Yoo 699 - Car Maintenance Fun

The RAV4 has been trying to steal the show away from Skylar the past couple weeks. It's still a great car and I love it, but the odometer just went north of 100,000 miles and we decided it was time for a quality tune-up and some minor repairs. So $800 later we were left with just the routine maintenance, which we usually do ourselves to save some money. But are you really saving money after spending $800?

Yes.

Because the shop wanted to charge us $75 to change the cabin air filter. And we did it for $20 and 5 minutes worth of work. Including looking up an instructional you tube video on a slow Internet connection.

And by we, I mean Greg. Greg did all the work. I kept Skylar alive and fed Roscoe ice chips.

I love how impressive his teeth look in this "action shot". Maybe he does have some guard dog in him...

Close-up on the thighs. They're progressing! Half of me wants to cry and the other half of me wants to beam with pride. And eat them? Being a parent is so weird.

We utilize the shop at Greg's work and camp out for hours while the oil gets changed and the fluids get topped off and the tires get rotated and on and on. And then we wash and detail the car. I actually mostly do that part because Greg's attention to detail isn't his shiniest pearl. It's not bad, probably a normal level of attention to detail, but he married me. And I'm anal. So things get noticed. Like when one of the knobs on the dashboard gets cleaned, but the one on the other side doesn't.

It's fine though! We know which parts we need to play. I camp out in the suffocatingly hot car scrubbing the leather and picking fur from every nook and cranny while he does all the dirty work outside the car. Also, he wants me to draw special attention to the rims (top photo) because he did those himself and he's super proud of how shiny they are.

In the end, it was a fun day and we like working together. Even more so with a dog AND baby to keep us company now! Last time we did this Skylar was maybe an inch long?

Roscoe still doesn't love the fact that he has to share the backseat.

And more baby photos to take us out:

Always getting that hand free. Even in the pea pod.

"Mom, I am thinking." The face she makes when she's trying to decide if she's done nursing or not. This is always followed by her either passing out or aggressively attacking the boob again with her focused face.

Super Skylar! Watching her post-nap stretches is one of the highlights of my day.

And I'm going to be so sad when she no longer curls her legs up like this!

Crazy hair. I love this baby. Three weeks and we're all still alive!

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 696 - Sleep Progression and Thirty-One

"Mom, I am never going to sleep. Ever."

"Seriously. This face isn't even tired."

"Not tired at all."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......"

And now for today's notable events. There are a bunch of them!

First and foremost, EARTH DAY.

Ok, that and Greg's birthday. He turned 31.

I asked him what he wanted to do for the day and he just kept saying "make you happy". Probably because I'd been somewhat of a grouch (NEVER) the previous evening and it was carrying over a bit thru the morning. But let's not forget the fact that I'm working round-the-clock to keep his daughter alive! He said it with a fair bit of jest but I took him seriously when I settled in for a mid-day nap and woke up a lot more amiable. Happy birthday dear!

Just for fun, we tried this recipe for chocolate frosting made with avocado. It wasn't too bad...especially when paired with ice-cream. He also got Daylight Donut kolaches for breakfast and an afternoon hanging out with his sister and family.

And a sunny trip to the dog park. Skylar's first!

She slept thru it. Also, she loves being worn right now. And I love wearing her. It feels like I'm still pregnant. But better because I can listen to her noises and give her kisses. And take her off when I'm done.

Some more Skylar pics...

AND THIS IS HUGE...her first piece of mail!

She's official.

Last, a couple shots of my view from the rocking chair.

Pups often hangs out with me while I'm nursing. Sometimes he makes himself comfortable on my footstool. But mostly he squishes between either the chair and the wall or the chair and the crib. He's a good dog.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 666 - Valentine's Day Smoking...Ribs

Once upon a January 12th, 2014, I received an email informing me that I had reached my 5-year employment anniversary with a link to an assortment of appreciation gifts I could choose from.

It was a pretty good assortment.

And I chose the smoker. Think of all the great BBQs we could have!

Fast forward a year and it remained untouched in our shed.

