Halloween

I realize I'm a little late with this. But here we are anyways. Halloween was surprisingly busy for us. Here's the boy at our Ward party in his cute lil turtle outfit courtesy of Mamie...
...and at the museum longing to take a ride on the train.
We spent Halloween night at the Talbot's and then the Pulley's. The Boy loves their dog Winnie... partly because she will let him attempt to ride her, and partly because she doesn't growl when he gives her loves.

Election Day!

Did you?

I Must Boast

This is what I can do by myself with 45 minutes and a rake (plus the side yard which you can't see).This is what I can do by myself with an hour and a half and a rake.And this is what I can do when I make the Family Home Evening lesson be about hard work and the activity is help mom finish raking even though it is completely dark outside. I should have used the wide angle lens this morning, but funny enough, I was too lazy to swap it out. Just know that the whole front yard is finished.We have a leaf blower, but for some reason I just felt like doing it the old fashioned way. I'm sore today. I wonder why.

Pumpkin Carving

Every year since we've been married, the Man and I have hosted a pumpkin carving party at our house. My friends seem to find it ironic that "the cleanest person they know hosts the messiest party of the year." I'm glad I have managed to fool them into thinking that I'm clean.

In any case, we had a good time this year. Unfortunately, the Man is on night shift and couldn't be there. But the Boy was having fun stealing other people's boots (top left corner picture) and I was amazed at the size of the pumpkins the Pulley's brought. Check out Bea's in the bottom left and right corner.

Thanks everyone for coming! Hope we see you all (and then some) next year!

My Dog is a Wuss

Roxy ran out back last night and then started barking. I tried to get her to come back inside, but she was too much of a chicken. That's because this little fella was lurking behind the back door in our sun room.

I'll admit it. I wasn't about to go out there and get her because, yes, I'm a wuss too.

A Little Comparison

The Man and I have talked about who the Boy most resembles. That was until we got a picture of The Man at 15 months old from his mom. The Man is on the left, the Boy is on the right also at 15 months.

Then my mom gave me one of myself at around 2 years old - it's a bit grainy. Picture the Boy with longer hair.





















What do you think?

Why the Boy is Small

Because...this is how he eats....

Yes, those are Cheerio toes.

Fall Means Football

Down, Set, Hut!

This may be the closest he ever comes to playing football.

How to Watch Sesame Street

A Year in the Making

I started running last year after my friend, Amy, came up with the idea of participating in the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run in NYC. The day finally came this past weekend. I went with my very good friends April, Joanna, Nicole, Seleta, Amy, and little Addy.

We decided to drive down. I reluctantly volunteered to be the one to drive into the city. It was a little scary, but luckily I had Seleta there to navigate and tell me how to be a "NYC driver". It wasn't long before I caught on that if pedestrians are crossing against the light, then they aren't really people and I'm allowed to plow through. Seleta left a wonderful comment on April's site: "according to my NY Book it states 'Driving in Manhattan is not for the timid, clueless, or otherwise emotionally fragile.' I guess you all saw my true colors come out."

About an hour after getting there, we were casually walking down the street to grab dinner when we ran into Matt Dillon. Mhm. Matt Dillon. For more on the driving and Matt Dillon saga, see April's post.



We rented out an apartment right on Central Park. We visited Times Square the first night, hit Chinatown the next day, and finally the race came on Sunday. It was incredible. Seleta, April, and Addy cheered us on from the sidelines. At the starting line, we had members of the Coast Guard in front of us, an Army company dressed in full fatigues WITH their packs on behind us, and firemen from all over everywhere else. In total, there were 15,000 runners. It was incredibly moving to hear the Star Spangled Banner sung just before the race began.

The run went through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and let me tell you, it was hot! And crowded! Oh my gosh was it hot and crowded! And when you finally came out of the tunnel, you were greeted by not only fresh air, but firemen lining both sides of the street holding American flags and pictures of all the firemen who died on September 11th. It was a once in a lifetime experience of which I was so honored to be a part.

http://wcbstv.com/local/tunnel.to.towers.2.827550.html

Aside from all of that, the girls I went with were fantastic. It would have been a great weekend even without Matt Dillon. Thanks girls! And thanks to The Man for watching the Boy while I was gone.

Standing on One Leg

Here's how The Man stands on one leg.

Here's how the Boy does it.

I don't know why I didn't think of that. Duh.

My Dad

I went to Arkansas last week while The Man studied for the boards. It was a last minute "I'm having a breakdown" decision. While I was there I spent some time with my dad. That's him. He's eighty-three.

I was driving to Olive Garden with him one night to meet up with my mom and my grandmother. We passed a Hooters on the way. And the conversation went like this:

Me: Dad, did you want to go to Hooters instead? *giggles*
Dad: *smiles* No, I've been once already.
Me: Really?!
Dad: Yeah, I went and had a beer. *pause* It wasn't all that great.
Me: The beer?
Dad: No, the hooters.

