time with his uncle phillip and auntie constance (visiting from thailand!)

cowboy rex.

2009-08-26T08:48:00.001-07:00

he is already so much more alert and fun! and even cuter than before! how much bigger can my heart expand :)

the story of her and us...

2009-08-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

so what i didn't give enough credit to in my earlier post here was my sister's role in my move to california.

you see- she was at school in berkeley and i was in fort worth.

she was at school in berkeley because (among other major reasons) i sent her an email telling her (in a nutshell) not to be a wimp and go to berkeley and to play great volleyball.

she did as i said.

then her team came to houston her freshman year and i (who was in no way a volleyball fan, did not know the rules, or have ANY idea how good she was) came to watch her play.

driving away from her match, i told my mom i hated the thought of not being able to watch her play on a regular basis (now that i WAS a fan, had and INKLING of the rules, and saw how FREAKING GREAT she was at this.)

mom: "well... it just so happens your grandmas tenants moved out of her house in Ukiah..." (meaning I would have a place to live in a town we visited often in an admittedly beautiful part of the country.)

how am i to respond to that after the no-wimps email i sent to ellen??

with nursing school graduation around the corner, a going-nowhere/unromance, and having admitted i was in need of a life change, i was fresh out of excuses.

next thing i know, i am rushing my NCLEX so i can now refile my application for licensure in california... flying to ukiah to interview at the hospital... breaking my lease and quitting my (low-paying) job in fort worth... saying goodbye to my friends.... and the story resumes here (if you didn't click on the link earlier.)

justin and i turned into superfans, knowing ALL the rules to volleyball... traveling to watch her play... our fanhood and her awesomeness culminating in her final four appearance her senior year....

and now she's graduated and headed off to Switzerland to play professionally.

you know what this means, right?

no, we're not moving to Switzerland. we're married and have a baby.

but none of this would have happened in MY life if she hadn't been a big girl and moved to california.

we miss you already, hops!

responsibility.

2009-08-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

justin keeps marveling that we are "responsible for this." (meaning rex of course.)

i'm not sure if he means "responsible" like we'd better not break him or like we made this happen.

i like to think we are responsible for him being so stinking darn cute.

2009-08-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

tada! baby rex david kilbride arrived this morning! and he's perfect, of course! this is emily's mom, marie - a.k.a. some-variation-of-grandma-still-to-be-determined - and i've been given the distinct honor of announcing this fabulous news on this official kilbride blog site. as you can imagine, emily and justin are pretty much otherwise occupied. whooohooo!

i have to admit that nothing quite compares to hearing that first little (well, in this case lusty...) cry of a newborn. "waaaaa" never sounded so sweet :) remind me to remind emily and justin about that when baby rex wakes them up in the middle of the night....

but did i mention that he is perfect??

i'm sure the mama and papa will have much to share, especially lots of pictures, just as soon as they catch up on their sleep. right now they are basking in the joys of parenthood and the thrill of new life. sigh.

he really is perfect.

update.

2009-08-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

ok ok, i promised i wouldn't be one of those people who blogs or tweets (hard to do since i dont even know what that really means) through their whole labor.

but yall- this is really boring!

they've promised me they are going to be more aggressive today which is frightening and relieving... but so far, i am still comfortable and still pregnant.

i was born on a sunday so today sounds good to me!

we'll update again in another 3 days or when he gets here, whichever comes sooner :)

induction.

2009-08-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

pregnancy lasts too long and not long enough.

change of plans with induction starting tonight.

keep us in your prayers and we'll update later....

passing time...

2009-08-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

lets see... this week we've swam, napped, cooked, and watched a movie a night. today its mani's and a drs appointment and (hopefully) a real theater-style movie to follow.

slight hiccup tuesday when they thought i didn't have enough amniotic fluid and started talking induction. my hero ron saved the day, found a few little pockets... and so we got to go on our merry way.

marie would have killed us (cappy, me, ellen and justin) if we hadn't waited for her.

she comes tomorrow, hooray! then this party can really get started :)

here's justin in his pregnant suit and me in mine...

12 hours.

