If you are looking for me...

I have been having trouble with this page so I made a new blog address. Look for what's happening at thewattsonfamily.blogspot.com

Quick update

What a tangled web we weave when we live with our parents move back out, try to establish a new household, and have Christmas. The last three months of our lives have not been easy. We thought we were on our way to Colorado when a lot of things changed. Jesse, the kids, and I are now living in Crest. That is an UNencorporated part of El Cajon. We have a 2 bed 2 bath house on 3/4 of an acre. Our dog LOVES it and so do we. Jesse is still working for AMR and continuing the application process for different fire departments. I am very busy with teaching water aerobics (I'm up to 4 days a week) and taking care of a household of boys. I realized a couple weeks ago that there is too much testosterone in my house. There is my husband Jesse, the boys Frank and Oliver, our dog Dex, and our snake Caw. I am being wrestled and knocked over more than cuddled. I play in the dirt with dump trucks and sticks instead of baking pretend cookies and having tea parties. I've decided our next pet or child must be a girl:) I wouldn't trade my boys for anything but I would like to see the way the other half lives.
Frank and Ollie are all boy. Today I witnessed the return of Godzilla and an interesting game of chicken. Frank got a Thomas the Tank Engine train set for Christmas. We set up the track almost everyday so he can play with his trains. Today I set up the track, as usual, and Frank began to play. Ollie came crawling along and saw the trains on the track. He crawled over the track to sit in the middle. He watched a little while longer when suddenly he got up on all fours and reached out. He snagged an engine right off the track, sat down, and put it into his mouth. Then with the other hand he grabbed the track and took it apart for a different "flavor." What did Frank do about all this. He said "Ollie, Ollie, no... es mine." He wasn't mad. He simply stated the facts. After we extracted the track and train from Ollie's iron grip and put things back together the game of chicken began. I think Frank was tired of watching the trains follow each other around and around in a circle so he decided to set the trains heading for each other. He would watch them go around, let them crash, remove one train so the other could continue, and then set the train back on the track to go 'round and crash again. My days are full of crashing, crying, bumps and bruises. Ollie is teething, pulling himself up onto everything, and cruising along furniture. Frank is learning his limits and body awareness. This year we only had one trip to the emergency room and came out with just one staple in the head. That's pretty good for Frank. Ollie is only 8 months but I'm hoping we can make it through his first year without any major damage.

HOLY DANG!

Wow, so much has happened since the last time I wrote it's crazy! Reader's Digest version of the last four months goes something like this. Jesse applied to Alpine, and didn't get hired . Our house we were renting got foreclosed on. Jesse applied to a fire department in Colorado. We had to move out of our house and into my mom's house. Ollie learned to roll over, sit up, and scoot around. Unfortunately, he hasn't learned how to sleep through the night yet. Frank turned two, got a bike and is now speaking sentences. We sent Jesse out to Colorado, twice, and now he has a conditional job offer. Which means as long as he passes his physical and his background check he's hired. While he was in Colorado the second time he found a house for us to buy and San Diego caught on fire. Now that he's back he's stationed at one of the Harris fire camps and is waiting to take care of the injured. He may not be home for a few days. Well I think that covers about everything. Moving into my mom's house has been difficult for Frank. He asks to go home 2 to 3 times a day. He loves having Papa and his Uncle Stu around. They are great playmates, especially close to bedtime:) Ollie is a smiley little character with plenty of personality. He is in the "mama's boy" stage of life where only mom will do. As soon as he hears my voice he starts smiling and looking for me. Thankfully, both boys do great when I drop them off at daycare. I am still teaching water aerobics 2-3 times a week. Since Jesse got the job offer, and we're going to take it, that means we will be moving to Grand Junction, CO the last week in November. So now y'all have a friend in Colorado:) We are excited for him to start his career out in Colorado. There are more opportunities to expand his "trade" than in San Diego. We will miss our friends and our family out here BUT we feel it is best for our family to venture north east. The cold and closed toed shoes are not friends of mine but I will have to learn to like them. We hope this finds everyone safe. Remember our firefighters who are working so hard and are away from their families in your prayers.

Here are the boys. At Oliver's 2 month appointment he measured 12.5 pounds and 24 inches long. Frank wasn't 24 inches long until he was 4 months!!! Ollie is growing non-stop! He is now 3 months old and I have no idea how much he weighs:) Frank is learning how to play with Ollie and Ollie LOVES watching his big brother do anything. They take baths together and Ollie will sit there transfixed as Frank pours, splashes, and spits the water. Jesse is still in the interview process for Alpine and things are looking good. He has finished the Capitan interview, the physical agility, and the paramedic testing. The next step is a Cheif's interview. We're all hoping he will get invited back for that next step. I am working hard and finishing up my private swim lessons. Summer is always a crazy time for us. We do get a little family time in. We found this little strip of beach in Point Loma at the end of Rosecrans. It's a perfect size (not too big) an the only waves you get are the wake from the boats sailing by. We had a great time. Frank got a little too brave at one point and went out up to his neck trying to go after Daddy. Luckily, once a lifeguard always a lifeguard, I caught him in time. Frank is what I would call a non-directional swimmer. He is great at holding his breath, blowing bubbles, and going under water. He just doesn't know how to propel himself forward yet. It's only by luck and currents that he gets anywhere. Ollie is proficent in the breaststroke but has yet to try it in the water:)

He's OK!

