I'm Taking A Shower

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

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

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

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

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

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

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....