June 27, 2006 in pictures

17 month milestone

Sienna Jade is 17 months old today.

I can't believe that much time has gone by since she was born. I'm still traumatized over her pregnancy and labor. She just gets cuter by the day. She's still opting to keep most of her thoughts to herself, but we have gotten her to say a pretty decent "Uh-oh" and she attempts to make a "woofwoof" noise when she sees a dog. As a matter of fact, the other day in the car, I said the word "dog" and she emphatically proceeded to make "woofing" noises for about the next 3 minutes (an eternity in toddler time). She can also recognize and point out quite a few body parts including belly, belly button, hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth/teeth, and toes.

Today, to celebrate her milestone, she:


1. Got in the kiddie pool WITH her clothes on. That, despite the fact the other day I couldn't even get her to go near it with her swimming suit on.

2. Filled her diaper with HAZMAT-quality material, not once, but TWICE.

3. Attempted to playfully stick a popsicle stick in her sister's face, but ended up shoving it way up Tatiana's nose causing her to shreak in pain and giving her a nosebleed. NICE.

4. Continued to steal all of our hearts and filled our home with joy and laughter.

About Me

This list is from one of my favorite scrapbooking forums. Thought I'd use it as a blog post so ya'll can learn a little more about me.

1. FIRST NAME? Rebecca
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Memorial Day weekend when I was taking Tatiana to the ER
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yep
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Sara Lee Honey Smoked Turkey
6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Duh!
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I would think so. I really try and be the kind of friend I would want to be friends with even if others don't reciprocate.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Does this blog count?
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not a lot, but occasionally yes. Usually just to be funny.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I don't think so
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Probably stronger personality than stronger physically.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Fresh strawberry
16. SHOE SIZE? 8 to 8 1/2
17. RED OR PINK? pink
18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my weight
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Justine
20. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? February 5, 1978 in Elgin, IL
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black capris with bright pink flip-flops
22. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Dinner! Grilled thin cut steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Tatiana dragging the chair across the kitchen floor
24 IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Turquoise
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Good restaurant food
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE? Jana!
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU MEET? I guess how they're dressed.
28. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?. Other than gourmet cooking, baking and scrapbooking?
29. FAVORITE DRINK? IBC Rootbeer
30. FAVORITE SPORT? To watch, Olympic gymnastics or figure skating. To play, volleyball.
31. HAIR COLOR? Light brown with blond highlights.
32. EYE COLOR? Green
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Ino
34. FAVORITE FOOD? Almost anything from Red Lobster. Love seafood!! Love chocolate though too..........
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Watched part of Never Been Kissed the other day
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Lime green
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter
39. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Just one? Creme brulee with fresh berries. Tiramisu. Flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Vanilla bean cheesecake with fresh strawberries.
41. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Just started Battle Cry for a Generation by Ron Luce
42. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't use a mouse with the laptop ;-)
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? my wind chimes, the kids laughing really hard, the doorbell ringing (that means a visitor!)
44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Guatemala
46. IF YOU COULD PICK ANY TWO PEOPLE TO HAVE DINNER WITH, WHO WOULD
THEY BE? Aargh. I really dislike this question. If I don't pick Jesus does that make me a bad Christian? I'm SURE to see Him someday, so any "dinner conversation" I have could wait. I guess I would pick my Great-Grandmother Presz (my mom's grandma) since I don't remember her & would love to have known what she was like and Martha Stewart just so we could talk about how she built her empire.

So the veil on Beck continues to be lifted..........

Happy Dad's Day!!

To all the really special guys in my life: happy dad's day! Do something you enjoy today. Kick back a little. Let ME serve YOU. Oh wait, I pretty much already do that. Well, relax a little more then. I made Rick a special little South Beach breakfast this morning, complete with sun-dried tomato chicken sausage and multi-grain sourdough bread from Trader Joe's. I mean, you didn't think a gourmand would be serving plain ole bacon & eggs, didya?Speaking of Trader Joe's, a made a run the other day to pick-up some goodies. I *love* that place!Here are some of the goodies I picked up:I served the Bruschetta at a party & it was all the rage. The entire jar was gobbled up before m very eyes. I picked up a couple extra jars just to keep on hand for the spur of the moment dinner party or for a little amuse-bouche for Rick & I. In addition to the finds above, I got a container of Lobster Bisque (kinda reminds me of the lobster fondue at Red Lobster), some IGF Maryland crab cakes, a package of heat-n-eat orange chicken (looks yum), some lobster ravioli (can you tell I'm in a seafood phase), a loaf of multi-grain sourdough bread and a wedge of aged super sharp white cheddar. We DID (past-tense emphasis here) have a bag of white cheddar Pirate Booty, but the kids ate half the bag while I browsed in the store & polished off the rest of it the following day. I guess the reason I get so much of their seafood stuff is because it's probably not something I would make at home. I'd make just about any chicken/beef/pork dish, but fresh seafood is kinda hard to come by. They have so many great frozen items to choose from. Anything from IGF salmon to little french appetizers to dim sum to italian desserts. Awesome stuff to keep on hand for when you're having company. I'll let you know how my treasures pan out.

As it relates to my previous post, I did end up ordering Battle Cry for a Generation by Ron Luce from Amazon the other day. Can't wait to read it.

Disturbing

Dear Blog~

I am disturbed. This is not really the type of post I want to share with you after an almost 2 week absence (yikes!), but it definitely is worthy. Normally I share about *warm and fuzzy* topics like my two adorable children, freshly baked comforting goodies, and household tips, with a little bit of "what I did over the weekend" thrown in. NOT TODAY. I had a dream about Teen Mania last night, which prompted me to take a little visit to their website. I looked around for a little bit, saw an unfamiliar term in their forums "Battle Cry", and didn't really give it a second thought. My blog-hungry brain decided to google "teen mania blog" and I really got more fodder than I bargained for. Opinions abounded regarding "Battle Cry" and I don't even know what to think of it. The way all the editorials read make me wonder whether Ron hasn't really gone off the deep end this time or if those writing these comments are purposely giving it a negative spin. Christian facism? Alikening teens at the battle cry rallies to Hitler youth? Ron declaring a blitzkreig? You can read one of the opinion pieces I'm referring to here. You can also visit Battle Cry's website here. It's funny that some of the responses seem to condemn Ron Luce for insisting that we *gasp* take the Bible literally. Ok, well, I believe that. Um, and yes, I do believe abortion is wrong AND homosexuality AND pre-marital sex. Oh wait, I think I see Ron going for the deep end.....wait for me!!

More on this topic later....

A Big Fat Thank You

I just wanted to check in and let everyone (as if very many people read this to begin with) know that yes, I am still alive. I really would like to say thank you to all those people that supported us during our appendectomy experience. It began like a little harmless tummyache and ended with us sitting in the surgical waiting room. It seems so much like a dream now. I appreciate everyone's cards, flowers, calls, thoughts, and prayers. The whole thing has given me renewed enjoyment of my life, from the little seemingly insignificant things to the really big things, like family and my children. I would come home from the hospital for some rest and to get a change of clothes and this house was just that--a house. It felt like a shell. It was so empty and eerie without the people I love living in it. I also realized how much of the LIFE in this house is directly related to my children. They bring so much energy, laughter, and happiness. Thank you God that You were there when we needed You. Thank you for bringing us through one of the hardest experiences in our lives thusfar. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.