Month: September 2009

Viva Las Vegas… and Hockey!

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Ahhhh, finally!! Don’t get me wrong, Shaun and I love our little girl and any extended amount of time away from her is tough, but boy were we happy to have a weekend to ourselves! So on Friday night we were off to Las Vegas for a bit of fun! Like many people, Vegas is fun and pretty entertaining on its own! But for the two of us, it was made even better by throwing a hockey game into the mix. Frozen Fury 2009…. Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalance! The only thing that could ruin the weekend would be a loss to Colorado.

The game was being held at the Garden Arena at the MGM Grand, so we decided to stay at the MGM Signature, a new addition to the MGM Grand. When we pulled up we were amazed to see that the Signature was gated. At first I thought we had the wrong hotel! When we pulled up to Tower 2, we were greeted by valet and a bellman (all included in the price of the room except for a tip). The service there was amazing! From the valet, to the bellman, to the desk staff. To top it off, the Signature is a no smoking, no gambling hotel. Now dont get me wrong, I like the casinos and all of that.. after all that is why you go to Vegas, but it was nice to not deal with the smoke and the drunks at 3am piling on to the elevators. I felt like royalty even though we paid far less then one would think for service like that. And the room! What can I say… the big jacuzzi bathtub had me at hello! I made sure we made a stop at LUSH so that I could take several amazing baths before we left.


After a great nights sleep and one fantastic bath, we made our way out of the hotel around 12:30 in the afternoon and searched for a place to have lunch. We ended up at the Venician and a restaurant called SambaSushi. This place was a blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian food and all I can say is…. AMAZING! The food was fantastic and their cucumber martini was killer. After lunch we shopped for a bit and then went back to our room to get ready for the game. And then it was time to go and have some fun!

The game was amazing and the energy from the fans was through the roof. A lot of the energy was alcohol induced, but still… it was great! The game was sloppy but great and included one heck of a fight from Wayne Simmonds. Some of the fans down the row from us got a little bit out of control and the guy next to me was so drunk that he was making up his own words and sharing them with anyone who would listen, but I just laughed and enjoyed the game. All in all it was amazing and to top it off… the Kings won!!


After the game, we had some dinner and gambled for a bit then went back to the room for some much needed sleep. The next morning I took yet another bath and daydreamed about having a bathroom like that in our house. Then I had to come back to reality, pack our stuff and head home. The big bummer of the weekend was driving home. I know there is generally some traffic on Sunday’s but my goodness. Its 2 hours to get from Vegas to State Line! In total it was a near nine hour trip home due to four rolled cars. After a drive like that, we could not wait to see Abby and get home and relax! It was a fun weekend though… Go Kings Go!

Ray D. Prueter Library Anniversary

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This evening Shaun, myself and Abby headed down to Port Hueneme and attended a dedication ceremony for the 20th Anniversary of the Ray D. Prueter Library. For those who did not know, my grandfather, Ray Prueter, was the mayor of Port Hueneme for twelve years during the 1960’s and 70’s. When the new Port Hueneme Library was built in 1989 they dedicated it and named it after my grandfather, who was very passtionate about education and loved to read. It seems like so long ago, but I remember being at the opening and dedication ceremony, therefore it only seemed right to be there for the deciation again, 20 years later and to represent the Prueter family.

Dama Hanks, one of my grandparents closest friends and my honorary grandmother had the opportunity to be there as well. She was joined by her daughter, Dama Lou whom I have known since birth. It was wonderful to see them both and share this special moment with them. Dama was able to get up and read a a letter from my grandmother, who could not attend and I am so very thankful she did that. The loss of my grandfather in 2007 seemed to hit me hard at that moment and I knew I would not be able to speak.

The current Mayor of Port Hueneme giving a certificate of acknowledgment to the current library staff. Most of these ladies have been at the library since it first opened its doors in 1989.

Abby was a great little listener and stole the show at times! I mean, its not surprising right? She is the cutest thing out there, right? Well she is in our eyes, but I guess that is just parental bias. The night was very special and I had the opportunity to talk with many people who are friends of my grandparents or people whose lives they had touched. It was wonderful to meet so many people who knew my grandfather or knew of him and that his name and the hard work he did for the community still lives on and is remembered. It really touches my heart.

Abby’s First Kings Game

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Tonight was Abby’s very first Kings game! Shaun and I were super excited to take Abby and see how she would do at a game and of course we couldn’t wait to see her in her little jersey!

We headed to Staples for a laid back Pre-Season game against the Anaheim Ducks and after a bit of traffic, finally arrived ready to go. When we made it to our seats, Abby seemed to be taking it all in and enjoying everything that was going on. We watched the warm-up and Abby was completely engrossed in what the players were doing on the ice as well as the lights and noise around her.


Abby was doing fine and only seemed to get upset when people around us would do that high pitch whistle that I cant stand. That set her off a bit, but once her snacks and juice came out… she was ok. That was, until, the Kings scored their first goal of the night and the goal siren went off. This sent her into a full on upset and as a mom I felt terrible. I didnt want to traumatize my child, but I also didnt want to go home. Luckily Abby calmed down and we continued on with the evening.

With snacks in hand Abby seemed to adapt to the noise of the crowd and enjoy life. But then, in the 2nd period, the Kings scored two more goals and those darn sirens just didnt do it for her. By the third goal Abby had had enough and it was time for us to get a move on.


