It is a momentous night in the Bowling household as E is spending her first night in her new big girl room. So far, she's doing great. She's been down for over an hour and we haven't heard a peep out of her. We both want to check on her, but know better then to wake the sleepy giant.
It will be a slow transition, but I finally feel like we are making progress in our preparations for baby boy. While E's bed and some toys are the only things in the room right now, we will add a dresser and bookshelves once we move the computer desk out. It's quite the purple room but E seems happy with it, and I adore her bedding. Now, we are on the hunt for decor items.
The past few days have been a blur. We drove up to Omaha on Saturday to surprise my mom, who thought she was coming to Omaha to have a birthday dinner with my youngest brother. Little did she know, all her children and her precious grandchild would be in attendance. Even though it was the furthest we had ever driven for a meal, the company and the food definitely made it worth the drive. Mike spent Sunday painting, and Ella and I were busy making arrangements for her birthday week while spending time playing together. I can't believe the little rascal turns two. It's a busy week in the Bowling household, but it will be a good week.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
Pregnancy Weight Rant
Bear with me, I have another pregnancy rant. For some reason, being pregnant means people, co-workers, general strangers, etc. have the right to ask inappropriate questions or make asinine statements. Seriously people, I am not wearing a sign that says, "Yes, I want your thoughts on breast feeding, what is or isn't appropriate for me to eat, why only good mothers stay at home with their children and my birth plan." Please note if you are a good friend or family member, who I commonly discuss personal matters with, these comments are not directed to you. Trust me, I appreciate and respect your honesty. I enjoy and want to have an educated, respectful discussion on most topics related to pregnancy and child rearing. What irks me to no end are the ones who judge and spout off before they filter it through their head.
The spark for this rant is some inappropriate comments I have received this week. Taken individually, I let them roll, but I've had too many and it has pushed me over the edge. Earlier this week, a women in the elevator was stunned to hear how far along I was. She responded with, "Are you sure there isn't anything wrong with the baby because you are too small for being 30+." This was the same woman who said to me last pregnancy, "You must be having a girl because you are big everywhere." One example of the loving and heartfelt wishes I've heard.
It really shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone that I am a bit sensitive to matters concerning my weight, but quite honestly, keep any opinions, thoughts or general observations about my weight to yourself. I really don't want to hear it. If you do feel inclined to say anything, I would suggest, "Wow, you look great for being thirty plus weeks."
Yes, I am carrying this baby boy differently than Ella. It's natural. It's a different kid, but no worries the kid is progressing just fine. I had a doctor's appointment today where I expressed the concern that the general observation is I am on the small side. Her first comment, which is why I love all five feet of my petite, feisty doctor, was "Why can't people just keep their damn opinions to themselves and their mouths shut." She had me lie down and measured my belly. She said, "Just what I thought, you are right on target." We then discussed weight gain, how pregnancies vary and how amazingly complex the human body truly is.
So while I appreciate everyone's concern, the kid is still cooking right along and she still expects him to be between 7 1/2 and 8 pounds. Time will tell, but that's enough of my rant.
The spark for this rant is some inappropriate comments I have received this week. Taken individually, I let them roll, but I've had too many and it has pushed me over the edge. Earlier this week, a women in the elevator was stunned to hear how far along I was. She responded with, "Are you sure there isn't anything wrong with the baby because you are too small for being 30+." This was the same woman who said to me last pregnancy, "You must be having a girl because you are big everywhere." One example of the loving and heartfelt wishes I've heard.
It really shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone that I am a bit sensitive to matters concerning my weight, but quite honestly, keep any opinions, thoughts or general observations about my weight to yourself. I really don't want to hear it. If you do feel inclined to say anything, I would suggest, "Wow, you look great for being thirty plus weeks."
Yes, I am carrying this baby boy differently than Ella. It's natural. It's a different kid, but no worries the kid is progressing just fine. I had a doctor's appointment today where I expressed the concern that the general observation is I am on the small side. Her first comment, which is why I love all five feet of my petite, feisty doctor, was "Why can't people just keep their damn opinions to themselves and their mouths shut." She had me lie down and measured my belly. She said, "Just what I thought, you are right on target." We then discussed weight gain, how pregnancies vary and how amazingly complex the human body truly is.
So while I appreciate everyone's concern, the kid is still cooking right along and she still expects him to be between 7 1/2 and 8 pounds. Time will tell, but that's enough of my rant.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Baby Book Phase I
This past weekend, I completed the first phrase of a very personal project that I have shared with no one except Mike. Rather than do a traditional baby book for Ella, I decided to record my thoughts in a journal to be shared with her at some point in her young adult life. Writing in her journal was an opportunity for me to record my pregnancy experiences, all the mundane and joyful ones. I remember writing her birth story while Mike was witnessing her first bath and I was awaiting my mom's arrival. I think that entry was at 3:45 am. My intention is for Ella to better understand and appreciate her journey into this world. Approaching her baby book in this manner allowed me to not only record her developmental milestones but to track my development as a mom.
The journal begins on June 5, 2005, which was the day we first learned of her existence. This phase ends with a Feb. 3, 2008 entry. I am not sure how long I will continue to journal to the kids (don't fret, I've started one for baby boy bowling -- although his book doesn't have near the entires that Ella's did at this point). I have purchased a new journal for Ella. It may take me until her 5th birthday to finish it, who knows. My only promise to the kids in their respective journals is I would journal through at least their first year.
I love periodically picking up the journals and flipping through them to read past entries. They certainly provide a snapshot of our life and my mindset when writing an entry. Mike and I have debated the appropriate time to give these to Ella and baby boy. I think the right opportunity with each child will present itself. As excited as I am to share these with my children, I do believe letting go of them will be quite bittersweet.
The journal begins on June 5, 2005, which was the day we first learned of her existence. This phase ends with a Feb. 3, 2008 entry. I am not sure how long I will continue to journal to the kids (don't fret, I've started one for baby boy bowling -- although his book doesn't have near the entires that Ella's did at this point). I have purchased a new journal for Ella. It may take me until her 5th birthday to finish it, who knows. My only promise to the kids in their respective journals is I would journal through at least their first year.
I love periodically picking up the journals and flipping through them to read past entries. They certainly provide a snapshot of our life and my mindset when writing an entry. Mike and I have debated the appropriate time to give these to Ella and baby boy. I think the right opportunity with each child will present itself. As excited as I am to share these with my children, I do believe letting go of them will be quite bittersweet.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Amazed
I wonder if as a parent you ever stop being amazed by your children. I certainly hope not. I love that every day this girl will surprise me with what she says or does. Last night as we were preparing for bedtime, Ella was naked, running around in a circle as she sang the "Wheels on the Bus." She did it with such freedom, purpose and energy that I found myself just smiling with pride swelling inside me as I watched her. Maybe with her birthday quickly approaching (two weeks!), I'm more reflective and aware of how much growth and development she's achieved in two brief years. It's not a statement of how "advanced" I think my child is compared to other kids (because I don't think she's advanced just on par), but how fascinating it is what all kids learn to do in two brief years. How did this baby that popped out of me become this defiant, stubborn yet positively adorable little person running our household?
The most recent new developments:
*She now will "sshhh" us when she doesn't want to listen to us anymore. She puts her little finger to her lips and tells us to be quiet, especially if we're in the car singing to the radio.
*Speaking of the radio, Ella now expects, better yet demands, Sirius' Kid Stuff station almost every time she's in the car. Don't think you can fool her with another station. That girl knows when we try to pull a fast one and quickly calls us on it.
*She said the word "actually" yesterday. I attempted to explain that mommy was actually the one that possessed X object (I can't remember what we were discussing), but she stopped me in mid-sentence and said "Actually, it's daddy's," and quickly ended that debate.
*At dinner, Ella wanted mommy's drink which was a Diet Dr. Pepper in a styrofoam cup. I told her she couldn't have any because it was like coffee and was only for grown ups. She said, "No mommy that not like coffee." Again, the girl is on to us.
*She repeatedly asks for Payton to spend the night. Our standard response is always soon. Ella now responds with "Tuesday or Friday." Guess, these must be her favorite days of the week. I didn't even know she knew specific days until I heard "Tuesday" for the first time.
*She also has asked lately to go visit Aaron and Carter. (We've been trying but that household can't kick the various bugs going around.) I told her a fib the other day and I said they were out of town and when they were back that we would go over to see them. (They had been out of town one weekend, but weren't on the day Ella asked about them.) A few days later we were looking at "Ella's pictures" on Flickr. When we came across the picture of the kids from New Year's Eve, Ella unprompted said "Aaron and Carter out of town." This girl doesn't seem to forget anything we say.
I just love that little creature.
The most recent new developments:
*She now will "sshhh" us when she doesn't want to listen to us anymore. She puts her little finger to her lips and tells us to be quiet, especially if we're in the car singing to the radio.
*Speaking of the radio, Ella now expects, better yet demands, Sirius' Kid Stuff station almost every time she's in the car. Don't think you can fool her with another station. That girl knows when we try to pull a fast one and quickly calls us on it.
*She said the word "actually" yesterday. I attempted to explain that mommy was actually the one that possessed X object (I can't remember what we were discussing), but she stopped me in mid-sentence and said "Actually, it's daddy's," and quickly ended that debate.
*At dinner, Ella wanted mommy's drink which was a Diet Dr. Pepper in a styrofoam cup. I told her she couldn't have any because it was like coffee and was only for grown ups. She said, "No mommy that not like coffee." Again, the girl is on to us.
*She repeatedly asks for Payton to spend the night. Our standard response is always soon. Ella now responds with "Tuesday or Friday." Guess, these must be her favorite days of the week. I didn't even know she knew specific days until I heard "Tuesday" for the first time.
*She also has asked lately to go visit Aaron and Carter. (We've been trying but that household can't kick the various bugs going around.) I told her a fib the other day and I said they were out of town and when they were back that we would go over to see them. (They had been out of town one weekend, but weren't on the day Ella asked about them.) A few days later we were looking at "Ella's pictures" on Flickr. When we came across the picture of the kids from New Year's Eve, Ella unprompted said "Aaron and Carter out of town." This girl doesn't seem to forget anything we say.
I just love that little creature.
Friday, January 25, 2008
30+ Weeks
Seriously, only 10 weeks until this baby will be here. 10 weeks. How is that possible? Where did this whole pregnancy go? Today was another doctor's appointment and either my sixth or seventh sonogram of the pregnancy. I've completely lost count. Everything checked out great, finally! I had what should be my last sonogram. I love getting the chance to see the little guy, but it is a relief knowing that there is no medical reason why I need another sonogram. The good news is the placenta finally migrated away from my cervix, but the baby is now breech with his head nestled in my left ribs. The baby boy has 7 weeks to navigate to the correct position before my doc gets concerned.
Other interesting nuggets from the appointment: he is 3 lbs, 6 oz. and the doc expects him to end up about 7 1/1 to 8 pounds. I'm measuring a few days behind my due date, but the tech said measurements on breech babies always seem slightly inaccurate. He also appears to have some hair. Good heart rate. Oh yea, he's also beautiful. He had his little hand resting on his head at one point. I swooned and he has the cutest little feet.
Hopefully this appointment serves as motivation to get into baby mode. The doc gave me a big to-do for our list: schedule my maternity care appointment with the hospital. It's the appointment when you fill out endless yet necessary paperwork and are reminded of all their policies and procedures. We did order new bedding for Ella's new big girl room. Once we have it, we can select paint colors and start transforming the computer room into her new big girl room. We are definitely moving at a snail's pace. I keep telling myself as long as we have diapers and some clothes, we'll figure the rest out.
Other interesting nuggets from the appointment: he is 3 lbs, 6 oz. and the doc expects him to end up about 7 1/1 to 8 pounds. I'm measuring a few days behind my due date, but the tech said measurements on breech babies always seem slightly inaccurate. He also appears to have some hair. Good heart rate. Oh yea, he's also beautiful. He had his little hand resting on his head at one point. I swooned and he has the cutest little feet.
Hopefully this appointment serves as motivation to get into baby mode. The doc gave me a big to-do for our list: schedule my maternity care appointment with the hospital. It's the appointment when you fill out endless yet necessary paperwork and are reminded of all their policies and procedures. We did order new bedding for Ella's new big girl room. Once we have it, we can select paint colors and start transforming the computer room into her new big girl room. We are definitely moving at a snail's pace. I keep telling myself as long as we have diapers and some clothes, we'll figure the rest out.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Closet cleaning
Our entryway closet had become a giant dumping ground and it was impossible to find anything unless it was the last item we shoved in it. Mike decided he had enough (and he's slowly beginning to exhibit signs of nesting) that he enthusiastically tackled the unorganized and overstuffed closet.
As he removed every last mismatched glove, black purse, ball cap and diaper bag, Ella decided it was the perfect opportunity for her to take stock of the inventory and catalogue the items, which is how she ended up in this ensemble. Of course, her coat is a daily staple, but the rubber ducky hat hadn't been seen since late summer. Ella wanted to make sure it still fit. What I can't remember is why in the world I gave her a snack while she was modeling the latest closet fashion. File that under not my brightest mom moment.
Her snack that afternoon was two tasty graham crackers with a thin spread of vanilla frosting in the middle. It was one of my favorite "special" snacks as a kid. I recall being served that mostly at bible school or camp. It made up for the days when celery and cheese whiz was on the menu. Mike said he never had the pleasure of experiencing that sweet childhood treat, so he indulged in a few. I felt sorry for the poor guy that he had to wait until his 30s to experience such a yummy concoction.
Back to the closet, Mike has it organized and everything is back in place. I now don't dread opening the door each morning to retrieve my coat and gloves. To help understand how crammed it was, we discovered a women's tan lightweight jacket in our closet that certainly doesn't belong to anyone in their 30s. If you happen to be missing a tan jacket and you're a female older than 50, we might just have it. The likely suspects claim it isn't theirs, so we really have no clue who the original owner is. It's not like we get that many visitors, so who knows how long the jacket has been residing in our house.
As he removed every last mismatched glove, black purse, ball cap and diaper bag, Ella decided it was the perfect opportunity for her to take stock of the inventory and catalogue the items, which is how she ended up in this ensemble. Of course, her coat is a daily staple, but the rubber ducky hat hadn't been seen since late summer. Ella wanted to make sure it still fit. What I can't remember is why in the world I gave her a snack while she was modeling the latest closet fashion. File that under not my brightest mom moment.
Her snack that afternoon was two tasty graham crackers with a thin spread of vanilla frosting in the middle. It was one of my favorite "special" snacks as a kid. I recall being served that mostly at bible school or camp. It made up for the days when celery and cheese whiz was on the menu. Mike said he never had the pleasure of experiencing that sweet childhood treat, so he indulged in a few. I felt sorry for the poor guy that he had to wait until his 30s to experience such a yummy concoction.
Back to the closet, Mike has it organized and everything is back in place. I now don't dread opening the door each morning to retrieve my coat and gloves. To help understand how crammed it was, we discovered a women's tan lightweight jacket in our closet that certainly doesn't belong to anyone in their 30s. If you happen to be missing a tan jacket and you're a female older than 50, we might just have it. The likely suspects claim it isn't theirs, so we really have no clue who the original owner is. It's not like we get that many visitors, so who knows how long the jacket has been residing in our house.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Hangin with Trey
Most of you who look at this photo are going, who the heck is that guy Scott and Mike are hanging out with there? Was he some winner of some Royals' contest? Well, sort of--he's Trey Hillman, aka the new manager of the Kansas City Royals.