2009-08-03T03:22:00.000-07:00

twelve.

more.

hours.

hooray!

just the two of us...

2009-08-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

... no more.

so last night was the laaaaast night that it was just justin and emily. today, ellen comes to stay... then mom on friday... then baby next week (fingers crossed.)

so i get home from work (late of course) hoping to find justin still awake. imagining some nice couples moment where we sit, cuddled up, heads together, marveling at our lives and how amazing it is that we have ended up at this moment together....

but he's barely awake. and has to get up early. and i'm stomping around the house like a petulant 5 year old. and we sleep and wake up and start today like any other. and this is totally ok.

so- the moral to this story.... actually there is none. except here it is, august 1st! THE month! and man oh man am i excited to see ellen today. and oh yeah, why did i decide to work all weekend long?!?

Recipe of the day...

2009-07-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Let me sing the praises of the tomatillo which last year suddenly made my list of top yummy veggies easily grown in the garden (and last year ONLY because somehow I'd made it through life without ever knowingly having tasted a tomatillo!)

Our garden yields incredible tomatillos the size of a medium fist- they are juicy and tart and have those fun paper shells that peel off. They self seeded themselves over the winter and our plant this year is taller than our fence!

So it comes down to the fact that anytime I can find a recipe that calls for tomatillos or tomatillo salsa it is sure to be tested in my kitchen. As I previously mentioned, I have little to no desire to cook this summer so haven't tested anything new lately, but this was one of our favorite's from last summer...

Here you have it- the Chicken Chilaquiles recipe, posted especially for Mrs. Becker!

Chicken Chilaquiles
Total Time: 45 min

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast ($4.99 at costco, yum!!)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (be prepared to have some extra on hand)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 can tomatillos, drained (or 5-6 good sized fresh ones)
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
1 dozen 6 inch corn tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine chicken, green onions, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk, cilantro, tomatillos, and green chiles in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
3. Heat tortillas according to package. Pour 1/3 cup tomatillo mixture into bottom of 11x17 inch baking dish coated with spray. Arrange 4 tortillas in dish and top with half of chicken mixture. Repeat layer with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture ending with layer of tortillas.
4. Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups tomatillo mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese (or if you're a cheesy girl like me, dump extra cheese on top by the large fistfull). Bake for 20 min or until bubbly. Serves about 4 normal people, 3 if one of you is pregnant, 2 if one of you is pregnant and the other has the initials JKK :)

Delicious served with fresh sliced watermelon on a warm night on your patio table. With a glass of Gamay Rouge. Or Tecate.

17 days to go (ish.) but who's counting...

She's a pretty kitty, he's an attention hog...

2009-07-27T07:42:00.001-07:00

2 of the 4 felines....

food.

2009-07-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

i used to love to cook. that was before i was pregnant. i somehow lost all interest in cooking in like the 3rd week of pregnancy. which is sad, but nice becauase justin does it all. really- he shops, cooks and cleans up.

but today is FRIDAY (aka week 37!!) and i am trying to have a little more spunk and therefore i'm going to cook! (justin is still doing the shopping on his way home... and probably will be doing the cleanup too... lucky dude!)

so the question is... chicken chilaquiles with slaw and watermelon OR spicy shrimp tacos with grilled tomatillo salsa (fresh from the garden) and canteloupe?

both of which would taste better with a beer. i'm starting to get bitter.

videos starring justin...

2009-07-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

A couple of quick videos for today's enjoyment...

Here's Justin trying to help Ruby relax (and eat) in her old crate. She now has a new crate which seems to work much better. But this is how far we (Justin) went to try to make the old one work out.

And here's Justin again feeling the pregnant lady blues. I know, it's sideways but either I don't know how to turn it or I need to remember to stop holding my camera this way. Go ahead, flop your head to the left for just a minute!!

it's cold!

2009-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

i have been so excited for today-- my first day of aqua aerobics-- and it's 62 degrees outside. 62 degrees in july! in hidden valley lake! what??

so i'm in my bathing suit and sweat pants getting ready to torture myself.

actually, i can't wait to be in the water.

the history of july...

