Austin was sick at the end of last week and last weekend. He had a slight fever on Tuesday night (around 99.5), so we both stayed home on Wednesday, during which he had no fever. Great, I thought, that was a fast recovery! Thursday, however, I got a call from Sherry saying that his fever was 100.5, so I went to pick him up. He stayed warm on Friday and Saturday, spiking only to 100.8 on Friday evening though. I was pretty surprised. From what I've heard from other friends, most of their kids who have had this have seen fevers in the 103-104 degree range, so the fact that he didn't even hit 101 was a bonus.
We had a pretty low key weekend, which consisted of many movies being watched and the random trips to the store on Sunday. I could tell he was feeling much better on Sunday because he was rambunctious and just wanted to run all over the house and play. We had some issues, my boy and I, due to the fact that we were both stir crazy and bored from our few days of hibernation, which resulted in much whining, a lack of listening, several time outs, and some making up. I'm glad to say that he's back at Sherry's today (and, I'm assuming, doing well since I haven't gotten a call from her!), playing with friends and being way more entertained than he usually is with me!
Tomorrow, Nick leaves for his annual "Deer Camp" hunting trip. He'll be gone Tuesday through Sunday, so Austin and I are looking forward to some fun time together. We're planning a trip to the Festival of Trees (an annual outing for us!) and a visit with Grandma, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Danny this weekend. What could be better?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Let's Do the Time Warp Again...
This past weekend, I traveled home to Decatur to spend time with my family and also with friends who I haven't seen in years. One of my high school friends, Kimberly, lives in Arizona but was coming back to Decatur for a visit, which made this a great weekend to get together! The Class of 1994 (the year ahead of me) was also having their 15-year high school reunion Saturday night, which gave us a good opportunity to see people we normally wouldn't.
Five of us met up for dinner at Bizou on Saturday night -- me, Kimberly, Tori, Beth, and Lesley. I had never been to Bizou before and it was pretty nice! There were some great looking things on the menu, but they were a little pricier than I wanted to pay, so Kimberly and I ordered off the appetizer menu! I was very happy with my veggie quesadilla, especially because it had great big chunks of avacado stuffed in with the onions, cheese, and tomatoes. Delicious!
After dinner, we walked over to Daugherty's, which is where the reunion was taking place. It had just wrapped up and so we spent a few minutes talking with people who were still there. I have to admit, there were several people who I didn't recognize! Some people had changed a lot, some people I just didn't remember...also, my memory isn't the best these days! Luckily, Kimberly filled me in on who most people were, so I was good to go.
The party moved to the Cornerstone Bar after that. This is a bar that used to be called something like The 99 Club, I think. I just remember it as the weird bar across the street from Farm & Fleet where some 3rd shifters used to go in the morning time. I never went there when I lived in Decatur, either, so it always seemed like it was not the place to go. Apparently, it's now a very "Meridian" place to go, according to my sources! We had a pretty good time! There was a DJ (although the stuff he was playing was a bit techno/dance remix for my taste much of the time), there was a dance floor, there were cheap cans of beer...it was Decatur at its finest! There was also a handwritten "Cash Only!" sign behind the bar, a sad sight for those of us who don't carry cash anymore! I was assured by the waitress that there was an ATM, but if was broken! Luckily, I had enough money for one drink, and several friends found it in their hearts to provide me with more throughout the night! The funniest part of the night was that a lot of us kept going outside to the "beer garden" to talk because it was so loud inside, and people kept saying, "I'm so old! It's too loud in there!"
It was great to see people and brought back a lot of memories! It was also weird because it definitely felt like I was back in 1994-1995, since that was the last time I saw many of these people! It's like my brain was trying to remember that this was 2009 the whole time! Also, it was weird but really fun to see everyone's kid pictures. We're so grown up now!
Of course, I got to show off this gorgeous boy, so lucky them!
Five of us met up for dinner at Bizou on Saturday night -- me, Kimberly, Tori, Beth, and Lesley. I had never been to Bizou before and it was pretty nice! There were some great looking things on the menu, but they were a little pricier than I wanted to pay, so Kimberly and I ordered off the appetizer menu! I was very happy with my veggie quesadilla, especially because it had great big chunks of avacado stuffed in with the onions, cheese, and tomatoes. Delicious!
After dinner, we walked over to Daugherty's, which is where the reunion was taking place. It had just wrapped up and so we spent a few minutes talking with people who were still there. I have to admit, there were several people who I didn't recognize! Some people had changed a lot, some people I just didn't remember...also, my memory isn't the best these days! Luckily, Kimberly filled me in on who most people were, so I was good to go.
The party moved to the Cornerstone Bar after that. This is a bar that used to be called something like The 99 Club, I think. I just remember it as the weird bar across the street from Farm & Fleet where some 3rd shifters used to go in the morning time. I never went there when I lived in Decatur, either, so it always seemed like it was not the place to go. Apparently, it's now a very "Meridian" place to go, according to my sources! We had a pretty good time! There was a DJ (although the stuff he was playing was a bit techno/dance remix for my taste much of the time), there was a dance floor, there were cheap cans of beer...it was Decatur at its finest! There was also a handwritten "Cash Only!" sign behind the bar, a sad sight for those of us who don't carry cash anymore! I was assured by the waitress that there was an ATM, but if was broken! Luckily, I had enough money for one drink, and several friends found it in their hearts to provide me with more throughout the night! The funniest part of the night was that a lot of us kept going outside to the "beer garden" to talk because it was so loud inside, and people kept saying, "I'm so old! It's too loud in there!"
It was great to see people and brought back a lot of memories! It was also weird because it definitely felt like I was back in 1994-1995, since that was the last time I saw many of these people! It's like my brain was trying to remember that this was 2009 the whole time! Also, it was weird but really fun to see everyone's kid pictures. We're so grown up now!
Of course, I got to show off this gorgeous boy, so lucky them!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Chilly Friday
I am so, SO flippin' tired this afternoon! I don't know what happened, because I was totally fine this morning. Somewhere between my gas station pumpkin spice cappuccino with the EXTRA shot of espresso thrown in and my Steak and Shake lunch, I apparently ingested some sort of horse tranquilizer and, as a result, am about to fall asleep at my desk.
I have to admit, I love that it's chilly outside! I am not a big fan of sweating, and I feel like I do it a lot (like I'll end up sweating while trying to wrestle my favorite 2 1/2 year old into his car seat!), so when the temperatures start to drop, I usually enjoy it! I like this in-between chilly but not freezing weather every year, and every year it seems to go by pretty quickly. We'll see how 2009 pans out. I remember last year on Halloween and Thanksgiving that it was much warmer than normal. For example, Aunt Erin and Uncle Danny came up to walk around with us for trick-or-treating, and no one had to wear any coats. Danny even wore a t-shirt, for Heaven's sake!
(I like that I made that part all dramatic...NO-T-SHIRT!!!!!!! Can you IMAGINE IT??)
On Thanksgiving, we hosted my family since it was the first Thanksgiving in our new house. I remember it being so mild outside (and so warm from the oven and stove) that I opened most of the upstairs windows because I was, hold on to your seats people, sweating. In fact, I had a lovely red sweater on that I quickly swapped for my faded out Willie Nelson t-shirt (AGAIN WITH THE T-SHIRTS!!) before dinner, as evidenced by photos from the day.
(So pretty!)
A funny, random memory from that Thanksgiving is that our across-the-street neighbors, the Wilsons, had someone on their roof on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (which is when we did our celebrating with the family). I think it was Dusty, and I believe he was hanging Christmas lights? For some reason, I'm remembering him either doing Christmas lights or, I guess, roofing, since hew as on the roof. I'm going with Christmas lights, because would someone really repair a roof all alone in November? It seems less likely.
So we'll see how this fall turns out. We had a pretty mild summer, which has led many people I've talked to to believe that this will be either (a) a mild winter, or (b) the worst winter in the history of weather. It's really a toss up at this point!
Oh, and by the way...I was shopping at Walgreens the other day (it was still September) and saw that there, above the clearanced items in one aisle, were rolls and rolls of Christmas wrapping paper! It was just LOOMING there up on the high shelf, taunting us all, "Heeeyyyyy, everybody! Here we come! It's not even October and you'd better get ready for Christmas!"
Sheesh, gift wrap! Why ya gotta be so ominous?
I have to admit, I love that it's chilly outside! I am not a big fan of sweating, and I feel like I do it a lot (like I'll end up sweating while trying to wrestle my favorite 2 1/2 year old into his car seat!), so when the temperatures start to drop, I usually enjoy it! I like this in-between chilly but not freezing weather every year, and every year it seems to go by pretty quickly. We'll see how 2009 pans out. I remember last year on Halloween and Thanksgiving that it was much warmer than normal. For example, Aunt Erin and Uncle Danny came up to walk around with us for trick-or-treating, and no one had to wear any coats. Danny even wore a t-shirt, for Heaven's sake!
(I like that I made that part all dramatic...NO-T-SHIRT!!!!!!! Can you IMAGINE IT??)
On Thanksgiving, we hosted my family since it was the first Thanksgiving in our new house. I remember it being so mild outside (and so warm from the oven and stove) that I opened most of the upstairs windows because I was, hold on to your seats people, sweating. In fact, I had a lovely red sweater on that I quickly swapped for my faded out Willie Nelson t-shirt (AGAIN WITH THE T-SHIRTS!!) before dinner, as evidenced by photos from the day.
(So pretty!)A funny, random memory from that Thanksgiving is that our across-the-street neighbors, the Wilsons, had someone on their roof on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (which is when we did our celebrating with the family). I think it was Dusty, and I believe he was hanging Christmas lights? For some reason, I'm remembering him either doing Christmas lights or, I guess, roofing, since hew as on the roof. I'm going with Christmas lights, because would someone really repair a roof all alone in November? It seems less likely.
So we'll see how this fall turns out. We had a pretty mild summer, which has led many people I've talked to to believe that this will be either (a) a mild winter, or (b) the worst winter in the history of weather. It's really a toss up at this point!
Oh, and by the way...I was shopping at Walgreens the other day (it was still September) and saw that there, above the clearanced items in one aisle, were rolls and rolls of Christmas wrapping paper! It was just LOOMING there up on the high shelf, taunting us all, "Heeeyyyyy, everybody! Here we come! It's not even October and you'd better get ready for Christmas!"
Sheesh, gift wrap! Why ya gotta be so ominous?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Cecilia, this one's for you!
So...okay. Why am I not such a good blogger? I have funny (sometimes) things to say, I'm a fast typer...you'd think this blogging thing would be really easy!
I will tell you why. I can't hold myself back and end up telling the handful of people who I believe read this blog all my stories before I have a chance to post them! Therefore, I will either try to wait and not share everything in person or throw a few things in my blog that are just random thoughts instead of funny Austin stories!
