What Makes my Little Boy Tick...

At this point in time it's electronics. He is totally in to all of the little gadgets he can get his hands on. Here's what he's got so far: Zune, PS2, GameBoy Advance, Wii, another little MP3 player, Polaroid LCD TV, RoboQuad, Portable DVD player, RoboSapien, and the latest addition to his collection is a new limited edition Daxter PSP.

The PSP was purchased last night. It was quite the ordeal. It all started in September. His father wanted to get him a PSP (Portable Sony Playstation). I didn't think it was a good idea since he already had a GameBoy, PS2 and was getting a Wii. So, we all agreed that four video game systems were not necessary and Rob ended up getting him the LCD TV instead. Fast forward to Christmas. Quentin received some cash as Christmas gifts and he decided that he was going to save it up until he had enough to buy either a Nintendo DS or a PSP. He couldn't decide which one he wanted. I told him that even though I still thought he didn't need four systems it was his money and if he saved enough he could buy it.

This past Wednesday he had to go to the doctor for the third time to get some warts removed. The doctor has been freezing them and trust me, it hurts like a son of a B$>@!. He's been such a brave boy by letting them do this to him. This last treatment was extremely painful for him though, because they used a scalpel to cut off the top of the warts because that part of it was dead skin. In doing this it exposed very sensititve new skin. After using the scalpel, the doctor proceeded to do the freezing. Quentin calls it the frostbite stuff. The poor little guy was in so much pain I could hardly stand it! I can't imagine how much it truly hurt him. The doctor was afraid he was going to pass out because his breathing was so labored. Anyway, we made it through the appointment and then had to run to GameStop to buy a birthday present for one of his friends.

While we were there I saw boxes for used PSPs. I decided to pay the difference in cost from the money he had saved and what the used system cost and let him get one. He was so excited he kept giving me hugs and saying he couldn't believe the day had finally come when he would get a PSP. It was very sweet. I let him pick a used game and we went to the counter to pay for the used game and the birthday present game and asked for a used PSP. At this point the clerk tells us that they don't have ANY used PSPs. Quentin was more than a little heartbroken. The boy was down right devestated. He'd just had trauma at the doctor's office and now THIS! The clerk was very nice and called another store and asked if they would ship a used PSP to the Sonora store. They had some and said they would. It would arrive Friday or Saturday. This picked up Quentin's spirits a little bit. He was still a little leary of the whole situation.

Yesterday morning Aubrey called and asked how the doctor's appointment had gone. I told her everything that happened and she decided that a used system was not okay. The boy needs a new one she said. So, being the most awesome Auntie Aub that she is, she said she was putting money in my account and to go and buy Quentin a new PSP!

Sorry for the novel! Here are pictures of Quentin and his new PSP.

The first one is his reaction to me telling him we're getting a PSP.

The second one is his reaction to me telling him that Auntie Aub is paying the difference. Notice the wide eyes.

The third one is his true reaction when it all finally sank in. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry! I absolutely love the pure joy of this photo.

The fourth is him at the store with his new system in hand. I call it "I Got the Motts"! Aub knows why... :-)

The fifth is a picture of him at 6:30 this morning playing his new system, because it had to charge overnight and he didn't get to play it last night.

Snow Day!

Well, Quentin is one very happy little boy this morning. Why? It's been declared a "Snow Day" and the schools are closed! I, on the other hand, am not too happy that I have to use up 8 hours of vacation pay. Not much I can do about it now...guess I'll just have to enjoy it too!

Here are some photos we took this morning.

The first one is a picture of the hill across the street.

The second one is my happy little boy.

The third is a picture of tracks in the snow. Can you guess what they are? Bear? Bobcat? Certainly not a deer.

The fourth reveals the sources of the tracks. Ah, they're Q-Tracks!

The fifth is Artsy Fartsy Me.

Just a Quick Hello...

I know, I know...I haven't updated in quite a while. All I can say is...uh,...too bad. :-) Just kidding!

Okay, so there hasn't been a ton of fun stuff happening in our little part of the world but I guess there have been a few interesting things. So here goes:

1. I saw a high speed chase in real life! Totally cool, but not, all at the same time. It ended with the two idiot girls finally pulling over and while they were rolling down their window laughing the cop had his hand on his gun, which made me laugh. Sadistic?

2. I'm taking a free photography class online. I'm learning a lot and I love that. It's a 12-week class and each week they teach us a new technique. The first two techniques I was already a little familiar with because my ultra-cool sister taught me how to do the same things during our Christmas vacation photo shoots.

