Christmas Recap 2

December 24th: This was the day I realized that I'm a complete computer junkie. I felt completely cut off from the whole world, and was almost ready to scream if Wesley asked for computer time once more. Thank goodness we had Christmas to distract us. Well, that and the toy reindeer that pooped M&Ms. Wesley couldn't stop talking about that!

We celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa H., Aunt Cathy and boys, Uncle Kirk and Aunt Susan, Aunt Carol and Al before church. For the first time, Wesley was actually interested in opening presents - very interested! In fact, he helped other people unwrap gifts!

The big entertainment for the first part of the evening was trying to get a Christmas picture of Ryan. Note it took three adults and a six-year-old.

This is picture we ended up with. Not bad, but I think Aunt Susan got a better one.

Have I mentioned how much Kei loves Ryan? It's crazy!

Wesley helped Al unwrap his gift.

The W. family dressed for church.

Church went pretty smoothly too. We left Ryan in the nursery before the service started and took Wesley up with us until after the children's message. He was adorable! I caught him staring at the knot holes in the church ceiling (there are a million of them and I used to count them when I was little). He even sang along with the hymns. Now, I'll admit that he was singing something totally incomprehensible and not even close to what anyone else was singing, but it was awfully cute.

After church Wesley watched out the car windows for Santa. Then we put out cookies, milk and carrots and collapsed into bed.

Christmas Recap 1

Our Christmas was crazy as usual, but since the computer was broken, you won't get a play -by-play. So...here are the highlights.

December 23: Wesley and I spent the day in Christmas prep mode. We made our first ever gingerbread house together. TONS of fun!! I can't wait to do another next year.

After the gingerbread house, we made a Peppermint Cake with White Chocolate Frosting (from Paula Deen's magazine). All I can say is YUMMY!!!! Wesley was a huge help. He helped me crush up the candy canes, added all the ingredients to the bowl and turned the mixer on and off. Emeril better watch out - Wesley could be the next big name chef. Anyhow, Wesley took a taste of the batter and said, "Mmmmm. It takes like the North Pole." He watches the My Friends Tigger and Pooh Christmas DVD and Winnie-the-Pooh says the North Pole tastes like peppermint. I was so tickled Wesley made that connection. Too cute! The frosting was a big hit too. Wesley took a small taste off the cake with his finger, then said "Just two more bites!" and stuck his finger into the middle of the cake.

Since we were in baking mode, I tried to prep Wesley for Christmas Eve by talking to him about leaving milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. I don't know if any of you remember last year, but Wesley was pretty distressed that Santa ate the cookies we left out. No problem with that this year. Wesley said, "You get the carrots and I'll get the milk and cookies! But I don't know where they are!" It was hard to get him to calm down enough to remember that we weren't putting milk and cookies out until Christmas Eve.

The other big news from the 23rd is that was the day the computer died. Wesley was convinced that the problem was that the batteries were dead. "Just change the batteries, Mom." If only.

My Brother ROCKS!!!

Seriously, if you are one of the people I knew in middle or high school, I take back anything bad I ever said about my brother. Since Matt is still working on my computer (he's trying to save the pictures) Kirk brought me a rebuild he had sitting around. Here I am - on the Internet!!!! YAY!!!! A holiday recap is coming up very shortly!!!

Book Rant

My computer is still broken, so I'm blogging at work. I normally don't do this, but since this is book related, I feel somewhat justified. I'm sure many of you have heard the recent story about the gentleman who wrote a memoir about meeting his wife through the fence of a concentration camp during the Holocaust. The guy has come out and said it was all a big lie. Fine. That stinks. You shouldn't lie and I find lying about the Holocaust especially disgusting. That being said, I have read children's book of "their story", Angel Girl, and loved it. I thought it was beautifully written and conveyed such a message of hope through the darkest of times.

The publisher is now issuing a recall of the book. In some ways I find this even more infuriating than the fact that the sweet love story is a crock. The book is lovely. It has a good message. It's a picture book, can't we just categorize it as fiction and leave it alone. I can't speak for the adult book since I never read it (and will never get to do so now), but this is a good book on it's own. I'm now struggling with how to handle this book in the library's collection. Do we re-catalog it as fiction and put it in picture books? Do I send it back to the publisher as they are requesting? I hate to pretend this book - or any book for that matter - never existed. What are your thoughts?

Where's Heather?

My computer at home has contracted a nasty nasty virus. I haven't had access to it since the last time I blogged and probably won't have it back until Monday (if things go well). Thank goodness Wesley got a Leapster for Christmas and has finally stopped asking for computer time!I promise to "back post" and let you all about our holiday (complete with lots of pictures) when my computer starts running again. BTW - I'm posting this at work, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet!

Focus on the Positive

My stress level is much lower than it was this morning because today went pretty smoothly. I got the car dropped off and received the best customer service I have had (outside of my work) in a very long time. The guys were so helpful and friendly - they even carried my diaper bag! My car is still there, but after a year, I am FINALLY getting my remote start installed, so it's totally worth it. Lunch was delicious and Ryan did not have to go the doctor. Unless he gets a fever or starts making a "whooping" noise, he doesn't need to be seen. YAY!

Here are a few pictures (mostly from today) that I wanted to share.