Today, I read a story on The Pantagraph about a new spa that has opened up in Eastland Mall. They're advertising 20-minute massages for $24 and, for the rest of the month, a Buy One, Get One Free deal! Some of the comments people left online were about how they could never relax while getting a massage in such a public place. Someone else noted that there is a private area in the back of the spa. I am going to have to see this place. I wouldn't be too thrilled with having a mostly naked massage in an open area, but $24 for 20 minutes, and BOGO free? Not a bad deal!
I will tell you why. I can't hold myself back and end up telling the handful of people who I believe read this blog all my stories before I have a chance to post them! Therefore, I will either try to wait and not share everything in person or throw a few things in my blog that are just random thoughts instead of funny Austin stories!
Today, I read a story on The Pantagraph about a new spa that has opened up in Eastland Mall. They're advertising 20-minute massages for $24 and, for the rest of the month, a Buy One, Get One Free deal! Some of the comments people left online were about how they could never relax while getting a massage in such a public place. Someone else noted that there is a private area in the back of the spa. I am going to have to see this place. I wouldn't be too thrilled with having a mostly naked massage in an open area, but $24 for 20 minutes, and BOGO free? Not a bad deal!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Ha!
I'm just going to say it. I'm freaking hilarious!!
I just reread my entire blog. Yes, we've been busy today at work, but I am a VERY FAST reader, and I've been reading snippets all day, and it really isn't that long of a blog, so don't think I wasn't pulling my weight today at work!
Anyway, I loved rereading this blog! I have made some pretty hilarious statements which seem much funnier now than when I wrote them! I'd like to give props to the "It Takes a Gallon" story and the memories of the Cecilia's 30th birthday celebration. These were especially funny!
Maybe I will blog more...
I just reread my entire blog. Yes, we've been busy today at work, but I am a VERY FAST reader, and I've been reading snippets all day, and it really isn't that long of a blog, so don't think I wasn't pulling my weight today at work!
Anyway, I loved rereading this blog! I have made some pretty hilarious statements which seem much funnier now than when I wrote them! I'd like to give props to the "It Takes a Gallon" story and the memories of the Cecilia's 30th birthday celebration. These were especially funny!
Maybe I will blog more...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Playing catch up...
...and I don't mean "ketchup and Cool Whip" because I think that's been the highlight of my blog long enough!
Here are some Austin-isms and fun things to share from recent time:
Here are some Austin-isms and fun things to share from recent time:
- Tonight we went to Miller Park for the Stories in the Park free storytime event. It was pretty fun, although the male storyteller was a little bit over the top! I mean, let's get funny and get the kids into it, but I don't think that automatically means you must be what can only be described as goober-ish the whole time you're telling your pterodactyl story!
- Also, there was almost a rumble at said storytime event. A family right next to us (mom, dad, young daughter who was maybe 3ish) had some emotional times during the casting of the puppets for the pterodactyl story. The goober guy was calling some kids up to be certain puppets for his story (note to self: anytime a story involves puppets, the teller is likely to act dorky at some point; it's hard to be cool with puppets!). The girl of this family really wanted to be one of the characters, but she was shy and didn't want to raise her hand or call out when the man was asking for volunteers. This was a problem. Her dad (who kept calling her, the daughter, "Mama" -- weird!) told her to go up and tell the guy she wanted to be a puppet. Daughter walked up right to the front of the group...and stood there silently. The puppet passer-outer therefore had no idea she wanted to BE a puppet. Consequently, he never picked her for one. The dad was not having this, and he kept yelling out, "She wants to be the duck! She wants to be the turtle! Hey, man! She came up there to BE THE ALLIGATOR!!!! SHE'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!!!" It was a bit tense. Finally the guy heard the dad (I don't know how it took so long!) and offered the girl who had since come back to her family the chance to be the turtle. At this point, the girl was crying on their blanket. It was over. The whole family was crushed. It was quite the drama. Meanwhile, Austin and I just sat quietly and hoped this turmoil wouldn't resonate in our direction!
- On the way home from the park tonight, Austin busted out with the following: "Knock, knock! Who there? Mommy! Mommy, who there? Mommy...Mommy...MOMMY!! Say who there?" I answered him with the obligatory, "Who's there?" to which he replied, "You are there!" It was pretty hilarious.
- Lately, Austin has been a major Daddy's boy. This has it's good parts and it's not-so-good parts! I love it when Austin talks about "his daddy", as in "Where's my daddy?" or "I'm gonna tell my daddy I saw a fire truck!" However, leaving to go to Sherry's in the morning is really tough, because Austin doesn't want to leave Nick! Once we get to Sherry's, Austin is typically fine but we've had some struggles lately!
- Austin has discovered a new favorite food -- cereal! He loves to eat it (especially with his fingers!) and finish it off by drinking the leftover milk. So far, he's enjoyed the Honey Nut Shredded Wheat Mini Bites and some generic Honey Nut Cheerios. He usually ends up eating two small bowls for breakfast and could probably eat more if we'd let him!
- I've learned that when your kid randomly says, "I not gonna poop in the bath!" while in the bathtub, he probably is going to poop in the bathtub.
- I've also learned that cleaning poop out of the bathtub is harder than you'd think!
- A couple of weekends ago, Austin and I went to Decatur to help clean Aunt Erin and Uncle Danny's house for an open house, and also to help Gramma and Papa move som stuff to their new house. Austin was dusting with Gramma at Erin's house and I was trying to get him to show Danny something. He turned to me with this annoyed look on his face and said with the utmost seriousness, "Mommy, I WORKING!!" My apologies, sir!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Ketchup and Cool Whip
Austin has had a bit of a reduced appetite lately. I don't know if it started because of his strep throat or what, but I've been trying to make sure he gets enough to eat at each meal. Last night, we had a cookout, which was delicious! Nick grilled burgers and brats and we also had baked beans and fruit with some fat free Cool Whip on top. Austin took some bites of the food, but he also enjoyed several spoonfuls of just ketchup followed by just Cool Whip. Delicious!
Hey, it covers the veggie and dairy food groups, right?
Hey, it covers the veggie and dairy food groups, right?
Friday, May 22, 2009
Hello again...
Once again, I suck at blogging.
I don't know why it's so hard! I love reading blogs. I do it daily! I get excited when Erin or Cecilia post something new because I actually know them! I think I am so bad about posting because I tell all my stories to everyone I know before I blog. Then I feel like they'd read my blog and think, "Okay, this is not new information." Maybe I'll try NOT telling the stories and just blogging about them? We'll see if I can at least do that a little!
So the boy has been sick this week. He got strep throat after it ransacked Sherry's house (his daycare) over the last week or so. We kept him home on Tuesday because Sherry's two daughters got diagnosed with strep on Monday and then Tuesday night he felt warm. I took him to the doctor on Wednesday and -- ah ha! A positive strep test! I knew it! The nurse was like, "I'm sorry!" and I was the weirdo mom that was actually semi-happy about the diagnosis. After the mystery 10-day fever that was February-March 2009, I was just ecstatic to have a confirmed illness that is treatable with antibiotics!
Austin seemed to feel better pretty quickly and was all set to go back to Sherry's today when...he threw up water this morning! What? Throwing up water? What's that all about? Nick and I suspect he just drank too much right when he woke up and then maybe had to cough or something. We kept him home today and, from the report from Nick, he's doing well. They were all set up downstairs watching a little Thomas the Tank Engine and BOTH fell asleep! Nick said he woke up every half hour or so to check on Austin and that they snoozed the morning away, waking up at like 1:45 p.m.! Cute! I'm feeling good about Austin's health now. I don't want to jinx it, but I think he's on the mend!
This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. The skyrocketing cost of gas was a harsh reminder that the summer is almost here. However, last year at this time, gas cost like $3.85, so I'm trying to be thankful for the $2.59/gal price! We are going to Nick's mom's house tomorrow for a quick visit. She hasn't seen us since Christmas (I think? Maybe Nick and Austin took a trip over there since then? I can't remember!) and she's going to Wyoming for three months next week, so she requested a visit! I think the weather is going to be nice, so that will make for a nice trip.
Nick has to work all weekend and then will be working at the fire department Monday during the day. We might have a cookout that evening with friends, depending on who is around. We'll see. We're playing it by ear for now!
I don't know why it's so hard! I love reading blogs. I do it daily! I get excited when Erin or Cecilia post something new because I actually know them! I think I am so bad about posting because I tell all my stories to everyone I know before I blog. Then I feel like they'd read my blog and think, "Okay, this is not new information." Maybe I'll try NOT telling the stories and just blogging about them? We'll see if I can at least do that a little!
So the boy has been sick this week. He got strep throat after it ransacked Sherry's house (his daycare) over the last week or so. We kept him home on Tuesday because Sherry's two daughters got diagnosed with strep on Monday and then Tuesday night he felt warm. I took him to the doctor on Wednesday and -- ah ha! A positive strep test! I knew it! The nurse was like, "I'm sorry!" and I was the weirdo mom that was actually semi-happy about the diagnosis. After the mystery 10-day fever that was February-March 2009, I was just ecstatic to have a confirmed illness that is treatable with antibiotics!
Austin seemed to feel better pretty quickly and was all set to go back to Sherry's today when...he threw up water this morning! What? Throwing up water? What's that all about? Nick and I suspect he just drank too much right when he woke up and then maybe had to cough or something. We kept him home today and, from the report from Nick, he's doing well. They were all set up downstairs watching a little Thomas the Tank Engine and BOTH fell asleep! Nick said he woke up every half hour or so to check on Austin and that they snoozed the morning away, waking up at like 1:45 p.m.! Cute! I'm feeling good about Austin's health now. I don't want to jinx it, but I think he's on the mend!
This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. The skyrocketing cost of gas was a harsh reminder that the summer is almost here. However, last year at this time, gas cost like $3.85, so I'm trying to be thankful for the $2.59/gal price! We are going to Nick's mom's house tomorrow for a quick visit. She hasn't seen us since Christmas (I think? Maybe Nick and Austin took a trip over there since then? I can't remember!) and she's going to Wyoming for three months next week, so she requested a visit! I think the weather is going to be nice, so that will make for a nice trip.
Nick has to work all weekend and then will be working at the fire department Monday during the day. We might have a cookout that evening with friends, depending on who is around. We'll see. We're playing it by ear for now!
Monday, April 27, 2009
"I pat the baby goat!"
Austin and I went to the zoo with Casey and Ivy on Sunday. He loves seeing all the animals! I was pretty pumped because this time, there were people in the petting zoo area so we could actually go in and pet the goats! I wasn't sure what he'd think about the goats, but he LOVED this little black one!
"Mommy, I like the little goat!!"
I tried to get a picture of him talking to the goat. He got right in the goat's face and had a big conversation with him (her? I didn't check that area out!). Unfortunately, my camera wasn't ready, dang it!