For the first time this year, the Royals held a fanfest and Scott and I thought it would be fun to partake in it and see what it was all about. Of course Tricia, Amanda and Ella tagged along and saw what all the fun was about. They had a lot of cool skills stuff to check out and Ella even did a couple of them! She did a 90 foot base running challenge where she ran from one base to another---with nothing but a huge smile on her face, of course. It was pretty awesome. She also hit a ball of of a tee (with Daddy's help of course). But she really wanted to spend more time picking up the whiffle balls. They had a moonwalk that she had fun it while dad and uncle Scotty got some pitch for season tickets from a sales broker. They had the model of what the "new" Kauffman Stadium will look like, and different piece of memorabilia from over the history of the Royals. It really was pretty neat!
There was a lot of autograph sessions--we saw David DeJesus, Shane Costa, Gil Meche, Joey Gathright, and finally when it was all wrapping up we got the chance to get our picture with the new manager, so that was pretty cool. He shook our hands, we got to welcome him to KC and Ella even wished him "good luck!" She gave him a high-five and he told her that she was precious. Which she IS of course.
It was a good day.
For the first time this year, the Royals held a fanfest and Scott and I thought it would be fun to partake in it and see what it was all about. Of course Tricia, Amanda and Ella tagged along and saw what all the fun was about. They had a lot of cool skills stuff to check out and Ella even did a couple of them! She did a 90 foot base running challenge where she ran from one base to another---with nothing but a huge smile on her face, of course. It was pretty awesome. She also hit a ball of of a tee (with Daddy's help of course). But she really wanted to spend more time picking up the whiffle balls. They had a moonwalk that she had fun it while dad and uncle Scotty got some pitch for season tickets from a sales broker. They had the model of what the "new" Kauffman Stadium will look like, and different piece of memorabilia from over the history of the Royals. It really was pretty neat!
There was a lot of autograph sessions--we saw David DeJesus, Shane Costa, Gil Meche, Joey Gathright, and finally when it was all wrapping up we got the chance to get our picture with the new manager, so that was pretty cool. He shook our hands, we got to welcome him to KC and Ella even wished him "good luck!" She gave him a high-five and he told her that she was precious. Which she IS of course.
It was a good day.
Food poisoning
I fear that baby boy bowling will never have a name. We have batted about numerous names and have discarded almost every name discussed for a multitude of reasons: like it but too popular, friend's kid has that name, not a positive association, it's already in the family, Ew! past bad boyfriend name -- otherwise not a bad name, and so forth.
Our criteria isn't lengthy -- just a solid boys name that works as a child and as an adult and is not owned by anyone else in our circle of family and friends. It also must work with Michael as the middle name and Bowling as the last. It also must flow with Ella whether casually joining their names or for me as a parent to yell in a fit of frustration.
Part of me is wants a name to pick us, similar to what happened with knowing Ella was the right name for our first daughter. It was a shared and special moment between Mike and I three years prior to us getting pregnant. I don't want to settle on a name, and I want there to a more meaningful reason to selecting a name other than I like it.
Recently though, one name seemed to be emerging from the limited list of names even under consideration. While there had not been a light bulb moment, the name kept coming to us as a central character in some of Ella's favorite books, a favorite author had dedicated one of his books to Ella and this name, etc. I was beginning to feel more confident that this was the right name for us, but not 100% committed to the name.
Mike and I decided when pregnant with Ella that we would not share a name until the baby was born. We didn't want to be influenced by others. I was taking the same approach with baby boy. At my department's holiday lunch, the topic of baby names was discussed and a co-worker suggested the name Sam. I slyly smiled and said it was a name on our list and quickly approaching the top of the list. Most at the table agreed that it was a good name for us. I wasn't prepared for one co-workers concern, "Aren't you worried they would call him 'sambo.' " I was dumbfounded and had no idea of that phrase. Before the conversation could continue, we were interrupted by the waiter.
On the drive back to work, I confided into co-workers that I didn't get the joke. A co-worker in her 50s explained to me the origin of sambo, but didn't think a potential nickname should automatically strike Sam from our list, especially ones not many in our generation were exposed to. Mike agreed, but I was less inclined. Mike and I had consulted with multiple friends and co-workers. I wanted to know who and how many were familiar with the story of sambo, and hardly anyone was, so the name was climbing the ranks once again.
That was until last night when Tricia and Scott were hanging out at our house after a trip to the Royals Fan Fast and an introductory dinner for them to Sweet Tomatoes. The topic of names came up and we decided to ask them about sambo. Tricia knew, but I should have figured with her mom's background and Tricia's love of reading. The agreement was Sam is a good solid name and Sam Michael Bowling definitely has a nice ring to it. I also explained how Sam was the initials of my siblings in birth order (Scott, Amanda, Matt -- yet I didn't work in Justin, so it was more a convenient reasoning for Sam.)
Tricia said Ella and Sam out loud and commented how sweet that sounded and then she reversed the names. The minute she did, I knew the name had been kicked off the list permanently. Sam and Ella. (Tip: say it aloud and you'll get a good laugh. Hence the title of this post.) Separately both are great names, together, it's just not meant to be. I couldn't believe it hadn't hit Mike and I before, but we only ever said Ella and Sam, never Sam and Ella.
Sigh, I'm disappointed because none of the other names under consideration are jumping off the page. We still have 2 1/2 months for this boy to marinate, so hopefully another name will emerge a winner. If you happen to ask for an update, don't be surprised if my response speaks to the merits of Cletus over Mortimer.
Our criteria isn't lengthy -- just a solid boys name that works as a child and as an adult and is not owned by anyone else in our circle of family and friends. It also must work with Michael as the middle name and Bowling as the last. It also must flow with Ella whether casually joining their names or for me as a parent to yell in a fit of frustration.
Part of me is wants a name to pick us, similar to what happened with knowing Ella was the right name for our first daughter. It was a shared and special moment between Mike and I three years prior to us getting pregnant. I don't want to settle on a name, and I want there to a more meaningful reason to selecting a name other than I like it.
Recently though, one name seemed to be emerging from the limited list of names even under consideration. While there had not been a light bulb moment, the name kept coming to us as a central character in some of Ella's favorite books, a favorite author had dedicated one of his books to Ella and this name, etc. I was beginning to feel more confident that this was the right name for us, but not 100% committed to the name.
Mike and I decided when pregnant with Ella that we would not share a name until the baby was born. We didn't want to be influenced by others. I was taking the same approach with baby boy. At my department's holiday lunch, the topic of baby names was discussed and a co-worker suggested the name Sam. I slyly smiled and said it was a name on our list and quickly approaching the top of the list. Most at the table agreed that it was a good name for us. I wasn't prepared for one co-workers concern, "Aren't you worried they would call him 'sambo.' " I was dumbfounded and had no idea of that phrase. Before the conversation could continue, we were interrupted by the waiter.
On the drive back to work, I confided into co-workers that I didn't get the joke. A co-worker in her 50s explained to me the origin of sambo, but didn't think a potential nickname should automatically strike Sam from our list, especially ones not many in our generation were exposed to. Mike agreed, but I was less inclined. Mike and I had consulted with multiple friends and co-workers. I wanted to know who and how many were familiar with the story of sambo, and hardly anyone was, so the name was climbing the ranks once again.
That was until last night when Tricia and Scott were hanging out at our house after a trip to the Royals Fan Fast and an introductory dinner for them to Sweet Tomatoes. The topic of names came up and we decided to ask them about sambo. Tricia knew, but I should have figured with her mom's background and Tricia's love of reading. The agreement was Sam is a good solid name and Sam Michael Bowling definitely has a nice ring to it. I also explained how Sam was the initials of my siblings in birth order (Scott, Amanda, Matt -- yet I didn't work in Justin, so it was more a convenient reasoning for Sam.)
Tricia said Ella and Sam out loud and commented how sweet that sounded and then she reversed the names. The minute she did, I knew the name had been kicked off the list permanently. Sam and Ella. (Tip: say it aloud and you'll get a good laugh. Hence the title of this post.) Separately both are great names, together, it's just not meant to be. I couldn't believe it hadn't hit Mike and I before, but we only ever said Ella and Sam, never Sam and Ella.
Sigh, I'm disappointed because none of the other names under consideration are jumping off the page. We still have 2 1/2 months for this boy to marinate, so hopefully another name will emerge a winner. If you happen to ask for an update, don't be surprised if my response speaks to the merits of Cletus over Mortimer.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Slumber Party
After some gentle reminders, Comer shared the pictures from New Year's Eve with us. The kids looked so adorable laying next to each other. In this picture, they look more annoyed with us. I'm confident that they knew we were making a feeble attempt to induce sleep, so the adults could enjoy some "kid-free" time. It wasn't meant to be, but they did stay distracted long enough for the the women to victoriously and soundly defeat the men at Scene It. Who knew the movie "The Unforgiven" would be the obscure and correct answer that sealed our victory. I hope a rematch is in our near future.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Where, O' Where is Sleep?
Seriously, all I want to do is sleep, and I can't. Insomnia fascinates and frustrates me. It's so bizarre to want something so desperately and yet have it be so completely unattainable. I have been awake since 2:30 and it's now 4:30. I went to bed so exhausted. I have a big day at work and this is not helping.
To demonstrate how random the thoughts are that keep me up, here's a quick running list as I lay on the couch attempting to will myself back to sleep:
It's taking a few minutes to get the thoughts going. Maybe I shouldn't encourage them. Maybe this is a positive sign that my brain is currently free from randomness and could actually focus on falling back asleep. Maybe it's trying to lure me back to bed only to rev up the minute my head hits the pillow and then torture me so. Nope, here they come:
*Do I have time and the energy to make Ella's birthday invitations? Do I really need to make invitations if we're doing a low key birthday celebration? Should I really send invites if it's primarily family? Can't I just send an email with the details? If I do that, does that take away from her birthday or reflect poorly on how special we think it is? Have kids birthdays got a bit out of hand?
*Did I really need that second cookie last night? I told the girls only one cookie, but then stole another one after we all changed in our pajamas. Shame on me.
*Should we start officially potty training Ella? She's practically requesting a new diaper after each time she's wet and she's willing to attempt to change herself if you won't do it. It's quite the site to have your child run down the hall with her pants around her knees, with her naked bottom peeking out from her shirt and her diaper in one outstretched hand as she requests a wipe. She asked me to change her as we rocked last night (yes, I'm actually got the chance to rock her a few nights this week.) I opted not to because we had just put a fresh diaper on. Am I sending mixed signals? Was I being too lazy?
*I need to get my haircut. It's getting way too long and my drying time is increasing.
*Did I get the load of reds in the dryer?
*Why is Yoshi so annoying? Why can't he be a dog instead? Will we ever have the type of schedule where we could have a dog?
*What's on tap for this week? What are we going to eat this week? Ugh, I have to make a grocery store run. Why do I hate the grocery store so much?
*Did I pass my gestational diabetes test? As my doc says, no news is good news, so hopefully, I didn't fail.
*Why do women battle insomnia more then men?
It's almost 5 am. I promised myself I would try again at 5 to fall back asleep if only for an hour. Wish me luck.
To demonstrate how random the thoughts are that keep me up, here's a quick running list as I lay on the couch attempting to will myself back to sleep:
It's taking a few minutes to get the thoughts going. Maybe I shouldn't encourage them. Maybe this is a positive sign that my brain is currently free from randomness and could actually focus on falling back asleep. Maybe it's trying to lure me back to bed only to rev up the minute my head hits the pillow and then torture me so. Nope, here they come:
*Do I have time and the energy to make Ella's birthday invitations? Do I really need to make invitations if we're doing a low key birthday celebration? Should I really send invites if it's primarily family? Can't I just send an email with the details? If I do that, does that take away from her birthday or reflect poorly on how special we think it is? Have kids birthdays got a bit out of hand?
*Did I really need that second cookie last night? I told the girls only one cookie, but then stole another one after we all changed in our pajamas. Shame on me.
*Should we start officially potty training Ella? She's practically requesting a new diaper after each time she's wet and she's willing to attempt to change herself if you won't do it. It's quite the site to have your child run down the hall with her pants around her knees, with her naked bottom peeking out from her shirt and her diaper in one outstretched hand as she requests a wipe. She asked me to change her as we rocked last night (yes, I'm actually got the chance to rock her a few nights this week.) I opted not to because we had just put a fresh diaper on. Am I sending mixed signals? Was I being too lazy?
*I need to get my haircut. It's getting way too long and my drying time is increasing.
*Did I get the load of reds in the dryer?
*Why is Yoshi so annoying? Why can't he be a dog instead? Will we ever have the type of schedule where we could have a dog?
*What's on tap for this week? What are we going to eat this week? Ugh, I have to make a grocery store run. Why do I hate the grocery store so much?
*Did I pass my gestational diabetes test? As my doc says, no news is good news, so hopefully, I didn't fail.
*Why do women battle insomnia more then men?
It's almost 5 am. I promised myself I would try again at 5 to fall back asleep if only for an hour. Wish me luck.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Beautiful Words
Lately my little girl has been uttering the sweetest phrase. No, it isn't "I love you" or "you're the best," but rather "NO NO NO, FOOTBALL, DADDY!" And then she promptly walks over and shuts off the tv. Ah, I love that little girl.
Now if all fairness, I did convince Payton and Ella to let Mike watch the end of the Giants/Cowboys game tonight. They both wanted him to turn off the tv, and I convinced them that he should get to watch the rest of the game. He did buy us pizza after all.
Now if all fairness, I did convince Payton and Ella to let Mike watch the end of the Giants/Cowboys game tonight. They both wanted him to turn off the tv, and I convinced them that he should get to watch the rest of the game. He did buy us pizza after all.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Lost my chair position
I am trying not to take in personally. I am really trying. Yes, the but is coming. But my child refuses to let me rock her. Yes, she's growing up and I need to let go, and all that other parenting mumble jumble. I wish it was that simple. Understand though, it's not that she's giving up being rocked. No, that's not the case. If it was, I might be able to handle it better. The issue is she just refuses to let ME rock her. Daddy is the only one who can do it.
Oh sure, mom is good enough to read "Let's Go to the Zoo" and "Olivia" 10 million times in a row with Ella on my lap nonetheless. When the lights are shut off and her music is turned on, her only request is "Daddy rock." I beg, I plead, I demand. It gets me nowhere except I end up feeling like a 2-year old, rather a 2-year old with a broken heart. I thought maybe after a few nights she would be back to preferring me, but nope. Every night for what the last two weeks, no matter how I play the game, the end result is the same: "daddy rock."
Don't get me wrong I love that Mike and her have such a special bond. I just miss that quiet time with her in my arms. She's showcasing her independence more each day that even kisses and hugs are few and far in between, so I was relishing our quiet cuddle time, and now I don't even have that. I knew she would eventually push away from me. I just didn't expect it would be before her second birthday.
Oh sure, mom is good enough to read "Let's Go to the Zoo" and "Olivia" 10 million times in a row with Ella on my lap nonetheless. When the lights are shut off and her music is turned on, her only request is "Daddy rock." I beg, I plead, I demand. It gets me nowhere except I end up feeling like a 2-year old, rather a 2-year old with a broken heart. I thought maybe after a few nights she would be back to preferring me, but nope. Every night for what the last two weeks, no matter how I play the game, the end result is the same: "daddy rock."
Don't get me wrong I love that Mike and her have such a special bond. I just miss that quiet time with her in my arms. She's showcasing her independence more each day that even kisses and hugs are few and far in between, so I was relishing our quiet cuddle time, and now I don't even have that. I knew she would eventually push away from me. I just didn't expect it would be before her second birthday.
Monday, January 07, 2008
How to keep yourself afloat in water.
Essentially that is what Ella is learning to do. Or more like thats what Amanda and I are paying her to learn.
Ella is officially taking swimming lessons! We figure if this girl is going to be a fish, she better learn how much fun you can REALLY have once you learn to swim. She's taking them at the Bonner Springs YMCA. Which, by the way is not an easy place to find, even though my Garmin led us straight to the correct address, they have it stuffed inside of an old school. I have no idea why they felt the need to make it about as hard as all get out to find. We also may have missed a few signs that pointed us to the right direction. Oh well.