Once we were outside of the arena, Abby seemed to settle down and act like her usual self. Shaun and I watched the beginning of the 3rd period from the monitors out in the hallway and then listened to the end of the game in the car on the way home. Despite the upset from the goal sirens, we had a great night and I am so proud of Abby for making it through two whole periods. I think we will give it some time before we take her to a game again, as we dont want to traumatize her, but I know Shaun and I will be back to see a game very soon!

To make the night even better… the Kings WON! Beat those Ducks 4 to 1. What a great ending to somewhat imperfect but great night. Yes I know its Pre-Season so the games dont really count, but any win against the Ducks counts in my book!

The Great "Abbydini"

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Here is a little story for your enjoyment….

This morning Shaun and I woke up to the sounds of our alarm. As with every Monday morning, we take our time waking up, laying in bed hoping for yet another 20 minutes of sleep. But of course its inevitable that we have to get up and start our day. As with most mornings, we can hear Abby chattering and singing to herself in a language only she can understand. We are both half awake but for some reason she seems louder than normal. Finally Shaun gets up to start making her bottle and to get Abby out of bed for the morning. As he walks out of our bedroom towards Abby’s room, he passes the kitchen and stops short and then calls for me.

As I get out of bed I think to myself, great whats the problem now. Is the sink backed up? Do we have ants? Did Jack chew up yet another plastic piece of something? When I reach the kitchen I see Shaun standing there, with a look of disbelief. There sitting on the floor, playing with the foam board pumpkins that we purchased the say before is Abby and her best friend Doggy. We are in complete shock and keep asking one another if we are absolutely sure that we did not get Abby out of bed this morning? While we were half awake and dreading getting up, we certainly were not in a deep enough sleep to do anything with Abby and not remember.

I think most parents are just as shocked and concerned when they discover that their 11 and half month child has somehow escaped from their crib. Luckily something tripped Shaun’s car alarm about 45 minutes before we discovered Abby playing and when we went out to shut it off, Abby was sound asleep in her crib. This gave us the reassurance that she had not been out there for long. Once we got past that though, we then begin to worry about how in the world she got out!!

We decided to check things out in Abby’s room and when we walked in, we started to see what could have happened. Abby had thrown out all of her friends from her crib. But there was purpose in this. All of her friends were in a pile in the exact same area, just under her diaper stacker that attaches to her crib. The only thing we could think of was that she used her diaper stacker to shimmy down and free herself. She piled all of her friends to bring them with her and possibly use them as a safe landing. As my friend Erika put it… “it was a full on jailbreak”! What a smart little cookie!

After a good inspection for bumps, bruises and scrapes, of which she had none, we felt a little bit better. Needless to say we lowered her mattress to its lowest point possible and it took a few nights before I could rest easy again. Ahhhhhh parenthood!

(I am sorry to report that we do not have any pictures from this morning. I think we were in too much shock to think of taking any!)

Betty Spaghetti

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Tonight was yet another quiet and lovely night. It was an evening spent with family, just enjoying each others company and doing a little bit of celebrating. I wont say who, but Happy Birthday Grandpa Wharton! 🙂 For dinner we enjoyed some yummy spaghetti and Abby loved it! She also made a mess of it, but at this age having spaghetti all over you is cute not inappropriate. Watching her try to eat her spghetti was fun. Abby figured out how to slurp up her spaghetti and well, that made even more of a mess. But no worries, there was a bath waiting for her once dinner was over. Nana Fiona had a little fun and gave Abby a bath in the kitchen sink, which Abby got a kick out of. After a bath, Abby played with James and Sammy while mommy and daddy relaxed. What a great evening.

Sleepy Playtime…

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Its funny when Abby is in her playpen. She chirps and chatters, plays with her toys and tries to sing her own songs. This independent play time usually gives me the chance to get a few things done. While I was working on some laundry today, things got very quiet. As we all know, when things get quiet its usually one of two things… someone fell asleep or someone is up to no good! When I walked back into our room I found that is was…


Such a cutie! All cuddled up with doggy! I guess she was tired and about an hour early for her usual nap. Oh well, she made herself comfy and settled down for the afternoon.

Lazy Labor Day

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Our Labor Day weekend was pretty uneventful. Most of it was spent being lazy, doing chores and hanging out with the Wharton Family on Sunday night. It was so nice to have three days to hang out with one another. Abby had the chance to see Patrick, Fiona, Brittany and James for the first time in a little while. Grandpa had the wagon all cleaned up for her, which allowed her to wheel around a bit in the front yard and mingle with their neighbor, Jim and Maxine. All in all it was a wonderful weekend!

11 Months… Where does the time go?

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Yep! Can you believe it? Abby is now 11 months old and time just keeps marching on! Before you know it I will be posting here about her first birthday. What amazes me about the time that has passed by are the changes in Abby. She has gone from a little bitty baby to a little girl with a complete personality. Abby is crawling like crazy, a speed demon to the core. She never slows down, that is until she is too tired and even then she tries. She has figured out how to stand up quickly with the help of any object around her. She has had some moments of standing in her own, but only for a few fleeting moments. At the moment, Abby is trying to stand on her own without grabbing something for help and she is trying to figure out how to let go and take steps all at once. Its a fun process to watch if you ask me, and there are little changes everyday.

That brain of hers is developing quickly too and the changes are amazing! She can point out daddy’s nose when you ask her to and she knows where the birdies are on the Beauty and the Beast picture in her room. Shes working hard on waving hello and goodbye and when given a baby doll to play with, she knew exactly what to do with the bottle that came with her. The wheels are a turnin’ and I have a feeling she will keep her mommy and daddy very busy! I think the next month will prove to be full of big changes! Until then, enjoy the pictures that we have thus far!