<3 <3 <3

I love this Picture!

Mike and Makayla on Virginia Beach

King Neptune

King Neptune, a colossal 34-foot-high bronze statue, rises from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean at 31st Street & Atlantic Avenue, overlooking Neptune Park.

The house (better late then never)

(Our floor plan is on the left. Just reversed in our actual house)

Military Working Dogs

Military Working Dog Foundation, Inc.

The Mission of the Military Working Dog Foundation is to assist the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Center in finding suitable homes for military working dogs that become available for adoption because they are no longer capable of performing their military duties.

Because on occasion, dogs are available for distribution to police departments and other law enforcement agencies, the Foundation's mission is also to help this process involving law enforcement K-9 units. In most cases, the dogs made available to law enforcement would make excellent working dogs, but due to time restraints, the military is unable to continue training them.

The dogs available for private adoption are not your ordinary house pets. They are anything but ordinary. They have served in protecting our country or have been to military K-9 'boot camp" and are very special animals. Our goal is to aid the MWD Center in finding appropriate homes for the working dogs available for private adoption to the public, former handlers and other persons capable of properly caring for these dogs as well as law enforcement agencies having a special requirement for a trained K-9.

When funds permit we will:

• Provide support and protective gear to those dogs that are placed in law enforcement agencies.
• Provide "comfort supplies" (treats, special gear, hygiene kits, etc.) to military working dogs and their handlers that are deployed in foreign countries.
• Provide the necessary support services and items to those dogs that go to private homes

Please help us help find acceptable homes and placement for these great dogs, so they can either retire in the company of a good home or continue working in police K-9 units and other law enforcement agencies.

You can help by spreading the word to people who love dogs and to your local police department. You can also aid by sending a tax-deductible donation to assist in our continued efforts.

The Military Working Dog Foundation is an IRS 501(c)3 for public benefit Non-Profit organization. Thank you for your support.

Interested in donating money or adopting a dog?
http://www.militaryworkingdog.com

Loves it!

I officially have a new hero... Jessica Seinfeld! After seeing her on The View and Opera talking about her new cookbook where she hides veggies in her kids food, I immediately got excited. I mean, hello, I am the inventor of the yummy (well according to Makayla) Spanish Waffles! This book just screamed my name!

So Opera had a few of the recipes on her website and I just had to try out the Spanish Brownies [see her site]. Wow! That’s all I can say, I couldn’t tell the difference... I was hooked! So I bought the book... Seriously, she is so beyond brilliant. Why didn’t I think of this? This cookbook’s written by Jerry Seinfeld’s wife, Jessica. She’s a mother of three who was trying any way possible to get her kids to eat their veggies. Although I’ve never had a problem gettin Makayla to choose broccoli over... Well anything else on her plate... I’m always looking for a way to add extra vitamins to meals.

So yesterday I decided to try to Banana Bread with pureed cauliflower in it... I did however add Walnuts to make it Banana NUT Bread and I thought it was quite yummy... Mike said "it was dryer then [my] normal banana nut bread", which I typically make with yeast and in the bread maker. My next baking venture will be the Chocolate Chip cookies with Garbanzo beans.

If you want any of the recipes not on Opera’s site... Let me know, i’ll photocopy the page in my book for you.

The joys of potty training.

I know this is probably way more information then anyone wants to know about my kid. HaHa... But I am just such a proud mom!

Day 1: Pottied Once (after her nap)
Day 2: Pottied Once (after her nap)
Day 3: Pottied Twice (both after her nap)
Day 4: Pottied once (after being out all day)
Day 5: Pottied four times! (2 before nap, 2 after)
Day 6: Pottied twice (it was a VERY rough day)
Day 7: Pottied three times
Day 8: Pottied twice
Day 9: Pottied three times
Day 10: Pottied four times
Day 11: Pottied 9 times!!!
Day 12: Pottied 6 times
Day 13: Pottied 5 times.
Day 14: Pottied 7 times.
Day 15: Pottied 7 times, Pooped once!

March 10th
Ok, so I’m officially considering Makayla potty trained. She hasn’t had an accident in about a week, she’s learned to ask to go potty (since we keep the bathroom door shut with a child lock on it)... She’ll come up and say "Mommy Bee"... All I got to do now is open the door and she just runs in, climbs up on the potty, does her business and she’s done. I don’t even have to give her a "treat" anymore. I’m just so proud and shocked that she picked it up so quickly! Unfortunatly she still needs to wear a diaper at nap time and at night. She drinks soooo much liquids in bed that there’s no way she’d make it to the morning... I don’t even know when i’m even gunna switch her to training pants at night... I think I ma wait a month or two before I even try that one.

March 9th
I am soooooooo proud of Makayla! Yesterday, every single time we took Makayla into the bathroom she actually went potty! But what made me even prouder was the fact that we didn’t have a single accident! Now today she wakes up and right away wants to go potty. She sat there and tried and tried, but nuthin... 5 mins later she ran back in there and went potty! I am just such a proud mom right now! I think she’s actually ALMOST potty trained! Now only is she could tell me she’s got to go or just want into the bathroom and go herself. Blah. that’s out next step.

March 4th

I am just so incredibly proud of Makayla! She has been doing soooo good with potty training! We had been kinda inactively trying to potty train her for the past couple months but she kept REFUSNG to go in the toilet... She had everything else down (sitting on the toilet, whipping and flushing) but couldn’t bring herself to just go! But for whatever reason, last Wednesday, Mike asked her if she had to go potty right before her bath (just like we do every other night) but for some reason she actually went! The next couple of days were kinda hairy... I mean, she woke up completely REFUSING to wear her diaper! We had to make a trip to the bathroom EVERY 15 MINS! From 7am to 7pm! UGH! And it was pretty much like that for the next 3 days... We had a couple accidents, but she was good for the most part... But I think today was the BIG day where she finally really got it! She had an accident right after she woke up, but then didn’t have another one for the rest of the day and actually went potty in the big girl toilet 4 times!!!

Anywayz, I had to write sumthin about this, I think this so retarded... FYI, i’m not like mad or irritated by this at all... I’m actually more amused. See, I had been asking questions on different Mommy message boards for the past few weeks looking for tips cuz I was ready for her to get her out of diapers... I was surprised by how many women think 22 months old is way too young to be potty training... Something about making them feel like a failure and emotionally screwing them up. ::shrugs:: I find it kinda funny, cuz my pediatrician back in Yuma actually told me to go buy her a kids toilet and start potty training her when she was 3 months old... I’m totally not kidding you! I guess my mom got into it with some of the women she works with (they’re all nurses). They were telling my mom now HORRIBLE it is to FORCE my daughter to pee on the toilet and how I’m gunna screw it up (these all all younger women, in their like mid to late 20’s)... These are the same women who tried telling my mother that breastfeeding is horrible for kids because supposedly you’re basically starving the kid... I don’t know how these woman graduated nursing school. Anywayz, I don’t know the back story of any of the women from the message boards... But at least my mom knows that one of the woman that was claiming I’m psychologically screwing up my daughter has a 4 year old who’s still not potty trained... My only guess could be possibly jealously?

Downtown Norfolk