Jackson's Party

So he had a sleepover. We ended up with only 6 kids total. One of his friends had a cousin's birthday in Santa Clara earlier in the day and mom said they'd be back in time. She called about 5 to let me know that his little brother fell at Pump it Up and broke his arm in 2 places.. so he ended up not making it. I assured Jackson that he can have him over another night -no problem. Although both kids were sad that he missed the party.

We had an appetizer dinner. Pizza Rolls, Taquitos, Mozzerella Sticks, Chicken Fingers, BBQ Meatballs with a fruit and veggie tray. The boys seemed to enjoy it -although it was hard to get them to settle down long enough to eat!


Lots of Guitar Hero World Tour.... and a breakfast of sausage, bacon and pancakes.

Each kid got a Tiki cup to take home after the party and they used them all night and morning long.

Happy Early Birthday!

Jackson has had his birthday party planned for months.. he wanted to go see Wolverine opening day (May 1) with his friends. Since the movie is PG13 we ran into a bit of hesitance with several parents and the next thing I knew... he had totally changed his idea. A week ago on Sunday (19th) he asked if he could have a sleepover instead? We checked the calendar and the only avaiable time before June was Saturday (25th)... so I printed invitations on the computer and he gave them out Monday morning. He wanted to invite 6 friends, which equals 7 including him and Steven immediately said he would sleep over at a friends that night. I figured with less than a weeks notice, not all would be able to come --so I said ok. Well, the RSVP date was Thursday and sure enough all 8 RSVP'd that day! I started worrying about what I had gotten myself into, what would they do, how loud would it be.. but what's done is done, we were having a sleepover!

Jonathan and I decided that since he wasn't having an expensive party we would go ahead and get him the Guitar Hero World Tour that he wanted ... it is expensive, but doable in that situation -plus it was on-sale last week! I spent several hours Friday trying to get it -it was out of stock for the Wii at TRU (where it was on sale) but Fry's price matched for me *after 40 minutes of calling to confirm the price* and we brought it home. We gave it to him that night so it could be set up, tested and sync'd... my guys all had fun playing it together. I told Jackson I forgot my purse in the car and could he go get it for me.... knowing he would see it sitting on the backseat.. I snapped this picture as he pulled it out.. but as he opened the back door I heard him say "awesome" from inside the house!

Karate Promotions....Green Belt w/ a Red Stripe!

Last night Jackson was promoted to Green Belt with Red Stripe! He has worked hard and did very well on his test. It was quite a deal though... we went last Thursday for him to test (he likes us to ALL attend) and no one was there. The person at the community center (which is on the other side of town from us) told us it was actually scheduled to be at the school where he takes class.. this was news to us as he had missed class the week before because his feet were blistered from basketball practice, so apparently we missed the announcement. No biggie, we were quite a bit early, so we had time to get to the school (much closer to our house) but she said that when Sensei got to the school, the room was locked for a school event so testing had been moved to Monday (yesterday) at the community center. Ok.. so we headed home. Then last night we got a call that Sensei had actually improvised and gone ahead with the testing outside, so come to promotions a bit early and he would test the kids who missed it then. Oh, ok... so he took his test 15 minutes before he got promoted... he still did GREAT!

I have to back up and say that I am going to be posting about Thursday (well I guess I just did...) thru the weekend, I just hadn't had the opportunity to pull the photo's off the camera and post because we were busy! My mom questioned last night (as I uploaded a super cute picture to facebook to share with my SILs) if I had abandoned my blog to post on Facebook (something she can't see). I said no, I just hadn't gotten to it yet.. so please, don't lose faith.. today will be full of posts catching everyone up on the last 4 days.

This is how they sit during the ceremony.. you can just see Jackson in the back row.

Lots of us there to watch..Grandma Pat, Papa, G-ma, Iain and us

Quick picture with his grandparents after the ceremony -there is a better one, I accidentally uploaded the silly one!

Jackson & I after the ceremony

Chatting with friends while waiting for their name to be called. The tall one (with his back to us) has been friends with Steven since Kindergarten.

The Kata.. he did so good -he is so precise and crisp in his movements.

Now I have a date to walk with a friend... be back soon to post about birthdays, injuries and the weekend!