So, as I was writing out my "2015 Bucket List", I put "Actually use our smoker at least once" down as a goal.

Now fast-forward a month to February.

We were trying to think of something we could do to make Valentine's Day not as lame as we usually make Valentine's Day and then Greg got the idea to smoke ribs after looking at my bucket list.

And that's what we did. He did. Well, Roscoe helped a little. Moral support, you know.

Greg did a really great job for his first time out the gate. He watched youtube videos and read articles and figured out exactly what he wanted to try. The ribs were seasoned a bit too much and we both decided we prefer wet ribs, but neither of us were complaining as we ate on them for lunch throughout the next week.

This is Roscoe's "I probably don't get any of that" face.

And this is his "Just kidding, I'm definitely going to get me some of that" face.

Here's to documenting Valentine's Day in May!

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 663 - Backpacking at Lost Maples

Our quick trip to Lost Maples two weekends ago turned out to be idyllic. At least as idyllic as Texas can get. We tried to hike at Hill Country State Natural Area, but when we got there I barely saw a sign thru dark plexiglass noting that all trails had been closed due to "inclement weather".

It had rained. A couple days prior.

The weather on Saturday was sunny and warm with white puffy clouds. I threw a fit down the long dirt road out of the state natural area until we had cell reception again and I could call another nearby park to see if they'd closed all their trails.

Luckily Lost Maples did not let us down and still had primitive camping sites available. So away we drove.

We've been there several times but only in the fall and winter. Spring was a surprise because the creeks actually had water! This is a big thing. I stopped trying to avoid getting my feet wet after the first crossing and just plowed thru the rest with pups.

Dog knows how it's done.

Also, I know we look ridiculous. But we didn't have to apply sunscreen and we didn't sunburn! Plus, I just started testing a "hiking is better in a skirt" hunch I had and I loved it. Breezier and more functional. I think especially for cooler weather because I can just put my wool pants on under for cold mornings and quickly remove them when the temps rise.

Not to mention restroom stops...

Onward. My camera battery was not fully charged and pooped out early evening. So none of the night got documented or the glorious hike out the following morning. 

Suffice it to say, Roscoe was tired and collapsed onto the majority of my sleeping bag leaving me to awkwardly straddle him thru the night. Greg went right to sleep while I stayed up watching the lightning. Yes, there was a lightning storm miles and miles away but it was sure illuminating the sky. We were camped right at the tippiest top of a hill and I had numerous thoughts about backtracking down into the valley if it came closer.

Luckily the night didn't get much more exciting.

The morning brought peanut butter tortillas and pop tarts and a scenic hike thru Mystic Canyon and out of the park.

I love hiking with Greg and Roscoe. Have I mentioned this? Now, I'm really good at imagining better weekends, but not ones that are as feasible as a quick backpacking trip with my best buds.

Have a great day :-)

Yoo 662 - Greg Might Even Be Allergic To These Pictures

But seriously. That poor man has ALLERGIES. All caps. He's been hacking up a lung and near-dead all week. Of course the same thing happens every time the pollen stirs and he lets it go all the way to sinus infection. Because do we learn? I "strongly suggested" he go to the doctor on Tuesday for meds and what do you know...he did. And he's on the mend.

In honor of his allergies, I felt inspired to take pictures of the thriving plant life along the jogging trail. Pups and I frequent this trail together and it usually isn't this pretty. Though I'd take it with a few less poisonous serpents, thanks. We've seen two rattlesnakes already this year.

My previous manager at work has never, EVER, been camping, and one of the reasons he gives for that is that he doesn't want to encounter any snakes. And I'm like, I get that, I really do, but I'm positive I have seen more snakes in town than I've ever seen while camping.

KNOCK ON WOOD.

Too much snake talk.

I ordered a foam sleeping pad and some Darn Tough socks from backcountry.com earlier this week and the package came today. With free samples! It's really exciting to open that box and not only get your gear but see some extras floating around. More companies should take note of this.

That's all the important talk for now.

Have a great day :-)