Nothing Less Than A Miracle

Teethy Smiles

2012-01-18T06:07:00.000-06:00

Big smiles and bigger teeth. The three smiles seem to show off our pearly whites quite nicely.

Hockey Returns

2012-01-07T18:48:00.001-06:00

Time moves fast. So fast that it seems like yesterday I was telling you about our vacation to Walt Disney World (again). Then I look at it has been a month since Little Guy took his first international flight - to Cabo of course. And now, hockey season is in full swing. Here's the evidence. (ok, look for a real video soon. Apparently I need a you tube account, which I don't have. Instead here's a photo taken seconds ago.)

Have patience with me. My patience with outside forces is gone. This means I will be posting again. See, I have even embraced technology and will post from either my phone or, as is the case tonight, Big Poppy's phone, from time to time.Now I must work on getting a driver (Bentley with a driver is this gals dream) all the time. I feel like such a power player "working" while on the our way to...you guessed it, the hockey game. Any bets on how long into the game before Little Guy asks for ice cream?- Posted using BlogPress from Big Poppy's iPhone

I'm Taking A Shower

2011-08-08T05:14:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Little Guy and I went to SD to visit my side of the family and watch SoyBoy play in the state baseball tournament (more to come later on that). We were staying with Ranger and FavoriteAunt and I was a little nervous about the bathroom situation. You see, their kids are almost fully grown and no one takes baths. When they redid their bathroom a couple years ago instead of putting in a tub they opted for a shower only instead of stepping over the tub to get into the shower (the shower is huge and I love that!). However, the only time Little Guy has been in the shower was a few months back. He was playing in the bathroom while I was showering. The next thing I know, the shower curtain is moving and Little Guy is crawling into the shower - fully clothed. After he felt the water splashing on him and it not stopping, Little Guy let me know his displeasure. I had visions of tears and sadness while forcing him to shower.

Friday night got to be too late and Little Guy fell asleep without getting cleaned up. That had to be wonderful sleeping for him. I mean, have you ever started watching baseball at noon with high humidity? Napping in the shade of the grand stands because you were so upset to go home for a few minutes because Mommy wanted you to nap in the air conditioned home? Making it home around 10 pm? But he did fall straight asleep despite my poor parenting skills. :)

On Saturday morning, I re-introduced the shower to Little Guy.

There were tears alright. Tears when it was time to turn the shower off. He was not a happy boy.

Saturday was much of the same. Baseball. Hot. High humidity. Napping in the grand stands. However, Little Guy was a little wiser. At about 7:30 he looked to me and said. "Hot. Go home." I asked him, "You want to go home?" "YES!"

And so we went home and he was able to shower again and I took these three quick video clips with my phone. I watch them now and still laugh.

When we got home on Sunday, Big Poppy was holding Little Guy. All of a sudden Little Guy looked dead serious.

LG: I showered!

BP: You took a shower?

LG: Yeah. Little Guy showered!

He is too flipping cute!

Independence Weekend

2011-07-26T05:01:00.000-05:00

Last year over the 4th of July weekend we had a blast with family in Chicago. We debated what to do this past 4th of July and then settled on spending the weekend creating our own independence - from diapers. Little Guy has been asking to use the potty, sometimes, and is always interested in flushing the toilet. We settled in for a quiet weekend home, close to the bathroom.

Then something amazing happened. After weeks of grey skies and rain, the skies turned blue and the sun shone. It was amazing. About two hours into our independence from diapers weekend, Little Guy said "no potty on toilet" and promptly wet the front of himself. I looked at Big Poppy and declared it is too nice (FINALLY!) to stay in the weekend. We will being enjoying it with fun and pull-ups.

First up was the park. Little Guy loves these slides and I admit I get a little nervous. It's huge! He's two. I am very happy to have found this little jem of a park (little is relative and thanks Wendy!) but going to the third floor of this with Little Guy made my heart flutter a bit. While he is a big boy he seemed too little for this...don't tell Little Guy that. He wanted nothing to do with the smaller areas.

The cat-walk was very fun for him.

We packed a some food and had a picnic in the shade. The quiet time was nice.

It didn't take Little Guy long to figure out a bag of ice on the neck was a great way to cool off. I am so amazed how smart he is!

After lunch it was time to hit the swimming area. It was easy to spot those of us in the Frozen Tundra that do not use a tanning bed.

We also got to spend some time with family. Little Guy enjoyed playing with cousins, eating homemade ice cream sandwiches and taking his first jet ski ride.

While it would have been awesome to bye-bye to diapers, I know we made the right choice. The low-key weekend of fun was just what we needed.

Happy belated 4th of July!

Quick One

2011-07-19T05:28:00.000-05:00

We have been playing hard and enjoying the sunshine while it lasts. I cannot wait to give you the insider scoop soon on our play time. Until then, let me tell you about yesterday.

A normal Monday, off to work we go. Little Guy had a field trip and got to see all kinds of animals - his favorite was the lizard. Big Poppy worked hard too but my firm closed the office early and volunteered with a HOME program. Outside (I realize Big Poppy is outside all day too, up and down a ladder, but between appointments he get the cool AC of his vehicle). The heat index was H-O-T. I lucked out and was on inside window washing duty. After our volunteering we played mini-golf and am quite amazed there was no heat stroke. We grabbed a drink and food and enjoyed co-workers outside of the office.

But the best part came when I got home. The door came open and I hear a THUMP. Then the patters of little feet running at the same time "MOMMY!"

Man, it was good to come home to such a welcome.

I wonder why Big Poppy didn't say "WIFE!".

Birthday Fun

2011-07-12T05:36:00.001-05:00

This past weekend was GrandC's birthday and today is FavoriteNiece's birthday (a new niece will be appearing soon, I may need to rethink this name). For a low-key celebration, we went a few rides and had a little lunch. Of course there were presents and cake (or key lime pie)! I truly believe the reason why some people do not like getting older has everything to do with how we celebrate birthdays.

When we are first beginning to celebrate our birthday, family and close friends come over to eat cake and ice cream. A lot of the time those that love us spoil us with presents. SIDEBAR: Spoiling is ok, in moderation. Spoiling to the point of rottenness, not ok.

As our birthday draw nears, we sit in anticipation, not quite sure what will happen this year. Will the cake be chocolate? Will our favorite food be served? It is all so very exciting, waiting to see is going to happen.

Then, on the day, THE DAY, things really start to look up.

Before we know it, our heart is racing. The thrill of our birthday brings so many smiles.

I understand why some may not like getting older. The slice of cake we eat gets smaller. The number of people who see or call you or send a card on your birthday reduces dramatically. Suddenly, telling someone "Happy Birthday" on Facebook is socially acceptable. The personal connection is gone.

It's time to treat every one's birthday like a special day. I challenge you for the next year to send a card. Use the phone as a phone (i.e. don't text or Facebook). Eat a big slice of cake. Celebrate those you care about. Reconnect. And above all, have fun. Have a happy birthday. Help someone else have a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday to our FavoriteNiece!

Open Doors

2011-07-11T05:37:00.003-05:00

When you open a door, many different outcomes may happen.

If you leave a door closed and do not see what the possibility is behind a closed door, what you have is what you get.

As a child, we open doors all the time. We are curious to see what kind of treasures are just waiting for us to find them. When presented with a new door, are you taking the chance to see what treasure awaits you or are you scared to venture out into the unknown?

Most of the time, as adults we don't seek out new doors. I wonder, are we limiting ourselves in order to stay on the safe, predictable and happy path of life? Perhaps it's time for us to look for new doors and show Little Guy what new treasures we find.

4th of July - Posts to come to let you know what's up. We have been busy looking for new doors and finding the right one for our family.

Somewhat related - the website has completely changed how it looks to create posts. This new door is going to take some time getting use to. :)

I Know

2011-07-01T04:55:00.001-05:00

I know I am not always the best at keeping things updated.

I know that I have many areas to improve myself.

I know that despite my many flaws I have a beautiful family, both here and far away.

I know that these blue eyes see the best in everyone, including me.

I know our love and happiness is real.

I know that we open our arms love everyone, furry or not.

I know this Little Guy is learning from the best man I know.

I know having a best friend helps you jump feet first.

I know having some you trust, respect and love is vital.

I know that power of flying on your own.

I know the power of keeping people close.

I know I have a wonderful family.

I know how truely lucky I am.

NOTE: These are a few of the pictures from Little Guys two year photos. I know - we look good. :)

Worst.Vampire.Ever

2011-06-23T05:47:00.002-05:00

Jane Jones: Worst.Vampire.Ever

Happy Mom: Adult.Seeking.Second.Childhood

Curse you Andy Cohen.

Curse you and the guilty pleasure of Watch What Happens Live and the train wrecks that are Bravo reality TV.

Without you Andy Cohen and the background entertainment on your drinking show I would not have seen a pink book with such an intriguing name. How could I not have been drawn to Worst.Vampire.Ever? How could that young teenage girl, perhaps even preteen child, stay away?

A quick google revealed the book synopsis:

For Jane Jones, being a vampire is nothing like you read about in books. In fact, it kind of sucks. She's not beautiful, she's not rich, and she doesn't "sparkle." She's just an average, slightly nerdy girl from an ordinary suburban family (who happens to be vampires.) Jane's from the wrong side of the tracks (not to mention stuck in the world's longest awkward phase), so she doesn't fit in with the cool vampire kids at school or with the humans kids. To top it all off, she's battling an overprotective mom, a clique of high school mean girls (the kind who really do have fangs), and the most embarrassing allergy in the history of the undead, she's blood intolerant. So no one's more surprised than Jane when for the first time in her life, things start to heat up (as much as they can for a walking corpse, anyway) with not one, but two boys. Eli's a geeky, but cute real-live boy in her history class, and Timothy is a beautiful, brooding bloodsucker, who might just hold the key to a possible "cure" for vampirism. Facing an eternity of high school pressure, fumbling first dates, or a mere lifetime together with Timothy, what's a 90-something year-old teen vampire to do?

Oh Andy, you know me so well. I believe you knew I would see that pink book. The book jacket further peaked my curiosity but I was unconvinced, yet. I need a little more convincing. I'll look into the author.

CAISSIE ST. ONGE is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer who's worked for The Late Show with David Letterman, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and VH1's Best Week Ever, as well as a bunch of shows you probably haven't heard of (but that's okay). Caissie's written lots of other stuff, too, including commercials for soap, ice cream, and cell phones that starred some bigshot Hollywood celebrities, plus an infomercial for collectible coins that starred a prominent Pennsylvania numismatist. (But enough bragging.) Caissie lives in Connecticut with her husband and two sons, in a town that's a lot like the one described in these pages, but she's not a vampire . . . yet. This is Caissie's first novel.

Okay. You got me now.

Andy, I heeded your advice. The pink book came home with me this weekend. Curse you Andy.

Happy Mom: Stays.Up.Late.To.Read.Young.Adult.Books.Turns.Out.Book.Was.Just.What.The.Mommy.Needed.This.Hijacked.Blog.Will.Return.To.It's.Normal.Schedule.

Need a mindless funny take on high school. Andy Cohen had just the ticket for this young-old gal. Now I better read an adult book before Big Poppy realizes the zits on my face....

I Understand

2011-06-22T06:12:00.000-05:00

Do you see these beautiful blue eyes?

I understand. I get it. Little Guy is easy to fall in love with.

I also understand that I may have played a role in our current situation. After all it was I that taught him:

ME: What do you give the girls?

LG: *** Wink, Wink - as in both eyes close for a quick wink*** A wink and smile

I may have also contributed by this:

ME: Where are your biceps?

LG: ***Rolls up the right arm sleeve and kisses the bicep, rolls up the left arm sleeve and kisses the bicep. ***

I do understand it is hard to resist these smiles.

However, I do not understand this change.

The game is suppose to go like this:

ME: Who loves you?

LG: MOMMY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: DADDY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: JETER!

Sometimes the game goes like this:

ME: Who loves you?

LG: DADDY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: MOMMY!

ME: Who else loves you?

LG: JETER!

Ok, not as much fun for me but it is acceptable.

However, there have been a couple times where it went like this:

ME: Who loves you?

LG: EMILY! (not her real name)

ME: ***Excuse me? When did this little hussy show up in the picture? The last time I knew, Emily was the school "friend" biter on the incident report. When did the little hussy trump me? This will never do. ***

I understand this little ~~hussy~~ friend becoming smitten by Little Guy.

I do not understand this little ~~hussy~~ friend out-ranking me.

