Did I just really do that? -caution: long entry

So this little event happened over a week ago, and I have put off writing it because of my extreme shamefulness. It is one of those things that you read about happening to some other parent, but not to you, because you're always paying such close attention. Well, lada frickn' da! I did it. I locked my son in the car. Yes, I said it. There you go. We were leaving the mall, after spending about an hour in the kid play area, and unlocked the car as normal. Now since it is so hot here in Arizona I normally open the back door, Carter get's in happily and he stands on the seat and plays with the ceiling light switch or bounces on the chair, while I close the door - open the front, and turn the car to start the AC full blast. This starts the process of cooling my 100+F car off while I get him properly strapped into his car-seat. Well, he decided to climb up into the passenger side for some reason and was quite proud of himself for maneuvering so easily up there. I had my driver door open, but for some reason had hit the lock button on my key chain. So I got in the driver seat, turned the car on, - had the door half way opened on my side, while I sat sideways in my driver seat -- we sat and played with the radio and AC and other gadgets for about 2 mins - he of course contently chill'n in the passenger side. After a few mins I said OK bud, time to get in the car seat, because we need to get home and make dinner. So I open my door back wide and get out, with the anticipation of going over to his side and grabbing him to put him in the back. Well, what did I do? I closed my door of course! The door....that...had...been LOCKED. Like all good car keychain buttons, it locked all the doors. Now, I am not a cussing girl. Never have been. But the first words that left my mouth were "Aw SH**"!!!! .... -- you can imagine my horror. I now was out in the middle of a mall parking lot, with my kid -keys-phone.. everything, locked in my car. My husband is in CHINA, and not a person walking around to
flag down. Funny how my first instincts almost immediately after cussing were BREAK THE WINDOW IN, but thankfully my calmer side stepped in and reassured myself that was not a feasible answer. Carter was not crying, he was having fun in the front seat moving the AC knobs everywhere, but my mother instincts of my child being in a place that I cannot get too set off a trigger that said tear whatever it is apart and get to your baby! Haha...nature is funny sometimes... :) So I looked around, and against my normal quieter nature, jumped up and down and waved my arms and yelled to a lady on her cell phone about 40 cars away. I am sure she thought I was nuts....but thankfully she came over and dialed 911 for me. I know, 911 might sound a little extreme, but what else could I have done? Surely they would know how to open a car.... I was worried about Carter turning the AC to heat...or shifting the car into some gear, and getting down on the pedals... (just thinking about it sends a little shiver down my spine!)... A guy saw me flag down the lady and he came to see what was happening. He was nice and went and got a security lady for the mall that was driving around. The lady with the phone stayed with me, very nice person, and had 2 young children of her own at home with her mother. (oh great, I was taking up her *me* time...whoops! sorry) So after banging on the window a few times yelling at Carter not to touch that (gears) I went over to the passenger side to keep him there, and not to the driver side. He did not seem to think anything was wrong (thankfully), and was just having fun in the front seats.

So.... what do you think happened? How does this story end? Happily, of course. --- after talking with the security lady for a bit (who, of course, cannot open cars) I had been telling Carter to unlock the lock for some time, with no success. He is after all only 19 months old...but you know what? The next thing I know, I hear a POP...and the door was unlocked! I hurry and open up the door and scooped my little boy up in my arms. He of course was like "hey mom, what's up" and I was like holding him tight and so relived. Of course, no sooner did I pull him out of the car that the police man drives up. He took one look at my license plate, (which say's TENNESSEE) and said ...awwww. I understand now. (okay, he didn't say that, but he did make a comment about it) He asked how it happened, I gave him the quick 411, -he took my name, birthday date, and phone number and left. Which...not sure why he needed that. Haha!

Now, with my keys tightly clenched in my hand, I buckle Carter into his seat and set off for home. I felt like stopping and getting Carter and ice cream for being such a good boy through the whole scary ordeal, ...but I think it was more for me, since he had no clue anything was different. .... we just went straight home though. My mind still spinning with "what-if's"....