Walk Thru California

Yesterday I had the opportunity to sit in on Jackson's Walk Thru California program. I have to say that it is a wonderful program that really engages the kids in active learning in a fun way. I remember going with Steven as well and both kids loved it. (you can see pictures of Steven's in the beginning of my blogging days April -06'). We pulled out the missionary robe that my mom made for Steven and although it was a bit short, Jackson wore it anyway (and looked totally cute!)

Here he is at the start.. coming from recess, he looked a bit warm as his face was bright red. Of course it was super hot (90+) outside.

The kids are divided into groups, complete with motto's.. his group was the Green Valleys, huuuh (then make a muscle arm)

Here is the whole room shot... lot's of parents came out to watch.

Jackson was chosen to be Father Serra in a little skit .. all he said was Si.



At the end of his skit, he got to "go for the gold" which is picking a lollipop. If the stick is dipped in gold, your team gets 50 points and you have to shout "eureka" ..which he did!


In case you are intrigued about Walk Thru California.. here is the program overview...
Experts" are challenged to listen for word clues in program and respond to our "Expert Chair" with information they have prepared and memorized based on the card in advance. No two students have the same card. All students listen closely for purposeful blunders that presenter makes during program. Students are encouraged to think out answers carefully and answer with full sentences and are rewarded for this effort!

Students participate as teams and as individuals as they travel together on an imaginary trip through the history and geography of California. They accumulate points by answering questions and finding locations based on information presented in program. This is not a passive spectator event. It is not a traditional school assembly. It is a program that involves active participation by every student. Programs are LIMITED TO 35 PARTICIPANTS. Students take a break half-way through the event and are enthusiastically waiting at the door to return!

Children travel in our "time machine" to periods of history and observe events played by other students. Authentic full-size historical flags are displayed and used by students to fix chronology in the students’ minds. Some students play the part of historical characters in our costumes . . . some may get trapped in the wilderness. . . volcanoes could erupt . . . Serra starts a mission . . . Gold is discovered . . .

The centerpiece of the program involves the assembling of a detailed three-dimensional model-map of California that is almost 20 feet long and 12 feet wide. Clues guide students to locating important geographical and historical features. An exciting race determines distances, directions, and places takes place on this model. Teams select a representative to visit special places and gain additional points in a final review. Throughout the program special music, skits, sound effects, dance, and humor help the students’ imagination capture the spirit of the state.

They Won!!!

Sorry for the late blog update, things were crazy busy around here yesterday. I finished most of my organizing, house project -pictures to come later in the week. I attended a program at Jackson's school in the afternoon and I had to fit in a bit of grocery shopping (for things we actually need).

So Tuesday night Steven's game was at 5. He had to be at the field at 3:30. His manager was out of town and the coach took over the D-Backs for that game. D-Backs were playing the team with Steven's 2 best friends on it, the Padres. D-Backs record for the first half 0-9. Discouraging, to say the least. Steven's team has quite a few younger and definitly less experienced kids.

With the manager out of town, the coach's first move was to have Steven be our starting pitcher. He did AMAZING! He got us thru the first inning, no problem. Second inning, he was doing just as well, his best friend Josh is up to bat. 1 ball, 1 strike and Josh foul tips the ball -which hit our catcher in the hand. Uh-oh, catcher has to come out of the game! (he's ok.. went back in the outfield in the 6th) Problem with that is Steven is our other catcher.. so off the mound he goes... into his gear to catch the rest of the game. It wasn't looking good for us for a while after that. I really wish I could remember the other details.. I am sure my husband, father or son could replay it all for you step by step... I just know the overall result at this point, my memory fades quickly.


Here's some shots of him pitching that I got early in the game (1st inning, maybe?)




Here's him batting in our first run (RBI) in the first inning!

So I may have Steven log on to give some more details later, because it all happened so fast and it was pretty amazing. I know that it was the bottom of the 6th... we were tied 6-6.. there was a runner on 3rd, a runner on 2nd and 2 outs. Steven hit a great line drive to the outfield and scored the game winning RBI!!! He was so happy, standing on 1st with his arms up in the air, then he was swept up in a huge crowd of his team. Everyone was so happy -we finally WON! Of course I was too nervous to pull out my camera when he got up to bat - so I missed the great pose he struck on 1st.... but it is etched into my mind.. it was a great moment for him and he deserved to relish it!

I found out later that the coach of the other team (who is, in fact, Steven's travel ball coach) had called for the pitcher to intentionally walk Steven... I guess that didn't work out as he planned!

