I Hurt My Lip

While I was making dinner the other night, Hunter was playing with a toy and somehow he pinched his lip. He told me that his lip hurt. He asked for a bandaid. I gave it to him. A few minutes later, I looked at him and saw this.




Here he is with Hayden.

Mean Old Man

We went to Rob's friend's ranch for the weekend. His friend, Frank, is an older man, in his mid sixties. I guess he is an ex-rodeo cowboy-type. His wife is retired from Sun Microsystems. They had about 30 goats, a dozen chickens and two dogs. One dog diligently protects the goats and does not like strangers. She stays out in an area by the goats. The other dog stayed by the house. This is the dog that I had a problem with. Well, maybe it wasn't the dog but the owners. The dog is happy, friendly, and young. It is full of energy and wants to jump all over you. This means trouble for a little guy like Hunter. When he first tried to play with the dog it jumped all over him, knocking him down and trying to wrestle him. It scared Hunter and he cried. Hence, they put the dog on a leash. It was fine and Hunter stayed away. Later, they tied the dog to the deck. Whenever anyone passed they were jumped on by the dog. I know the dog was friendly and meant no harm. However, I was really irritated because most of the time I passed, I was carrying Hayden and was worried that he would get scratched by a paw or that the dog would knock us over. Whenever poor Hunter went by he was jumped on. Hunter wanted to play with the dog but didn't want to get jumped on. He played with the dog, 'teased' him as Frank called it. Frank got mad at Rob a couple of times, saying that Rob should 'whup Hunter' for disobeying, etc. Frank got onto Hunter about 'teasing' the dog. Hunter wanted to play with the dog and vice versa but Hunter didn't want to get too close because the dog would knock him down. Frank was pretty much on Hunter's ass for everything. Poor Hunter stayed away from Frank all weekend. Rob was upset too because Hunter is too young to be on him so. Frank was just intolerant. His wife even tried to explain to him that he was being too harsh and expected too much out of such a little one. He loved Hayden, but Hayden is just a baby and couldn't do anything to irritate Frank. Needless to say, I don't want to go back there.

On the brighter side, I finished Hunter's sock on the way up there (I just need to weave in the ends). It was a 3 1/2 hour trip and I knit most of the way up. I started Hayden's sock on the way back. I am now on the heel of his little sock. I am changing the pattern to suit my liking. I like a short cuff and leg.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was good. Hunter came home with valentines from his little friends in daycare. We went next door and he gave his little neighbor friends their valentines and then they came over and played in our house most of the evening. I used to have a problem with that. This is so because the kids terrorize the house. The empty bins of toys and don't put things back. Hunter is not like that. He will go through his bins but not take everything out and for the most part, he puts things back. In addition, the little boy did not have much by way of manners. I didn't want him to influence Hunter negatively. Anyway, I noticed on Valentine's day and last night when the little boy came over, that he has improved. Now I do not worry as much (but I still have a mess to clean up). My dh knows how I felt about the neighbor kids and pointed out to me that Hunter is happy playing with them. I concur. He is a little social guy. He plays all day with his friends in daycare and then comes home and plays with his little neighbor friends.

We did not do anything really special for Valentine's day. We decided not to go out because with two little ones, it can be tough. We opted for Chinese takeout. My rings were stolen several months ago and my husband is determined to replace them slowly but surely. Hence, Rob gave me another replacement ring. It is a ruby with little diamonds surrounding it and is a little fancier than the original one he gave me. There are also little rubies embedded in the band that span the top part of each side of the ring.

We have Monday off. That is cool. I didn't think we were going to get it off. One owner pointed out to us that we had it off last year and that started the ball rolling. It was iffy yesterday and it became official today. I wish the president would let us know sooner so we can make plans. His wife worked on and was paid for, an employee manual. It is supposed to outline days off and such. I still haven't seen it. One of the owners is going to bring that fact up in the meeting. It sure would be nice to know how many sick days, etc we have.