I might need to have a talk with the little ~~hussy~~ friend's parents to ensure she watches herself.

Big Poppy

2011-06-20T06:12:00.002-05:00

There is no doubt how much Big Poppy loves Little Guy nor that Little Guy thinks Big Poppy is the greatest.

The love between these two boys is indescribable. At the baseball game yesterday, the guest service attendant commented over and over again about the two of the them (and this lady takes her job very (VERY!) seriously, do not try to do anything without her permission).

Whether Little Guy wants to borrow Big Poppy's sunglasses, even though the sun was not shining (yet again)

or if he just needs someone to catch him humpty dumpty-ing into the pool

or making sure foul balls do not land on his head

Big Poppy is always going to be there.

In a few years, when you are unhappy with Big Poppy telling you no to car keys or weekend trips, don't forget how much you love him Little Guy and know, without a doubt, he thinks the world of you.

***NOTE: Did you hear a scream of "Noooooo. F----------." this morning? Not to worry, it was just me finishing up an original posting and then watching my computer shut down, without warning unless you count the pop-up that told me it would be happening in 15 minutes which was like 2 minutes before the shut down occurred. Or at least it seemed like 2 minutes and I thought I was finishing up instead of halfway through. Things seem to take me longer than I think they should.***

Work Ramblings

2011-06-17T05:00:00.012-05:00

I work with numbers and when the words do not flow out of my mouth quite the way I intended (this happens more often than I care to admit), I like to say something like “I like numbers, not words”. This is not exactly true. I did not go into accounting to be a “bean counter”, “number cruncher” or whatever you like to think is true about accounting. I went into accounting because I got it. It made sense. I wanted to have an influence on the bottom the line without selling. By now, I thought I would have been done with working in public accounting and would be on the fast track to stardom in an industry company where the corporate culture promoted all the same values and ideals I have. Alas, I am in public accounting today (by my choice, most days) and I enjoy my current career path (well, here again, most days). Maybe someday the mood will strike and I will pick up the thought of industry stardom. Until that moment arrives, I’m here and doing whatever I can to make our firm profitable, respected and known.

In order to “sell” my firm I need to believe in the firm. We are a professional service and this means, to me, I have need to believe in our people. I admit, a few years back, I did not believe in a few of the people (we are small company and a few people have a huge impact) and I decided to look for a new job. I almost took one that likely would have led to the industry stardom but decided within a couple years and would want to be back in public accounting. I’m happy I made that decision. Within the next year the mood of my firm had changed and all the people were once again top-notch (it’s an excellent feeling knowing you are not the smartest person in the room). Our young accountants, who I sometimes refer to as kids – because I’m so old and they are so young, are second to none.

Because I have such high regards for everyone, I was recently surprised in a discussion.

“I don’t need to have a relationship with you. We just need to get the work done.” (NOTE: Not verbatim and there was also reference to not needing a relationship with a couple others at the firm - among other things.)

However, what I heard was more like this:

“I think you are crap and I tolerate working with you because I have to.”

I am not a person who needs to be best buddies with everyone. I am a person that needs to be more than tolerated with those she works with.

I develop relationships with clients because it improves working relationships. It seems like developing relationships with co-workers improves working relationships, gives a higher quality service to clients, and makes works more enjoyable. This hurts.

I came home that night and talked with Big Poppy. There were tears because I do not want to be “that” co-worker. The one people thinks does a good job but that’s about it. Even now, just thinking about it, there is a frog in my throat. What if I am now (or always have been) the less than top-notch one at the firm?

I am not questioning myself, per say. I’m questioning if I’m doing the best for my firm. I’m questioning if I’m the best person for my firm. Would it be a stronger place without me? Am I holding it back?

They say love hurts. I say work hurts…but as I think about it, I do love/care for everyone at my firm. It makes sense that this hurts. That it has shaken me. I do not get together with most of them outside of the office, but we are a small and you get to know people. I have been there for nine years. I cannot be somewhere for that long without forming bonds. My lesson, not everyone needs a relationship with those they work with.

My work ramblings are done – for today. And I feel a little better for laying it out and seeing what the real issue is for me now.

Growing Boy, Jumping Boy

2011-06-14T06:25:00.001-05:00

Last month was Little Guy's birthday. It also means it was time to check in the doctor and see how he compares to other little boys in terms of growth. As expected, he is a tall little guy (I am starting to get looks from people that don't understand he isn't as old has his height makes him appear. You know the looks, why isn't he potty trained - more on that to come - or he should be speaking better by now.)

Vitals at Twenty-four Months

Height: 35 1/2" (90 percentile)
Weight: 28 lbs 7.5 oz (50-75 percentile)
Head: 49.8 cm (50-75 percentile)
Click here for vitals at eighteen months.

Two year pictures are on the way. From the sneak peak, I am very pleased. It helps to have such a handsome family.

*** Can I tell you how annoying it is to have program updates running in the background while I am trying to do this update. Things are running very slow and I need to leave in a few minutes. Sometimes, I think computers are meant to irritate me. ***

Along with being a growing boy, Little Guy is also a jumping boy. He finds anything and everything to use as his launching pad, including yoga blocks.

Prior to jumping, one must count to three.

After reaching three, bend the knees, put a smile on your face and prepare for blast off.

Now it is time to enjoy the flight.

A safe landing is desirable, however, tumbling to the ground also offers up loads of fun.

And if you are lucky Little Guy, I will soon be able to hide the shirt you are wearing so Big Poppy cannot put it on you ever again. When you look back to pictures and it looks like you wore the same shirt every day please know that was not the case, however Big Poppy put it on you once a week and let other shirts gather dust in your drawer (Big Poppy helps him get ready in the morning most of the time).

The Boys of Summer

2011-06-09T05:21:00.000-05:00

Downside: Our hometown boys of summer have yet to live up to expectations this year.

Upside: Fans are still showing up for the home games.

Downside: The weather has been less than ideal for outdoor baseball due to cold and the rain.

Upside: We have had a few decent days with the sun and even some heat (I really like that).

Upside: We have been able to make it to a few games this year.

Downside: Big Poppy does not read my mind and take charge to ask those around us to take a quick family picture of the three of us (or grab the camera to take one of Little Guy and me - I improvise while Big Poppy is engrossed in the game).

Upside: We have plenty of family and friends with season tickets that allow us to enjoy home games without breaking the bank.

Upside: We recently sat the "Legends" club for a completely different view from where we normally sit.

Upside: As season ticket holders (by proxy) we were able to purchase additional tickets prior to them going on sale to the general public.

Downside: The way the hometown boys are playing I am wondering if Big Poppy and a few of his college teammates should walk-on to the team. Despite their years I cannot think they would hurt the team currently (or perhaps this is really an upside because of league minimum wage rules for the summer play).

Upside: Foul ball landed in Big Poppy's hand. Thank you Justin Morneau.

OK - despite the win-loss record, the boys of summer are treating our family pretty darn good. Not a bad way to enjoy a Sunday (Memorial Day weekend).

Biceps?

2011-06-02T05:20:00.005-05:00

Big Poppy and I like to be active. No surprise to anyone that knows us.

Admitly, I lost a bit of myself this past year while I was trying to be the perfect Happy Mom. Do you know what I realized? This Mommy is a lot happier when she has sweated out the stress of the day. Those quick workouts that barely cause a blimp on the heart rate monitor and the attitude "at least I did something" do not help me on my quest to being the perfect Wife and Mommy to Big Poppy and Little Guy.

This gal needs a good old fashion, sweating like a pig while breathing so hard it might wake a sleeping child.

And some mornings, it does wake a sleeping child.

At that point, the treadmill is stopped and it is on to weights - which I despise unless I'm strong and therefore avoid at all possible costs. Yes, I do realize to get strong I need to lift the weights. I said I was on the quest to be the perfect Wife and Mommy to my family, not the perfect workout parnter.

On this particular morning, Little Guy rolled out of bed and was ready to show me how to create biceps.

He has very good form, for a two year old.

He is also very good at counting to ten.

The only issue we have when Little Guy rolls out of bed to be my personal trainer is the weight size. I like him to stick to his one pounders. He is not always a fan of pink and wants to pick up the heavier, gray weights I use. (Notice I said "I use" - feel free to kindly remind Big Poppy we have an adequate workout room or that the weather is pretty nice outside these days. Is it shameful to enlist your help in getting Big Poppy back on the workout trail? You can also kindly remind Big Poppy that workout endorphines are a good thing and have him look to me as an example.)

Anyways, Little Guy is very good at bicep curls. He must get that from me.

Those are Stickers

2011-06-01T06:18:00.000-05:00

We do are best to keep Little Guy clean. Sometimes it is difficult because he is an active little boy. I promise, his shirt is not dirty here. He is just really into stickers.

Stickers can be used a bribe or a reward or, if I'm feeling naughty, torture (as you keep the stickers just out of reach but within eye sight but are unable to hear "sticker, sticker, sticker" - which is said in an increasingly whiny voice).

What I like to do sometimes is time Little Guy's reaction time. You ask him polite to come see you. No response. You may tell him to come see you in a little more authoritative tone. No response. You ask if he would like a sticker.

And in true fashion, as soon as Little Guy sees the camera, the smile brightens his face.

He also moves quicker when there is a camera around.

A camera could likely make Little Guy move quicker than stickers do.

And he just cannot wait to see his face on the camera's display.

The Joy of Running

2011-05-24T05:17:00.001-05:00

When was the last time you experienced the joy of running?

Birthday Fun

2011-05-23T12:23:00.000-05:00

Did you think I had forgotten how to post a blog? Not at all. I was just trying to get caught up in life and then would update my friends and family on the exciting life and times of a Happy Mom. Alas, I have come to the realization that catching up is not in the cards for this gal. Instead, I just will keep playing along and do my best. From now on, my best will include blog posts. If for no other reason, I really enjoy it.

Despite how this first picture may look, Little Guy had a wonderful birthday. His actual birthday was on Thursday and a few close friends and family joined us on Saturday. I took both Thursday and Friday off from work...sorta, I rebelled and wore jeans to the office on Thursday morning and then picked up Little Guy early from school. Big Poppy, Little Guy and I had a relaxing afternoon and enjoyed homemade mac-n-cheese and a little cupcake for desert. When asked, Little Guy would proudly declare it his birthday and let us know he was TWO, just in case we had forgotten.

On Friday, Little Guy headed back to school and I focused on party prep. Mainly baking and frosting (more on this on a later date). A Mickey Mouse pound cake was baked and then some carrot cake cupcakes hit the oven. Lot's of frosting was whipped up, plenty of it sampled (I still have a tummy ache) and coloring added. All in all, I think my first venture into the world of cake decorating went rather well. Little Guy was very excited to see the Mickey cake. If nothing else, I got to see lots of smiles and more than one "MICKEY".

Little Guy has a little friend in BabyMack. Although I'm not sure if BabyMack was all too thrilled to be hugged so tightly but my blue babe.

As per the norm, Little Guy was spoiled. Water toys are always a big hit with him. Dancing Mickey found his way back into our home - thanks GrandB - and his songs and dance are filling up my head.

No party is complete without ballons. You cannot imagine how much fun it is to take the weight off a helium ballon and watch it dance on the ceiling. Little Guy would "jump" to try to grab the ballon string, however this boy cannot jump to save his life - the 1/2 inch vertical just does not help you get things up high.

Little Guy had two of his favorite play mates to help him.

After everyone left, Little Guy proudly declared:

"It as a party for me!"

Yes it was.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-21T05:22:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday night I boiled water - twice. It appears if you try to save time by putting water on the stove to boil while you eat supper, odds are a person is going to forget about the high flames and water evaporation when you leave to go to the dining room. Just about the time supper is over and you are thinking about clearing off the table, guess what, there is a smell you can't quite place and then the sprint to the kitchen stops everyone else in their tracks. The only harm, water evaporation and pride - apparently I can't boil water properly despite considering myself a pretty good cook. The next time I am going to save time, I will be sure to set a timer.

With the now hard boiled eggs we were ready to dye our Easter Eggs last night (here's Wikipedia's take on why we have Easter Eggs). At first Little Guy had some other ideas on what we should do. Can you see the marker on the floor, not the paper. Thank you Favorite Aunt, until now we used washable crayons, colored pencils and these things I can't recall the name of but the markers only color on special paper; you are lucky the markers on the floor washed up rather easily.

It didn't take long after Little Guy saw the white eggs turning different colors before he was ready to join in on the fun.