Okay, now I spilled the beans on my "horrible mother of the week" story. What is even worse is that most people think I look very young... like senior in high school, or at the most, 20/21 yrs old (I don't think I do!) So I always feel like I am starred at a lot when I have my little Carter toting around with me - and that I was some teen that got pregnant and now am trying to raise a child. Ha... seriously, I often feel that! When people find that I am closer to 30 years old than 20, and have been married for over 5 years they don't believe me. Oh well! I hope my "youthful looks" stay well into my senior years. :)

So, I have since learned after telling other parents my story, that many have done something similar - resulting in their child getting locked in. I know it happens, and perhaps if I didn't sit up in the front seat with him and play for a few mins I would not have forgotten that I had the door locked. It is a hard lesson, but one that will be remembered and applied. I have now changed our "getting in the car" routine, and I feel better about avoiding any future mishaps. :)

In A Video Posting Mood

Here are just some little randomness of Carter from the other night. :) Feel free to watch, or not... more for grandparents to enjoy :D

Bear Organization

Stuff

Funny

Carter always plays a little after his bath, and before books and bed. So he was shooting some hops tonight and grabbed the football and tossed it in. It got stuck and his reaction is hilarious! :)

(p.s. He is too tall for his onsies, LOL. so I just leave them unbuttoned - and just tuck it in before bed. ) He looks like a butler with the back of his onsie down :D

Don Left Us (+ video!)

Well little blog, I am finally getting to you! A lot of things have happened since my entry of moving to Arizona! I'll just write the most recent and add recent pictures below.

Don finished his first "trimester" of school - we survived, it was difficult! Very difficult... but we're moving forward. (don't worry, he actually got all A's! - perhaps because we were in a new state, did not know anyone, and he was gone SO much, that made it hard) He has completed his first half of the 2nd trimester - and is now completing the other half in Beijing China! Yes, you read correctly. CHINA. We took him to the airport Thursday morning, June 30th and he won't be back till August 19th. We have never been apart for so long since we've been married! (which we celebrated 5 years, May 5th) - and we were a little concerned how Carter would take his absence for so long. Carter and I are doing well though, and my plan thus far to keep ourselves extremely busy to make the days go by quicker is working. It helps a ton that we are able to video chat with Don a little in the early morning before he goes to bed (15hr time difference). I think since Carter see's him almost everyday, via the computer, it is helping him not wonder so much where daddy is. It's a little tough being a "single" mom though... but since grad school started I have felt like a single mom anyway..haha...but still, it was really nice to have an hour at night to chill while Don gave him his bath (if he was home). We just have till next December then he'll be done....so not that far...no worries here. :) ... ANYWAY, Don is doing well. It is amazing being in such a different culture and trying to communicate. He is living in a single room in a hotel (most of the students are) for the 6 weeks...but his is the only one missing a small fridge; which is a bummer for trying to take home food. There are more "bummers" over there too, particularly because the Chinese government has such control on everything, so he cannot access a lot on the Internet, and it is a slow connection and goes out often - plus they are not allowed to use the university campus they are going to at all. Only allowed in the one lecture room (which is chalk board and old desks...so much for high tech business!) and the cafeteria - but even the cafeteria was void for a few days till they go their "student passports" in, with their ID. He has class from 8am to 6pm - nonstop, with a half an hour for lunch, then it's a 30 min walk back to the hotel, and hours of homework (with no printer, and limited internet - 6 week classes condensed into 1 week, for 5 classes total) haha. So, not quite what we had imagined his study abroad would be, but what can ya do. I'm seriously angry...but that's just me. This MBA school is SO costly, and this study in China was EXPENSIVE...and he can't even go to the library. Urgggg! Sorry, just blowing some steam. He has to have a certainly amount of foreign classes and foreign credit. Thus the reason for the travel.

Carter and I sent him a little goodie package today - with a bunch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, Propel drink packets (he hates water straight up, haha...I should have not sent those, for he could learn to drink water), family picture, etc....and the medication I picked up for a friend and fellow student that is with him there. Don had emailed me and asked if I could go the pharmacy and pick up his prescription, which he needed within the week. ( I am sure he brought a lot of extra meds with him, but since he and his wife had been in Prague for a month already, and other places, he ran out) SO, anyway... meds he needed. So when I went to mail the package I had to write down everything that was contained in there on another sheet. (whew, try re-writing that English Chinese address on that form! I had to ask for help, I did not know where to put what! haha) Afterward the lady input everything, and then she saw I had the medication in there. This started a whole ordeal - and apparently it's illegal to send medication to China. I asked her what would happen if I took the chance and sent it (haha, ...half joking) she said, "it's the Chinese, they would confiscate it!"........"and probably eat all the cookies too," I added. haha. So, needless to say we opened the box and took the drugs I was smuggling out, re-sealed, and sent off. And this was all before 10am! haha

Okay, this post is long enough. Yes, Carter and I are still surviving alone in Arizona - we miss Don a lot, but look forward to the 19th of August! We are actually taking a last minute trip to Tennessee next Thursday for almost a week, so that will be a lot of fun! I will try and write more here soon. Perhaps tomorrow? :)

Now for some pictures!
(click on image to see it larger)

We took some pictures the morning before Don left, just playing around with the camera at a local park - it was already over 105F, so needless to say the pictures are not the greatest. Just too hot, and poor Carter was already beat red and not wanting to smile and we were all sweating horribly. Ha! We will try for some nice, "real" photos, this Fall -- there are some pretty locations close to us! I want a Christmas card picture this year!