I am on the foot part of Hunter's sock. In knitting the second one, I see where I misread the instructions on the first and the second sock. I need to pay better attention to the instructions. It sure would be nice to finish the second sock this weekend and start on Hayden's socks. We'll see!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Do You Want To Hold My Hand?

This morning, at Linda's, while I was taking Hunter out of the truck, Hailey's mother pulled up. I said, "Look, there's your friend Hailey." I ask Hunter to carry and give my baggie of breastmilk for Hayden, to Linda in the mornings. Anyway, he went over to Hailey, her little brother, and her mother and said, "Look it's baby brother's milk." It was funny. Then Hailey said, "Do you want to hold my hand." Hunter said, "Yes." They held hands and walked across the lawn and into Linda's house together. It was sooo adorable. Hailey's mother commented on how cute it was. I said that I wished I had a camera. On the way to work, I remembered that I do have a camera on my phone. However, I had Hayden in my arms and by the time I would have gotten the phone, they would have already gone into the house (I might have gotten them to stop and pose). I am just kicking myself in the butt for not taking a picture. Little Hailey is a sweet little girl.

Hunter and I made up baggies for his friends. I purchased a bag of little Nestle Crunch hearts and a bag of Kisses. Hunter and I put a dum dum, a few hearts, and some kisses in a baggie. Then we took a Scooby-Doo valentine and punched a hole in it, ran red and white ribbon through the hole and tied the baggie closed. We made one up for each of his daycare friends, Linda and the neighbor kids. Hunter will pass them out tomorrow. We are going to give Linda some of the body butter also.

I worked on the sock today. Somehow, after making the heel, I turned my work the wrong way during the gusset work and ended up purling. I did not notice for a few rows. I ripped it back those few rows and put it back on the needles. I am anxious to start the gusset again.

Grouchy

I am so grouchy today. I am tired and feel so lazy. I have a lot of work to do today. However, I have a headache and just want to take a nap. At least my workday is almost over. I only have one hour and 17 mins to go!!

The weekend was good. The sun came out Sunday and Hunter played outside with the neighbor kids. Rob took Hayden outside for a few hours. The little guy likes to go outside, look at everything and watch the kids play. Sometimes, when Rob is heading for the front door, you can tell by Hayden's body language that he wants to go too. He has even cried before when Rob tried to go out. He sure is learning to communicate.

I made chocolate chip cookies and they turned out awesome. I usually burn one batch because I am busy with the boys but not this weekend! I made some brownies. The edges of the brownies were overcooked and the center of the pan was undercooked. How does my Aunt Sue do it? Her brownies are always perfect. I am going to have to get some tips. Anyway, I decided not to give Hunter's little friends baggies of baked goodies. I went to the store today and purchased a bag of kisses and a bag little Nestle crunch hearts. I think I will put a couple of each into a baggie for each of Hunter's little friends.

I made some body butter. It turned out lovely. It looks like wax. I use the top of my fingernail to get some out of the container. As soon as I rub my hands together it liquifies. It feels good and does not burn like some lotions have been doing to my awfully dry hands. I am concerned about the smell. I added some lavendar flower oil and it doesn't smell like I had hoped. I don't know if I added too much scent or if the scent just isn't what I expected.

I am now on the heel of Hunter's second sock. Yay!

Will My Workday Ever End?

Ugh! It is slow for me today. I have things I can do but they are minor. I could program phone numbers into the fax machine but I don't feel like doing that either. So, here I sit waiting for 4:30 to roll around. My eyelids are getting heavy. I hate days like this where it just drags on and on....

We went to bed at 8 last night but of course, Hunter did not want to and was doing his nightly antics until after 9. I was thinking back to about a year ago. Until the last 10 months, at around 8-9 pm, he would tell ME that it was time for bed. I guess this will pass. I don't know. Sometimes he gets Hayden excited. It is funny because Hayden lays there with his arms and legs wiggling around and makes noises. Then I have to wait for both of them to calm down so I can sleep. It's okay though. Don't say it. I know. Everyone tells me that it is going to be tough to get them to sleep in their own beds when it is time. But I am just as attached to them as they are to me. Rob is pretty attached too.