This is how Wesley helped me wrap gifts on Saturday. Not real effective for wrapping, but very effective for entertaining Mommy.


Wesley just wanted his picture taken this morning. I'm not sure if he wanted to show off his favorite shirt (he'd wear it every day if I'd let him) or the fact that he was standing on one leg.

Ryan was seriously fascinated with my coffee cup this morning. I mean he had a killer grip on it.

Despite the way this picture looks, Ryan did not actually taste any coffee and Santa will not be leaving a Starbucks gift card in his stocking.

How cute is this!? Seriously, could you say "no" to that face?

All I Want for Christmas

Forget the two front teeth. All I want for Christmas is a little more time! Here it is, 7:15 on the 22nd of December and my stress level is through the roof!! I took today and tomorrow off work so I could have a vacation the week of Christmas. Vacation. That's funny.

Shopping on Saturday went amazingly well. People were in a good mood, the stores were busy but not insane and we got what we needed. I even wrapped everything Saturday night. Well, everything except Duane's gifts which I'll do tomorrow while he's at work. Yesterday we went to church and to Duane's family Christmas party which was really nice too. Now the stress begins in earnest. I know everyone gets stressed out at this time of year, so please take my grumping with a grain of salt, I understand that you are probably stressed out too.

Today: I'm taking the "grocery go getter" (aka the mini van) in for some general service at 9:00. Then I need to try and get Ryan into the doctor. He went last week because he cannot kick his cold and cough. In fact every day since Thursday he's coughed hard enough to throw up. Yes, I know that is a symptom of whooping cough. That's why I'm supposed to call to the doctor today if Ryan's cough hadn't improved. The good news is, that's the only symptom he has. My boss is taking all her direct reports out to lunch today at 12:30. I have to drop some stuff off at the library, go to Target, and go to the grocery store for a handful of items. I suppose I'll have to pick my car up at some time and chances are good I'll also need to get a prescription for Ryan. After we make supper, I want to decorate a gingerbread house with Wesley. Plus we REALLY need to clean to the house. OK that's today.

Tuesday: We are insane. Truly. Between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning the guys are coming to put new windows in our upstairs bathroom. Yes, it's supposed to be in the teens. Yes, it's two days before Christmas. Sure, come on over and put our windows in. Please. I want to lock the cats in my bedroom with a litter pan and listen to them yowl all day. I want to have to keep two children out of the way (Grandpa P - want the kids for a while???) On top of that, I have to wrap Duane's gifts and bake a cake for Christmas Eve.

Wednesday: Christmas Eve day. I need to put together a potato casserole to take to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s. We're going to celebrate Christmas there around 4:00. Church is at 7:30. After church we'll get the boys ready for bed, and read The Night Before Christmas. Then I have a breakfast casserole to assemble and make sure Santa gets all the gifts delivered to our house.

Thursday: Christmas. Get up and put the casserole in the oven. Open gifts. Eat. Make a different casserole to take to Grandma W.'s. Run around getting the kids and ourselves ready and loading up the van. Go to Grandma W.'s around noon. Eat and open gifts. Run around getting our kids and ourselves ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa P.'s. Eat and open gifts. Get kids ready for bed. Run around loading the kids and our things into the van. Drive home and unload kids and van. Fall in a heap in bed!!

So like I said, what I really want for Christmas is more time. I know I won't be able to squeeze an extra day in before Christmas. But maybe somehow I can get a Mommy Day. What would I do with a Mommy Day? Well, ideally it would be a rainy or cold day. I would make a big pot of coffee and get all my flavored creamers and sugars out. I would put on some warm socks and bury myself on the couch under several blankets. Then I would spend the entire day chain reading with with a cat on my lap. The entire day. And then, when Duane came home, we would go out to dinner without the kids. That would be my perfect Mommy Day.

Wish Us Luck

Duane and I are getting ready to hit the malls for a few last minute gifts. We know it's going to be UGLY, but it has to be done. Thank goodness we don't have to take the boys with us! I'll let you know how it goes!

My Name is Wesley and I'm a Chocoholic

Is there a chocoholic's anonymous program for 3 year olds? Because if there is, I REALLY need to sign Wesley up. Wesley will not drink plain milk, only chocolate milk. We combat this by putting the smallest amount of chocolate syrup possible in his milk, and that usually works. But I think this kid could sniff out chocolate a mile away!

This morning I broke into my stash of Godiva candy that someone gave me. I selected two pieces and put them into a little plastic container for my dessert at lunch today. I carried the container into Wesley's room with me (since my stash is upstairs). Wesley saw it immediately.

Wesley: What's that?
Mommy: It's my dessert for lunchtime today. I am taking it to work.
Wesley: Is it a chocolate snack?
Mommy: It's a chocolate dessert for Mommy.
Wesley: Maybe I could just hold the chocolate for you?

Yeah right, like I was going to fall for that. He wanted to hold it alright. In his tummy!

We stopped for a donut on the way to Cathy's this morning. As usual, Wesley chose a chocolate one. He munched contentedly until we pulled onto Cathy's street, when I heard a big sigh. I asked what was wrong and glanced in the rear view mirror. I saw Wesley looking regretfully at the remaining two bites of donut as he said, "I wish I could finish that." Then he handed last two bites to me. I have some Fiber One chocolate toaster pastries at home. I wonder if he'd eat those.