Uncle Richard came out for a few days to play.
He and Carter get a long real well. Fun Fun Fun!

Eating some cookies I had made

Carter loves to doodle and draw, and so do I! He insists we do it at least 2x a day. :)

Climbed into the tub one morning and wanted to put all his bath toys in the there and play. Such a character! Love this boy~

Pudding Boy!

HaHa! I laugh every time I look at this photo. We had put these big socks on him, and he started to run around, jump like a rabbit and dance. This was his dance pose. :D

VIDEO of the socks!

Oh where or where has my little blog gone...

I hope you learned your lesson! That's right, you never appreciated this blog. Not until you realized how much you enjoyed reading my lovely writing style..and looking at my handsome son and husband! So...the strike is over. I am back. ....that will teach you to take things for granted.




:) Okay, so it's been months - fully my fault! Life gets busy and soon so much time passes that is seems a hassle to update the blog. Well....I will do it! Stay tune for updates!

Okay, going to get caught up here!

As most of you know by now Don, Carter, Tigger and I have moved to Glendale, AZ. Don had been applyng for Grad school and Thunderbird International School of Business (Global management) was his top pick. We got the email and letter around December 16th of acceptance into the Spring semester at Thunderbird and needed to be in Arizona to start refresher classes, orientation and school by the 10th of January. WHAT!?? Wow...think fast for sure! While Don still had to work during the day helping a friend build his home, I was busy calling apartments and my own Landlord. Conveniently enough our contract was up at the end of the month, so to say we will not be renewing was not a huge issue. I researched some apartments in Arizona and narrowed them down to a few. It's always difficult to do them sight unseen...but this would be our 3rd time renting before seeing. Anyway.... we were certainly busy the end of December! Between planning, apartment saving, Christmas, family coming in, and packing it was CRAZY. But we survived! :) Christmas was awesome too.. my sister Brittany and husband, Jay and son flew in from Idaho. This was the first time I got to meet Michael, who was then 8 month old. What a cute chunky monkey! LOVE him! My brother Ben and his wife Heather and daughter Alli came down from Nashville area and, of course my mom and dad. It was a lot of fun! Then Don's sister Susan and husband Aaron and two kids Jordan and Madison (plus Elsi and Einstein - dogs) came the weekend after Christmas to help clean and load the truck. I had everything already packed, but the cleaning was the big issue! It's hard to do that with a little boy running around everywhere. Wow they helped a TON..I mean, a TON! Our Landlord said she had never seen a placed move out so sparkling and fresh. She gave us every bit of our deposit back (minus carpet cleaning fee) and our pet fee back. SCORE! :) Thanks Tulicks!

We were set and left the morning of the 3rd. Don drove a large Penske truck, pulling his car and I drove my Subaru Outback with Carter and Tigger. I was worried about moving across country because of Tigger. I did not want him to be traumatized and start bad habits at our new place (like scratching furniture or peeing on the walls..etc, as many do when stressed) But to make a long story short (as if it wasn't long already) We made it out to Arizona in 4 days and Tigger and Carter did wonderfully! I mean, seriously - they were awesome! They did about as good as you could ever ask for a spunky cat and a 1 year old trapped in a car for hours on hours everyday for 4 days. The Lord really hears sincere pleas! We made it to Little Rock, Arkansas the first night... Shamrock, TX the next, Gallup, NM the following and then finally to Glendale late afternoon on the 6th. Whew.... Took an hour to sign even more stuff in the office (thought everything we faxed in would eliminate the wait...nope.) and opened the doors to our new home for the first time. Not to shabby for never checking it out. :) We moved in, and have been getting along well ever since. Arizona is not too bad. I love Tennessee...but it is nice to live in a large area again, where I don't have to travel over an hour or two to go shopping. :)

..... I have started a food blog. I am trying to experiment and make new things and then record them for myself and anyone else who might want to try. The blog is called "Yumminess Just Became A Word" (www.perfectpalate.blogspot.com) .

