No. 1109

Check it out! Ben's company was featured on an online magazine, Inc. Com, for being one of the nation's fastest growing private companies. He's been with the company since 2000, almost from the very beginning, when they had about 20 employees and now they're up to 450! If you've ever heard me babble about what Ben does, this is a great article that explains it much better than I can.

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2008/company-profile.html?id=200811090

Ben, I'm so proud of you! Thanks for being such a hard worker and doing it with a smile on your face!!!

At the 'Copa, 'Copa Cabana

Ben has in the past forbidden me from looking at the Sheriff's Log in our little local newspaper, The Communicator. He swears nothing good can come from it, and I do have a tendency to let my imagination run wild. Bu-ut being book-less, and not having the energy to mop my kitchen floor AGAIN, I may have perused the entire paper cover to cover (you know all 16 pages of it) yesterday afternoon.

I just had to laugh... amidst the typical burglar alarms, DUI's, and other types of domestic violence here's what our Sheriff's Dept. had to report:
* Cows were reported on Hwy. 238.
* A 2 yr. old was reported walking alone on the M-CG Hwy (no laughin' on this one)
* A bus driver took a 5 yr old to the wrong bus stop, a 6 yr old was not on the school bus, a 4 yr old was reported to have gotten off at the wrong bus stop, a 6 yr old and 11 yr old were missing after being last seen getting on the school bus, a child got on the wrong bus, a worried parent called to report the bus was over 45 minutes late and her child was not home yet. Unbelievable...there are still several more bus related incidents.
* A report of a juvenile problem was received when 9-10 juveniles were playing a game and lying down in the street.
* A juvenile problem was reported when juveniles on bikes, foot, and skateboards (oh my!) were in Tutor Time. (Perhaps tutoring service was needed?)
AND MY PERSONAL FAV:
* A report was received of a naked man sleeping in the bed of his pick up truck.

So there you have it folks, your own little peak into our little piece of paradise...life in the 'Copa Cabana!

All Day Long...

it's somebody's birthday!!! Somebody's birthday is today! All day long, from early morn, today is the day that DYLAN was born!!!



Sweet baby D turned one today! Wow...how time flies! He was such a sweetie all day long, giving kisses, bonks, waving, and just having fun. We opened presents and had breakfast first thing in the morning. Kaleb had a hard time letting Dylan unwrap his own presents, but oh well. Dylan loved all his presents, but especially his Elmo TMX. He got such a kick out of it, and was so excited he started wrestling him! After a fun-filled morning, I found him snuggled up to Daddy's chest taking a nap. Too cute!

After naps, we headed out to lunch, Dylan's fav. In'n'Out. This kid will eat anything, but shows a preference for In'n'Out burgers already! ;)



We then headed to the Phoenix Children's Museum for an afternoon full of play, play, play! The boys really enjoyed all the fun exhibits there. Their favs were of course the Ball Room, the Art Room and everything in between!










We finished off the day with a little BBQ full of Dylan's favs: hot dogs and corn on the cob. He then tried out his ENORMOUS cupcake, lick by lick, and with a little help from Little Mr. and Big Mr.





We can't believe that you're really ONE! Dylan Michael, we really, really LOVE YOU! Happy First Birthday, sweet baby boy!

Dylan's First Year

Kalebisms

We love movies and so we know a few frontwards & backwards. Namely, CARS, The Incredibles, Ice Age, and a few others. Kaleb has caught onto our game a bit and so I can say, "What are you waiting for?" at about any time and he'll reply in this funny high-pitched voice, "I don't know, somethin' amazing, I guess." Well I was doing one for Ben, "Tell me about it, Stud!" and asked him what movie it was from... all girls know this, but not Ben. When I said, "It's from Grease." Kaleb said, "It's from your friend, Grease?"

The other night Ben was mowing and Kaleb looked out the window and said, "That's fabulous!" What's fabulous? "Dad's outside vacuuming the grass!"

After Ben made no rude noises (I swear!) Kaleb said, "Dad, you need to say EXCUSE ME when you make yucky noises." He's also told me I need to look at the person when someone is talking to you. Apparently he is listening every once in a while...little know it all!

Last but not least, I tell him every day,"I love my big boy!" Yesterday in response he said, "I love my big mama!" Thank you, son!

Wet n Wild!

What do you do in Arizona during August? GET WET or STAY INSIDE! There really are no other options. My boys both love the water, just like their dad, and we've been having fun with friends all summer long! Enjoy the photo log... more to come!

The One Handed Wonder...

So today after a long day visiting family in Mesa, and day #1 of being husband-less while Ben's in Texas, I decided to stop at a grungy Taco Bell on our way home. It was 6 pm, the traffic on the 10 was really backed up, and I knew the boys were hungry and Kaleb hadn't gone to the bathroom in hours. Being the super mommy I am (some people may call it super unprepared/idiotic) I take both the boys into the bathroom with no stroller. After Kaleb has finished up, I decide I better take my turn as I also haven't gone in hours (very atypical for me as I have the smallest bladder known to mankind). Now here's the somewhat amazing part... I held Dylan the entire time (there was NO way D could be allowed to touch that floor) and was somehow able to unzip/button & rezip/button the jean capris I was wearing all one handed. It got me to wondering...what's the craziest one handed wonder you've performed while toting babe in hand?!?

Ensalada, por favor

Here's my new favorite summer salad...a delish dish for those of you who love health-mex and a touch of lime. I could live on food like this! Jen shared it with me last week and I had to make it because it was SO yummy! It's a great side salad, especially with Mexican dishes. We had it with fajitas last night & then it was so good, I had it for lunch today with just a handful of tortilla chips. YUMMO!
Black Bean And Corn Salad
INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
2. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

If you have a favorite summer salad, do share!