100 Things About Me

1. I have a severe distaste for doing anything just because other people do it.
2. I often get carried away with this philosophy and don't do things I want to do because I don't want to look like I'm copying.
3. I'm trying to get past it when I like an idea...this is one step closer.
4. I have 8 names people call me that all come from my name. From most common to least common: Jen, Nifer, Jenny, Carrie, Carrie-lyn, Carrie-Jen, Carolyn, Jennifer
5. My favorite color is periwinkle...partly because I like the color and partly because I like to say it.
6. I am a military brat.
7. I've only lived in 4 states(if you count D.C.) Maryland, Washington D.C., Colorado and Virginia- this is very uncommon for military families.
8. I moved to Maryland to go to college closer to extended family.
9. I have a psychology degree.
10. I wanted to be a psychiatrist when I was a kid.
11. During college I found out the difference between psychologist and psychiatrist. I decided that psychologists help people in a way I like better. I dropped my pre-med major that day.
12. One of the most amazing days in my life was June 16, 2002- my wedding day.
13. The other is August 30, 2003- the day I gave birth to my wonderful son Ryan.
13.5- Udated to include March 2, 2006- The day our beautiful Little Lily was born.
14. I am a Christian.
15. 14 is very important to me and shapes most of the rest of my life.
16. I like learning new things, but I don't like school, tests or papers.
17. I did well in school.
18. Scrapbooking is one of my favorite hobbies.
19. I can't remember the last time I worked on a scrapbook.
20. I LOVE being a mommy.
21. I think being a stay at home mommy is the possibly the hardest job in the world(possible exceptions to this could be military, police, FBI or CIA where you have to literally make life and death decisions)
22. I think being a stay at home mom can be the most rewarding job in the world.
23. I hate speaking in front of people(add pastor to exceptions on #21).
24. I think being a wife can be hard.
25. I think being a husband is harder(don't tell mine;-) )
26. I like to be prepared- for everything.
27. My husband likes to get out the door quickly.
28. My husband and kids often sit in the car waiting for me for several minutes before I am there.
29. I tend to over pack.
30. I try hard not to take too much.
31. I pack for my whole family when we go anywhere.
32. My husband adds at least one pair of shoes and 2 shirts every time(that he usually doesn't end up wearing).
33. I was born April 18, 1977.
34. My husband was born May 16, 1977.
35. My husband revels in the fact that he married an 'older woman'.
36. I buy separate boxes of Girl Scout thin mints for me and my husband because I like mine to last all year since I can't get them whenever I want.
37. I LOVE Disney.
38. Disney World
39. Disney movies
40. Alias is my favorite TV show.
41. I miss riding horses.
42. I don't miss the smell of the barnyard.
43. I want a decorated house...I'm afraid to commit.
44. I have a fairly bare house that has only paint color and wallpaper from the previous owner.
45. Daises are my favorite flower.
46. Daises are also the flower for my birth month.
47. Some lists have sweet peas as the birth flower for April.
48. I had never seen a sweet pea until I was looking at flowers for my wedding.
49. Sweet peas are now my second favorite flower.
50. My wedding bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets and flower girl bouquet were all sweet peas.
51. I have one brother, his name is T.J.
52. My parents have been married for over 28 years and still love each other and show affection to each other.
53. They are marriage role models for me.
53. I like being a "spring baby"
54. I'd like to have a spring baby next time around.(update- almost spring; March 2)
55. I like crafts.
56. My favorite desserts are brownies and Thin Mints.
57. I drive a Ford Explorer.
58. I love it.
59. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it to 100!
60. I like Science.
61. I like animals.
62. I have a dog.
63. I will never own a cat.
64. I would like to own a horse some day.
65. I would love to swim with dolphins.
66. I would like to go on a whale watching expedition.
67. If I could stand the cold long enough I 'd like to do a tundra buggy expedition to see the polar bears in Churchill.
68. I only got cable internet about 6 months ago.
69. I don't think I would be happy with anything less now.
70. I like hiking.
71. I like warm weather.
72. I'm a procrastinator.
73. I started this list on March 30...It's April 19.
74. Yesterday was my birthday.
75. Tomorrow is my brothers birthday.
76. All 4 of my grandparents were born in April too.
77. Places I've been in Europe are England, Scotland, Germany, France and Belgium.
78. Some of my favorite places in the USA(that I have been to of course) are Corolla, NC; Orlando, FL; Deep Creek Lake, MD; The Grand Canyon, AZ; Colorado; Yellowstone Park; Jellystone Campground; Swallow Falls, MD; Oriole Park at Camden Yards; American History Museum(Smithsonian), DC; York County, VA; I'm sure there are more, but the list is getting pretty long.
79. I like camping, but not in the rain.
80. The Orioles are my favorite baseball team.
81. I'm not much of a candy person, but I love chocolate.
82. Most of my clothes are blue-lots of shades of blue.
83. Gray and khaki are probably the runners up.
84. I love making things out of clay.
85. I like to be fair. If I'm not sure about something being fair or not I am more likely to give the edge to someone else or the other team accordingly.
86. My favorite movies are romantic comedies.
87. I like to surprise people with things that I think will make them smile.
88. I love my church.
89. I love my husband.
90. I love my whole family!
91. I am shy.
92. Some people misconstrue this as snobbiness:-(
93. I LOVE taking pictures, all kinds of pictures.
94. I have never dyed my hair(it's brown).
95. I loved planning my wedding.
96. I planned my wedding in less than 6 months.
97. I didn't think it was as hard as people make it out to be.
98. I love playing games(some favorites are: Cranium anything, Set, Quarto and Phase 10)
99. One of my favorite feelings in the world is when Ryan or Lily snuggles up to me.
100. I'm glad to be done with this. Now I can move on to the less desirable task that I was using this to procrastinate doing;-)

