Monster to Cutie Pie

Rob and I were at our wits end earlier this week with our lil guy. He was hitting, throwing things (usually at me), purposely trying to break things and back talking like no one's business. Nothing-rewards or punishment-were working. Then two nights ago, as if some angel from above came down and transformed our son back into the sweet lovable kid that he is, he changed. The past 2 days have been blissfully happy and unstressful in the Herrington household. Yesterday we went to swim lessons and then met up with friends at the water park. While we were at the water park, I was telling my friend how I didn't have to keep a close eye on P this time like I had to last Summer when I had taken him there. Just as I was saying that I saw him about 300 yards away, his swim trunks down around his ankles, and proudly peeing into the toddler swim area. Young girls were screaming and running away, mothers were looking frantically for me and I....well, I was hiding. I finally went over to help him when it was obvious that not only could he not get his wet swim trunks up but that no one would go near him while he was exposed. Of course as I'm walking over there our family photographer that has known me for a few years blurts out, "Hey Jen, I thought that was P and I was wondering where you were while he was publicly relieving himself."
Last night P had a hard time going to sleep so I figured today would be a tough day. Plus, he was starting a new class at school which I thought would throw him for a loop. When I went to pick him up the owner, the secretary and his new teacher all met me at the door with cheshire grins plastered on their faces. I asked how his first day in his new class was and they are started laughing, saying it was good but they had a story to share. Apparently while all the kids were riding their bikes during Bike Day, his new teacher looked over to see P's shorts down to his ankles...and yes, you guessed it...peeing all over. Besides peeing wherever he feels the need, he had a great day. He's been a perfect angel all night, making us both laugh quite a bit. In fact, he's so excited for his carrot seeds to produce something that he checks them several times a day. Tonight he proudly announced that his carrots were growing. He was so excited that I had to look. When I did I started laughing hysterically because he had taken carrots out of the fridge and had shoved them in the dirt where his seeds were planted.
Days like the past 2 days are a blessing! We've had so much fun and he and I are looking forward to more fun with visiting my parents this weekend. (Hopefully my angel sticks around!)

**Make sure to scroll down to the other blog from today as well.**

Meet H and R

I had the priveledge of doing my first official photo shoot for a friend of mine today. She wanted pictures of her toddler and newborn so I did my research....and learned A LOT regardless about centering and lighting. I couldn't have asked for 2 more perfectly behaved boys to photograph. They cooraperated to a T and gave me their best. Here are a few of my favorites from today.....

The Good Life

Dinner is done (although the dishes are still piled in the sink as I HATE doing dishes!) and I am sitting on the front porch, enjoying the breeze and watching P water the pumpkins that have started to sprout up. This is the stuff I've longed for since we first decided to put our old house on the market. I love that I haven't had to fill my Yukon up in almost a week because it's an all flat commute now. I love that I can take P to the creek if I'd like and that Rob can set off for an evening hike to get ready for his hunts. I love that P can play in the backyard for hours and I don't have to worry about him. I love that P and I were able to plant pumpkins, tomatoes, flowers and carrots with a real shot of them producing something this year. I love that P can look out his bedroom window at night and watch the bunnies hop across the LAWN. I love that we're a little over a minute to the Chocolate Nugget Factory and it's even less time to the convenience store. Are there drawbacks on this house? Certainly! But, in my opinion, all the "luxuries" far outweigh the hassles. Life is good!

Summer Hikes

After having such a relaxing day yesterday I thought I'd end it with a quick jaunt to the creek with P after dinner. But that ended up in an exploratory walk/hike around the property with the dogs. We followed the fire lane up to the neighbor's property and then back around the creek, all the while finding fun "Mouse-a-tools" (If you don't know about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse then you probably have no idea what I'm talking about!). Last night Rob decided he wanted to get some exercise so he, too, went for a hike. He went back in the canyon where the fire had devastated hundreds of acres back in January. When he got home he told me about this lake that he had found and said he wanted all of us to go there. So after a faux nap this afternoon and loading up on ice cream at the Chocolate Nugget Factory (I see danger ahead living only 1 min., 9 secs from there), we headed out. It was so beautiful to see the burnt trees yet the new growth all around it. Our hike ended at this crystal blue lake, where we watched a pelican dive for fish. Since P did not take a nap and the hike was long for his little legs, he was getting tired on the way back. But it was a fun filled time together as a family, something I always enjoy!

