I have been waking up really early lately. I can blame it on many things ranging from Abby making noise in the other room to drinking WAY too much water after dinner and the call of nature. I don't know why my body will not let me go back to sleep, but it is annoying!
With that, you get a snipped blog post:
Work:
Love where I work. Love who I work with and work for. I have been given both responsibility and flexibility to go out and find others that need project work done and stuff like that. Today I will be doing my first flow chart from notes from the Chief of Human Resources! Insane, right?
Next week we have another Admin starting. I realized yesterday that this will be the first time since my days at Champs that someone has come in at the same level as I am at - someone with about the same role in the organization. I have had folks over me hired, but this will be new and (hopefully) kind of cool.
Apartment:
I keep meaning to post pictures of the apartment, but you will just have to trust me at this point that it's nice. We all have lots of space, and Abby is in a Full sized bed, so it's much more fun to read stories at the end of a day because I can go straight to cuddling. It is silly, I know, but really fun. This morning when she woke up I went in and we talked about Christmas and did silly stuff like hide from Anny when she got up.
I keep thinking I might go out and get some paint. Anny is a hang-pictures-to-break-the-white-walls person, and I am a paint-it person. I know she will win out this round, though, because I am too cheap to buy paint and we have TONS of hanging pictures.
Folks have asked if Abby is okay with the silly TriPod "Tree" for Christmas, and I assure you that she digs it. She admires real/artificial trees in other places, but she knows that ours is a little silly, but special nonetheless.
Abby:
Well, on Saturday night she twisted her foot strangely and limped for three days. Right as it was healing up she jumped out of her bed in not-tied shoes and that was a set back. Another advantage of the Full Sized bed, we found out, is that when she is whimpering through the night because of said foot injury, we don't have to sleep three to a bed. Anny just went in to Abby's bed for the night. (I take my turns, you can trust that.)
Because of the occasional bed sharing in her room, Abby is now requesting that one of us sleep with her each night. Yeah, going to have to break that habit and quick!
Abby is incredibly helpful around here, especially in the kitchen! This week alone she has helped with cookies, boxed muffins, made from scratch muffins (YUM!) and is now helping with pancakes. She is always eager to help, and is getting much better about keeping mixing in the bowls. She is often mad at us if we don't let her help in the kitchen at dinner time. Sorry, Abs, but I do not need help with the raw meat today... :o)
Hoping to knock out a post today or tomorrow about Abby and Santa. Fun stuff. But now I need to go - I hear blueberry pancakes in process and I want to be sure some are for me!
December 23, 2010
December 12, 2010
Abby Tells the "The Story of Baby Jesus"
It is a bit long, but I wanted to post it to share. As I was trying to convince Abby it was time to go to bed last night, she decided she needed to tell me the Story of Baby Jesus. She was so meticulous, and told me three times. Decided to grab the camera to record for posterity. :o)
The sound quality is not great, might have to look at a Flip Video camera sometime in the near future, but not right now. (The sound is cruddy because the camera is trying to auto focus over and over and over again.)
"Baby Jesus" from Anny and Rob on Vimeo.
Text from the video:
"The Story About Baby Jesus"
by Abigail "Abby" Monroe (pen name pending)
(prep time included three videos of just sorting the pieces, then looking for Joseph for another minute and a half!)
Scene 1 - playing with magnetic toys and metal fridge. Be sure to have annoying noise throughtout video because of camera trying to auto-focus every half second, blame camera guy...
Where is Joseph? Where was he? He isn't here? Where is he?
Once upon a time, Mary and Joseph.
They had a Baby Jesus.
Then one time, Joseph, and BABY JESUS is BORN!
Then this Angel goes up to the star...
And then the Kings came with the presents
And the presents were for Mary and Joseph. {Suggestion from Editor, perhaps parents should work on story, gifts are for Baby, not Parents}
(long pause for sorting)
The Kings brought presents, put them right there.
They brought the presents for Jesus's Birthday
One time he was born and then His birthday came up and, then somebody came, and then the whole kingdom!
And then the whole WORLD!
(dramatic pause. again)
Just the whole kingdom, and all of the people and animals came to see him.
And they were all a Factory from the rest. {Suggestion from Editor, Factory? Really?)
A whole factory.
It's Baby Jesus!
And then, that's all!
The sound quality is not great, might have to look at a Flip Video camera sometime in the near future, but not right now. (The sound is cruddy because the camera is trying to auto focus over and over and over again.)
"Baby Jesus" from Anny and Rob on Vimeo.
Text from the video:
"The Story About Baby Jesus"
by Abigail "Abby" Monroe (pen name pending)
(prep time included three videos of just sorting the pieces, then looking for Joseph for another minute and a half!)