Cheerful Boy

Ryan has been his regular cheerful self most of the day. I felt a little silly taking him to the doctor, but this cheerful disposition is in stark contrast to the wailing inconsolable Ryan of last night. So I took him to the doctor and he ran around the exam room giggling stopping every so often to give mommy a big cuddly hug. He was having a grand old time. It's a good thing because the doctor took forever to come in. It's one of the partners of the doctor we usually see. I really liked her. She confirmed Jay's suspicion that Ryan has an ear infection. I'm almost relieved. If she had told me "He has a virus, you'll just have to wait it out" I might have gone postal on her right then and there. At least if I know there is a reason I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. So poor Ryan must have inherited daddy's propensity for ear infections. I think we are in for a rough couple years. At least he is in a good mood now:-) I'm going to go enjoy him while it lasts.

One of Those Days

It's just been one of those days. The kind where you didn't get enough sleep the night before and stress, upon stress, upon stress builds up and you just want to scream at the top of your lungs and hit something...HARD. I actually understood the motivation to be a boxer today. How great would it be to just hit something as hard as you can over and over until all the tension was worked out?! Maybe I will go out and run like Phoebe on Friends tonight when Jay gets home. At least it's dark so you will still be able to admit you know me tomorrow;-)

Easter Weekend

This weekend was quite busy. Saturday we went to an Easter egg hunt in a local shore town. It was nice as those things go. I personally think they should change the name to Easter egg pick up since the eggs are not hidden at all. Zach got quite a loot. Ryan didn't even pick up one egg. He seemed to enjoy running around with the kids, but he just didn't get the idea of picking up the eggs and putting them in a bag. I tried to help him, so he did get one egg, but I put it in his hand and guided it into the bag. Oh well, maybe next year. After the 'hunt' was over we went and played on the playground. Ryan of course spent most of the time in the swing, but he did slide and climb some. I think it may have been the first time Zach has ever seen a merry-go-round. He was a little intimidated by it at first, but he ended up loving it. He said the spinning thing was his favorite part of the day. After playing for a little while we came home for Ryan's nap. In the afternoon we colored eggs and played with the kids. After the kids were in bed we spent most of the time preparing for Easter morning. Sunday morning we got up and had the traditional egg hunt. Ryan was much more in to this hunt. Once he opened his first egg and found fruit snacks he was an egg hunting machine;-) He found all his eggs before Zach found all of his. We set two colors(orange and yellow for the record) aside and told Zach not to get those colors because they were hidden easily for Ryan. It all worked out well besides the jelly beans on the floor with tooth marks in them. I guess Ryan didn't like them. I can't say I blame him. I've never been a fan myself. Daisy took care of that little problem for us and we moved on to presents. Zach was not as excited about his personalized notepad as I thought he would be. He just wondered how they got his picture. I think once he uses it he will like it more. He was excited about his chocolate bunny and his frog float. Ryan was loved his peek-a-blocks train, his nesting blocks and his 'things that go' wooden puzzle. He was able to identify most of the things on the puzzle. There are two "vroom, vroom, car" pieces, a "bus" and a "choo, choo". The ones he didn't know were boat and airplane. When we went to sit down for breakfast there was a surprise on everyone's chair(a little trick I learned from my mom). The boys all got University of Maryland gear. It's daddy's alma matter you know. Zach was super excited about his shirt and Jay put his hat on right away. We got a couple pictures with them in their gear, but none of them turned out great. If you want to check them out they are in the March Album. I was quite pleased when Zach announced in the car that he knew the real reason for Easter. "It's not the eggs or candy that are the most special thing. It's that Jesus died for our sins and rose again." Almost a direct quote of what I had told him the day before, but he remembered :-) Our church service was amazing. I won't bore you with the details because I can't tell it nearly as well as Ben(our lead pastor), but I will tell you there was a goat. A real live goat on the stage! After service it was home for nap time. The rest of us had lunch. I uploaded the pictures from the morning and then worked on my secret project. Jay and Zach played Frogger and Leverage. After nap it was off to Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house. We visited with the family minus Ben and plus John's brother, Joey, for a few hours. Zach stayed there for a sleepover and Ryan fell asleep in the car on the way home(it was only 6:00, but we could tell he was tired at Jay's parent's house). When we finally got home it was around 7:00, but it felt like midnight. We did Ryan's night time routine and tried to put him to bed. He would lay there quietly for 10 minutes and then start crying. He did this until 9PM and then finally stayed asleep. I guess you can't blame him after having such a late nap. Jay and I were trying to watch a movie in the midst of this. At least we could pause it. It was a pretty silly movie-"Laws of Attraction". I guess it's entertaining enough, but I don't think I'll be watching it again. Since this is a rather long post I'll save the movie recommendation I have for another time. I will however tell you that this is my very first post from the living room! If you read my husband's blog you know that he got an amazing deal on a Dell laptop, so now we have one because he is our resident deal king. How convenient is it to have a laptop?!! I love this. I'm watching Ryan play with his toys right over the screen! I admit that I was not convinced that we needed a laptop, but I'm so glad we have one now! Am I spoiled? I hope I don't sound spoiled.