Sweeties

I love how hard Ryan is concentrating on his toy in this picture.

Wesley helped me decorate cut out cookies tonight.

Christmas Spirit

Wesley had a chance to really get into the Christmas spirit today. Notice I said he had a chance to - not that he actually did.

While I was working at the library, Duane, Wesley and Grandma H. went to have breakfast with Santa Claus (Ryan went to Aunt Melissa's). Some of you may remember our wonderful experience having breakfast with Santa last year. Well, let's just say it was not repeated. It's not that Wesley was bad, he was just totally uninterested (despite being so excited about it Friday night that he was jumping up and down). He was more interested in the train display and gingerbread houses than seeing the jolly old elf, or eating. Oh, and I have to publicly say how WONDERFUL Duane and Grandma were for taking Wesley when they were BOTH sick.

The breakfast was set up in the lobby of the conservatory this year. Still very pretty.

See the smiling kid with the plate full of food? Daddy reports that Wesley ate the chocolate chips off his waffle and maybe two bites of hash browns. That's it. Ah, the breakfast of champions.

Daddy hates to have his picture taken, but I really love this shot of

him and Wesley.

Of course, not as much as I love this shot of the two of them and Santa.

Wesley spent a good chunk of his time pretending to bake a cake for Santa. Here is an artist's renditioning (Daddy's) of what the cake for Santa looked like.

Of course, one party on the weekend is never enough for the W. family. Not even when Mommy and Wesley are coughing up a lung, Ryan is blowing snot bubbles and Daddy is so stuffed up his nose looks like Rudolf. Oh no! We went to my work party last night too! I was a slacker mom and didn't take any pictures even though I had my camera hanging from my wrist all night. It was a lot of fun though.

Wesley couldn't wait to go to the party. He was excited to get his party clothes on and packed a bag of toys to take. He insisted that there would be no dancing at the party. In fact, he told me that if people started to dance he would tell them, "Everyone stop dancing!" I guess it was opposite day in Wesley world because that boy worked up a sweat out on the dance floor and he'd dance with anyone whether they gave him the time of day or not. He grabbed Kim and Janet's hands and danced with them. He tried to cut in when Karen was dancing with her son, he tried to pull Lara out on the dance floor, he started dancing with a staff person I don't even know from Northwest. Really, he was very good.

Ryan got to shine as one of the two youngest at the party (the other baby is 10 months old). Which meant everyone played my favorite party game- "Pass the Baby!" Thank goodness he's still at the age when it doesn't bother him to have strangers holding him. He even danced with Ann P. and Adam!

I don't think poor sick Daddy had a very good time, but I thought it was the best party in years - and Wesley agreed!

We're Outta Here

I finally took the boys out of the house today. Except for going to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s on Tuesday, they've been in these four walls all week. You want proof? When we stepped outside Wesley exclaimed, "Hey! The snow's all gone!" Um..yeah, for several days.

So what did we do on our day out? We went to my favorite store (Target) to do a little Christmas shopping. Grandpa P. met us at the store (THANK GOODNESS) and we had a rather pleasant shopping experience. Well, there was the screaming fit when we first put Wesley in the cart, but that didn't last long.

I can't tell you how great it was to shop with Grandpa. When I was in college, Grandpa was newly retired. On days I didn't have classes we'd hang out together, shop, go to lunch and stuff like that. I remember one day we stood at Hallmark and read cards out loud to each other until we had tears pouring down our faces. Then we'd go back to his house and watch our favorite afternoon show (Home and Family - which NEVER should have been canceled). I just remember having the best time with him and today really reminded me of those times. Of course, back then we didn't have a three year old making a hidey hole under the table at the restaurant. Oh well, it kept him busy.

Bottom line: Thanks for braving the cold (and the colds) to spend part of the day with us, Grandpa. It was wonderful!!!!

The Plague Spreads

What a week for illness! I stayed home Monday with the sick kids and fighting a cold of my own. Tuesday the boys went to Grandma and Grandpa H.'s house despite the fact that Grandpa was sick too. Ryan barely ate all day and went 5 hours without a wet diaper. Duane stayed home yesterday so the boys wouldn't infect Kei and pass this yuckiness back and forth. Well now, Grandma H. is sick too, so I'm taking another day off work. I (briefly) considered calling Grandma and Grandpa P., but the last thing we need to do is get them sick too and then we'd be in the same boat next week!

So now I'm feeling a bit guilty about work. Never mind that the budget year is over and I can't really order much anyhow. I've already decided that I'm going to not take my comp. time next week for working on Sunday or for the staff meeting. I've even considered canceling my doctor's appointment for Monday morning, but that could cause more problems in the long run, so I guess I"ll keep that. I just feel kind of bad taking the time - even though the organization NEVER makes me feel guilty about it. Oh well, such is life with kids.

I guess I'd better go now. I suddenly have baby snot all over my sleeve.

Nothing to Do with Anything

OK so I saw this picture on I Can Haz Cheezburger

...and since Wesley calls himself "Cat" it reminds me of this picture from August

Gimme That

Wesley was trying to be very sweet to Ryan tonight and was showing his little brother a stuffed cat. He'd take Ryan's hand and pet the cat with it, then say "See? Nice and soft." But he was awfully surprised when Ryan snatched the cat from his big brother! I'm sure it won't be the last time a toy gets taken away.

