In The Last 24 Hours

Last night, we took Peyton out for ice cream to celebrate his birthday. We were in the shop about 10-15 minutes, but when we returned to the car, it wouldn't start. I have a smart key, which seems cool til you have to use it all the time and then you just wish for a regular key. So anyway, we thought it was a problem with the key not registering as the car was acting funny when only a little bit before it was fine.

I dug through the manual as Larry became more flustered. The boys were a little hyper and then Elizabeth started crying. Mistake number one. ALWAYS BRING THE DIAPER BAG! Even if it is only going to be a quick trip. When after 20 or so minutes, I couldn't find a solution, I went ahead and called our friends to come and get us before there were full meltdowns from my husband and baby.

This morning, I contacted Mazda and the service tech suggested that it may just be the smart key battery that needed replacing. Hoping it was that simple, I headed to Walgreens to buy a battery and then we went back to the car. No such luck. We tried jumping the car. No such luck. Finally, I broke down and called roadside assistance and they sent a tow truck. Thankfully, or so we thought then, they were able to jump the car and get it started and I headed to the local repair shop we use.

After waiting for an hour, the service tech informed me that even though he installed a new battery, the car wasn't holding the charge and he recommended I go to Mazda in case the car was under warranty and it was an electrical issue. By this time, I was starving, so I headed home first.

When I pulled into the cul-de-sac, I noticed there was a car in the driveway. At first I thought it was my father in law and when I saw the car's reverse lights come on, I just pulled to the side to let him out. I quickly realized it wasn't him, especially, when the car basically did a three point turn into my grass in order to pull out forward out of the driveway. I thought it was weird, but thought maybe they were salesmen or Witnesses.

As I was getting out of the car, another car swung around the circle and a lady asked me out her window if I knew the car that was just in my driveway. I walked a little closer as it was so odd and answered no. She told me she was a police officer and I noticed then the uniform. Apparently, they had been watching this car throughout the city. She left then and told me she was going to follow them.

I went inside to talk to Larry about it and not 2 minutes later, the doorbell rang. It was two more uniformed cops asking for information. From what they said, there has been a string of break-ins in our city and this car had raised suspicion, so a dozen undercover cops were following it. Great! They assumed the people had gotten spooked and pulled into our street attempting to lose the cops.

I gave what little statement I could and I thought that would be the end of it.

After grabbing a quick lunch, I headed to Mazda to get a new battery.

Three hours later.

I pulled into my house to yet another strange car. This time, though, no one was inside it. As I opened the door to the house, Larry quickly said, it's ok. It's just a detective. Lovely. This time, I had to actually write my statement down. They had caught up with the car the city north of us and took the three people into custody. With my statement, they were going to charge them with loitering, but the detective said it's not a huge crime, so they would probably be back on the streets tonight.

Thankfully, even though there have been quite a few break-ins, the criminals don't appear to be violent and haven't targeted any houses when the residents were home. Even though I would hate for my things to be stolen, stuff is stuff and I'd rather my family be safe.

I never knew staying at home would be so exciting.

What Peyton Thinks

I so enjoyed reading Kristin's post about what her kids wrote about her that I thought I would share Peyton's thoughts on me.

Mom, I love it when you: watch Cake Boss with me. (I figure it is better than most shows on Cartoon Network.)

Only I know: that you are smart and an artist. (Apparently, I hide my intelligence well.)

The funniest memory I have of you is when: you pushed me down the water slide when I wasn't looking and got water in my ear. (I don't remember this, but I'm glad he thinks it's funny now.)

And my favorite one that I can't imagine where he got it from (looks innocently around)

Every day I am thankful that you: put a roof over my head and give me food.

Remember, you are: the best mom ever! (Sorry, girls! I win this one.)

Elizabeth: Month One

Today you turned one month old. How the time is flying already. Everyone is quite taken with you. Smitten, you could even say. Especially, your brothers. They don't walk by without kissing you or touching you.

I'm starting to see signs of a human emerge out of your newborness. Your eyes are clearing and you focus better. I think we'll get a true smile soon.



You have already shown to be quite opinionated and aren't afraid to let us (me) know if you don't like something. I don't think you will have any problem getting the men of the house to bend to your will though, so if you want to tone that down some, I'd appreciate it.



I love you, baby girl.

In the A.M.

- Waking up at 4:45 a.m. to feed the baby is not so bad. Staying up after that feeding is.

- Baby scooting up your stomach to nuzzle under your neck is not her way of cuddling. She wants to play, or she may be trying to run away from a poopy diaper.

- Watching baby kick one leg repeatedly after changing poopy diaper is pretty cute. Even at 5:15 a.m.

- If you find a position and motion that keeps baby happy at 5:30 a.m., you will stay in that position and do that motion indefinitely. You may even smile.

- If one more ounce is what it takes to put baby back to sleep at 5:45 a.m., GIVE IT TO HER.

- Dogs are not very good company at 5:45 a.m., especially when they start playing with a squeaky toy.

- After somewhat falling back asleep at 6:00 a.m., 6:45 a.m. comes rather quickly.

Annoucing Elizabeth

When Tiny Prints contacted me regarding their promotion for Holiday cards, I was a little disappointed I had to tell them no, as I had already committed to ordering my cards from Shutterfly. However, when I mentioned that I had a baby due in April, the representative said that I could order 25 announcements from them to try once she was born. I was understandably excited.

When Elizabeth was a day old, the hospital photographer captured her image and mom was so kind to order me a package from them that included 25 announcements. They were so precious and really showcased how tiny Elizabeth was the day after she was born. I quickly went through those 25 and still needed more, so I again contacted Tiny Prints to see if I could still order from them as well. The representative I worked with was super friendly and she sent me the instructions for my free cards.

I began my search for the perfect birth announcement and quickly settled for a simple design that showcased my little beauty.



The announcements arrived very quickly and I was impressed by the quality of the card and the clarity of the photo. Overall, I was happy with my experience with Tiny Prints and I would definitely order from them again.