Getting Ready for Easter

Coloring Eggs 

Here are some shots of us dying eggs for Easter tomorrow. There are lots of preparations eggs, baskets, candy and gifts are all some that come to mind right away. I heard something on the radio today that really stuck with me. It was about preparing for Easter. The DJ reminded us that the most important preparation of all is the preparing of your heart. It is, after all, one of the holiest days of the year. Easter is a day to remind us of the resurrection, the ultimate sacrifice and holiness of Jesus. It’s a day to celebrate and give thanks.

No One is Posting!

None of my favorite bloggers are posting!!! Come on people I need to live vicariously through you! Give me something, anything!

Hooray, I Can Blog Again!

Well, my house is definitly not sparkling clean, but it's almost back to normal. I still have two folded baskets of clothes to put away, but I'm in the home stretch. So I decided to let myself indulge in some blogging.
Last night Jay watched the boys so I could get out of the house. I NEEDED to get out. Yesterday was not easy. Zach had the day off and he and Ryan both decided they did not want to be on their best behavior. I took a little two hour jaunt to Michaels, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target Greatland. Three of my favorite stores. I got some fun Easter goodies, a project that I'm very excited about and some boring every day stuff. It's really nice to shop without kids! So, that was my exciting evening. What did you do last night?

Clean Motivation

This past week my house has gone from passable or not-so-bad to OH-MY-GOODNESS-WHAT-HAPPENED-HERE?! I have baskets and baskets of clean laundry that I never got around to folding. Zach has had to come ask for underwear or socks the past 2 days because he didn't have ANY in his drawers. Jay also had to ask me where his stuff was. I have not been able to catch up with my dishes all week(every time I put in a load there are extras that wait until the next time around). The family room currently looks like a bomb went off in it.
DUCK AND COVER!!!

In order to make myself clean it up I am going to forbid myself from blogging until it is passable again. So if you don't hear from me in a while check under the massive pile of clothes.

Happy Birthday Ben

Happy birthday 'friend Ben'. You are growing up so fast! One year old already, wow! I remember last year I thought it would be so cool if you were born yesterday so you could have the same birthday as another Ben that is so special in our lives. I guess you were not ready yet(even if your mommy was!)
I'm so glad Ryan has a friend like you :-)
Happy Birthday Ben!

Happy Birthday Ben

It's Uncle Ben's birthday today.
Happy Birthday Uncle Ben

Code Word: Shakespearean Monarch

Okay, I've heard of drama queens, but has anyone ever heard of a drama king?! Let's say we have a 6 year old who is eating dinner(hypothetically of course). All of a sudden he starts crying. I do mean all of a sudden, out of no where-crying. He grabs his throat and whines, "My throat hurts!" Miraculously he was able to finish eating when he found out there would be no dessert or treat if he didn't. Does this kind of behavior a drama king make? Hmmmm.....I think yes.

Any ideas how to handle a 'Shakespearean Monarch' while not ignoring real problems?

Peek-a-Boo

One of Ryan's favorite things to do these days is hide behind the couch cushions, pop out and say "pee-a-boo". I caught this moment today and I thought it was cute enough to share :-) There are more pictures in my March Album.
Peek-a-Boo

"Wan wing"

I forgot in my post about Ryan's sentences to write what he said on Friday. We were at the playground with Erin and Ben(you can see lots of pictures in my March Album). Ryan walked over to the baby swing put his hand on it and said "wan wing"(want swing)-translated 'I want to swing'. Since everyone knows how much he loves to swing(except the people at the playground say he looks like he's about to fall asleep in there) I thought you would want to know it was one of the first things he asked for with words :-)

Putting Two Words Together

I'm not sure if this really counts, but I think Ryan has been saying two word sentences.
Victory!

