Chris Cooley Eats Here...

Chris Cooley is a Washington Redskins player (apparently). Today on Twitter, he wrote about having lunch at Moby Dicks. My friend Carolyn and I have gone to this one, because it is in between our two houses. I thought about Moby Dicks all day, and took the kids there for dinner since Mike had a work function.

It turns out that yes, he does go there all the time, and no, he was not there for dinner. The kids had a blast and we got ice cream from next door after. I was SOOOOOO proud of Connor on the way out. He ate some of his ice cream, but had a lot left. I asked him if he wanted to take it home, and he said yes, so I snapped the lid on, and we headed out. In the midst of juggling the stroller off the sidewalk, and grabbing Connor's hand, I tossed his ice cream on the ground. Like all food dropping incidents - it of course landed ice cream side down. I'm pretty sure that when that happened and I was a kid - I would have burst into tears. I quickly stared at Connor and apologized, and waited to see how it would play out. I figured that it was 50/50. He said that it was ok, and helped me throw away the smashed tub. WOW - what a big guy. He's so cool. I was really really impressed.

Battle Droids

Olivia is talking a little bit now. She says kitty, bowl, bottle, doggie, and no.

This morning - she was asking for a bottle and Connor got all excited. I asked him why he was excited, and he said, "didn't you hear baby sister?". 

I said that I had, and that she was asking for a bottle. He explained that no - she had said "battle droid", and he was super excited that this was in her vocabulary.

I guess baby sisters that talk about bottles are not cool, but if they can discuss battle droids with you, they move up in the ranking.

WARNING** iPhone may cause incontinence

I got mike an iPhone for his Birthday. This was apparently the best gift he has ever received.

He is "app" crazy - and got an application that makes your iPhone look like a light saber, and makes light saber noises when you swish it about and hit things. Yes, Mike has already hit me with it.

He let Connor play with it tonight, and apparently Connor got so caught up in it and excited that he wet his pants.

I'm not sure what else to say on the matter - but I should not have found this funny, but I really did.

Kharma comes full circle...

When I was little - I ruined a load of wash by having a crayon in my pocket. I believe it was red or pink...my Mom has discussed this incident numerous times over the years.

Today - I washed Connor's clothes with mine - and a mysterious green crayon has tainted a WHOLE load of wash.

Lessons I have learned today;

1. Kharma is a you know what

2. Check all pockets before doing wash in the future

Banned From Spicy Rice Super Donalds...

I forgot a good story from last week...all of us went to Spicy Rice Super Donalds (Chipolte) for dinner. Olivia and I went to the restroom together while Mike and Connor got in line. While I was sitting with my pants around my ankles, Olivia started throwing up all over the ladies room, she was like a sprinkler and just kept moving around.

By the time I got my pants on and got over to her, the restroom was a mess, and Olivia and I were both covered. NOT GOOD. I sorted out the bathroom as much as possible, but had to go have the, "uh, I think the restroom has a mess in it...maybe someone should go in there with a mop" conversation with the waitress. I think she took our picture and hug it up and banned us from Chipolte.

I announced that we had to go, and Mike was like "why???". I pointed out large quantities of yack, and told him we'd meet him in the car.

Olivia was fine - I think she just ate something that didn't sit well with her.

Poor nugget. Good news is that we were there again this week, and people didn't throw rocks at us or anything, so maybe they don't know that it was us.

Parenting People...Not Birds...

Ok...as promised, I will actually talk about my wonderful kids.

Below are some observations from the past three weeks where I was blog-free;

In no particular order...

*Olivia now has 9 teeth

*Connor is one of the funniest people I know, he has a wicked sense of humor

*We went to the library to get Connor another book. EVERY Star Ways book was checked out by someone else. We got on the wait list for about 5 books, but Connor had a hard time understanding that some other boy or girl had HIS books. We instead got a Star Wars graphic novel that is WAY too old for him, but I sit in bed with him each night and we read a little bit. And by read - I mean, I make up a story. He loves it

*Olivia is starting to not be a huge fan of her high chair - we need to invest in "Mushy Seat #2"

*Connor brought me his pink sparkly Bratz toothbrush last night and asked me if it was a girl's toothbrush. I told him no

*Olivia is starting to talk a little bit more - not much, but headway is being made. She says "bye-bye", ball, and "uh oh". It's very sweet

*Olivia can now make kissing sounds and pucker up for a kiss, it's pretty cute. Just be careful when you go in for the kiss though, she usually opens up her mouth wide at the last possible second and licks you. It's not pleasant

*Connor has now decided that he is not Master Yoda, but instead is a clone

*We went to the beach with Sarah, Declan, Alex, Mary, and Owen. It was a lot of fun seeing all of the kids together. Connor was very cute and was trying to share with Declan and gave him a  cheese doodle. Declan looked beyond excited until Sarah took it away. Declan is six months old, so maybe a little too young for snack foods, but I was proud of Connor for sharing

*We went and visited Connor's friend Nick. His Mom & Dad (Marianna and Tim) just bought a new house. Connor "borrowed"Nick's light saber and was super kind enough to lend Nick Olivia's light saber. He's tricky that one

*"Olivia's light saber?" you ask. Yes...about a month ago I went away for two nights on a girl's weekend. When I left, Connor had a light saber. When I returned, everyone had light sabers. I guess a new rule is to ban trips to the toy store when you go away

*Sam, Mo, and Athos are the most patient animals around. Olivia has mastered (for the most part) the calm cat petting technique that we have been working on and is mostly able to resist the urge to grab Mo's belly and not let go

Well - that's all for now, I must get some shut eye, but I'm back on the blogging train, and have much to write about.

Higher Math

(2 parent bird + 3 tiny eggs)/(2 finches + 4 tiny blue eggs) + 1 cat/bird incident =Bird Central

Ok - yes, it has been several weeks since I have blogged, and for that, I apologize. I also apologize because this blog is supposed to be about two awesome kids.

I'm tired and promise to write more tomorrow - there is so much to tell, but I had to share before going to bed!!

Ok - when we last visited the front door, it was covered in poop, and we had successfully (minus one cat/house incident) helped to bring three new baby birds into the world. They have flown off, and never write, not even a postcard.

In recent weeks, I have noticed a very nice finch family has moved in. I THOUGHT into the poo filled vacated nest. Our friend Joe came by tonight, and he is much taller than I am. We talked about the birds, and he pointed out that we had a NEW nest, right next to the old nest, and there were FOUR tiny eggs in there. What is up with the door? It's like a magical bird place. So three nests in all. So now, I'm back to using the garage once again.

I'm about to begin turning into the crazy bird lady again- watch out!!

More tomorrow - I promise!!

Birds

Ok - several have asked, so here is the bird update.