Having a not-quite-two put eggs into water gently is a bit of a feat. I did find it comical that soon he caught on. You just have to say "gently, gently" and Little Guy will start to whisper "gently, gently". Now we just need to work on what gently actually means. We may have a few cracked eggs from Little Guy, but the colored splashes are quite spectacular.

As I was looking at the Easter Eggs this morning, I wondered what I did differently when I was younger. It seems to me I had even colors on the Easter Eggs. Is this a product of lack of patience last night? Or perhaps my family was a little smarter than I was and purchased more than one dye kit to allow more water in the cup and allowing the eggs to be fully immersed in the color? (I think I am going that option next year.)

Now the wait for the Easter Egg Hunt!

Confused

2011-04-20T05:17:00.001-05:00

I think I'm confused. Perhaps I got up to early this morning and I'm not quite awake but I think it snowed.

Did I miss spring?

How about summer?

Fall?

It's winter again?

I'm so confused. It might be time to crawl back into bed.

These Boots

2011-04-14T05:56:00.005-05:00

More often than not Little Guy wants to be just like Big Poppy.

However, there are times when he likes what Mommy has, especially when shoes are involved. Or in this case, boots.

Last night, Mommy took her boots off and Little Guy flew over to take of his shoes. In one swift motion, the shoes were off and the boots were on.

He did surprisingly well in heels.

I'm thinking I may need to take walking in heels lessons from Little Guy.

Parks Are Fun

2011-04-13T05:50:00.003-05:00

Have you ever noticed how parks are fun?

You go to the park, you have fun and you go home in a great mood (at least you leave in a great mood if there isn't a melt down because you are leaving the park - something I would never do, however Big Poppy has been known to have a melt down or too).

There are so many things that are fun at the park. A quick walk and we are at the park to have fun.

Slides are fun.

Swings are fun.

Tunnels are fun.

Pelicans are fun.

Mommy's are fun.

OK, maybe I just wanted to show-off a little bit that Little Guy was captured giving Mommy a kiss...which is always fun for me!

Weekend Ice

2011-04-11T05:36:00.001-05:00

Little Guy is waaaaay into hockey. He likes other things but loves hockey...and Mickey and Nemo. A perfect day for Little Guy right now is one spent watching hockey (or shooting the puck in the house) with Mickey and Nemo at his side.

Earlier this year Big Poppy and Little Guy went skating for the first time. There were big grins as Big Poppy hunched over and helped Little Guy along. Needless to say, it didn't take long before Big Poppy's back was sore and he needed a break. However, Little Guy wanted none of that. He carefully made his way out to the ice.

Yesterday we all went skating together. Let me point I grew up in state where hockey was only seen on tv. People who skated did so on 4 wheels and may or may not have had a big old round break on the front of the skate. (In college I did purchase my first pair of roller blades and a few summers ago I got a second pair. Big Poppy and I would skate the bike trails and he will do circles around me - literally. The showoff also likes to skate backwards much faster and safer than I do facing forward. This has a point - maybe.)

As I was saying, yesterday we all went skating together. We brought the camera to capture the fun times. And it was fun. But I learned that I need to take some skating lessons if I am going to be out on the ice. Little Guy prefers to have Big Poppy hold him while going really fast than to sit around and wait for a normal speed with Mommy. I will be purchasing a helmet for Little Guy before we go out on the ice again. The visions of him slipping and Big Poppy not catching him where too much for me. No pictures will be taken when I cannot trust my skating skills with camera - there was no way I was going to be helping Little Guy.

And I do find it odd that I wanted to go skating as the season is changing to spring.

New Friend

2011-03-29T05:53:00.001-05:00

There's a new friend at our house.

He brightens up the day of everyone, especially Little Guy.

I do feel a little bad. He says he feels like a fish out of water.

Happy -

2011-03-22T05:14:00.001-05:00

We've been busy - aren't we all.

We have a happy Little Guy who is getting big.

We have happy boys that love to play together.

We have a happy couple to rely on one another.

We have a happy family that loves deeply and laughs often.

We've been busy but more importantly, we are extremely happy.

Got Cake?

2011-03-06T12:03:00.002-06:00

He Does Get Groomed

2011-02-16T04:45:00.001-06:00

He does get clean.

He likes to take baths.

Althought more and more it appears we have forgotten basic cleanning habits.

And sometimes it just looks like we don't own a brush.

But Little Guy does get groomed.

Sometimes he is just cuter with a little mess.

Go Pac Go

2011-02-06T15:21:00.000-06:00

While some may like the other guys, I am a Packer fan. I have even converted my formerly a Vikes fan of a hubby to be a Packer fan. Now it's time to head out the door and see our green friends to the north (and about one mile north of them are our non-green friends *insert boo-hiss* - we will not be watching the game together).

Let the fun begin.

What To Do

2011-01-28T05:23:00.000-06:00

I am a little confused on what to do.

Sunday's normally have a game on the tv.

Not this Sunday. No game for us to watch.

What to do? What to do?

I guess we'll just have to wait until next week. How many others have their team playing? :)

New Year, New Changes

2011-01-18T06:54:00.000-06:00

If it seems I have been more remiss than normal on stopping by, here is why:

1. It's broomball season. Big Poppy and I like to play. Sometimes the ice is hard. Like really hard. When a body hits the ice just right it can through your back out of whack. That's me, right now. My back is aching and the muscle relaxants and pain meds drug me down this weekend. On the upside, I am on the mend. I love my chiropractor!

2. It's a new year and the beginning of the new year is a great time to start something new. That is exactly what we have done. Big Poppy and I have either added to Little Guy's inheritance or we have squandered away his college savings (let's hope we are adding to his future!) and have purchased the family business (family business in that it was previously owned by GrandC and GrandB - Big Poppy's brothers have not worked for the company for many years now).

3. Now that the deal is finalized (yes, you do create debt when purchasing a family business, we did not get it for free) and I am on the mend I have no excuse for not catching up and posting more.

4. So, this new year brings in a resolve. I will post more often, if for no other reason, this is a great way for me to remember what we have done throughout the years.

5. I got nothing else right now. :)

It Worked

2011-01-12T05:17:00.000-06:00

Pictures recovered. It took some time. But it was worth the wait.

This is audit week. I'll catch up this weekend.

But I am so happy, Big Poppy came through big time.

Please oh Please

2010-12-28T23:47:00.000-06:00

I am patiently waiting to see if they can be recovered. My computer has crashed, burned and then been partially revived. However, after noticing iTunes music is not at full force and if I try to synch iPod music it wants to erase everything, I noticed something even more disturbing.

My pictures are MIA - well at least half of them are gone and most of the Christmas pictures have gone to the black hole of computer land. It makes me very, very sad. I have memories here to share with you, share with very special people and to keep for the next for the future years.

Please, oh please, let me be smart enough to figure out how to retrieve the pictures. I will (somewhat) happily repurchase music for iTunes. I will be more diligent about backing up my computer.

Please, please let me be smart enough to hire the right person for the job if it turns out to be bigger than anything Big Poppy can handle. I am already smart enough to know this is beyond my capabilities.

Until then, I have this one to share.

And after some genius, Big Poppy or otherwise, recovers my pictures, I can finish my 2010 picture book and let you know how the month of December turned out for us.

Here's a hint, there were bouts of the stomach flu, pouting lips for non-exist fudge (a clear sign my family no longer loves me) and lots of family fun whether in the Frozen Tundra or the Icy Plains.

Wishing You A Magical Christmas

2010-12-24T22:02:00.000-06:00

NYC

2010-12-15T05:14:00.000-06:00

I don't know how to say this.

I love New York.

I loath New York airports.

The mobs of rude people, and I know you are not all from New York but seem to think you should take the stereo type of the New Yorker attitude to the extreme, are enough to drive me to a drink. Heavily. Ok, maybe it did drive me to a drink but not heavily - just one glass of wine.

What was I doing in New York? Flying home from our Orlando vacation of course!

No, I was not insane and tried to save a few bucks by not having a direct flight, however you probably heard on the news, the Frozen Tundra was hit with a rather large snowstorm. There were even roof collapses from the weight of the snow.

We were all set for a Saturday departure. Mother nature had other plans. We had a change to Sunday flights via Atlanta and Milwaukee. Those were cancelled. Monday comes and our 7 am flight was delayed to 9:15 and we were flying via New York.

Have you ever entertained a kid at an airport for way too long? I am not talking hours. I am talking days. There is a hotel located in the Orlando. For convenience sake we staid there. We thought we had a one day delay.

In reality, our extra stay at the airport was not all that bad. We had good food, a comfortable bed and plenty of moving walk ways which kept Little Guy highly entertained. He was also a big fan of the glass elevator and watching us mover closer or farther from the people outside. Weeeee. This can be said even before stepping into the elevator. The anticipation is that great.

Really, it was just the NYC airport that made our delayed trip home bad. Work may think not being there to get items done is bad and when I am up early and home late catching up from today, then I may agree. But, we did get see Little Guy for his first trip to NYC. Maybe next time he can even venture out of the airport.

NOTE: I'll wrap up vacation this week.

Baby, It's Cold Outside - II

2010-12-10T06:10:00.020-06:00

Day two of vacation (or is it really day one since Saturday was a travel day?) started off cool and cloudy. I went for a quick wog -- somewhere between a walk and a jog -- and returned back to our place just as it started to rain. Now a little rain does not make me melt, I am not made of sugar nor am I green, but this did dampen my mood. Vacation rain does not make me happy. In fact it makes me very sad.

AuntJ and Big T were set to travel over to spend the day with us. While our place is larger than a hotel room, a two bedroom condo unit, it would feel very small if three adults and two young, energetic boys were forced to stay inside and play all day. One thing Big Poppy has told me about Florida, it may rain every day but it will not rain all day. I admit, I doubted this because of the cloud coverage and how cold it was outside. Fortunately, Big Poppy was correct. By the time AuntJ and Big T made their way over, the sun was out and while it was not warm it was no longer cold.

Big T and AuntJ were great little hosts for the day at Sea World and helped us plan out a good day.

It started with the dolphins.

As you can see, despite seeing the dolphins more often Big T was still happy to see them again. Little Guy's mouth and eyes are opened up in wonder and awe. What is hard to capture on camera (darn you point and shoot) is the pointing fingers and the "oohhh!" and smiles and laughter and the trying to jump into the pool with the dolphins. Little Guy could have stayed watching much longer, we stayed here for 15 minutes, and he was displeased when we moved on to see what else there was to see at Sea World.

About two weeks ago I was speaking with a client who has two year old twins. She told me we could talk more the next day because she was on her way out the door to take the twins to Sesame Street Live. We laughed about her exciting life and how jealous I was not be going to Sesame Street Live. As I hung up the phone I thought to myself how lucky I was Little Guy has not shown interest in some childhood characters - yet.

Well there are Sesame Street shows at Sea World. We decided to go. I thought it would be a good introduction for Little Guy. Boy do I feel like a bad mommy now. Little Guy loved it. He stood on the bench in amazement, watching everything. Big Poppy and I have done plenty of things with Little Guy and have introduced him to many parts of life. However, Sesame Street or other characters have not been around us all that much (I may have a fear of create a couch potato that misses out on the activities of life).

I need to realize a little show here and there is not going to harm Little Guy. He deserves a little entertainment too.

Afterall, if Little Guy sees puppets every now and then, he may not be afraid of Shamu...or maybe a whale is something to be a little scared of.

AuntJ and I swapped kiddo's, Big T was a big fan of this aunt (yeah!). The Christmas tree light show held their attention (and ours) for the entire time. Little Guy is young enough that he was amazed every time the lights came back on or changed colors.

We stayed until the park closed to see the fireworks. It was cold. COLD. While walking around to find a good vantage point for the fireworks I spotted heaters. We found our spot. Big Poppy walked back a short ways to get himself a hot chocolate and a hot toddy for AuntJ and me. Between the heater, hot toddy and snuggling boys I was able to keep my blood circulation circulating.

Baby, It's Cold Outside - I

2010-12-08T08:29:00.002-06:00

Big Poppy and I like to go on vacation. I cannot think of very many people who do not like vacation but I'm sure there are some out there. Living in the Frozen Tundra, when winter comes or after it has been dragging on a little too long we like to head to Cabo for a few days of S&R (sun and relaxing). While I am a big believer in trying new things, going to different places and having new experiences we fell in love with Cabo and decided if we could only vacation one place a year Cabo really isn't that bad of a place to be.