Last Wednesday when he was trying to put on Zach's shoes he said, "Shoe on!" It kind of ran together and I often tell him, "Let's get your shoes on." So I don't know if he meant to say two words or if that's when he thinks you say when you put shoes on. He also has been saying "Let's go" a lot lately. Of course he has been saying "Thank you" for a very long time, so it might be something like that. He just repeats words that I often say together not knowing it's two words. It is exciting for me though :-)
He is understanding more and more all the time. He is even communicating his needs with words now! Of course I think I am the only one who understands what he is saying with lots of his words. Like 'mo' is milk and 'key' or 'pwee' can both mean please. He has words with his grandmommy too. She brings special books when she comes to watch him. Last time she came over he asked for "Pum-pum"(aka The Little Drummer Boy) before she knew it he had gone downstairs and was looking in her tote bag for the book. He requested another book she brought on a previous visit. He said, "oink" for Pigs say 'Oink'. I had never heard of Pigs say 'Oink', but apparently there are lots of animal sounds and he loves it. He really loves animals. I guess most kids do.

Play Date at the Playground

Today we went on a play date with Erin and Ben. Yay! It's so hard to get together with them because of nap schedules and bus stop times etc. It always seems so short too. I really like hanging out with them and I wish we could do it more often. Today Ben had to rush over right after his nap and Ryan stayed up late so they could play together. I can't wait until Ben is down to one nap a day so we can do more fun stuff together. This is one of my favorite pictures from our fun day at the playground.
Buddies


Don't think it was all fun and games though...Erin got to see a few of Ryan's 'Don't take me off the swing' tantrums. He finally managed to give up the swing with the promise of Goldfish and a LOT of coaxing. Ben was such a good sport about it all. He just wanted to eat mulch and the mulch by the swings was as good as any other mulch I guess;-) They shared their snacks very nicely, but I think Ryan got the lion's share. He usually does when it comes to food ;-) Then they played with the containers on a bench for a while. Ben took Ryan's hat, but the only person who seemed to mind was Ben's mommy :-) they played with some letters. Then Ryan started running down the sidewalk. Ben chased him. It was so adorable. Ryan kept looking back and I couldn't quite tell if it was a 'Why are you following me?' or an 'Are you keeping up?' look. They both seemed to enjoy the running though. We topped it off with some music and decided to head home for lunch. Ryan however didn't think lunch would be as fun as the swing, so he headed for the swings. I had to scoop him up and take his very sad sounding self to the car. He was easily distracted by the puffs I had in his bag. All in all a fun time. I'm thinking of trying to find a playground without swings though ;-) Maybe I'll start a petition to have the swings removed from our playground. They are the number one cause of playground injury you know. ;-P I guess that's going a bit far, but I really hope he outgrows this swing obsession SOON.

Photos

Consolidation! That's what it's all about folks. I consolidated my photo album links on the sidebar because it was just getting unruly. I love taking pictures, so I have LOTS of albums. After Ryan was born the number of photos seemed to dictate monthly albums. There were way to many links over there! Now if you click on one year you will be able to view all the albums from that year. Unfortunately I don't think they will come up in order. I don't know how to fix that. I don't think I can:-( To view the albums you do have to sign up for a Snapfish account, but it's not a big deal. You just need an e-mail address and a password. They don't ask you for anything else unless you want to order something. They also keep a record of all the albums you have viewed when you sign in again they will still be there. Not that I'm endorsing this or anything, but I've heard of people giving fake e-mail addresses for this type of thing ::wink, wink, nudge, nudge:: If you are interested in the service they send out great coupons and specials through e-mail. I LOVE Snapfish. The prices are really good(unfortunately I do have to pay sales tax because of where I live, but you might not) and they offer these really cute things that you can put your photos on for gifts or just for you.
Don't tell Zach, but for Easter he will be getting a notepad with a picture of him and at the top is says, "Zach says..." He is going to love it. He loves little personalized things like that. I think most kids do. It makes them feel very special to have something with their name on it.

Pwee

I'm not sure if I should be concerned about raising a spoiled child...what do you think?
The other day Ryan "asked" to use his playmat. When I say ask I mean he saw the playmat in the basement and he pointed, made some noises and did a little dance that looked like he was jogging in place. It was too mild to be a tantrum, so don't think I'm "that mom" who always gives in to her child's tantrums. I realized what he wanted. I said "You want to play with your squares?" and got them down. He smiled that huge "You understood me!" smile and started bouncing up and down. I pulled out a few for him to play with and he had a great time.
recently when I think I know what he wants and I ask him. Many times he will fuss and bounce up and down. I used to think that meant no, so I would stop doing what I thought he wanted(eg. getting him milk). Then he would fuss harder and I realized that fussing means yes. Hmm. So it seems like he thinks he has to fuss to get what he wants. I've been working really hard on getting him to say please. When he fusses and grabs the fridge door now I will say, "Milk, please" and then get his milk. The please has taken for food. Now he will stand at the food cabinet and say "pwee, pwee" as he bounces up and down(still working on that), but he doesn't really do it for anything else. When he does say 'pwee' when he realizes that I'm getting him something he still starts to fuss. I'm wondering if he really does think he needs to fuss for me to give it to him or if he is just impatient. Any ideas how to calm Mr. Fussypants?