They have flown the coop. Aside from one getting toyed with by the family cat, I think we were pretty good hosts. I still need to address the bird poop on the front door situation, and I suspect that the wreath might not be able to be saved, but it was all worth it.

I guess the tiny nest could not accommodate two adult birds and three "teenager" birds.

Where do bird go in this situation then? Do they each build a new nest? I'm unclear on what happens next, but they are not on the front door anymore.

Good luck bird friends!

Connor Rides a Bike

Several months ago - we had what I like to call, "the great helmet debacle". Our neighbor Zander gave connor his old bike and helmet. Zander came over and the kids wanted to ride bikes. I went to put the helmet on and ended up pinching Connor's chin with the strap. This has led to Connor totally refusing to have anything to do with helmets or bikes.

Every time Zander comes over to ride bikes - we all go out, discuss bikes and the evils of the helmet, and Connor ends up playing while Zander rides his bike. My Mom recently got Connor this fancy new bike with streamers and a bell. Still...helmets are evil.

On Tuesday night, Zander came over, I tried a new method. I asked Zander's Mom to show me how to put on the helmet, because she was a professional and knew how to do it. Shockingly - Connor fell for it. He dutifully sat there while she adjusted the straps - jumped on the bike, and off he went.

It was awesome!! He had a great time.

9am vs. 9pm

Athos came home on Friday. He's still not able to walk - although they assure us he will.

He has 6 types of medications. I dutifully typed up signs and hung them in the front window, "1 time a day", "2 times a day", and "three times a day", to help keep track of everything.

Mike has made fun of me in the past, because I have a strict medication rule for the kids of reading the label twice and checking the measurement twice. Well, last night - I gave Athos the "1 time a day", anti-inflamatory drops. I ALSO gave them to him at 9am.

I was furious with myself. I called the vet, who to his credit, called me right back, and he assured me that it would be fine.

Today's parental lesson is to not only check the label twice, and the measurement twice, but to confirm the time.

UGH!!! I felt like a loser dog Mom, but he seems none the worse for wear this am. 

Mommy Snacks

Over Memorial Day weekend, I officially stopped nursing Olivia. 

Despite both of our fears, she did not perish. 

She was NOT pleased though, and I eventually had to hide the boppy nursing pillow, because she just kept picking it up and brining it over to me to nurse.

We have 4 nights under our belt so far, and so far, so good.

It's a little sad - but also means that we are turning the page to a new chapter which is fun too. She is becoming such a big girl, she loves to dance, and has a great giggle. She thinks it is the funniest thing ever when you turn around in the car while you are driving and say "Olivia!!!" in a loud/happy voice.

She runs over when we pick her up from school and is fabulous at giving big hugs.

Athos

Poor Athos had such the week last week. He went to the vet on Tuesday for tummy issues. Went bk to the vet on Friday for walking issues, and went to the vet on Monday (Memorial Day) because he was having difficulty walking.

All very very stressful and scary. The final diagnosis was that he had a ruptured disk.

The decision to have back surgery was made all the more difficult because it came with a huge price tag, but we both really love him and wanted him to be ok.

He had surgery on Tuesday night and should be home tomorrow night, Friday. He is still not walking, so there will be a lot of home rehab to manage, but it's a huge relief that he will be coming home - and will hopefully make a full recovery.

For anyone who prays - send out the doggie prayers!

I thought I heard a bird in the house...

Let's start with the basics, my husband is alive and my bird is alive.

This weekend, Mike took our dog Athos out the front door for a walk. As EVERYONE knows, we don't use the front door right now because we have baby birds in residence.

We came home HOURS later and were unloading groceries, and I was like, "I hear a bird in the living room". Mike said "No - those are the birds on the front door".

Five minutes later Mike announces that I was in fact correct, there is a bird in the house, and Mo our cat is stalking it. (And has probably been stalking it for hours.)

It is one of MY birds.

I rush in, and am able to scoop him up and rush outside to pop him back in the nest. I went outside later and he was on the mat, so I popped him back in the nest again. 

They were all on the verge of flying, and later that day I saw some of them fly out of the nest.

This is a bonus for Mike, because if the bird was too small to fly, and we got him kicked out of the nest, we would be feeding a bird with a dropper.

Great bird drama.

Grandy & Olivia

Grandy and Olivia at Dinosaur Land. Just before the dinosaur bit them...

Some beach pictures...

Connor with the shark mascot at the aquarium. (Sorry Carolyn...)

Olivia on the sand. Hot lava...hot lava...hot lava...

Olivia with a funny crabby hat...

Connor getting his super cool frog tattoo...

New Zealand

My friend Sarah started a blog right after I did and she just got a random comment/feedback from some lady in New Zealand. How random.

The article was about swaddling...I'm curious as to why no one has found my stories of bird poop on my front door fascinating enough to offer feedback? :)

Clearly - I need to spend the long weekend becoming more interesting.

Myrtle Beach Fun

Ok - we are officially back from vacation. Our return was greeting with a sick doggie and now Connor has an ear infection, but we had a great time.

We went to Myrtle Beach, SC. It was the first time any of us had been there and we had a blast. We stayed at the Dunes Village Resort (www.dunesvillage.com), and it was such a nice hotel.

This is a picture of the indoor waterpark. There were two of them, and Connor was in love!

Some highlights;

1. Mike and Connor got spray-on tattoos. Connor got a green frog and Mike got the Harley  Davidson logo. It was bike week while we were there. He thought the tattoo would macho him up a bit and would help him earn enough street credit to help the bikers overlook his mini-van.

2. We got to the beach fairly late on our drive down day. Connor wanted to go to the beach anyway even though the sun was setting. He dashed into the water like some long lost sea creature. Olivia acted like everything might be covered in hot lava. By the end of the trip - she was having a blast playing in the sand and romping in the waterpark.

3. After much convincing form Mike - I took Olivia down one of the waterslides. I had her facing me to decrease the splash, and she seemed to like it.

4. Connor loved the water slides. Two were deemed scary, and two were acceptable, but he still liked to ride on Mom or Dad's laps.

5. We went to an aquarium, and alligator park (very cool - 100s of alligators), two amusement parks, and a bunch of arcades. Connor is a cheap arcade date - you don't necessarily have to actually put a quarter in for him to have fun.

6. We went to a bar for lunch one day where you could throw peanuts on the floor. At home, we have had to tell Connor twice now that you can't throw stuff on the floor at home.

7. We went to Margaritaville for lunch. Connor got a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and declared it icky. Jimmy Buffet would be horrified.

8. They had a feeding time thing at the alligator park where they threw meat to a pond of alligators. The highlight of the show was two turkeys. they were not alive - but did have heads and feet - ick. One of the alligators made off with an entire turkey. We saw him later gliding along with it gripped in his mouth. It's probably like an alligator fantasy day. I can see it, five years from now, he's sunning himself on the bank, and re-telling the story of the day that he caught the whole turkey and got to eat it all by himself. Then they other alligators are like, "Larry, be quiet, you've told that story like 100 times."

