8.27.2008

Because Mike Did It First - Wordle

I Know You Wish You Were Here

Cause I've got pie and you don't!!
Actually, I wish you were here to enjoy it with me.

HAPPY 24th LITTLE BROTHER!!

8.26.2008

Ten on Tuesday

  1. Alice hasn't been eating well lately and it's starting to become an every meal thing. The other day it took her 2 hours to finish her breakfast. Granted I would have taken it away earlier and called it done had she not insisted she wasn't done. She did eat it all. I've been told this is a two year old thing - great I have an overachiever on my hands.
  2. Dad, Cindy, and Tori are coming up for the holiday weekend. Don't know what we're going to do yet, but I'm sure it involves a choo-choo and downtown. Dad, you're coming whether you like it or not - screw the lesson plans.
  3. Allergies suck. I NEVER had issues with allergies until the summer when I was pregnant with Alice. Since then they just keep getting worse every time the seasons change. Looks like fall is right around the corner - Matt, Alice, Kathy, and I are all having issues. Snuh.
  4. A certain someone celebrates his 24th birthday tomorrow. And I didn't even need a reminder in the form of email, PDA alert, etc to remember. Dad on the other hand...
  5. Let's just say that there are several reasons why Cindy has been good for him. Gone are the days of belated birthday cards, although I don't know what dad is going to do with his stockpile of them. He may have to intentionally send them off late just to clear them out of his card holder.
  6. I just placed an order to have several pictures printed, one of them being the 16 x 20 of Matt and Alice on the beach at sunset. I so cannot wait for them to get here (especially since I've heard such good things about the lab I used).
  7. Apparently I make some kick ass stir fry because Fred could not stop raving about it. He and Kathy came over for dinner on Saturday night and with every bite he'd say, "Man this is good!" I should definitely make it more often and I thought it tasted extra good myself.
  8. I can't believe September is right almost here! That means fall is nearly here, which means October is nearly here, which means Alice is nearly two. Some days I really can't believe it, and then I look at how grown up she is and I sometimes catch myself wishing to have my baby back. Of course I wouldn't trade this time for anything - there's nothing I enjoy more than to watch her figure things out.
  9. Of course that means that Matt and I REALLY need to be more aware of what comes out of our mouths as the little bugger is getting to the point where not only does she repeat things, but she starts to figure out what things mean. No more sarcastic comments at dinner, mmkay Matt?
  10. It's time to break out the crochet hooks and bring up the buckets of yarn from the storage closet. Alice needs a new hat or two and I have a few other babies that I need to make things for as well. Hey Kay, does last years monkey hat still fit? If not, you may want to place an order. And no, Mike, they still don't come in adult sizes.
Mental note - don't use blogger lists, otherwise you'll have to have your computer geek husband show you how to add spaces between using some sort of style thingy. And that really doesn't help those of you out there who aren't special enough to have a web geek for a husband.

8.22.2008

I've Been Tagged!

Erika tagged me!
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules to your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Six random things about me:

Clicky, Clicky for Erika's blog.

1. I'm OBSESSED with this game on Facebook called Packrat. I'd be embarrassed to tell you just HOW obsessed I really am with it (at least Erika understands :)).

2. I got told all the time before and after Matt and I got married to wait to have kids. As much as we wanted them right away, I'm glad that for one reason or another it didn't happen for three years. We really got to know each other as husband and wife before adding a kid into the mix.

3. Reality Tv is a guilty peasure of mine. Give me starving models and vapid rich kids and I will blissfully waste away an afternoon to the dismay of my husband.

4. I'm a sucker for tearjerker blogs. I've been known to stumble upon blogs (usually about loss in one form or another) in the middle of the night, start at the beginning and bawl my eyes out until I reach the most current post. I generally see the sun rise on nights like these.

5. Matt and I haven't been to see a movie since Juno came out. Mental note, gotta get Netflix.

6. I loath wrapping presents. I hate it so much that every year I put off wrapping them until the last possible moment, and almost always end up with craptastic results. So if you see a lousy wrapping job under your tree this Xmas, please know I tried my best.