Even though we prepped Ella saying that this was like swim "class", she really wanted to run around and play like it was the middle of July and the sun was beating down. I got in the 3 foot WARM (oh it felt SO good) pool and I held her the entire class. And for those of you who know Ella--this was not something she enjoyed for 30 minutes straight (The girl just wants to wiggle her way out of Daddy's arms). But regardless she put up with it once she realized that couldn't touch the ground.
We worked on kicking on our bellies and back. We learned to throw a little bitty rubber duckie and kick in the water towards it, with Daddy's help of course. And we worked on blowing bubbles in the water too. And there was no way anybody was going to peel that huge smile on her face the entire time. 30 minutes came and went so quickly for her she fought tooth and nail getting out of the water. As did Daddy, that water was WARM! But alas, we wouldn't have fit in too well with the next class as we were not 70 year old women.
We have assured her we will be back next Saturday for more swimming lessons, and I'm sure she will be all ready to go when Saturday comes.
Ella is officially taking swimming lessons! We figure if this girl is going to be a fish, she better learn how much fun you can REALLY have once you learn to swim. She's taking them at the Bonner Springs YMCA. Which, by the way is not an easy place to find, even though my Garmin led us straight to the correct address, they have it stuffed inside of an old school. I have no idea why they felt the need to make it about as hard as all get out to find. We also may have missed a few signs that pointed us to the right direction. Oh well.
Even though we prepped Ella saying that this was like swim "class", she really wanted to run around and play like it was the middle of July and the sun was beating down. I got in the 3 foot WARM (oh it felt SO good) pool and I held her the entire class. And for those of you who know Ella--this was not something she enjoyed for 30 minutes straight (The girl just wants to wiggle her way out of Daddy's arms). But regardless she put up with it once she realized that couldn't touch the ground.
We worked on kicking on our bellies and back. We learned to throw a little bitty rubber duckie and kick in the water towards it, with Daddy's help of course. And we worked on blowing bubbles in the water too. And there was no way anybody was going to peel that huge smile on her face the entire time. 30 minutes came and went so quickly for her she fought tooth and nail getting out of the water. As did Daddy, that water was WARM! But alas, we wouldn't have fit in too well with the next class as we were not 70 year old women.
We have assured her we will be back next Saturday for more swimming lessons, and I'm sure she will be all ready to go when Saturday comes.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
The First Day of 2008
It was COLD. It was Windy. None of that stopped Ella from loving every minute of sledding on the first day of '08. She giggled with pure joy each time she was pushed down the hill. We lasted maybe a 1/2 hour in the frigid air, but enjoyed each minute.
It's hard to believe the holidays are over. I have loved having some extra time with Ella these past few weeks, but it's time to assume a more normal routine. I suspect tomorrow will be tough on all of us.
We rang in the New Year with the Comer family, who we actually hadn't seen in some time. Correction, we celebrated the last few hours of 2007 with the Comers. Ella made it to 11 pm before we decided to call it a night and head to our house. The night was also meltdown free, which was a pleasant surprise for both sets of parents. We tried to get the kids to all fall asleep in Mike & Jen's bed around 10 pm. We turned on a movie as they snuggled next to each other, but 20 minutes later they made their way downstairs to rejoin our party. (It made for the cutest picture, which Mrs. Comer better email me!)
Overall, the kids played quite nicely together, allowing us adults some time to socialize, eat and laugh. I should add drink to the list, but I was just a spectator in that arena last night, along with the DD. Only a few short months to go before I'll be able to indulge again. Sigh....I really only miss it on nights like New Year's Eve. I love me some champagne!
Well, happy New Year to everyone.
It's hard to believe the holidays are over. I have loved having some extra time with Ella these past few weeks, but it's time to assume a more normal routine. I suspect tomorrow will be tough on all of us.
We rang in the New Year with the Comer family, who we actually hadn't seen in some time. Correction, we celebrated the last few hours of 2007 with the Comers. Ella made it to 11 pm before we decided to call it a night and head to our house. The night was also meltdown free, which was a pleasant surprise for both sets of parents. We tried to get the kids to all fall asleep in Mike & Jen's bed around 10 pm. We turned on a movie as they snuggled next to each other, but 20 minutes later they made their way downstairs to rejoin our party. (It made for the cutest picture, which Mrs. Comer better email me!)
Overall, the kids played quite nicely together, allowing us adults some time to socialize, eat and laugh. I should add drink to the list, but I was just a spectator in that arena last night, along with the DD. Only a few short months to go before I'll be able to indulge again. Sigh....I really only miss it on nights like New Year's Eve. I love me some champagne!
Well, happy New Year to everyone.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Photogenic
Here is one of my favorite photos from Christmas and another great photo of my two favorite people. As much as I love this photo, I'm envious as there are far too many good photos of Mike and Ella together compared to the paltry number of photos of her and I.
There are good reasons why more photos of these two exist. First, I'm typically the one using the camera and second, I dislike having my photo taken. Really, how can I compete? These two are just so darn photogenic. I don't possess that gene.
There are good reasons why more photos of these two exist. First, I'm typically the one using the camera and second, I dislike having my photo taken. Really, how can I compete? These two are just so darn photogenic. I don't possess that gene.
Toddler Speak
One of the cons of having a highly verbal child is the incessant demands. Heard for the first time tonight on the drive home: "GIVE IT BACK..RIGHT NOW...MOMMY."
Needless to say, it was not Ella's happiest or proudest moment.
Although just a few seconds later, she was belting out the chorus to "Jingle Bells" and completely cracking Mike and I up. So is the life with a toddler.
Needless to say, it was not Ella's happiest or proudest moment.
Although just a few seconds later, she was belting out the chorus to "Jingle Bells" and completely cracking Mike and I up. So is the life with a toddler.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas
The gifts are opened. The living room is a mess. Ella is overstimulated and Mike is geeked about his latest gadget. I imagine his new Garmin will keep him entertained for quite some time. It's been quite the day.
Ella is having a ball and her parents are exhausted. I guess that's the mark of a good day. She received too many packages for me to even recall what she unwrapped. Ella was visited by Santa twice this year. He came Friday night at our house and then last night at grandma's house. She definitely has enjoyed everything associated with the season and Mike and I have enjoyed observing her as she experiences all the joy and chaos.
For Christmas Eve, we celebrated with some of my mom's side of the family. After a white elephant gift exchange and tasty chicken noodle soup prepared lovingly by my brother, we headed to Christmas Eve service. We debated whether or not to take Ella. She was telling us she was tired as she has had some difficulties sleeping while at grandma's house. As much as I wanted my husband and my daughter with me for the service especially since Uncle Justin had a solo, I had visions of a massive meltdown during the candle light silent night. Ella seemed to catch a second wind.
She actually provided lots of laughs as we sat in the pew. She enjoyed waving at Justin in a rather over-the-top, animated way as he sat in the choir loft. She was very much into checking out the surrounding people, and she would clap after each song and proclaim, "It over." One of the best moments was her loudly requesting me to sing "Wheels on the Bus" while the rest of the congregation was singing a hymn and after she broke a pencil, she requested her daddy to fix it. She actually did fairly well and lasted through most of the service until I went to check her diaper and she loudly proclaimed, "I just wet." I took her back to the nursery, and Mike relieved me so I could take communion. He tried to bring her back for the singing of Silent Night, but she demanded "I play first."
Fortunately for Mike and I, she went down fairly easily, which allowed MIke and I to get some sleep, which we desperately needed. It has truly been a good day. Hopefully, we'll have photos to share in the next few days.
Merry Christmas all.
Ella is having a ball and her parents are exhausted. I guess that's the mark of a good day. She received too many packages for me to even recall what she unwrapped. Ella was visited by Santa twice this year. He came Friday night at our house and then last night at grandma's house. She definitely has enjoyed everything associated with the season and Mike and I have enjoyed observing her as she experiences all the joy and chaos.
For Christmas Eve, we celebrated with some of my mom's side of the family. After a white elephant gift exchange and tasty chicken noodle soup prepared lovingly by my brother, we headed to Christmas Eve service. We debated whether or not to take Ella. She was telling us she was tired as she has had some difficulties sleeping while at grandma's house. As much as I wanted my husband and my daughter with me for the service especially since Uncle Justin had a solo, I had visions of a massive meltdown during the candle light silent night. Ella seemed to catch a second wind.
She actually provided lots of laughs as we sat in the pew. She enjoyed waving at Justin in a rather over-the-top, animated way as he sat in the choir loft. She was very much into checking out the surrounding people, and she would clap after each song and proclaim, "It over." One of the best moments was her loudly requesting me to sing "Wheels on the Bus" while the rest of the congregation was singing a hymn and after she broke a pencil, she requested her daddy to fix it. She actually did fairly well and lasted through most of the service until I went to check her diaper and she loudly proclaimed, "I just wet." I took her back to the nursery, and Mike relieved me so I could take communion. He tried to bring her back for the singing of Silent Night, but she demanded "I play first."
Fortunately for Mike and I, she went down fairly easily, which allowed MIke and I to get some sleep, which we desperately needed. It has truly been a good day. Hopefully, we'll have photos to share in the next few days.
Merry Christmas all.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
4th Saturday in a row!
This is just unbelievable.
Most people who know me know that I'm HUGE weather geek. In fact, I'm such a geek I don't usually type the word "weather". Its usually "wx". Its an abbreviation I learned while working on the radio in Maryville back in school. Usually, the winter weather really doesn't start rocking around here until about mid-January or so. But THIS year, starting back on the first saturday of December the weather has been a factor every Saturday this month. I think its been over a month since we have seen the sun on a Saturday. Today is no different.
A few days ago it was a just a possiblity for about 1-3 inches MAYBE. Then yesterday it was MAYBE 2-4. This morning I got up and complained to Amanda that once again we are opening our gifts here at home and there isn't a snow flake on the ground.
We got around and headed to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast--holy CRAP it was good. I devoured a Sante Fe omelette that just rocked my world. Amanda had French Toast and eggs--so she was pretty happy too. Ella, as per her usual routine raided both of our plates. But as we watched outside--the rain started to fall, and by the time we we were done with our yummy breakfast it had turned to strictly sleet. And it piled up quickly! Thankfully we made it home before the sleet really kicked in.
Its since turned to snow, but nothing much right now. In fact, its really not doing much at all except for being really freaking windy. But it sounds like it will really kick in the snow here in the next hour or two. I hope Ella will wake up here soon so she can see it coming down while its still light outside!
In the meantime we'll be packing up for our trek up north to Sioux City tomorrow morning. We had contimplanted going up today, but we just weren't quite ready and with the weather being as it is we made the right choice. The weather is much worse in the St. Joe area again. They have been hit big time with a terrible ice storm a couple of weeks ago and now its just been snowing like the dickens again today, sounds like they may have 10 inches before the whole thing is over. Hopefully the roads will be clear by the time we come through tomorrow morning!
So today I'm a happy camper--we have candles lit, Christmas music playing all day, hot coffee sitting next to me and white stuff falling from the sky---all is good.
Merry Christmas!!
Most people who know me know that I'm HUGE weather geek. In fact, I'm such a geek I don't usually type the word "weather". Its usually "wx". Its an abbreviation I learned while working on the radio in Maryville back in school. Usually, the winter weather really doesn't start rocking around here until about mid-January or so. But THIS year, starting back on the first saturday of December the weather has been a factor every Saturday this month. I think its been over a month since we have seen the sun on a Saturday. Today is no different.
A few days ago it was a just a possiblity for about 1-3 inches MAYBE. Then yesterday it was MAYBE 2-4. This morning I got up and complained to Amanda that once again we are opening our gifts here at home and there isn't a snow flake on the ground.
We got around and headed to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast--holy CRAP it was good. I devoured a Sante Fe omelette that just rocked my world. Amanda had French Toast and eggs--so she was pretty happy too. Ella, as per her usual routine raided both of our plates. But as we watched outside--the rain started to fall, and by the time we we were done with our yummy breakfast it had turned to strictly sleet. And it piled up quickly! Thankfully we made it home before the sleet really kicked in.
Its since turned to snow, but nothing much right now. In fact, its really not doing much at all except for being really freaking windy. But it sounds like it will really kick in the snow here in the next hour or two. I hope Ella will wake up here soon so she can see it coming down while its still light outside!
In the meantime we'll be packing up for our trek up north to Sioux City tomorrow morning. We had contimplanted going up today, but we just weren't quite ready and with the weather being as it is we made the right choice. The weather is much worse in the St. Joe area again. They have been hit big time with a terrible ice storm a couple of weeks ago and now its just been snowing like the dickens again today, sounds like they may have 10 inches before the whole thing is over. Hopefully the roads will be clear by the time we come through tomorrow morning!
So today I'm a happy camper--we have candles lit, Christmas music playing all day, hot coffee sitting next to me and white stuff falling from the sky---all is good.
Merry Christmas!!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Sleep Repeat
So far this pregnancy, I have avoided the insomnia that I battled regularly with Ella. That was until tonight. I have been awake for a few hours now. All has not been lost though. I drafted multiple emails regarding work projects. I am waiting to send them until a more reasonable hour. How crazy would I look if I actually sent the messages at this time of night?
I'm not sure if I can blame the insomnia on the pregnancy or work, which has been absolutely insane, so much for the Christmas slowdown we were anticipating. I woke up and had so many work issues swarming in my head that I decided to just start tackling them. I really would like to go back to sleep, but I'm not sure that's possible. I should try. My sweet husband came down to check on me and now he's parked on the couch with his laptop examining the radar and checking out iTunes. Yes, we are somewhat pathetic. Strike that, we are pathetic. Our laptops have become another appendage.
Tonight is suppose to be the night of our annual Christmas date, but unless we get some sleep, we'll be sacked out by 8 pm. Not that we have a clue what we're doing, but actually it doesn't matter. The best part of the night, in addition to getting some quiet time with my husband, is the retrospective conservation on the events of the past year. We will relive all the mundane, sweet, wonderful, emotional and stressful moments from 2007. It's a great way to reflect on how life's events have impacted us and our relationship. It's been one of our relationship traditions since the beginning.
I am starting to yawn. Maybe I should try to find sleep land, but my stomach may lead me to the kitchen first. Please let tonight not be the start of a nasty insomnia cycle. I love sleep too much and miss it when it goes away.
I'm not sure if I can blame the insomnia on the pregnancy or work, which has been absolutely insane, so much for the Christmas slowdown we were anticipating. I woke up and had so many work issues swarming in my head that I decided to just start tackling them. I really would like to go back to sleep, but I'm not sure that's possible. I should try. My sweet husband came down to check on me and now he's parked on the couch with his laptop examining the radar and checking out iTunes. Yes, we are somewhat pathetic. Strike that, we are pathetic. Our laptops have become another appendage.
Tonight is suppose to be the night of our annual Christmas date, but unless we get some sleep, we'll be sacked out by 8 pm. Not that we have a clue what we're doing, but actually it doesn't matter. The best part of the night, in addition to getting some quiet time with my husband, is the retrospective conservation on the events of the past year. We will relive all the mundane, sweet, wonderful, emotional and stressful moments from 2007. It's a great way to reflect on how life's events have impacted us and our relationship. It's been one of our relationship traditions since the beginning.
I am starting to yawn. Maybe I should try to find sleep land, but my stomach may lead me to the kitchen first. Please let tonight not be the start of a nasty insomnia cycle. I love sleep too much and miss it when it goes away.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Picture Post
I have been slacking in the photo department lately. No real good reason. I just haven't dragged out the camera and it seems like I'm the only one in this family that knows how to operate our point and shoot. I could also blame the camera with the hopes that Santa is reading my blog and grants me my Christmas wish of a new digital camera.