9. The had the NICEST porta potties. Who knew that I'd ever get to use that phrase? They had porta potties for hotel guests to use if they were on the beach. They were air conditioned, had wall paper, hardwood floors, and crown molding. Very fancy.

10. The kids were great on the drive down, about 9 hours. On the way back - Olivia was a little cranky, but overall, not too bad.

A great adventure!

Birds

Ok - I have totally turned into that crazy lady who freaks out when the front door is used. We have three new baby birds. They are about 2.5 weeks old right now, and it's amazing how much they grew up while we were on vacation last week. They are no longer quivering piles of fuzz. They look like birds and are starting to get feathers.

Turns out that baby birds poop, a lot. Who knew?

I have not, and don't plan on, telling Mike that our front door is covered with bird poop. They will fly the proverbial nest soon enough and I'll scrub down the door.

I have gone to peek at them a few times and they just stare at me. The mom bird who was so diligent before must be off getting worms or something, because she is now MIA.

If I have to start getting worms and cutting them up for these guys - I will be highly displeased, but I don't think it will come to that.

Mother's Day Card

Ok - I got the best Mother's Day card from Connor. If left up to his own devices, I 100% know that this is the card that he would design. So funny. The front says "Happy Mother's Day" and has a sparkly heart sticker. Connor loves anything sparkly.

This is a photo of the inside - the picture is hysterical - I'm not totally sure what he is doing, but it is perfect "Connor".

The back has a pink sparkly handprint. If you stuck out 10,000 pots of paint - Connor would always choose the one with pink sparkly paint. I know that everyone's cards also probably had pink sparkly paint - but it really felt like my first card that was perfect "Connor".

Babies

Not much time to write as there is packing to be done. We leave tomorrow on our trip...

I have contained myself for a week and have not bothered the mommy bird - in honor of Mother's Day - it's official, she has become a mom. I'm unclear on numbers, but there is fluffy breathing movement.

I must take Joyce (who is watching our cat) the garage door opener, so as to allow the family some peace. That way she can come and  go through the garage instead of the front door.

Yeah !!! Welcome new birds.

Master Yoda

Connor has started to announce that we should call him Master Yoda - not Connor. I wonder if there is a book on raising a...whatever the heck Yoda is. I don't know when he should get shots, or what Yodas eat. Is he now self sufficient? Do we still need to send him to school? Should we just leave him home all day to practice his Jedi skills?

Scoot and Alex might know - I need to do some research.

Parenting Magazine

This month's Parenting has an article in the back titles; "Top tens ways your life isn't like a reality show". Number three reads, "You drive a Ford, shop at Target, and drink Diet Coke all the live-long day, but no one gives you a dime for product placement."

Seriously - this is so true, I should totally be on the Diet Coke payroll.

Runny Nose

The evil evil people I live with got me sick. Ok - they are not evil, but still...

My nose is running, and we leave on vacation in three days.

If I am sick on vacation - it will be horrible, and I will be cranky. Both Mike and my Mom will attest that it really is no fun when I am cranky.

I'm off to pop some more Vitamin C.

Olivia the Weasel

We are down to only nursing a little at night, and Olivia has become what Mike calls the Wild Weasel.

While nursing - she actually crawls all over me. I have actually nursed her with her rear in my face, she routinely kicks Mike or Connor while nursing, and she had her feet on my shoulders tonight. The end is coming - I plan on stopping in a week and a half after we return from our trip to Myrtle Beach.

She will be DEVASTATED. She does this super cute thing at night where she goes and picks up the boppy and brings it over to me so that we can nurse. 

There will be great great sadness in the Primo household.

While combing the internet for weasel pictures - I found this one. This book looks really fun, I must research it.

The Library

We went to the library tonight so that I could get some more books on CD for the ride to work. For the first time, Connor was very interested in the library and wanted to get a Star Wars book. We went and asked the librarian for help. She found a Star Wars cookbook. I have NO idea what would possibly be in it. She also had a movie that was way out of the league of a three year old.

Then, just when I thought all was lost, she came up with this book. Connor followed the librarian around to find the book and he was thrilled. He promptly sat on the floor to read. I was all excited, and had visions of us getting his first library card, and he would become a skilled reader, and then he would get into Harvard, and become a Doctor.

Ok - I remained calm enough to only envision the library card. I asked the librarian - she looked at me like I was insane. She pointed out that then I would have to manage two accounts, and that could get really confusing. I feel like she was secretly reading on her screen about how I'm always late returning books, but who knows.

So no, we did not get a library card, but we did get our first book. Hopefully Olivia will not eat it - it probably costs $95.00 to replace.

Worms

With all of the rain - I have taught Connor to be like Diego the animal rescuer, and rescue worms that end up on the sidewalk after a rain storm.

I have not had the heart to explain to him that three days later, the worms that he is rescuing are flat and dead.

Mike thinks this is all very very gross.

Poison Ivy

Ok, I have a raging case of poison ivy, and at the insistence of my friend Rachel, dragged myself to the doctor last night. I took the first pill this am and feel 84% better.

Despite the fact that I work in the pharmaceutical industry, I will never understand why some things require a prescription. It's not like someone is going to start OD-ing on poison ivy meds.

Oh look, this package says that it will give me headaches, make my skin thin (?), give me insomnia, will make me thirsty, will make me gain weight, make me dizzy, produce joint pain, cause unusual hair growth, and will cause bowel "issues". I should totally start dealing this stuff on the corner - people will buy it in droves.

I dropped the prescription off last night, but they were swamped, so I had to wait until today to start taking the medication.

I really feel like they should be on the shelves at the store with a big neon sign that reads, "If you are REALLY sick, this is the stuff".

Also - there was a man at the Doctor's office with a face mask, and dramatic cough. He kept going up to the front desk and would say stuff like, "I think everyone in the lobby is afraid of my "condition" - you should really see me first", or "I'm worried about infecting everyone, they all seem uncomfortable with my illness, you don't have to see me first, maybe I could just sit in the back?". They kept asking him to have a seat.

It made me laugh inside. No, Mr. Swine Flu, you should sit down, and wait your turn. And no, you do not have Swine Flu. Calm Down !!!!

Mike is sick

Germ warfare agent #1 (Connor) and germ warfare agent #2 (Olivia) got Mike sick. He has bronchitis again, and has been home sick for two days.

I work from home on Tuesdays, and he actually called my work # (several times) from down the hall to ask me to come rub his feet.

Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow.

I'm headed to the office tomorrow, so if he stays home, he would have to call Joyce from next door, and I highly doubt that she would come over to rub his feet.