In reality, we normally have a couple mini-vacations (think long weekends) and a one week long vacation. I cannot wait to introduce Little Guy to Cabo but it just did not work out to fly off to Mexico this year. Yes, I am sad about this but poor us, instead of vacationing in Cabo for a week we decided to visit the Orlando, Florida area. We are fortunate and if at any time I sound a little whining about our vacation, I am not. What I may be is a little upset with a few things that have happened. However, rest assured, there are more smiles and laughs than anything else. I know we are blessed on so many levels... it all comes down to Little Guy.

Big Poppy, Little Guy and I were picked up by GrandB and GrandC on December 4 to head to the airport. The night before it had snowed. Alot. After Little Guy went to bed Big Poppy shoveled the driveway while I snoozed on the couch (Hey, at least I am honest about what I was doing and, in my defense, I had traveled for work Thursday morning and returned home on Friday. Traveling can be very tiring.). The snow was still falling as Big Poppy shoveled although it had slowed down quite a bit. By morning there was a fine layer of snow on the driveway but we had other items to attend to. Mainly getting to the airport.

We traveled to the main hub without incident and made it through security after a short wait or at least a short wait by today's security standards. There is this wonderful little thing with having a young child, sometimes the airport personnel pull you out of line and have you go through a separate line because they understand it takes longer to do things with a stroller, toddler and a carry on bag for his entertainment pleasure. Lucky us, we had one of those kind airport personnel pulled us aside. For anyone screaming unfair treatment, I have a few stories where we were not so lucky. This just helped even out some of the not-so-nice treatment's I have received (Lincoln, NE - you know who you are and that I can point a finger at one person in particular on more than one occasion -- yes, that does mean I have flown to Lincoln, NE more than once in my life -- but I digress).

The airport music is filled with holiday cheer and one of the songs I heard has been stuck in my head ever since - Baby, It's Cold Outside. The Frozen Tundra was just that as we left - Frozen. As a text message I received from a friend said:

It's freezing cold. FREEZING. COLD.

And so, as I boarded the plane I am thinking a little smugly to myself "in a few short hours I will be in Florida, the sunshine state." As I was seated on the plane, talking to Big Poppy and entertaining Little Guy I was under the illusion that while Orlando has off season and winter months that low 70's would feel like a little piece of heaven (more to come on this false illusion). After all, Baby, It's Cold Outside here in the Frozen Tundra not the sunshine state which will give us the warmth and sun we desire.

The ice was so thick at the airport we were delayed, after everyone had boarded, 15 minutes in order for a larger truck to make it's way over to our plane to help push us back from the gate. Then it was time to de-ice the plane which was another 45 minutes, again after everyone had boarded the plane. Then we were off! (QUESTION: Does anyone else find it humorous and frustrating that even though our flight took off just about exactly one hour after the scheduled departure time the flight was considered an on-time departure because the airplane door was pushed away from the gate on-time? I wonder if I could pass that kind of customer service onto my clients and set my own prices.)

We landed safely, always a good thing, collected our bags and retrieved our car rental with ease. Finding our hotel was also relatively painless and our vacation had started.

Sunday (December 5) brought a new day. Big Poppy made us breakfast (tasty!) and Big T and AuntJ drove over for the day. After a bite to eat for lunch we headed over to Sea World. Fantastic! Little Guy was so excited to see everything....stay tuned...I have to get dressed to start our next day. The boys are waiting on me. :)

Millionaire Drawbacks?

2010-12-01T05:12:00.006-06:00

This morning I was checking on my nephew (I both hate and like Facebook. I like that I can see pictures of those far away but hate how it the means of communication for some people - which is why I log in every 4 months and ignore "friend" requests people who would ignore me on at the party or on the street and this means, in my haste I have probably ignored real friends because I just don't look at the requests...but I digress), he had tubes put in his ears yesterday. Our homepage is MSN which is probably fairly common.

Now what do you think I saw as one of the scrolling headlines?

8 drawbacks of being a millionaire

Seriously!?!

Well MSN and Katie Adams, I think if given the opportunity, I would take on those drawbacks.

Santa's Helper

2010-11-30T05:13:00.001-06:00

18 Months & Growing

2010-11-24T05:52:00.000-06:00

Last Friday Big Poppy, Little Guy and I spent the morning together - at the doctor's office. It was Little Guy's 18-month appointment. It use to be going to the doctor was uneventful but not, Little Guy is showing he is 18 months and is not a fan of strangers. Even when a cute nurse looks at him Little Guy was about ready to burst into tears and needed a great big hug from Mommy or Daddy (which I was more than willing to take...hmmm, maybe we should go to the doctor's office more often).

At each check-up visit we are sent home with sheets of paper that help Big Poppy and I evaluate if Little Guy is on track. There are some items that seem fairly standard such as:

Walks fast
Throws a ball
Stacks blocks

Check, check, check.

Then we notice some gray areas or maybe I should say, some areas that make me wonder.

Guard against falls - Does this mean I should put rubber foam on all of our floors?
Supervise all play near street - Does that mean if it is in the backyard I don't need to supervise?
Don't share cups - Are water bottles ok? Do they not realize how much Little Guy wants to drink from whatever Big Poppy and I are drinking from, especially our refillable water bottles?

I guess, it could just be me. While it might seem like common sense to me not to let Little Guy play in or near the street, it might seem perfectly logic to the next person which is why we have the oddest warnings are items.

All in all, Little Guy is a healthy, normal little boy. At one time he had four to ten words but these days he pretty much says three words.

Ball - at all times he wants a ball
Jtr - he still loves his puppy however the "e's" in Jeter don't quite make it out of Little Guy's mouth
Peese - this word is spoken after several (think double digit) reminders when he wants more of something ("What do you say?" times 15) and is of course followed with a cute little smile letting you know he knew what to say but really did not want to

Little Guy is still growing which is a good thing. I do not think he would like to have stopped growing so young.

Vitals at Eighteen Months
Height: 33 3/4" (90 percentile)
Weight: 26 lbs 9.5 oz (50-75 percentile)
Head: 47.5 cm (50 percentile)
Click here for the vitals at fifteen months.

Insert picture here - well, for some reason I cannot upload pictures right now. I'll be back soon.

Ice Cream

2010-11-17T05:24:00.001-06:00

Ice Cream

You S'cream

Little Guy S'creams.

He is a big fan of ice cream.

Little Big Poppy

2010-11-16T06:23:00.000-06:00

Little Guy really loves his daddy and must be next to him (ok, on some occasions Little Guy does want his mommy). This past weekend we had the first snow fall of the year. Big Poppy went out to shovel. Of course that means Little Guy needed to go out and shovel.

We were not ready for such a helper in the snow and did not have a shovel Little Guy size. In case you were wondering, a broom ball stick works just fine. It is a slow process but the snow will move.

However, when the cheeks and nose are red and snot is running into his mouth, Little Guy still is not ready to come inside.

My Little Big Poppy wants to be out with Big Poppy.

Once he determines the tears are not going to let him back outside, Little Big Poppy will wait right by the door. I guess he is hoping Big Poppy will sneak him out to help again.

Mr. Clean

2010-11-09T05:14:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year Big Poppy told you how Little Guy is in charge of vacuuming.

I am surprised and happy to say Little Guy still loves the vacuum.

When the vacuum comes out, Little Guy jumps out of his chair (how many guys do you know like that?).

Notice the new carpet?

Little Guy is ready to clean in no time. The vacuum attachments are brought to the furniture for a quick clean.

Little Guy is ready to move for more cleaning.

Once he is satisfied with the state of the furniture, Little Guy heads over the main show.

Do you notice the toys "hidden" under the side table?

Once the work is done, Big Poppy wraps up the cord to take the vacuum back to the closet. However, Little Guy always wants to clean more.

Those are not tears of joy the vacuum is going bye-bye.

I mean, he is M-A-D when the vacuum gets put away. During this weekends cleaning, when Big Poppy took the vacuum to the closet you could hear stomping. Foot stomping in frustration/anger the vacuuming was done. What guy do you know who really wants to clean this badly!

Still unhappy about the vacuum put away 10 minutes later.

I hope the drama around putting cleaning supplies away lessons over time but I am sure looking forward to having the only 15-year-old boy who likes to help the family clean.

It will last that long, right? :)

Bat of a Good Time

2010-11-02T05:34:00.000-05:00

Did you survive the ghosts and goblins on Sunday?

We barely survived with all the scare tactics of the neighborhood children.

Halloween was a little different than last years party. For the most part it had to with having a Little Bat. He sures like to climb up on everything and spread his wings to fly.

GrandB and GrandC came over again this year. We had some blood punch and zombie pizza's and dogs, but the spread was not laid quite as nicely as the previous year. However, we did have some Halloween cupcakes with bone toppings - an addition from last year (and Little Bat tried his best to eat only the frosting).

Having the trick-or-treaters come to us again this year was quite fun for Little Bat. He would get very excited when they came to the door. To each and everyone he gave them a polite "bye-bye".

Little Bat with GrandB and GrandC.

In between treaters, baseball was played (I know, we are still very disappointed about the Yankees and Twins).

Little Bat waiting for the perfect pitch from Big Poppy.

All in all in was a Bat of a Good Time.

Little Bat was not patient for the camera this time around but I was having a good time.

In case you were curious, Little Bat stayed in character all night. He decided to be a nocturnal creature Sunday night!

Winds of Change

2010-10-27T06:04:00.000-05:00

The winds of change are blowing our way.

Or maybe the winds are just trying to blow us away.

At any rate, there are some fun and exciting changes taking place is the house that Big Poppy built.

Little Guy is in transition. This is his final week of "infant" care and has been spending this week split between the older infant room and the toddle room. This next move means he gets to play outside every day. It also means no more sippy cup - well at least at school. I am not quite sure if I am ready for a big boy cup and the messes it brings. Then again, I am betting it will be like everything else. Little Guy will start to notice Big Poppy's cups do not have a top. Heaven forbid Little Guy does not do something exactly like Big Poppy!

The fierce independence all kids like to display is also coming our way. On those rare occassions Big Poppy and I do tell Little Guy no we are rewarded with Little Guy letting us know how he feels about the situation. I do admit I find it comical to see the frustration or tears over minor things. It is even funnier when Little Guy realizes that approach is not going to work and he shoots you a look - you know the look. The one that says: I'll get my way some how. Just you wait and see.

Yes, the wind is definately blowing change our way. I wonder what else will blow our way.

Could it be Little Guy's Halloween gear? Will he fly in on a broomstick, magic carpet or wings?

Not Now

2010-10-20T05:19:00.001-05:00

There are the rare occassions when Little Guy is not an angel. I am almost positive there is something wrong with his ears that causes him not hear what we are saying.

Take a look below. At the 17 month mark I tried to get a nice picture of Little Guy and Jeter.

I heard Little Guy loud and clear.

Not Now!

Let the Guessing Begin

2010-10-13T05:57:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for the ghost and goblins?

How about all the candy that will flow in and out of your home?

Little Guy has his creepy crawly all picked out.

Can you guess what he has in mind this Halloween?

Weekend Fun

2010-10-11T06:10:00.001-05:00

Did you have this much fun?

Going to swim class.

Big Poppy and Little Guy are in the center.

Going to hockey with good friends.

Happy Mom and Little Guy are ready for hockey, however there were some in shorts, at a HOCKEY game.

Going to an apple orchard.

Low hanging fruit is tasty.

Happy to be on the great pumpkin hunt.

Little Guy was very happy to look for his perfect pumpkin.

Searching for the pumpkin that fits you just right.

Big Poppy and Little Guy search the pumpkin patch for the best one to bring home.

Not being afraid of walking for miles to find a pumpkin to bring home.

Little Guy kept on moving looking for a pumpkin that spoke to him. Does anyone else find it funny we went to an apple orchard to get a pumpkin? We did pick up some apples.

Finding the best pumpkin to bring home.

Little Guy tried to get a bigger pumpkin but really liked the ones he could pick up to show Big Poppy.

Did you have that much fun?

Just Like Brett

2010-10-06T06:17:00.000-05:00

I might be just like Brett. (For all you Vikes fans, guess which team he will officially retire with before heading off to the hall of fame.)

As I was saying, I might be just like Brett.

We are both on the other side of 30 although I can honestly say I'm in my younger 30's (at least for a little while longer).

We both like to hear people love us and want us.

We both enjoy fall sports, so much so that perhaps we are playing past our prime.