Much Needed R&R

I was beginning to believe that there was not going to be a relaxing day for me this Summer. Between the end of the school year, moving and weekend trips I have not had a day to just SIT. If you know me, you know that it's rare that I long for a relaxing day but I felt like one was much needed. Today proved to be the relaxing day that I had only dreamed about. P crawled into bed with me shortly after Rob went to work this morning and we went back to sleep....well, maybe he didn't (???) but I did! Then when I woke up we laid in bed for a few minutes, cuddling and watching "Toy Story".  When I finally rolled out of bed, I saw ominous clouds looming and figured it'd be a good day to get things done inside. At P's request he went outside and as he was walking out the door he asked if I could make it rain on him please. Although it's nice that he thinks I possess God-like powers, I had to explain that I could not do that. After doing a few things around the house, I had the best of intentions of running a few quick errands this morning. But when I looked out in the backyard and saw the fun P was having I decided to let him be. An hour or so after he went outside, he came back in and asked if he could put his jammies on- something he NEVER does. After he got them on, we cuddled on the couch and watched "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" until lunchtime. When lunch was over and I told him we were going to lay down for an early nap he didn't protest. Once he wakes up then we'll run the couple errands that I have, but I can't begin to tell you how nice today has been- with P's attitude and how relaxing it's been. I pray for more days like these in the future because it's just what we both needed!

Passing Judgement

"Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matt. 7:1,2



This is not P, but it might as well have been

This is a verse that is hard for me to live by. For some reason I am a very judgemental person and it drives me crazy. But today I got a taste of my own medicine. I was exhausted when I woke up this morning and could tell P was still tired from yesterday as well. So I texted my friend and told her we were going to pass on going to the water park today so we could just lay low. In hindsight, I wish we would've laid low until after naptime but I'm tired of not getting anything done around the house so I thought we could run errands this morning, take long naps then I could get house stuff done this afternoon. Wrong!
P and I set out on errands and the first two, albeit short ones, went ok. Then we went to Kohls so I could get maternity shorts before my Kohls Cash expired. It started off bad and ended way worse! In the short time we were there, P threw 2 small toys (which I refused to pick up and some other kid or store employee were lucky enough to find) and then proceeded to throw his shoe at a mom in the checkout line that was trying to calm her baby down. Needless to say I was mortified! But, the icing on the cake was when the cashier looked at him, saw that I was purchasing maternity shorts and said, "Oh my, and you want another one?" in a dismayed voice. I could've crawled under a clothing rack and cried until closing time. When we left the store, P was sufficiently punished and I decided my errands weren't that important after all. So we headed home, ate lunch and P has now been sleeping for over 3 hours.
Being in that situation made me realize that I don't know what's going on in other people's lives when I see them...especially with unruly kids. There were many times as a single person that I'd judge a parent based on the here and now. A few of my friends with kids even warned me against it, saying that I may do the same thing given the circumstances. I flat out refused at the time but now chuckle when I catch myself doing the very thing I said I wouldn't do. I will no longer judge a parent based on their child's actions at a grocery store, even if I don't agree with how they handle the situation, because I am not in their shoes at that particular moment. As horrible as the shopping trip was, it was a good reality check, one I hope I don't have to encounter much more.