Please tell the dinosaurs not to bite me...

We did a family field trip on Sunday and met my Mom at Dinosaur Land. Located in the Shanendoah Valley, about an hour away from both of us is Dinosaur Land. I had fun, Mike thought it was a little cheesy. I concur with the cheesy assessment, but it was still fun.

Envision a guy, probably in the 1960's, who discovered fiberglass, and crafted something large. He probably then moved onto dinosaurs. He made one - and all of his guy friends thought it was cool, so he made a second one. His wife got mad after two, and laid down the law. He had to turn it into some sort of money making venture - or no more dinosaurs. He actually did it, and at the end of the walking tour, you actually end up in someone's backyard.

I thought it was cool, and perhaps a little funny. They also had a giant shark, octopus, praying mantis, and king kong.

The entry fee is fairly cheap - I think it was $19 for 3 adults and 2 kids, so, my assessment would be a good field trip. A good field trip for a one hour drive - maybe anything over two hours, you might be disappointed.

And yes, Connor did ask us to speak to the dinosaurs to make sure they did not eat him.

The King's New Throne

We lent Connor & Olivia's exersaucer to Patrick Royal. 

Patrick is our friend Carolyn's little guy, he is super sweet and check him out in the fancy exersaucer!!

Super fun. Connor loved it - Olivia never got too excited about it for some reason.

He likes calling people on the toy phone. He wants to be like his Mommy with her iPhone.

Skinny Pants

Connor and Olivia are now wearing the same sized shorts. We have officially hit warm weather, so I dug out our summer clothes. 

Last year, I made the mistake of giving away all of Connor's shorts to Owen. Turns out that he was the same size last Summer as the previous Summer. In shorts at least.

Connor is a skinny little guy - so he has always worn clothes a little on the small side.

Crazy Bird Lady

Ok - it's official. I have become the crazy bird lady. I have stopped using the front door, and was actually annoyed this evening when Connor's friend stopped by and rang the front doorbell.

All I could think of was DON'T SCARE THE MOMMY BIRD - YOU ARE BEING TOO LOUD FOR THE EGGS!!!!

I did pick Connor up to see the eggs, still nothing is happening.

Coughing and Eye Goop

Olivia is sick, she has a cough and some icky eye thing going on. We still had some prescription eye drops from the last time this happened, so that should be quickly solved. Alas, when Connor was small, they decided to ban Padia-care which was a decongestant for babies. Believe it or not - there really isn't anything else on the market for colds until they hit two years old.

What a sham.

3 Eggs

I went outside this am to leave Olivia's Exersaucer out for Kevin to come by and borrow. In the process, I scared off the Mommy bird from the nest in the middle of the wreath. (Not sure the status of nest #2 - I'm too short to evaluate). I peeked in the nest, and there are three little blue eggs. Very exciting!!

I may have to discontinue use of the front door and place up cones and barriers.

The Race Car Bed Gets Crowded

My Mom got Connor a wooden truck that carries building blocks. The entire truck can be dismantled, even the wheels and axle of the truck. Last night, the axle portion got invited into the inner sanctum of the sacred race car bed.

I did not have to tell a miscellaneous piece of wood that I loved it, but I did have to make sure it was covered by the blanket.

Doggie Towel

Connor got this doggie bath towel from Chris and Betty when he was born, and now Olivia has inherited it. It's really super sweet, just like Olivia.

This is Olivia eating my very expensive headset for work. I think she really just licked it a little.

Nest Update

Ok - turns out that there are actually TWO nests. One on the top (really listing to the side) and one in the center of the wreath.

Don't birds have some sort of zoning commission? I can't understand why none of the other birds were like, "Bob, that's really a bad idea, why don't you set up your nest TWO FEET over in that there ficus tree?".

So now I have become the OCD front door lady - I'm just a step away from making signs to direct people to gently close and open the door.

Spring is Sprung!

There is a bird who built a little nest on the top of the wreath on my front door. Poor choice of location to build your home, but it still makes me smile.

Bulbs are coming up, trees are blooming, and the lawn has officially been mowed for the first time this year. Last year, Connor wanted to go "help" Mike mow the lawn - that had disaster written all over it, so I banned this idea.

Connor actually went and hung out in the yard on Saturday while Mike mowed. He didn't run into the street, or jump in front of the mower, or get bitten by a stray dog. He did have a Jedi battle with a random stranger, but that all ended in a safe fashion. No lawsuits were filed.

Spring is sprung - the kids are growing up so fast. I can't wait for our Summer adventures to begin. Jon and Sarah are in OBX right now. Jealous does not begin to describe my feelings on that, but I'm thrilled for them. Declan is growing up so fast, and is having his first taste of the big ocean.

Happy Spring!

Diet Pepsi is Not Diet Coke

No, this is not related to parenting anyone, but numerous of the blog followers will understand, so here goes.

Diet Pepsi is not Diet Coke - as indicated by the fact that the have two different names and are made by two different companies.

Mike took us to an AWESOME sushi buffet yesterday (Rachel - we HAVE to go) in Herndon. I did the normal "Diet Coke please", she said ok, and brought Pepsi. The funniest thing was that when she came to refill the drink, she brought a pitcher with masking tape on it that read "Diet Coke".

Not to be militant - but having some masking tape, and simply calling something something, does not make it so.

Tomorrow - I will take the kids to school and put masking tape on Connor that reads "Olivia", and tape on Olivia that reads "Connor". They will switch places in school - and the masking tape will make it so!

Olivia gets new tooth

After much anticipation...ok, I was not really anticipating it, or worried about it, but Mike's mom had him convinced that the lack of a new tooth was a huge issue, a new tooth has arrived.

It is located on the front - next to the two front teeth.

Connor the Jedi Knight

Connor is on a HUGE Star Wars kick, so yesterday during "Special Mike and Connor Saturday Fun Time", a light saber was acquired. These things happen when I'm not around, because I would probably be a wet blanket.

Connor came home with his new green light saber and was beside himself with joy.

Later in the day - Mike and Connor were working in the yard. Random coincidence, another little boy was walking by with his parents, ALSO carrying a light saber. Mike said that they had an impromptu battle on the front lawn. Pretty funny.

And yes, the light saber has been added to the bed. And no, I did not have to tell the light saber that I loved it. Yet! I'm sure that is coming.

Happy Monday

I have not posted for a few days. Shame on me! I will attempt to be better about being consistent.

This is Olivia this am getting ready for school. She has a nicer wardrobe than I do, but like Connor, I'm sure that my days of being able to get her to wear what "I" like are limited - but she is wearing a cute little dress with a scottie dog on the front.