I had this thought on Saturday at our co-ed football game. Or maybe my similarity to Brett popped into my mind yesterday. If my memory serves, and it may fail from time to time, on Saturday I had a feeling I was more like Peyton. In the huddle, determining who I would throw the ball to (I'm not a great QB but in a forced gender play I can get the job done and, well, we had a few too many forced gender plays on Saturday) and knowing when I was going to connect for a first down or a touchdown. I imagine, there are times when Peyton just knows, this is going to be a big play.

A comparison to Peyton's play may be a bit of a leap but after my embarrassing and shameful showing on the softball field on Friday (it caused Little Guy to cry), Saturday morning was the perfect confidence builder. I got the job done and then some. As we speak recruiters are checking on my college eligibility...or maybe not. But I had a great game and was disappointed Little Guy missed my redemption (Big Poppy and Little Guy were at the college football game with a friend and his son).

And then yesterday, my bubble burst. As I trying every way possible to stretch my arm and shoulder it dawned on me.

I might be just like Brett...the Brett of today.

We are both moving a little slower. Recover times take longer. Throwing shoulders need to be warmed up prior to a game.

Yep, Brett and me. Getting old together - sorta.

Got to Love October

2010-10-04T19:57:00.001-05:00

A person really must love October. There are birthday's, anniversaries, excuses to eat candy and so much more. Anyone who does not love October must live a state of depression.

One reason to love October is the post season.

You know - post season baseball.

While we we are not quite there yet, on Sunday we made it out to the final regular season home game with GrandB and a loving family friend. We went there to watch one of our favorite teams.

It was a little chilly and Big Poppy bought Little Guy these:

However, Little Guy has to be just like Big Poppy.

Big Poppy was not wearing gloves therefore Little Guy would not wear gloves.

Something Little Guy would wear is a new hat (as you may have guessed, Big Poppy was wearing a hat).

I tried to let Little Guy know that it is OK to wear a little warmer outer gear in October. It means fall is here and post season play is just around the corner. Many a fan pulls on a hat when it comes to October baseball.

As you can see, Little Guy was over it. Watching a team lose is never fun.

I wonder who he is going to cheer for on Wednesday....

Night Time

2010-09-29T06:07:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday Big Poppy, Little Guy and I went to our first night football game.

The air was crisp but not cold. The fans were supportive and fun. The view to downtown was awesome.

Big Poppy may look tired to you and me. Well, let's be honest. He was tired. While I knew we planned on leaving at half time (a night game is rather late for Little Guy) I am not quite sure if we left because of Little Guy or Big Poppy.

Now, we need to figure out how to get a W...I guess, hockey season is just around the corner.

Catch-up Time

2010-09-24T06:33:00.000-05:00

It's been a while and let me tell you something. A lot of fun things have been happening. The great thing about fun...it's fun. The bad thing about fun, I get too caught up in the fun to take pictures or let everyone know what we are doing.

I should be out for a little run but the wind sounds cold, the sky is black and the wind sound cold. Did I mention that already? Sure, the treadmill could work but ... I'm thinking a great excuse on why to skip a morning workout ... I don't feel like jogging this morning becaue the wind sounds cold. I'm sure that means the wind would be blowing quite a bit on our treadmill too.

The last time I was here there was a quick run down of Labor Day weekend. Remember to breath while we catch-up. Also, just to note, by no means do I think we are any busier than any other family. I really do not know anyone with time to sit around watching the paint dry. This month has just had more packed into it than normal. We do our best to give us time as a family to play, talk and chill out together. Go - go - go is not the best idea all the time, at least in my opinion. I do like my couch, well, really I like to sit on my couch. I would love a new couch however that is a story for another day.

Big Poppy, a couple times a year, goes to Missouri to ~~golf~~ work with his biggest client. He during the day on September 9 and returned September 12. While he was away, Little Guy had his first swimming lesson. We got up bright and early Saturday morning, swim lessons are at 8 am, to dress, have a little breakfast and then make it over to the swim school. The dressing rooms are very bright and colorful, don't you think?

Swim class was great. Little Guy was a little shy with all the extra people around (there are six small classes going on at once which is a lot for a little boy who does not want to miss a thing). After getting use to all the other classes, Little Guy focused in on our group and had a lot of fun.

After swimming lessons, we rushed home to shower and change. We were off to a football with a friend and her son. The mom's were in one color and the boys were in the home town favorite colors. I went to college with Wendy and we busted out the old school gear. Both to my astonishment and my dismay, I am a home town supporter, the little school won.

Sunday was a big, big day for Little Guy. Big Poppy was not a fan of me cutting Little Guy's hair so we went to have a big boy haircut. It was not excactly the experience I thought it would be. Little Guy is normally very laid back, happy and has a winning smile. From the moment he sat in the chair Little Guy was over it. He let everyone know this current situation was unacceptable and he wanted out.

Even on the ride to lunch with GrandB, Little Guy let his sour mood over the whole thing shine through. It took a few hours before he liked me again. Next time, Big Poppy gets to be the bad guy.

Big Poppy made it home, safe and sound, and Little Guy was very happy to snuggle up next to him Sunday afternoon after the tourture of a haircut I put him through. After Little Guy was sound asleep, we started moving furniture. Tuesday was the big day of the carpet install. The entire upstairs and the living room would have fresh flooring and I was excited.

But, before Tuesday carpet install we needed to clear out all of the rooms. Thankfully Danno helped with a couple of the heavy lifting items. We had everything squared away for Tuesday, well almost everything. On Monday, the guys came to move the pool table from the "pool table room" (I have no other word to describe the game room because the room was built around the pool table) to the basement and garage.

Tuesday was my favorite day. When I arrived home from work with Little Guy it was like a new home. We have a few more things we want to update and change but this carpeting was quite a transformation in the feel of our home. I may regret chocolate carpet considering how often you need to vacumn with a white fluffy puppy (love you Jeter) but it will be worth it every time Big Poppy brings out the vacumn.

There was touch up painting and curtains hung (another thing I cannot get enough of, I can hide the ugly blinds now). A speaker was moved (thank you Big Poppy!). Most of our furniture was put back by Friday and the rest occured when Danno came over to help with the heavy lifting.

And the pool table. Now this was a gem I was not expecting. When they moved the pool table back we had it refelted. I now believe the felt on the table may have dated back to the early 1800's. The new felt is so clean and crisp. Had I know how easy and somewhat inexpensive it was to refelt a table, I would have done this a long time ago. It completely changed the look of the table and I no longer hate it. It was so ugly and icky before. Now it actually looks nice.

Now let me give you the quick recap of Friday. Work, pool table, furniture...oh, yes, I ran over to Mack's house for a little party with Danno's Girl and after they left Les and Travie arrived to spend the weekend with us along with Travie's brother and sister-in-law.

Which means September 18th and 19th was spent like this: Saturday morning, up and off to swim lessons and upon returning grabbing Les to be my personal cheerleader for a co-ed football game (in the future Big Poppy and Little Guy will come to cheer) while Travie, Big Poppy and Little Guy searched for Vikings helmut's (YUCK!) for Les and Travie's two boys. When we all met up around lunch time, Travie's family had arrived and we were off to the home of the juicy lucy (as seen on tv). Then we came home to watch some college football, played a game and more family came over for a quick minute before they went out for a few drinks. Big Poppy and I stayed home, picked up a bit and put Little Guy to bed. When they arrived home, most went to bed and we yacked a bit with Les before I sent her to bed for the second night in a row (she needs her sleep). Sunday morning everyone was up early and we were off for pre-game breakfast. Our guests were going to the Vikes game (we were asked but I did not want to spend good money on a team like the Vikings...but I willl go sometimes, just not this time). We came home, picked up, watched some football, GrandB wanted to stop over to see Little Guy, we went for a walk and then made supper. The disappointed crowd made it home in time for the Manning Bowl II but did not last long before they were ready for bed. Monday Les and I went for a jog/walk to catch-up and then everyone was off and we were back to reality of our own work day.

Which brings us to this week. It has been slow in comparison. A little playing. A little laundry. And now we are at the weekend again (Friday's are a good thing).

It's been nice catching up.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-10T07:02:00.001-05:00

I know. I know. It's been a while. As Little Guy gets more and more mobile (there isn't anything he won't try to climb) I find myself running around more and needing to do some household necessities at night and for my sanity, working out in the morning (except for this morning...my throat will not allow me to breath and I'll be gargling salt water very soon).

Anyways. I wanted to give you quick glimpse of our weekend.

Saturday brought some family to town. We just saw them in July in Chicago so it was a real treat to have them with us again so quickly. While Big Poppy, Ranger, Syd and Soy went to the baseball game, Little Guy, Aunt and I stared at a blank wall.

After we had enough of the blank wall, we hopped into the car and made sure Big Poppy had some work to do when they returned from the baseball game. (Ranger was a little upset and unable to be put to work.)

There is one less blank space on our walls. And for those of you who don't know, we did not normally have blank walls. Right before we Little Guy warmed our hearts we had the popcorn ceiling changed to a knock-down ceiling. Everything had been moved out of our home. We repainted and the pictures we had just were not us (I may not have had the best taste 10 years ago when it came to furniture or picture selections). I have been slowly finding items that we like without spending a small fortune, although there is a painting I am in love with and I may have to break down and spend a few hundred dollars on one picture. I'm not there yet but I'm getting there.

Did you think I would make Big Poppy stand there all day to finish out the space?

The weekend also consistent of more baseball on Sunday. Some of us longed around (some more than others).

There were parks to be played at.

Some of us could not get enough of the slide. And here I thought kids liked swings better than slides.

Some of us threw a fit when we had to leave the park.

GrandB and GrandC came to play with Little Guy while the rest of us enjoyed seeing Wicked. One critic was heard saying this play was better than Syd's school plays.

At in the end, when the family left, we were all sad to see them go. Once again, Little Guy had a bad night sleeping after they left. I guess he missed them already.

Watching Him Grow Is Getting Harder

2010-08-30T21:43:00.000-05:00

Watching Little Guy grow is getting harder to do. This is mainly do to his speed. The boy does not like walk. He prefers to run.

Big Poppy and I have tried to take his picture with Jeter on the 19th of every month. Sometimes we are a day or two later so hopefully Little Guy hasn't had a growth spurt in those two days.

This month was no different.

Sometimes Little Guy and Jeter can't stop to look at the calendar because they need a little kiss.

Sometimes one needs a quick sniff of the other.

Sometimes one needs to run quick to see what the picture looks like before the picture is taken.

Sometimes we need a little help from Big Poppy to get them both to sit still (or stand) and look at the camera.

Decorating by LG

2010-08-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

Some strange things have been happening slowly around here. Big Poppy and I have always enjoyed completing home improvement projects. We do know our limits and have engaged the help of professionals from time to time. While the thought of having someone come to our home, get to know us and our lifestyle and completely furnish our home sounds great in theory, I have a difficult time spending that much cash.

I may have mentioned we were bored and I would go so far as saying I was disgruntled with our old artwork (can you call it artwork if it does not cost thousands of dollars?). Enter Little Guy and while it moves slowly, we do have baseball games to play, laps to swim and Jeter's to terrorize, Little Guy is finding his nitch in the decorating world. He sometimes even hangs a sign "Decorating by LG". I sure do hope he gives me a good discount.

The other day Little Guy I were running a few errands. I had the day off and Big Poppy was working which means Little Guy and I could wander a bit instead of going in, getting what we need and getting out. Enter LG. A quick find, a reasonable price and we were on our way.

LG hired a professional hanger, Big Poppy. Within 15 minutes LG has taken this blank wall from this:

The first seven minutes are spent measuring the wall space to ensure the first part of the artwork (can you call it artwork if it does not cost hundreds of dollars?) was centered.

The next two minutes were spent hanging part two of the artwork (can you call it artwork if it costs less than one hundred dollars?).

The last six minutes were spent making sure the third and final piece was placed in the most eye pleasing position to LG.

Decorating by LG strikes again. He knows us so well. LG does his job very well. He's now telling me to buck up and spend some money on new furniture for this room. Until I'm ready to do this, I'll probably just rearrange the current furniture.

P

2010-08-24T05:30:00.004-05:00

P is for prince. Do not be fooled by the sparkles. This is a phone of a Prince. The blue should have been your first clue. This is no princess phone.

Like any good Prince, there is a picture of his Princess set as his wallpaper. He also enjoys calling his Princess and his mommy or daddy.

And sometime in the not to distant future this Prince will not question his choice of cell phones. He knows blue is boys and sparkles attract the ladies.