Austin wasn't quite as into the bigger goats. In fact, he was patting this one and a bigger guy came up and just stood behind me. When Austin looked up and saw it, he was like, "Mommy! I don't like the big goat!" This one however? Just his size!
"Mommy, I like the little goat!!"
I tried to get a picture of him talking to the goat. He got right in the goat's face and had a big conversation with him (her? I didn't check that area out!). Unfortunately, my camera wasn't ready, dang it!Austin wasn't quite as into the bigger goats. In fact, he was patting this one and a bigger guy came up and just stood behind me. When Austin looked up and saw it, he was like, "Mommy! I don't like the big goat!" This one however? Just his size!
The weekend that went awry
Well, Cecilia and I were supposed to go out for a Girls' Night Out on Friday, which was to consist of dinner at Kobe and then something really awesome like shopping at Walgreens or Old Navy! We arranged early in the week for a babysitter to watch the boys at Cecilia's place, since Memphis was out of town with Rorhk. However, said babysitter didn't show. We called her when she was 15 minutes late and she didn't answer her cell phone. At 30 minutes late, she called us claiming that she had been in the hospital with food poisoning the night before and then "was out of it all day" on Friday.
Damn.
If she was sick, that's unfortunate. However, where was the call on Friday during the day? The whole "I was totally out of it" excuse doesn't really fly with me. I guess if I had a commitment and knew I wouldn't be able to fulfill it, I'd make sure I called or had someone call the person so that they wouldn't be stuck with no childcare!
We called everyone possible in our cell phonebooks but could find no other option for Friday or Saturday nights. Why don't we know more babysitters?? Cecilia and I ended up hanging out with the boys and walking from her apartment to Walgreens. Get. Pumped. We had a good time, overall, but it was kind of a letdown after the thought of a night out with just grown up people!
On Sunday, our bad babysitter luck struck again! We both brought our kids to the YMCA because we had a Zumba class to teach. There is childcare on Sundays from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., pretty much because of the Zumba class. However, at 10:45 a.m., there was no childcare worker! A call was made and we were assured that someone would be "right there." "Right there" turned out to be more like 11:20 a.m. Cecilia ended up watching the kids in the childcare room until someone showed up and I started class. It worked out in the end, but why ya gotta hate us, babysitters??
Damn.
If she was sick, that's unfortunate. However, where was the call on Friday during the day? The whole "I was totally out of it" excuse doesn't really fly with me. I guess if I had a commitment and knew I wouldn't be able to fulfill it, I'd make sure I called or had someone call the person so that they wouldn't be stuck with no childcare!
We called everyone possible in our cell phonebooks but could find no other option for Friday or Saturday nights. Why don't we know more babysitters?? Cecilia and I ended up hanging out with the boys and walking from her apartment to Walgreens. Get. Pumped. We had a good time, overall, but it was kind of a letdown after the thought of a night out with just grown up people!
On Sunday, our bad babysitter luck struck again! We both brought our kids to the YMCA because we had a Zumba class to teach. There is childcare on Sundays from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., pretty much because of the Zumba class. However, at 10:45 a.m., there was no childcare worker! A call was made and we were assured that someone would be "right there." "Right there" turned out to be more like 11:20 a.m. Cecilia ended up watching the kids in the childcare room until someone showed up and I started class. It worked out in the end, but why ya gotta hate us, babysitters??
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The day after...
It was the big 0-2 birthday yesterday! We celebrated by me taking the night off from Zumba and the whole family going to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and games. I got there before Austin and Nick, so when they walked in, I got to see the look of sheer joy and amazement on Austin's face. He was SO excited to see EVERYTHING! There was not much pizza eating by the young mister (Nick and I managed to eat our share), but there was a lot of Chuck E. Cheese love! He danced along with Chuck E. and talked to him and even wanted to share the stage with him! Austin also had a blast riding all the little cars and even playing a little Skee Ball (I heart Skee Ball, by the way!). We were there for just over an hour and could hardly pry him out of the place! We traded in 40 of his 46 earned tickets for a small plastic grasshopper...oh yeah, don't be jealous of our loot!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Happy Birthday, Austin!
Dear Austin,
You’re two today. Two! I can’t believe it. These past two years have flown by so fast. I remember being near the end of my pregnancy and just sitting in your old room wishing you would be born because I couldn’t wait! I wanted to write you a letter like I’ve seen so many parents do, telling you all the things that are in my head and my heart today. I don’t know if I’ll be able to capture what I’m feeling, though – I don’t know if it will be “good enough” to really convey your presence in my life, but I’ll try!
You’re two today. Two! I can’t believe it. These past two years have flown by so fast. I remember being near the end of my pregnancy and just sitting in your old room wishing you would be born because I couldn’t wait! I wanted to write you a letter like I’ve seen so many parents do, telling you all the things that are in my head and my heart today. I don’t know if I’ll be able to capture what I’m feeling, though – I don’t know if it will be “good enough” to really convey your presence in my life, but I’ll try!
You constantly surprise and amaze me! Every day, it seems, you come up with another word, another phrase, another joke and just knock me off my feet. You are such a talker (you come by it honestly!) and you love to chat and have conversations with me, Daddy, and anyone who will listen. Sometimes I’m the only one who can interpret what you’re saying, and sometimes not even I can understand you, but you keep talking, and with such conviction that I know you’re saying something really important!
Some of the most recent things that you have said and done that have surprised and impressed me are things like singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” on your own. I don’t know where you learned that one, but you seem to love busting out into song with that tune! You also have started saying, “I’m sure!” and “I’m not sure…” in response to questions – what a little man!
One of the things I love about you is your sense of humor. You love to laugh and giggle and tickle, and can spend minute after minute chasing and “getting” Daddy and me, only to make sure we chase and “get” you right back! I don’t know where you get your energy from, but it’s endless! I love when you get the joke, too, like when you know you’re doing something funny and making me laugh. I can see the enjoyment in your face knowing that you’re cracking me up, and so you do it even more!
Another thing that is growing everyday that I love about you is your compassion and caring. Yesterday, you helped Daddy put mulch down in the yard, and you were very concerned and asked, “Are you okay, Daddy?” a lot to make sure he was doing alright. If I trip or stumble, you are right there asking me “You fine, Mom?” And if you accidentally bump me or something, you jump right in with a big kiss on my “ouch” spot and a hug to follow. Your heart is so big, my boy, and I hope it always will be.
There have been a lot of ups and downs during these past two years, and I credit you for helping me get through the rough times. I don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t have you in my life, because sometimes, when I’ve been really down, the only constant has been you. You’ve given me something positive to focus on when I have needed it the most, and that has helped me put a lot of things into perspective.
You are my son, my heart, and my friend. I miss you when I’m not with you, and I feel so lucky to have someone as special, smart, funny, and beautiful in my life. I love you so much, buddy! Happy Birthday!
Love,
Mommy
Friday, March 20, 2009
"Cece is stuck in my pants!"
Austin has a habit of putting whatever toys he is playing with up his pant legs while riding in the car. I'm not sure why, but this is pretty fun for him lately! Today, we were driving to Sherry's house for daycare and Austin was playing with Stretch and Cece (one of the Little People). They were, as usual, traveling up and down inside Austin's pant leg. Suddenly, he started crying and getting upset.
"What's wrong, buddy?"
"It's unner me, Mommy!"
"What is? What's under you?"
"Cece!"
I was pretty confused. After some more questioning and some strategic looking over my shoulder at the 4-way stop, I realized the dilemma. Austin had shoved Cece waaaaaaaaay up inside his pant leg and now he couldn't reach to get her out.
"Is Cece stuck in your pants, buddy?"
"Yes! Cece in my pants!!"
"Don't worry. When we get to Sherry's house, I'll get Cece out of your pants!"
These were not words I thought I'd be saying to my son, but we were able to extricate Cece from the pant leg and continue on with our day. Whew!
"What's wrong, buddy?"
"It's unner me, Mommy!"
"What is? What's under you?"
"Cece!"
I was pretty confused. After some more questioning and some strategic looking over my shoulder at the 4-way stop, I realized the dilemma. Austin had shoved Cece waaaaaaaaay up inside his pant leg and now he couldn't reach to get her out.
"Is Cece stuck in your pants, buddy?"
"Yes! Cece in my pants!!"
"Don't worry. When we get to Sherry's house, I'll get Cece out of your pants!"
These were not words I thought I'd be saying to my son, but we were able to extricate Cece from the pant leg and continue on with our day. Whew!
Austin-isms, the brief March 2009 edition
Here are some of Austin's latest sayings and funny things:
- "Dee-row!!" This is "Eyeore". Austin's new diapers have Tigger and Pooh on the front and Eyeore on the back, and he finds this VERY exciting! We always have to look at them and talk about "Tigger Pooh! Dee-row too!" Sometimes he throws a "Rabbit too!" in there, but it's not consistent.
- Turpitt -- turnip. We've been talking about turnips lately. I don't know why.
- I bought him some new sandals for this summer season. The last couple of nights after his bath, he will see the sandals and insist on wearing them with his pajamas. They are obviously his dancin' shoes because putting them on always leads to Austin doing a little jig around his room and saying, "Dance! Dance!"
- We've starting practicing the ABC alphabet song, and Austin and I usually sing it in the car a few times during each ride. He joins me for several of the letters at random spots -- usually "A, B, C", "F", and the whole "P, Q, R, S" run. Also, he ends up laughing hysterically during parts of the song. I guess some letters are just funnier than others!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
This blog...
I feel like this blog is mocking me.
Why do I get so excited to read other people's blogs but then neglect my own? Why do I feel like my blog postings are far less interesting and/or funny than postings by, say, Erin or Cecilia? I am funny, and I just should start posting more! So I'll try.
Lately, my addiction has been playing Bejeweled on Facebook. Damn you, Bejeweled, and your mysterious hold over me! I get so excited when the announcer gives me encouraging remarks like, "Good." or the elusive "Excellent!" It's positive reinforcement at it's best!
Erin has been my Bejeweled nemesis this last week. I keep trying to top her high score, and it rarely happens! The scores got cleared the other day (Tuesday?) and I thought, "YES!! Now it's my turn to set the bar really high!" Unfortunately for me, she was obviously playing her first game simultaneously with me, and her score was higher than mine! I did top her briefly, but she has since taken over once again.
I encouraged Cecilia to start playing Bejeweled, and she has taken over as almost the top person in my team! Her score is like triple mine.
Why am I so lacking in Bejeweled skills??
Why do I get so excited to read other people's blogs but then neglect my own? Why do I feel like my blog postings are far less interesting and/or funny than postings by, say, Erin or Cecilia? I am funny, and I just should start posting more! So I'll try.
Lately, my addiction has been playing Bejeweled on Facebook. Damn you, Bejeweled, and your mysterious hold over me! I get so excited when the announcer gives me encouraging remarks like, "Good." or the elusive "Excellent!" It's positive reinforcement at it's best!