Happy Tuesday!

So I skipped Menu Plan Monday somehow -although I remember typing the post and clicking it to post yesterday...hmmm. So for those who are anxious to know what we are eating this week...

Monday - Spaghetti, homemade meat sauce, garlic cheddar biscuits
Tuesday- Italian Beef (CP) hoagies, carrot sticks and red grapes (taking this to eat at the baseball field as Steven has a 5 pm game)
Wednesday - Chicken Noodles w/ peas
Thursday - London Broil, mashed potatoes and corn
Friday - Meatball Sandwiches (Jackson has an early game at 5:30)
Saturday - leftovers or Jackson's sleepover buffet of appetizer foods
Sunday - Ham, scalloped potatoes and green beans

So Sunday night Jackson decided to change all his birthday plans around. Instead of taking his friends to see Wolverine (which is PG-13) he has opted to have a sleepover. Unfortunately the only night in the next 6 weeks that was workable between sports was this upcoming Saturday. So I printed invites on decorated computer paper and he gave them out on Monday morning. He is excited to just watch movies, play games and eat appetizer foods. Not bad for me -certainly cheaper than tickets and snacks for 8 kids at the theater. Just a bit of a rush to pull it off -hopefully all will go well.

Monday I spent working on the projects I ignored in my hot, frustrated state on Sunday. I am still not done, but much closer. It was so hot here yesterday (90+ degrees) that by 4 p.m. I had no energy or motivation to work on anything other than laundry, making dinner and desk work. Then it was so hot inside (over 80 at 9pm) that Jonathan & I sat around downstairs (with a slight breeze) watching some shows we had on tivo. He is in training this week so he is getting up a bit later and doesn't need to get to bed early for a 5am wake-up call -so we were up late -like 11:30! It's been a long time since we've done that -but it was fun to watch in the silence and dark.

So I still have a ways to go on my house project... today it is looking much better and I am still hopeful to have it all finished before my friends arrive on Wednesday night! I will be so happy once it is a completed project, as my mind just swirls with ideas and what I'm doing. Of course, Steven has a game at 5, needs to be there by 3:30 and we won't be home until about 7:30 or so...

He just walked in and needs the computer for homework -so I better get going.. Have a great day!

I may not be ready for summer..

Last night Steven had a baseball game. Jackson had been with my parents since Friday night for a sleepover with his cousin. When they arrived at the game, he gave me this rose. It was so sweet a gesture, made my heart take a little leap.


It was a nice night, although there seemed to be a lot of mosquitos out. After the game (which we lost 0-3) Jon & I took the boys to Coldstone. Since Ciera had softball games again today for her tournament, I said yes when Jackson called earlier in the day to ask if Logan could stay at our house. They seemed to be doing well together throughout the game and I was hopeful it would continue. So we all got our ice cream and hung out (them being silly) to eat it -then we headed home. Got the boys settled, teeth brushed and beds ready... they sat down to watch Yes Man and I went to bed.

This morning turned out to be anything but peaceful. I had lots of plans to finish my organizing project -but it was so hot, I kept getting sidetracked. Between that and hearing "I'm bored," "he doesn't want to do that" and "what can we do" I about lost my mind! I sent them to the park -they were back in less than an hour -it was boring. Jackson wanted to watch tv, his cousin didn't. Logan wanted to go outside and play with his ripstick (and wasn't happy when I forced him to wear a helmet because it's the law in here) and Jackson didn't. Steven was testy with both of them. Things were thrown at one another (near the tv downstairs). I overheard a game of Truth or Dare I'd like to not ever think about again. No one could agree on anything except that they didn't agree. This was strange for me, as my boys are usually quite content to play, watch tv, go out back, etc and I haven't heard alot of the boredom talk before. Now I am wondering if it comes with these ages... and dreading the fact that we finally have a 8 week summer this year. I have to say that it will be miserable if it is like today was. I guess I need to pull out my notebook and start listing things they can do when they are "bored" like sweep the driveway, pull weeds, clean baseboards, stuff like that. I will have to, otherwise I may not survive!