Told you it was totally random.
I don't really have anyone who I can tag other than family, and I know what slackers they are so I won't even bother asking...TAG YOU'RE IT!

Ok that was lame.

8.21.2008

The Black Sheep Visits

Last weekend, as many of you already know, Maggie, my honorary sister, came to visit Alice (yes I will say Alice because let's face it, in the years that we've lived less than an hour from one another she's come to visit once - and that was when everyone else was here too). She came bearing gifts of yummy panera tuna sandwiches, hugs, and that obnoxious (I mean infectious ;)) laugh of hers. She laughed at my inability to cut watermelon into manageable slices (in my defense, I had to use a butter knife ;) ), and I laughed at her as she dressed up like Super Maggie. All in all we had a great time, but it was definitely too short. Love ya Mag.

After lunch was over, Alice decided Maggie had to see every toy that was in her toy box.
Here, Alice stuck a sorting block on her finger and demanded that Maggie do the same.
If you could only hear the giggles that came out of Alice.

Alice had to stop the commotion and call GG.

Beck, don't take a pic of me looking like a dork.
Seriously Beck.
I HATE you.
Oh to hell with it...
SUPER MAGGIE!!
(click on image to view larger)

Maggie does the best Grover impersonations...

...and uncle Mike impersonations.

Maggie: Peek-a-boo!
Alice: Boobies!

Now that's love, folks.

8.19.2008

Tug - Part 2

Just wanted to share a few random pics that didn't fit in the other post.





I think I'm going to print this one it's so neat!




This pic is just for Auntie Annie. :)


Ten on Tuesday - Tug Fest Edition

Give me some credit, I'm only a week late.

1. The ride over was pretty uneventful - although now a days Alice gets very restless when she's in her carseat for longer than an hour. We stopped the car a few times to get her some things from the back to play with. I forgot to bring a wide assortment of items for her so in an act of desperation I gave her a baseball cap that just happened to be in the car. Of course that thing amused her longer than any of the books or toys I brought for her.

2. Sonic was the theme of the weekend. Every day we were there we made a stop for a slush or some food. I've learned I don't like their watermelon flavor, I would give my right arm for their real lime slush, their coffee coolers are worth every palpitation, and Santa needs to bring my SIL a GPS for X-mas.*

3. My nephew deserves a medal for allowing me to take scads of pictures of him. I had just read about a certain technique the day before and he came equipped with a kick ass glowstick so I had to take advantage. To tell you the truth, I think he had just as much fun as I did.









4. As usual, the fireworks were the best around. Of course I am used to Jacksonville fireworks so that may be why I think they are so fabulous. Alice was nodding off in my arms during them, I'm just going to blame that on sheer exhaustion though.





5. Yep, it was definitely exhaustion. We had barely left for the hotel when she was out like a light in her carseat. She slept the whole way there, didn't flinch when I took her out of the carseat, and didn't even open her eyes when I laid her down in the bed. We didn't even bother putting her in her PJs.


6. The next day was the Tug and like usual we didn't venture down the road to get the full view. I always enjoy the company back at the house much more than seeing Illinois kick Iowa's butt (we swept this year, BTW). Besides, we can see quite a lot and hear everything from the comfort of the front lawn. This year two couples got married on either side at the same time (on Friday) and the very last tug on Saturday the wedding parties tugged for the chance to win a trip. This would have been the only thing I would have cared to see as the groomsmen were wearing bridesmaid dresses and the bridesmaids were wearing tuxedos. The Discovery Channel was there this year so if I'm lucky I'll still be able to catch it.

7. Later that day we went with my BIL to a well known greasy spoon for their signature dish - a mountain of ground beef, fries, texas toast, and cheese they called The Magic Mountain. Otherwise known to us "southern" folk as a horseshoe. There was no way I could convince Joe that unfortunately this wasn't an original idea - didn't stop me from eating it though, of course.

