• Sleeping in until 7:30 this morning.
• Excellent creama on my espresso shot
• A very well behaved two year old. Not a single time out today.
• Freshly vacuumed carpet. I hate vacumming but I love how it looks right after it’s done.
• Mail love from my sis. An awesome little care package including this bag that I had my eye on at Target, a BIG cheese grater (is there anything worse than grating tons of cheese with a tiny grater?), a pizza cutter, a tape adaptor so I can listen to my iPod in the car, and some cute scrapbook stuff.



• My hot turtle brother (please read the comment from Kristi on my Ode…) calling to tell me he’s coming for a visit next week! Within an hour of him calling to see what we were doing starting August 5th, he had his plane ticket. So fun.
• Watching the Kinsey’s for a few hours this afternoon
• Taking some really funny pictures with the boys. I can go from scary psycho babysitter to happiest babysitter on the block to fish hook babysitter in the blink of an eye.



• Swimming with Connor. Love the squeals he lets out when jumping off the side. It’s the sound of pure joy.
• Coming home to a crock pot dinner ready for eatin’
• Looking out my living room window and seeing this. (okay, so I went on the roof so the building wouldn’t get in the picture. But this is pretty much the view.)

I’m loving life today. God has surely blessed me.

Anyone who I email knows how much I love these things. I saw this on Missy’s blog and had to copy it. Missy is this totally rad blogger/scrapbooker who also has a Connor. I was stalking her blog for quite awhile before I finally spoke up. Now I know she’s been reading mine too and leaving comments. So, Missy, thanks for all the comment love and giving me something to blog about!

1. When was the last time you went to the bathroom outside? Probably in ‘97 when I went on Wilderness Trek. But I might have gone outside while camping since then. I can’t remember for sure.

2. When was the last time you saw one of your parents? I saw my mom about a month ago.

3. Which family member do you most resemble? I think my grandma. We have the same mouth.

4. Do you wear cologne/perfume? Only if I’m dressed up and I wear Abercrombie.

5. Do you wear deodorant? definately. Secret shower fresh.

6. Do you ‘clean up nice’? I’m effing hot, ha ha!

7. When was the last time you tripped and fell? Total clutz here. I trip all the time. I’ve probably tripped at least 3 times just this week. At least I’ve been fortuate enough to not trip while holding a baby.

8. where was the last place you slept besides your home? Cabrillo Motor Lodge in San Diego.

9. What are you listening to right now? Right this very second or in general? Right this second Hide and Seek by Immogen Heap (thanks, Missy). In general Black Eyed Peas and Coldplay.

10. Have you ever started an uncontrollable fire? No. I’m scared of fire. I hate just lighting the grill.

11. Ever run out of gas on the road? No. I stress if I don’t fill up right when the light comes on.

12. Would you rather cut the grass or rake the leaves? Definately cut the grass. I’m haunted by horrible raking memories from my childhood!

13. Your name spelled backwards. nagem

14. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Hide and Seek-Imogen Heap; Maybe I’m amazed-Jem; These Words-Natasha Bedingfield

15. Last time you swam in a pool. Tuesday afternoon.

16. Have you ever been in a school play? I was one of the stars in our 6th grade production of Bambi. I was Thumper and I still remember my solo and most of the dances. Not only do I remember them but sometimes I will perform them for Derek (or anyone who happens to be around when the mood strikes.) I’m a dork.

17. How many kids do you want? Four

18. Type of music you dislike most? I hate most 80s music. And I’m not really a fan of techno either.

19. Are you registered to vote? yes

20. Do you have cable? DirecTV

21. Ever prank call anybody? Only in elementary school.

22. Best friends? Derek, RyAnn, Shauna, Beth, Kristin, my brothers Patrick and James, and my mom.

23. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? Maybe if I was in the right mood and with the right people.

24. Do you have a garden? I’m a plant killer. A garden seems so cool in my head but I would probably kill everything. But maybe when we have a backyard I will have a garden.

25. What’s your favorite comic strip? Calvin and Hobbes

26. Bath or Shower, morning or night? both. I usually shower, but I like baths too.

27. Best movie you’ve seen in the past month? War of the Worlds. It’s the only one I can think of. So intense and I love scary movies. Oh, and In Good Company-we rented that one.

28. Favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni and pineapple or supreme.

29. Chips or popcorn? chips during the day, popcorn at night.

30. What color lipstick do you usually wear? not a lipstick kind of girl. I like my Burts Bees Lip Shimmer in Nutmeg.

31. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? Is this trick question? No.

32. Orange Juice or apple? orange

33. Favorite type of chocolate bar? milky way or dark chocolate.

34. When was the last time you voted at the polls? Presidential election.

35. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? Actually on Sunday. My friend Beth has a kickin’ vegetable garden and she brought fresh tomatos to our small group on Sunday. I’m not usually a tomato person, but I put one on my burger and it was really tasty.