3. Quentin has baseball tryouts this Saturday. I'm sure he'll do well. He's anxious for baseball to start. I just hope that I'm able to get him to the practices.

4. I'm going to Disneyland AGAIN! YEAH! I'm going from Feb. 10th to the 13th. There's a bunch of us from work going for a conference that is being held at the Disneyland Hotel. My room is booked for the Paradise Pier hotel. It'll be my first stay at a Disneyland Hotel and I'm kinda' excited! Can you tell?

5. The San Diego Chargers did not make it to the SuperBowl. Bummer. Quentin is quite upset about it. He just can't believe that they didn't even score a touchdown in the their last game against the Patriots. He keeps saying, "They just scored field goals. Not even one touchdown. I just don't understand it Mom." Poor kid. He refuses to watch the SuperBowl now, because he already knows who is going to win. THE PATS!

7. And lucky #7 says...I may have a broken arm or elbow or whatever. You would think that one would know if their arm/elbow was broken, but apparently not. I personally don't believe that it's broken. It feels so much better than it did that it can't possibly be broken. Anyway, I went for a CT Scan today and I'll find out on Thursday whether it's broken, or a torn ligament, or some other weirdness.

I'm going to go for now...Love ya'!

Out With the Old...In With the New

Well, today is New Year's Eve. I've reluctantly taken down all of the Christmas decorations, done laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and cleaned the scrapbooking area. As of midnight it is a new year and I'm determined to stay organized. I guess that will be my New Year's Resolution. That, and quit spending money I don't have. :0)

2007 was a great year after all is said and done. Quentin was a fantastic student and a stellar little athlete. He has learned to help out around the house. I did a lot of traveling this year. I went to Oregon, Bridgeport, Bodie, Disneyland (twice), Bass Lake, San Francisco, San Diego (I don't remember how many times), Yuma, and various other local places. I love my job and our little apartment.

Quentin and I have been blessed in 2007 and I pray that we continue to be blessed in 2008.

Christmas vacation was spent in Yuma, AZ and San Diego, CA. Quentin got almost everything he wanted for Christmas...yes, I know he's spoiled. I got everything I wanted also! No, I'm not going to admit that I'm spoiled too...well, maybe just a little bit. Anyway, we had a great vacation. We went on sleigh rides, ate until we were going to pop, spent time with friends and family, watched lots of movies, went to lots of parties, and Aubrey and I took tons of photos! Here are few...

God bless you all in 2008!

3rd Grade History Pageant

Last night I attended the 3rd Grade History Pageant at Sonora Elementary. Quentin played the role of Fat Cat Matt. He was a gold panner in the 1800s. He was so cute and he did a great job with his lines. Unfortunately, my camera did not cooperate with the setting, so I didn't get a lot of good shots. Here are a couple though.

Report Cards

We went to meet Quentin's teacher last night for our first trimester Parent/Teacher conference. He's doing an excellent job this year! His behavior in class is not an issue 95% of the time. He needs to focus a little more when they change "centers", but other than that he is an excellent participant in class. He's got an A math. They're already doing multiplication, fractions, decimals, and they're dabbling in division now. I can't believe they start them this early. He's still behind in reading, but is above where they thought he'd be at this time. So, all in all, he's making tremendous progress and I'm very very proud of him!

Here are updates of our tree farm with snow...

Oh and here is a tree that Jeanne bought today and I love it!

Misc. Musings

Hi Everyone,

Just a little update....

We are getting in the Christmas Spirit around here! Here is a picture of a wire Christmas Tree that I purchased at a local antique/junk store. The picture really doesn't do it justice. It really is very cute! The next picture is of our "Christmas Tree Farm" in the office. Yesterday Jeanne bought some of that fake snow to put under our trees, so when we get that set up I'll take a picture of it. I'm thinking it will look a little better with some fake snow. :-)

I'm all done Christmas shopping! What a load off of the mind (and wallet). Now, the challenge is to get everything wrapped! How am I supposed to do this with a little boy that keeps a very close eye on me and any shopping bag that enters the house?!

Last night we purchased and watched Pirates 3. Quentin was so excited he couldn't hardly stand it. He even took the celophane wrapper off of the DVD in the car, so that the process would go faster once he got home! I believe it's the first time he's turned a movie on without waiting for me to get off of the phone and join him on the couch for "movie theater." He did eventually pause the movie and said sorry, but he just couldn't wait!