One Year Older and Wiser Too!

Happy 3rd Birthday Scotty!

I can't believe that my baby boy is 3 years old today. He has grown up a lot and is always learning so much.

Some things about Scotty at 3 years old:

*He loves songs and music.

*He loves to act goofy with his daddy.

*He loves macaroni and cheese, apples, pears, scrambled eggs, sausage, pizza, and hot dogs.

*He likes Batman, Transformers, Iron Man, Superheroes, Thomas the Train, Wall-E, Space Chimps, and so many others.

*He likes to watch Super Why, Little Bear, Max and Ruby, Incredibles, Hoodwinked, Go Diego Go, Brother Bear, Polar Express, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and many others.

*He is very sensitive to other people's feelings. When another kid is sad and starts crying, Scotty sometimes joins in.

*He is trying to use the potty but is sometimes stubborn and just doesn't want to do it.

*He likes to be independent and sometimes tells mommy and daddy NO!!

*He likes to race but HAS to "win" every time or he gets sad.

*He is a big boy and everyone always thinks that he is older than he is.

*He loves to play with other kids.

*He likes to give his mommy and daddy kisses.

*He's SO excited about his birthday and Christmas.

Project!!

I cut wood for some wood blocks and put the kits together. Last Tuesday night my friends and I got together to make these cute "Thankful" blocks. My mother-in-law came to visit this past weekend and we did some then as well. I love this holiday season and the opportunity it gives to remind us of all that we have to be thankful for.

Halloween

My pictures just loaded backwards so, I'm just going with it.

Our Halloween activities consisted of:

*Reading of Halloween stories the whole month of October

*Scotty watching "Spookly the Square Pumpkin", "Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie", and "Go Diego, Go Halloween" over and over and over again

*Drawing on Pumpkins (didn't get pictures, but nobody's missing out) *Halloween party at story time at the library

*Trunk or Treat at the church.

Scotty got to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. I got his costume in February at the Disney store. I bought it for $7.99--original price was $39.99. So, he really had no choice in the matter. Good thing he was still excited about being Buzz!

Friday night was the trunk or treat at the church. They also had a chili cook off and some games in the church.

Mommy and Buzz

Daddy and Buzz

Last Wednesday at story time there was a Halloween party. Scotty was so excited to wear his Buzz Lightyear costume and go trick or treating. The kids got to go trick or treating to the grocery store, the water company and a store where they sell candy and stuff from Mexico. Then they got to play a few games. They had a beanbag toss, fishing, and bowling. Scotty had his eye on the bowling game and just couldn't wait for his turn to come..............and those pictures didn't turn out. :( After games, they went inside and ate a fun Halloween lunch.

Scotty Buzz and his new friend Luke the Ninja

Scotty Buzz and AJ Buzz

Scotty fishing

The Test........................and the Winner!

The Test

Two weeks ago, I posted about the blog for the stuff that I make and will be selling. I know it's taking me a long time to get it all going and set up. So, I wanted to see who was willing to link Simply Sunshine Ray even though it's not completely ready yet. So, yesterday I checked all of the personal blogs I have linked on my blog to see who was kind enough to help me out. I had only 5 people who either put a link on their blog or wrote a post about it to send others my way.

The Entries

So, all of you listed above were entered into my first Giveaway!!!

I put the entries in Scotty's hat.

And Scotty was very willing to draw the winner for me.

Unwrapping the name

And the Winner is.............

The Prize
This fun black, white and pink apron!

Congratulations Diana Thompson! E-mail your address to me at simplysunshineray@gmail.com

Bear Down, Arizona

Scotty and I were able to go to the U of A football game vs. Cal on Saturday night. Derrick helps with the home football broadcasts and was given 2 sets of season tickets. We spread the love and gave some to friends and some to family. Scotty and I went to one last month but I didn't get any pictures. Saleem and Palmer were going to come to this game but changed their minds last minute so Scotty and I got to go again!

Scotty loves going to the "Go, Cats, Go" game and LOVES to sit and eat popcorn and drink soda while watching. Even better, he gets a ticket and Scotty LOVES tickets (see pic below.) Scotty started getting fidgety right before half time so that's when we left the game. The Cats were trailing at that point. We went to wander stores until the game was over and it was time to go get Derrick. I turned on the radio to see if I could find out how much time was left and heard the score. We had definately gone to the wrong half of the game. The second half would have been soooo exciting.