Erin has been my Bejeweled nemesis this last week. I keep trying to top her high score, and it rarely happens! The scores got cleared the other day (Tuesday?) and I thought, "YES!! Now it's my turn to set the bar really high!" Unfortunately for me, she was obviously playing her first game simultaneously with me, and her score was higher than mine! I did top her briefly, but she has since taken over once again.
I encouraged Cecilia to start playing Bejeweled, and she has taken over as almost the top person in my team! Her score is like triple mine.
Why am I so lacking in Bejeweled skills??
Friday, March 13, 2009
Why is she copying me??
I came across this on Monday: http://x17online.com/celebrities/octomom/crazy_cleans_up-03092009.php
I can't link the picture to my blog, but if you click on the link, you'll go to the photo I'm talking about.
I just bought the EXACT same shirt in the EXACT same color on Sunday at Target! Please understand that I didn't buy it to copy Octomom! I promise! If I want to copy her, I'll just have 13 more children all at once.
I can't link the picture to my blog, but if you click on the link, you'll go to the photo I'm talking about.
I just bought the EXACT same shirt in the EXACT same color on Sunday at Target! Please understand that I didn't buy it to copy Octomom! I promise! If I want to copy her, I'll just have 13 more children all at once.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
My funny boy
Austin is nearing his 2nd birthday, and he just amazes me all the time! Here are some of my favorite things he has done/is doing:
- He has started calling Nick and I Dad and Mom instead of Daddy and Mommy. I don't necessarily love this, because he's too little to switch yet! But it sounds so cute when he says it!
- The other night, I was taking him upstairs to get ready for bed. Nick said "Night night, Buddy!" and Austin said as clear as day, "Goo night, Dad!" Very formal!
- Austin gets SO EXCITED when I get to Sherry's house to pick him up for the day! He recently went through a phase of not wanting to leave with me, so this is such a pleasant change. He starts saying, "Mommy! Mommy!" with a huge smile on his face and run towards me then doubles back and says, "Get coat on! Get coat on!"
- We were playing in his room last night, he and I, and we started playing the airplane game. You know the one -- I was laying on my back lifting him up with my feet and he was "flying." He was eating it up and each time I put him down, he'd say "I wanna go AGAIN!" Then he'd grab my feet and hold them up onto his belly, grab my hands, and say, "One...two...THREE!!!!" until I lifted him up. I kept letting my feet fall down and he kept picking them up, saying, "Come ON, feet!"
- He LOVES to "nuggle" (snuggle with) Nick and I. In the morning, his favorite thing to do is still eat his "cay cakes" (pancakes) and "nuggle Daddy!" while watching The Disney Channel.
- Lately, he can't say "Hi Mom!" enough times!
- I also love how when I say, "Hey Austin..." he'll always look at me and say, "What?"
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Coupon it up, baby!
Yes, I am back! I know, I was gone for so long and this blog sat all sad and un-updated for almost a month! A lot has happened in the last month...most notably, Austin was sick for almost two weeks! I just didn't feel like blogging or I was not on the computer that much or something. But here I am, and I'm going to try to get back in the habit of blogging again!
Today's blog is about my awesome coupon deal at Walgreens today! Cecilia and I went over our lunch break and cleaned them out of diapers!
Here's are the details of the deal
Right now, Huggies are on sale at Walgreens for $10 for a jumbo pack. You can also print out coupons for $3 and $5 off certain types of Huggies. Walgreens is also giving out a $10 Register Reward coupon (which can be used like cash at your next trip) for buying at least $25 of specific Huggies products this week. With all of these factors, you can't lose!
Here's what I did
In each of 5 separate transactions (yes, I stood there and did this 5 times in a row! The lady was pissy about it, too!), I bought:
My total with the sale prices and tax (before coupons) would have been $150.66.
Today's blog is about my awesome coupon deal at Walgreens today! Cecilia and I went over our lunch break and cleaned them out of diapers!
Here's are the details of the deal
Right now, Huggies are on sale at Walgreens for $10 for a jumbo pack. You can also print out coupons for $3 and $5 off certain types of Huggies. Walgreens is also giving out a $10 Register Reward coupon (which can be used like cash at your next trip) for buying at least $25 of specific Huggies products this week. With all of these factors, you can't lose!
Here's what I did
In each of 5 separate transactions (yes, I stood there and did this 5 times in a row! The lady was pissy about it, too!), I bought:
- 2 packs of Huggies diapers for $10 each = $20
- 1 pack of Huggies wipes for $6 each = $6
My total with the sale prices and tax (before coupons) would have been $150.66.
- I used $59 in diaper/wipes coupons (I know, crazy!)
- I earned $50 in Register Rewards from the diapers/wipes to use later at Walgreens
- I earned $4 in Register Rewards from deoderant I bought to use later at Walgreens (got 2 deoderants for $0.99 each after RRs for Nick)
- I will get back $6.59 in rebates from buying some shampoo for Nick (free!)
- I used $10.99 that I had on a Walgreens gift card to pay for part of one order
- I used $5.96 that I had on my W card (free money for buying Walgreens brand items) to pay for part of one order
- 10 jumbo packages of Huggies diapers
- 5 huge packs of Huggies wipes (the refill packs)
- 2 Right Guard deoderants
- 1 Axe shampoo/body wash combo
Monday, February 16, 2009
New York -- Day Four
Sunday, February 15 -- The Journey Home
This day was relatively uneventful, which was okay by us! We got up pretty early and headed to The Breadstix Cafe for breakfast. A trip to NYC couldn't be complete without a bagel breakfast! It was pretty good. The place was set up like a Starbucks, where you order at the counter and pick up your food down by the register. While eating there, a pair of older ladies came in. One sat down and waited while the other one ordered their food. The ordering one, let's call her Madge, was so funny! She kept calling everyone working there "Honey" and reiterating the order very loudly. She kept asking all the people questions until she finally got her food and was satisfied! I told Cecilia that maybe that would be us someday...I, of course, would probably be the Madge since I'm so loud and questioning all the time!
After breakfast, we got a cab outside of our apartment and headed to LaGuardia. Our cab driver got a very generous tip since we didn't have any smaller bills but at that point, we were like, "Oh well!" We spent some time snoozing/reading at LGA before a very smooth flight into Chicago. At O'Hare, we got some lunch and snacks and took the LONGEST WALK over to our connecting flight's gate. We took the quick flight back to Peoria, accompanied by a very motherly flight attendant who went row by row, checking to make sure we had our seatbelts buckled!
We made it back to Bloomington in once piece! All in all, it was a great trip with, thankfully, no real incidents or anything! I had a lot of fun and Cecilia was a great travel buddy -- as were her brother and all of his friends!
This day was relatively uneventful, which was okay by us! We got up pretty early and headed to The Breadstix Cafe for breakfast. A trip to NYC couldn't be complete without a bagel breakfast! It was pretty good. The place was set up like a Starbucks, where you order at the counter and pick up your food down by the register. While eating there, a pair of older ladies came in. One sat down and waited while the other one ordered their food. The ordering one, let's call her Madge, was so funny! She kept calling everyone working there "Honey" and reiterating the order very loudly. She kept asking all the people questions until she finally got her food and was satisfied! I told Cecilia that maybe that would be us someday...I, of course, would probably be the Madge since I'm so loud and questioning all the time!
After breakfast, we got a cab outside of our apartment and headed to LaGuardia. Our cab driver got a very generous tip since we didn't have any smaller bills but at that point, we were like, "Oh well!" We spent some time snoozing/reading at LGA before a very smooth flight into Chicago. At O'Hare, we got some lunch and snacks and took the LONGEST WALK over to our connecting flight's gate. We took the quick flight back to Peoria, accompanied by a very motherly flight attendant who went row by row, checking to make sure we had our seatbelts buckled!
We made it back to Bloomington in once piece! All in all, it was a great trip with, thankfully, no real incidents or anything! I had a lot of fun and Cecilia was a great travel buddy -- as were her brother and all of his friends!
New York -- Day Three
Saturday, February 14 -- SHOPPING! Happy Valentine's Day!
We had already decided to dedicate Saturday to shopping. I mean, we were in NYC...we knew we had to shop! We got up early and headed uptown. Breakfast was at Starbucks, and then we walked towards Central Park. Randomly, this guy ran up behind us and flashed open his coat at us. Despite what you might be thinking, he was not (a) naked underneath nor was he (b) selling jewelry from out of his coat. He was just some oddball random guy! He continued to follow us, talking up a storm to himself? Us? Jesus? We weren't sure. All I know is that he was RIGHT behind me and I was thinking, "Okay, really, guy? What are you doing?" We kept walking quickly and he eventually just crossed the street and went on to chat it up with other people!
We walked through the south side of Central Park. I would like to see Central Park again during the spring or summertime, or even the fall, because it was cool even just as it was. However, it was pretty cold out that morning, so we didn't spend a ton of time in the park. All of the horse-drawn carriages were already lined up to take people on romantic Valentine's Day rides! We kept walking and did a lot of window shopping along 5th Avenue, Madison, and Lexington. It was so cool seeing stores like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton! We didn't go into any of these stores, partly because they weren't open yet and partly because we knew we wouldn't be able to afford anything anyway, but it was fun to see them! We did do a little shopping at FAO Schwartz, The Disney Store, The American Girl Store (can you tell we were shopping for the kids??), and the GAP, so our morning was not fruitless!
I wanted to walk by Bryant Park, where Fashion Week was going on. Since I've seen Fashion Week on Project Runway, I thought it would be cool to walk by there! It was fun seeing the tents set up, even though we couldn't go in and didn't happen to see anyone famous. Now I can think, "Hey, I've been there!" the next time I see this on Project Runway.
We took the subway down to Grenwich Village and met up with Gabi and co. They were doing a little shopping (mostly for hats!). We stopped into Cosi for lunch and then headed to Chinatown, which was quite the experience! I didn't know what to expect. When we left the subway station and got up to the street, it was packed! I wasn't ready for all the people coming up to me saying, "Handbags? You want handbags? Watches?" while shoving pictures of their wares at me. That was a little disorienting! However, we quickly got acclimated and headed into a shop to start checking out the merchandise. I ended up buying MANY purses (all "designer" for sure!), which I consider to be a successful day!
Saturday night, we all decided on Thai food and found a great little place called Q2. It was not in the heart of Times Square, so it wasn't crowded at all. I had some really good Thai fried rice and shared a bunch of appetizers with the group. After dinner, we decided that we needed to go somewhere for dessert and ended up at the Europa Cafe having cheesecake, pastries, and other delicious treats! The Europa Cafe is right in Times Square, so it was busy, but it was so fun to watch people out of the windows and also see all the crazy lights of Times Square!
Our group split up after this. Cecilia and I went shopping for a bit while everyone else tried to go see a movie. Unfortunately, with it being Valentine's Day and Saturday night AND Times Square, the movie was all sold out! Cecilia and I headed back home, hoping to score some "I (heart) NY" tshirt for our kiddos, but all the stands we passed were closed down. We did pick up a souvenier for Lindsay, though, which will be unnamed at this time, as she may read this blog before getting her present!