I thought that was fantastic!

Shoesssssssss

Yep. Still facinated with shoes. Is he really a girl? I'm starting to worry.


Yes, of course. That's exactly what I would have done with the dirty shoe lace, too.

Sickly Boy

The Boy came down with a little 24 hour bug yesterday. After he woke up from his nap with a fever and graced the kitchen floor with his stomach contents, I stripped him down, put him on the couch with his elmo and giant catapillar (thanks for that Nannie) and put on Sesame Street. He laid there like a lump for about 2 hours. It was terribly sad.

Niagara Falls

Our 9th Anniversary is coming up. And although we've been here for 6 years, I have never been to Niagara Falls. Yeah, you heard me.

So the Man booked us a room for one night, we dropped the Boy off with the Holmes, and we went and saw.
We both think this is the first time we've actually done something for our anniversary other than just dinner. Yeah, we're lame. But you can't be shocked. The fact that I have never been to Niagara Falls until now should have tipped you off. Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you!

Lil Man

I felt like crying just a little when I took these pictures. It's not because he's carrying Elmo and eating bread or because he has a horribly snotty nose from the cold he caught this week. Nope. It's because some of my friends commented on how the Boy doesn't look so "little" anymore. And they are right.













What is it about your children getting older that makes you both happy and a bit sad?

You Don't Get Lucky Twice

Remember Stella? I loved Stella. She quit showing up at our house, though. So yesterday, I decided to take the boy and Roxy to go get the mail. We can let Roxy out front now, because the Man installed one of those electric fences. I've opposed it for years due to the whole "shocking" thing, but it has been great!

But I digress. Roxy walked out ahead of me and the Boy. And then I noticed a dog in the front garden. She looked innocent enough, but I put the Boy back inside anyways. I tried to get Roxy in, but she was already deep into the butt sniffing. The dog came up to me, tail tucked. I started to lean in to see the phone number on the tag when SNAP! it got put-out with butt sniffing and attacked Roxy.

Let me tell you something. In situations like that, there are people who would remain calm and know exactly what to do. I am not one of those people. I am the one with arms flailing in the air screaming, "Everybody panic!" In any case, after about 8 seconds, Roxy managed to break free and runnnnn like the dickens. And the stray took off.

Here's her major battle wound - it was worse than the picture makes it look but still not too bad. Just bad enough that I had to take her to the vet and pay out the nose for it.

She was so exhausted afterwards, she just went and laid in her bed. She never does that. Poor girl. I was so proud of her for putting up the best fight she could against a dog more than twice her size.

(Insert a tasteless Michael Vick joke here).

It's So Dang Hot

It's been a steamy summer here, hasn't it? I was in Wal-Mart a few weeks ago and couldn't pass up a little swimming pool for the boy. He absolutely loves it.

And ummm...so does Roxy.

Memories

Yes, I am alive. I just honestly have not felt like blogging lately. When I get the itch again, I'll post pictures of NYC and the Boy, etc. But for now, I got this off my sister-in-law:

1. Leave a comment on my blog, one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Thanks!

While I was in NYC...

The Man took vacation so he could stay home with the Boy while I took my mom, grandmother, and nephew to NYC. Here is an email that he sent me while I was there:

I'm actually enjoying being with little guy and spending some time with my boy. For the most part he has been very good. We did some projects like seal the crack in the driveway and work in the railing in the front yard. We have run quite few errands and we went to the Museum. We went to Walmart earlier to get some milk (I got him a keyboard too, which he enjoyed for about 15 min.) He's been a pretty good napper too, so I've been able to get some studying done.

Of course, the last few days haven't been without times of boredome, anger, and irritation. For example, I forgot to change his diaper before we left and he was drinking up a storm because it's so hot. So he was completely soaked through by the time we got home. He is about out of clothes because I have had to change them so much. I contemplated doing a load of laundry, but I think we can scrape by. Two things that irritate me: when me and Roxy are on the couch he can't help but climb on the couch and hit the dog, regardless of how many times I tell him "no hit", or give time out. Same goes for the buttons on the receiver.

The second irritation: I cannot be on the computer without him whining to get on my lap or crawl under the desk to turn everything off. Infact, he has done both in the last five minutes. But, overall we've had a good time and I have enjoyed spending time with him. I was going to take him for a bike ride this evening, but it's too hot and humid. Maybe we'll head to the museum again.

Well I have to go, the whining is starting again. By the way, this ranks as top three longest emails I've ever written.

Love you and miss you,

It's nice to know that he's getting a taste for what my day is like. I think the Man works far harder than I do, but the mental drain of being at home has to be experienced first-hand.

