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!
Monday, February 16, 2009
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!
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