We had already decided to dedicate Saturday to shopping. I mean, we were in NYC...we knew we had to shop! We got up early and headed uptown. Breakfast was at Starbucks, and then we walked towards Central Park. Randomly, this guy ran up behind us and flashed open his coat at us. Despite what you might be thinking, he was not (a) naked underneath nor was he (b) selling jewelry from out of his coat. He was just some oddball random guy! He continued to follow us, talking up a storm to himself? Us? Jesus? We weren't sure. All I know is that he was RIGHT behind me and I was thinking, "Okay, really, guy? What are you doing?" We kept walking quickly and he eventually just crossed the street and went on to chat it up with other people!
We walked through the south side of Central Park. I would like to see Central Park again during the spring or summertime, or even the fall, because it was cool even just as it was. However, it was pretty cold out that morning, so we didn't spend a ton of time in the park. All of the horse-drawn carriages were already lined up to take people on romantic Valentine's Day rides! We kept walking and did a lot of window shopping along 5th Avenue, Madison, and Lexington. It was so cool seeing stores like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton! We didn't go into any of these stores, partly because they weren't open yet and partly because we knew we wouldn't be able to afford anything anyway, but it was fun to see them! We did do a little shopping at FAO Schwartz, The Disney Store, The American Girl Store (can you tell we were shopping for the kids??), and the GAP, so our morning was not fruitless!
I wanted to walk by Bryant Park, where Fashion Week was going on. Since I've seen Fashion Week on Project Runway, I thought it would be cool to walk by there! It was fun seeing the tents set up, even though we couldn't go in and didn't happen to see anyone famous. Now I can think, "Hey, I've been there!" the next time I see this on Project Runway.
We took the subway down to Grenwich Village and met up with Gabi and co. They were doing a little shopping (mostly for hats!). We stopped into Cosi for lunch and then headed to Chinatown, which was quite the experience! I didn't know what to expect. When we left the subway station and got up to the street, it was packed! I wasn't ready for all the people coming up to me saying, "Handbags? You want handbags? Watches?" while shoving pictures of their wares at me. That was a little disorienting! However, we quickly got acclimated and headed into a shop to start checking out the merchandise. I ended up buying MANY purses (all "designer" for sure!), which I consider to be a successful day!
Saturday night, we all decided on Thai food and found a great little place called Q2. It was not in the heart of Times Square, so it wasn't crowded at all. I had some really good Thai fried rice and shared a bunch of appetizers with the group. After dinner, we decided that we needed to go somewhere for dessert and ended up at the Europa Cafe having cheesecake, pastries, and other delicious treats! The Europa Cafe is right in Times Square, so it was busy, but it was so fun to watch people out of the windows and also see all the crazy lights of Times Square!
Our group split up after this. Cecilia and I went shopping for a bit while everyone else tried to go see a movie. Unfortunately, with it being Valentine's Day and Saturday night AND Times Square, the movie was all sold out! Cecilia and I headed back home, hoping to score some "I (heart) NY" tshirt for our kiddos, but all the stands we passed were closed down. We did pick up a souvenier for Lindsay, though, which will be unnamed at this time, as she may read this blog before getting her present!
New York -- Day Two
Friday, February 13 -- Our Sightseeing Day
This was a big day of sightseeing! We started off by meeting Cecilia's brother, Gabi, and his friends at our apartment. They needed a place to stash their luggage until their place was ready. The group consisted of Gabi and his fiance Cat, her sister Carol, and brothers Joe, Bo, and Chevy. Later, we were joined by more of the sisters, Connie and Kim. It was quite the sibling vacation, as everyone in the group except me was a sibling of someone else in the group! Let's remember that my sister, Erin, was originally going to go on this trip but then couldn't come. That would have made it a total "let's be related" vacay! Here's a picture of Erin, just so we can think about her for a minute...
Breakfast was at the diner by our apartment. They had great omelets and potatoes! We then got on the subway and went down to Ground Zero. I really wanted to see the area and it was kind of surreal to be there. It was a much smaller area than I pictured from what I've seen on TV. It was also really strange to try and picture WTC buildings 1 and 2 in that space. There were other buildings all around and they were really tall, so to try and picture the WTC buildings which were like more than double the height of the current buildings was really crazy. We couldn't see the hole that much as there was construction fencing all around it, but that was okay with me. We went across the street to St. Paul's Chapel, the location where so many of the workers and volunteers stayed between their rescue shifts. This place was amazing and so moving that I found myself crying while walking through it. I couldn't help it, and I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face. There are many tributes, pictures, letters, and other items on display around the sides of the chapel and while I was looking at everything, I started to picture what had gone on in the days after 9/11. It was just so sad, but also there was a lot of messages of love and support, which really touched me. I am very glad we went there and will always remember it.
This is the area where the WTC buildings used to be.
This is a picture of St. Paul's Chapel.
This picture is of a tree stump. The stump saved St. Paul's from damage on September 11. You can click on the link to read more about this.
After Ground Zero, we walked over to Wall Street. We all cast disparaging looks at the New York Stock Exchange for being so mean to us! We went into the Federal Building, which is notable, among other reasons, for being the location of George Washington's inauguration (see, Erin? I did learn some history!). There was also a special Abraham Lincoln exhibit on the 2nd floor that we checked out, and I did some bragging about my sister's starring role in the Abraham Lincoln documentary!
We kept walking around the Financial District and stopped for a picture with The Bull. Of course, we had to get a picture with the Bull's butt!
We also stopped into the Trinity Church, famous for many things, including being a part of the movie "National Treasure." Next, we headed over to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. We decided against taking the ferry trip because it was pretty cold that day, but sat for a while and watched the ferry instead. After the ferry docked, we caught a very interesting show in Battery Park!
Cecilia and I separated from the rest of the group, who went to take their luggage to their own apartment, and went to have a late lunch at a Mexican restaurant by our apartment. We had a delightful shrimp-themed appetizer, chips, and salsa. Later, we met up with Carol and Connie at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for their free Friday evening admission. Now, as with history, art isn't totally my thing. I appreciate art and it's totally cool to be in the presence of the actual works of art that you see reprinted elsewhere, but it's not as exciting to me as, let's say, visiting the location of a TV show or movie that I've seen. Let's just say that I was more excited to see Trinity Church because of it's role in "National Treasure" than for any other reason! I know, I'm slightly sad, but that is me and that's what I'm into! Anyway, the MoMA was interesting, to say the least! We started off on the top floor and worked our way down. We all agreed that "art" is subjective, but taping some masking tape to the floor and calling it art? I call dickie fraud on that! Also, just tacking a piece of string to the wall and taping the other end to the floor? Can we at least put a LITTLE more effort into it, artists? I mean, let's get serious here! One of our favorites was a completely white canvas that was entitled "Red Bird". Really??
We walked next to Rockefeller Center and saw the area where the ice skating rink is and where the giant Christmas tree gets put up every year. A trip through the NBC shop was fun, and I thought about purchasing some Saved By the Bell memorabilia, but I stayed strong!
We met up with the rest of the group for dinner and went to a tapas restaurant. Amazingly, even though it was crowded, we got right in at a table designed for nine people! Tapas are good, and it's a fun atmosphere with all the sharing, but I must admit, I prefer having a whole meal all to myself sometimes! But we had fun. We ended up going to this AMAZING bakery around the corner from our apartment that Cecilia and I had checked out earlier in the day. It's called Billy's Bakery, and OH MY GOD the cupcakes are the best thing I've experienced! We all got cupcakes or slices of cake and went back to our apartment to enjoy them. What a fabulous ending to a fun day!
This was a big day of sightseeing! We started off by meeting Cecilia's brother, Gabi, and his friends at our apartment. They needed a place to stash their luggage until their place was ready. The group consisted of Gabi and his fiance Cat, her sister Carol, and brothers Joe, Bo, and Chevy. Later, we were joined by more of the sisters, Connie and Kim. It was quite the sibling vacation, as everyone in the group except me was a sibling of someone else in the group! Let's remember that my sister, Erin, was originally going to go on this trip but then couldn't come. That would have made it a total "let's be related" vacay! Here's a picture of Erin, just so we can think about her for a minute...
Breakfast was at the diner by our apartment. They had great omelets and potatoes! We then got on the subway and went down to Ground Zero. I really wanted to see the area and it was kind of surreal to be there. It was a much smaller area than I pictured from what I've seen on TV. It was also really strange to try and picture WTC buildings 1 and 2 in that space. There were other buildings all around and they were really tall, so to try and picture the WTC buildings which were like more than double the height of the current buildings was really crazy. We couldn't see the hole that much as there was construction fencing all around it, but that was okay with me. We went across the street to St. Paul's Chapel, the location where so many of the workers and volunteers stayed between their rescue shifts. This place was amazing and so moving that I found myself crying while walking through it. I couldn't help it, and I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face. There are many tributes, pictures, letters, and other items on display around the sides of the chapel and while I was looking at everything, I started to picture what had gone on in the days after 9/11. It was just so sad, but also there was a lot of messages of love and support, which really touched me. I am very glad we went there and will always remember it.This is the area where the WTC buildings used to be.
This is a picture of St. Paul's Chapel.
This picture is of a tree stump. The stump saved St. Paul's from damage on September 11. You can click on the link to read more about this.
After Ground Zero, we walked over to Wall Street. We all cast disparaging looks at the New York Stock Exchange for being so mean to us! We went into the Federal Building, which is notable, among other reasons, for being the location of George Washington's inauguration (see, Erin? I did learn some history!). There was also a special Abraham Lincoln exhibit on the 2nd floor that we checked out, and I did some bragging about my sister's starring role in the Abraham Lincoln documentary!
We kept walking around the Financial District and stopped for a picture with The Bull. Of course, we had to get a picture with the Bull's butt!
We also stopped into the Trinity Church, famous for many things, including being a part of the movie "National Treasure." Next, we headed over to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. We decided against taking the ferry trip because it was pretty cold that day, but sat for a while and watched the ferry instead. After the ferry docked, we caught a very interesting show in Battery Park!Cecilia and I separated from the rest of the group, who went to take their luggage to their own apartment, and went to have a late lunch at a Mexican restaurant by our apartment. We had a delightful shrimp-themed appetizer, chips, and salsa. Later, we met up with Carol and Connie at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for their free Friday evening admission. Now, as with history, art isn't totally my thing. I appreciate art and it's totally cool to be in the presence of the actual works of art that you see reprinted elsewhere, but it's not as exciting to me as, let's say, visiting the location of a TV show or movie that I've seen. Let's just say that I was more excited to see Trinity Church because of it's role in "National Treasure" than for any other reason! I know, I'm slightly sad, but that is me and that's what I'm into! Anyway, the MoMA was interesting, to say the least! We started off on the top floor and worked our way down. We all agreed that "art" is subjective, but taping some masking tape to the floor and calling it art? I call dickie fraud on that! Also, just tacking a piece of string to the wall and taping the other end to the floor? Can we at least put a LITTLE more effort into it, artists? I mean, let's get serious here! One of our favorites was a completely white canvas that was entitled "Red Bird". Really??
