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!

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:

• 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!

That is by no means the end of the list, but I don't think I can live through any more memories right now! Whew, what an impressive dating history I have had! I want to take this opportunity to give a big fat thank you and internet kiss to Nick, for making it possible for me to stop going through all the fun that is dating! Even though we have our ups and downs and our strange times, you have never written me a letter in pencil from jail, tried to trick me in to having sex without calling it sex, or revealed any past sexually transmitted diseases! You are the best! Happy Valentine's Day!

(Note: Even though we're all wearing red, this isn't a Valentine's Day picture but our 2007 family Christmas picture!)

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!