Disconcerting Day

Yesterday was a disconcerting day for me. I sit down to watch my TiVoed Dr Phil, it's called 'Alternative treatments for ADD'. I almost didn't watch. I thought 'this doesn't apply to me, Zach doesn't have ADD'. I decided to watch anyway because I find psychology so interesting(all you people out there making fun of me for watching a TV shrink and thinking it's interesting :-P ... that's all I have to say!) I am at home with an 18 month old...it's the only adult thinking I do all day! I think Dr Phil is smart and gives a lot of good advice. Most of it I already know, but it's good to feel supported in your opinions.
Wow, I really got side tracked defending my addiction to Dr Phil! As I was saying the show was about ADD. I thought it would be all about kids, but he started talking about his next guest. He asked questions like:
Do you get to the top of the steps and forget why you are there? Do you show up late? Do you wait until the last minute to do things? You may have adult ADD.

Here is a quote from the guest he was introducing:

"I am miserable and I'm making my family miserable because of my ADD," says 33-year-old Kat who's a stay-at-home mom. "I will start a project and never finish it, and I will leave things to the last minute." Kat makes lists of things to do, but she rarely follows through. "My husband will ask me to make a bank deposit and three days later, it still hasn't been done. I let laundry pile up. I will put dishes in the sink to leave for later, and later never seems to come." When Kat throws birthday parties for her kids, they are often a month late because she never sends the invitations out in a timely manner.Kat also has a problem making decisions. "I have stacks and stacks of stuff that needs to be returned, but I tend to procrastinate when it comes time to return it," she explains. In order for Kat to be punctual, she must set her clocks fast. "I literally have to trick myself to be on time. It's almost something that I don't have control over."

Um...That's ME! Well, except for the being miserable and making my family miserable part I hope. Now I'm wondering if I have ADD. Oh boy, that's just what I need.
Just in case you were wondering...my hypochondriac side comes up now and then and I have to logic my way out of it. I am able to concentrate on things, so I'm pretty sure I don't have ADD. It's just weird how much I have in common with this woman!

Tickers

I finally found a ticker that goes higher than 5 years old! SnugglePie has lots of cool tickers. Now Zach gets his own ticker too:-) So now I have 3 tickers from 3 different sources...hmm, maybe I should consolidate! Nah, DaisyPath is the only one I've seen with an anniversary ticker and Daisies are my favorite flower:-) I might switch Ryan's birthday ticker to SnugglePie so I can write his name on the ticker. We'll see. For now I'm just excited that I finally found one for Zach! I think he will like it-it has green and the marker is a frog :-)

Pull up a couch...

For those who followed the great Nemo mural saga of August and Sept 2004...I finally finished the Nemo! And realized something about myself.
Finished Nemo

Let me preface this by telling you I've been reading this book, The Confident Woman, by Annabelle Gillham. It has really been amazing. The Psych major in me is fascinated because I didn't learn this in any of my classes and yet it makes so much sense. Jay and I are also doing a study called The Life together that parallels the book, but it's for men and women.
One thing I realized about myself from reading the book is that sometimes I don't finish things because if I say it is finished and someone thinks it's not good I have to answer for it. It's not so much that I have to answer to other people, but to myself about why it wasn't great. I am very sensitive to criticism. I've learned this is because acceptance of my performance is how I get my love needs met. It's how I feel accepted by others and how I accept myself. I have to be good, if not great or perfect at everything I do. I've always tended to shy away from things I wasn't good at right away. My thought process might say, If someone didn't like how I did something it must mean they don't like me or I had better not do this because it might not be good enough... I might not be good enough. I didn't even realize this about myself. I just chalked it up to laziness and procrastination. Hmmm...could this be the root of my procrastinating tendencies? Uh-YES! Doh. Well, I just told myself a finished imperfect wall is better than an unfinished wall with plastic underneath so I can paint "when I get the chance." I even dare to say that I like it and I'm glad I did it. Well, I can't say that I've turned my whole way of doing things(or as they are called in the book-green highways) around, but it's a start. Perhaps I will catch myself when I'm doing it more often and I'll be able to stop determining my worth by what other people think.
Thanks for coming to my therapy session. I hope I didn't lose you in translation ;-)

We're cookin' now!

Crock pots are AWESOME. It's only 10am and I'm basically done making dinner :-) Woohoo! Morning is the best time to do things like that. Ryan is happily watching the Wiggles or Sesame Street, so he doesn't tug at my legs and want to be picked up the whole time. Whoever invented the crock pot was a genius!