Rob has really been good to us lately. He BBQ'd the other night. I put out a roast on Tuesday and was going to make it. When we got home, he had already cut the potatoes and carrots and was ready to put it in the oven. He finished making dinner. He said that he is going to BBQ tonight, but the weather is bad. I think I will just broil the steaks. Hunter is so particular. However, he likes steak and he likes to dip it in A1 Sauce.

Hayden napped for about 1/2 hour last night and Hunter went with his father to the store. Hence, I mopped the floors and folded clothes. I love getting chores done during the week so my weekends feel less stressful.

My ingredients for body butter arrived during the week. I think that Hunter and I will make the body butter (Hayden will supervise). I would like to give some to Linda (the daycare lady) from the boys, for Valentine's day. I got Hunter some Scooby-Doo valentines to pass out and I am debating on making cookies and stuff to bag up and give as gifts to his little friends. That reminds me, I need to get a list of the kids' names in daycare. I wish that Hayden was old enough to participate like Hunter does. Then it will be even more fun.

By the way, I forgot to mention yesterday, Hayden does say mamamamama and dadadadada. How cute!

I Want to Make 'Coff'

Hunter and I often make Rob's lunch and coffee together. Sometimes, out of the blue, Hunter will tell me that he wants to make 'coff', meaning he wants to make Rob's coffee. I pour the water and set up the filter. He counts out the scoops of grinds, closes the filter area, and pushes the delay button. He is so funny. When he is finished, he likes to tell daddy what he did for him. He also likes to show daddy the sandwiches we make for him.

I have received Hunter's clothes from Allaboardtoys.com yesterday. I washed them last night and he is wearing this outfit today. He is also wearing his Thomas shoes that light up. Hunter just LOVES Thomas. He looks so cute. I know it seems materialistic but I like to put him in Thomas clothes (when I find them on sale), he looks so cute in them. I don't put him in designer clothes or anything like that (even if I could afford to (or even wanted to), my dh wouldn't let me). When Rob saw the clothes for Hunter he asked me what about Hayden. I felt rotten. But Hayden just got some clothes a few weeks ago. Hunter is getting taller and I couldn't pass on the sale so I purchased the clothes in a size bigger than he has been wearing. I know there is a bunch of 12 month clothes somewhere from when Hunter was little. I need to find them so Hayden can wear them soon.

Hayden can eat crackers now. He likes to gnaw on teething biscuits. I feel so bad for him because he watches Rob play with Hunter on the bed (Hunter likes to jump on and wrestle Rob). Hayden reaches out to Rob because he wants in on the action. Soon, he will be able to make it over to Rob. Hayden can scoot backwards a little. Linda is really good with 'tummy time'. One day I arrived at her house and all the remaining kids were trying to teach Hayden to crawl. How cute. He is getting better at communicating. He grunts, 'clucks' (as Rob calls it), and makes other noises. He often objects when we try to set him down. He is funny. I can't wait until he can walk around. I know it will happen soon.

I finished the ribbing on the top of Hunter's second sock today. Yay, now I don't have to purl for a while.

No. You Go to the Bank

This company has bank accounts at two different banks. I usually do the deposits to the one located in the city I live in and the owner, his wife, or his son make the deposits at the bank located in Concord. The President sent his son to do the deposit in Concord this morning. I guess the machine wasn't working and the bank did not open until 10 am. Hence, he was unable to deposit the checks I gave his father a few days ago. Later in the morning, as I was on my way out to the post office to pick up the PO box mail, he stopped me and asked me to take the deposit. I said that I would rather not because I don't make those deposits and I am the only one who doesn't get an auto allowance or get reimbursed for mileage, etc. What I was thinking is...'You go do the deposit. Not only do you get your gas reimbursed, you get an auto allowance every month. In addition, you have the least work-related tasks to do out of everyone here.' Anyway, I did not have to go to the bank. He did it. Note: The bank is located on the president's route home.