This is a picture from Ryan's baptism. Isn't he cute!? He just figured out how to stick his tongue out and does it ALL the time now.

No Perks

Well, my prediction from last night was correct. Ryan's temperature increased and Wesley was coughing so badly he threw up so I stayed home from work today. Except for the hacking cough and constant runny nose, you wouldn't know Wesley was sick. He woke up at 5:45 this morning and has been going non-stop. Of course that totally negates the one perk of having a sick infant.

What? A perk to having a sick infant? Yes, sick infants may whine and are pathetic and you feel so bad for them, but they tend to be really cuddly. Ryan always wants held, but he also wants to move. A sick Ryan just wants to be held and to sleep on you. Unfortunately, Wesley was having none of that. Any time Ryan did manage to fall asleep on me, I'd have to put him in the cradle so I could play with Wesley. That also means that even though I'm still sick, I didn't get any rest today either.

On the up side, Duane felt bad about leaving me (sick) home with two sick kids all day and brought me home a box of chocolates. Maybe there was one perk after all.

Weekend Update

It's been another whirlwind weekend for the W. family. It will almost be a relief to go back to work tomorrow. That is, of course, assuming I get to work. I'm still fighting a nasty cold and sore throat, Wesley has a really rotten cold (his nose is running a mile a minute and he's so stuffy, his eyes are tearing) and Ryan has a cold and slight fever. So work is not exactly a "gimme" tomorrow.

Anyhow, despite the plague at our house, we had a good weekend. I went shopping with Aunt Susan on Friday night. What a treat that was! Just me and my sister-in-law. No kids, no hubbys, just the girls. It was so much fun - and I got some GREAT deals. I think we'll have to make shopping together a habit.

Yesterday we went to two holiday parties. The first was Duane's company party at noon. It was "no kids" so the two of us put on some semi-nice clothes and partied with the grownups. The snow was starting to come down and things looked beautiful. I was really in the Christmas spirit. That changed to the spirit of Scrooge by the time we were headed to our second party.

At 5:00 we loaded the kids into the van and set off into the snow for a small town about a 40 minute drive from us for Aunt Buzzy's tree trimming party. The trip took us a little more than an hour to make - not too bad considering the fact that an inch of snow tried to shut down the city. We passed accident after accident on the freeways - in fact the back country roads were MUCH better traveling. Still, there are probably a few fingernail marks in the seats of the van from my nervous white knuckles.

Buzzy's party was sparsely attended, but that gave Wesley and Ryan the chance to be the stars. One of Duane's cousins kids (BTW Duane has something like 24 first cousins) named Olivia was completely taken with Ryan. Some of you loyal reader may remember Olivia from the pictures of this years hog roast. She was the one running around with the hog head on her hand. Anyhow, she asked to hold Ryan and that's the last we saw of him all night.

Wesley took a little while to warm up to everyone, but before too long he was the center of attention. He took over decorating the tree for Buzzy. She ended up with a whole lot of ornaments right at Wesley height. He did manage to break one, and even though no one was the least bit upset about it, he was mortified and refused to have anything to do with the tree for at least half and hour. But then Amy entered the picture.

Amy is the wife of one of Duane's army of cousins. She's a little bit younger than me and is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. Apparently Wesley agrees with me because once Amy started decorating the tree, Wesley was back in the game. He'd tell her where to hang the ornaments, then turn to the rest of the people in the room and declare, "Let's all work together! It's the best Christmas decoration EVER!" Amy thought this was really cute and before long Wesley was talking her ear off about everything under the sun. She was probably a little relieved when we left. Wesley was heartbroken though. When we got into the car he announced that "Amy is my girlfriend." But did I get any pictures of them together? No. Hope she's at the family Christmas party in a couple of weeks.

The drive home in the snow was much better. I think traffic was lighter and the salt trucks had been out. Unfortunately, salt trucks don't take care of our back walk. As I was carrying Wesley in from the car, I tripped and fell flat on my face. Wesley hit his head on the snow covered sidewalk and Bear slid a little ways. Was Wesley upset about his head or the snow all over his pajamas? NO! He was upset there was snow on Bear! Duane shook the snow off the stinky one and all was better. Well, better might be stretching it since Wesley was up past midnight with a nasty cough.

Still, we made it to church for Ryan's baptism today. Unfortunately, Slacker Mom did not take any pictures. Aunt Susan did though and I'll post some when I get them. We got home from the service and luncheon only to discover that Ryan was running a fever. So we've all been kind of vegging out in the front room this evening. Thank goodness tomorrow is Monday!

Once Upon a Time AKA Assorted Wesley Stories

Wesley is in love with those prepackaged sticks of cheese you can buy. The only time he has ever opened the refrigerator on his own was to get a cheese stick out of the snack drawer. This morning, the cheese stick broke as I was taking it out of the package. I braced myself for a whining fit as I handed the little piece that broke off to Wesley. He looked at it, then held it on the larger piece and bent over to eat it. So cute.