Even though we have only taken a few pictures in the past few weeks, we have managed to capture a some decent ones, like this one or at least ones that make Mike and I laugh. Ella is so use to seeing Mike and I in front of our laptops that she can easily identify which one is mine and which one is dad's. She enjoys her share of computer time as well, which mainly means looking at pictures of herself.
I also really like this one. Uncle Scotty had us over a few weeks back to watch some Chiefs football and enjoy some mini-man burgers, one of my favorite dishes that he makes (and he makes a lot of tasty ones). My mouth salivates at the mere mention of those tasty concoctions. And, I am not just saying this, so he'll continue to cook for us.
Finally, this one of my marshmallow kid cracks me up. She doesn't battle us with her coat as she once did, but she definitely would prefer a singular layer to all this. Can't you just tell how annoyed she is with me? I'm not sure if she is more annoyed by all the entire contraption or the fact that mom took yet another photo of her while she was miserable. Don't you just feel nothing but sympathy for this poor child.
So this is my easy way of doing a post. My husband is wrapped up in tv coverage of the great potential this weather has to be the Ice Storm of 2007. I need to drag him and myself to bed, so we can awaken early to brave the winter roads in the morning. I am so dreading this.
Even though we have only taken a few pictures in the past few weeks, we have managed to capture a some decent ones, like this one or at least ones that make Mike and I laugh. Ella is so use to seeing Mike and I in front of our laptops that she can easily identify which one is mine and which one is dad's. She enjoys her share of computer time as well, which mainly means looking at pictures of herself.
I also really like this one. Uncle Scotty had us over a few weeks back to watch some Chiefs football and enjoy some mini-man burgers, one of my favorite dishes that he makes (and he makes a lot of tasty ones). My mouth salivates at the mere mention of those tasty concoctions. And, I am not just saying this, so he'll continue to cook for us.
Finally, this one of my marshmallow kid cracks me up. She doesn't battle us with her coat as she once did, but she definitely would prefer a singular layer to all this. Can't you just tell how annoyed she is with me? I'm not sure if she is more annoyed by all the entire contraption or the fact that mom took yet another photo of her while she was miserable. Don't you just feel nothing but sympathy for this poor child.
So this is my easy way of doing a post. My husband is wrapped up in tv coverage of the great potential this weather has to be the Ice Storm of 2007. I need to drag him and myself to bed, so we can awaken early to brave the winter roads in the morning. I am so dreading this.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Mama Broke Santa
I broke santa. I admit it. It's true, but it was never my intent. It just happened, and Ella won't let me forget that I indeed did break santa.
It happened last night. It was dark. It was cold and I was carrying too much. It was a recipe for disaster. If I had realized this, disaster could have been averted, but luck was not on my side. Glenda gave us a cute ceramic santa decor item from Hallmark. It was (and hopefully will be once again) a nice holiday decoration that Mike and I were excited to add it to our collection.
When we left Larry & Glenda's house after celebrating Larry's birthday, I carried out to the car what turned out to be too many bags. I opened the back door with the intent of placing most of the bags in the backseat. Before I sat Ella's bag, my purse, the bag of leftover food, a gift bag and a plastic bag which contained the santa wrapped up in paper, I decided I wanted my purse up front with me and not in the backseat. Rather that set all the bags down and grab my purse, I tried to juggle various straps as the bags were suspended in the air. The strap of the plastic bag slipped from my grasp and landed on the hard, cold driveway with a shatter.
Mike was in the process of strapping Ella into her car seat, and politely asked me, "what was that?" I didn't need to look down. I knew what it was and I knew a million pieces were waiting to greet me once I unwrapped the santa. I just said, "I'm sorry. It was santa, and I bet I broke him." That brief statement would come back to haunt me.
I retrieved the bag and gingerly unwrapped what previously had been a very cute holiday decoration. I let a quick sigh once I noticed it was a clean break and santa was only in two pieces. My spirits were lifted and I apologized again and said a little superglue was all it needed.
I safely secured the bag, closed the door and took my place in the front seat. My door hadn't even shut before Ella uttered, "Mama broke santa." I agreed with her, but reassured her that mommy was going to fix santa and santa could be fixed. She wasn't buying it, so the whole drive home, Ella repeatedly reminded me of my clumsy act, by continually and matter of factly stating, "Mama broke santa." With each utterance, my spirit dropped. I might as well have stolen candy from a child because I in her eyes had done the unthinkable. I broke santa.
I was hoping she had moved past it this morning, but upon returning from the grocery store, Ella from nowhere reminded me of my crime. I admit it. I'm not proud. Now if I can only find the superglue and maybe all will be right in the world once again.
Updated as of 11:08 pm: I learned santa was broken in not two but three pieces, but he now has been completely restored and has taken up residency on our hallway table thanks to Mr. Handy, my husband Mike.
It happened last night. It was dark. It was cold and I was carrying too much. It was a recipe for disaster. If I had realized this, disaster could have been averted, but luck was not on my side. Glenda gave us a cute ceramic santa decor item from Hallmark. It was (and hopefully will be once again) a nice holiday decoration that Mike and I were excited to add it to our collection.
When we left Larry & Glenda's house after celebrating Larry's birthday, I carried out to the car what turned out to be too many bags. I opened the back door with the intent of placing most of the bags in the backseat. Before I sat Ella's bag, my purse, the bag of leftover food, a gift bag and a plastic bag which contained the santa wrapped up in paper, I decided I wanted my purse up front with me and not in the backseat. Rather that set all the bags down and grab my purse, I tried to juggle various straps as the bags were suspended in the air. The strap of the plastic bag slipped from my grasp and landed on the hard, cold driveway with a shatter.
Mike was in the process of strapping Ella into her car seat, and politely asked me, "what was that?" I didn't need to look down. I knew what it was and I knew a million pieces were waiting to greet me once I unwrapped the santa. I just said, "I'm sorry. It was santa, and I bet I broke him." That brief statement would come back to haunt me.
I retrieved the bag and gingerly unwrapped what previously had been a very cute holiday decoration. I let a quick sigh once I noticed it was a clean break and santa was only in two pieces. My spirits were lifted and I apologized again and said a little superglue was all it needed.
I safely secured the bag, closed the door and took my place in the front seat. My door hadn't even shut before Ella uttered, "Mama broke santa." I agreed with her, but reassured her that mommy was going to fix santa and santa could be fixed. She wasn't buying it, so the whole drive home, Ella repeatedly reminded me of my clumsy act, by continually and matter of factly stating, "Mama broke santa." With each utterance, my spirit dropped. I might as well have stolen candy from a child because I in her eyes had done the unthinkable. I broke santa.
I was hoping she had moved past it this morning, but upon returning from the grocery store, Ella from nowhere reminded me of my crime. I admit it. I'm not proud. Now if I can only find the superglue and maybe all will be right in the world once again.
Updated as of 11:08 pm: I learned santa was broken in not two but three pieces, but he now has been completely restored and has taken up residency on our hallway table thanks to Mr. Handy, my husband Mike.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Weather Causes a Change of Plans
As a parent, you hate to see your child hurting, but it also sucks when your spouse is hurting and you feel like you can do nothing for him. The lovely Midwest weather is keeping us from the extended Bowling Christmas in Des Moines this weekend. Our sensible sides prevailed when debating whether to brave the drive or not. While we know we made the right decision, it doesn't make it any easier to digest it. We haven't seen most of this group for a year and we were looking forward to spending the day with them, eating delicious food and overindulging on grandma's cookies. Mike knows he has no control of the weather, but he's disappointed and I wish knew how to cheer him up. A peppermint mocha from Starbucks might be in his future.
Seeing him this down reminds me of the Christmas Day when Mike was in Wichita alone because he had to work and I was in Sioux City with my family. I remember talking to him and hearing the disappointment, hurt and lonelinesss in his voice, and realizing how I only wanted to be with him, and how guilty I felt that I was with my family and he wasn't. And how stupid I was for not being with him. For me, it was a big, hit me over the head moment, when I realized he was who I wanted to be with always, even if it meant not being with my family. Another confirmation for me that I was in the relationship for the long haul.
It was hard to enjoy myself knowing the guy I loved was alone. I remember entertaining the idea of driving to see him, but I was a good seven hours away. I'm sure there were reasons why I didn't go to Wichita. Looking back, I can't recall them. I'm sure Mike being the great guy he was and is, probably told me that one of us should at be with our family. While he would have appreciated the gesture, I ultimately would have been the person alone as he had to work that day.
All of this to say, my husband is a bit grumpy today and Ella and I hopefully will be able to make him smile. I think we plan to spend the day decorating the house.
Seeing him this down reminds me of the Christmas Day when Mike was in Wichita alone because he had to work and I was in Sioux City with my family. I remember talking to him and hearing the disappointment, hurt and lonelinesss in his voice, and realizing how I only wanted to be with him, and how guilty I felt that I was with my family and he wasn't. And how stupid I was for not being with him. For me, it was a big, hit me over the head moment, when I realized he was who I wanted to be with always, even if it meant not being with my family. Another confirmation for me that I was in the relationship for the long haul.
It was hard to enjoy myself knowing the guy I loved was alone. I remember entertaining the idea of driving to see him, but I was a good seven hours away. I'm sure there were reasons why I didn't go to Wichita. Looking back, I can't recall them. I'm sure Mike being the great guy he was and is, probably told me that one of us should at be with our family. While he would have appreciated the gesture, I ultimately would have been the person alone as he had to work that day.
All of this to say, my husband is a bit grumpy today and Ella and I hopefully will be able to make him smile. I think we plan to spend the day decorating the house.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Holiday Picture Adventures
Last night, I attempted the task of dragging Ella to Target to capture some holiday cheer on film. I braved this adventure alone as Mike was driving to Wellsville to look at a dresser we found on Craig's list.
I was barely prepared as I had in my head the pictures weren't suppose to take place for another week. I made the appointment a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving and hadn't official written it on any calendar, so in my universe it didn't really exist. The phone call from the studio on Monday night caught me slightly off-guard. Luckily, I had found a dress on Black Friday, but I had even settled on that. Maybe I was being picky, but none of the holiday dresses I saw throughout my search really stole my heart. So, I selected a traditional red velour dress. Of course after I found the dress, I couldn't find anything for Ella's hair. So, on Monday night after the piano was delivered and Ella was tucked into bed, I ventured to Target to look for hair bows, only to discover that their holiday hair display rack was completely empty and I a bit baffled. Rather than get too frustrated, I reminded myself that Target is a big store and I am a creative individual. Surely, I could find something to substitute as a hair decor piece. I cruised through the accessories section, the beauty aisles, the Christmas home decor section, and settled on some ribbon and a Christmas stretchy bracelet. As I handed the clerk my discoveries, I proudly thought to myself I will make my own holiday hair bows for these pictures.
Fast forward to Tuesday night. I leave work early to get Ella, so we will have ample time to get ready. I feel prepared and am optimistic that we can remain on schedule and on task. The first clue the night wasn't going to go as I had hoped was Ella wasn't in her classroom, but rather the playground. I make it down there to find a girl with chaffed checks and a runny nose. I encouraged her to quickly walk up the stairs or let mommy carry her, and she reminded me that she sets the pace not me. One lesson that I've learned is it's easier to match her slower pace then try to force her into my pace because eventually it will cause a major meltdown and then we are no further ahead and both of us are even more frustrated. Miss Independent also wouldn't let me help her in the car. She wanted to shimmy into the back seat and plop herself in the car seat. We finally pulled off the postal dock a 1/2 hour later from when I first arrived. Luckily, the traffic gods were shining down on me and I used our quick drive home to prepare Ella for the night and wearing her pretty dress.
We arrived home at 5 pm, giving us 40 minutes to get her ready. I let her bang on the piano as I gathered the tights, hair bands, shoes and dress. Without too much of a battle, I was able to get her dressed. Her hair was another story. She refused to sit still. I finally bribed her with a snack. I worked fast and the end result was perfect. I told myself to quickly throw her in the car seat and get to Target because somehow it was 5:35. I turned to grab my bag only to turn around and discover Ella attempting a somersault. In my head I'm screaming NO!!! in slow motion. I quickly composed myself before uttering any words and just encouraged Ella to go downstairs, so we could get in the car. I dug out the lint brush because even though I had vacuumed the night before, Ella's dress managed to attract a healthy quantity of Yoshi's hair. We make it down the steps when she spots her stocking cap on the rocker by the door. She says to me, "I wear it." I encourage her to let her baby doll wear it, which she insisted we bring along. She grudgingly obliges me, but then says, "It don't fit" as we walk into the garage.
I open the car door and throw my bag on the passenger seat. I turn around to find that Ella has pulled on her cap, so that it completely is covering her eyes. The same cap the girl refuses to wear any other day. I can't help but laugh and realize that I have lost the battle and her hair, while for a moment was perfect, it just wasn't meant to be. I also realize I never completed the improvised hair bows, so much for my good intentions.
We arrived at Target and shockingly they were ready for us at our scheduled time. The lady graciously gave me a few seconds to roll the lint brush over her dress and adjust her hair. I couldn't recreate my earlier masterpiece, so I settled for slightly lopsided pigtails with stray hairs falling out. For all that had transpired, Ella was in fairly good spirits, which all changed once the photographer attempted to position her. She tried props, including fake ceramic cookies that Ella attempted to eat and and a gift box with over sized ornaments inside. Ella was frustrated that the prop cookies were fake, so again as a bribe to encourage her participation in the pictures, I told Ella that she could have a cookie after her session. The lady was continually snapping pictures, but I knew Ella was positioned awkwardly and the photographer was playing nice to appease me. In fleeting moments, Ella would flash her beaming smile, but for the most part she wore a stoic look.
Being the good sport I am, I offered to sit with Ella for few pictures hoping that would increase her comfort level. Ella only wanted to sit in my lap and after a few minutes just laid her head down on me. I thanked the lady for her understanding and knew it was best to just call it a night. I think the photographer sensed my disappointment and defeat and said to give her 15 minutes and we would go over what she captured. When I told her the ordeal was over, Ella reminded me I had promised her a cookie, so we were off in search of another treat for the night.
I called Mike to inform him of the debacle. He reassured me that we probably had one good one in the whole batch. I wasn't feeling as optimistic. We ventured back to the studio after Ella settled on a miniature cupcake as her reward. I was shown the slide show and was a bit taken back. They were not jaw dropping good, but from what I had anticipated, I was surprisingly pleased. Of course, the best ones were ones that they enhanced by either cropping or dumping on specialty paper, which meant they were more expensive that the standard sheet. How my night had gone, should I have expected anything less. While she wasn't posed just right or her dress was gathered oddly, they actually captured Ella's sweet smile and her glowing personality. How could I not purchase them? After spending a lot more than I had planned, Ella and I ventured for home not before I picked up some Mickey D's for dinner. Proper nutrition was definitely not achieved last night, but I didn't have the energy to do much more than pull through a drive-thru.
The pictures won't be in for a few weeks. I hope they don't disappoint. Regardless if they do, I am just happy that she and I survived another adventure together, and now I realize why we neglected to have any professional pictures taken since last Christmas.
I was barely prepared as I had in my head the pictures weren't suppose to take place for another week. I made the appointment a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving and hadn't official written it on any calendar, so in my universe it didn't really exist. The phone call from the studio on Monday night caught me slightly off-guard. Luckily, I had found a dress on Black Friday, but I had even settled on that. Maybe I was being picky, but none of the holiday dresses I saw throughout my search really stole my heart. So, I selected a traditional red velour dress. Of course after I found the dress, I couldn't find anything for Ella's hair. So, on Monday night after the piano was delivered and Ella was tucked into bed, I ventured to Target to look for hair bows, only to discover that their holiday hair display rack was completely empty and I a bit baffled. Rather than get too frustrated, I reminded myself that Target is a big store and I am a creative individual. Surely, I could find something to substitute as a hair decor piece. I cruised through the accessories section, the beauty aisles, the Christmas home decor section, and settled on some ribbon and a Christmas stretchy bracelet. As I handed the clerk my discoveries, I proudly thought to myself I will make my own holiday hair bows for these pictures.