The outcome: Arizona 42 - Cal 27!!!!!

YEAH!

My parents get to go to the game against USC this weekend. They get to brave the sold out crowds. Hopefully the Cats won't get killed by the Trojans (yes, we are Trojan fans too but we bleed red and blue!)

Diana

Since we were in Gilbert, Scotty and I drove to Glendale to visit my friend Diana (Cathcart) Thompson. It was fun to see her and let the kids play.

Here is Diana and her little girl Adalyn

Diana and I have been friends for a long time. My family moved to Willcox in 1991 and that is when I first met Diana. I remember the first couple of times that we saw each other. One was at a mother/daughter homemaking night. The next I remember more clearly. There was a dance for YM/YW. I remember sitting with Diana and her telling me about the boy she had a HUGE crush on (J.A.) and then seeing him for the first time. I remember how nice she was to me when most of the LDS kids our age were not. We didn't become really good friends until High School though. We had some really fun times. Freshman volleyball, "cruising" with Beth in her sweet car at lunch time, working together at Bushman Clinic, hiking with friends, weekend get-togethers, making Christmas cards and goodies for the truckers stuck at the truck stop on Christmas Eve, girl talk, sharing crushes, etc. We both went to EAC and were roommates there for the first year. We had some fun and crazy times. I mean CRAZY!!! I haven't always been a great friend and I'm terrible at keeping in contact with people. Diana has called me and contacted me so many times over the years even when I've been so terrible at calling (sorry!) It was so good to see her and to get to spend a couple of hours visiting with her. I wish I had a scanner so I could scan some pictures of us from the good old days. Thanks Diana for all the years of friendship and for putting up with me!

Fun at the Park

Scotty and I were in Gilbert again last week to house and dog sit for Derrick's mom. We met up with Brianne, Rigley and Dalton at the park (San Tan Mall.) Scotty was so excited to see his cousin Rigley and to be able to play at a cool park (since there's not a cool park here!)

Scotty and Rigley

Handsome Cousins
When we first got there, Scotty made fast friends with this little boy (in below pic.) I wish I had a picture of this little boy's face because he was the older boy version of Scotty's little cousin Salem. This little boy looked just like her except he has hair and is bigger!
Scotty loved this Caterpillar

Introducing..................

Simply Sunshine Ray

A Collection of Creations

www.simplysunshineray.blogspot.com

I just want to thank everyone for your input and help. I'm finally getting around to setting up the blog. I haven't had time to do anything with it yet. So, I just put up some pictures of some things I have made. The ones showing right now are not for sale but orders can be made. There is a craft fair at the hospital in Nogales tomorrow. I, along with my friends Sarah and Holly, will be selling our homemade goods there. Sarah makes fleece blankets/quilts, Holly makes adorable hair clips for girls and I will be selling a spread of various homemade items. I'm hoping to sell a lot of stuff tomorrow but if not, fun times sitting around chatting with friends. As soon as the craft fair is over, I will be heading to Gilbert to house sit/dog sit. I will be without Internet until next Thursday. So, I'll post any items that I didn't sell at the craft fair after I get back. And, I'll try to bring some life to the blog as well. So, keep checking in and I'd LOVE it if you happen to want to put the above link on your blog (hint, hint.) Once I get everything set up and going, I'll be having occasional giveaways! I know everyone likes free stuff! So, keep checking in.

Great Imagination

On Saturday night, I had just gotten Scotty ready for bed and let him go play for a little while before we went to read stories. He went into the other room and then ran back in and said in a very excited voice, "Look momma, I'm Buzz Lightyear!" I turned around and saw this: With just a box on his head, he miraculously becomes Buzz Lightyear!