Easter was fun with the kids - we did an egg hunt in the yard with Connor, and one with Olivia in the living room. On Saturday, we went to my Mom's house and ate lunch and dyed eggs.

Church didn't go so good yesterday - primarily I think because Mike and Connor had to stand, but what can you do.

More later - I promise!

No More Head Banging

We are at day #3 of no more head banging from Olivia in the morning. Cross you fingers for continued success!

I can't IMAGINE how she is going to take it when I stop nursing altogether - I don't think that it is going to be well received.

I love you plastic skirt hanger!

As you all know, Connor keeps adding to the repertoire of things that get to go to bed with him. Last night's addition was the plastic tackle box that came with his new fishing pole.

While putting Connor to bed, after I told him that I loved him, he wanted me to tell monkey and tigger that I loved them too, then he held out the plastic skirt hanger, and yes, I told a plastic skirt hanger that I loved it.

Spicy Rice Super Donalds

Tonight Mike took BOTH kids to Spicy Rice Super Donalds. This is what Connor calls Chipolte. Wrangling one kid is somewhat manageable, two can be interesting.

Mike's post-trip report was pretty funny. Carolyn - you may not be able to read this one.

Mid dinner, Connor announced that he had to go to the bathroom. Mike took Olivia out and they ran off to the bathroom after Connor. Of course the door was locked - but they finally got in. Connor wanted to use the adult urinal, so while Mike was holding him up mid-air, he was trying to corral Olivia in the corner with his foot.

While he was washing Connor's hands, Olivia ran over to splash in the urinal. Very very upsetting information to hear indeed.

He managed to re-wash everyone and go back to the table. A few minutes later, Connor fell out of the booth and landed on his rump on the floor and was hysterically crying. Mike scooped him up and was trying to calm him down, so he made a joke about how Connor broke the floor at Spicy Rice Super Donalds, because there was a crack on the cement floor. This upset Connor even more, and started a new round of weeping.

Apparently, on the way out, some man stopped to help Mike cary his tray, and bemoaned how he has the same experience when his wife sends him out with both kids.

Hold the Phone!!!

There is a boy reading my blog!!!

Stop the presses - I love it!!! This is one of my oldest friends Jon Steinberg, he crank called me at work today and left me a message as if he were the school calling to report that Connor was biting people and furniture. He later quoted my blog.

Rock on! One step closer to world blog domination. 6 official followers and one stealthy boy. This has got to be like 9% of the world's population right?

Olivia's Week Continues

Today we went to the pediatrician's for Olivia's 15 month check up and shots. This is her before we had to get naked and have shots. Please note the super cute pink bow, the ladies at school dolled her up for her doctor's visit.

She got a clean bill of health, except for a slight fungal infection. We're ladies, so we don't discuss specifics, but she'll have some fancy cream tomorrow and she'll be sorted right out.

Hopefully tomorrow will not involve any tripping, falling, head banging, or shots, and we can end the week on an upswing.

A Visit to the Mouse

Mariana, Nick's mom texted me last night to report that they were going to go to Chuck E Cheese's, and did we want to come. I work in Rockville on Wednesdays, so normally it would never work out, but the stars aligned, and Mike was at a meeting, so we joined them at "the mouse".

What a blast. Connor was beside himself, and Mariana and I had a beer (my Jenny Craig lady is going to have a FIT), and the kids romped and ran. Olivia took a tumble on the slide. She chose to go head first, and it didn't end well, but she had a great time. Mena and Layla were there too.

A week night is actually a fun time to go. Props on the idea Mariana!

Olivia Has a Week !

Poor Olivia has had a bad week.

First - she took a spill leaving school on Monday and fell head first on the sidewalk. She's fine, and only has a scrape on her forehead. Of course this happened on my watch and I feel horrible.

Then - also on Monday, I decided to phase out the morning nursing, leaving just bedtime. This has NOT been well received. Instead of coming into our bed where it is warm and toasty and snugly, I have been taking her downstairs. Half way down the steps, she realizes that the jig is up, and starts crying, really sobbing, truth be told. I have to put her down in the kitchen while I warm up some milk for her, and for three days now, she has sat on the kitchen rug, throwing herself on it and occasionally banging her head on the floor. This morning, she added banging on the dishwasher to the mix.

I know that it is for the best - but it's a sad and pitiful sight.

The Great Primo Family Secret

Ok - the Primos have a big family secret, and it's finally time to let it out.

Olivia may be a morning person.

There, I said it. I can just hear the villagers getting their pitchforks ready to storm the house.

Mike, Connor, and I are NOT morning people. We love nothing more than lolly gagging about in bed. We like to sleep in, we like to be toasty, we like pillows, we like to burrow. Connor and I share the same "nothing can wake us up gene". I scoff at those fancy new alarm clocks where they wake you up with an ever increasing night light. Never in a million years would that rouse me. I actually have to buy a new alarm clock every few months, not because the clock portion no longer works, but because the snooze alarm function is not working.

In high school, (and probably college??), the family joke was that my Mom would have to poke me with a wooden spoon to wake me up. When Connor is older, we may have to have him go to bed in school clothes, and then just carry him to the car.

I think I've missed this personality trait because I would nurse Olivia in bed, and she would often go back to sleep in the am. For the past week, aside from the sobbing and head banging that has already been discussed, she's actually awake and functioning.

Not that I'm knocking morning people, don't get me wrong. My Mom is a morning person. They are really pretty impressive. I'll call my Mom on the way to work. Here is what I got done by 7am, I got showered and put on clothes. Here is what she got done, she got showered, put on clothes, ironed a bunch of things, did two loads of laundry, walked the dog, unloaded the dishwasher, and did a puzzle.

It's pretty impressive. I have a vision of Mike, Connor and I asleep, while Olivia is up early, calls my Mom, and they discuss what kind of sprinkles to put on the sugar cookies that Olivia has just made, and which of Louisa May Alcott's books might be the best.

My Mom needs to come on over with her wooden spoon for the rest of us lot.

How Many Things Can Fit Into a Race Car Bed?

Tonight is night #10 with the new bed. I was really worried about the transition, but it has gone great, and the crib is now with Paul and Katie at their fancy new house.

For three years, Connor was pretty religious about his bedtime companions, Monkey, Tigger, and a blanket my Grandmother made.

Since the advent of the Race Car Bed, it's ALL changed. Almost every night, Connor adds something else to the mix.

Tonight, Connor went to bed with a blanket, Monkey, Tigger, a light up sword from the circus, 2 cars, one book, and a plastic skirt hanger. Yes - a plastic skirt hanger. I think he thinks it is a light saber.

The blanket is for a baby or toddler and Connor insists that all of these random things get tucked in and are covered. The blanket is at full capacity!