Fast forward to Tuesday night. I leave work early to get Ella, so we will have ample time to get ready. I feel prepared and am optimistic that we can remain on schedule and on task. The first clue the night wasn't going to go as I had hoped was Ella wasn't in her classroom, but rather the playground. I make it down there to find a girl with chaffed checks and a runny nose. I encouraged her to quickly walk up the stairs or let mommy carry her, and she reminded me that she sets the pace not me. One lesson that I've learned is it's easier to match her slower pace then try to force her into my pace because eventually it will cause a major meltdown and then we are no further ahead and both of us are even more frustrated. Miss Independent also wouldn't let me help her in the car. She wanted to shimmy into the back seat and plop herself in the car seat. We finally pulled off the postal dock a 1/2 hour later from when I first arrived. Luckily, the traffic gods were shining down on me and I used our quick drive home to prepare Ella for the night and wearing her pretty dress.
We arrived home at 5 pm, giving us 40 minutes to get her ready. I let her bang on the piano as I gathered the tights, hair bands, shoes and dress. Without too much of a battle, I was able to get her dressed. Her hair was another story. She refused to sit still. I finally bribed her with a snack. I worked fast and the end result was perfect. I told myself to quickly throw her in the car seat and get to Target because somehow it was 5:35. I turned to grab my bag only to turn around and discover Ella attempting a somersault. In my head I'm screaming NO!!! in slow motion. I quickly composed myself before uttering any words and just encouraged Ella to go downstairs, so we could get in the car. I dug out the lint brush because even though I had vacuumed the night before, Ella's dress managed to attract a healthy quantity of Yoshi's hair. We make it down the steps when she spots her stocking cap on the rocker by the door. She says to me, "I wear it." I encourage her to let her baby doll wear it, which she insisted we bring along. She grudgingly obliges me, but then says, "It don't fit" as we walk into the garage.
I open the car door and throw my bag on the passenger seat. I turn around to find that Ella has pulled on her cap, so that it completely is covering her eyes. The same cap the girl refuses to wear any other day. I can't help but laugh and realize that I have lost the battle and her hair, while for a moment was perfect, it just wasn't meant to be. I also realize I never completed the improvised hair bows, so much for my good intentions.
We arrived at Target and shockingly they were ready for us at our scheduled time. The lady graciously gave me a few seconds to roll the lint brush over her dress and adjust her hair. I couldn't recreate my earlier masterpiece, so I settled for slightly lopsided pigtails with stray hairs falling out. For all that had transpired, Ella was in fairly good spirits, which all changed once the photographer attempted to position her. She tried props, including fake ceramic cookies that Ella attempted to eat and and a gift box with over sized ornaments inside. Ella was frustrated that the prop cookies were fake, so again as a bribe to encourage her participation in the pictures, I told Ella that she could have a cookie after her session. The lady was continually snapping pictures, but I knew Ella was positioned awkwardly and the photographer was playing nice to appease me. In fleeting moments, Ella would flash her beaming smile, but for the most part she wore a stoic look.
Being the good sport I am, I offered to sit with Ella for few pictures hoping that would increase her comfort level. Ella only wanted to sit in my lap and after a few minutes just laid her head down on me. I thanked the lady for her understanding and knew it was best to just call it a night. I think the photographer sensed my disappointment and defeat and said to give her 15 minutes and we would go over what she captured. When I told her the ordeal was over, Ella reminded me I had promised her a cookie, so we were off in search of another treat for the night.
I called Mike to inform him of the debacle. He reassured me that we probably had one good one in the whole batch. I wasn't feeling as optimistic. We ventured back to the studio after Ella settled on a miniature cupcake as her reward. I was shown the slide show and was a bit taken back. They were not jaw dropping good, but from what I had anticipated, I was surprisingly pleased. Of course, the best ones were ones that they enhanced by either cropping or dumping on specialty paper, which meant they were more expensive that the standard sheet. How my night had gone, should I have expected anything less. While she wasn't posed just right or her dress was gathered oddly, they actually captured Ella's sweet smile and her glowing personality. How could I not purchase them? After spending a lot more than I had planned, Ella and I ventured for home not before I picked up some Mickey D's for dinner. Proper nutrition was definitely not achieved last night, but I didn't have the energy to do much more than pull through a drive-thru.
The pictures won't be in for a few weeks. I hope they don't disappoint. Regardless if they do, I am just happy that she and I survived another adventure together, and now I realize why we neglected to have any professional pictures taken since last Christmas.
Monday, November 26, 2007
An old friend returns
Allow me to wax nostalgic for a moment. This piano has resided in my Grandma Davis' house for nearly as long as I can remember being able to see. Its served many a purpose for all those many years in her home, be it a piano, an extra place to sit, a make-shift buffet table, a time waster, a good way to annoy the parents, etc. But, time took its toll on its tuning and Grandma decided that it was time to purchase a newer one. So this ole girl went to storage for a while.
But after some help from Aunt Suzanne and some hard work by some tuners, its back into good shape, and thankfully, its now in our home in Shawnee. It really means a lot to me to have something as special as this from my Grandma's house now to be in our home.
I look forward to the day when I can see Ella and Amanda sitting together on it playing and sharing some special time with music. Maybe dad can even help on guitar!
Thanks Grandma and Aunt Suzanne for thinking of us!!
But after some help from Aunt Suzanne and some hard work by some tuners, its back into good shape, and thankfully, its now in our home in Shawnee. It really means a lot to me to have something as special as this from my Grandma's house now to be in our home.
I look forward to the day when I can see Ella and Amanda sitting together on it playing and sharing some special time with music. Maybe dad can even help on guitar!
Thanks Grandma and Aunt Suzanne for thinking of us!!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Indoor Water Fun
I am sitting in a darkened hotel room with my snoring child on the floor next to my bed. My husband, after my urging, is cozied up to a bar watching the KU/MU game. It's been a good day. Mike, Ella, grandma, grandpa and I met up with a small group of the McManigal clan to enjoy CoCo Key Water Resort in Omaha. The McManigal's used to gather every Saturday after Thanksgiving at my aunt's house in Omaha, but she went and moved to California, so we were stuck without a home. While I wished we would have had greater participation from the family, we have certainly enjoyed our day.
I didn't dare mention the word "swimming" to Ella until we had safely arrived at at the hotel. Really, rather than tell her, we walked into the water park after we checked in. She had slept the entire trip to Omaha, so she was still in a groggy state. Although, it didn't take long for her to soak in her location. Before long, she was asking to put on her swim suit. The girl literally swam all day, and much like time spent at our neighborhood outdoor pool, she preferred the big kid area to the kiddie pool. She made multiple laps with dad around the lazy river. They were quite the pair. Every time, she floated past me, she would yell, "I swimming, mommy." The girl beamed nothing but pride and excitement. She also raced daddy on the side-by-side slides.
My only complaint about the experience was how cold the air and water was around the kiddie pool. Even though, we weren't there for any real significant amount of time, it wasn't very comfortable when we were there. Ella's lips turned a shade of blue that I have never seen before. We frequently had to pull her away from the fun to warm her up.
As a family, we capped off the evening by enjoying a potluck feast. Everyone piled into one hotel room to enjoy some tasty food. Ella relished the role of family entertainer. Even though, she hasn't seen most of this family since last Thanksgiving, it didn't take long for her to warm up to everyone there. It was a quick day, and tomorrow we venture home. I hate saying goodbye, but I am ready to be home and back in our standard routine. Ella has been extremely difficult at bedtime during this trip. With tonight as the exception, each night at grandma's house was a battle and took at least 2 1/2 hours every time. It has been exhausting, all the more reason I am so thankful and relieved that she is currently asleep. I guess I should join her in dreamland.
I didn't dare mention the word "swimming" to Ella until we had safely arrived at at the hotel. Really, rather than tell her, we walked into the water park after we checked in. She had slept the entire trip to Omaha, so she was still in a groggy state. Although, it didn't take long for her to soak in her location. Before long, she was asking to put on her swim suit. The girl literally swam all day, and much like time spent at our neighborhood outdoor pool, she preferred the big kid area to the kiddie pool. She made multiple laps with dad around the lazy river. They were quite the pair. Every time, she floated past me, she would yell, "I swimming, mommy." The girl beamed nothing but pride and excitement. She also raced daddy on the side-by-side slides.
My only complaint about the experience was how cold the air and water was around the kiddie pool. Even though, we weren't there for any real significant amount of time, it wasn't very comfortable when we were there. Ella's lips turned a shade of blue that I have never seen before. We frequently had to pull her away from the fun to warm her up.
As a family, we capped off the evening by enjoying a potluck feast. Everyone piled into one hotel room to enjoy some tasty food. Ella relished the role of family entertainer. Even though, she hasn't seen most of this family since last Thanksgiving, it didn't take long for her to warm up to everyone there. It was a quick day, and tomorrow we venture home. I hate saying goodbye, but I am ready to be home and back in our standard routine. Ella has been extremely difficult at bedtime during this trip. With tonight as the exception, each night at grandma's house was a battle and took at least 2 1/2 hours every time. It has been exhausting, all the more reason I am so thankful and relieved that she is currently asleep. I guess I should join her in dreamland.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
My Working Slave
My poor husband is still at work. Yes, it's 10:45 pm and he has been there since 8 am for a staff meeting. The project has him frustrated, mad and exhausted. The reason is because he loves me. Well that, and he has a gob of work to do that he needs to have finished, hopefully enabling us to hit the road early tomorrow. So my wonderful husband is busting his rear because he knows how much this holiday means to me and how I don't want anything including his work and the weather to interfere with my plans. I can't say it enough -- he is such a good husband.
If all goes well, we will be on the road tomorrow before any bad weather hits and we will arrive at a respectable time at my mom's house. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I am really excited about our plans this year. We will be celebrating the day with my family and all my brothers and their spouses/significant others. I am not sure the last time my brothers and I were all around the same table at the same time for a meal. A Normal Rockwell picture it won't be, but it will be full of energy, debates and loving insults. I can't wait.
I imagine after we've stuffed ourselves with my mom's tasty cooking that we will plot our tactical approach for Black Friday -- another highlight of the Thanksgiving holiday. It is the only day I relish in the craziness of the shopping season. After we spend Friday afternoon and evening recovering, we'll awake Saturday and head to Omaha for an extended McManigal gathering. Can I just say I love this holiday and I didn't even mention the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
If all goes well, we will be on the road tomorrow before any bad weather hits and we will arrive at a respectable time at my mom's house. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I am really excited about our plans this year. We will be celebrating the day with my family and all my brothers and their spouses/significant others. I am not sure the last time my brothers and I were all around the same table at the same time for a meal. A Normal Rockwell picture it won't be, but it will be full of energy, debates and loving insults. I can't wait.
I imagine after we've stuffed ourselves with my mom's tasty cooking that we will plot our tactical approach for Black Friday -- another highlight of the Thanksgiving holiday. It is the only day I relish in the craziness of the shopping season. After we spend Friday afternoon and evening recovering, we'll awake Saturday and head to Omaha for an extended McManigal gathering. Can I just say I love this holiday and I didn't even mention the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Think Healthy, Not Colors
Most of our family and friends know that Mike and I are adding to our family. Baby #2 is expected to make an entrance by April 1st if not sooner. Mike and I are excited, but a little unsure how we'll go from a family of three to a family of four. I guess I should stop singing "three's a magic number" to Ella. This might interfere with her willingness to accept the new baby!
While the pregnancy has been different from Ella (love my crazy blood, which is another post for another day), the overwhelming speculation is we're having another girl -- high heart rate, how I'm carrying, our gut instinct, etc.
One misconception that I need to address is Mike and I are not pulling for a boy. We're not pulling for a girl. We truly don't care what we are blessed with. I have been a bit taken back by the assumption that because we have a girl that we automatically want a boy. Again, we don't. I realize others are pulling for one sex over another, but as Mike said to me, "Hey you'll get what we get and you'll like it!!"
Mike is not a king (yes, he's my personal prince but that's losing sight of my argument) and I am not a vessel to provide him an heir. If I am never the mother of a boy, my life will not go unfulfilled. I am excited that I have the opportunity to be a mom to another precious child. Parenting this second one will be completely different regardless of sex because even if it is a girl, it's not like she will be a duplication of Ella. She will have her own personality. She will have her own likes and desires. She will have parents who hopefully are a bit more relaxed, and she will have a big sister. Her environment naturally will be different from the world that Ella was welcomed into.
One other thing, if this baby is a girl, don't make the assumption that we'll have three kids. Mike and I have never said we will have x number of kids in x years and before we are both x age, and we want them to be a particular sex. We only decided we wanted kids. Never did we set a target goal. We told each other that we would start with one and evaluate any decision to have another once we had reassessed our current journey through life. I will admit as of today I am at peace with only having two.
While the pregnancy has been different from Ella (love my crazy blood, which is another post for another day), the overwhelming speculation is we're having another girl -- high heart rate, how I'm carrying, our gut instinct, etc.
One misconception that I need to address is Mike and I are not pulling for a boy. We're not pulling for a girl. We truly don't care what we are blessed with. I have been a bit taken back by the assumption that because we have a girl that we automatically want a boy. Again, we don't. I realize others are pulling for one sex over another, but as Mike said to me, "Hey you'll get what we get and you'll like it!!"
Mike is not a king (yes, he's my personal prince but that's losing sight of my argument) and I am not a vessel to provide him an heir. If I am never the mother of a boy, my life will not go unfulfilled. I am excited that I have the opportunity to be a mom to another precious child. Parenting this second one will be completely different regardless of sex because even if it is a girl, it's not like she will be a duplication of Ella. She will have her own personality. She will have her own likes and desires. She will have parents who hopefully are a bit more relaxed, and she will have a big sister. Her environment naturally will be different from the world that Ella was welcomed into.
One other thing, if this baby is a girl, don't make the assumption that we'll have three kids. Mike and I have never said we will have x number of kids in x years and before we are both x age, and we want them to be a particular sex. We only decided we wanted kids. Never did we set a target goal. We told each other that we would start with one and evaluate any decision to have another once we had reassessed our current journey through life. I will admit as of today I am at peace with only having two.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Leaves, leaves and even more leaves along with a visit from P and a sweet request
It was a long day, but Mikey survived. He is sporting a war wound, a massive blister in the crook of his hand. Ella and I helped when we could or I helped when Ella would let me. It seemed promising at first as Ella was interested in filling the lawn bags, but that lasted only a few microseconds before she realized it was much more fun to run through piles or toss leaves. Even then the old standby's of chalk, buggy rides and cars quickly won out over the excitement of dead leaves, so we left Mikey to have all the fun. I did manage to take care of the front yard while Ella napped, a small perk for Mike who slaved away in the backyard for the entire day or at least from sun up to sun down.
Ella had the pleasure of enjoying Payton's company last night for an overnight. The rule that the sum is greater than its parts is so true when those two wacky and crazy girls get together. They are so rambunctious. While their energy can be draining at times, I love listening to the laughter and squeals of happiness as they chase each other around the house. Ella was a bit lethargic this morning since a cough woke her up around 6 am. Once Payton popped her head in our room at 7 am, Ella was a bright, happy girl, no indication of a restless night battling a cough.
