Hey, as long as you are here...(again)

ok so you came here looking for something right? maybe wordless wednesday, perhaps thursday thirteen, oh, maybe someone tagged me for a meme or bestowed a lovely award upon me and you wanted to see what all the fuss what about or you are just a huge fan of our blog and cannot get enough of our bloggy goodness. whatever your reason is (and it could be all of the above) i was wondering if, as long as you are here anyway, you could help me with my little poll. see it? >>> over there>>> under my counter? could ya? would ya? i would love to know the proper bloggy etiquette when it comes to responding (or not responding) to the wonderful comments people leave on my blog. i don't want to be a rude bloggy friend. AND i will do whatever bloggy etiquette says i should do.

so please, vote. help a girl out...thanks!

Lights OUT!!

our whole neighborhood lost power for a few hours today. this meant 3 major things for our little family.

ONE...Jordan read to us by candlelight, way fun...and entertaining!

TWO...pizza...yea i used flash, i did not want you to miss the excitement
THREE...some really great conversation...and Jordan thought it was "really cool, and kind of creepy with the steam and all that" showering by candlelight, yea no pics of either. At first i was REALLY annoyed by the lack of power but my little family reminded me how cool life can be when the rest of the world is not invited to our little party for THREE! TheVasquez3

Thursday Thirteen #4

More Thursday Thirteen HERE

13 things I learned while “trying out” a Co-Ed gym this week.

(i am a CURVES girl checking out InShape)

13. People are often comfortable enough to carry on a conversation with you while they are totally nude and toweling off. AWKWARD!!
12. The steam room after water aerobics is NOTHING like Sex in the City…there are often more blue haired little old ladies in there than chicks talking about their “racks”.
11. You run into LOTS of people you know, but haven’t seen for a while, looking your sweatiest worst…why why whyyyyy?
10. People make REALLY interesting sounds when lifting weights, and one guy made me really uncomfortable.
9. Water Aerobics…a really good workout, who knew? i mean besides the blue hairs?
8. I have been getting a full nights sleep for like 3 days now…that NEVER happens.
7. After a good work out I am super horny, like WAY more than usual. I know TMI, but…
6. I have a greater appreciation an all female “gym” like Curves. I feel like the equipment is made for me, I like my curves and I to see people who look like me and my chubbylicious sexy self there.
5. Working out with a friend is a new thing for me and I loved it. I felt more accountable and had fun with EMILIE!! Thanks Em.
4. I had energy to do things that I have been putting off…like organizing my garage!! Woo hoo!!! Oh and thanks honey for helping me, i know you didn't want to.
3. There is a sexual energy pulsating though out the gym…it’s invigorating and embarrassing all at the same time.
2. I look super cute with pigtails…yep, adorable even.
1. I am not the badass I thought I was and I am feeling it all now!

Wordless Wednesday

ok this is me...age 6 or 7, with our puppy Foxy Lady.

(i have no idea why i am so white! i was outside ALL the time!)

More Wordless Wednesday HERE and HERE
oh and i have a few more posts below that could use a little love

as long as you are here....indulge me?!?

Look at this stuff! Isn't it neat? meme

MissSniz tagged me earlier this week for this cool meme. i admit i have been procrastinating, but i REALLY wanted to do it....so FINALLY... here it is:

The LOOK AT THIS STUFF! ISN'T IT NEAT? meme

1. Find five things around your house that say something about the person you are and snap a picture of them. 2. Tell us about them.
3. Link back to me in your post so I can be all nosy.
4. Tag five (or more...or less...I'm easy) folks via their comments and tell us who you tagged.

these are my salt and pepper shakers. aren't they the cutest?! last year on my birthday my husband and i, along with my in laws, went and spent a lovely afternoon in a little town by the bay called Sausalito. i HEART this place, the cute little shops, fun restaurants and just the cool energy there. i spotted these little strawberry shelled snails and fell in love. i have a strange affinity for snails and these two guys are screaming with personality! they live happily on my kitchen table and make me smile!