The Salesmen are back today. Things have slowed down again for me. It is nice to be back to the slow pace. I did have fun the last few days. It was nice to have more 'action'. However, it was not good for a nursing mother. I would get so busy, I would forget to pump and when I did, I really had to force myself relax and remove work-related tasks from my mind. I am thankful that my job is very low in stress because I don't want to lose my milk. When I had Hayden, various nurses told me that the World Health Organization (I think it was that organization) recommends nursing until at least the age of 2. Hence, I would like to produce milk for Hayden until he is at least 2.

My dh called me this morning. He was feeling bad that he had to scold Hunter last night. We all sleep in our large bed. At bedtime Hunter still wants to play. He moves here and there and keeps us up for about an hour every night. Last night he got into trouble. My husband told him he had to sleep on the floor if he doesn't settle down (my dh really wouldn't make Hunter sleep on the floor). Hunter kept acting up. I told my dh that he has to follow through with what he says. So he picked Hunter up and put him on the floor. He told him he had to stay there until he decides to behave. Hunter cried. Dh told him that if he behaves he can get back on the bed. Hunter said he would and went back to bed. He acted up a bit but not as badly. He finally went to sleep. I guess Hunter should sleep in his own room but I just am not ready for that yet. I think that Hunter would find it unfair that Hayden can sleep with us (Hayden is still nursing) but Hunter can't. Besides, I would miss him terribly if he was in another room. I am used to him snuggling next to me. I sleep with one child on each side of me.

Not My Usual Monday

Today is not my usual Monday. Three of the salesmen are in Chicago, for some training on a line of product. Hence, I am answering the majority of calls and trying my hand at sales. It is nice to add something else to my day. I actually took it upon myself to answer the calls first. You see, besides the president, I am the last person to pick up the phone (in other words, only if the salesmen and the other owners are unavailable, I pick it up). I have taken it upon myself to do things which are not part of my job. I have asked Michael (the president) if he has any sales orders I could enter, I have gone out to the warehouse to check stock, I have sent order confirmations to customers, and have ensured packages are ready to ship. Nobody has asked me to do these things, I am just doing them. It is actually fun to do something a little different.

Michael is going to take us to lunch tomorrow. I love free lunches. He is a pretty nice guy. He has a bit of a memory problem and gets mad before he gets all of the facts (and finds out that what he is angry about is either his fault or someone else's, very rarely mine).

My weekend went well. We went to Hayward to meet the family for dinner. Hunter had fun and behaved pretty well. Hayden did really well. He did not get 'fitty' all evening. When we were leaving, everyone was outside and saying 'goodbye' to each other. I had Hayden and Rob was supposed to be watching Hunter. Hunter disappeared from his sight. We found him in the parking lot with Aunt Sue. I didn't say anything to Rob but I was fuming (not because he was with Aunt Sue but because, Rob lost track of him). I did tell him that we were next to a busy street. He said that he was upset too. I need to have a talk with him about keeping a closer eye on Hunter. This is something I have been meaning to talk to him about for a while. You see, I DON'T let Hunter out of my sight when I am responsible for watching him. When Rob is responsible, I relax and let Rob handle it. However, he just does not meet my standards. It scares me. It scares me an awful lot. If I am outside with Hunter, I have to be able to see him ALWAYS. If he moves behind something, I move so I can see him. I may be overprotective, but I don't care. It only takes a few seconds to run out into the street and get run over and it only takes a few seconds for a monster to grab him. I am just trying to figure out how to approach my husband without him getting angry over it. I tried this before, when Hayden was only a month or so old. We went to Martini Day at the yhact club. I had Hayden and Rob was to be watching Hunter. However, Rob was too far behing Hunter and let him too far out of his sight. I was not worried too much for Hunter's safety when it came to the people because we were mostly in the clubhouse. I wasn't too worried about him falling the water either. I was mostly humiliated more than once when Hunter would enter the room and then leave out a door. I had to try to catch him with the baby. My husband would then appear a couple of minutes later. I tried to talk to my dh but he got upset and told me that he was 'right behind' Hunter. Well 'right behind' is subjective. To me, when it comes to a child, you should be 'right behind' him meaning able to see him at all times and in close proximity.