Ella stole my heart last night with a request. I was finishing up our last bedtime story, when Mike came in to give Ella a goodnight kiss and hug, which she happily accepted. Before I lay her in the crib each evening, Ella gives me a final hug and a kiss. Mike was still in the room as Ella and I stood next to the crib. She gave us each another hug and kiss on request, and then mumbled something. I wasn't sure what she said, and Mike said, "Family hug. She wants a family hug." It was the sweetest embrace. I swear my heart literally sang. The girl knows how to get to me. What a sweet, sweet moment.
Ella had the pleasure of enjoying Payton's company last night for an overnight. The rule that the sum is greater than its parts is so true when those two wacky and crazy girls get together. They are so rambunctious. While their energy can be draining at times, I love listening to the laughter and squeals of happiness as they chase each other around the house. Ella was a bit lethargic this morning since a cough woke her up around 6 am. Once Payton popped her head in our room at 7 am, Ella was a bright, happy girl, no indication of a restless night battling a cough.
Ella stole my heart last night with a request. I was finishing up our last bedtime story, when Mike came in to give Ella a goodnight kiss and hug, which she happily accepted. Before I lay her in the crib each evening, Ella gives me a final hug and a kiss. Mike was still in the room as Ella and I stood next to the crib. She gave us each another hug and kiss on request, and then mumbled something. I wasn't sure what she said, and Mike said, "Family hug. She wants a family hug." It was the sweetest embrace. I swear my heart literally sang. The girl knows how to get to me. What a sweet, sweet moment.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
It was a suite night
Mike and I had quite the Friday night. T2 was given a suite to one of the nine Garth Brooks concerts at the new Sprint Center. They had done quite a bit of work for the arena. Since the concert didn't generate enough interest from T2 employees (not a huge country or mainstream crowd), an invite was extended to some of the spouses.
I am not nor have I ever been a huge Garth fan, although I do know quite a few of his songs. I had heard he was a genuine entertainer and puts on a great show. Who wouldn't enjoy seeing a musical legend performing from the comforts of a suite stocked with food and beverages?
I had a great time. What impressed me about his was his shear energy level. He gave the crowd everything he had and he left nothing behind. He performed for more than 2 hours and hit all the fan favorites. He seemed so humbled by the crowd's love and appreciation. Mike really should be posting about the concert. He was so cute and giddy with excitement. He actually had seen Garth perform at Kemper the last night time he rolled through town, and was definitely one of the bigger fans in the suite. It definitely was a good date night, and a night we couldn't have enjoyed if Larry & Glenda wouldn't have been able to babysit on such short notice. i didn't know I had a ticket until late Wednesday afternoon. A big thanks to them, and to Mike's boss for offering me a ticket.
I am not nor have I ever been a huge Garth fan, although I do know quite a few of his songs. I had heard he was a genuine entertainer and puts on a great show. Who wouldn't enjoy seeing a musical legend performing from the comforts of a suite stocked with food and beverages?
I had a great time. What impressed me about his was his shear energy level. He gave the crowd everything he had and he left nothing behind. He performed for more than 2 hours and hit all the fan favorites. He seemed so humbled by the crowd's love and appreciation. Mike really should be posting about the concert. He was so cute and giddy with excitement. He actually had seen Garth perform at Kemper the last night time he rolled through town, and was definitely one of the bigger fans in the suite. It definitely was a good date night, and a night we couldn't have enjoyed if Larry & Glenda wouldn't have been able to babysit on such short notice. i didn't know I had a ticket until late Wednesday afternoon. A big thanks to them, and to Mike's boss for offering me a ticket.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
They are waiting....
Oh lordy. Here it comes. The day I absolutely dread. Do you know what is hiding under all that?
Our backyard.
365 days a year. The ONE day stands out for the most unpleasant experience of gathering up all of these leaves and either bagging them up, or trekking them all the way down to the bank of the small river that is just off in the distance. The last few years have each been something different:
2003 I loaded them all up on to a big tarp and pulled them to the river bank.
2004 I bagged them all up. Final tally: 35 bags of leaves. And one very sore body. 2005 Amanda's Mom gave me a leaf blower/vacuum which worked pretty well, but it was a lot of stop and go throughout the day. It did cut the bags down to about 18 bags, so that part was nice.
2006, Well, lets just say that I was bad. I let them hang out through out the entire winter and by the time the wind and snow all it its way with the leaves, there was only about a couple of bags to take care of in the late winter/early spring. But I did feel bad because the leaves were all in my backyard neighbors fence, so this year, its back to picking them up in November.
2007, well, I think I'm going old school and just piling them all up on the tarp and hauling them down to the river. Seems to work pretty well, nobody has any problem with it, and the leaves decompose nicely during the winter and don't cause any hazard. I think the neighbors don't complain because they feel sorry for me. :)
Hopefully this year Ella will be able to help me and make for some fun family time and pictures. I'm sure she's going to want to jump in a few piles!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Jacket No Longer Ella's Friend
At one point, I expressed concern that Ella was using her jacket as a security blanket. Oh, those days are so behind us. Now, she despises her coat. She refuses to put it on. It's a battle each and every time. Tonight when I was picking her up, I grabbed her coat from her cubbie as I walked over to her, and instantly she tried to push it out of my hands and just cried out, "Momma no." Her cry of "Momma no" wasn't a defiant no, but more that she truly hated the coat and a plea not to force her into it. My heart was breaking.
I showed her that I was wearing my jacket, so she needed to do the same. That didn't work. I told her it was cold outside and the coat keeps her warm. That didn't work. I said if she wanted to leave that the coat had to go on. That didn't work. During all of this, all she would beg and plead with me not to wear it. Her teacher told her if Ella wouldn't wear it, then she would. Tanya stuffed one arm in the jacket and Ella cautiously laughed. I tried to be patient, but she was standing her ground and was blatantly refusing to cooperate. I thought about cutting my losses, grabbing her and letting her walk without wearing her coat. The weather was cool not cold this afternoon, so it wasn't like I would be exposing my kid to extreme elements. I also realized that if I gave in this time then I was setting a poor precedent because I knew Mike had fought the same battle this morning and Ella left the house with the jacket securely on.
I crouched down knowing my daughter would have an extreme dislike of me, at least for the short term. I quickly threw an arm in each sleeve all while Ella was sobbing. I didn't bother to zip the jacket. I grabbed Ella and headed for the car. I was no more than three steps out of her classroom when she spotted the drinking fountain and asked to have a drink. The tears stopped and Ella and I took turns at the fountain. I then spotted the bathroom and quickly remembered my bladder was full. Ella and I ducked quickly into the bathroom, only for Ella to rip the jacket from her body the instance I was indisposed. So I had the great fortune to replay the entire jacket saga once more.
I was thrilled once we were actually making our way to the car. Ella was still upset but the tears had slowed to a trickle. I was ready to just head home. One problem, Ella refused to be strapped in the car seat, much less even sit in it. I felt so defeated and tired, but summoned enough energy to quickly win that round. My reward was listening to my kid whine and cry the entire drive home. She stopped long enough to point out an ultralight in the sky. Of course, she called it a helicopter, but it did give me a break from the tears for a few moments and once it disappeared into the night, the crying resumed. I was so thankful to pull into the driveway, so I could free that kid from cage.
I guess this behavior is what people mean as the "terrible twos." As trying as tonight was, I must say part of me enjoys watching the little miss "I do it" develop her independence.
I showed her that I was wearing my jacket, so she needed to do the same. That didn't work. I told her it was cold outside and the coat keeps her warm. That didn't work. I said if she wanted to leave that the coat had to go on. That didn't work. During all of this, all she would beg and plead with me not to wear it. Her teacher told her if Ella wouldn't wear it, then she would. Tanya stuffed one arm in the jacket and Ella cautiously laughed. I tried to be patient, but she was standing her ground and was blatantly refusing to cooperate. I thought about cutting my losses, grabbing her and letting her walk without wearing her coat. The weather was cool not cold this afternoon, so it wasn't like I would be exposing my kid to extreme elements. I also realized that if I gave in this time then I was setting a poor precedent because I knew Mike had fought the same battle this morning and Ella left the house with the jacket securely on.
I crouched down knowing my daughter would have an extreme dislike of me, at least for the short term. I quickly threw an arm in each sleeve all while Ella was sobbing. I didn't bother to zip the jacket. I grabbed Ella and headed for the car. I was no more than three steps out of her classroom when she spotted the drinking fountain and asked to have a drink. The tears stopped and Ella and I took turns at the fountain. I then spotted the bathroom and quickly remembered my bladder was full. Ella and I ducked quickly into the bathroom, only for Ella to rip the jacket from her body the instance I was indisposed. So I had the great fortune to replay the entire jacket saga once more.
I was thrilled once we were actually making our way to the car. Ella was still upset but the tears had slowed to a trickle. I was ready to just head home. One problem, Ella refused to be strapped in the car seat, much less even sit in it. I felt so defeated and tired, but summoned enough energy to quickly win that round. My reward was listening to my kid whine and cry the entire drive home. She stopped long enough to point out an ultralight in the sky. Of course, she called it a helicopter, but it did give me a break from the tears for a few moments and once it disappeared into the night, the crying resumed. I was so thankful to pull into the driveway, so I could free that kid from cage.
I guess this behavior is what people mean as the "terrible twos." As trying as tonight was, I must say part of me enjoys watching the little miss "I do it" develop her independence.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
A Not So Happy Ella
My sweet little girl is sick. She threw up 3x yesterday, including overnight. It was not a pretty site when I went it to get her out of bed at 9 am. I thought it was a bit strange that she was still asleep that late, but it had been a busy week and she had gone to bed later than normal for most of the week. I thought she was just catching up.
When I opened her door, the horrible smell was my first indication that all was not well with Ella. I'll spare you the gritty details, but I had no idea vomit could get so matted in hair. It was everywhere in the crib, on Lola (sorry S&T -- I'm not sure if she can be saved), even on the floor. Mike quickly disposed of the soiled pjs and bedding, and Ella just stayed in my arms. She had no interest in anything but snuggling with mom, which I loved. I only wish she wasn't feeling so icky. I tried to convince her to get in the tub, but she wasn't ready. She wanted to stay on the couch. She asked for some milk and water, which we willingly gave her. The problem was it resurfaced about 10 minutes later. Another round of cleaning and moving locations. We finally got Ella completely cleaned up, including the hair, and dressed. We relocated to the downstairs couch and turned on a little bear, and again before long what liquids she had drank reappeared. The poor thing was just miserable. She alternated most of the morning between mom and dad.
After her nap, her spirits seemed better. She never ran a fever, but she was not interested in eating or drinking. She would take a few swigs now and then. She finally ate some crackers late afternoon and luckily those stayed down. Ella did end up crashing for good at 7:30, which is so early for her, and I can report she's still asleep, which considering the time change is the longest stretch ever for this girl. Mike and I have gone in periodically to check on her. Luckily, the sheets are clean. I am worried about her, but I figure sleep is what she needs right now.
When I opened her door, the horrible smell was my first indication that all was not well with Ella. I'll spare you the gritty details, but I had no idea vomit could get so matted in hair. It was everywhere in the crib, on Lola (sorry S&T -- I'm not sure if she can be saved), even on the floor. Mike quickly disposed of the soiled pjs and bedding, and Ella just stayed in my arms. She had no interest in anything but snuggling with mom, which I loved. I only wish she wasn't feeling so icky. I tried to convince her to get in the tub, but she wasn't ready. She wanted to stay on the couch. She asked for some milk and water, which we willingly gave her. The problem was it resurfaced about 10 minutes later. Another round of cleaning and moving locations. We finally got Ella completely cleaned up, including the hair, and dressed. We relocated to the downstairs couch and turned on a little bear, and again before long what liquids she had drank reappeared. The poor thing was just miserable. She alternated most of the morning between mom and dad.
After her nap, her spirits seemed better. She never ran a fever, but she was not interested in eating or drinking. She would take a few swigs now and then. She finally ate some crackers late afternoon and luckily those stayed down. Ella did end up crashing for good at 7:30, which is so early for her, and I can report she's still asleep, which considering the time change is the longest stretch ever for this girl. Mike and I have gone in periodically to check on her. Luckily, the sheets are clean. I am worried about her, but I figure sleep is what she needs right now.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy little bee
Our favorite month and Mikey's favorite holiday is quickly coming to an end. Trick or treating was a huge success in Ella's book. I never intended to hit so many houses. I thought Ella and I would just be tagging along with Payton. I never imagined she would want to climb all the steps to the front doors. Oh, I was SO wrong. I don't think she realizes exactly what's in her possession. For her at this age, it isn't about the candy. It is more about being given something, anything, to put in her bag. it also was about the sights and sounds of the night. Her pace was slower than normal because she loved seeing the other kids dressed up and all the Halloween decorations.
She did decide she had enough walking and asked for mommy to carry her when we were just getting ready to head home. Of course, we were the furthest from the house that we had been all night. Payton too decided she was done as her sparkly shoes were killing her feet. We made it back in time to see the birthday boy, Pirate Luke and his sweet parents who stopped in their old neighborhood for a visit. After Rene and the good witch left, we went over to see the Comers. Aaron and Carter were the coolest super heros that we saw all night.
It was a lot of fun and my homemade antenna lasted throughout the night, so I was pleased. I guess I was just happy that Ella wore them. We have more candy than what we did when we started. I'll have to post a picture of our stash. It's a bit excessive. Can we ship some to anyone? We got lots of good stuff! Any ideas on what to do with it all. Eating it is not an option.
She did decide she had enough walking and asked for mommy to carry her when we were just getting ready to head home. Of course, we were the furthest from the house that we had been all night. Payton too decided she was done as her sparkly shoes were killing her feet. We made it back in time to see the birthday boy, Pirate Luke and his sweet parents who stopped in their old neighborhood for a visit. After Rene and the good witch left, we went over to see the Comers. Aaron and Carter were the coolest super heros that we saw all night.
It was a lot of fun and my homemade antenna lasted throughout the night, so I was pleased. I guess I was just happy that Ella wore them. We have more candy than what we did when we started. I'll have to post a picture of our stash. It's a bit excessive. Can we ship some to anyone? We got lots of good stuff! Any ideas on what to do with it all. Eating it is not an option.
Happy Halloween!
The little bumble bee wanted to wish everyone Happy Halloween. She's already had the opportunity to wear her costume three times -- Boo at the Zoo (from where this photo was taken), trick-or-treating at mommy's work, and then this morning she's doing a tour of the federal building. Of course, she'll have it on again tonight as we roam the neighborhood with Payton. Well, that is if she'll put it on. She visted her grandparents last night and she refused to wear it, no matter how hard we coaxed her. Look for more photos in the upcoming days!
Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Kim and Luke -- two of our favorite goblins!
Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Kim and Luke -- two of our favorite goblins!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bunnies, pumpkins and a road trip
We are back from a whirlwind trip to Sioux City. Since our plans to visit a pumpkin patch in the KC area were washed out with stormy weather, my mom found one in northwest Iowa for us to visit. Pumpkinland was a quaint pumpkin farm complete with a munchkin corn maze and petting zoo. Ella’s favorite area had to be the bunny bin. She loved holding them and chasing them as they tried to hop away. A few times, they ended up upside down, but they were the best behaved little bunnies. Mike captured the sweetest photos of the adventure, some of which are posted to flickr.
Ella also got to see llamas, goats, a pony, chickens, kittens and a puppy before we dragged her through the munchkin corn maze. I tried desperately to get Ella to pose on some hay bales for some fun fall photos, but the child was not willing to cooperate. She was more interested in pushing a miniature wheelbarrow through the pumpkin stand and filling it with miniature pumpkins and small gourds. The promise of pumpkin sugar cookies was finally what lured the little one away from the stand.
Our other adventure was having Ella sit through church rather than stashing her away in the nursery. She actually did quite well. She kept herself fairly entertained with paper and pencils, and her books. She seemed aware of the service because after the reading of the scripture, prayers or songs, Ella would clap her hands and say “yea.” It was a little embarrassing, but was positively adorable.