The Players

Here is a little bit about the most common players in my blog.
I am Jen :-)
age: 27
birthday: April 18
favorite color: periwinkle
favorite food: Girl Scout Thin Mints+ brownies
favorite actor: Gene Kelly
favorite living actor: Christian Bale
favorite activities: board games, playgrounds, hiking, scrapbooking, making slide shows and movies
favorite tv shows: Alias, JAG, Two and a Half Men

My Family

Jay=husband
also 27
Birthday: May 16
very much like me and yet very different
Hobbies: cars, finding deals, most things electronic, hiking and playing with two very special little boys

Zach=step son
Age:6 (see counter for specifics)
Grade: 1st
Favorite color: green

Ryan=son
Age: see counter under title
Nicknames: Monkey, Bean, Monkey Bean, Cute Bean, Ju-ju Bee, Silly Bean, Little Explorer, Jumping Bean, Plumpkin, Little Linus
Favorite color: tbd (I'm rooting for blue)

My mom and dad with us on vacation
My Mom(aka- Grandma) and Dad(aka- Grandpa or Chief) live in Belgium(they are coming back to the states soon! :-) )
They are a major reason I started this blog. I wanted to keep them up to date on what we are doing and how their grandsons are growing. I thought this would be a good way to keep up on the day to day stuff.
hobbies: working on plays, traveling Europe(or anywhere else for that matter) and bragging on their grandkids ;-)
Mom's b-day November 8
Dad's b-day July 19

Some Uncle TJ shots

TJ=my brother
Birthday: April 20
Age: 24
Occupation=Air Force- self proclaimed 'super troop' ;-)
Just back from Iraq; living in NM(another good reason to blog)
Hobbies: playing Phase 10(the best player I've ever met), riding his new ATV, playing with his nephews


Jay's Family

Jay's Family is more local.
Jay's mom(aka- Grandmommy) and Jay's dad(aka- Granddaddy) live about 45 minutes away. His mom comes up to watch the boys every Friday night, so she sees them a lot. Jay's dad is retired and loves gadgets(I guess it's genetic;-)). Jay's mom was a teacher and now she helps in tutor in a school near her home.
Jay's mom's b-day: October 23
Jay's dad's b-day: December 15

Elizabee=Jay's sister
Nicknames: Bee, Aunt Bee, Liz and Elizabee is a nickname too
Occupation: teacher(technically assistant teacher, but really a teacher)
Birthday: January 17
Married almost one year to John

Ben= Jay's brother
Hobbies: computer games, watching movies, hanging out with friends, saying "nerd" way too much, painting, frisbee
Occupation: college student(fall, winter and spring) and camp counselor(summer)
Birthday: March 23


Anything else you want to know or add? Leave a comment, maybe I'll add it :-)

To Tell or Not to Tell?

I debated with myself for a while about whether I should share Ryan's toilet triumph with the whole world. I'm still a little iffy and I think he might have me one of those "Mo-ooooooom!" moments when he gets older about it. I decided to do it anyway, but if the post mysteriously disappears you know why ;-)
So here is the toilet triumph story. Today I was going to give Ryan a bath, so he was standing there diaperless in the bathroom waiting for the tub to fill. True to form he peed on the side of the tub and the floor. I got out his toddler potty out last week and we've been talking about it with him. So, I put the seat on the toilet and asked him if he wanted to do 'pee-pees in the potty.' He sat there happily for a minute. I think he did a little bit, but nothing very noticeable except that the shield was a little wet. He must have gotten the concept though because after his bath he wasn't ready to get dressed right away. He went into the bathroom and put the little seat back on the toilet. I took that as a sign and put him up there and there is was...{sound effect}tinkle, tinkle. He did pee-pees on the potty! Yea for Ryan!!! Maybe we'll be able to get rid of those diapers soon! I'm sure we will not have all wonderful triumphant days like today, but it's a start.

PS I had to stop writing this because Ryan just handed me the TV remote and said "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle" at first I ignored him and put the remote down. He handed to me again and was a little more insistent about his"wiggle, wiggle"s this time. So I got up and brought a Wiggles episode up on the trusty TiVo for him. They are singing "Big Red Car" right now. If you are anything like me you have that song in your head now. He definitely knows what he wants! I just thought it was a cute story :-)

Fun, Fun, Fun

Ryan and I found a place to play! There is a place just up the street that has all kinds of play stuff. They have classes for different ages. (It's sort of like Gymboree, but I'm sure they wouldn't want me to say that) I'm so excited. I think we are going to sign up for a class right away. We walked in today to see what the place was and we were greeted with a smile and asked if we wanted to joint he class in progress. We ended up wandering around for a little bit. Ryan played with some things and the lady answered some questions for me. It looks like so much fun! Ryan had a great time today just playing with the stuff. It might even be a way for me to meet some moms with kids Ryan's age that live close. None of my friends with babies or toddlers live close:-( I'll keep working on Erin, but I think I'd better keep my options open-if you know what I mean;-) Well, I just thought I'd share my excitement. I'll start accepting applications for volunteer picture takers to come to our sessions now ;-)

Winter, Winter Go Away

I have the winter blahs. Yesterday was just a tease. Today it is snowing again :-( Snow is fine in winter, but it's March! I know it's not technically spring, but it's close enough that it shouldn't be snowing. Not only is it snowing, but wind gusts are blowing so hard it's flying sideways. It's also a wet snow-the kind where you need an umbrella or you will get as soaked as if it was raining. And since it's blowing sideways you need some sort of super umbrella that doesn't turn inside out and is big enough to shield your entire body. It is COLD and windy and yucky. I was planning on going to the store, but I'm not going out in this wet wintry mess with a toddler. It's too hard to push a cart, hold a toddler(who doesn't want to be held) and an umbrella over both your heads at the same time. Not to mention that I do not have the aforementioned super umbrella. Sorry honey, you're just going to have to wait for those yogurts. Let's let the pizza delivery guy deal with this yuckiness ;-) Actually, I think I might make some chili, Jay style-meat, beans and tomato sauce. Otherwise I'd have to go to the store and get celery and I think we've already established that that's not gonna happen!