We walked next to Rockefeller Center and saw the area where the ice skating rink is and where the giant Christmas tree gets put up every year. A trip through the NBC shop was fun, and I thought about purchasing some Saved By the Bell memorabilia, but I stayed strong!
We met up with the rest of the group for dinner and went to a tapas restaurant. Amazingly, even though it was crowded, we got right in at a table designed for nine people! Tapas are good, and it's a fun atmosphere with all the sharing, but I must admit, I prefer having a whole meal all to myself sometimes! But we had fun. We ended up going to this AMAZING bakery around the corner from our apartment that Cecilia and I had checked out earlier in the day. It's called Billy's Bakery, and OH MY GOD the cupcakes are the best thing I've experienced! We all got cupcakes or slices of cake and went back to our apartment to enjoy them. What a fabulous ending to a fun day!
New York -- Day One
Thursday, February 12 -- The Trip Begins
The first day of our trip began a little earlier than a normal day, but not quite as early as I had planned! I took Austin to daycare as usual and then went to pick up Cecilia. We got over to Peoria really quickly and got right to the airport. Our flight from Peoria to Chicago was very fast (you're in the air -- not including taking off or landing -- for like 25 minutes!) and there were no problems with it. I was sitting in front of a woman who was having the LOUDEST cell phone conversation ever, though, and we learned all about how she wants her mail picked up and when her bills will be coming in the mail!
The first thing Cecilia noticed at O'Hare is that our flight to LaGuardia was canceled! Awesome! We took it in stride and figured that we'd just find another one...or end up vacationing in Chicago! After several minutes and some issues with the automatic ticketing machine (which didn't seem to think Cecilia was pushing the buttons correctly!), we were rebooked on a flight leaving around 12:30 instead of 11:05 a.m. We were actually okay with this because it gave us time to get something to eat, and you know how important food is to us!
During out wait, I decided that I was insane to travel in high heeled boots and changed to the comfy shoes Cecilia loaned me for the trip! While we were sitting around changing shoes and drinking Starbucks, we saw a very odd collection of travelers. My favorites included
We took a cab to our apartment and got checked in by the assistant, Jordan, who reminded us that it was FASHION WEEK, GIRLFRIENDS! We decided to walk up to Times Square and check out all of the sights along the way. We ended up coming back by our apartment and having dinner at Dallas BBQ, which seems strange since we were in New York! However, they had some great BBQ and fabulous Texas-sized margaritas!
After dinner, we went back to the apartment and hung out. It wasn't a late night out in New York, but we were happy to relax and get acclimated!
The first day of our trip began a little earlier than a normal day, but not quite as early as I had planned! I took Austin to daycare as usual and then went to pick up Cecilia. We got over to Peoria really quickly and got right to the airport. Our flight from Peoria to Chicago was very fast (you're in the air -- not including taking off or landing -- for like 25 minutes!) and there were no problems with it. I was sitting in front of a woman who was having the LOUDEST cell phone conversation ever, though, and we learned all about how she wants her mail picked up and when her bills will be coming in the mail!
The first thing Cecilia noticed at O'Hare is that our flight to LaGuardia was canceled! Awesome! We took it in stride and figured that we'd just find another one...or end up vacationing in Chicago! After several minutes and some issues with the automatic ticketing machine (which didn't seem to think Cecilia was pushing the buttons correctly!), we were rebooked on a flight leaving around 12:30 instead of 11:05 a.m. We were actually okay with this because it gave us time to get something to eat, and you know how important food is to us!
During out wait, I decided that I was insane to travel in high heeled boots and changed to the comfy shoes Cecilia loaned me for the trip! While we were sitting around changing shoes and drinking Starbucks, we saw a very odd collection of travelers. My favorites included
- Tall Asian Man Carrying Short Ladder -- This random guy was just walking through the airport carrying a ladder that was maybe 4 feet tall. He was not dressed like a maintenance worker or an airport employee. In fact, he was dressed in what you might call business casual, which made it even more peculiar that he was carrying this ladder. I wanted to ask him if he was going to put the ladder in the overhead compartment or check it!
- Lindsay in the Future -- Okay, so this woman wasn't really like Lindsay all that much, but we decided that she was the Lindsay of the Future because she was very stylish, as were her 4 kids!
- The Mystery Farter -- Sorry Mom! I know what you're thinking right now about me writing the word "farter", but I must speak the truth. As we were sitting people watching, someone in our area completely smelled the whole place up. It was horrible, and it lingered for so long! The smell actually affected the taste of our Starbucks...it was agony! We never knew who the culprit was, but we will never forget that moment!
- Tall Asian Man Without Short Ladder (v2.0) -- He was back! This time, he had placed the short ladder by one of those Hudson News stands (specifically by the "Comfort Station" with the neck pillows) and was walking away. If you ask me, it was rather suspicious! No one was around the ladder attending to it, either, which was even more odd!
- Tall Asian Man Carrying Short Ladder (v.3.0) -- Once again, we saw this same man AGAIN WITH THE LADDER! This was way, way down in another area of the airport and we just ran into him again. Who is this man and what was he doing with this ladder all over the airport??
We took a cab to our apartment and got checked in by the assistant, Jordan, who reminded us that it was FASHION WEEK, GIRLFRIENDS! We decided to walk up to Times Square and check out all of the sights along the way. We ended up coming back by our apartment and having dinner at Dallas BBQ, which seems strange since we were in New York! However, they had some great BBQ and fabulous Texas-sized margaritas!
After dinner, we went back to the apartment and hung out. It wasn't a late night out in New York, but we were happy to relax and get acclimated!
New York, New York
We are back from NYC! It was a really great trip which seemed to fly by! Cecilia and I took notes on our trip and some pictures, although both of us admitted we didn't take nearly enough pictures! I'm going to have to do a recap of our trip...more to come!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Dreams and Dates
I had a very vivid dream last night. I was myself at this age, but Nick and Austin must not have existed or something, because they weren't there and I didn't know about them. I was on a date with a guy (I have no idea who -- he wasn't anyone familiar) and I remember feeling like it was so exciting and it was going so well! You know, that feeling you get when you're dating someone new and you like them and you think they feel the same way? That was it! Also, I remember in this dream we were hanging out with famous people or at a fancy party or something like that. Suddenly, this guy completely ditched me and started talking to/hanging all over some other woman. I was crushed! He wouldn't speak to me or even look at me -- my date was over!
This dream got me thinking about some past dates/encounters I have had that rank right up at the top of the list of awesome times. These include:
(Note: Even though we're all wearing red, this isn't a Valentine's Day picture but our 2007 family Christmas picture!)
This dream got me thinking about some past dates/encounters I have had that rank right up at the top of the list of awesome times. These include:
- The man who will always be referred to as "Father Chlamydia", because he told me WHILE ON OUR (one and only) DATE that he had once contracted chlamydia from a former girlfriend. This was right after telling me he had fathered a child with an ex (although the ex had unfortunately had a miscarriage). In both instances, you really don't need to share this information right away! Sadly, the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, and, you know what? Chlamydia clears up, so no residual effects! But thanks for sharing!
- The guy who asked me out for a Saturday night and told me he'd call me that day to confirm time, plans, etc. He NEVER called. Later, he called me back and tried to say he was picking someone up at the airport so he was busy ALL DAY LONG and couldn't call me. It is 1945, sir? Are there not cell phones or even PAY PHONES all around? And, really, the airport all day? The Bloomington airport? I call fraud on that one!
- The guy who I took to an Alpha Chi dance. He wanted to have sex afterward and when I said no, he tried to persuade me to "just let him put it in one time." Wow. Has that ever worked for you, sir? Because I'm skeptical of that approach!
- The short, portly, Asian cowboy who is now referred to as "The Short Asian Cowboy". I didn't go on a date with him, but met him while a friend and I were out at a country bar line dancing. He was a very good dancer and he and I did several swing dances, 2-steps, etc. I was confused because he kept leaving and coming back in, only to be wearing what I thought was a different t-shirt each time. We didn't talk much at the beginning because of all the dancing, but later in the evening (after we had "known" each other for maybe an hour or two), he told me that he was visiting Decatur for someone's wedding and that he was from Vermont. He said that he would "move to Decatur to be with (me)" if he didn't have so much family in Vermont. Um, what? Had we even exchanged names? No, we hadn't! I must have made quite the impression on him with my fancy footwork! Oh, and the different t-shirts? He kept going out to his truck and changing his shirt because he continuously was sweating through them, and he just happened to have his luggage in his truck. Convenient, and also hygienic!
- The guy that I met while visiting WIU with some sorority sisters. He and I hit it off right away and started dating after just knowing each other that one weekend. He declared his love to me a couple of weeks later, followed shortly by his admission that he had, in fact, cheated on me with another girl. When he came for a visit the next week, I ended that long distance relationship. That wasn't the last time I heard from him, though. He ended up getting arrested for something and going to jail for a short period of time. While in jail, he sent me at least one letter declaring his undying love for me. Please note that this letter was written in pencil, as I don't think pens are allowed in the joint!! Classy!
(Note: Even though we're all wearing red, this isn't a Valentine's Day picture but our 2007 family Christmas picture!)
Friday, February 6, 2009
Another Friday night!
You might remember that I posted a while ago about a wild Friday night that consisted of playing "That's MY Milk!" and cleaning up poop from the bathtub. Tonight was another exciting time!
Austin and I had a lot of fun while Nick tried to catch up on some much needed sleep. First, we looked out several of our windows and tried to see some birds. Austin is big into birds lately. He likes to take the pieces of cereal that he finds on the floor of the car and "feed birdies!" Several times each week, we toss these pieces out our front door or out of the car. Anyway, since the bird feeding has begun, I've noticed a big increase in Austin's interest in birds. Unfortunately, there were no birds out for viewing this evening, so there was a lot of "Where birdies go?" instead. It was too cute!
After trying to find birds, we had some dinner and cleaned up. Austin helped out by making a giant mess with some applesauce but was excited to brush of the "crumbies" into the kitchen sink, as has become our routine after meals. We went downstairs to play and ended up coming up with a new game to add to our repertoire. We call it "Help Me, Kitty!" Basically, it involves me wrestling with Austin and him calling out to our cats to help him because he is stuck and getting attacked! The cats didn't help him out...you know they're on my side!