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Wesley and I are both fighting colds right now. I am trying desperately NOT to loose my voice as I seem to do once a year. Wesley must be fighting the same fight. This morning when he woke up and spent a few moments trying to clear his throat before crying out, " AGH! I can't talk!" Now, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that for a few minutes I hoped and prayed that he really would lose his voice and I'd have a day or two of relative quiet. I don't know if I've told you, but a good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) once paid her preschool daughter to be quiet for five minutes. I totally understand what drove her to that and if Wesley understood what money was, I'm sure I would have already done the same thing.

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Wesley is a little bit confused when it comes to NHL teams. When we were watching hockey one night I said, "Do we like the Red Wings? No! Do we like the Blackhawks? No! Do we like the Blue Jackets? YES!" Apparently I should have said more teams that didn't have a color in their name, because now Wesley will come up to me and say, "Do we like the Red Wings? No! Do we like the orange cats? No! Do we like the green frogs? No! Do we like the Blue Jackets? Yes!"

Let's Eat

Ryan had his first taste of rice cereal last night. Considering how much this child likes to eat, I thought he'd be more impressed with it. Instead, he eats about 5 bites, then gets frustrated with the whole thing and starts to cry - probably because the food isn't getting there fast enough! We'll keep working on it though. I'm sure he'll be a pro in no time.

Before......

During.....

After......

It's Begining to Look a Lot Like Christmas

There's no denying that Christmas is coming up fast this year. We spent yesterday putting the Christmas decorations up. Wesley helped me decorate the tree (as much as a three year old can) and we dancing around the room singing carols.

I've also stocked up on some other Christmas odds and ends: a gingerbread house for Wesley and I to decorate some evening, hot chocolate, an advent calender, the ingredients for my fruitcake (which is actually edible). I've purchased cards that I hope to get around to sending. I've put Christmas trees in each of the bedrooms and I think I have a clue what gifts I still need to buy. Whew! Of course I do still have a list of Christmas activities I hope to get around to, but I don't want to stress myself out this year. We'll do what we can and enjoy each moment of it.

Dance Fever

While I was taking Wesley to the potty yesterday, he said something that totally shocked me.

Wesley: Mom, I want to take dance lessons.
Mom: What kind of dance lessons do you want to take?
Wesley: Bal-way! (said while executing an arabesque)

Duane was a bit mortified by this story, but a little later showed his true superdad colors by saying, "If he really wants to take ballet lessons, I'd be alright with it because it would make him happy." That being said, we are not bringing the subject up again unless he does. Why do I suddenly get have the urge to watch "Billy Elliot?"

So Thankful

There are so many things we have to be thankful for. I feel especially blessed this year because in this time of economic hardship, we are doing alright. We have a house to live in at a time when so many are foreclosing on their homes or have no place to live. We have good jobs at a time when so many are losing theirs. We have plenty of food to eat despite the rising cost of groceries. We are healthy and so is our family. We are surrounded by family and friends that we love and that love us and accept us as we are. God has truely blessed us in so many ways. I am always amazed at His love for us.

Happy Thanksgiving

Things I've Done

I saw this on another blog I read and thought it would be fun to include here. Someday Wesley and Ryan can look back and think - "Mom! TMI!" or "Boy, Mom was pretty boring back in the day."

The things I've done on this list are in bold type.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - not the official diagnosis, but I was in the hospital for 5 days and that's the best they could come up with
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - but only when my kids were
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb - no, but I've held a baby lion
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke - in front of teens, no less
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - just ask Uncle Kirk
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt - no, but I really want to
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House - but only the grounds, not inside
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - waded, really
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day.

So there you have it. As of 11/25/2008, I've done 39 of the 100. Hummmm....not so good. I guess I'd better get busy!

Do You Believe in Magic?

I do. How else can you explain how children can drive you bonkers one night and the next day you miss them so much your heart hurts?

Want more proof of magic? Today I discovered that rubber cement will stop a run in pantyhose. Who knew?

Even more proof? My sweet little baby Ryan is four months old today. To think, I used to worry that Wesley had taken up so much room in my heart that I wouldn't have any room for a new baby. Now I wonder what filled those empty places inside me before we had Ryan. I love him so much.

Let's Eat

As I said in my earlier post, the doctor gave us permission to start Ryan on baby cereal. Although we probably won't give him any until after Thanksgiving, Wesley is very excited about the idea of feeding his baby brother. The other night he got a bowl and spoon from his play kitchen and "fed" Ryan throughout dinner. Wesley would take a bite of his dinner, then give Ryan a bite of pretend dinner. Poor Ryan had no idea what was going on. And yesterday, Wesley refused to get in the car without a bowl of "Ryan's baby food." I think Wesley will be pretty disappointed if Ryan doesn't catch on to the real food thing quickly (although who am I kidding, as soon as Ryan figures out he can eat it, he'll be all over it!) I also think that Ryan better get used to the idea of his big brother feeding him. Why am I envisioning drop cloths?

Growing Like a Weed

Ryan had his 4 month check today - just a few days early. Here's the report.

Weight: 13 pounds, 13 ounces (40th percentile)

Length: 26 inches (85th percentile)

He's in great health and we can start him on baby cereal if we want. Yum. Break out the wallpaper paste!