Never the "Biter" Be - Always Strive to Be the "Bitee"

Just got a call from Connor's school to let us know that some kid had bit him.  The skin was not broken, and he was unfazed, but there were clear teeth marks on his skin.

I called Mike just to let him know, and he was a little annoyed. I reminded him that on two past occasions, Connor was the "Biter", so this was probably just our time. Plus, the skin was not broken - so the cootie factor was lowered.

How sad is it that you have a sense of relief when your kid gets bitten by another kid - only because your kid was not the one biting?

(If I was that snobby - my kid is better than your kid Mom, I might note that Connor was out of his biting phase a long time ago. Bam ! Take that Harvard Admissions!)

Updates...

Ok, we have not had time to download any pictures from the camera, but I still wanted to give everyone updates on all of the Primos' adventures;

1. We went to the Circus on Saturday and had a BLAST. Props to Mariana for organizing everything. It was Connor's 1st time going, and he was in awe. He ate TONS of cotton candy (blue) and popcorn. I told him that he could choose a toy from the gift shop and before I got my sentence out, he had picked the light up sword with the giant spinning ball. Nick chose the same. 

Two boys + crowded facility + lots of blue cotton candy + giant plastic swords = A lot of apologizing to random strangers.

2. After the circus - we ate at Jaleo. De-Lish!! Dates wrapped in bacon sound gross, but man oh man, they are yummy. My friend Forrest would point out that really anything wrapped in bacon has to be good.

3. During the circus adventure - my Mom called to report that she had located a second hand race car bed. We had been on the hunt for one, so it was perfect timing. She and Hank brought it over on Sunday. We put it into instant use, and Connor has slept in it for 5 nights now, and seems to love it. The crib is headed over to Paul and Katie's new house. Yeah for big boy beds.

4. My Mom also showed up with a Radio Flyer tricycle. Super cool. Can't wait to go cruising with it.

5. Rachel, Ella, my Mom, and Hank all had dinner on Sunday night. Mike fired up the grill for the 1st time, and we had some burgers and sausages. Good times.

We are starting to plan out a family trip for the Spring - I'm so excited that Spring is here. The flowers are coming up and the trees are starting to bud. I think the Boy Scouts are delivering mulch this weekend, so that will make it official!

A Great Weekend Was Had By All

I have all kinds of great news to report, and will do so later when more time is had...and more pictures uploaded, but we had a great weekend.

I had this picture though - so I thought I would post it.

On Sunday, Connor and I went with our friends Rachel and her daughter Ella (pictured) to the Great Pet Expo, and had a lot of fun. Surprisingly, Connor was most interested in the moon bounce, more so than all of the animals. We did go into a booth and got our picture snapped with a big barn owl. At one point - he spun his head 360 degrees and stared at us. He poofed up a bit for the picture, so he looks almost as big as Connor.

Connor and Ella also posed for the picture on the right. No, Connor did not get eaten by the snake. He did pose, but at the point when the snake was deposited on Ella, and the snakes tail gently started tickling his arm, Connor's eyes got HUGE, he turned around, saw the snake, and ran out of the picture. He's on board with owls - but not with snakes apparently.

Connor Protecting The Point

We went to visit St. Mary's College (where most of the crew went for undergrad) two weekends ago. This is Connor, Tabs, and Tim coming back up the hill from Church Point. Church Point is right on the water, and is such a great place to go relax and sit on the beach.

Tabs and Tim look calm, although their dad tells me that they were not in the subsequent photos that were taken along with this one.

Connor looks ready to rumble and protect the point from one of more of the following; ninjas (sorry Carolyn), bears in the woods, masked villains, or perhaps even out of control college students.

He's only lacking a cape.

Going to the Circus!!

We are going to the Circus with Connor's friend Nicholas and his family on Saturday!!!

We are all really excited. Connor has never been and we can't wait to see how excited he is going to be. We always have a lot of fun with Mariana and Tim too, so it should be a great time.

Olivia is going to hang out with Nick's little sister Layla, the 1st time being away from Mom and Dad - but not at school. A day of firsts!

Connor Calls Grandpot

Last night Connor pretended to call Hank (Grandpot) on a toy car. He had like a minute long conversation telling him that we were at Lobster Super Donalds (Red Lobster), and that he was happy to talk to him. Very very funny.

(My motherly pride is erasing from this story the fact that he "borrowed" the car from another kid at school, and we need to return it to it's rightful owner tomorrow.)

Uncle Bruce begins chemo either tomorrow or on Monday. Sending prayers and good mojo to New Jersey for Bruce and Gwen and all of the medical staff.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This is a picture of Olivia eating my work to-do list.

Olivia has this little devilish grin and laugh when she knows that she is doing something bad, and it really amps up when she knows that you are coming to stop her from eating/tearing/chewing/gnawing/sucking/licking whatever she's got going on.

She also has this little scamper as she tries to avoid you and continue doing whatever bad behavior it is that she is in to. 

It's very hard to get upset, because she looks so cute when she's up to no good.

Connor came home with a big shamrock on his cheek - and everyone wore green to school. This am, we were explaining to Connor that if he did not choose something green to wear, that he might get pinched. His eyes got like saucers. Not sure if he was worried about being pinched, or excited about the pinching prospects.

My cousin (2nd ??) Tim arrives tomorrow. He and his wife Analyn live in Minnesota, and are tired of being cold. He is looking to move his company to the area and will be staying with us for a few days. His mom, my Great Aunt Gina, is my Grandmother's Sister, Should be a lot of fun to reconnect. Also - cool to have more family in town. Safe flight and happy office hunting to Tim!

Olivia has a meltdown!

This is normal little kid behavior, but Olivia is a really chilled out little lady. Yes, she does have firm opinions on things, and DOES NOT like to have things taken away from her, but overall, fairly relaxed. She woke up in a royal snit this am. She was fine while nursing, but when we went downstairs for ME to have breakfast, she had a 15 minute meltdown. She was crying and at one point sat on the kitchen rug and was banging her head on the floor. About 15 minutes after it started - she got her stuff together and was just fine. 

I can't wait for her to talk. When she is upset now, there is no real way to determine what's up. Once you have checked for hunger, diaper issues, clothing issues, etc., it's a little bit of a crap shoot to figure out what's going on.

She looked happy like this when she went to school!

Connor Remembers !

Connor has changed so much over the past year, especially over the past 6 months. I had a lightbulb moment as I realized that one of the biggest things is that he remembers stuff. This sound so mundane, and frankly, obvious, but it's pretty neat.

Mike and I have spent the past three years doing tons of stuff to create special moments for him. Special memories.

They were really our memories. 

Sure, I know he remembers hugs and love and snuggley moments, but he probably won't remember lots of the little stuff that we did. I think that from now, he might, which feels cool. We were talking about birthdays, and he knew that his was on the 26th. And without missing a beat, he mentioned his Batman and "move it" (Madagascar) cakes that he got to this year. For school, he picked out his cake at Wegman's, and he picked Batman. The topper had a magnet, so Batman balanced on his toes, ready to leap off the building.

