Neighbors Suck

I do not like my neighbors.

They blast crappy music from the crappy cars sitting in their driveway at all hours of the day. They leave their poor unsocialized boxer chained up in a pen out in the backyard, then yell at him when he barks. They don't pick up the poop of said dog nearly often enough. They host parties where drunk teenagers fall off of the roof and get taken to the hospital. The teenage girl's boyfriend, who lives down the street, squeels his tires and speeds past houses with young children.

They just all around kind of suck.

But today, I think they're kind of funny.

Why?

Because they have transformed the tree in their yard to a shrine for Mountain Dew. (click on the picture, if you feel the need to actually see the cans/bottles)


All hail Mountain Dew!

It's Storytime!

Gather 'round everyone, it's time to tell a story called "Why My Husband Is Not Coming Home Tonight."

The story goes like this:

Tong decides to sell his "OMG-I'm-going-to-be-a-father" sports car for an "OMG-I-now-qualify-for-the-Old-Man-PFT" sports bike.

Yay! ( <---- slight sarcasm) So, he finds a buyer for his car. He finds a motorcycle to buy with the money he will make off of selling his car, meaning we get rid of our second car loan completely (I have to admit, I like that part). He signs up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation riding course (he's required to take that and an advanced class to ride a sport bike on base), and passes with flying colors- the only 100% in the class. All good and fine, right? Almost. After passing the class, he takes his certificate up to the NC drivers license agency to switch his license and get the motorcycle endorsement on it. They tell him that he will need his Social Security card to get a NC license. Uh, he lost that in boot camp. He asks if they will accept two forms of ID in place of it (Minnesota did...), such as his MN drivers license and military ID (WHICH HAS HIS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON IT). Nope. They won't even give him his permit without it.

Well, whatever, he will have to replace his SS card eventually, right? So up he goes to the SS office to talk to the lovely people there. They say, since he is not a citizen yet, he needs his green card to get a new SS card.

Yeah... he lost that in boot camp, too.

This is getting more fun by the minute!

But, he should have replaced that a long time ago anyway (he is, by law, supposed to carry the card with him at all times- oops), so it's just a little kick in the rear, right? He comes home and starts researching on the USCIS website, where he finds out it will cost $380 for a replacement green card.

WHAT?!?!? (Jaime = Not Happy)

He also finds out that it will take around 6 months to receive said card.

Ha! Sounds like someone will be riding a bicycle to work for a while!

So, then T calls the MN DMV to see what it will take to renew his MN license with a motorcycle endorsement. Maybe, just maybe, it can happen in less than the 6 months it would take to get a new green card, SS card, and NC license? They say he will have to take the motorcycle written and road tests here in NC, and send the forms to MN, and they will mail him his license. GREAT!

Except for one thing: NC REQUIRES A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD TO TAKE THE STUPID TESTS!

Oh. My. God.

So, it appears that either way he will have to go through the whole process before he can ride his motorcycle. He calls the number on the USCIS website, which is an automated hotline, to try and get information on what he needs. Not helpful. He looks through the website to find a number for the closest location. Nothing. So, he prints off the forms, takes another day off of work, and drives his butt out to Durham. He gets to the office, talks to people who can barely speak English (ironic, is it not?), and finds out that he has to pay online.

Seriously? You accept a freaking check through the mail, but not in person?

Wonderful.

They point (literally, since they don't speak any English) him in the direction of the local library where he can submit the forms and payment online, tell him he also needs to bring in a passport photo for his card, and set him up with another appointment later in the afternoon. Finally, some progress!

He successfully completes all of his tasks, stops for some lunch, and goes back for his afternoon appointment feeling refreshed and hopeful. But, keeping true to our wonderful government, the non-English speaking representative at the USCIS disappoints him.

First, his passport photo is not cut to the right size. And, of course, they are not authorized to cut it smaller, so he will have to go get a new one.

Second, it takes 24 hours for the paperwork/payment to go through.

Seriously?

Well then WHY did they schedule another appointment for the SAME afternoon???

And WHY couldn't they have had all of this information on their damn web site or their automated hotline so he didn't have to take yet ANOTHER day off of work???

*deep breath*

So now, instead of driving the 3 hours home and having to drive all the way back out there again tomorrow morning, he is staying in a cheap motel for the night. Yay, more money spent on getting this stupid card, so he can get another stupid card, so he can get yet ANOTHER stupid card, so he can ride his STUPID motorcycle!