Finally Jackson came to me and asked if they could go to Papa's to swim? This was a couple hours after they said they called G-ma, but she was going to a play. I said probably not, it was late and maybe Papa was taking a nap. He said, no he's not -Logan's talking to him! I was shocked that they called before asking me, but at that point, I just wanted them to have something to do. After my dad assured me it was fine with him, I packed the three of them up and dropped them off at his house --where they went swimming! It's April and they are already swimming -I can hardly believe it. My toes touched the water and that was that, I knew I wasn't going in. From what I hear Jack & Logan swam Friday night.... so this was their 3rd time.

I stopped by Safeway (for a coffee and a few things) and was pleased that the special they were having worked the way I thought it would. I got 10 6 packs of Arrowhead water with Sport tops, 3 Life waters for Jack, 10 Barilla pasta sauce pouches, a ham, 6 ranch dressings, 2 capri suns and a clorox 2... shelf price $126.98, I paid 69 cents and got back $42 in catalinas to use off my next purchase. When the cashier said my saings was 99% the 2 people behind me in line cheered for me! I was so excited, my earlier headache was washed away. Now I just need to find a store that has more pasta sauce pouches --so I can do it again before the sale ends on Tuesday!


So my project remains 4/5 of the way done. I still need to empty my current desk, finish sorting the piles on the floor, clear the bookcases and go to ikea to buy the new computer desk. I am still hopeful that it will be done tomorrow, but I say that knowing I have Tuesday also to get it done. By the time my friends come over on Wednesday night --it will be finished! I can hardly wait. I thought about just continuing tonight and staying up til it was done.... but my eyes are burning tired, so I am headed to bed, ready to start on it in the morning.

Avoidance...

Here I sit, typing this blog post, when I should be finishing the project I started earlier this week. You might remember that Jackson and I took a trip to Ikea on Monday... here is the proof, him & the store!


While there I had a radical idea for moving around my scrapbook room, my office and organizing the foyer using furniture I already have. So Wednesday and Thursday and Friday found me moving furniture, clearing stuff out and in general overall de-cluttering. I worked all day while the kids were at school each day. My project is about 3/4 of the way done.. but today it is hot! 86 degrees hot and this afternoon I am severly lacking in motivation.

So instead, I went to weight watchers, stopped at 2 grocery stores, got a Starbucks iced caramel macchiatto, made chicken pot pies for dinner and surfed a bit of the web while listening to the end of the Giants game.

I am hoping that after Steven's game tonight I'll get a 2nd wind (thanks to that Starbucks!) and maybe I'll just stay up until it's done and then sleep in tomorrow. I have plans to scrapbook with a friend around noon -but other than that -nothing big is on my schedule. Then my project will be finished until I head back to Ikea on Monday to pick up a new computer desk.

I'll post pictures once I am done of the completed rooms. I hope soon.

I am off to have dinner and then Steven has to get to the field for his game... go D-Backs! It'd be really nice to finally win one! For Steven's sake I hope so.

Sometimes we have to do what is the most difficult...

Jackson decided he wanted to play basketball this session. He isn't playing baseball this year and has been concentrating on karate for the last 18 months.We signed him up to be on the younger team that Steven's tournament team coaches and got his good friend on the team too. He missed the first official practice as it was during his trip east. The next week I took him to practice, but the coach had cancelled it and told kids the previous week -so we didn't know. (neither did the other 6 kids who showed up). Wednesday night Jonathan took him to practice -scheduled for 1 hour. It ended up being a full hour and a half --mostly all running, practicing a drill over and over. Jackson told me the next morning that his feet were blistered (the pad right behind the toes was really bruised) and he couldn't walk and he hates basketball -he no longer wants to play. I told him we'd talk about it later and off to school he went. He took a motrin for the achiness -but has since informed me that "motrin doesn't work for that." He complained a bit more Thursday and we told him he has to go to the game -see how he likes the games, they are different than practice. To be completely honest, Steven always hates practice with this coach too -he is all about endurance and outlasting the other team, with a little skill thrown in.

Friday was horrible. From the moment he got home he was cranky and moody and didn't want to go. It didn't help that his friend is out of town this week at his grandfathers funeral -so Jackson didn't really know anyone on the team and he can be shy. I admit I was frustrated with why the kid couldn't just do what we were telling him to do? We said that he had to go to the game. He came to me about 1/2 hour before we were to leave and said "can I just pay you $99 of my money and not play basketball?" It was so hard to not say yes. To stand my ground and look at his pitifully unhappy face. So we told him we expect him to get that out of his system before we get there -he is not to be rude or disrespectful around his coach or team -that is not acceptable.