Pictorial update:
When I started this post this is what it looked like outside. All the snow from the previous storms had melted and there was wet snow falling, but showing no signs of sticking. I took this picture when there was no wind so you can see the snow.
10:22 snowing

This is 25 minutes later...
10:47 blowing sideways and sticking! 

You can barely see the big fat snowflakes because they are blowing almost sideways. They blew even more sideways than that! With all the snow and wind it looks like thick fog out. Icky...I want to be in Florida with Erin:-(

Spring, Spring, Spring!

The weather is beautiful today! I took Ryan to the playground. I wanted to call Erin and see if she and Ben wanted to come, but she is in Florida :-( Ryan and I had a good time anyway, well mostly. Ryan climbed around some and went down the slide. We walked around and he watched all the other kids playing. He played in the sand box for a little while.
little climber


All of that was fun, but apparently his favorite thing is the swing. Does this look like the face of a child who loves the swing?
I love to swing?

It doesn't to me either, but he threw a fit when I took him out. What's up with that?! I always pitied those mother's who had the screaming children. I just knew my kids were going to be better behaved than that. I guess I got what was coming to me because he threw two full on fits when I took him out of the swing. The first time we went over to the side and settled down a bit and then we went back to playing. The second time I was taking him out to leave and he thrashed around and screamed all the way to the car. It was not pretty. There were tons of other children there and not one other child was throwing a fit. I was so embarrassed. I stood my ground though and didn't let him get his way. This is one strong willed child. He comes by that honestly. His father and I are both pretty strong willed people. Poor kid didn't have a shot at not getting that gene. Oh well, I guess we will have ourselves a few battles of will, but hopefully we will all be better for the trials we face with one another.
In case you were wondering...We got home and Ryan was happy as a clam. He had a little snack and then went down easily for his nap. It was almost as if the tantrum never happened. It's comforting to know that he doesn't hold it against me.
I'll leave you with one of the only pictures I could get with him smiling in the swing. Most of them he just looks kind of blank. He really did like the swings though. He kept running back to them every chance he got. I am glad that he was able to enjoy some of the other things at the playground though. He really did have a fun time.
swing

Sunday Walk

Jay's sister, Elizabee, took this picture when they went on a walk yesterday. I was still at church volunteering in the toddler room. It looks like they had a nice walk. I just love the expression on his face. For more pictures check out my album links in the side bar.
on a walk

Elizabee and John stayed for lunch and then they had to go home and do some school work. Boy am I glad I'm not a teacher. I think the teachers actually have more homework than the students.
The rest of the day was just a quiet Sunday at home. Sometimes it feels good to do nothing!

Surfing Monkeys and Other Fun Stuff

I bought new socks this week. I'm very excited about my new socks. Perhaps a little disproportionately excited. I got two pairs of monkey socks, one pair of frog socks and one striped pair. I like fun socks. I like that when I look at my feet it makes me smile. It's just a little extra cheer in my day. These are my surfing monkey socks. I thought about flipping the picture upside down so you could see the monkeys right side up, but then I decided that would look strange. I hope you enjoy looking at my monkey socks as much as I do :-)
surfing monkeys


Here is something else that always puts a smile on my face and in my heart.
fun times

I love to watch Jay play with Ryan. It's fun to watch them both laugh and enjoy each other. I love the little squeals of delight when Ryan is getting chased by the tickle monster or when he gets caught. The innocence, the joy and the love are all so evident when the tickling and laughter breaks into hugs and kisses. It's wonderful to watch the man you love love your child so much.
It's funny how when they grow older it's not quite the same. I can still see glimpses of the innocence in Zach sometimes. He still likes the tickle games occasionally, but he is much more into building toys and board games now. It is cool to see Jay teaching Zach about how things work, how to build tanks and strategies for winning checkers. It is great, but it just doesn't have the pure joy that a tickle game has. I love how the father-son relationship has evolved.
I wonder what it will be like when they hit the teen years. I think I will just try to think about now instead of worrying about 6 years from now. I'll drive myself crazy!

Speaking of growing up...
Zach had his first sleep over last night. The Kids Club at our church had a "kids night out" where they stay at the church over night. I think Zach was a little overwhelmed at first. I didn't know what to do. I just encouraged him to find someone he knew and told him that he would make some new friends when they break into small groups. He said he was a little scared at first, but that he had a really fun time. I'm sure he made some friends before too long. It seems like it was a fun time. I think he will want to go next time.