2009-07-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

here's how i see it:

4 years ago (july 1st) daddy and i set out on a road trip from texas to california. two cats in the back seat, pulling a uhaul with exactly 50% of everything i owned (the rest was garagesaled or goodwilled) i moved out to california for some unknown reason (yes there was grandma, and a family home, a sister's volleyball career and the fact that i had a new nursing degree and a job offer in the department of my preference). but really, i have no idea why i came here.

we rolled into town july 4th. i was staying for two years.

by july 10th i was staying for 1 year.

by july 15th i was staying for 2 months.

then i met justin. i wont lie and say he changed my mind about living here. but he did tell me to snap out of it. which worked (kinda).

two years ago today i married him it what is truly the happiest, most memorable day of my life.

so it was full circle this month when mom and i and a car load of baby furniture left texas and drove to california arriving 4 years to the day from when daddy and i left. we took the same route up the eastern sierras (395 is my all time favorite highway). we dodged rainstorms. we saw a blue-headed emu walking the wrong way up the highway in new mexico. i was a brave girl and drove through roswell. we avoided most of eastern arizona with a tricky roundabout detour.

this is why july is my favorite month of the year.

thanks for bringing me here daddy.

thanks for being my husband justin.

thanks for bringing me again mama.

i feel so lucky.

stolen...

2009-06-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

i am theiving this from Katie B's blog (which is here for those of you who don't read it- you should!)

i love the randomness of it... and the positive reminder for women... and you know, it's just nice.

enjoy :)

father's day...

2009-06-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

my stomach growled audibly while lying here this morning... we had just got off the phone with daddy in houston... justin laughed, threw back the covers, and has dissappeared into the kitchen where i hear all kinds of promising noises.

today is justin's almost-father's day and i am lying in bed waiting for him to bring me coffee and breakfast and i feel like the luckiest woman ever.

(cappy kicks in agreement.)

musings....

2009-06-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

first of all i love red lantana. my favorite being Dallas Red and thats not because i love dallas because for the record i dont love dallas i love fort worth. but Dallas Red is bright and cheery and has a little bit of yellow which is a close runner up for my favorite color.

i have lantana planted in the front of my house, and every time i pull in the driveway it makes me smile. i think thats a good thing.

i can't show you my red lantana because i am still on this old dino, don't dare to upload anything computer waiting for my sick one to be healthy again. but believe me. it would make you smile too.

on another note... the jonas brothers make my skin crawl. this has nothing to do with anything other than that their picture was on the homepage when i opened my browser just now.

i hate the way they make guys think it's sexy to wear skinny jeans. because that's actually not sexy. not at all.

and i don't like their hair. and the way i can't pick up a gossip mag without having to read about them. its just gross.

now that thats off my chest i can get back to enjoying my afternoon. whew.

belated aniversary wishes...

2009-06-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

in honor of phillip and constance's 1st wedding anniversary, i have a very special treat for all of us.

this happens to be one of my favorite songs. in the english version, you can even sing phillip's name and do a silly hand wave instead of the key phrase.

here we have a version more fitting to their story, enjoy.

(more fitting because it's indian. not because they are scary freaks are anything.)

love yall, happy anny!

sick computer...

2009-06-11T03:53:00.000-07:00

how sad, our computer died. i mean, it just up and died! one minute it works fine. the next i come back and it's dead.

pictures dating back to when justin and i first met. all our wedding photos people sent us. trips. holidays. misc random photos that i wont miss but would like to remember just the same.

i tunes. man, that is going to cost me a fortune.

financial files. bah. who needs them. apparently, justin wants them back.

the lesson in this??

BACK UP YOUR FILES!

remember this??

update: ah, but good news. justin's computer guru dude has managed to sneak back into our hard drive and retrieve those ever so important financial files. now i'm keeping my fingers crossed for my pics and tunes...

hot dog...

2009-06-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

mom's requesting i update my blog.

i have nothing to blog about today.

but here's a picture of ruby's prize from jose and nicole's bbq sunday... she won these out of the pinata. hot dog!

my first diaper post...