We went to Sara's birthday a few weeks later and he fell in love with her "move it" cake. I flipped through the cake book, trying to pick the perfect cake for his moon bounce party, and kept going back to the Madagascar cake, and finally picked that one. He calls that movie "move it" because there is a song in it that he loves where they sing "move it move it".

We'll keep doing the special things - and I can't wait for that time years from now when he says, "Mom, remember that time we made cupcakes with the little pumpkins for the school bake sale? That was fun!".

Connor Eaten Alive

We went to the zoo a few weeks ago in the midst of a sunny spell, and this is Connor being eaten by a dinosaur. This is by the big cat enclosure - aside from teeth, I'm unclear on the connection.

Connor, just like Mike, loves the prairie dogs. Can't wait for Spring, we love trips to the zoo.

Stock in Goldfish

Mike sent around a bunch of pictures that he downloaded this weekend. Almost all of them have my kids hauling around little baggies of goldfish. When I looked at them, it made me feel like all my kids do is eat all day. They certainly are snackers. Mmmm...I wonder where THAT genetic trait comes from?

In addition to my Diet Coke stock - we should probably acquire some in Goldfish!

(This is Connor at the B & O Railroad Museum, my Mom and I took the kids there a few weeks ago. It's a great place for romping and climbing. Go when it's warm though.)

Sarah has a blog!

My friend Sarah has started a blog about her little nugget. She joins my friend Carolyn who writes daily about little Patrick.

I got all excited to see her blog - she and Jon spent several years trying to add to their family and they have a wonderful new addition, Little Declan.

Carolyn would joke with me about my random capitalization, but for some reason Little Declan seems like the perfect use of caps. We got to spend Saturday with him at St. Mary's College. We all sat on the beach, and it was his first trip to his future alma mater. It felt complete that he was there.

Welcome to the blog nation!

Kids Love Parks

Yesterday was sunny and lovely. Please note that we had a horrible snowstorm 5 days ago. Very random, but nonetheless, Spring is my favorite time of year. I love working in the yard. I feel like I have abandoned the yard for three years due to small babies. I have committed to making this year different. I don't want to become known as "that house".

After a bunch of errands, we took the kids to the park and ran into Ava and her Dad and Lily and her parents Peter and Doreen. Lily lives next door and is a sweet little girl, I hope that she and Livie become fast friends.

Olivia has done slides before, but usually on the lap of a big person or with a mom at the top and dad at the bottom.. Yesterday, she proved that she has the same daredevil genes as Connor. She hustled on up all by herself and had no problems sliding down all byherself. She even went once head first.

Connor begins marketing for Fruit of the Loom

Connor is now three. While he had some firm opinions about things before - he has firmer opinions now that he is three.

Connor does not understand why his Fruit of the Loom underwear has the picture on the back. He can't see it back there. Being in marketing myself - I actually think this is a good question.

Every morning, we have the conversation about why Lightening McQueen is on the back instead of the front. He will also often go to school and drop his pants to show his teacher or friend the character that is on his behind. Sometimes the pants just get pulled down a little to discuss the character of the day, sometimes, he drops his pants all the way to the floor. While I'm not sure I like him dropping his pants, I can understand his frustration.

I see a future in product design or marketing.

Olivia gets snipped!

Olivia got her first haircut on Sunday.

Unlike Connor, she was not thrilled with the experience. Even when Pauline tried to buy her affections with a lollipop.

I loved Connor's hair after his 1st haircut. He suddenly looked like a little boy. We took Olivia to Mike's barbershop. I think Olivia's turned out looking like she got her hair cut at a barbershop - ha ha. Everyone else thinks it looks sweet. I think it looks a little severe. She's sweet, so I guess it is all good.

This is a photo of her at the beginning - two seconds later, Pauline started up the electric trimmers and all hell broke loose.

Light Up Shoes

Connor slept all night in his light up shoes. I'm sure Mike got quite the surprise when he went to get him up this am.

Olivia is still asleep, this is shocking information. Alas, I will have to go wake her up.

Happy Friday family and friends!

Spiderman Sleeps Tight

Despite the fact that I have no fashion sense or style, Connor has some firm opinions about his attire. He is STRONGLY against buttons, pretty firmly against snaps, can only handle one pair of shoes in the closet at a time, and seems to hate sweaters.

We have been wearing light up Spiderman shoes for several months. They still fit, but no longer light up, they are in pretty rough condition, and they seem to even smell a little.

I went out at lunch and secured a new pair. Connor is in LOVE!!! They also light up, and are only a little different from the original well loved pair.

This is a picture of Connor in his new shoes. He insisted on sleeping in them, and I was so happy that he was happy, that I didn't argue.

It's very sweet. Of course when he wakes up at 2am because the light up Mo kitties that have been stalking him have woken him up, I won't think it's so cool. but he is really cute.

We had parent/teacher meetings at school today - they seemed to go really well. We had them back in December, and the kids have both made a lot of progress which feels great.

Today was Olivia's first day at school with only milk - no bottles of breast milk. I felt sad, and a little like I was letting her down - but she seemed to survive just fine.

I feel like I have been nursing and pumping since the dawn of time, so it's a totally alien feeling to see the finish line. 

Shirlene at work who has NEVER connected the dots to sort out why my door is shut when I am pumping, and inevitably knocks on the door when I'm in there, will not know what's going on.

We are keeping Uncle Bruce in our prayers - hope to find out the big picture any day now, and the Doctors will create a game plan to get him well.

We might get Olivia her 1st haircut this weekend, she is looking a little shaggy.

Sleep tight little munchkin and big Spiderman.

Olivia says Daddy!

Olivia has actually said Daddy before, but she was looking at her feet, the cat, or the wall, so I did not really count it. Mike counted it, but I did not.

Today, she looked at Mike and said Daddy. It was very sweet.

I have been coaching her for months to say Mama or Mommy, but apparently, to no avail.

"Bye-Bye" - accompanied by a seriously cute wave, was her first word though.

These are other things that she is doing;

1. She is walking quite a bit.

2. Digging into all of the unsecured cabinets. There were 4 left, and she has had a field day. I spent 45 min last night putting in new safety locks.

3. Climbing on the edge of the big tub. I was always convinced that Connor would fall into the tub. While he was interested, he never actually got up on the side. When I'm in the shower, I have to watch her through the door, and have had to dart out naked on two occasions to fetch her off the edge of the precipice.