Fine Line

P has had the last 2 weeks off from preschool. Last week my main focus was on unpacking and organizing the house. So this week I've tried to make the week mostly about him. It's been a fine line between getting things done (ie errands, laundry, housework) and making time with him a priority. He started swim lessons on Monday, which he's enjoying. Yesterday we met up with some friends to have a picnic at the park after swim lessons. Today we met up with some friends from Sacto to spend some time at the lake. Tomorrow we're meeting up with some friends at the local water park. It's been a super fun week for me and him, but I'm worn out! I also feel like I still haven't gotten the house organized and I desperately need to clean it. But sometimes-okay, 99% of the time-it's more important to spend time with your child than to have a spotless house (right, Mom??) It's a fine line but I'd rather create the fun memories, knowing next week I MAY have a chance to actually relax and do my own thing when P's back at school. (Actually, I'll only have 1 day to myself for my entire Summer break but such is life.) Here are a couple pics from today's fun....

New/Old House

We've pretty much moved into our "new" house (I use that term loosely). There are things I love about it such as the huge fenced in backyard, being close to civilization, how dark it is in the morning and being able to plant flowers and veggies. However, like any house-especially a rental-it also has it's downfalls. It's an older house so sometime the smell of it gets to me. The water smells worse than our old house and Rob is frustrated that the house doesn't have A/C. But, at the time we found it, we were stuck between a rock and a hard place with finding a place on a short timeframe. It meets our budget and it's nice enough so it'll work for the next year.. Anyway, here are a few pics of our place. (As you can tell, I did not clean up before snapping a few shots)

Rafa and Rosie

I am not a horse person, nor do I profess to be. I wasn't raised around them and to be truthful they terrify me. But I have fallen in love! My friend's mustang gave birth to a beautiful colt a couple weeks ago. She asked me to come get pictures of him and his stepsister (My friend's other mustang gave birth a few days prior to a gorgeous filly). Soon after I entered the corral, Rafa came over and started "flirting" with me. He was hamming it up for the camera and I loved every minute with him. Let me introduce you to Rosie and Rafa...........

Time to Catch Up!

Since we have not had internet for over a week and because life was so busy and stressful the week before that, I hope you're ready for a book. Lots to blog about to catch you up on our lives. Where to start?
I guess I can start with my job. Up until the last week of school I was told I wouldn't have a job at my school next year. I jumped through the hoops and played the games but still was uncertain. In fact, I got an email and a call the last week of school informing me that I'd be teaching 3rd grade at a different school next year that is on a completely different schedule than I'm currently on. I practically begged to stay at school and my principal agreed with a price....I'd have to teach Kindergarten. So as of now I'll be at my current school teaching Kindergarten. Between me and you I am not happy about my job position and am hoping that a part time position will open in ESL (teaching students that don't speak English as their first language) or as a Dean (kind of like an assistant principal) before the new school year starts next month.
The weekend after school was out I had a Professional Development day that I had to attend while P stayed with my parents and Rob and our friends moved our stuff to the new house. We're still not settled in and Rob and I can't agree on how to arrange the furniture downstairs but we've got the basics taken care of. Our only complaints are that the water is worse than it had been at our old house and this house doesn't have A/C (something I can live without but Rob can't). We got a call today that the sale of our old house is final and we are no longer the owners of it. I can't really say I'm sad like I thought I would be. It's so nice being close to civilization and having a yard for P to run around in. Tonight, after dinner, Rob and I sat on the porch while P played in the front YARD with the dogs, something I had longed to do at our old house.
Last week Rob and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. Instead of going out on a date night, we decided to make the day a family event. We went to a dr appt together (I'll tell ya about that later) and then took afternoon naps. That night we went to the rodeo for Extreme Bulls, our favorite night. Rob and I had decided that, with all the stress and financial obligations, we'd forgo our annual anniversary trip and I'm glad we did. It was a fun, relaxing day as a family.
This past weekend we celebrated Father's Day doing something near and dear to Rob's heart...an archery shoot with friends. We enjoyed campfires, good food and great times with friends. I was kind of in a funk because I was worried about my mom. She has been dealing with health issues for the past week and is currently back in the hospital as I write this. It's not my place to explain all that is going on with her but the doctors are running tests and figuring out a solution...hopefully one that won't require surgery. So that had me down and worried but overall it was fun. P looked like Pigpen all weekend because he had so much fun sliding down dirt hills, hiking and making mud. It was a nice family get away!
The biggest news of our lives?? We found out that, after a couple years of trying and some medical intervention (ie. fertility treatment), we are expecting our second child early 2013!!! Although it's still surreal, we are excited beyond belief! P is cute because he doesn't quite understand the concept. He thinks I'm for sure giving him a baby brother and he thinks he has a brother in his belly as well. He told his friend at school to not push him down because the little boy would hurt his baby brother in his belly.
So, there you have it....the LONG and the short of all that's been going on in our lives the past few weeks. Enjoy the following pictures from the past couple weeks.... (I'll post pictures of our new house in the next few days)