.... Valentines Day! I already wrote a little something on my food blog, so I am just going to crop and paste that here. I'll update with another blog post here soon of what we have been up to thus far.
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(food blog entry)
February 14th....the most dreaded or anticipated love day of the year. Of course, I had someone to spend it with again, 5th year in a row might I add :) So what can you do on V-day with a husband in school, a 1 year old that you can't take to a busy late night restaurant and when the piggy bank looks anorexic? Make your own fabulous night of course!
I had text Don earlier that day and asked him to be home by 7:30pm because I made reservations at P.F. Chang's.-- (he was probably thinking I was crazy!!)-- So when he got home a few mins shy of 7:30 I had almost everything done :D He was surprised..and greatly relieved... because the thought of taking Carter to a restaurant during this busy night and at bed time is not a fun idea. So we fed and played with Carter (I had already given him his bath), we read scriptures, sang some songs and off to sleep he went. Don and I changed into some fancy fancy stuff, I took pictures and placed dinner on the table, lit the candles - turned Pandora (.com) on and we feasted to a lovely at home Valentines dinner.

Don and I

Let's EAT!

I made Sesame Chicken over white rice, with Chow Mein and Snow Peas.

Sesame Chicken, Fruit, Sparkle Drink and Candles...mmmm!

My hurried make-shift sign :D

Sesame Chicken Recipe:
You'll need one of these packets from your local grocery. Look in the Asian isle. I found Ingles or Albertsons carries them. I have ordered them from the company before too.
The directions are on the back of the seasoning packet...but this is how I do it:
Take about a pound of chicken and trim then cut into chunks.
Place chunks in a large sealed plastic bag with a 1/4 Cup of Soy Sauce and 1/4 Cup of Corn Starch, plus 2 Tbs of water. Mix around and marinate for 5-10 mins.
Get a large skillet out and pre-heat with Canola oil. Pour out the chicken and mixture and stir till chicken is brown and cooked thoroughly.
After the chicken is cooked pour in a little more oil, then the packet of seasoning along with 1/2 Cup of white sugar, and 1/4 cup of water. Mix all around and turn heat down to about a 3-4. The combination of seasoning and corn starch with will make the mixture nice and thick.
After the mixture is thick you can dish out over a bowl/plate of rice and add either Chow Mein Noodles, more Sesame Seeds or Cashews. :) ENJOY!
The fruit I used were Strawberries, Bananas and Watermelon. YUM!
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Now for DESSERT!
(read all before making..warning tip)
I made a quick easy version of the Hot Lava Chocolate Cake.
I bought a cool GIANT cup cake pan at WalMart.
I used a box of Devils food Cake and mixed as directed. Then I filled both sides of my pan to 3/4 full. Popped in the oven and let cool afterward before transferring out of pan. (Make sure you grease your pan with Crisco or Pam Spray and then lightly flour, for the cakes can come right out!..I use Pam Spray Canola).
Take cakes out of pan and onto a cutting board or something similar.
Take a sharp long knife and cut a circle out of the top and carve out the cake "inners".
Save top and scraps. Now fill the cake with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. Though, I am pretty sure next time I will use a higher quality chocolate - like a fondue type - Then stuff the scraps into your mouth, or give them to your child (which he then spits out all onto the floor and steps on it and makes a huge mess...wait, did I just say that out loud?) and take the top and plug your chocolate syrup stuffed cake. CAREFUL! I made the mistake of making my cake too full and when I plugged it up it split the sides and pretty much bled to death. Not pretty.

So I decided to do something different with my other piece. I sliced the top straight off, instead of carving it out. This way after I fill the cake with chocolate there will be no added pressure with the top going back on. it will just lay on top of the sliced edges. GENIUS I tell you! :-P
So try and not make my first mistake. Okay, now you filled it in and you placed the top on. Good job. Now wrap in plastic and place in the freezer till whenever you are going to use it.


I made this treat in the morning and froze it for the day. When we sat down for dinner I took it out of the freezer and placed it on the kitchen counter. When we were ready to eat I popped it into the microwave for 1 min 30 secs till nice and warm. I then sprinkled it with powder sugar and drizzled more chocolate over the top. Wish I had some ice cream! You can serve with whip cream and strawberries if you'd like. YUM!... it looks impressive and is very easy to do. Enjoy!

"The Pictures" from above Post

*Please Click On The Image To See It Larger*