Repairs and Maintenance

2010-08-21T06:00:00.004-05:00

Last month we had some vistors at our house for a couple of weeks. You may have thought our home was odd and did not have a deck. Really, we were in need of some deck repairs and maintenancee (now if only I could expense this on my tax return to reduce my AGI...did I just go geeky accountant on you?). Because of the work involved we were lazy and did not bring up the deck chairs and table until after the work was completed.

Little Guy is a big fan of the work. Much to the dismay of the neighbors, though they are too kind to say anything, the rainbow ghetto pool now sits very nicely on our deck. This means we get to hear from Little Guy more often when he is ready to swim. (Which reminds me. I did make one call last week about swim class. At that time they will still processing past family's. On Wednesday I got the call. Little Guy is in however it is at 8 am on Saturday's. It was our second choice time but he's in!)

At the same time of the deck repairs, we also had them replace our stairs going to the second story. We can now sneak up and down the stairway without anyone hearing us. The squeaks are gone. I knew we would be replacing carpet upon completion however, I did not realize it would take so long to pick out the carpet, get the measures, verify the order, make small changes, etc.

Our stairs have looked like this for about three weeks now.

We FINALLY finalized our order on Wednesday. Now we get to wait another three to four weeks for carpet delivery and install.

Wood attracts dust and Jeter hair. Commercial grade wood that will be covered is slightly sticky.

I should have planned better and picked out carpet while the work was done. When the new carpets are installed in the living room, stairway, pool table room and our bedroom, I will be happy gal. Until then, I'm a gal constantly cleaning the stairs.

15 Months

2010-08-20T10:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Little Guy's 15 month birthday.

We busted out the balloon's, cake, ice cream...ok, maybe we took Jeter for a walk on the drive, bought some tickets for a high school football team's fundraiser and splashed around in the bath until Big Poppy said "enough" due the large volume of water on the floor.

This morning we ventured to the doctor's office for the 15 month check-up and shots. The best way to describe our morning - vocal.

Little Guy was not a fan of nurse one.

Little Guy was not a fan of the pediatrician.

Little Guy was not a fan of nurse two.

Little Guy was not a fan if I left the room.

Little Guy was not a fan if Big Poppy left the room.

Little Guy was a fan of snacks.

Little Guy let the entire clinic know he was unhappy with anything and everything.

How did it turn out? I'm skeptical of the some of the vitals because of Little Guy's vocal discord and the wrenching the body to get away from nurse one, the pediatrician and nurse two.

Vitals at Fifteen Months:

Height: 32 1/2" (90 percentile)

Weight: 25 lbs (50 -75 percentile)

Head: 47.5 cm (50 percentile)

Click here for a comparison at twelve months.

How's my boy doing now? By looking at him, you would never know he was full of piss and vinegar earlier. Go figure.

Swim Class, Please.

2010-08-11T06:49:00.001-05:00

Little Guy loves the water.

I mean, Little Guy LOVES the water.

Many nights there are tears when it is time to get out of the tub. When he is at the pool (ghetto or real) there is normally a small (or not so small) fit when it is time to go. I have even seen Little Guy climb into our ghetto pool when it is completely empty, laughing at the memories of past pool experiences and smiling at the prospect of future swim opportunities. (Definition of a ghetto pool - above ground pool that is most likely an eye sore and has saggy sides to the pool. This is also known as a white trash pool which may be more fitting description of our pool since I grew up on the farm and there may or may not have been disabeled cars located on the premise.)

Recently the local warm water pool opened up registration for fall swim lessons. Registration began on July 28th. First thing Wednesday morning I completed the on-line registration and promptly received an email...returning families receive first priority, past families are serviced next and then us lowly new families will receive any of the remaining slots.

Now that a whole two weeks have passed, I wonder if it is acceptable to call the swim school and check in on the status of our registration. Luckily Little Guy is too young to grasp the concept he may or may not be in swim class for 14 (or was is 16) weeks on Saturday mornings with Big Poppy and I. I can only imagine the puckered up lips of disappointment if Little Guy is turned away.

Keep your fingers crossed for Saturday morning swimming this fall.

This is not a ghetto pool (aka white trash pool). This is a pool I would love to frequent more often...it will be two years before we return. :(

Weekend Recap

2010-08-09T23:26:00.004-05:00

For me, the best weekends are ones spent close to home relaxing with those we love and love us. This past weekend was pretty close to ideal (there is always room for improvement but that would mean we would need more weekend and I don't think the U.S. work week is going to change for me).

Friday started off fairly normal except when Big Poppy left to take Little Guy to "school" (aka daycare) I was still home and not dressed for the office. I spent the morning spit shining the house and then off to yoga. Shortly after lunch, Little Guy came running when he saw me peaking around the corner and we spent the afternoon playing with Jeter.

Saturday morning was spent patiently waiting for 7 am so I could call the yoga studio. While getting ready for bed the night before I realized one of my earrings was MIA. After a CSI like search around the house, Big Poppy and I concluded it was not in our home. The yoga studio had indeed found an earring matching my description - a precious anniversary gift was safe! Big Poppy was playing in a day long softball tournament with friends. Add to his Saturday to do's was a quick trip between games to get my earring.

Little Guy and I did not go to watch Big Poppy this Saturday. Instead of going to the fun, the fun was coming to us. BabyMack was coming to play with Aunt Steffey (Mack was off to a park with her sister, brother-in-law and two nephews while MackDaddy had to work).

You would not guess it from this picture of Aunt Steffey, Little Guy, BabyMack and Jeter, but we had a great time together. The problem with this picture...BabyMack is not a fan of Jeter. Jeter could be across the room and if BabyMack and Jeter make eye contact, well, let's just say BabyMack needed to be saved from the big fluffy monster who loves to kiss everyone. (MackDaddy did share when he came to steal BabyMack from us that their cat, who is also fluffy and white, might tease BabyMack a little bit.)

After a nice long, hot, sticky stroller ride up the drive and around the lake, we took it to the deck for some cool and refreshing Popsicles (and there is no way Big Poppy, Little Guy and I had Popsicles for breakfast on Sunday too). The day was hot and sticky but we just didn't want to be inside. The ghetto pool returned for the afternoon on the deck. By this time, Big Poppy made it home (they did not make it to the championship game) and filled the ghetto pool while Aunt Steffey added warm water and bubbles. The result, a nice cool and refreshing pool for Little Guy, complete with rubber duckies.

And boy did Little Guy appreciate how nice the pool was. He snuggled right up to the side and hugged the ghetto pool.

BabyMack was not quite sure of the pool so we splashed some water on his feet or gave his legs a quick dip now and again.

Sunday was another hot and sticky day. We had a grill out for lunch (after not having Popsicles for breakfast) with two wonderful friends. Big Poppy had to rush off because of a baseball game and the four remaining stayed cool for a little while longer. Then we headed off to watch Big Poppy's game. Little Guy stayed cool with ice management. He would grab ice from the cooler and bring it to everyone. Then he got smarter and decided he would be cooler if instead of just grabbing ice, he could put it in his mouth and then give it to you. He stayed cool and happy...the rest of us didn't talk much. The heat sucked the life out of us.

Escape

2010-08-08T22:33:00.000-05:00

A few people have probably thought I have escaped...or maybe captured. It has been ages since I have written about book club and that's because life got in the way and I had not made it to book club. This past Wednesday, I made it!

We were charged with reading Carolyn Jessop's (with Laura Palmer) book Escape. The story of her life within the FDLS church is riveting. The often shocking and bizarre accounts of her life are enough to keep the pages turning. A few may find the repeated accounts of how the sister wives interacted and the way to power within the household a bit repetitive, however this is a case where telling me a few times drove home the importance and impact this world had on Carolyn.

I really cannot say much about this book other than you must read it. No matter what your thoughts, you will think about your life after finishing this account. I do want to take a moment to go over a couple things. The first relates to a part that stuck out to me while reading the book and the other was from our book club discussion.

Members of the FDLS are under enormous pressure not to interfere with another man's family (page 214). This really struck a chord with me for a couple of reasons. I do believe there are busy-bodies out there in the world and at the same time, there are plenty of times when things are occurring and others sit back and do nothing when something needs to be done. It seems it depends on what side of the fence you are on if you see the person "interfering" or "helping". Admittedly, I have been a helper and and interferer (though in the moments I thought I was helping). Most recently, I have "messed with a man's family" and received so much hate that I really questioned if I did the right thing. When it came down to it and I asked myself would I do it again, the answer is YES. I am not happy about the outcome. It means, at least for now, we have less loved ones in our life, but I know I can look back and be OK with my actions - that I have nothing to be ashamed of. It has made me wondered how much I am not seeing in the world because, sometimes, doing the right thing isn't an easy thing to do (live with). Have I seen injustices and been blinded because seeing it means I would need to take action? Have I written a child's actions off as unmannered when really it was a cry for help?

The second chord struck was during book club. More than one female was surprised how, in this day and age, a woman's value was determined by how many children she had. The less she had, the lower her worth. I am not sure if mainstream culture is much different - judging a woman by her children. How often have you looked at a female and thought she was selfish for not having children? How often have you seen a woman with several children and wondered if she knows about birth control? How often have you talked about how breast milk is the ONLY good source of nutrients around a woman who chose not to breast feed? I'm guilty of the first two and judging woman who breast feed longer than I think is normal (some cultures breast feed for two years and I find it a little creepy when a toddler can ask for it). I've had women tell me they would never use formula because it isn't healthy for a baby (one woman even told me she will not have more children, though she previously wanted more, because she is now unable to breast feed). I know I'm guilty of judging women by their kids. I'm betting I'm not the only imperfect person - so it felt a bit odd to say it is unbelievable to judge a woman based on motherhood. It does not seem like such a stretch to me and I feel bad that I am not a better person. Judging is so harsh on all of us.

Now then. Go read Escape!

Another Great Day

2010-08-01T22:11:00.000-05:00

While we wait for the painful tooth to push through, we had a yet another great day (most days are great days, don't get me wrong, this is just a day I have taken the time to write about).

Saturday started off with me waking up and heading off to yoga. Some yoga days are better than other yoga days. This Saturday morning yoga had me worked up. I had trouble focusing and staying in the moment. Instead, I was thinking about what I needed to do, what I wanted to do and what I would likely end up doing (oddly enough, these things hardly ever align - what I want to do is much too long to really accomplish, what I want to do does not always include what has to be done i.e. I rarely want to scrub toilets yet this is something that I should do, and what I end up doing is sometimes dictate by the weather or moods of others). In yoga, we are taught to stay present and keep in on the mat...the battle between my mat and the outside world was one sided this day. The outside world won. When this happens, the mat losing, it normally spells trouble for me. I don't stay focused on much of anything and accomplish nothing.

Well guess what. This Saturday was a day perfect for accomplishing nothing.

After a late morning nap, Little Guy had decided Saturday would be a great day to wake up 1 1/2 hours earlier than normal, Little Guy and I headed off to Aunt Steffey's. Aunt Steffey's niece is in town for the week and Saturday was earmarked as water day. Our dear friend PG, who has a birthday in a few days, Steffey, her helpful niece, Little Guy and I made plans for grilling, water and fun. The day was not a disappointment. Little Guy's ghetto pool was filled. The slip-n-slide was secured. Tubs were commandeered for even more "pools". Fortunately or unfortunately, little pictures were taken...too much fun was being had splashing around and laughing with joy.

Aunt Steffey's water park closed for Little Guy and I around 3. A nap was in order after all that time in the fresh air. Besides, we had to replenish our energy for a game with Big Poppy, GrandC and SmileyG.

At the ball park, Little Guy was able to watch one of his favorite past times.

Our seats were up close and personal (and better yet, bathrooms with limited access!).

Little Guy's cub of ice might have been empty but GrandC's heart was as warm as ever.

And my boy's were happy to see a win that keeps the streak alive.

All in all, it was another great day.

He Won't Stop

2010-07-28T06:47:00.001-05:00

He won't stop smiling.

He won't stop laughing.

He won't stop growing...what happens when he won't fit on my lap anymore?

We have Not Left the Country

2010-07-26T02:11:00.000-05:00

Has it felt like we've been gone for a while and does it feel like we have left the country? Let me assure you, we have been snuggled up nicely this month, in our home. We have not left the country NOR have we had much of dreamland trips. Our pleasant dreams have been apparently awaken each night for most of July with cries of pain.

It hasn't been Jeter.

It hasn't been Big Poppy.