my old neighbor and friend use to have this antique window hanging in her home. i fell in love with it the minute i laid eyes on it and started my hunt for an old window that i could "cuteify" too. when i moved she gifted me hers RIGHT OFF HER WALL...i love it...and even though i get teased about "the horrible view from that window" it makes me happy...i will be even cooler if i ever paint that wall something other than white!

this is taken from Jordan's room. it almost seems strange to have a post without a picture of my favorite little girl so i has to sneak this one in. i love these photobooth pics that she took with her BFF Emma. they are a whole lot of fun and super cool kids! aren;t they cute?

this beautiful orchid was part of my valentine gift from my honey. we got an orchid as a wedding gift from a friend and i was so afraid i would kill it. i lasted forever and made me really happy. when we moved here (to this town that is hotter than 10 hells in the summer) my luck ran out with orchids and i have killed 3 or 4, but Paul knows how much i loved our "first orchid" so he keeps buying them for me...wish me luck with this one.

OK, so this may seem odd, but i really love it. i got this HUGE empty gold frame at an estate sale about 5 or 6 yrs ago. i saw it and had to have it. i was not sure what i was going to do with it, but i loved it and thought it would be great for a mirror or something, anything i just knew it had to be mine mine mine!! through the years it has "framed" different things, a really cool twiggy and dried flower heart shaped wreath, a gold framed mirror, and now these pictures that by themselves don't seem like much (to me) but in this huge gold frame really make fun wall decor. some people find it silly, but most people LOVE it as much as i do. again...cooler on a non white wall. what do you think?

so there ya go...what does my stuff say about me? yea i don't know either (other than i need to commit to some cool colors for my very white boring walls, any ideas?) i realize my style is very undefined....as you can tell by reading its mostly a "i see it, i fall inlove, get that gotta have it feeling" kind of thing...

this was fun, i tag Sheena at Sheenanigans, Shar from TheAllenTribe , Cecily at My Chaos My Bliss , Kelli from HappilyShovelingWater and my new bloggy friend MommyJ . let me know when ya have them up chickies!!

Awesome Daddy

Paul's new schedule at work allows him to spend a considerable amount of time with our family, for this we are deeply grateful. his new hours are 10pm-6am. so basically the only time he is not in our home is during Jordan's sleeping hours. this has been GREAT and has made it possible to be 100% present in her day to day life. he still makes time for special time with her and this Saturday was no exception. Jordan was all set to go with the youth from church on a snow trip for the day but the weather canceled the group's plans. SO the two of them ditched me for the afternoon (and i got a NAP!) and went on a Daddy Daughter Date...so cute! they had a nice long lunch at their favorite Chinese place and went to a movie. i love hearing about their conversations and seeing how excited Jordan is every time she spends this time alone with her daddy. i hope their special bond continues to grow as the years go by...it's just so special.

this is a picture from this summer, but the two of them playing games

or setting up train tracks is a common scene around here. they look so much alike in this picture too!!

Feeling a Little Blue...

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please...send me one or two or three. Jordan keeps asking when she gets to be a big sister. It's getting harder to tell her i don't know. She recently asked, "well are you guys even trying?". So ummm if you could just hurry things along a little bit we would be ever so grateful.

thanks
HolleeAnn

P.S. we don't care if the bow is pink or blue AND you can even send more than one at a time if you want, we can handle it.

Thursday Thirteen #3

more Thursday Thirteen HERE
Thirteen of the MANY things

I love about being a MOM to Jordan

13. Becoming friends with her friend’s moms, that’s been so cool!
12. Planning sleepovers, spa parties and play dates…So. Much. Fun.
11. When we go shopping she asks MY opinion about things telling me that i have "great taste in cool clothes". yes, i realize this might not last much longer...but it is so fun right now!!

10. She tells me I should be a professional “hair doer”, “food cooker” and “kid dresser” because I am “so good at those things”. How is that for appreciation?
9. She invites me to join her and her friends to play games like truth or dare or just to sit and talk with them.