One Heck of a Weekend

Last weekend (19th-21st) Scotty and I went to Gilbert to watch Derrick's little brother and sister while his mom went to a wedding. Scotty's grandma was so nice to him and gave him this "so cool" hat. Scotty had fun dressing up and playing "superheros" with it all weekend. Since the hat is a Trojan hat AND is USC colors, since we've been home, Derrick has taught Scotty to do the USC fight song while making the "V for victory" sign with his fingers. They have a lot of fun with that one. While we were there, Scotty was able to get his dog fix. He LOVES playing with Bella. I'm sure Bella was glad to have a break when we left. Scotty loved tackling and wrestling her, lining up all the toys around her, and his favorite...............making her get in her cage and then crawling in with her. Scotty and Bella spent a lot of time either playing in the cage or snuggling on Bella's doggy bed.
Scotty also got to spend time with Cierra and Kerry. They were off playing with friends or doing chores a lot of the time but Scotty did get to play with them a little. Cierra and Kerry are both really good about playing with Scotty and trying to entertain him. Here's a pic of Cierra and Scotty having some pre-bedtime fun!
Over the weekend, I had a few close calls with anxiety attacks. While I was there, I was doing a lot of sewing. The tension on my sewing machine kept messing up. I was making the below apron and I kept having to re-do things over and over because of my machine. It probably took me AT LEAST 3 times the amount of time it should have taken. So, between being pissed at my machine, the kids sneaking, lying, etc, and Scotty constantly going out the doggy door and throwing the dog food all over the kitchen, I was on the verge of a break down.
So, to make it all better, on my way out of town, I stopped and purchased this:
A new sewing machine............AND it's an electronic one with a drop in bobbin. I'm so excited and so far, it has treated me perfectly!! If I hadn't had the problems with my machine, it would have been so much easier to deal with all of those other things (at least, that's what I keep telling my self!)

Once again, I'm asking for your help

A few posts ago, I wrote about starting a mini sew from home business selling bags/diaper bags, burp cloths, aprons, nursing covers, hooded bath towels, etc. I haven't yet started a blog or decided on a name for said "mini" business. I have been working hard on some custom orders and have sold a few items (I fall in love with each one and then I'm sad to see them go when they do.) I still have two more orders to complete and then I'll be ready to really set everything up. I'm excited to post pictures of the items I have all ready finished and introduce everyone to my new blog. The help that I need is..............I can't decide on a name. I didn't want to go with something that has my name in it, so I was thinking of old nicknames. One of my faves is Sunshine-Ray. It has a fun story to go with it. Another (abbreviated) is L.B.P. So, I'm going to add a poll on my blog so that you can vote for your favorite name. OR......if you have another suggestion, I'd love to hear it in my comments. If you are reading this and I don't know you very well or I don't know that you occasionally check my postings, please still vote or let me know what you think. I've been trying to decide for way too long!

Now, quickly I'll tell how I received the nickname Sunshine-ray. I was living in an apartment in Gilbert with 3 other girls. We invited some guys over to our place for a get together. They showed up..................with some other girls. AND, girls we didn't even know. We were slightly irritated that these girls were in our apt. and even more irritated that the guys we invited thought it would be okay to spring more guests (yes, competition) on us without telling us. So we were pretty much ignoring these girls and acting like terrible hostess'. One of the girls asked me my name and I told her. She said in her nasally voice, "If I were your friend, I'd call you Sunshine-ray!" My roomie Hootie and I looked at each other and then went to talk trash about the girl. Hootie started calling me by that name as a joke and then it just stuck.

Okay, stupid story but please, go vote NOW!!!

Midnight Sun--Edward's view on hold indefinately!

This is for all of you who are fans of the Twilight series, and have possibly been anticipating the book Midnight Sun which is Edward's view of things. A partial draft of Midnight Sun was leaked on the Internet. Understandably, Stephenie Meyer is pretty upset and therefore, she is putting it on hold "indefinitely." Because she loves her fans so much, she doesn't want to "drive more people to look for the illegal posting" so, she linked it on her web site.

She said, "I'd rather my fans not read this version of Midnight Sun. It was only an incomplete draft; the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I comment on this violation without driving more people to look for the illegal posting? It has taken me a while to decide how and if I could respond. But to end the confusion, I've decided to make the draft available here (at the end of this post). This way, my readers don't have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest. I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward's head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That's what inspired me to write it in the first place."

So, if you would like to read the available 264 pages of Midnight Sun, go to http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html The attached draft is at the bottom of that post.

hAppY BirThDay!!

HaPPY bIRtHdaY DerRiCk (dEwwIcK)!!! wE "yUv" YoU SssSsOoooOooo mUCh.
yOu Are tHe bEstLeR!

His poop doesn't stink!