I finished one of Hunter's socks!!! I just need to weave in the ends. Hunter likes his sock. He asked me what I was doing when I was knitting it. I replied, "I am knitting a sock just for you." He said, "Oh, wow. Thank you!" (he is less than 3 years old). He was really happy that I was making him a sock. He is so sweet!!

Another Slow Day in Happyland

Well, it is another slow day here, at work. It is around 8:30 and already I don't have much to do. I could do a few things but when it is slow, I usually only do a bit and save some for the next day. A coworker is playing a game on his computer and I can hear it. None of the owners are here. I wonder if I could get away with doing some knitting? Two of my coworkers are sons of owners. I know one could care less if I knit. The other, I am not sure yet. The one I am not sure about is on the net more than anyone else here and has the least work to do (and messes up the paperwork on little bit of work he does. Amazing.). So, I am not sure how he feels. I know that the owner has to know that this position does run out of work. My predecessor had told him that. She wanted to work part-time but they wantes someone physically here full-time. Before she worked here, they had a Bookkeeping service which, of course, was not here full-time. Anyway, I will do some things and see how it goes. It sure would be nice to knit rather than surf.

Hunter wouldn't eat the 'zucchini fries'. He is such a fussy eater. I have read about it from various sources and we just keep trying to get him to eat a variety. One I read yesterday mentioned dipping. He likes to dip things. Maybe if I had some sort of dip to go with the 'zucchini fries' he would have eaten it. Maybe I should make or purchase some spaghetti sauce and put it in little containers to freeze. Then I could cook one for him when I need it. Good idea Cynthia. Why thank you very much.

Oh, crud. An owner has arrived. Maybe he will leave. It is just so boring when it is slow and I would much rather spend my time knitting.

I checked out the web site nickjr.com yesterday, at work because it is just so exciting here. They have some games that were not so advanced that Hunter could not play them. Plus, the games were free (unlike the Disney web site where it is expensive in my terms). Therefore, after putting Hayden down for a nap (which only lasted about 15 mins), I got on the computer with Hunter and we played some games. He had fun. He got the hang of the games pretty quickly, especially the Wonder Pets games. He learned how to type his name into the game (with my help) and he learned to work the mouse. It made him so happy to be able to play on the 'puter'. Unfortunately, the games he played called for the use of the mouse. He would totally get into the game and move the mouse too high. When he would click the mouse to jump or move his character, sometimes he moved his mouse too high and clicked on a button which took him to another page. Therefore, he would lose his place and we would have to go through the whole setup again. It is okay. Soon he will get the hang of it.

Clothing Find

I made good progress on Hunter's sock this week. Tuesday was slow and the owners of the business where I work were out of the office. Hence, not only did I knit during lunch, but I also knit for another hour!!! It was awesome. I wish I could just knit here, when it is slow. I don't think the owners would like it. Instead I look busy by doing as everyone else does and surf the web, read and send emails, etc.

Ever since I expressed my concern about Hunter's Sunday night nightmares, my dh has been cooking/getting dinner all week!! How cool!! I forgot what Monday was. He BBQ'd steaks on Tuesday. He went and got Mexican food last night and he is going to toss in a frozen lasagna tonight. Therefore, I have had more time to play with the boys!! It has been wonderful break. I do like to cook though, but I should start letting him cook more often. It gets tough on weeknights. I pick them up from childcare and get home around 5 pm and we usually go to bed before 9 pm (more like 8:30). Hence, we only have 4 hours for dinner, dishes, playtime, baths, etc.

I just remembered that I have some zucchini that needs to be used before they go bad. I think I will make some breaded zucchini. Yummy. Maybe we could trick Hunter into eating some again by telling him they are 'zucchini french fries'.

Hunter loves Thomas the Train. I found this awesome web site that has more Thomas clothing than I have seen anywhere. It is called allaboardtoys.com. I found some Thomas the Train pants with shirt sets for $9.99. I also found some sweat outfits for the same price!!! What a bargan!! I was so excited, I copied and pasted my order onto an email I sent to my Mom so she could see what great prices I paid! What a great day for a bargan hunter!