36. Are you a good cook? I try to be. I don’t typically ruin things but I’m not gourmet or anything. But seriously who has time to be gourmet with two little munchkins?

37. Ever order anything from an infomercial? I ordered a scrapbook kit from qvc once. Does that count?

38. Sprite or 7-up? I like Sierra Mist better than both of those.

39. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? Yes at the Retirement Home, PrimeTime, Blockbuster, Discovery Zone, and Wickes. And on certain days when I was a camp counselor.

40. Ever thrown up in public? Yes. In the 3rd grade on my way to tell the teacher I felt sick. And at the airport when I was about 12. I was by myself in the terminal waiting for grandma and my mom was parking the car. It was horrible-everyone just stared at this poor kid who just puked. And it was full of corn. That might have been too much info on this one, huh.

41. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love? true love

42. Do you believe in love at first sight? No. Real love takes time.

43. Can ex’s be friends? I guess but I’m not friends with mine. Unless you count Derek since he was an ex at one time. But I don’t think he counts.

44. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? Shauna and sweet baby Macy.

45. Did you have a lot of hair as a baby? No

46. What message is on your answering machine? Hi you’ve reached Derek and Megan Thurman. We’re not in right now but leave a message and we’ll call you back.

47. What do you think about most? Things I need to do and my family.

Derek just asked me if I am ever tempted to drink the hazelnut syrup that we use in our coffee. This made me think of my little brother, Patrick. Why, you ask? Beause he has been known to drink pancake syrup straight from the bottle. Maybe he only did it once, and maybe he was only six years old. But I will never forget looking into the kitchen and seeing the bottle tipped back into his mouth when he thought no one was looking.

Meet Patrick. He’s the coolest 21 year old I know. He’s 4 years younger than me, but we’ve always been close. There were a few lost years in there while he was in high school and I was in college. But now we talk all the time and I look forward to seeing him so much when we visit home. He’s a huge mooker and an even bigger dirtbag. He has a heart for Christ and for others like most people only dream of having (myself included). He’s an example to me. He loves riding his bike, drinking coffee, eating a good breakfast, reading, a nice glass of red wine, playing Halo, and finding adventures anywhere he can. I admire his independence. He truly doesn’t care what anyone thinks. I would be terrified to go on a vacation by myself, but that’s what he did last summer. And I know that someday he’ll go to Europe with nothing but his backpack and a EuroRail pass. Patrick is cool, but not too cool. He’s one of the funniest people I know, but also one of the deepest. I am so thankful that Patrick isn’t just my brother. He’s also one of my best friends.

I was doing the dreaded chore of cleaning the bathroom when the most wonderful sound wandered to my ears. Connor’s new thing is to have Logan “play” with him in his room. It’s actually very sweet. C will stack his cars around him and show him his lego creations. I took this picture of them yesterday. But the game they were playing today takes the cake as the cutest thing they’ve done.

Click here to see a fabu little video of what totally made my day today.

My newfound love for music has made me think about songs in the past that bring back a flood of memories every time I hear them. If RCA were to produce a soundtrack of my life, these songs would definately be included.

1. The Promise by Tracy Chapman-I was 16 and had a broken heart the first time I heard this song. The first line is “If you wait for me. Then I’ll come for you.” I made a tape of it and sent it to Derek and I think it made him cry, too. But I guess it worked because he did indeed wait for me.

2. Tubthumping by Chumbawumba-Every time I hear that song I am reminded about my senior year season of volleyball. It was like our theme song. We would sing it at the top of our lungs before every game.
3. Pachabel’s Canon-It’s the song I walked down the aisle to. It’s always been my favorite classical song. My college roomates will probably remember me wearing my veil, listening to this song, and practicing my walk which was actually an intrepretive dance. We thought we were so funny!
4. Special by The Cranberries-Derek played this song for me just before he left for college. So, so sweet.
5. Godspeed by the Dixie Chicks-I would listen to this song on the way home from volleyball practice when I was pregnant with Connor. It always made me cry and now when I hear it I can’t help but think about being pregnant with my first born, driving down Las Tunas past Papa John’s, and craving pizza.
6. Bubbletoes by Jack Johnson. Another pregnancy song. I was so incredibly swollen when I was pregnant with Connor. I had major bubble toes. And cankles.
7. Rocky Mountain High by John Denver. My dad lived in Colorado for a few years. I remember driving with my two brothers in the mountains singing this song as loud as we could. This song especially reminds me of my older brother, James. He was one of my greatest role models growing up.
8. The Eagle and the Hawk by John Denver. This is the JD song that reminds me most of my little brother. We love to wail on this one.
9. All Star by Smash Mouth. I was a counselor at camp the summer this song came out. Working at Camp Olympia was the first truly independent thing I had ever done. I didn’t know a single person until I got to camp. I learned so much about myself that summer.
10. The Sweetest Thing by U2. “A blue eyed boy meets a brown eyed girl…the sweetest thing” Need I say more?
11. The Dance by Garth Brooks. It was the first song I ever slow danced to and I remember being so nervous about it because it was with a guy one year older than me that I had a crush on. Ahhh…junior high memories!
12. Drops of Jupiter by Train. One of me and my sister’s anthems. This song will always remind me of our trips to San Diego.
13. The Greatest Discovery by Elton John. This is definately not one of his more well known song. It’s from a little boys perspective about meeting his baby brother for the first time.
14. Again I Go Unnoticed by Dashboard Confessional. The first year we lived in California (which was also our first year of marriage) was one of the hardest years of my life. I would blare this song in the car when I was driving by myself. It’s maybe a little sad that this is the song that I equate with my first year of marriage. It’s certainly not a mushy love song!
15. You Fill Up My Senses by John Denver. One of the greatest love songs of all time.
16. Don’t Speak by No Doubt-One of me and Derek’s break-up songs. I vividly remember going out to eat and going to see a play one night when we were broken up. We must have heard that song on the radio three times that night. It’s was really eerie.