Austin and I had a lot of fun while Nick tried to catch up on some much needed sleep. First, we looked out several of our windows and tried to see some birds. Austin is big into birds lately. He likes to take the pieces of cereal that he finds on the floor of the car and "feed birdies!" Several times each week, we toss these pieces out our front door or out of the car. Anyway, since the bird feeding has begun, I've noticed a big increase in Austin's interest in birds. Unfortunately, there were no birds out for viewing this evening, so there was a lot of "Where birdies go?" instead. It was too cute!
After trying to find birds, we had some dinner and cleaned up. Austin helped out by making a giant mess with some applesauce but was excited to brush of the "crumbies" into the kitchen sink, as has become our routine after meals. We went downstairs to play and ended up coming up with a new game to add to our repertoire. We call it "Help Me, Kitty!" Basically, it involves me wrestling with Austin and him calling out to our cats to help him because he is stuck and getting attacked! The cats didn't help him out...you know they're on my side!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Photo Tag
I have been tagged by Cecilia!
Here are the rules:
1. Choose the fourth folder you store your pictures in on your computer.
2. Select the fourth picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag four people to do the same
This picture was taken on Christmas in 2007. It's probably Christmas Day, as Austin has a bow on the top of his head that I'm sure was taking from a present that morning. Despite looking similar, please note that this is not me in this photo but it is my sister Erin. I know, amazing, huh? You thought it was me for a minute and you were thinking (a) When did Emily let her hair grow so long and (b) Why is her brother in law standing so close to her? What kind of family is this?
This picture was taken at my parents' house in Elwin. Austin loves to play the piano whenever he visits! He was about 8 1/2 months old on this Christmas, and had just a little bit of peach fuzz hair! Look at that bald head! Look at those cheeks! What a peanut!
As an additional note, Erin and Danny are in a band, so they are probably the best people to choose to help Austin learn to play the piano! They have more musical talent than the rest of us!
I'm going to tag...Erin? Just you? You are it on people I KNOW who read this blog and have one of their own (besides Cecilia, who has already done it!). I will also fake tag Lindsay, Mom, and Kimberly who sometimes read this blog to just do this anyway. Maybe on Facebook? Maybe in an email to me? Challenge yourselves, ladies!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
My son is turning into a grouchy 15-year-old boy.
Lately, when it comes time to wake Austin up in the morning, I feel like I'm getting a glimpse into the future. Whereas he used to get right up when Nick or I would go in to get him, we're being met with some pretty strong resistance these days! Austin has been sleeping with a pillow and a couple of blankets for a while now, and because of these he stays mostly in one spot in the bed now. When I go in to his room in the morning, more often than not, he will pull the covers up over his head (without opening his eyes) and say, "No, Mommy! I seepin'!! I wanna seep!" I thought I had more time until we got to the really grumpy morning times. I didn't realize that overnight, Austin morphs into a grouchy teenager!
Sometimes this is accompanied by some whining and crying, too, which usually only lasts until he notices that I've taken him in to snuggle with Nick and watch Little Einsteins while eating his pancakes ("cay-cakes", a step up from the original "tee-tees" pronunciation!). "Nuggling" with Daddy and "cay-cakes" and "Ein-tines!" makes getting up in the morning a little bit easier!
Sometimes this is accompanied by some whining and crying, too, which usually only lasts until he notices that I've taken him in to snuggle with Nick and watch Little Einsteins while eating his pancakes ("cay-cakes", a step up from the original "tee-tees" pronunciation!). "Nuggling" with Daddy and "cay-cakes" and "Ein-tines!" makes getting up in the morning a little bit easier!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Disney Channel -- My Review
Okay. Hopefully you're not reading this topic thinking, "Get a life, Emily!" because, if you are, why are you reading my blog anyway? I watch the Disney Channel with Austin, and so, since I'm subjected to it so often, I feel qualified to give a brief review of some of our favorite (and not so favorite) shows and segments.
First up, the Crown Prince of Disney, The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I would say that this is currently Austin's very favorite show. At first, I wasn't sure about this show, because it's one of those where the characters talk to you and wait for your response. A little annoying, but this group of our old favorites have grown on me! Nick and I find ourselves talking about this show and its characters sometimes and we have to stop and laugh at ourselves. For example, Pete? Pete the Cat? Who knew this guy was a cat? And can he be more of a jackass to Mickey and his friends? They are always so nice to him, and he's kind of a jerk! Get over yourself, Pete! Also, why is Goofy a dog who is also kind of like a person while Pluto is a dog who is a pet? And where do these characters live, since they don't actually live at the clubhouse? One of my favorite things about this show is when Austin sings the "Hot Dog" song at the end of the episodes. That is so cute!
Next is another favorite, Handy Manny. I have to say that Handy Manny is kind of my dream man. He is friendly, never loses his temper, and can fix anything while keeping a positive attitude! We've been watching Handy Manny the longest and, while he has fallen from the number one position on Austin's list, he is still enjoyed by all of us. I think we've even gotten Erin interested -- she's said something about watching Handy Manny herself at home a couple of times!
Most mornings after getting out of bed, Austin and Nick (and sometimes me, too!) usually watch The Little Einsteins. This is something that, I think, grew out of the Baby Einstein franchise. Again, these kids talk to you and wait for your response, which is sometimes annoying, but they're not too bad. Nick and I prefer June out of the bunch. She's our favorite! Austin has also been saying "I want Einsteins!" a lot lately, which is cute to hear! He loves Rocket!
The last show that we watch regularly is The Imagination Movers. For some reason, I could watch this show all morning! I think I'm slightly interested in this show because one of the Movers looks like a friend of Nick's and another one looks like Sean Astin. See? Sean Astin -- Mover Dave. For some reason, they've hooked me in! Nick doesn't like the Movers that much but will watch it with Austin from time to time. Here's my question about the Movers, though. Their WHOLE business is that they are problem solvers. So if someone has a problem or, more appropriately, and "Idea Emergency", they come to the Movers to get it solved via one of their patented "Brainstorms". Seriously, Movers? This is your job? And you need a HUGE warehouse for this? I'm skeptical of how much business you actually do, as I have seen almost every episode of this show since it started recently and have seen maybe 4 customers! How do you keep your business open?
Our other absolute, wonderful, top of the line FAVORITE thing is one of the short segments between shows, Choo Choo Soul. Oh. My. Gosh. I can't even begin to convey the love Austin has for Choo Choo Soul! ANYTIME he hears a train whistle or sees a train, he immediately goes into his whole "Alllllllll BOARD!!!!!!" routine which includes singing the theme song and ending with "Gee-veeve!", Austin's version of "Genevieve". Nick and I have even heard him yell "Allllll BOARD from his bed when he's falling asleep if a train goes by our house!
So there you have it. My review of the shows we enjoy on Playhouse Disney. I won't even begin to touch Frosty the Snowman, which remains at the top of the enjoyment list (believe me...I've watched that DVR'd copy at least 45 times since it aired in December!). That's another topic for another time! Be prepared for Austin to instantly say, "I want Fwosty No-man!" if you mention Frosty's name! He'll also include his version of the theme song!
First up, the Crown Prince of Disney, The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I would say that this is currently Austin's very favorite show. At first, I wasn't sure about this show, because it's one of those where the characters talk to you and wait for your response. A little annoying, but this group of our old favorites have grown on me! Nick and I find ourselves talking about this show and its characters sometimes and we have to stop and laugh at ourselves. For example, Pete? Pete the Cat? Who knew this guy was a cat? And can he be more of a jackass to Mickey and his friends? They are always so nice to him, and he's kind of a jerk! Get over yourself, Pete! Also, why is Goofy a dog who is also kind of like a person while Pluto is a dog who is a pet? And where do these characters live, since they don't actually live at the clubhouse? One of my favorite things about this show is when Austin sings the "Hot Dog" song at the end of the episodes. That is so cute!
Next is another favorite, Handy Manny. I have to say that Handy Manny is kind of my dream man. He is friendly, never loses his temper, and can fix anything while keeping a positive attitude! We've been watching Handy Manny the longest and, while he has fallen from the number one position on Austin's list, he is still enjoyed by all of us. I think we've even gotten Erin interested -- she's said something about watching Handy Manny herself at home a couple of times!
Most mornings after getting out of bed, Austin and Nick (and sometimes me, too!) usually watch The Little Einsteins. This is something that, I think, grew out of the Baby Einstein franchise. Again, these kids talk to you and wait for your response, which is sometimes annoying, but they're not too bad. Nick and I prefer June out of the bunch. She's our favorite! Austin has also been saying "I want Einsteins!" a lot lately, which is cute to hear! He loves Rocket!
The last show that we watch regularly is The Imagination Movers. For some reason, I could watch this show all morning! I think I'm slightly interested in this show because one of the Movers looks like a friend of Nick's and another one looks like Sean Astin. See? Sean Astin -- Mover Dave. For some reason, they've hooked me in! Nick doesn't like the Movers that much but will watch it with Austin from time to time. Here's my question about the Movers, though. Their WHOLE business is that they are problem solvers. So if someone has a problem or, more appropriately, and "Idea Emergency", they come to the Movers to get it solved via one of their patented "Brainstorms". Seriously, Movers? This is your job? And you need a HUGE warehouse for this? I'm skeptical of how much business you actually do, as I have seen almost every episode of this show since it started recently and have seen maybe 4 customers! How do you keep your business open?
Our other absolute, wonderful, top of the line FAVORITE thing is one of the short segments between shows, Choo Choo Soul. Oh. My. Gosh. I can't even begin to convey the love Austin has for Choo Choo Soul! ANYTIME he hears a train whistle or sees a train, he immediately goes into his whole "Alllllllll BOARD!!!!!!" routine which includes singing the theme song and ending with "Gee-veeve!", Austin's version of "Genevieve". Nick and I have even heard him yell "Allllll BOARD from his bed when he's falling asleep if a train goes by our house!
So there you have it. My review of the shows we enjoy on Playhouse Disney. I won't even begin to touch Frosty the Snowman, which remains at the top of the enjoyment list (believe me...I've watched that DVR'd copy at least 45 times since it aired in December!). That's another topic for another time! Be prepared for Austin to instantly say, "I want Fwosty No-man!" if you mention Frosty's name! He'll also include his version of the theme song!
Welcome back, again!
Wow. It's been such a long time since I've blogged! Sorry about that! I really have no good excuses. Work has slowed down, so I've got plenty of time during the day to blog. I guess I have have gotten out of the habit!
Work has slowed down, as I mentioned, but my life hasn't! I'm busier than ever right now, but in a good way. Cecilia and I teach Zumba 4 days per week now -- 3 days a week at the YMCA and 1 day a week through Heartland. We should be totally model-thin by April! It's good, getting all of this activity in. I never thought I would be teaching classes ever, much less this many times per week!
I will do some thinking and try to come up with a fun, funny, and interesting post later today!
Work has slowed down, as I mentioned, but my life hasn't! I'm busier than ever right now, but in a good way. Cecilia and I teach Zumba 4 days per week now -- 3 days a week at the YMCA and 1 day a week through Heartland. We should be totally model-thin by April! It's good, getting all of this activity in. I never thought I would be teaching classes ever, much less this many times per week!