I'll post more of NYC when I get home, and my nephew gets his pictures to me.

My Kind of Book Club

This was my book club meeting this month.

Jealous?


We do actually read and discuss books. It's just so much nicer with a pool and a fire. Good idea, Deborah!

5K

I did it! I ran my first 5K today.
I was so, so happy that my friend Joanna showed up. So we ran it together.


This is us crossing the finish line. That's my hand there going to give Joanna a high five.

Thanks so much to my nephew for getting up soooo early to be there, take care of the Boy, and take pictures.

Shoooooooe

This happens multiple times a day. Just about as soon as I get the Boy's socks and shoes on, the right (and always the right) ones come off. They don't fall off. He takes them off. It is a rare event that we get through a car ride where both shoes remain on his feet. Locating the right shoe and sock has become one of my main duties as a mother. Ahhh...the joys.

So You Think You Can Dance

So T.V. in the summer is pretty lame. Someone told me I should watch "So You Think You Can Dance". So I did. And this week, there was a really cool dance on there. Well, I enjoyed it anyways. I wanted to embed it, but it wouldn't let me, so just follow the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLoVJfqumuE

Again with the Boat

So I told you the story about the boat while we were on vacation. Well, my brother-in-law sent this email to all of us and has graciously agreed to let me post it. I think he is one of the funniest people I have ever met. Anyhow, here's what he sent:

Attached is the approximate path we traveled very slowly on the nightof June 19, 2008. We paddled (singular- paddle) about 1.5 miles (not counting zig zags) and got towed about 2 miles.

Of the 17 of us that left that evening, only 9 survived. Some were eaten, others drowned while trying to escape. Next time we should bring more licorice.

Maybe we can have a boat people reunion next year.

It's kind of hard to see where you're going in the dark.

*Insert Rocker Scream Here*

Loved this picture from our trip. Contrary to what it looks like, he was not pitching a fit.

We're Back!

So many pictures. So unwilling to write and write and write. So I'll give you a highlight. But first, the sister-in-law for which my husband mistook me (see previous post) is on the right in the picture below. What do you think? Is he off the hook?

Next is my favorite memory and picture from the trip. We took the boat out one evening, skied for about an hour and a half, stopped on a beach to have some watermelon and then pushed off for more skiing. So what are all the girls doing sitting on the back of the boat in the middle of the lake at night? Paddling with our feet ,of course. Why? Because the boat died and there was only one paddle aboard. That may be forgivable had it been the first time that week the boat had died - leaving people afloat on the lake begging others for a tow. But no. It was the third. But the men were so confident in their ability to fix the boat, they felt that two paddles would be superfluous.


Unfortunately, there aren't many people out and about on the lake at night. So we were stuck for three hours before flagging someone down to drag us to the dock. I felt sort of bad for all the men who were taking turns with the one paddle trying to get us home. The women had a pretty good time, I think. At least I did. Everyone seems funny when you're stuck in the middle of the lake at 11:00 at night.

Lots more happened. But I'll just let you look at the pictures. We had a great time. THANK YOU so much to my in-laws for having us and planning it - especially my mother-in-law, who offered to let the Boy sleep at her house while the Man and I stayed somewhere else. So, so nice.

And I absolutely cannot overlook our friends, the Pulley's, for taking Roxy in while we were gone. THANK YOU! She is so depressed to be back home with us.

Invisible

I just had to share this little tid bit. About an hour ago I was standing in my mother-in-law's kitchen when The Man walked in from the dining room. He was not standing more than 5 feet away when he said, "Has anyone seen Anna? Has anyone seen my wife?" Then he turned and faced me, looking right past me - still searching. I stood there staring at him but did not say anything. I was certain that within a second he would see me. He then pushed past me still asking, "where's my wife". He actually bumped into me. I thought it was a joke. But it wasn't. As he started to walk out of the room I finally said something. Apparently he thought I was his sister, so he never looked directly at me. I guess after almost nine years of marriage, I have become invisible. Now, should I use my powers for good or for evil? Hmmm...

*for those of you who wanted to see it, I'll post a picture of the sister-in-law when I get back next week.

We're in Vegas

And what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. So no details for you. Actually, we're visiting The Man's family. See you when we get back!

Things That Make you Go "Ew"

The Boy loves this toothbrush. It keeps him entertained for a substantial period of time when it's on. I don't have the heart to take it away from him now that he got a hold of it - even though it is the dog's.

I hear the collective "ew" now. Apologies to the mom's whose kids have also played with it. So I'm not the best mom ever. If it makes you feel better, there is a new brush tip on it. And I don't think this is any worse than the Boy opening his mouth really wide and shoving it in Roxy's face JUST so she will french lick him. Now that's gross.