It's Little Guy.

And now I know why. This past week Little Guy ran a low grade fever and it went up to 101 degrees on Monday and then again on Friday. When the low grade fever started, Big Poppy and I were waiting for a new tooth to pop through Little Guy's gums. Nothing surfaced.

On Friday I decided it was time to take Little Guy to see the pediatrician. He's been a very healthy little boy. The only times Little Guy has been to the doctor is when it's time for his check-ups. A quick look in Little Guy's mouth and the pediatrician found the problem. Little Guy is getting in a molar tooth and there is a cyst.

Here's a thought, if a cyst is nothing to be concerned about there should be another name for it. Saying the word cyst to a Mommy will cause the heart to stop momentarily. Maybe you should start a little differently instead of saying here, look, it's a cyst but nothing to worry about it. Once the tooth pops through the cyst will pop up and there will be lots of blood but don't be concerned. At this point, once the cyst pops through, the pain will be relieved and unfortunately there isn't really much we can do for the pain. And then follow-up with you think it will be another two weeks before the tooth pops through Little Guy's gums.

Little Guy also has an ear infection is in right ear and the pediatrician comment how great it was that he hasn't had one until now. (I guess we must be doing something right!) A quick prescription of amoxicillin and we are on our way.

And so, this weekend, while we have not left the country, we have not had much dreamland, we have however, had plenty of ice cream and popsicles. Nice cold and soothing ice cream and popsicles to help numb the gums. Little Guy has been living it up this weekend.

Unfortunately, ice cream does not seem appropriate in the middle of the night. Tonight, Mommy is persona non grata. Big Poppy is down comforting Little Guy since Mommy just won't do. I'm up here, feeling guilty for all kinds of reasons but mostly I'm feeling terrible that while we can give Little Guy a little bit of Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Motrin) it really isn't going to stop the pain, just lessen it.

Poor Little Guy.

Family Weekend

2010-07-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

The Fourth of July holiday has always been one to spend with those who you love to have a good time with. Last year Big Poppy and I were very lucky to head back to my home town to visit family and friends. This year we hopped a plane and headed the opposite direction to meet up with some very special people in the windy city.

Our flight was bright and early on Thursday (6 am!) however, the unnatural hours did not slow Little Guy down. He flirted with the ladies on our nearly private flight (bonus) and waved to the little dog also on board. The flight is a quick one, about an hour, and as we waited for the car to arrive, well then Little Guy decided it was time for nap.

Wait a moment Mommy, this camera is not allowing the ladies to see me smile.

It was a quick car ride from the airport to the hotel. Little Guy and I grabbed some breakfast while we waited for the rest of the family to arrive and then we would be off to the Cubbies game. It is a good thing that Ranger, Aunt, Syd, Soy, Little Guy and I are not Cub fans (but who wouldn't like to see a game at Wrigley Field). While the game went into extra innings, the Cubs did not come out on top. Not that Little Guy would know. One moment he's in a rally cap and the next he snuggled up for nap.

Our weekend was fun with time at Shedd Aquarium.

To help defray the costs of vacationing in the windy city, we decided to put the kids to work at that the John Hancock Observatory.

Little Guy really liked the views. I had nightmares of the glass breaking.

At the end of a long day, Little Guy enjoyed eating a little food, using the left overs for a facial and sipping on some milk in the nice, cool AC.

At the Field Museum we entered a shrinking machine to see what it was liked to live underground. Some bugs make for good transportation.

Some people (Aunt) would make fun of how often Little Guy and I liked to eat. It's hard work growing up and we need lots to keep us properly fueled for the day ahead. Little Guy sometimes had difficulty deciding on what he wanted to order.

But the concentration involved in reviewing the menu options might run in the family.

Hmmm, this type of concentration on a menu, we are a focused group.

GrandB made one of her famous bibs for the Fourth of July.

But after a long day out and some time in the sun, all Little Guy wanted when we got back to the hotel was something cold and tasty. Strawberry daiquiri anyone? (Without the grown-up spice of course.) He was a BIG fan and would ~~fuss~~ voice his desire for more whenever I took the straw away - I didn't want Little Guy to get a cold headache from too much too fast.

All in all, it was a great vacation...except maybe for the return home. A three hour delay after you arrive at the airport is not an ideal way to end a relaxing and fun trip.

He Likes to Move It

2010-07-08T06:25:00.000-05:00

Little Guy really likes to bust out the moves from time to time. However, this time, I think Big Poppy might have been dancing more. Little Guy looks slightly horrified.

You didn't think I would actually show Big Poppy dancing did you? Big Poppy is holding the camera - the shaking, that is him dancing to the music.

Let's just say, between his skills and my skills, Little Guy is not going to be thinking about a career in dancing. We will need to enlist the help of friends to show Little Guy how to grace the dance floor.

Twelve Month Photo's - FINALLY!

2010-07-06T21:50:00.002-05:00

These may have been worth the wait but boy did it feel like I was waiting and waiting and waiting. The prints are ordered and I even decided to try a canvas enlargement. Can you guess which on may be gracing the fireplace mantle in the not to distance future (or it may be gracing the guest bedroom - I'm sure any guest would just love, love, love to see a giant head staring at them as they drift off to dream land)?

All of the photo's were taken in our house or in the our yard. It almost looks like I keep up the yard maintenance.

Just Like Daddy

2010-06-29T06:57:00.000-05:00

With a puppy (he will always be my puppy) named Jeter, it seems fairly obvious baseball is an important part of our life. Sports in general are a good outlet for us while playing and going to games together is a way we enjoy spending time together.

Little Guy already has quite an arm on him - or at least that is what others are saying. With a little help, he is also getting a pretty good baseball swing. Little Guy is becoming just like Daddy - a love of playing sports.

Don't take my word, look for yourself.

Or, it appears I am unable to load the video of Little Guy swinging the bat. I've tried three times now all with the same message. Take my word for it, with every swing, Little Guy would laugh and laugh and laugh. The neighbors were really enjoying the BP in the front yard.

Tapping Home Plate

This Bat Might Be A Little Big

I Caught the Ball

I Might Purchase a Boat - Or an Oar

2010-06-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

Our family home is very close (so close we can see it from several different views) to a small lake. It might sound like we are living it big if you did not remember we live in the land of over 10,000 lakes. We live a good life but I will not be holding my beath for Bravo TV to ask me to become a "Real Housewife".

Living a stones throw, literally, from our lake and having so many lakes around us, some would think we either would have a boat or would want a boat. Alas, that is not the case. Maybe it is from growing up where there was a river but not much for lakes or perhaps it's because I like to move my feet over sitting on my seat, but no matter what the reason, having a boat had never been a dream or desire of mine. (However, if you have a boat, we have a cooler - call us. I know the benefit of sitting and lauging with friends.)

This past weekend has opened my eyes to the benefits of a boat. There maybe times in our lives where a boat might help you get from Point A to Point B. To say we got a little rain this past weekend is like saying intolerance of others is a little problem. Both statements are gross understatements.

It begins with Friday. Little Guy and I were on our way to a friend's house for good food, excellent company and hearty laughs. In hindsight, which came to me a few short blocks from our garage, I probably should have waited it out at home for a little while. Some of the roads were completely flooded over with water and was running over the curb. Floating down the middle of the road were used water bottles. We saw water shooting out of the holes of manhole covers. It did look a comical but all I could think was I was going to be one of those idiots you see stranded in a flooded road who need to be rescued. Thankfully our car appears to be cross bred with some type of boat and we made it just fine. (The return home was much calmer. The drainage systems had time to catch up with all the water after the heavy rains subsided.)

Based on our Friday night adventure you would have thought I learned my lesson for Saturday. As it turns out, I decided picking Big Poppy up at the airport, who had been out of town for a couple of days for work (but thanks to the storms probably won't be traveling anywhere else for a few days for a while - Thank You Thunderstorms!) was a better job for me than some taxi cab. I know how some taxi drivers can be and well, I like my hubby and wanted him safe. Little Guy, Jeter, who was not going to be stuck at home again with another night of lightening and thunder and jetted out the door to the car while I was leaving, and I buckled up to get the man of the house. The road flooding was not nearly as bad on Saturday night in our neck of the woods (a little further south was hit with the heavy rains) but it still crossed my mind that maybe what we really needed instead of seat belts was a life jacket.

You've probably guessed we are all safe and sound. My lesson learned from the weekend, I might just need to purchase a boat or at the very least put a couple oars in my trunk.

Safe and dry but refusing to eat unless sitting on Big Poppy's lap - what a daddy's boy!

One Girls Take - Instant Replay

2010-06-25T18:38:00.000-05:00

Quite frequently since the incident I have heard all about instant replay. There must be some pretty slow news days to have the debate last so long or, maybe, the average baseball fan is just tired of the human error factor...you know, real life where we make mistakes. It's OK for the human factor when it's the perfection of an athlete but the human factor in intolerable when a mistake occurs.

All this talk has me thinking - what would it be like to have instant replay in every day life? Just thinking about the possibilities brings a grin to my face. Now this just might be an idea I can get behind.

Just think about it. All those times your significant other uses a tone you do not appreciate (nothing Big Poppy would ever do of course). No longer will it be your opinion. Stroll on over to the replay monitor, gently place the headset on your loved ones head and watch with great joy when they finally hear the not so pleasant tone.

Or

How about the guy driving like a maniac. You could patiently follow him home, knock on the front door and with his family watch as he zips in and out of traffic 90 mph. Think of the gratification showing a maniac driver the road trouble they caused and know he will be getting an earful from his in home back-seat driver at the supper table.

Hmmm, I'm starting to get behind the idea of instant replay. This could really be useful in our lives.

There are more possibilities with instant replay.

Have you ever been in the heat of the moment and your words failed you? Hours or days later you have the PERFECT response. Fire up the replay, bring everyone back to the moment and BAM, hit them with your fitting remark.

And the time you were telling co-workers about the horrify yet funny article you read on-line about a family living out of their car and how you felt so bad because you couldn't believe this was happening but at the same time felt guilty because you could not help but laugh.... Well, it would never be brought up again because you surely wouldn't have been naive enough not to know what The Onion paper. There is no way, your own "you're so pretty" moment would be replayed over and over and over again. (This absolutely did not happen to me. I also have some ocean front property in Arizona for sale for a great price.)

Well, on second thought, perhaps instant replay isn't such a good idea. Maybe we should let people mistakes and own up to the blunder. It might just be OK to remember we are human and we all make mistakes. Besides, there is always Darwin's survival of the fittest theory. How long would we really last in a career if our mistakes were greater than our benefit.

Nevertheless, that's just one girls take. You can take instant replay but I'll leave it.

Taken the final season at the old stadium.

Mr. Roboto

2010-06-22T17:44:00.000-05:00

One of the hilarious things to watch is how kids do things when they are first learning. I cannot tell you how many times Big Poppy and I have laughed (and come close to tears because of how hard we were laughing) watching Little Guy motor around.

Picture it, Little Guy, all cute and smiley, walking over you to give you a great big hug. Now add to the picture that when Little Guy is moving as quickly as he can, he does not bend his knees. His arms are straight out to his side ready to wrap them around your neck. He's very proud of himself (as he should be!) for walking over you and is laughing uncontrollably.

It's hard not to laugh right along.

Then, of course, once Little Guy makes it you there are cheers. There are hugs. Then there is the spin around to send him Big Poppy's way.

Now repeat. Back to me.

More than once, as the jerky movements come my way, I cannot help but to start thinking of the old song, Mr. Roboto. Or it reminds me of the Tin Man when he needs a little oil.

I really wish I could describe the movements a little better. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. Here's a short clip trying to show you my "Mr. Roboto" but keep in mind, Little Guy is NOT camera shy. In fact, he loves the camera and always trys to rush over it to get a better glimps. Perhaps if Little Guy oiled up his knee joints a little bit, then the lower half of his body could keep up with how fast he wants to move. Instead, the camera usually means a face plant is sure to follow.

I swear, I love him but this is too funny not to share.

Seeing Everything

2010-06-21T07:14:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, when I look into these big beautiful blue eye, I'm amazed how these eyes are seeing everything.

I wonder when is it when we start to see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear.

How soon does it start? When do we start looking around us thinking the grass is greener either here, where we are, or there, where they are?

When we go to Big Poppy's ball game, I want Little Guy to see every thing there.

If Little Guy only sees what he wants to see or hear what he wants to hear, he misses out on a lot of game. That might be a blue sky in the background of the playing field, but you still need to keep your eye on the field of action. If you only look at the playing field, you miss the beauty of the sky.