I figured it is time to update everyone because people keep asking me if Oliver is still "giving me trouble." The first 6 weeks of his life were not pleasant ones but as soon as he hit the six week mark everything changed. All of his food sensitivity and most of his fussiness disappeared. He was a much happier baby and continues to be so. He LOVES watching Frank an playing in the baby gym. He's a fan of pat-a-cake and Daddy's beat boxing. Frank doesn't like to feel left out of anything. Sometimes I'll catch him lying in the gym with Ollie, or he'll 'help' Ollie play with the toys on the bouncer seat. Here is the funny Frank story of the month. Frank loves water and will do whatever he can to be in it. He goes out of his way to step in puddles, he is constantly trying to climb in my fountain and he's always playing in the dog water. One day we were in the backyard and he disappeared around the corner by the washer and dryer. When he reappeared the front of his shirt was SOAKED. I started to remind him not to play in the dog's water when I noticed he was dripping from his chin. He figured "it's good enough for the dog to drink why not me?" Later, I had the opportunity to watch him take a "swig." He goes over to the bucket, holds onto the sides, and plunges his face right in! Needless to say I try to stop him but I figure as long as I change the water everyday we're good:) He enjoys being my helper when I do dishes, sweep the floors, do the laundry, and other chores. I know what some of you are thinking,"he's probably more of a hindrance than a help," but he truly does help. Whenever he sees me at the sink he say "help...chair...bubbles!" and races to drag a chair over. He is learning so many new words and signs I can't keep up. I am back at work teaching water aerobics. Since it's summertime I am also teaching private swim lessons. It's a busy time but the extra income is nice and the "mommy break" is welcomed. Besides, how many jobs provide day care an pay you to work out? I love it! Jesse is still working hard and his interview process with Alpine begins on the 19th. We'll keep everyone posted.

Who knew?

Who knew that having two kids would be so tough and yet so rewarding. There are some days when I feel like I will have no hair left to pull out by the end and then there are others when I feel like I'm getting the hang of this whole mom thing. Everyday presents new challenges and little joys as well. We are all doing well in our corner of San Diego. Lakeside is the whiskey tango (white trash) town within San Diego, so we're doing our part to fit in:) With the abandon house in front of us, the trailer homes on either side and the cars that don't work in a dirt lot behind us we haven't had to do much to add to the charm of our surroundings. Jesse is still applying to different Fire Departments and is currently in the process with Alpine. We're rooting for this one because he already works out of that station as a medic and gets along with all the current firefighters as well. Recently, the captain of Jesse shift had all the families up to dinner. Although Ollie wasn't even a month I decided to haul our little family up there to participate. When we got to the station Frank started giggling and saying "Daddy?" over and over. Jesse was out on a call so when we got inside Frank was a little put out...until he remembered what was outside. "Truuua" he said. "What?" I asked. "Truuua" he said, drawing out the uuuua and running for the door leading to all the fire vehicles. "Oh, OK, lets go see the trucks," I said and let him out the door. He raced over to the fire engine door and starting jumping up and down, reaching for the handle. "uppy, uppy, uppy!!!" I let him into the cabin and that was the beginning of many trips out to the engines. Every time I tried to drag him back inside he would whine and say truck again and again. The guys at the station were great! Mike, the captain, took him out when I needed and break and then Pat got a brilliant idea. They have a Staples "easy" button at the station. Kids LOVE pushing buttons, especially Frank. Once Pat showed him that button the trucks outside were long forgotten. All I had to do was listen for "that was easy" to know where he was. We all had dinner and were entertained by Frank being Frank. Oliver was a champ and slept in the arms of one person or another the whole time.
I am trying to get back into the full swing of things by going back to work mid-June. Before I start teaching water aerobics I have to get back in shape. Working out again is great for me, bad for Oliver. Oliver's stomach is sensitive to many of things:dairy, soy, grease, certain veggies, and acidic foods. I didn't know that he would be sensitive to my exercising. When I fed him after my first workout he acted like I had eaten a whole pineapple in one sitting. Apparently, the lactic acid my body produces during strenuous exercise gets into my milk and makes it "poison" to Ollie's little tummy. Ahhh! It's bad enough I can't eat what I want but now I can't exercise? That's ridiculous! I am exercising, I'm just giving him a bottle for a couple feedings and pumping the bad stuff.
Frank is just Frank. His language skills are amazing for a child his age. He has an extensive comprehensible vocabulary and a whole other language that I don't understand. He'll stand there and talk to me in toddlerese and at the very end say "OK?" I respond with "OK" hoping I didn't just agreed to let him sleep in the dog's bed instead of his own. He loves to drive daddy's truck... any car for that matter. Whenever we come home from somewhere he expects us to had over the keys so he can have a turn behind the wheel. It's very convenient when I need to unload the baby or groceries but it's not so convenient trying to get him out.
Oliver is turning out to be quite a challenge for me. I think, in part, it's because I can't take as much time to figure him out as I could Frank. He is a happy little guy, when I eat right:) He loves to smile and "work out" in his gym. He's also finally lost his petrified new born look.
We all love where we are at in life. Money maybe tight but we have a great little house to live in and food on the table. There's not much more we need:)