*breathe, Jaime, just breathe*

The moral of this story is, North Carolina sucks.

The End.

Deciphering Toddler Speak

Here is the conversation I had while putting Bella to bed tonight.

Bella: "Pah, pah, pah."
Me: "Should I pat your back?" [start patting]
Bella: "Naawwww?"
Me: "No patting?" [stop patting]
Bella: "Tuddow Mama." [hugs me]
Me: "Aww, cuddle Bella."
Bella: "Pah, pah, pah. Mooooore."
Me: "More patting?" [start patting]
Bella: "No pahteh, no pahteh, no pahteh."
Me: "No patting your back?" [stop patting]
Bella: "Mooooore."

[repeat above approximately 437 times]

Bella: "Pahteh baht."
Me: "Would you like me to pat your back?"
Bella: "Pahteh baht, pahteh baht, pahteh baht."
Me: "Ok, I'll pat your back." [start patting]
Bella: "Naawww?"
Me: "No patting?" [stop patting]
Bella: "Pahteh baht!" [pats her butt]
Me: "Would you like me to pat your butt?"
Bella: "Pahteh baht, pahteh baht."
Me: "Ok, I'll pat your butt." [start patting her butt]

She fell asleep within 30 seconds.

Silly girl.
















(picture circa november 2008)

Bella-isms

This is a list of the words Bella currently mispronounces, or says in cute ways. I'm sure I'll edit when I think of more. I'm not including words she pronounces correctly/normally because, well, I just don't have that kind of time. ;-)

I just don't want to forget these, ever.

When Bella tries to say____... It comes out like____.

Apple... Ah poe
Arm... Um
Armpit/Airplane... Ah pee
Banana... Nana, or more often Nannies
Bear... Brrr
Bella... Baba
Bouncy/bouncing... Ah see
Cake... Tit
Chicken... Chitsee
Color... Tah doh
Cookie... Tsi tsi
Cuddle... Tuddow
Cup... Tup
Dancing... Sah see
Elephant... Eh feh
Elmo... Ahmo
Eyebrow... Ah bah
Feet... Beese
Gentle... Ah too
Gosh... Dosh
Grapes... Beets
Helicopter... Tah toe
Hungry... Huh-dee
Joey... Di vee
Kiss... Tiss
Kitty... Tiddy
Light... Dats
Little... Dee doh
Moon... Moooooooo
No... Naaawwww?
Outside... Saaahhheeee
Owie... Ah vee
Pants... Paht
Pasta... Ah dah
Pillow... Tah boh
Please... Peese
Pork chop... Toe pop
Puppy... BAH pee
Rain... Vray or Vree
Read... Vree vree
Rice... Reese
Shirt... Shit, or if she tries hard, Shœt
Silly... Siddy
Sleepy... EEE see
Smell... Shah mo
Snowball (or football, basketball, etc.)... Toe bawww
Sock... Shot (or ToeTOE?, when she says it in Hmong)
Soup... Poop
Star... Taw
Table... Toe boh
Thank you... Ah too
That... Dat
Timmy... Tibby
Tree... Tee
Truck... Tut
Twinkle... Tee doh
Up... Upf
Water... Wah doh or Wawa
Yellow... Lellow


And some of her silly phrases:

I see you!
Oh gosh.
Oh my!
Oh my gosh!
Oh no!
Oh no, poop! Oh no, poop! Eeeeeew... poop.
Silly daddy! (or mommy, kitty, etc.)
Uff da!


And last but not least, Bella counting to ten:

Waaah, Tooooo, Dee, Fohhh, Fieeeee, Sit, Sahvee, Et, Nieeee, Ten!

First Haircut

Bella's hair has been steadily growing into a mullet, and a shaggy, scraggly one at that.

Now, I've got to say, that I have a moral objection to the mullet. It's just wrong, in so many ways. ;-)

So, on Saturday night, I gave Bella her first haircut. Then, Sunday morning, I fixed it. Haha. (toddlers are wiggly! :-P )

It turned out really cute, I think. I'm hoping that this will give the front and sides an opportunity to catch up to the back, so it can all grow out nice and evenly.

The Before:




The After:

Playing Catch Up

Wow, I am way behind. I suck.