Self Cleaning Model

So I set Ryan up with a sandwich at his little table. He was happily eating, so I left the room for a second. When I came back the plate was gone. I looked all over the dining room for it. It wasn't there. Then it struck me. I looked in the sink and low and behold there was his plate! How great is that?! He put his own plate in the sink! No one taught him that is where dirty dishes go, but I guess he figured it out. This kid is incredible! Now if he could only teach his father ;-) j/k love you hon!

Super Baby

Super Baby

Faster than a speeding mommy,
able to leap an inch off the floor,
curious, adventurous and
able to sleep without a nuk!
It's a monkey...it's a bean...it's Super Baby!

18 Months Old

It's hard to believe. Ryan is 18 months old! 18 months ago Ryan was a helpless infant that didn't do much more than cry(really loudly!). Now he is a vibrant little boy who runs, jumps, talks, sings, laughs and talks. Today the doctor asked me how many words he says. I didn't know what to answer. I've never sat down to count, but it's a lot. Maybe I'll make a list. I really wanted to make a list of all the things he can do now, but it would be so long. I will share a first for today though. Ryan opened a door that was completely closed for the first time today. At the doctors office he grabbed the handle turned it and pulled the door open. He must have thought it was great fun because he did it over and over and did not want to stop. Luckily we have only round handled doors. The doctor has the kind with the long handle that you can just pull down. Silly doctor. I do think we will be in trouble soon because Ryan is reaching up and grabbing every door handle around the house.
I'm glad I have been blogging about him. It's so hard to remember when he did this or that, but this way I'll be able to look back and remember. When he is older maybe he will even want to see what he was like when he was little. Erin uses her blog posts about Ben in his baby book, maybe I'll go back and use some of mine too. It will be cool to show Ryan how I felt about him while he was growing up. I love that little boy! He amazes me every day.

Poor Little Guy

I took Ryan to the doctor today. My poor little monkey has bronchitis and a mild ear infection. No wonder he has been so miserable! I feel so bad for not taking him to the doctor sooner. It's so hard to know when you need to take them to the doctor. I'm trying not to be that paranoid mom who takes her kid to the doctor every time he has a cough, but then my kid ends up with bronchitis. ugh. I hate not knowing what to do.
On the bright side, he only has one more baby immunization. He should be able to get it in 2 weeks and then he will be done until he is 4! Yay for the end of shots!!!

Update

Jay started a blog! Can you believe I had to discover this on my own?! He didn't even tell me. Obviously, I knew he was thinking about it, but he didn't say he was going to start. I just randomly thought I'm going to see if Jay started a blog. I even had to go to someone else's blog to click on his profile since he never comments on my blog. Humph! Well, since he didn't tell me I'm sure he didn't tell you(he better not have told you before me!), so I'm telling everyone! Go visit!

Addendum: Jay sent me an e-mail before I wrote this post. The server where he works is notoriously slow, so I didn't get it before I found his blog. So I must apologize for not having faith in my husband's intent to inform me. Although I was joking when I wrote this post (I was not really huffy) it may not have come across that way. I knew Jay wasn't hiding it from me. I did think he would tell me on the phone at some point during the day or tell me when he got home. I just thought I would tease him a bit. You know, keep him on his toes ;-)

Ears, Appendix and Other Random Body Parts

Last night Ryan woke up crying just before 10. This is not all together out of the ordinary especially since he has had a cold lately. It is unusual that he didn't calm down when I picked him up. He seemed to be in some pain. I gave him a drink and Tylenol and he still didn't calm down. It was heartwrenching to not be able to help him. We thought he might have an ear infection because of his cold. One of his ears seemed red and a little swollen. He was also patting it. Jay headed out to the store to get some ear drops. while he was gone I remembered I still had some from my ear infection. We used both. This morning he seems fine, cheerful even. His ear is not even a little red. He has a well baby appointment tomorrow, so I'll make sure the doctor knows about it. I'm not sure what to think.
I found out yesterday that my Uncle Bob is in the hospital. His appendix burst. He had emergency surgery and he seems to be recovering fairly well now. Any prayers would be appreciated I'm sure. This same uncle had a punctured lung not too long ago. Ever think God is trying to send you a message about how precious life is? It really makes me think about how much I love my Uncle and how every moment we have with the people we love is precious.
Since I don't want to just bring everyone down with all this talk about sickness I'll share some cuteness. Well, at least I think it's cuteness, you might just call it progress. Maybe it's one of those things you have to see to fully appreciate the cute factor. I'll do my best to describe it for you. Ryan has been identifying parts of the face. Not usually his own mind you, but everyone around him. He puts the palm of his hand on your nose and says, "noh." He will poke you in the eye and say, "eyez" then he will pull on your ears and say, "eahs" and put his finger through your lips and say, "tee." He says them with such emphasis. We're trying to get him to point next to the eye, but it has not been successful so far. So, if you are visiting and you see a little finger coming at you, you might want to close your eyes tight and wait until he has pointed to both of them before you open. Don't say I didn't warn you ;-)