8. She allows me to take a gazillion pictures and video of her to post on our blog.
7. Her love, compassion and kindness for others is beautiful to watch and learn from.
6. She asks me to “teach” her things that will help her “to be a good mom and wife someday”. This is huge because I know she is looking to ME for an example.
5. I love watching her grow and develop into the lovely young woman she is.
4. She tells me her secrets, always...and trusts me to keep them.
3. She makes me laugh all the time with her silly nature and willingness to express herself freely.
2. Every night when she says her prayers, she thanks Heavenly Father for ME for “taking awesome care” of her. Sooooo totally awesome...EVERY night!!
1. She tells me she loves me and is glad that she can talk to me about anything and know I "will always love her, no matter what". No matter what Jordan...i always will, i promise.

Wordless Wednesday

YES, this is my beautiful daughter making a silly face

while picking the nose of a horse...yea she cracks us up too!

More Wordless Wednesday HERE and HERE

oh and i have a few more posts below that could use a little love as long as you are here....indulge me?!?

Big Daddy Won Tickets!!

Paul won 4 tickets to a Stockton Thunder Hockey game and took Jordan, Emma and Joel (Emma's big brother, and interestingly enough Jordan seems to have a HUGE crush on him, he IS her BFF's brother and basically the male version of Emma AND he is also Jordan's tutor...so she could be coming into this crush quite naturally. UGH! could be worse, he is a really good kid). They had a great time. i opted to sit this little adventure out and enjoy a quiet afternoon at home. i did of course send Paul with the camera and a list of shots i would like him to get...he did really well and here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

aww...Jordan looooves those bunnies, me not so much.

Daddy and Jordan...he swears he had fun!

YAY!! GO! FIGHT! WIN! (they lost, ooops!)

Thor, mascot for the Stockton Thunder..cool!

THIS is Joel, Emma's older brother and Jordan's crush...er i mean tutor.

J is for Jordan

E is for Emma

and of course one more just for the Awww factor

Perfect Peteluma Picnic

since Jordan didn't have school last week (presidents week?) she was able to go and spend a few days with her grandparents in Peteluma. Jordan wanted to bring her BFF Emma along to spend one night with her and leave the next day with Paul and me. of course the girls asked me to "rock out" their hair a little (cuz you need cute hair for a 2 hour drive and picnic with your grandparents) so of course i did. we had the most fun afternoon, picnicing at this really cute french cheese factory (with a darling picnic area) and then shopping in Point Reyes. the weather was gorgeous, sunny and clear. we had a wonderfully relaxing day just watching the girls play and visiting with Jim and Carla (2 of our most favorite people) and Georgia (Jim's mom).

and of course i have pictures...i know what my bloggy readers like and it's how i roll, with the camera on!

posing in Jordan's gameroom before we hit the road

are they the cutes BFFs you have ever seen or what?

such a beautiful setting right?

it was a gorgeous day!
the girls dusted and gassed up all of Grandpa's cars

(unlike me Jordan doesn't mind pumping gas)

crashed out on an airmatress after a fun filled day

i had to leave you with one more...they are just too cute not to

Unauthorized post by "Big Daddy"

Yep, thats right, I have hijacked the family blog to make a post.
It was important to me to take a few minutes to let the world, and my wife, know how awesome I think she is. HolleeAnn has trully been the best thing to ever happen to me, and through me she has blessed my entire family. Our little girl is happy and gaining self confidence. I am at ease knowing that she is being taken care of in a loving and healthy home. My parents have a great relationship with their grand-daughter that allows them to be grand-parents, not psuedo-parents. I have been blessed to feel the true, unconditional love that is fostered in a relationship that allows free expression of ideas and exchange of ideas, even if the ideas are different from what the other person has. HolleeAnn deserves all of the praise and thanks I can humanly muster and then some. I am so very thankful that she chose me to accompany her through this life and I hope that I will be able to give her the life she deserves, I strive to treat her with respect and love. It is my personal mission in life to make her life easier. The reason that I can completely give mysef to her in this way is because she does the same for me. We complement each other in such a way that our strengths are magnified and our weaknesses are cancelled out by each other. I had seen ths type of relationship in my own parents and thought it would be impossible to find this in my own life.
It is important for me to note that I am not just posting this mushy mish mash just because it is the day of St. Valentine. I feel this way each and every day. There isn't a day that goes by where I am not astonished that this amazing and beautiful woman actually married me. I know that HolleeAnns loyal readers out there will agree, whether you have met my wonderful wife in person or not, that she is a great person that makes everyone she knows feel special. She does this with ease and never fails to touch the hearts of those she cares about.
I love you HolleeAnn, thank you for being the wonderful person you are. You help me to be a better person everyday.
Happy Valentines Day
Love
Paul