Let's play catch-up, shall we? :-)

1) I took Bella to the little local zoo last Sunday, and she loved it! We had taken her in March, but she was a little intimidated by the whole thing then. This time, she was all about it. She wasn't sure what to think when we got to the first animals- she looked at me like, "what the heck are those mom??" I asked her if they looked like sheep, and her eyes got all bright and she said, "Baaaaaa!!!" Haha. She told me what sound every single animal there makes, and if she didn't know it, she made one up. (Apparently, porcupines meow.) She was loving the zebra, and the monkeys... but her favorite were the goats. I'm guessing because 1) they wouldn't shut up, and 2) they were eating out of my hand, which she thought was just super awesome.






2) Last Thursday night, I was sitting around playing with Bella and munching on some Fritos. I went in the other room to switch the laundry, leaving the bag of Fritos on the top shelf of the desk. This is what I came back to...


(please excuse her runny nose, we both had a cold)

I was thinking her first taste of Fritos was a loooooooong way off, but apparently she had other plans. O_0

And when the heck did she get big enough to climb up on the desk???

3) I just thought these were pretty cute pictures. "I see you" (as she calls it) is one of Bella's favorite games, and it's even better when she's playing with her own reflection.



4) And last, but definitely not least, I bought a ticket today to go home next week for Thanksgiving!!! Woo-hoo!!!!

For four months...

...I did not cry. Not since I got in the car after dropping T off that morning.

Tonight, because of some random story line about a sweet old couple on Grey's, I cried. The tears streaming, nose running, uncontrollable sobbing type of crying. I felt like a complete idiot. And at the same time, it felt GREAT. I feel refreshed. Seriously, one of the three knots I've had in my neck for going on two months- gone. Shoot, if I had known that crying would make them go away, I'd have been watching tear-jerkers one after another to get the waterworks flowing. ;-)

I miss him. And it feels really good to let myself acknowledge that. I wish I could be more like Bella, she is an open book.

Getting Brave

Yesterday was a *nearly* perfect day, weather-wise. 80 degrees, nice breeze, not a cloud in the sky... just plain gorgeous. I took Bella to the park for a while, to wear her out before nap time.

Now, around the beginning of the summer, she was very unsure about the slides. I would try to stand next to the slide and hold onto her as she went down, but it was still just a bit too intimidating for her unless she was sitting on my (or T's) lap. Then, later in the summer, she decided it was fun to go down the side-by-side slides together- her on one, and me on the other- holding hands. She'd have a death grip on my hand, but nonetheless she would be very excited and proud when we got to the bottom.

Well, yesterday, she came to the conclusion that she no longer needed to hold my hand as she went down the slide. She also decided that I did not need to follow her up the steps, and she much preferred for me to wait at the bottom of the slide for her.

She's growing so incredibly fast. **wipes away tear**

More Halloween

So, on Thursday night I took Bella to the aquarium for the Trick or Treat Under the Sea thing. It was fun, but EXTREMELY busy. Really, I would have been better off just taking her during the day, since it's not like she eats the candy anyway. But, even though we had to park a mile away, and stand in line for 20 minutes to get in, and pay even though I have a membership, and stand in line for every candy station (if I paid $5 to get in, I was sure as heck getting some candy out of it! lol), and could barely walk because it was so packed, I'm glad we went. :-)






On Halloween, we stayed home to hand out candy. Bella had a great time watching the Trick or Treaters running around, and was intrigued as to why people kept coming to the door. She would stand by the door and watch me hand out candy (I tried letting her hand it out, but she just grabbed a handful and ran. haha), and as they walked away she would wave and say bye to them. So cute. There were a ton of ToTers this year too... I bought the same amount of candy this year as I did last year (I had leftovers last year), and I ran out in less than an hour! I felt bad turning away so many kids, but the only pre-packaged thing I had in the house was granola bars, and I don't think that would have been a huge hit. ;-)

And, of course, I had a cute Halloween outfit for Miss B to wear. It's a little big on her, but I found it at the thrift store on base for like $2 and from the tag it looks like some kind of handmade or boutique brand. I was super excited when I found it.

Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins today!

Bella "helped" me de-gut them this afternoon. She wasn't really too sure what to think about it at first, but she had fun. And, I had a blast cleaning all of it up off the table, floor, high chair, and Bella's face, hands, and clothes. Haha.








I love carving pumpkins. I searched online for free stencils, and it took me all day to decide which one I wanted to do. I ended up going with the Old Hag from Snow White, and it turned out really neat! For Bella's, I was going to do a surprised face and trace her hands on the sides, but I came across a stencil for Elmo and just had to do it. When I lit it up for her, it took her a minute to recognize what it was, but then she got all excited about it.