2009-05-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

we're going to cloth diaper baby no-name. i'm actually kinda excited. cloth diapers are really cute these days and not at all as complicated as i thought.

of course, im not crazy and if after one week i'm pulling my hair out, you can bet i'll list all these puppies on craigslist and go buy the first box of disposables i can get my mits on.

in the mean time (and while they are still clean and poop free) collecting these is really fun!

these are my favorites so far (kinda a combo between cloth and eco friendly disposable. i'm so californian right now.)

project...

2009-05-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

this is the next project for the nursery... justin is thrilled at the thought of me defacing his painting job (and maybe spending money on a pattern that has traced and then painted)... but it's so darn cute and just what i want so there.

i am recruiting helpers (mom, ellen, heather...)

excuses...

2009-05-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

so i've been scattered and remiss at keeping up with my blog... but it's been a busy month...

here's where we've been:

New Orleans for the Michel's wedding (food, washboarding, and shopping a plenty)

Berkeley for my sis's graduation (isn't she so grown up!)

These back to back weekends followed by a mini-vacay in Ukiah with my parents (funny how even being there working to get the house in order feels like a vacation!)

Memorial Day we spent working in the yard... or I should say Justin worked in the yard and I made a pathetic attempt to pitch in and spent most of the time in a chair directing traffic and eating fruit popsicles. Anyhow, it looks great and I'll try to get pictures up soon for those who follow our gardening attempts.

Oh, and if you know my number 1 craving (watermelon) and read my last post here you'll see why I am such a fan...

add this to your blog-watching list...

2009-05-23T03:10:00.000-07:00

so my dear sister-in-law has me hooked on this blog - also written by a pregnant houstonian (although one who still lives there) and i love the cute ideas she comes up with.

now i just need time to copy them.

28 shifts...

2009-05-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

...till i'm off for maternity leave.

i keep thinking of it as a 3 month vacation. ha. the only vacation with be the precious few days between stopping paid-work and starting mommy-work.

even still. 3 months away from the Job sounds heavenly, don't you think?

and on another note, here are pictures from justin and ruby's therapy session today:

step one: get in crate with dog

step two: shut self in crate to show dog it's not that scary

step three: shut both dog and self in crate and hold on for dear life.

dog woes...

2009-05-15T02:52:00.000-07:00

so first she starts following me around with this worried face all the time. i mean, all the time. i can't go from the sink to the fridge without her following me. maybe being pregnant is making me value my own space a little more than i did in the past -- but it's so annoying! justin asks what im going to do when a toddler starts following me around. i like to think (hope?) i'll feel differently. maybe.

anyhow now the dog decides she HATES her crate. i dont know where this has come from and i'm a bit concerned that something happened while we boarded her last weekend. but i can't put her in the crate and make it out of the room before she starts having a full blown doggie panic attack. she's figured out how to houdini out of the crate without opening the door. i did a practice run with her while i showered today and came out to find her shaking and panting with a scraped nose and bent crate wires. i'm calling cesar milan asap.

justin's crate rehab attempt tonight involved sitting IN the crate with Ruby. i wish i had been home to see it. i wish i could know what she thought of that. i wish i had a picture to show you....

poop?...

2009-05-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

hmmm so last week i'm cleaning out some dead stuff from one of the front flower beds and find this:

at which point i jump back, then peer closely, then abandon gardening until stomach stops turning.

justin arrives shortly afterward... i point out suspect item... at which point justin jumps back, then peers closely... and then bravely (this is why i married him you see) pokes suspicious object with a rather short stick. and he thinks he'll have a hard time changing baby diapers!!

anyhow... item flips over.

rubber. fake. poop. in my flower bed.

sooooo..... let it be known that i am starting up my own csi team to investigate this prank and have a very short list of suspects. it did not go without notice that said offending item was hiding all too near my UT gnome. do we know any aggies in cali?!?

roots...

2009-05-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

i have a really cool brother and sister in law who sent us this:

this might be the coolest onesie i've seen yet!

um...