Thursday Thirteen #2

More Thursday Thirteen HERE

Thursday Thirteen #2
Thirteen (of the MANY) reasons I love my honey this Valentine's Day and always.

13. He lets me put my cold feet on him in bed
12. He thinks I am a really good cook…which is so true btw.
11. He likes that I make up lyrics when I don’t know the words to a song and asks me if I want to know the real words AFTER the song is over instead of during it.
10. He doesn’t care that I don’t know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trak
9. He surprises me with flowers and other little gifts often; most times after I mention something in passing that I thought I might like to have.
8. He lets me spend too much money on our daughter’s wardrobe cuz he loves how cute she always looks and knows it’s a silly thing that boosts her self esteem.
7. He 100% supports me in my business adventures, and tells me to “go for it”.
6. He makes time to take Jordan on daddy daughter dates, just the two of them.
5. He pumps my gas for me so I never have to ask a stranger to do it.
4. He thinks my silly little, quirky even, girlie girl princess ways are endearing.
3. He calls me beautiful and sexy and means it!! Often he even makes me believe it myself!
2. He is an amazing, attentive and active father and husband.

1. He makes me laugh. All. The. Time.

"The NO AWARD Award™"

my dear bloggy friend No Cool Story (NCS) over at MoreCowBell has, in all her bloggy brilliance created "The NO AWARD Award™". She. Is. Awesome. and if you are a regular reader of our little blog here you know i like to recognize awesomeness. NCS is awesomeness at its finest. check out her work...i personally plucked this little beauty from her HUGE and truly awesome collection of awards that she beautifully crafted herself...did i mention she is awesome yet?
see,her creative genius is unsurpassed...in my eyes anyway.

ok so my NO AWARD Award™ (NAA) winners are...Avery Gray,HappilyShovelingWater,Girl Going Postal, Home Is Where The Mom Is, My Chaos My Bliss, On The Upside, The World: Through the Eyes of ME, and my new bloggy friends Pink Lemonade, Shamelessly Sassy and Tidbits of the Tippets for all of their bloggy goodness, for dropping love on my blog in the form of comments, and for just being YOU! don't y'all feel special!?

so accept your award my bloggy friends and pass on the L O V E.

Wordless Wednesday

ok not so wordless...Jordan has a new annoying habit of closing her eyes whenever her picture is taken...so frustrating! she hates it more than we do...AND on this day she really wanted a pic to send to someone special...THESE are the results of those snaps!

ooops...try again
hmmmm not quite there

whoa! crazy girl posing!

ahhhhhh just right!!!

More Wordless Wednesday HERE and HERE

Children See, Children Do.

my mind is totally wrapped around being a GOOD example to my kid. i think of the outside influences she has in her life. i think about the "little things", like someone telling her to lie about her age for a discounted meal or entry somewhere. i think about people in her other family that smoke or drink or swear or lie. and i think..ENOUGH! i can't change anyone. but i can make sure that at least on MY watch i surround my child with people who will not only enrich her life but provide a powerful example of the RIGHT stuff.

one of my all time favorite quotes is "if you can't be a good example you will have to serve as a terrible warning". my mission with MY child is two fold...ONE be a really good example, practice what i preach, be the kind of person that i want her to grow up to be AND point out when i am less than perfect. and TWO point out the not so good examples. i try REALLY hard not to do that, i HATE passing judgment. i usually just say "well it's not what i would choose for my life". but i am adding, " and i really hope you don't ever choose that for your life, you are better than that bad choice". no matter WHO the person doing it is.