The world is full of sounds and color. To limit ourselves to only seeing what we want to see and hear what we want to hear limits our playing field.

What we see or hear might not always be great, without seeing or hearing it we cannot do much to improve ourselves. I hope, my Little Guy is able to see and hear all, filter what needs to be filter and love the world around him. It is a beautiful place and most days, people are doing the best they can.

And a great big hug or smile never hurt anyone.

He is a ham...

2010-06-17T07:03:00.000-05:00

...and he loves the camera.

Lesson Learned

2010-06-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend Les and I were catching up on the phone the other day. We quickly realized our lives are no longer the exciting life and times of college co-ed's (and thank goodness for that!). Safely settled into our lives, we have now come to rely on friends of friends of friends for a good laugh.

Before I share this little tale, there are parts that are not PC. Continue reading at your own risk - there is no adult only content.

This fun little tale begins with Les.

Les: Our lives are pretty dull but Travie (her hubby) heard a good story from a co-worker the other day...the co-worker's son is special needs and lives in an assisted living unit. The mom was talking to her son who kept insisting he had done a good job because he had caught himself a troll.

The next day on the phone, the son was still very proud of himself for catching a troll and was telling his dad about it.

The following day, while on the phone with his mom, the son again was talking about the troll he caught.

Not feeling quite right about her son going on for so long about catching a troll and more than a little nervous for his well being, the mom told her husband to go over and make sure their son was ok.

Well guess what.

The son did indeed catch a "troll".

A midget Jehovah's witnesses had come a knocking and the son caught his "troll" and locked him in a closet for THREE days.

Me: I can't stop laughing. I feel bad for the guy to locked in the closet, but really, that is too funny. He really caught himself a troll...at least in his mind.

Lesson Learned: Don't ignore signs for no solicitors. Those signs are there for a reason.

Lesson Learned: Les and I really need to get out more often.

Hungry or Trouble

2010-06-08T04:01:00.001-05:00

Silly Boy

2010-06-07T05:18:00.001-05:00

Are you ever silly on a Sunday?

We are.

Good thing phones have built in cameras. How else could we capture such silly moments?

12 Months + 12 Random Thoughts

2010-06-05T06:39:00.003-05:00

Last week Little Guy went in for his 12 month check-up.

How big is Little Guy?

He is SOOOOOO big. (Raise your hands over your head while you say it.)

Vitals at Twelve Months:

Height: 32" (97 percentile)
Weight: 23 lbs 12 oz (50 - 75 percentile)
Head: 46.6 cm (50 percentile)
(Want to compare this to the nine months vitals?)

As I thought about how much Big Poppy, Jeter and my life has changed in the last 12 month, I am overcome with emotions. The love I feel for the guys in my life over takes me sometimes. There are times, when I'm thinking about how lucky and happy I am, I become egocentric and truly believe that no other mommy or daddy could care as deeply for their little ones as we do for Little Guy. (In my saner moments, I realize that most mommy and daddy's feel this way - though, to stroke my own ego, I do try to them rationalize how it could not possible be true. Did I mention there are times when I might have a little ego at times? :))

Think I'm going to get all sappy. Wrong.

Instead, in honor of the 12 months, here are 12 random thoughts I had today ok, on Thursday, my writing has crossed the midnight line) (in no particular order).

1. I wonder how many others have thought, in a time crunch, it would be ok to set their child on the floor to have the dog lick clean while they do the dishes.

2. I wonder how many have had the previous thought and then wiped all the food from the high chair unto the floor to have the dog lick it clean.

3. What I need is an alternative world where a dish of ice cream a day keeps the doctor away.

4. I'm a little sad Little Guy slept well last night because now I don't have an excuse for a nice cold can of Coke.

5. Man, this lady can fit into her wedding dress from 14 years ago. I really need to step up the running...and probably forgo the can of Coke even after a night time party with Little Guy.

6. When I call to schedule an eye appointment, I really need to make sure I know what kind of contacts I wear. That lady does not like it when you say the ones that go on your eye ball.

7. Hmmm, I wonder if in a down economy the staff here should really be walking down the hall responding to text messages (my firm does not provide work phones, it was not work related).

8. Is it weird that my boy likes cottage cheese more than turkey? Can I use this to get Big Poppy to eat cottage cheese?

9. We need a poliy and pro...

I started this post on Thursday night. It is now Saturday morning. Little Guy will soon have another tooth pop through, his sixth, and this one is causing him a little trouble. I was very excited to get a full nights sleep last night. Even though I woke up about 45 minutes ago, I had a relaxing time just laying in bed for another 20 minutes. But then I started to worry. How am I going to finish my 12 random thoughts? I no longer recall what fleeting thought I had on Thursday. Instead, the remaining four come from short time ago.

9. I really need to finish the blog post. Well, really, what I need to do is make time to update how it looks and get back to posting more often. Maybe I should teach Jeter how to type.

10. The scale is your friend in the morning. Not so much at night.

11. Little Guy is going to be so excited for pancakes this morning. Maybe I'll mash up a banana to throw into the batter too. Oh no, I don't I did the dishes last night. Maybe the fairies helped me out.

12. I suppose I better contact the photographer. It's now a week past when she said she would have some sneak peaks ready for me. I hope this isn't a sign of how the pictures turned out. Little Guy was definitely not on his A-game that day.

Here’s What Big Poppy Missed

2010-06-01T23:31:00.000-05:00

Little Guy, Jeter, Big Poppy and myself went on a little road trip this weekend. To be clear, Little Guy, Jeter and I were in one car and Big Poppy was in another car. We left our home 15 hours apart, Big Poppy left Thursday night, the boys and I ventured out Friday morning. Our destinations were different but we kept in contact. On Friday we would call Big Poppy and Little Guy would smile and smile when he heard his daddy’s voice. For good (and for bad) Big Poppy has to travel for a work for a little bit. It’s good because Big Poppy and I have not figured out the secret of creating a sustainable income just with our glowing smiles. It’s bad because it means for a little while Big Poppy will be a couple states away. I guess I better look into this skyping thing I hear talked about now and again.

After my 7 ½ hour trip to Grandpa’s was turned into 8 ¾ hours (there was an extended lay over visiting with SoyBoy while we picked up Syd for the final leg to Grandpa’s AND did I mention the lovely road construction, especially the part where the road was down to one lane, where we patiently waited for the pilot car to come back to our side and lead the way) we finally arrived. I must give props to single parents. You take road trips like this all the time. I must admit, stopping for gas, food, bathroom breaks, etc., I wondered how a single parent travels with their kids and pets on a regular basis. I don’t stress out easily and believe I handled everything in stride but…let’s just say Big Poppy is stuck with me FOREVER. It’s a good thing he likes me (he even loves me – school girl giggle – and he makes me smile).

Little Guy was a superb navigator.

After a quick bite to eat, he was right back to helping me with directions.

After picking up Syd, then Little Guy thought he would start to critique my driving abilities and he did so rather loudly. The final 1 ½ hours of the drive may have been the hardest. But who can blame him. I was ready to be to the final destination too.

Despite not painting Grandpa’s house (AuntLisa!), we had a great time. Well, let me clarify, Little Guy and I had a great time. Jeter had an ok time. He was out of his element and not very perky. Jeter even broke in AuntLisa’s carpet with a little upset tummy vomit (AuntLisa, this is what you get when you don’t talk to Grandpa about painting like the plan.)

Here’s a quick review of the weekend:

Little Guy loves to snuggle up with Syd.

SoyBoy came to Grandpa's late because of his baseball game - which they won!

Grandpa how a LOT of quarters. Little Guy liked to use the rolled quarters like dumbells.

Nothing beats looking out Grandpa's window.

Little Guy was confused...are we in Texas?

Jeter catching some relaxation.

Once home, Little Guy was ready to help unpack.

Why I Started...Why I Continue

2010-05-26T16:19:00.000-05:00

A long, long time ago, a fair faced gal met a strapping young guy. The two began to spend a lot of time together. They laughed. They played. They fell in love. Like most young people in love, the gal and guy knew they should spend the rest of their lives together. With many close family and friends, these two said “I do” and they lived happily ever after…well, this is true with a hiccup in between.

The young gal and guy started the rest of their life together, much like many young newlyweds. They had lots of love and not much savings but, who needs savings when you are 23 and 25 years old!?! As the young gal and guy grew older, their love deepened and the other parts of their future came together. With some financial security and a plan to ensure their stability, the gal and the guy decided it was time…to get a puppy… The two became three and quickly they wanted to become four.

Several years passed. Stress came into the gal and guys life. The two figured out the stress and found they loved one another even more and better than before. The three were still waiting to become four (sometimes patiently, sometimes impatiently). Anything (legal) was tried to bring the fourth into their family. Jokes were made about scooping up cute babies, but the waiting continued.

And then, eight years after deciding to become a family of four, the wait was over. A Little Guy came into their life. An angel selected them to love and raise her most special gift. The gal and the guy knew they needed a way to let the angel see their Little Guy grow into the person he was meant to be. Finding the best way came easy, with a little help from a college friend.

This friend had started her journey into blogging the very month Little Guy came into their lives. The gal had very much enjoyed reading and seeing the day to day life their college friend shared with her hubby, her kids, her dog…her Ordinary Miracles Of Life. The gal and the guy, now an extremely happy and proud mommy and daddy, knew how to include their angel in their life.

And so, Nothing Less Than A Miracle was born (the similar name to their college friend, is a coincidence from an email from the guy’s grandpa).

There have been benefits not considered when the blog started. Family and friends who are miles and miles away are able to watch Little Guy grow. When lives become busy and the guy and the gal are unable to see friends and family who live close by for a while, they can stop by to see what’s new. While, this blog might not have as much learning ideas for others, it does have LOVE. Lots of LOVE. And the gal and the guy hope to bring the love more often.

It's Your Birthday!

2010-05-19T23:38:00.004-05:00

It's your birthday Little Guy. You spend however you want.

If you want to eat all your pancakes before Mommy enters the kitchen. You can do that.

When asked how old you are you want to grin to show space in your upper two teeth and show us how big you are. You can do that.

While Big Poppy is helping make birthday cupcakes...

You want to attack the camera. You can do that.

If you want homemade mac-n-cheese. You can have that.

You can blow out your first candle.

You can take a first taste of frosting.

You can shove a cupcake in your face.

You can try to figure out how to have more frosting and less cupcake.

You can show Big Poppy and me how you are eating all the cupcake.

You smile big because it was so very tasting.

And, if on your birthday, you want to take one small little nap during the day and play all day long, fall asleep at 7 pm and not open presents on your birthday. You can do that too.

Happy First Birthday Little Guy! We love you! You are loved by so many, both near and far away.

Elevator Etiquette?

2010-05-14T05:52:00.000-05:00

I admit, I do not really think about elevator etiquette all that often. Most days I try to take the stairs up to the office. Some mornings I'm lazy and call the elevator. Other mornings, someone was kind enough to hold the elevator for me...while I know taking the stairs is better for me I figure I should not slap someone else's random act of kindness in the face. When leaving the office, I normally take the elevator down - it's difficult to navigate the stairs going down in heels (too bad I am rarely wearing heels).

Once in the elevator, I am amazed when it is used to go up or down one flight of stairs. Elevators are slow. You have to wait for them. The doors open and close on turtle speed. I do not understand how some people going up or down one floor have that much extra time to stand around and wait.

I know there is elevator etiquette. I probably don't follow it most of the time (gasp - I talk to strangers and tell them to have a good day). I am also a modern woman. I don't expect special treatment because I am a girl. I wait for the blue hairs and the rude to get off the elevator before me.

Oh, do you see where I'm going.

The other day, on my way home, I jump into the elevator with about 6 guys. The only floor pushed was 2 (the walkway to the parking ramp). I was the last on the elevator. Now mind you, I'm modern and I'm conditioned by these young guys (most of whom I work with) that the "new elevator etiquette" is to exit youngest to oldest (and some young men wonder why they are single). The 6 guys I joined on the elevator appeared to by my age or slightly older. I am also conditioned to believe men of this age always wait for the ladies to exit first.

Imagine my surprise, when I am the last on the elevator - picture me, front and center of the elevator waiting for the doors to slide open - to have not one but two guys jump out in front of me while the doors were sliding open. There was a quick "excuse me". As I walked to my car, I was struck by this rudeness for some reason.

My Little Guy better follow proper elevator etiquette.