There are lots more that I know I am forgetting. My soundtrack would definately have to be more than one part. But here is part one.

Connor and Logan, don’t let anyone ever make you think that there is something wrong with being a mama’s boy. I never imagined that I would love being the mom of boys as much as I do. For some reason I always pictured myself with girls. But what a blessing you two boys have been! I can’t imagine being the mother to anyone else. I’ve learned so much in the two short years that I’ve been a mom. I’ve rediscovered the simple joys of dirt, worms, bikes, legos, and cars. I’ve learned that a simple kiss can heal just about any hurt. I’ve learned to wake up with a smile no matter what happened the day before. I’ve learned to find the fun and humor in every day things. Most of all, I’ve learned what it means to love unconditionally and with reckless abandon. Thank you, my sweet boys, for all that you’ve taught me and for all the ways you’ve helped me to grow.

My iPod has totally changed the music world for me. Derek was worried that I wouldn’t use it very often, but he definately doesn’t have to worry about that. He joked awhile ago that he was going to have to start recording messages on it in order for me to hear him. I use it every single day at any chance I get.

I’ve quickly grown tired of my music collection. I’ve probably only bought like 10 cds in the past few years. But now with my iPod I’m becoming much more of a music person. I’m always on the lookout for new songs, new artists, and just good music. My music tastes have definately broadened since purchasing the iPod. I’ve always been a John Mayer/Jack Johnson/John Denver kind of gal (although I’m not sure that John Denver belongs in that group, he came to my mind along with JM and JJ). But now what I listen to ranges from Coldplay to Gwen Stefani to Jeremy Camp. I’ve discovered bands like Embrace, Jason Mraz, and Tegan and Sara. My most recent download was the Black Eyed Peas. They are totally rockin’ my music world right now. I can turn them on at any moment and be totally energized.

I need more songs! This is like an addiction. What’s your favorite song or band? What songs pump you up or tug at your heartstrings? Do you have a theme song for your life? Please recommend some to me! (And don’t worry Derek-I won’t go too crazy buying songs all at one time )

For taking this picture of D and I. Gave me something new to scrap!

Our new apartment does not stay cool like our old one did. We do have an air conditioner in the living room, but it doesn’t work all that well. All day long I sing in my head (and sometimes out loud) the “It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes” song. But I don’t mean it like Nelly does!

So as soon as we got done with pictures I decided it was time for a summer haircut for Connor. Kristin and I got our haircut, Nick got his hair cut, so I figured C should follow suit. So, out came the clippers with a number 5 guard. I have to admit, he looks pretty darn cute. He had a buzz one other time after I completely, irrepebably botched a hair cut. He was 15 months old at the time and I didn’t like it at all. I liked his soft baby hair. Derek, on the other hand loved it and has wanted to keep it buzzed. But, since I’m the mommy I get to choose, so for the past year Connor has been getting professional haircuts.

I think that I will buzz Connor every summer from now on.

Just moments before the big clip-a-thon.

This was not easy. Two year olds are not the most cooperative of people.

What a handsome little dude!

Sushi condiments should not be an ice cream flavor. Cold Stone now has a flavor of ice cream called Wasabi Ginger. It takes the prize as the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten. Up until this point I thought that Green Tea was the real low point of ice cream flavors. But, alas, they were able to concoct one even more disgusting!

However, Mud Pie Mojo kicks some serious ice cream booty. Coffe ice cream with peanut butter, oreo, almonds, fudge, and whipped cream. Yummy!