Ella also got to see llamas, goats, a pony, chickens, kittens and a puppy before we dragged her through the munchkin corn maze. I tried desperately to get Ella to pose on some hay bales for some fun fall photos, but the child was not willing to cooperate. She was more interested in pushing a miniature wheelbarrow through the pumpkin stand and filling it with miniature pumpkins and small gourds. The promise of pumpkin sugar cookies was finally what lured the little one away from the stand.
Our other adventure was having Ella sit through church rather than stashing her away in the nursery. She actually did quite well. She kept herself fairly entertained with paper and pencils, and her books. She seemed aware of the service because after the reading of the scripture, prayers or songs, Ella would clap her hands and say “yea.” It was a little embarrassing, but was positively adorable.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Front View of New Do
Here's a pic with me sporting shorter hair. It doesn't look that much shorter in this picture, but trust me it's short. I didn't like any of the pictures that Mike took of my hair, so I'm posting one from our night out to celebrate Shelly's return to KC from Austin, even if it only was for a weekend. Of course, Shel isn't in this pic and I'm sure Karissa and Angela will love that I've blasted their photo on their internet, but my audience is so small that I think they're safe.
Back View of Hair
Blogger wasn't playing nice, so I uploaded this to Flickr, but here's the back of the hair do. It's shorter in the back that the front. I haven't been this short in a long time, but I must say I love how fast it dries as I have a LOT of hair.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Rain, Rain, Rain
Rain. Rain, Go Away
Come back another day
Seriously, it wasn't suppose to be raining this morning. We had big outdoor plans to hit the pumpkin patch today. Somehow picking pumpkins in the pouring rain isn't how I envisioned our trip. Let's hope the rain does stop, so we can squeeze a trip in. Oh wait, then there's mud to contend with, but mud and sunshine is more desirable than rain and mud. Truly, this is our only weekend day we can go before Halloween. Ugh! Rain, please stop.
Switching to Ella news, we have a little singer on our hands. Her favorite song is the "Wheels on the Bus," which shamelessly I didn't know all the words and motions to at first. After finding them online, we've started singing it with her. She really enjoys all the moves, especially the "move on back." The cutest part is when she joins in at "All around the town." She jumps in early with "All" and she'll hold it until you catch up with her. It's so precious. I have to get that on videotape. (Hint Hint -- Mr. Michael).
And photos of the new hairdo to come. I just need to pull them off the camera. After one week, I have to say, I'm still so happy with it.
Mike says he needs a cup of coffee before he'll drag himself out of bed. I can't blame him. Laying leisurely in bed on a rainy morning is one of our favorite ways to waste time, but the piles of laundry are beckoning me out of bed. So I'm off to start coffee and the washing machine.
Come back another day
Seriously, it wasn't suppose to be raining this morning. We had big outdoor plans to hit the pumpkin patch today. Somehow picking pumpkins in the pouring rain isn't how I envisioned our trip. Let's hope the rain does stop, so we can squeeze a trip in. Oh wait, then there's mud to contend with, but mud and sunshine is more desirable than rain and mud. Truly, this is our only weekend day we can go before Halloween. Ugh! Rain, please stop.
Switching to Ella news, we have a little singer on our hands. Her favorite song is the "Wheels on the Bus," which shamelessly I didn't know all the words and motions to at first. After finding them online, we've started singing it with her. She really enjoys all the moves, especially the "move on back." The cutest part is when she joins in at "All around the town." She jumps in early with "All" and she'll hold it until you catch up with her. It's so precious. I have to get that on videotape. (Hint Hint -- Mr. Michael).
And photos of the new hairdo to come. I just need to pull them off the camera. After one week, I have to say, I'm still so happy with it.
Mike says he needs a cup of coffee before he'll drag himself out of bed. I can't blame him. Laying leisurely in bed on a rainy morning is one of our favorite ways to waste time, but the piles of laundry are beckoning me out of bed. So I'm off to start coffee and the washing machine.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Random Thoughts
I'm tired. I should be in bed, but I haven't blogged in awhile, so I thought it was time to do so. So here are a bunch of random thoughts running through my head tonight. First, I got a haircut, actually a better description would be I chopped my hair. Six inches at least gone from my head. I desperately needed a change. I didn't go to my appointment with the plan to do something that drastic, my hair stylist had to push me. She not so gently reminded me that I've been talking about cutting my hair for a year, and it's just hair, so basically get over myself and take a risk. I'm so happy and those that know me know I rarely leave a hair appointment happy. Mike, of course, was shocked but was beaming when I walked in. He is one of the few guys that I know that finds shorter hair sexier than long hair. At various times during the weekend, he would turn to me and give me the nicest compliments. It was so sweet. I'll have to see if I can take a cute picture and post it.
My family room is nearly back to normal. We still are figuring out where a few of the wall items will go, but the baseboards are on and they look good. I love, love the colors on the walls. My hubby did good. So, it's now on to the next project -- new sills for the bedrooms above the garage. After that, I would love to start on the basement -- adding another bathroom and adding a playroom, or I would love to be shopping for new flooring on the main level, but those are strictly pipe dreams at this point.
Ella is just as adorable and precious as ever. Mike and she spent a few hours at Deanna Rose yesterday because Ella's daycare was closed, and they needed some precious daddy and daughter time. When I got home from work, Ella told me all about the animals she saw. Her vocabulary is exploding lately -- I love hearing her say broccoli, poopie, hand (as in hold my hand), thank you and love you. I sneezed tonight while reading our bedtime stories and she said, "bless you." It about melted my heart.
Never take two kids to PowerPlay by yourself. I learned this lesson the tough way. It was exhausting and overwhelming. I swear my head needed to be on swivel stick as it would have helped me keep better track of two kids completely over stimulated. I decided to take the girls to not only give Mike some time to finish his work in the family room but also because they were so helpful when I pulled out the Halloween decorations. They almost fought over who could help me dust. It was too precious. When I first gave Payton a paper towel, Ella came over to me and said, "Mommy, Ella towel." I loved the help. I would clear off the decor items and spray the pledge and then Payton and Ella would take turns wiping down the furniture. Payton had so much fun that she was pointing out potential items that she could dust. Now, if they would learn how to vacuum and scrub floors and toilets, I would have it made.
That's enough of my random rumblings for tonight. I told myself I was going to bed early tonight. Well, it was nice in theory.
My family room is nearly back to normal. We still are figuring out where a few of the wall items will go, but the baseboards are on and they look good. I love, love the colors on the walls. My hubby did good. So, it's now on to the next project -- new sills for the bedrooms above the garage. After that, I would love to start on the basement -- adding another bathroom and adding a playroom, or I would love to be shopping for new flooring on the main level, but those are strictly pipe dreams at this point.
Ella is just as adorable and precious as ever. Mike and she spent a few hours at Deanna Rose yesterday because Ella's daycare was closed, and they needed some precious daddy and daughter time. When I got home from work, Ella told me all about the animals she saw. Her vocabulary is exploding lately -- I love hearing her say broccoli, poopie, hand (as in hold my hand), thank you and love you. I sneezed tonight while reading our bedtime stories and she said, "bless you." It about melted my heart.
Never take two kids to PowerPlay by yourself. I learned this lesson the tough way. It was exhausting and overwhelming. I swear my head needed to be on swivel stick as it would have helped me keep better track of two kids completely over stimulated. I decided to take the girls to not only give Mike some time to finish his work in the family room but also because they were so helpful when I pulled out the Halloween decorations. They almost fought over who could help me dust. It was too precious. When I first gave Payton a paper towel, Ella came over to me and said, "Mommy, Ella towel." I loved the help. I would clear off the decor items and spray the pledge and then Payton and Ella would take turns wiping down the furniture. Payton had so much fun that she was pointing out potential items that she could dust. Now, if they would learn how to vacuum and scrub floors and toilets, I would have it made.
That's enough of my random rumblings for tonight. I told myself I was going to bed early tonight. Well, it was nice in theory.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Paint, Cars Go Fast and Plugged Back In!
Holy cow, what a crazy couple of weeks.
Two weekends ago, I painted half the walls on the main floors in the house. And last weekend I had the pleasure of NEXTEL cup racing all weekend. Its been both busy and satisfying. And of course I need to blog all about it, but it takes me forever to write a blog and Amanda is going to hit me over the head here soon if I don't! :)
First, painting--I took off a Friday and Monday and painted both the family room, the tall wall with the window that was connected to the family room, the big feature wall next to the dining room and the hallway. It took all 4 days. I was so wiped out by the end of all it. But I have to say that it really looks nice and I'm happy with my painting skills. I finally learned the fact that if you pull the tape off and it pulls some paint with it, you can always go back and use some touchup paint to take care of it! Next little project is finally, and I do mean FINALLY, putting new baseboards back in the living room. You really don't want to know how long they haven't been there.
Last weekend was NASCAR's stop in at Kansas Speedway. Scott (Amanda's brother and a rabid Tony Stewart fan) and his girlfriend Holly, and her parents made the trip down in Holly's parents' RV. We got out to the track about 8:45 both mornings and really enjoyed ourselves. The NASCAR experience on race day really is like no other. Each driver literally has their own merchandise trailer outside the track. There is plenty of other things outside the track as well. You don't have to pay for parking so you could just pull into the track, go see all the sights and sounds from the outside and still have a great day, even without tickets. One of the craziest things your can do at a NASCAR track--you can bring in your own beer, provided it was in a small softside cooler! We all brought in enough beer to last the entire race and didn't spend a dime at the concession stands. It was great. The Busch race was great on Saturday, and Sunday was probably the oddest finish to a race I had ever seen. I'd write a post about it, but if you really want to know what happened you can look it up on nascar.com. It was a long day, to say the least. So thank you Amanda and Ella for letting me have a wonderful Father's Day present. I am sooo thankful to have such a loving wife and daughter! It was really an awesome time, and I can't thank them enough. They sure make it easy to love them.
And finally wrapping up--we have cable TV again. Sort of. We have the "lifeline basic" cable from Time Warner Cable. Its essentially channels 2-18. Nothing special, we just couldn't take the rabbit ears anymore. It was just wayyyy too frustrating. So we spend about $11 a month. I think its going to be worth it.
Sounds like Ella is stirring so I better go get her up!
I'll post some pictures here soon.
Two weekends ago, I painted half the walls on the main floors in the house. And last weekend I had the pleasure of NEXTEL cup racing all weekend. Its been both busy and satisfying. And of course I need to blog all about it, but it takes me forever to write a blog and Amanda is going to hit me over the head here soon if I don't! :)
First, painting--I took off a Friday and Monday and painted both the family room, the tall wall with the window that was connected to the family room, the big feature wall next to the dining room and the hallway. It took all 4 days. I was so wiped out by the end of all it. But I have to say that it really looks nice and I'm happy with my painting skills. I finally learned the fact that if you pull the tape off and it pulls some paint with it, you can always go back and use some touchup paint to take care of it! Next little project is finally, and I do mean FINALLY, putting new baseboards back in the living room. You really don't want to know how long they haven't been there.
Last weekend was NASCAR's stop in at Kansas Speedway. Scott (Amanda's brother and a rabid Tony Stewart fan) and his girlfriend Holly, and her parents made the trip down in Holly's parents' RV. We got out to the track about 8:45 both mornings and really enjoyed ourselves. The NASCAR experience on race day really is like no other. Each driver literally has their own merchandise trailer outside the track. There is plenty of other things outside the track as well. You don't have to pay for parking so you could just pull into the track, go see all the sights and sounds from the outside and still have a great day, even without tickets. One of the craziest things your can do at a NASCAR track--you can bring in your own beer, provided it was in a small softside cooler! We all brought in enough beer to last the entire race and didn't spend a dime at the concession stands. It was great. The Busch race was great on Saturday, and Sunday was probably the oddest finish to a race I had ever seen. I'd write a post about it, but if you really want to know what happened you can look it up on nascar.com. It was a long day, to say the least. So thank you Amanda and Ella for letting me have a wonderful Father's Day present. I am sooo thankful to have such a loving wife and daughter! It was really an awesome time, and I can't thank them enough. They sure make it easy to love them.
And finally wrapping up--we have cable TV again. Sort of. We have the "lifeline basic" cable from Time Warner Cable. Its essentially channels 2-18. Nothing special, we just couldn't take the rabbit ears anymore. It was just wayyyy too frustrating. So we spend about $11 a month. I think its going to be worth it.
Sounds like Ella is stirring so I better go get her up!
I'll post some pictures here soon.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Social Butterfly
Socially, it's been a busy week. Tuesday was my first attendance at my church's preschool mom group. Wednesday was girl's night out with my wonderful college friends and tonight our good friends the Comers came over for tacos. I needed this week. It's so comforting to be surrounded by people who can understand and empathize with you without any judgment. (It's not that I have a bad life, quite the opposite actually, I think my life is pretty good.) But it's important to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are just there to listen, laugh and promise they'll continue to be there for the crazy journey.
As a working parent with a young child, there certainly isn't nearly enough days in a week to spend quality time with my friends. Luckily, I am blessed with great friends who are living a parallel life, where no apologizes are needed. We all wish for more time and a less hectic life, but we'll settle for a leisurely dinner every few months or so. I also recognize I couldn't have been a social butterfly this week if it wasn't for my loving husband who graciously handled Ella for two nights in a row, so I could have some "Amanda" time. So thank you sweets. I think you're the best. Love you!
As a working parent with a young child, there certainly isn't nearly enough days in a week to spend quality time with my friends. Luckily, I am blessed with great friends who are living a parallel life, where no apologizes are needed. We all wish for more time and a less hectic life, but we'll settle for a leisurely dinner every few months or so. I also recognize I couldn't have been a social butterfly this week if it wasn't for my loving husband who graciously handled Ella for two nights in a row, so I could have some "Amanda" time. So thank you sweets. I think you're the best. Love you!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Ella's First Rock Concert, Complete with a Kiddie Mosh Pit
Oh, what a night...Ella had the joy of experiencing her first concert. Although, I'm not sure Trout Fishing in America or Mr. Stinky Feet qualify as rock bands. Everest, our phone/internet provider, had a free family fun night at Shawnee Mission Park, complete with a concert, moonwalks (unfortunately ella was too little for all of them and the lines were horrendously long!), balloon animals and Chiefs cheerleaders.
My girl has some serious dance moves (which she so doesn't get from either of her parents). She darted to the front of the stage and charged her way into the mosh pit to strut her stuff. Okay, maybe all she did was bop her head and spin around, but she was by far the youngest one in the pit. I didn't capture any fabulous pictures while she was dancing away. I was so focused on watching her and jockey positions with other moms trying to keep their eyes on their little ones. We didn't quite make it to the end of the show as our dancing queen morphed into crabby kid before ending the evening as sleeping beauty. Overall, a great way to kick off the weekend.
My girl has some serious dance moves (which she so doesn't get from either of her parents). She darted to the front of the stage and charged her way into the mosh pit to strut her stuff. Okay, maybe all she did was bop her head and spin around, but she was by far the youngest one in the pit. I didn't capture any fabulous pictures while she was dancing away. I was so focused on watching her and jockey positions with other moms trying to keep their eyes on their little ones. We didn't quite make it to the end of the show as our dancing queen morphed into crabby kid before ending the evening as sleeping beauty. Overall, a great way to kick off the weekend.
Monday, September 17, 2007
What happens with no parental supervision
Never leave your 19-month-old alone for too long or this is what you might find. Ella loves to spend time flipping through her books while I prepare dinner or do some late night pick-up. I thought this day she was keeping herself entertained with her books. I realized though I wasn't hearing books drop to the ground periodically. So I ventured up to check on her, and this is what I've found. I had a good laugh and then grabbed the camera. As you can tell, Ella was quite proud of her mess. Lesson learned: if it's too quiet then trouble is brewing.