Jordan is really at that age where she is looking at the world with new eyes. she is watching. she is developing her own sense of herself. she is really paying attention to the world and how things in her life work, and basing decisions on the facts that she is gathering. it is so HUGE. it's like a critical turning point as she enters her teen years. soon she will jumping in with both feet, no longer dipping her big toe in and testing the waters. i want to make sure she is well prepared. its a big job but i am totally up for it!

THIS moved me to tears...it has a deep and powerful message.

I Heart Google Reader

my blog life is forever changed. i use to spend a lot of time (pathetic as it is) clickety clacking on the links of my blog roll checking to see if any of my bloggy friends had posted. NO MORE! now when a friend posts i get a notice on my blogger reader. and it was soooooo easy to set up!!!

So. Very. Cool.

why didn't anyone tell me about this marvelous web tool? sheesh!

and why is spell check STILL not working? i neeeeeeed it!

Greener Grass?

When i was a kid i use to dream about the day that our family might move to a new house or a new town. there was something REALLY exciting about the idea of starting over in a new place where no one knew me and i didn’t know anyone. i lived in the same house my whole childhood. i only moved out at 18 when i left for school. my folks only recently (2003?) sold that childhood home and moved themselves after living there for 30+ years. looking back i realize there is something really special about living in a town for so long, same house, same friends etc. there is something special about going to the market or anywhere in town for that matter, and running into a ton of people that you know. there is a certain comfort in the familiar. i only live a couple of hours from where i grew up, and going back there now is so different, but i still run into people i know every time i do go "home". i have lived in different towns before. i lived in a town 15 min from "home" for the better part of 10 yrs or so. i felt ok there. i had established roots of my own and worked in education so i knew a lot of people and would run into familiar faces all the time. But I always seemed to live within a 30 or so mile radius from my hometown. i have lived in this town for over a year, its about 2 hrs from “home”. when i go to the market i NEVER see people i know. infact i don't think i have ever run into a familiar face the whole time i have lived here. it is almost disappointing to live somewhere and not know anyone. it’s kind of sad actually. i haven't really made many friends, (only 2 close ones thank heaven for them!). perhaps this is why i am so attached to my bloggy friends; y'all really do mean so much to me. my friends in the “real world” don't visit me here much, and my family doesn't come over often either (my in-laws do all the time and that's been great!). this town is not the most “inviting” of places. infact i often joke that the town’s name is really Spanish for “dirty little town”. but I am trying really hard to make a home here and of course would love to have people come visit me.

i don’t really know what got me started on all of this...but i guess the bottom line is that living in a place where no one knows you and you don't know anyone kind of sucks. it is lonely. things are much better now that my husband is home more (it was a long year waiting for his transfer and having him away for his work weeks). it's funny how we seem to do that to ourselves right? thinking the grass is always greener on the other side...not so much!

Thursday Thirteen #1

ok i am a sucker for a meme ESPECIALLY when all of my friends seem to be playing; i have never been one to sit on the sidelines watching other people have fun...i wanna play too!!More Thursday Thirteen HERE

in honor of Valentines Day i am taking a cue from my SWEET friend ForgetfulOne and listing 13 of my all time favorite sweets...this is especially fun since i am no longer partaking in MANY of these...boo!

13. Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby (i guess i will just have to settle for my own chubby hubby to make me happy)

12. Peppermint Bark...mmmm the white chocolate pepperminty goodness

11. Lemonades Girl Scout cookies...oh my thank heaven they only come once a year!

10. Skittles...i must eat them in groups by color...in this order green, yellow, red, purple and orange

9. Rocky Road ice cream...i am loving the slow churned, not perfectly sin free but close enough

8. S'Mores...oh the gooey goodness and the childhood memories

7. Double Stuff Oreos... dipped in milk of course!

6. Fruity Pebbles...good in milk and in Rice Krispy treats.

5. Take 5 Candy bar...if you have not tried this you MUST!

4. Homemade Oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies...with coconut! MMM

3. Hostess Cupcakes...the 100 calorie pack kind are NOT even close to fooling me...bummer!

2. Rugga Rugga...its a delicious family Christmas treat...it's goodness cannot be described, trust me.

1. Chevy's Coconut Cajeta...Rich vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted coconut and topped with whipped cream and freshly–made cajeta or homemade chocolate sauce