What Not to Wear

Wesley is finally taking interest in what he wears. There is a shirt that I got him at Gymboree that he absolutely hates. Every time I try to put him in it, he cries and begs me to take it off. Today I tried to dress him in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Okay, that's not exactly high fashion, but it's warm! Anyhow, he burst into tears and said he couldn't wear it because it was "too doggy" (it had a bull dog on the front). He also insisted that he couldn't wear his new shoes because they were too big and "weren't for walking." So we had to go upstairs and let him pick out a whole new outfit that he deemed wearable.

The following pictures have absolutely nothing to do with Wesley's sudden pickiness in his wardrobe, except for the fact that Ryan doesn't care one bit what he wears!

Uncle Marion

I know this is supposed to be a blog about my boys, but really, it's about our family. I say right in the title of our blog that this is a place to share our happy, sad and crazy times. Unfortunately, today is one of the sad times. My uncle Marion passed away today. He was my dad's oldest brother (Marion was 13 when my dad was born) Even though he'd been very ill since before Ryan was born and even though we knew it coming, it's so very hard to lose someone you love.

I think two things will always immediately come to mind when I think of my uncle Marion. The first is how much he loved being a grandfather. My cousin Sue has three children. The twins (the oldest) were born when I was in fifth grade. I remember how excited my uncle was. He even had a vanity plate for his car that said "MELKEL" since the girls are named Melinda and Kelly. When Alex was born he was absolutely over the moon. I'm so happy they got the opportunity to grow up knowing how much their grandfather loved them. Because trust me, anyone who saw him with them for even 30 seconds would know they were his pride and joy.

The other thing I'm always going to remember about my uncle is his smile and laugh. I don't think I have a single memory of him when he wasn't smiling. My dad's entire family loves to laugh and are constantly telling jokes, puns, tall tales and speaking tongue in cheek. My grandmother (their mom) was always a perfect lady -with a devilish sense of humor! I'm so glad all of her children shared that. It really helps me to know my uncle is with his parents again and that they are all sharing a good laugh over something or other.

This is the P. family. My uncle Marion is on the back left, my uncle Phil in the back middle, my aunt Marilyn on the back right. The front row is my Grandpa P., my dad (Wesley and Ryan's Grandpa P.) and my Grandma P.

Here are the four kids from the above picture, some years later. Phil, Marilyn, Ken (my dad) and Marion.

That Snot Funny

Wesley has become a nose picker. Even better, he's a "wiper" preferring to wipe the gold he mines on others or furniture. Consider your self warned!

We Survived

You know, I can't wait until the day arrives when every little thing is not a fight with Wesley. Yet, despite his three-year-old-ness, we went to COSI and had a pretty decent time if you don't count the scene in the lunch area.


Wesley got a hot dog for lunch. Grandma cut it up for him and he was even using a fork to eat the pieces. It seemed so peaceful, but beware, that's when the three-year-old temper will enevititably hit. A piece of hot dog fell off of Wesley's fork and rolled onto the floor. Wesley immediately went berserk. He screamed so loud and with such pain, I thought for sure someone had stabbed him. The tears quickly followed - as did the gaze of everyone in the lunch area. Grandma and I tried to get Wesley to focus on the rest of the hot dog, but he insisted that it was "dirty."


After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably less than a minute) I scooped Wesley up and carried him into a corner to have a little chat. Once he calmed down, Wesley told me he wanted a new, clean hot dog. Yeah, right. Like Mommy was shelling out another three bucks for a second hot dog when there was nothing wrong with the first one. Instead of saying that, I grabbed the container with his cut up hot dog and went out to the food line with it (where Wesley couldn't see me), waited a minute, then went back to the table with a "brand new, clean and already cut up hot dog" that looked suspiciously like the original one. Wesley didn't notice and happily ate every bite of the "new hot dog." But this is where the story gets really good. As Wesley was munching his "new" lunch, a child across the room began a loud whine. Wesley looked at me and Grandma and said, with a completely straight face, "WOW. Somebody is grumpy!" I think I almost snorted water out my nose.


We spent most of our visit at the Sesame Street Body exhibit. Wesley loved it! If you live in central Ohio and haven't been yet, you really should go!




Wesley had a great time making faces at the begining of the exhibit. Too bad they didn't have a howler monkey face.


Getting Elmo dressed for the rain was one of Wesley's favorite activities. We had to carry him out of that section and on to another part of the exhibit.





No, I did not mail my son to Siberia! He crawled into the letter box himself. I asked him what letter he was. His answer? "E!"



Hooper's store was the best part of the whole day for Wesley. We spent at least 40 minutes "shopping" and restocking the shelves.


Wesley put together a nice nutritious lunch puzzle. No dirty hot dogs there!

How Can It Only Be 9:00!?!?!

I can't believe it's barely 9:00. Ryan got up at 5:45 this morning and Wesley got up at 7:00. So far I have made one of the two things I am taking to a cocktail party tomorrow night, made Wesley two breakfasts (scrambled egg and yogurt, followed by more yogurt and pancakes), changed Ryan into his second outfit of the day, prepped the chicken I need for dinner tonight, picked out clothes for Wesley, put on my Mommy costume (jeans, long sleeve t-shirt, cardigan and ponytail) and packed the diaper bag for today's outing.