Goodbye House

I wasn't planning on blogging until next week because it's moving weekend!! (Today we get the keys to our new place and pick up the U-Haul) But, when the sun shone in our room bright and early, causing me to wake up well before my alarm went off I decided to write a farewell poem for our house. I don't know if you've read the children's book "Goodnight Cowboy" or "Goodnight Moon" but I patterned my poem in a similar fashion...
                                                                Goodbye House

 Goodbye pennant windows that give us so much light

We will now cherish sleeping through the dark night.

Goodbye water that made bath time yellow

You caused more stress than kept us mellow.

                               Goodbye little mice that filled my dreams

You caused my heart to stop and some shrilling screams.

Goodbye coyotes, horses and brown bear

You will now have someone else’s garbage for which to tear.

Goodbye friendly ghost who roamed the hall

Rob will not miss you, not one bit at all.

Goodbye whitetop weeds that grow so high

That nothing would kill you off that we could buy

Goodbye beautiful views from near to far

The daily commute to see you was worth the damage to my car.

Goodbye barn house where we brought home our son

Although I’m glad we’re leaving, we did have some fun!

Camera Woes

On paper it's officially my Summer break but, due to a "fire day" and staff development days, I'm still technically working until 3:30 on Saturday. Grrr! Between working full time this week and packing up the house I have not picked up my camera. In fact, life has been so busy that I haven't touched in in about a month. One thing I'm looking forward to next week, after we're in the new house, is to spend time behind my camera. I'm feeling rusty with my skills and I'm itching to get pictures of P playing in the creek at "Radiator Springs" (What I call our new place because of P's obsession with the movie "Cars" and our landlord's obsession with old car projects that are adjoining our property.). So I promise to take and upload pictures of FB and the blog at some point next week. Until then don't expect to hear much from me because of work, moving, a new internet installation and a quick trip to Cali. to get our lil guy after the move's over. Enjoy your weekend and what I hope is beautiful weather for you like it will be for us!

Weekend Getaway

Forgive me for not blogging regularly lately. Blogging requires times, something I'm short on these days. But I wanted to tell you about our fun weekend. Rob and I decided that we both needed to get away from all the stress and just relax for the weekend. So he went camping with the guys and I went to a resort with the girls. My parents came to town and hung out with P so it was a win-win weekend all the way around! On Saturday morning my parents and I woke up and headed down the hill (for their last time!). We tried a new place for breakfast (delicious!!) and then went to see the new house. From there they took P and I started my relaxing 24 hours. I redeemed a gift certificate that Rob had given me for one of the best pedicures I've ever had. Then I headed to Tahoe to meet up with the girls. Once we all got there, we just had a relaxing night at the resort. We cooked dinner at our suite and just enjoyed girl talk. I didn't get much sleep but other than that it was a perfect getaway with a beautiful view.

The getaway made me miss Rob and P, making me realize how good life is! So much has changed in our lives in the last year and I thank God for the many blessings He's given us. One of those blessings is the ability to get away with friends, something I never take for granted and something I always enjoy!

If you don't hear from me for well over a week it's because it's the last week of school and I have to work full time on top of packing up our house on top of all my other every day "chores".