Lately, Scotty has been asking to see his poopies when I'm changing his diaper. I'm hoping this is a step toward him going in the "big boy potty." This morning as I was changing his poopies, he asked to see it. I showed it to him and he said, "Ewwww, yucky." Then he took a big sniff and said, "Hmmm, smells good!"

I've had quite a few people tell me that I should make my diaper bags, burp clothes, hooded towels, etc. and sell them. Derrick really wants me to do it. I need a little input though. How many of you would purchase something like this--everything homemade? How much would you pay or how much do you think I should ask for them? What do you think would be the best way to get them out there? A blog with a paypal link? Word of mouth? Have people I know host "parties?" Take them to little boutiques? Etsy shop? I'm not sure the best way to do this or if it will work out. I think I need some input. PLEASE???? This is the last "diaper bag" that I made for my sister Suzi. But, I don't think it would have to be used for a diaper bag either. Do you think it would sell just as a fun bag?

Front/Back/Inside

I also made a burp cloth to match. I'm thinking of doing sets with the diaper bag, burp cloth, a small changing pad and a "Binkie bag" that attaches to the diaper bag---maybe even a nursing cover (like Hooter Hiders) to match. I'm looking for honest input and opinions. Please help me out!!!

Man's (or boy's) Best Friend????

Part of the time I was in Pennsylvania, Derrick and Scotty were house/dog sitting for Derrick's mom. They also were watching Nolan's pit bull Fudge. Scotty and Fudge became such good friends. The morning after they picked me up from the airport, I came out after my shower and saw this: Scotty looked up at me and said, "I sleep with Big Fudgie!" I had to take a picture of him cramming himself into the doggie bed with his new "best friend."

And then, five minutes later...................Scotty got out of the doggie bed and asked me for a snack. I gave him some string cheese. Well, the dogs had all come running because someone had food. Scotty was walking from the kitchen into the family room and there is a step down into the family room from the kitchen. Just as he was about to step down, Big Fudge and Bella (a 6 mo chocolate lab who is BIG) decided that they NEEDED that cheese. They knocked Scotty down the step and stole his cheese. He face planted into a toy and got a bloody nose and he scraped his leg on the stair. Now every time Scotty looks down at the healing wound on his leg he says, "Those dogs scratch me up!"
So the question is: Are dogs really Man's best friend????

*WARNING**Long boring post ahead*

I'm back from Pennsylvania and loved being able to help Suzi out. My trip started out a little crazy with my flight there and ended really crazy with my flight home. On the way out there I was flying from Phoenix to Detroit, had a 1 1/2 hour layover and then from Detroit to Erie. Well, I got on the plane and we started rolling out. But, as we were waiting to take off, it seemed to be taking forever. They finally told us that the A/C on one of the engines was out and we were going to have to go back to the gate to have it checked out. I think we took off about an hour after we were supposed to. So, we get to Detroit and I have to run down this crazy tunnel with bright flashing colored lights like a disco club to get to the terminal I needed. I got there while they were boarding the last few people. Just in time. It was great to get to Erie and see Suzi, Levi and Kassidy. Kaybree Sue Black was born the next day!

Kaybree Sue

(I "borrowed" this pic from Suzi's blog)

I enjoyed being able to take care of Kassidy while Suzi was in the hospital and Levi was in classes/clinicals. She was such a good girl. It was fun to take her to see her mommy and new baby sister everyday at the hospital.

Kassidy

(another "borrowed" pic!)

I enjoyed being around Suzi and helping with her little girls. It is so beautiful and green in Erie. And while it was a little humid at times, it felt so much nicer and cooler than home (it's been raining a lot in Rio Rico and it is VERY humid and we only have a swamp cooler.) It was great to be able to spend time with Suzi's family but I was missing my boys a lot. So, I was a little anxious to get home to see them. So, my flight home was supposed to be: Erie to Cleveland with a hour layover then Cleveland to Phoenix. I got to the airport in Erie and was told that our flight was being delayed due to "mandatory crew rest." We were supposed to leave at 7:20am and they said we would leave at 8am. My flight from Cleveland to Phoenix was supposed to leave at 9 am. So, I was pretty sure that I would miss my flight. We ended up not even leaving Erie until 8:50. So, they had put me on a back up flight from Cleveland to Houston and then from Houston to Phoenix. So, originally I was supposed to land in Phoenix at 10am and I didn't get home until 3:00 pm. You gotta love it. I was REALLY anxious to see my boys after all of that. It was so nice to be back with them and to give them real kisses instead of over-the-phone kisses. We stayed in Gilbert until Saturday and got home Saturday night............................to a dirty house that was pretty clean when I left (boys) and to the same hot, sticky humidity as mentioned before. But, still good to be home I guess.