It was a very busy weekend. We kicked it off with the Light the Night walk. Great event. Ella enjoyed a bounce house for kids just her age and her and mom shared a bomb pop before the start of the walk. We finally convinced her to ride in the wagon about 1/2 through the family loop.
We then were up early Saturday to do a one-day trip to the Omaha zoo, where we met up with my mom, my brother Justin and my SIL Brandi. We had a great time. I just love that zoo. It did my heart good to see my brother. It had been since May, and I needed some good Justin time. I've posted a few pictures from our trip. I'm just hoping my mom has better ones to share with us. I'm tired or I would say more about the trip. Perhaps another time. My dreams await -- perhaps I'll have a party in my dreams tonight.
It was a very busy weekend. We kicked it off with the Light the Night walk. Great event. Ella enjoyed a bounce house for kids just her age and her and mom shared a bomb pop before the start of the walk. We finally convinced her to ride in the wagon about 1/2 through the family loop.
We then were up early Saturday to do a one-day trip to the Omaha zoo, where we met up with my mom, my brother Justin and my SIL Brandi. We had a great time. I just love that zoo. It did my heart good to see my brother. It had been since May, and I needed some good Justin time. I've posted a few pictures from our trip. I'm just hoping my mom has better ones to share with us. I'm tired or I would say more about the trip. Perhaps another time. My dreams await -- perhaps I'll have a party in my dreams tonight.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Parenting tips in the wild
For some reason, some of the funniest moments for Amanda and I when we parent always seem to come back to poop. More on that in a moment.
This Sunday night Amanda, Ella and I decided to go take the long walk down to the park back behind our house. Its a good 15 minute walk at big-people pace. But when you have a toddler in tow (or vice versa) you timing may vary. And believe me, ours did. Every 100 feet or so, Ella walked, then go to Amanda, "Mommy carry...(me)" So Amanda would pick her up, take 4 step.."down....DOWN..." So another 100 feet, "Daddy carry?" 4 steps. "Down, DOWN!" and so it continues the walk with a 18-month old.
So we finally made it to our destination after a half hour or so. There's a nice playground with a couple of slides and Ella had her run of the place. 15 minutes of sliding and swinging and what not later, Ella is standing at the top of the steps and isn't doing anything. Until she starts bending her knees slightly and grunting. Well, we all know what THAT is don't we? And who's the parents went on a walk without a diaper bag? (hand raised) Amanda and I look and each other, take a look in the diaper, and yep, nice shiny and smelly looking right at us.
So. We take a look around. Well, we could change her with no one around, but that's quite a bit of work without a new diaper. But there was a trash can in the park, and we could pull the back of Ella's diaper back far enough, so we hauled her over to the trash can (please don't do this at home, or take it for GOOD parenting advice) and turned Ella upside down, pulled the back of the diaper and out dropped the poop! Thankfully it didn't catch her back or anything else but the trash can. Ella thought it was funny, so thank god she didn't think her parents were trying to throw her away.
This Sunday night Amanda, Ella and I decided to go take the long walk down to the park back behind our house. Its a good 15 minute walk at big-people pace. But when you have a toddler in tow (or vice versa) you timing may vary. And believe me, ours did. Every 100 feet or so, Ella walked, then go to Amanda, "Mommy carry...(me)" So Amanda would pick her up, take 4 step.."down....DOWN..." So another 100 feet, "Daddy carry?" 4 steps. "Down, DOWN!" and so it continues the walk with a 18-month old.
So we finally made it to our destination after a half hour or so. There's a nice playground with a couple of slides and Ella had her run of the place. 15 minutes of sliding and swinging and what not later, Ella is standing at the top of the steps and isn't doing anything. Until she starts bending her knees slightly and grunting. Well, we all know what THAT is don't we? And who's the parents went on a walk without a diaper bag? (hand raised) Amanda and I look and each other, take a look in the diaper, and yep, nice shiny and smelly looking right at us.
So. We take a look around. Well, we could change her with no one around, but that's quite a bit of work without a new diaper. But there was a trash can in the park, and we could pull the back of Ella's diaper back far enough, so we hauled her over to the trash can (please don't do this at home, or take it for GOOD parenting advice) and turned Ella upside down, pulled the back of the diaper and out dropped the poop! Thankfully it didn't catch her back or anything else but the trash can. Ella thought it was funny, so thank god she didn't think her parents were trying to throw her away.
Friday, September 07, 2007
How I spent my 32nd Birthday...
Where else but Tunnel Voyage and I couldn't think of a better way to spend the night. We were there to celebrate Payton's 5th birthday -- the fact that she's 5 completely blows me away. (I witnessed her entrance into the world, how could that be five years ago?!)
Back to tonight, Ella couldn't absorb the experience tonight fast enough. I just enjoyed watching her having a ball, as usually she thought she belonged in the big kid area. Luckily, it was fairly quiet, so there were no worries of her being overrun by big kids. Definitely a fun night, but I'm exhausted. I'm heading to bed, and I guess I'm ready to turn the page and start another year of my 30s.
Back to tonight, Ella couldn't absorb the experience tonight fast enough. I just enjoyed watching her having a ball, as usually she thought she belonged in the big kid area. Luckily, it was fairly quiet, so there were no worries of her being overrun by big kids. Definitely a fun night, but I'm exhausted. I'm heading to bed, and I guess I'm ready to turn the page and start another year of my 30s.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Wanna Order Some Cookies
I am shameless posting this on the blog. I justify it by saying it's for Ella. Her daycare is once again selling cookie dough to raise money for education materials and playground equipment. Each box contains 48 chunks of delicious frozen dough ready for the oven, and each box is $14. The great thing about these cookies is you can decide how many you want to bake, so if you have a craving for a cookie and only want to bake a few, you don't have to whip up a whole batch and clean your kitchen. We sold this same line last year and they were mighty tasty!
The flavors for this year are chocolate chunk, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, sugar, white chunk macadamia, chocolate chip, double chocolate brownie, M&M, snickerdoodle, heath toffee, chocolate chunk pecan, chocolate mint, lemon cooler and peanut butter cup.
We need to turn in order forms and money on Wednesday, Sept. 19. If you are interested, it would be much appreciated. Checks can be made payable to Corporate Kids.
If you aren't interested in buying cookies, Mike and I are raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk. We've both fallen behind on fundraising. If you would rather support that, let us know and we'll give you the link to our team fundraising page.
Thanks for reading and supporting us.
The flavors for this year are chocolate chunk, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, sugar, white chunk macadamia, chocolate chip, double chocolate brownie, M&M, snickerdoodle, heath toffee, chocolate chunk pecan, chocolate mint, lemon cooler and peanut butter cup.
We need to turn in order forms and money on Wednesday, Sept. 19. If you are interested, it would be much appreciated. Checks can be made payable to Corporate Kids.
If you aren't interested in buying cookies, Mike and I are raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night walk. We've both fallen behind on fundraising. If you would rather support that, let us know and we'll give you the link to our team fundraising page.
Thanks for reading and supporting us.
Monday, September 03, 2007
What a long strange weekend it has been.
Well, I'm back home after a whirlwind 30 hour trip to Chicago.
You know one time Amanda did a day trip to Chicago for work a few years back. She was so exhausted. If its anything like what I'm feeling today, I'm sure it was 10 times worse.
Anyway, it was a good trip overall. Scott, Tricia and I had a good time flying together. I got the biggest laugh out of Tricia when the our plane bound for Chicago started headed down the KCI runway and just as the wheels picked up off the ground, I shot her a look of terror and said "Holy shit, this thing FLIES??".
55 minutes later, those same wheels hit the Chicago tarmac and off we were to hit Portillo's Hot Dogs south of Midway airport. By the way we were cruising in our pimped out Chrysler 300--free upgrade, woo! Tricia was in heaven reliving some of her Chicago days while were driving around the area. Portillo's was great. I think I still have the gut rot from it.
We took the 40 minute drive out to west Chicago to meet up with the fam who were all eating at Chili's for lunch. It was good to see everybody, but it sure made me miss my wife and daughter. By the way if you aren't up to speed on why they weren't with me, then track me down online some time. Not enough time for me to explain it all here. But yes, all of my other family was with me except them. It just wasn't right and I didn't feel like a "whole" person the entire trip.
After crashing for 3 hours or so in the hotel we got all dollied up and headed to the wedding. It was nice--the DJ really had no idea how to handle an outdoor ceremony, though. I saw Curtis shoot him this look like "what the HELL are you doing?" It was really a touching moment. It was a touch hot in a suit, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was nice to see the family all dressed up (for a change).
The reception was a good time--great food for sure--filet migon and other great things were on the menu. Filled us up and there was a very stocked open bar! So you know all the cousins had a good time on Curtis' father in law's dime. :) It really was great to have all of us sitting around the table, but we all knew that there were 2 very important people busy having a lonely Sonic dinner all the way back in KC. Made it back to the hotel about midnight, said goodbye and good travels to Mom and Dad since they were headed on for their 2 month vacation/retirement/spending Mike and Scott inheritance trip. I'd post a link to their newly christened blog, but I haven't gotten the go ahead yet. Sorry folks.
5:15 came EARLY this morning, but we were ready to get back home. A 40 minute drive, 30 minute breakfast, 1 hour flight, 1 hour drive home and I was back in the arms of my girls at 11:00 am. Mikey was and is happy. Even more so after 2 and a half hour nap today too.
Friday night feels like it was eons ago.
Good niii........snnnnzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
You know one time Amanda did a day trip to Chicago for work a few years back. She was so exhausted. If its anything like what I'm feeling today, I'm sure it was 10 times worse.
Anyway, it was a good trip overall. Scott, Tricia and I had a good time flying together. I got the biggest laugh out of Tricia when the our plane bound for Chicago started headed down the KCI runway and just as the wheels picked up off the ground, I shot her a look of terror and said "Holy shit, this thing FLIES??".
55 minutes later, those same wheels hit the Chicago tarmac and off we were to hit Portillo's Hot Dogs south of Midway airport. By the way we were cruising in our pimped out Chrysler 300--free upgrade, woo! Tricia was in heaven reliving some of her Chicago days while were driving around the area. Portillo's was great. I think I still have the gut rot from it.
We took the 40 minute drive out to west Chicago to meet up with the fam who were all eating at Chili's for lunch. It was good to see everybody, but it sure made me miss my wife and daughter. By the way if you aren't up to speed on why they weren't with me, then track me down online some time. Not enough time for me to explain it all here. But yes, all of my other family was with me except them. It just wasn't right and I didn't feel like a "whole" person the entire trip.
After crashing for 3 hours or so in the hotel we got all dollied up and headed to the wedding. It was nice--the DJ really had no idea how to handle an outdoor ceremony, though. I saw Curtis shoot him this look like "what the HELL are you doing?" It was really a touching moment. It was a touch hot in a suit, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was nice to see the family all dressed up (for a change).
The reception was a good time--great food for sure--filet migon and other great things were on the menu. Filled us up and there was a very stocked open bar! So you know all the cousins had a good time on Curtis' father in law's dime. :) It really was great to have all of us sitting around the table, but we all knew that there were 2 very important people busy having a lonely Sonic dinner all the way back in KC. Made it back to the hotel about midnight, said goodbye and good travels to Mom and Dad since they were headed on for their 2 month vacation/retirement/spending Mike and Scott inheritance trip. I'd post a link to their newly christened blog, but I haven't gotten the go ahead yet. Sorry folks.
5:15 came EARLY this morning, but we were ready to get back home. A 40 minute drive, 30 minute breakfast, 1 hour flight, 1 hour drive home and I was back in the arms of my girls at 11:00 am. Mikey was and is happy. Even more so after 2 and a half hour nap today too.
Friday night feels like it was eons ago.
Good niii........snnnnzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Haircut by Mom
I had to cut Ella's hair. It wasn't an official haircut, but the poor thing had a snarl that I couldn't comb out. She actually cried out in pain as I was combing it. So I figured that I would cut (pun intended) my losses and grab the scissors. Knowing that toddlers don't sit still, I was terrified as I approached her with a weapon in my hand. Of course in typically toddler fashion, she was fascinated with them and fussed a bit when I wouldn't give them to her. The loss of hair was minor -- that is this time.
I'm dreading the day when she decides to take the scissors to her hair herself. I've never known for that to create a good outcome. My first black market haircut occurred at the age of five when my 6-year old best friend Susie and I decided to play beauty salon underneath her parent's dining room table. We were caught just before it was my turn to shred her luxurious, shiny black hair. Of course, my hair was already butchered and I had the privilege of donning the "bowl cut" better known as the Dorothy Hamil haircut until my hair grew. A good eight years had passed before I thought it wise to give myself a haircut again. Upon examining my reflection in the mirror, I decided my bangs were too long. Of course, I couldn't wait for a hair appointment, so I chopped them off. I think the end result gave me bangs that might have measured maybe a 1/2 inch when wet. It was not a good look. Luckily for me, my hair has always grown fast. It is still to be seen if that's the case with Ella. Let's hope or better yet let's hope she never discovers the horrors of self-inflicted haircuts.
Mike is back home. Even though he was only gone for maybe 30 hours, it is always good to have him home. Ella and I capped off the last weekend of summer with our longest trip yet to the pool. Pictures of the fish to come later. The camera needs a new battery. She showed off a new skill of jumping off the side of the pool. It's crazy how much her skills around the water have advanced this summer. Oh, I'm so sad that it is now closed and summer is coming to an official end.
I'm dreading the day when she decides to take the scissors to her hair herself. I've never known for that to create a good outcome. My first black market haircut occurred at the age of five when my 6-year old best friend Susie and I decided to play beauty salon underneath her parent's dining room table. We were caught just before it was my turn to shred her luxurious, shiny black hair. Of course, my hair was already butchered and I had the privilege of donning the "bowl cut" better known as the Dorothy Hamil haircut until my hair grew. A good eight years had passed before I thought it wise to give myself a haircut again. Upon examining my reflection in the mirror, I decided my bangs were too long. Of course, I couldn't wait for a hair appointment, so I chopped them off. I think the end result gave me bangs that might have measured maybe a 1/2 inch when wet. It was not a good look. Luckily for me, my hair has always grown fast. It is still to be seen if that's the case with Ella. Let's hope or better yet let's hope she never discovers the horrors of self-inflicted haircuts.
Mike is back home. Even though he was only gone for maybe 30 hours, it is always good to have him home. Ella and I capped off the last weekend of summer with our longest trip yet to the pool. Pictures of the fish to come later. The camera needs a new battery. She showed off a new skill of jumping off the side of the pool. It's crazy how much her skills around the water have advanced this summer. Oh, I'm so sad that it is now closed and summer is coming to an official end.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Traveling
Mike is currently in the air. He had an early morning flight to Chicago for his cousin Curtis' wedding. Ella and I are hanging out together today. She's currently enjoying a late breakfast because she slept until 8:30. I think her day at the zoo yesterday was a bit tiring. How I wish I could have slept in that late. Instead, I couldn't fall back asleep after Mike's alarm started blasting around 5:30. Oh well, I did lay in a bed a bit before getting up to do some yoga.
We'll miss Mike, but we hope he has a great time. I'm not sure how Ella and I will spend the day. It seems everyone of our play buddies is out of town. We may explore a new park or maybe a trip to the pool for one last dip. It will depend on how late our nap goes.
Well, Ella spotted her outside swing from her chair, so we're on the fast track to get cleaned up and get outside.
We'll miss Mike, but we hope he has a great time. I'm not sure how Ella and I will spend the day. It seems everyone of our play buddies is out of town. We may explore a new park or maybe a trip to the pool for one last dip. It will depend on how late our nap goes.
Well, Ella spotted her outside swing from her chair, so we're on the fast track to get cleaned up and get outside.
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