I will do some thinking and try to come up with a fun, funny, and interesting post later today!
Friday, January 16, 2009
A Happenin' Friday Night!
That title was said in jest. In sarcasm.
Let me just explain here. Recently, I was looking through a couple old photo albums of mine. They spanned my later college and grad school years. First of all, I so did not appreciate how I looked back then! I totally thought I was fat and gross, I'm sure, and I couldn't stop saying (out loud, even), "WOW!! Look how great I looked then!" Anyway, while looking back through those albums, I starting remembering the lifestyle I lived back in the day. Now, I was by NO means the #1 party animal of Millikin or ISU or anything, but I lived it up! In fact, there were many times once I came up to grad school where I was out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night on a regular basis!
With that in mind, the sarcasm of this blog title comes in. Even before Nick and I had Austin, I became much more of a homebody. Part of the reason was because most of my friends moved out of town, so there was a long stretch of time where I didn't have anyone to go out and do things with. Then we had Austin and our definition of "weekend plans" changed.
This brings us to tonight. Tonight, I spent my wild Friday playing several variations of "I'm gonna get you!" with Nick and Austin, including a hilarious romp of "That's MY milk!" I spent another 20 minutes watching Nick and Austin wrestle and laugh hysterically. The pinnacle of the evening, however, occurred during Austin's bath, where he proceeded to poop twice in the tub and on the bathmat!
There you have it, folks, my happenin' Friday night! Wrestling and cleaning poop out of the tub! And you know what? I wouldn't trade back for anything in the world!
Let me just explain here. Recently, I was looking through a couple old photo albums of mine. They spanned my later college and grad school years. First of all, I so did not appreciate how I looked back then! I totally thought I was fat and gross, I'm sure, and I couldn't stop saying (out loud, even), "WOW!! Look how great I looked then!" Anyway, while looking back through those albums, I starting remembering the lifestyle I lived back in the day. Now, I was by NO means the #1 party animal of Millikin or ISU or anything, but I lived it up! In fact, there were many times once I came up to grad school where I was out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night on a regular basis!
With that in mind, the sarcasm of this blog title comes in. Even before Nick and I had Austin, I became much more of a homebody. Part of the reason was because most of my friends moved out of town, so there was a long stretch of time where I didn't have anyone to go out and do things with. Then we had Austin and our definition of "weekend plans" changed.
This brings us to tonight. Tonight, I spent my wild Friday playing several variations of "I'm gonna get you!" with Nick and Austin, including a hilarious romp of "That's MY milk!" I spent another 20 minutes watching Nick and Austin wrestle and laugh hysterically. The pinnacle of the evening, however, occurred during Austin's bath, where he proceeded to poop twice in the tub and on the bathmat!
There you have it, folks, my happenin' Friday night! Wrestling and cleaning poop out of the tub! And you know what? I wouldn't trade back for anything in the world!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
What a difference a week (and a few days) makes...
Okay. So Austin had a really great week last week. It was out of a storybook, really. However, the dream came to an end. Now, I have to preface this by saying that I completely and totally love my son. There is nothing he could do to make this change. However, we had a pretty rough night last night! I'm not sure what changed or what was going on with him last night, but he did NOT want to go to bed! Then, when he finally did, he didn't stay asleep. Let me just throw this number out at you all: 2. That is the total number of hours I slept last night, but it was in 30 minute increments. Not so satisfying or refreshing!
Luckily, Heartland was closed today. This was good because I could rest up a bit at home instead of working. I even got an hour long nap in while Austin was napping -- score! The downside to not working was that we didn't take Austin to daycare (we could have, but we didn't), so it wasn't really the MOST restful day of all!
I'm happy to report that as of now, 9:35 p.m., Austin has been sleeping silently since I put him down around 8:20. I'm hoping this continues. I'm thinking that he should probably sleep well tonight since he didn't get more than 6ish hours last night, and he typically sleeps closer to 11 hours!
Luckily, Heartland was closed today. This was good because I could rest up a bit at home instead of working. I even got an hour long nap in while Austin was napping -- score! The downside to not working was that we didn't take Austin to daycare (we could have, but we didn't), so it wasn't really the MOST restful day of all!
I'm happy to report that as of now, 9:35 p.m., Austin has been sleeping silently since I put him down around 8:20. I'm hoping this continues. I'm thinking that he should probably sleep well tonight since he didn't get more than 6ish hours last night, and he typically sleeps closer to 11 hours!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
What a great day!
Yesterday, we had such a great day! Austin was SO good the whole day...it was probably our most fun, least stressful day in months! He's been exploring his independence, which isn't a bad thing, but can make things like naptime, bedtime, and rules a little challenging! Apparently on Friday, he really struggled with naptime and was screaming in Sherry's face! Oops! When I picked him up yesterday after work and asked how he did, I got glowing reports! They said he laid right down for a nap and slept for quite a while! Yay!
After daycare, we went to Cecilia's house to eat quickly before leaving for the YMCA. Austin went to the daycare while I taught Zumba class. He again did great at Cecilia's, staying mostly on task and giggling at Grayson playing with some Handy Manny toys. When I dropped him off at the daycare at the Y, he ran right over to start playing! The daycare guy said he was fun the whole time and was "very talkative." Yep, that's my boy!
We even did well at bedtime last night -- it was the perfect way to end the day! Austin and I got home from the Y around 8 p.m. and I ate dinner while he had a tasty snack of Cheerios and milk. Nick came home from his fire department meeting and we all hung out for a little bit. Then Nick read Austin two of his (Austin's, not Nick's) favorite books -- Are You My Mother? and Green Eggs and Ham -- and we put him to bed without much of a struggle at all! I loved yesterday!
I've got to share about reading these books. Austin is getting to the point where he will "read" along with you if he knows the book. It's so freaking cute! Like I mentioned, he LOVES Are You My Mother? and Green Eggs and Ham right now. As you're reading the Mother book, he talks with you about each page and what's happening. His favorite parts of the book are when you get to see the hen and the cow. On the hen page, as you're reading, Austin starts exclaiming, "Tick-en!!! Tick-en!!!" over and over again until you say, "Yes! That is a chicken!" and then start using the word "chicken" instead of hen. When you get to the cow page, Austin starts mooing over and over and telling you that there is a cow right there! He is very helpful at identifying livestock...maybe he'll be a vet or a farmer?
I also love reading Green Eggs and Ham with him, because he has learned that the guy (what's his name? Not the Sam guy...) does not like green eggs and ham. After every question by Sam (e.g., "Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"), Austin states very seriously, "No, I woo NOT!!" He keeps this up after EVERY page, too, just so you know that he has that guy's back. I mean, get over it, Sam! Quit pushing your weird St. Patrick's Day-themed food on us! Haven't you ever heard about PORTION CONTROL??
After daycare, we went to Cecilia's house to eat quickly before leaving for the YMCA. Austin went to the daycare while I taught Zumba class. He again did great at Cecilia's, staying mostly on task and giggling at Grayson playing with some Handy Manny toys. When I dropped him off at the daycare at the Y, he ran right over to start playing! The daycare guy said he was fun the whole time and was "very talkative." Yep, that's my boy!
We even did well at bedtime last night -- it was the perfect way to end the day! Austin and I got home from the Y around 8 p.m. and I ate dinner while he had a tasty snack of Cheerios and milk. Nick came home from his fire department meeting and we all hung out for a little bit. Then Nick read Austin two of his (Austin's, not Nick's) favorite books -- Are You My Mother? and Green Eggs and Ham -- and we put him to bed without much of a struggle at all! I loved yesterday!
I've got to share about reading these books. Austin is getting to the point where he will "read" along with you if he knows the book. It's so freaking cute! Like I mentioned, he LOVES Are You My Mother? and Green Eggs and Ham right now. As you're reading the Mother book, he talks with you about each page and what's happening. His favorite parts of the book are when you get to see the hen and the cow. On the hen page, as you're reading, Austin starts exclaiming, "Tick-en!!! Tick-en!!!" over and over again until you say, "Yes! That is a chicken!" and then start using the word "chicken" instead of hen. When you get to the cow page, Austin starts mooing over and over and telling you that there is a cow right there! He is very helpful at identifying livestock...maybe he'll be a vet or a farmer?
I also love reading Green Eggs and Ham with him, because he has learned that the guy (what's his name? Not the Sam guy...) does not like green eggs and ham. After every question by Sam (e.g., "Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"), Austin states very seriously, "No, I woo NOT!!" He keeps this up after EVERY page, too, just so you know that he has that guy's back. I mean, get over it, Sam! Quit pushing your weird St. Patrick's Day-themed food on us! Haven't you ever heard about PORTION CONTROL??
Monday, January 5, 2009
Welcome to Heartland
Hmmmm....think I'll go to college today. I'm sure waiting until 1 week before classes begin isn't too late...
Take THAT, insurance!
This morning, I successfully talked my way into lower insurance rates for our cars. Yes! The bill got sent to me electronically and, instead of listing what my payment would be if I chose 1-month, 3-month, or 6-month coverage, it just said the 1- and 6-month options, but they weren't really identified as such. So I just saw my two payment amount options and I knew that the larger one was about double what I paid a few months ago! Looking back, that does make sense since I usually pay in 3-month increments. Anyway, I called my insurance agent and spoke to him at length about why my payment was going to be so much more, ways to reduce it, etc. He did some figurin' and was able to add a couple other discounts to our policy and reduce our rates by about $44 per month! That's awesome!
Don't think for a minute I didn't question it when he said we couldn't have both the "Accident-Free" discount and the "Muliple Policies" discount! I mean, we are accident free and we do have multiple policies, so I feel we should get them both! Apparently, this is "impossible" to do "in the system". You know what, guy? I use that whole "the system won't let us do this" line at my work, too, sometimes. What that really means is that you just won't do both or something! Anyway, I argued that for a while but stopped eventually after making sure I got the biggest discount possible.
I tell you, insurance. Just don't charge me an arm and a leg and I'll be happier!
Don't think for a minute I didn't question it when he said we couldn't have both the "Accident-Free" discount and the "Muliple Policies" discount! I mean, we are accident free and we do have multiple policies, so I feel we should get them both! Apparently, this is "impossible" to do "in the system". You know what, guy? I use that whole "the system won't let us do this" line at my work, too, sometimes. What that really means is that you just won't do both or something! Anyway, I argued that for a while but stopped eventually after making sure I got the biggest discount possible.
I tell you, insurance. Just don't charge me an arm and a leg and I'll be happier!
Friday, January 2, 2009
No time to post!
I am here, I want to post, but we're so busy! This is the last day of regular "non-late" enrollment for our spring semester, so you can imagine the business we're doing out here today! Hopefully I'll be able to get some new stories posted soon!
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