We got there and it was still painful for me to see him look so sad as we waited for the court to clear. I told his coach (Mike) that he was leary after the practice and he told me it would be fine, he'd be playing alot. Mike said he told Jackson that he may call him Steven sometimes, but after hearing about his response to the practice said maybe he'd call him Steven 2. Steven always hated the running too, and Mike knew it!

So the game starts (1st picture) and he is still hesitant. Then it kicks in.. he scored our 4th basket in the first 4 minutes and a smile lit across his face. He went on to score another basket, got 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 save. He played 4/5 periods and did a great job keeping up. The period he sat out (right after picture #2) was neat because only 2 kids sat at a time. Our coach had to go to his next teams game and a dad took over coaching.. that dad was Shareef Abdur-Rahim, former Kings Forward and current Kings assistant coach. Jackson was so excited to sit and talk with him during his bench time. I tried to get the picture of the 2 of them on the bench -but they were blurry. Next week I'll take the better camera!

He loved playing and is looking forward to next week. It was tough to be so hard on him about it -but it paid off in him seeing that
it was much better than he expected!

So a rough day with a happy ending.

Today my day was filled with .....

Silence! The boys headed back to school today after 2.3 weeks off! I was able to work in peace and quiet & because of that I got alot done! When they are home, they are upstairs, downstairs, in the kitchen, upstairs, outside, inside... every time one of them walks by my head jerks that direction, tearing my focus from whatever I am supposed to be working on.

So today I finished up all my work from last quarter, got 2nd quarter ready to go, worked on ideas for a scrapbook project I agreed to do, completed my exercise dvd (ouch, still, 12 hours later!), walked the dogs, did a little grocery shopping and surfed the internet. It is no longer Lent and I figure I need to catch up -so I spent about an hour goofing off and looking at sites, I admit it!

I had a great trip to the grocery store... with a sale plus OYNO (on your next order) coupons I got 22 pouches of Bertolli Pasta sauce (yummy, I had it for lunch!), 4 #s bananas, 2 12 packs of water with squeeze tops (for the boys to use/re-use for school, but it's ok if it gets lost), 2 dozen eggs, 2 gallons of milk, hamburger buns, 4 #s pork chops and 2 #s hamburger for dinner -- all for $23.43 cash and I received $26 in OYNO coupons to use next time!!! So really it all ends up being FREE!!! The shelf price was $123.93 (before tax). So then of course I had to come home and get caught up clipping my coupons so I can go back again before the sale ends and stock up on some more things that are on sale!

I was able to see most of Steven's baseball game. They still haven't won a game.. when I left they were starting the 4th inning and the score was 8-2. We finished 12-2 at the end of the 4th and the game was called under a mercy rule. Steven caught a good game and got on base both hits. He almost got called out the first time, but the umpire changed his original call after consulting with the home plate ump. He then misread the steal sign and he went.. and got tagged out -but him stealing brought in a run! I didn't see his second at bat, but I understand he was stranded when the inning ended. He played well and that is all we can hope for. I had to leave early to take Jackson to karate.. only one more class to go before his belt test..... he did really well tonight. Then on the way home he asked to stop at donut store on the corner -we had never gone there and donuts at 7:45 at night seemed strange -but what the heck -and you know what? the donuts were darn good and mine was even still warm! We had to eat dinner about 3:30-4 before the game -so by the time he had worked out an hour at karate, he was hungry (and so was I) again. I am actually glad we don't have very many 5 pm games --it is killer on the schedule. 7:30 games get done late -but at least we have time to eat dinner before hand. Steven has to be there 90 minutes before the game, so he actually ate at 2:45 --dinner. yikes.

So I am off to bed.. hoping for another productive day tomorrow! Sweet dreams everyone!

Menu Plan Monday

The kids are still on spring break, today was the last day.. they head back to school tomorrow. So today was a slow moving day. This morning Jackson and I took a trip out to Ikea to look at beds. He picked one he likes and hopefully we'll be getting it soon. He is ready to move to a bigger bed -he looks giant on his twin bed and his biggest complaint is the dogs won't sleep with him since there isn't enough room. He mentioned wanting to make some other changes in his room and we are going to work on those too.