Super Hero

This was my conversation with Scotty last night as I was getting him ready for bed at his grandma's house.

Scotty: Mommy, I'm a super hero. I have super powers mommy! Lela has super powers.
Mom: Oh, Lela has super powers? And does Bender and Fry have super powers?
S: Yes. And I have super powers.
M: Does Cierra have super powers?
S: No
M: Does Benson have super powers?
S: No
M: Does Daddy have super powers?
S: (giggling) No!
M: Does Mommy have super powers?
S: (giggling more) NO!
M: Well, if mommy and daddy don't have super powers, then where do you get YOUR super powers?
S: (thinks about it for a minute) From grandma's glasses!

Busy, Busy

This month is a pretty busy one for me. I got home a few days ago after being gone and away from internet for a week and a half. And I'll be leaving again tomorrow and will be away from home for another 2 weeks. This will probably be a long boring post so beware. We were in Gilbert babysitting Derrick's little sister and brother and watching 5 dogs (yes, you did read right...........5 freakin dogs.) Derrick's mom has 3 dogs and we were watching Derrick's brother Nolan's 2 dogs as well. Many of you may know that I DO NOT like dogs/pets very much. If I had my way, I would never own a pet (other than our cat Kiki who I'm all ready committed to.) And now, after watching these 5 dogs, I will fight very hard to hold off getting a dog for a very long time (hopefully I'll get my way since Derrick and Scotty both like dogs.) Derrick made a deal with his brother that we would watch the dogs as long as he would bring over his Rock Band game so we could get our rock on!! Now, I love this game. I played and played until I thought I had blisters on my fingers. But........after dogs waking me and Scotty up WAY too early every morning, after dogs chewing/tearing numerous things up (a huge plastic water bowl, the doggie door, Scotty's football, cookie cutters for Scotty's play dough, etc.) and after a dog peed, yes peed, on my leg, I don't really think the Rock Band blisters were worth it

On to better things. I was able to have my favorite hair stylist Koi color and cut my hair. I wanted dark in the front and underneath but I wanted something a little more fun than just brown. So, I had her do a violet color. Some people may not like the purple look but I am having a lot of fun with it and I love the contrast. This pic is not good at all, but it's the only one I have with the new hair. Thanks Koi

We were able to spend the 4th of July with Derrick's family. We ate a lot and some people swam and then we hung out and watched fireworks from the upstairs windows of Derrick's mom's house. We were all glad that we weren't outside in the heat watching the fireworks and then fighting our way out in traffic to get home. I was too lazy to go and get my camera out so there are no pictures of the 4th

The next day we left for Pinetop. We went up for a mini-vacay and so that I could go to a Dr appointment. It was nice to be back in all of the pine trees and in the cooler weather. Derrick had a plan to eat at all of his favorite restaurants there. So, we had the vacation of eating! We were able to meet up with a couple of friends but didn't have enough time to see everyone we would have like to have seen. I spent a lot of time at the Dr's office and at the lab getting tests done. When we were packing up the car on Tuesday afternoon to come back home, Scotty was sitting on the stairs by the door of the condo. He had a shoelace untied so Derrick told him to stay on the stairs while we finished loading up. I was putting some stuff in the trunk and heard him running and heard him fall. I looked up to see his face planted into the pavement. He started wailing and started to get up. I saw blood on his face so I ran over to check it out. He had scraped up his face and had a mouthful of gravel and blood. Luckily, it wasn't too bad. Here are some pics of his injuries

So, now I'm on to my next adventure! I get to go to Pennsylvania to help my sis Suzi. She is having her C-section on Monday and I get to fly out on Sunday to help out with Kassidy and with Suzi and the new baby when they get home from the hospital. I will be staying there for a week and a half. Scotty gets to stay at home with Daddy. I'm sure that I'll miss them both like crazy but I'm so excited to see Suzi and her little girls