Packing the diaper bag is no small feat these days. We're heading out for a haircut and then to COSI for awhile, so there's plenty I need to cram in there. Here's what the bag contains:

• three bottles with filtered water for Ryan
• formula
• changing pad
• wipes
• bibs
• spare outfit for Ryan
• rattle
• board book
• pull ups for Wesley (we're going to start the day in underpants, but he will have an accident and I only have room for one spare outfit for him)
• spare outfit for Wesley (see above)
• snacks for Wesley
• wallet, keys, camera and phone (because I refuse to carry a purse too)
• I really should pack Wesley's portable potty seat, but that would mean switching to the big diaper bag.

Now all I have to do before we leave at 10:00 is feed and change Ryan again, get Wesley dressed, do Wesley's hair and teeth, pack him a sippy cup of juice, put the stroller in the van and find the coupon for the hair place. THEN the day can begin. UGH! Can I go back to bed?

Ready to Go

I have a feeling that Ryan is going to be an early crawler. The poor child wants to go and he wants to go NOW! The last few days he'll get something in his sights and try so hard to get to it, only to work himself into tears and frustration. Last night Sanders tortured Ryan by lying down less than 6 inches away. Oh how Ryan wanted that kitty!

Speaking of cats, Wesley is on my lap right now pretending to be a cat. "Cat is so sick," he said. When I asked what was wrong with Cat, Wesley fake coughed and replied, "Cat's got a bad case!"

Not for Buying

Wesley likes to play "Pet Man." You play this game by pretending to buy animals from him. He'll tell you what animals are for sale and how much they cost. The other night Duane was playing "Pet Man" with Wesley and tried to buy Stinky Bear. Wesley's response? "Stinky Bears are not for buying!" Here's hoping Wesley feels the same about this stinky bear!

That's What Big Brothers Are For

I have two boys so I have come to terms with the fact that potty humor will be a big part of our future. That being said, if potty humor bothers you, I would not recommend reading any further. Ok, now that those with sensitive dispositions have quit reading, I can tell about how Wesley "helped" me change Ryan's diaper last night.

Wesley walked by Ryan and said "Mom, Ryan smells like poop." A quick sniff determined that Son Number One was indeed correct. Wesley got the changing pad out and sat down next to me as I prepared to change Ryan. When I removed Ryan's diaper, Wesley yelled, "Ryan! Your bottom is full up! " Then he looked a little closer. "EEEEWWWWW! It's green! Daddy! Ryan is poopy! And it's GREEN!!"

Tonight I got ready to change a wet diaper. Apparently Wesley remembered last night's episode because he asked, "Is Ryan green again?" Oh yeah, good times.

Trip to the Library (and a Wesley-ism)

Grandma H. picked Wesley up and brought him to the library this afternoon. We were having the annual "Read to Your Baby Festival" and thought that Wesley might like to see the costumes characters and do some of the activities. Oh wait! I forgot who we were talking about. My son pretty much refused to anything except hang on Grandma. Should have known.

OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. He did check out the new tree quite a bit. At first he said it was scary, but then he started saying that with a smile to make us laugh. He was most impressed with Frederick and the Big Bad Wolf, but I think the whole thing made a good impression. Wesley also fell in love with the stuff on my cat alphabet book. I wish I had had my camera on when he first started looking at it. He was belly laughing so hard his whole face was red! Let's see, after that he spent time ordering people off "his" letter rug in the storytime room and playing on the computer.

Apparently Wesley hasn't had enough time alone with his grandma lately because on the way to her house from the library, he suddenly said "Hey! We're missing Ryan!" Not that he was upset about it.

And now for today's Wesley-ism. Duane made the Dudearama his dinner, but I am the one who put the plate in front of Wesley. After taking a few bites, Wesley said, "Mmmmm. Mommy this is yummy. Thank you." I told him that I was glad he liked it, but that Daddy had made his dinner. Wesley looked at Duane and said "Dad, you're a good maker!"

Whose Toy Is It?

One of my co-workers very generously handed down some baby gear to me. Her timing was perfect, because most of it is 6-9 month winter boy clothes and that's exactly what we need. Oh, did I mention that Ryan is wearing 6 month stuff for the most part? He has some 3-6 months stuff that fits, but 6 month fits better.

Anyhow, in addition to the great clothes, she also gave us an exersaucer. Ryan's still a little young for it, so for the moment it's just living in the kitchen. However, it's quickly become quite the object of interest in our house. Wesley LOVES to play with it and show me how all the different pieces work. The cats (especially Sadie) like to crawl in the bottom of it and either take a nap, or wait for an unsuspecting cat to walk by. Why do I think that Ryan is going to have to fight for his new toy?

Untitled

Sometimes I think the hardest part of blogging is trying to come up with a title for the post. After agonizing about it for a while, I just gave up.

So, it's 6:30 and I'm enjoying a beer with my chili dinner. After today, I think I deserve it. It started off as a great day. Ryan didn't get up until 7:00. I gave him a bottle, got him dressed and put his laundry away. We had some snuggle time until Wesley got up at 8:00. Like a said, a great start to the day. It started to go downhill with Wesley's breakfast. He ate everything on his plate except for one bite of scrambled egg, which sat there for 20 minutes. That little bite of egg must have looked pretty good though, because Wesley ate it cold - which prompted him to puke everything he just ate all over himself and his plate. GROSS! OK, we got that cleaned up and Wesley got on the computer, but then had two accidents in an hour. And that doesn't include the leaky pull up later on. UGH.