It was nice to have a short (2 hour) trip with just him. He is so much more open and talks so much more one on one. When Steven is there, Jackson tends to be more silly or closed off -not as open to conversation. We talked about his upcoming birthday plans, the dinner he wants, his choice of desserts and what friends to invite. I can hardly believe he is almost 10 and getting so much more adult-like. There is still a kid in him (probably always will be) but I am so proud of the tween he is becoming.

At the same time it was weird to drive away and leave Steven at home. He wasn't even out of bed yet when we left and happy to stay behind. Still, a part of me found it odd and yet exciting for him. He is old enough to babysit -he is alone at the other people's house... of course he is old enough to stay home alone -but really? It was somewhat surreal.

Tonight I went to a BeautiControl meeting with our company's vice president of marketing and development. He talked about our new "instant face lift" products and gave us an in depth lecture about whats in them, how they work and why we need them. I didn't need the talk, the proof for me is on my face -how my skin feels and looks. But it was interesting to hear him talk about it and see it all happen right before my eyes. I am always energized coming home from a meeting like that -tonight is no exception. I am thrilled to have BC in my life and to have the amazing opportunity to help other women thru that business.

So back to menu plan Monday -I am planning simple meals to get us back into the eating at home mode.. the last 2 weeks of vacation have taken their toll (everywhere!).

Tonight -Spaghetti with meat sauce
Tuesday - Hamburgers
Wednesday - Chicken Noodles
Thursday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes
Friday- Hot dogs, mac & cheese
Saturday- chicken pot pie
Sunday- meatball sandwiches

2005 and 2009 ...

All I can say is wow.... what a difference!

Easter continues

I don't know why blogger won't let me add all my pictures! So multiple posts it will have to be.

Here's one of my honey & me... Easter 2009

The kids all agreed they had to have an egg hunt. Even though the majority of the eggs are hidden in plain sight. They had a good time looking for the candy filled eggs (thanks Cyn!) and then they took turns older then younger ... re-hiding the eggs for the others to find. So Jackson & Logan re-hid the eggs for Steven & Ciera to find.. then vice versa... they spent over an hour hunting and playing with those eggs!

Someone said go....

Happy Easter

Last night around 8 Jackson dyed Easter Eggs. He took his time, making each one a creation. I enjoyed watching his creativity and enjoyment at such a simple project --on that could easily be done at other times of the year, but isn't. I was so happy that I picked up the dye kit while I was out running errands.. and although it used all my eggs (so there were no strawberry cupcakes made) it was well worth it.

We tried to have Steven watch James Bond -Casino Royale, but he gave up after an hour citing confusing language and boring story. Oh well, I'll try again another time I'm sure -since I love James Bond movies...

This morning I had donuts from the local store (thank you Jonathan & Jackson for going to get them!) with my coffee. Then Jackson & I headed out to meet Grandma, Ciera and Logan to see Hannah Montana. There was no one there when we arrived -only 8 cars in the whole parking lot! When we got into the theater there were 3 others already there... a total of 16 of us saw the movie at the same time. The boys sat down in the front row, while the girls sat in the first row of the back section, right by the bar to put our feet on. I liked the movie -felt like it was a feel-good story and perfect for Easter.

I took the kids and my mom went home to get my dad. We headed to my house and decided to go to the dog park before heading to my brothers house. So I took Jack and my neice and nephew plus the 2 dogs and off we went. It was a beautiful day at the park -the sun was shinning, lots of dogs were playing. We just walked around while they played, for about 1/2 hour. Took them home, got ready and off we went.

When we first arrived, my dad, Jonathan and I watched the end of the Giants game. I was bummed that they lost, but you win some, you lose some.... then we enjoyed a great ham, mashed potato & gravy, baked bean, aspargus, corn and roll lunch/dinner and after that the kids played Guitar Hero World Tour (pictured below)

Jackson's shopping day

Today we were looking at sock monkey items online. Jackson loves his sock monkey that his dad got him for Christmas (after he drove us crazy that he had to have it after seeing Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium). Yesterday he & his friend were talking about them and how they loved them.

So today Jackson spent some of his birthday money -of course we will post pictures of them together when they arrive (probably on his blog) but he said I could share the images of his purchases.... a sock cow to be friends with his sock monkey and a cocoa dinosaur Webkinz. He is thrilled and anxiously awaiting their arrival in 7-10 business days! He bought both so he could get free shipping instead of spending $7 to ship just the cow. I couldn't be more proud of his shopping logic!