2009-04-30T01:50:00.001-07:00

... at what point am i supposed to freak out and realize i have nothing ready for baby k except a bit of furniture and some really nicely painted walls?

aren't i supposed to be doing something?

so i look online and find this which i love but wont buy and feel better just because i looked at something and that's got to count.... right?

poor sinbad...

2009-04-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

he's doing a weeks worth of free shows the twin pine casino in good ol lake county in june.

we keep getting BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS!! in the mail. seriously??

it actually might be one of the biggest things to hit lake county in a while.

but free? poor sinbad.

mosquito

2009-04-24T10:01:00.001-07:00

heard a thing on NPR today about mosquitos and pesticides.

first, did you know that the life span of a mosquito is only 12 days? basically, an 11 day old mosquito is considered OLD.

second, did you know that due to overuse of pesticides, there are now pesticide-resistant mosquitos??? now thats a scary thought!!!!

btw- i HATE mosquitos.

all down hill from here...

2009-04-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

yesterday was my half birthday (or in orchard speak, my hap birt.) which means there's only 182 days left until i turn 30.

i saw a lady at costco today with a costco-sized industrial pack of fleets enemas. i guess things could be worse :)

i don't even know what to title this.

2009-04-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

summary: my firstborn cat, Biskit, peed on me 2 weeks ago, is now on prozac, which causes him to barf.

now for the long version:

my firstborn cat, Biskit, has always had behavioral problems. it started when i first adopted him and found out he was not litter trained. he liked to go BESIDE the litter box, not in. problematic since he was an indoor cat thanks to my previous cat and my roommates cat both being hit by cars on our busy campus street and a subsequent move to an apartment. after much training and enouraging he managed to mostly use the litter box much to my relief.

fast forward two years, i decide Biskit needs a friend and adopt Phoebe. at this point i find out that Biskit would have been much happier staying an only cat. several years of Biskit running away to be found mangled and dirty (vet bills, vet bills), persisitant begging to go outside, and occasional accidents in the house follow. i'm sure in at least one circumstance he was cat-napped and then given back, the new owners not wanting to put up with his questionable behavior.

think i learned my lesson? nope.

move to california where cats become indoor/outdoor cats thanks to open spaces, less traffic, and installation of cat doors. seems to solve toileting problem temporarily. two more cats join family. biskit freaks out. dog joins family. biskit becomes certifiable. emily buys $50 pheremone diffusers to plug in to try to calm the beast. justin wisely bites his tongue.

i don't know if it's because he in some primitive way understands we are about to add yet another "pet" to this family... i don't know if he's finally just gone off the deep end... but this absurd story culminates with Biskit peeing on my leg while I yoga'd one afternoon 2 weeks ago. have you ever been peed on by a cat? it might be the most disgusting and insulting moment of my life. immediately he and the other cats are banished to the outdoors.

speaking to the vet, they prescribe kitty prozac for my problem child. it has to be ordered from their pharmacy. i go yesterday to pick it up. $103.

yes, so i pay $103 for a 6 month supply of kitty prozac. take a wiff. smells like liver. Biskit will love it, they tell me. yum.

i come home, happy to find Biskit moping around the front porch. open prozac bottle. Phoebe sniffs interestedly at bottle cap, good sign right? draw up dose. squirt in Biskit's mouth.

IMMEDIATE DROOLING. thick, yucky drool. uh oh, he's allergic? then in that funny/ebarassing kitty way with their tongue sticking out - Barf. 58 cents of prozac on the lawn. Biskit skulks away. haven't seen him since.

in the long run, i don't know who needs this prozac more at this point, him or me. justin is still wisely biting his tongue.

this has inspired a sort of unofficial poetry contest in my family. so far, i have two submissions from his me-meow and pawpaw. more sumbissions are welcome. i do not offer a cool prize like constance did for phillip's birthday. but if anyone would like a really cute grey cat....

The Thanks I Get - David Orchard

“This is the thanks I get?”
That mothers’ lament,
Timeless, universal complaint
Harvests scant sympathy
While the animal that pissed on you
Filters gratitude through Feline eyes and
Different assumptions

Untitled - Marie Orchard
biskit oh biskit
i'm so broken hearted
you peed on my leg
when you could have just farted