The boys and I went shopping with Aunt Melissa this afternoon. As I was getting Ryan ready to go, I told him that we were going to see his Aunt Melissa. Boy, did Wesley ever get mad about that. "No! She's MY Aunt Belissa. Mine!" When we got to Aunt Melissa's I thought for sure that Wesley would be excited to meet her new boxer puppy, Bella. Not only was he scared of Bella, he was TERRIFIED of Cyrus. Now remember, Wesley used to call Cyrus "Cyrus Good-dog," but I guess those days are over. He screamed this awful scared scream every time Cyrus came near him. It took nearly 40 minutes before the boy would calm down enough to touch either dog. Of course, then he didn't want to leave them.

Back at home, I busied myself baking cookies for a holiday bazaar at the cat shelter I adopted Sanders from. I made these gigantic peanut butter cookies that I love. Wesley saw them on the cooling rack and said, "Mom! Those snacks look like cookies!" Glad to know he doesn't need his eyes checked. And yes, I did let him have one.

Finally, we heard back from the doctor about Ryan's lump. It is a cyst and the doctor recommends we have it removed, but not until Ryan is at least 6 months (less risk with the anesthesia then). So I have some time to get used to the idea of someone making a cut in my child's head.

Ryan is busy screaming. I'm going to go finish my beer and see if I can sneak into a bubble bath.

R & R Ryan

Ryan is rocking and rolling these days. He can roll from his back to his tummy with ease. Actually it's probably a little too easy for him to do because he'll roll over and then get annoyed that he's on his stomach. Grandma H. says she's seen him roll from his tummy to his back, but Duane and I haven't seen him do it yet. I hope she's right though. The sooner he gets the hang of that, the sooner we can quit going into his room in the middle of the night and putting him on his back again (He gets mad that he's on his tummy and cries!)

In other "R" news, Ryan has a new favorite book. Check out the book he is looking at in the picture below - whenever he sees it, his eyes get real big, his breathing speeds up and his little arms and legs start moving around. We might have to buy that one!

Wesley-isms

Wesley says things to crack me up on a daily basis! Here are today's rib-ticklers.

Last night Wesley had a glass of water at bedtime. He took a big drink and told Duane that the water was "Dee-licious and dee-yummy!"

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This morning I decided to put a different pair of pants on Ryan. As I was removing the first pair of pants, I said "Ryan! Somebody stole your pants!" (Duane and I often say that when we are undressing one of the boys.) Apparently Wesley took offense to that statement today because he reprimanded me. " Mom! Don't steal Ryan's things. It makes me angry!" Look out, protective big brother on the loose.

Lumpy Boy Update

Ryan has his ultrasound scheduled for this Thursday afternoon. I wasn't nervous at all about it before, but for some reason I am now. I know it's no big deal - even if it is a cyst that has to be removed, but I'm still not real thrilled with the idea. So, Thursday afternoon we'll be hanging out at Children's Hospital. Whoo-hoo.

Happy Halloween - Sort Of

Wesley was SUCH a cranky little monster today! Maybe he was in the Halloween spirit, but he was too much! He even had to stop trick-or-treating early because he was so cranky we couldn't stand him. Oh well, I had fun going around the neighborhood with Sho.



Dinner was Mummy Dogs.....










....and Spider Pizza








Grandpa H. got into the spirit of Halloween









This is how Wesley trick or treated








One of Daddy's pumpkin creations.

One Lump or Two?

I didn't blog about this on the day it happened, because, quite frankly, it make my stomach churn. However, now that some time has passed I can talk about without feeling like I'm going to vomit.

Wesley took a tumble down the steps at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s house the yesterday. According to Grandma, one minute they were walking down the steps together, and the next he was airborne, tumbling head over feet towards the bottom of the steps. I'm so glad I wasn't there because Grandma said she was sure he was going to have a broken bone (or worse, a broken neck.) He was shook up, but OK with only a few bruises to show for it.

When we were on the way home that night, I asked Wesley how he fell down the steps. His answer was, "Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom." This morning, I asked him if he hurt from his fall. He said yes, so I asked him where he hurt. "At the bottom of the stairs," was his reply. Always a comedian.

Speaking of lumps and bumps, Ryan has a little bump on the side of his head. Now, this bump has been there since he was born, but apparently I am the only person who noticed it until a couple of weeks ago. I took advantage of the fact that I had Ryan into the doctor today to have his ears rechecked, and asked Dr. M. about it. At first the doctor was sure it was a node, probably swollen from his ear infection, but when I explained that it has been there since Ryan's birth, the doctor was slightly more concerned. Further poking and prodding ensued and Dr. M. ordered and ultrasound on it. He said that it's either a node or a cyst and that an ultrasound will tell us right away. If it's a cyst he recommends removing it so it doesn't eventually wear down the bone. So, we'll be scheduling that next week.

Oh! And something else we had confirmed at the doctor. Our youngest son is a CHUNK! He has started draining 5 and 6 ounce bottles and is now 13 pounds 10 ounces. That's only 1 ounce shy of putting on a full pound since Oct. 20th!!!