4. She is having regular milk. We are slowing down on the nursing.

5. She is clapping.

6. She can dance along to music or something on TV.

7. She is FASCINATED by Connor.

8. She loves Mo, and wants to touch his face.

9. She wants whatever toy that Connor is holding.

**10. She makes a really loud Pterodactyl sound when she is displeased. 

She is one cute kid!

**To my Mom and Carolyn. Yes, I did look up the spelling of "Pterodactyl". Seems like the spelling is dependent on which website you look at. I found 5+ versions, and picked this one.

Always Trust Joe (or Hank)

Ok - today's post is not REALLY about kids, or parenting, but it is in a way. The lesson for today is to trust your gut. If you are lacking the mythical "gut", trust Joe or Hank.

Hank is my step father, and Joe is my friend and next door neighbor.

My neighbor Peter offered to lend me his ELECTRIC snow blower. Joyce - Joe's wife had already told me to borrow Joe's GAS snowblower. I took Peter up on his offer, because  this was new neighborly behavior, and I was pleased. I ended up going to Joe anyway because my extension cord would not fit the snowblower. Joe did exactly what Hank would have done - he cut off the offending plastic bit that was preventing the cord from fitting in. Mind you, we have no idea what the bit did, but Hank would have done the exact same thing.

I spent the next hour trying not to run over the extension cord and moving snow randomly around my driveway. I don't think any of it actually LEFT the driveway, I think I just moved it around. Some might call this "user error" - but I think that the electric snow blower was not the "right tool for the job". I'm not totally sure what job the electric snowblower COULD do, since it is a snowblower after all, but clearly, not well designed for it's assigned task.

Joe is WAAAAYYYYY too polite to say this at the start, but he seemed to know that I'd eventually be back for the gas one, because he kept offering it.

So, today's lesson is that if your gut tells you to do or not do something - go with your gut. If the kid's car seat seems loose, it probably is. If the stroller seems unwieldy, it probably is, don't buy it. If going out without spare clothes seems like a bad idea, it probably is.

If you do not have an internal "gut" that alerts you to these things, just let me know, and I'll get you in touch with Joe or Hank. They can probably offer sage advice on whatever subject you might be seeking information on.

Today's second lesson is that electric snow blowers are crappy.

3:45 am...

Ok...this time it was Olivia. Is someone calling my house every am to wake up my kids? This is totally unacceptable!

On a cute note, because waking up at 3:45 am is not cute, Olivia took my hairbrush this morning after I finished brushing my hair, and tried to brush hers. I say tried, because the bristles were facing out, instead of in, but very cute.

One of the 1st times that she has done something like that.

Waiting on the Bruce update. Hopefully he will head home today. Fingers crossed for good news.

Funny Things

Parenting makes you do funny things...

I just read my friend Carolyn's blog about her son Patrick.

She was observing that she had used the word diarrhea three times in one paragraph. (I can't knock her, because I use the word poo pretty regularly).

I wonder if someone goggled "poo", if my blog would appear toward the top. I'd become famous as the lady with the poo blog.

(My mom will be horrified tomorrow when she discovers this posting.)

Connor the Monkey Boy

We were in a restaurant this past weekend - and spontaneously, Connor stood up in his chair and scratched under his arm and his backside and made a monkey screech. He then calmly sat down and continued eating.

It was one of those parenting moments that you KNOW you were supposed to reprimand you child - but you were laughing too hard.

Eventually - we did tell him to sit down.

3:45 am

Connor woke up at 3:45 am today!!!!!!!

He woke up Olivia, Mike, Athos, Sam, Mo, and yes - me.

During dinner, we asked him what happened to make him wake up crying (screaming) at 3:45 am.

These were the listed culprits;

*The mos woke me up (Mo is our cat, there is only one mo, and he was in our bed)

*The doggies

*The bad man

*The mo kitties were in my bed - they jump on me and scare me

*Tiger

*Olivia

*It was scary

*Dinosaur

*Scary Pirate

*It was dark

3:45 am is very early.

Uncle Bruce

My Uncle Bruce is sick. 

Today he is in the hospital getting a biopsy done to determine exactly what is going on, so many prayers on a safe day today and positive news for tomorrow.

I think that if I were sick - I'd like to hear nice things about myself. Mike says that this is probably true every day, but nonetheless, I wanted to write about 10 cool things about my Uncle Bruce!

So - in no particular order, here you go;

1. Bruce LOVES dark chocolate. He is skinny and fit and can eat an enormous amount of candy. I am envious.

2. Bruce can fall asleep anywhere which is a pretty cool trait. Sometimes I will see him asleep, and other times, when I think he is asleep, he's actually awake. I don't always sleep well - so this is impressive.

3. Bruce is one of the kindest people I know. I have never heard him say a bad word about anyone.

4. Bruce is a true gentleman. He always seems to be looking around, and is 1st on the scene when someone needs a door opened, bag held, or small person tended too.

5. My cousin Erica had baby Miles, exactly one month after we had Connor. Miles is Bruce's 1st grandchild - Bruce is a great grandfather. Miles is one lucky kid.

6. When my Grandfather passed away, and my Grandmother was scared about what the future held - Bruce was great about offering her comforting words and sage advice. This meant a lot to me.

7. Bruce is an attorney and works many many hours - despite being sick, he left the doctor's office after getting bad news to go to settlement with some clients. He is the type of person who would never leave people hanging on their dreams, despite having a hard day himself.

8. Bruce and my aunt really complement each other. When Mike and I got married, during marriage prep classes with our priest, I said at one point that Mike and I showed that opposites really do attract. Father Bill said that it was good to think of it as we complement each other. I think this is true of Bruce and Gwen too. I'm very happy my aunt married Bruce - he is a genuinely good man.

9. Bruce is very quiet and reserved. I admire how he takes it all in and seems to have good advice. I think I could learn from him, I talk more and should probably listen more.

10. Bruce has raised three great kids, Erica, Jesse and Josh. He is a great dad, husband and uncle.

* This is my Uncle Bruce and Cousin Jesse. Two pretty handsome guys!

PG-13

Mike and I are in constant conversations about what "is" and what "is not" acceptable for the kids to watch on TV.

I am much more conservative on the subject than he is. Tonight - I found a nice wholesome Smithsonian Kids program. We all sat on the couch for 30 minutes and watched some seriously cute pandas doing very inappropriate things to trees - and then to other pandas.

Slightly disturbing - but still, very cute.

Feely Box Imagination

Today's "Family Communication" sheet from Connor's school reads; "Today I played the game Feely Box Imagination".

What the heck is Feely Box Imagination?

Some days I think - yup, it's worth all of this hard work to pay these INSANE fees for a good child care facility. Others days, I wonder what the heck are they are doing with our kids all day...

Tomorrow's mission must become; Research Feely Box Imagination!

Hopefully - I will still smell like cookies, people tend to be honest with people who smell like cookies.