8. Alice swam like a fishy in the hotel pool that night with everyone joining in but Auntie Kathy. That's ok Kath, I understand. But next time you will get in, even if I have to throw you in! ;)


9. Nothing eventful happens on Sunday. We all pitch in (well MOST of us) and clean up the yard and enjoy a fabulous breakfast prepared by Matt's Aunt Eva. Not only did we go home with leftover food in our car, but Alice now has her very own doll house courtesy of Uncle George and Aunt Eva. You see, nearly 30 years ago they bought a kit for their daughter and Uncle George just never finished it. It's been sitting in the basement collecting dust, and since they don't have any granddaughters to enjoy it, they thought that Alice might. It needs a lot of work, but we'll get it done. Cross your fingers because we're shooting for it to be done by the next Tug Fest!


10. We had one last stop at Sonic on our way home - Alice missed out as she passed out before we left Port Byron. We enjoyed the peace and quiet nearly all the way to Aurora.

*Annie and Margaret ended up making what should have been a half hour round trip into two hours. Surprisingly enough my MIL's slush was still very icy (so were the hamburgers)!

8.05.2008

Ten on Tuesday

1. I reminisced about South Haven today. The beach toys have been sitting on my deck since we unloaded the car after the trip home. I had forgotten about them until they fell over in the bad storm last night. Today I decided it was about time I washed them up and put them away and I couldn't help but think of our time there as I washed the sand down the drain.

2. Cottage cheese is a pain to clean off of carpet.

3. Maggie's recipe from last week is incredible! Even Alice, my little herbivore, loved it.

4. AIM chat sucks. Whoever heard of not being able to video chat if you don't have a camera yourself (yes, we're getting this set up this week).

5. If I can help it, I will not ask Alice if she is ready to leave places anymore.

Mommy: Are you ready to leave the bean Alice?
Alice: Uh, NO!

Mommy: Are you ready to leave the park Alice?
Alice: Uh, NO!

Mommy: Are you ready to get out of the water now Alice?
Alice: Uh, NO!

Mommy: Are you ready to leave Grandma and Grandpa's house Alice?
Alice: Uh, NO (insert crying fit HERE)!

6. Alice is practicing for her teenage years. Her new favorite thing is the tongue kiss. She thinks it's hysterical. Me, not so much. :)

7. I'm on the 4th Harry Potter book. I'm hoping they'll release the paperback version of book 7 here in the states by the time I get to it.

8. Should be an interesting weekend. Friday we're off to Matt's Aunt and Uncle's house for the annual Tug Fest. I've never watched the actual tug, but good times are always had by all, and they have the best fireworks I've ever seen. Next year, Dad.

9. We unexpectedly went over to my BIL's house tonight to help him eat frozen hamburgers that were defrosting. He's one of a few here in Aurora without power due to last night's storm, and it looks like it's going to be that way for a few days.

10. I'm going to have to start drafting these during the week. I always get to 10 and get stuck.

8.04.2008

Alice in Chicago

Alice finally got a taste of Chicago this weekend. My MIL thought we should take her on the train down to see the bean and everything else Millennium Park had to offer. It turned out to be a fabulous idea and the weather was wonderful! Here are some snippets of the day.

I think Alice could have spent all day looking at herself in the bean.
It could have used a good wash though, it was pretty nasty.
I bet if we had a rag she would have happily polished the lower two feet of it.


"Woah!"
Did I mention she enjoyed the bean?



THE bean.


I can see why my ILs come here to spend the day walking and relaxing.
It's quite beautiful (and a lot different than the last time I saw it in the dead of winter).


Of course we had to stop off at the kiddy park and play on the slides.
And as usual Alice found a friend who made her giggle so very hard.


She wasn't too sure about the fountain at first.
I'm still not too sure about it, it smelled like fish.
Next time Matt gets to hold her hand and I get to take the pictures. :)


8.01.2008

Photo Friday


This one isn't from this week, but I know I forgot to share this one in April. Obviously Alice was imitating Mommy when allergies were kicking her butt. On a side note, we're going to millennium park tomorrow on a "choo choo" with my mother and father in law. Should be fun times as it will be my first time going downtown with my camera.