MORE Bloggy love!!

so my bloggy friend Avery made these SUHWEEEEET awards. and then bestowed them on all of her blog roll daily reads...and um guess what? i was on the list! so here i am ready to accept the award for all of the awesomeness that i share with y'all daily...i mean really, my kid is adorable and i know you love reading about her adventures....so "awesomeness" is not a stretch, right?! ANYWAY enough about me and MY awesomeness...lets talk about YOU and your awesomeness!

i am not going to just pass these on to EVERYONE on my blog roll this time...i know i usually do but this award is SUPER special...i mean look at it!

so i pass this bit of bloggy love on to some of my all time faves Allen Tribe , Forgetfulone , Girl Going Postal , HappilyShovelingWater , More Cowbell , My Chaos My Bliss , Nobody Called Today , Sheenanigans , SuchSimplePleasures , The World: Through the Eyes of ME and a few NEW bloggy friends Shamelessly Sassy , Tales From The Carpool Lane and Temporary? Insanity.

so GO!! spread the love, there are no major rules just PASS THEM ON!!

Wordless Wednesday

BFF's Picking Raspberries

More Wordless Wednesday HERE and HERE

Dancing Queen

on Saturday night Jordan went to a Cotillion at our church. it was for 12-13 yr old boys and girls. this was the first time Jordan ever danced with a boy. she was REALLY nervous, and asked us to "stick around" until she gave us "the signal to go". sooooo OF COURSE i took pictures...one of these days she is not going to let me get away with such nonsense, but right now she is "cool with it" so snap snap snap!! after about 15 minutes and many pictures she finally gave me the "signal"; her hand at her side with a little wave. when we picked Jordan up an hour or so later she was all giggles and smiles and was excited about learning "old fashioned dances, like really old". here are some pics (the lighting was horrible sorry) of her doing those old dances...the swing, waltz and something else i can't remember...must have been WAY before my time.

Hannah Montana...finally!

many of you know how hard i tried to WIN tickets for Jordan to go see Hannah Montanna in Concert after they sold out in 30 minutes. i was willing to do almost ANYTHING to get tickets for my little girl. i entered EVERY contest in CA and the surrounding states....to no avail. when we heard that Disney was presenting Hannah Montana Best Of Both Worlds limited engagement, in select theaters, in 3D we got the tickets. if this is showing in your area (and we learned last night they were adding shows) and your little girl is a Miley Cyrus fan...GO!! it was awesome! the girls had a lot of fun and of course we made a HUGE event out of it...complete with matching BFF outifts. as many of you know Jordan and her BFF Emma love to wear matchy clothes and of course i am always willing to style them for their many red carpet events (and ANY event can turn into a red carpet event with these two adorable divas). the whole evening was a lot of fun. we got the girls out of school an hour early in order to get cute and get on the road to secure our spot in line in Sacramento. we were glad we went early because we were FIRST in line and got great seats! Paul was one of the few dads brave enough to go into a theater filled with screaming, giggly girls (we are totally in love with this man, he is such a cool daddy). the girls kept saying over and over how cool the show was, it really felt like we were there and all of the extras, including behind the scenes, were fantastic!

showing off the bling bling!

totally cool all the way to Sacramento!

dinner at Applebees, YUM!

Paul held our place in line and the girls had

a great time playing arcade games

front of the line

YAY!!! Hannah Montana!!

Paul was one of few Dads there.

yeah he rocks!!

ok ignore the popcorn grubbing chick

(i know i couldn't either...funny stuff)

You scream I scream we ALL scream for ICE CREAM!

(we are sooooo bad...late night snacking!)