Scene 1 - playing with magnetic toys and metal fridge. Be sure to have annoying noise throughtout video because of camera trying to auto-focus every half second, blame camera guy...
Where is Joseph? Where was he? He isn't here? Where is he?
Once upon a time, Mary and Joseph.
They had a Baby Jesus.
Then one time, Joseph, and BABY JESUS is BORN!
Then this Angel goes up to the star...
And then the Kings came with the presents
And the presents were for Mary and Joseph. {Suggestion from Editor, perhaps parents should work on story, gifts are for Baby, not Parents}
(long pause for sorting)
The Kings brought presents, put them right there.
They brought the presents for Jesus's Birthday
One time he was born and then His birthday came up and, then somebody came, and then the whole kingdom!
And then the whole WORLD!
(dramatic pause. again)
Just the whole kingdom, and all of the people and animals came to see him.
And they were all a Factory from the rest. {Suggestion from Editor, Factory? Really?)
A whole factory.
It's Baby Jesus!
And then, that's all!
December 05, 2010
Our Non-Traditional Christmas "Tree"
Best Christmas Tree - potted and in the house for a few weeks, planted in the yard following the holidays
Great Christmas Tree A- Fresh, locally cut pine
Great Christmas Tree B- Fake tree, bells and whistles, kept for many years to balance out environmental impacts and such
Good Christmas Tree - Real tree, imported across hundreds of miles - but at least it gets composted.
Yes, that is a camera tripod decked out with tree lights! We thought long and hard, but here are realities in our house:
1 - We don't have a yard to plant a potted Christmas tree
2 - We had three fake trees that we gave away this summer, buying a new one now sounds really awful
3 - Anny is allergic to cut pines - not occasional contact, but the last time we had a cut tree she had hives. When we have a real wreath, she had issues again. (Worry not, Sarahlynn, she's only had issues when it is in our living quarters!)
4 - We wanted to do something a little... different. This year has been all about creativity and, well, different.
Ladies (are there any guys that read my blog? Is this thing on?) I present to you our Tripod Christmas "Tree"
One neat thing is that we have a ball in the dead-center of the thing, so it kind of pushes the light around:
Abby is completely nonplussed about the whole thing - she takes pretty much everything in stride these days!
Now to figure out those last few boxes from the move - might just put them in storage and ignore them!
Great Christmas Tree A- Fresh, locally cut pine
Great Christmas Tree B- Fake tree, bells and whistles, kept for many years to balance out environmental impacts and such
Good Christmas Tree - Real tree, imported across hundreds of miles - but at least it gets composted.
Yes, that is a camera tripod decked out with tree lights! We thought long and hard, but here are realities in our house:
1 - We don't have a yard to plant a potted Christmas tree
2 - We had three fake trees that we gave away this summer, buying a new one now sounds really awful
3 - Anny is allergic to cut pines - not occasional contact, but the last time we had a cut tree she had hives. When we have a real wreath, she had issues again. (Worry not, Sarahlynn, she's only had issues when it is in our living quarters!)
4 - We wanted to do something a little... different. This year has been all about creativity and, well, different.
Ladies (are there any guys that read my blog? Is this thing on?) I present to you our Tripod Christmas "Tree"
One neat thing is that we have a ball in the dead-center of the thing, so it kind of pushes the light around:
Now to figure out those last few boxes from the move - might just put them in storage and ignore them!
December 02, 2010
Caps/Blues Game!
(So - no BS about why I have not blogged. Been busy, still adjusting, blah blah blah. All true, but doesn't matter.)
A friend from church was given a pair of tickets to the Blues game last night - when my team from DC was visiting! She is a hockey fan, so clearly we had talked about my love of the sport and how I would love to get tickets to the game. Wow am I glad I have a big mouth - she invited ME!
I had to debate - and included folks on Facebook who were clearly one sided - whether to wear my Blues shirt or my Caps jersey. Well before we moved I realized that there would be a dilemma - clearly I have been a fan of the Caps since just after birth, but I am a firm believer that you should root for your home team. (That is why I could never live in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia) I decided that I can root for two teams for 82 games a year, but for the two times they play each other I would root for the Caps.
Good news for me is that I am a fan of the sport in general, so I ended up in hockey heaven last night as the two teams played a great, clean game with lots of action, lots of hitting and no fights. (Sorry fight-fans, time and a place, and a hockey game is neither.) The Caps won 4-1 even though St Louis looked to have played a better game and just didn't get the shots to go in.
So - I've been to a thousand hockey games, and why blog about this one? Well, for the embarrassment factor!
During TV timeouts they do silly things to pass the time - which I guess is better than watching ads! They did not do a kiss cam, but they had several fun ones that include dancing for the camera and such. There was a camera operator on the opposite side of the ice that clearly liked the folks in the seats right around ours. They got a shot of the guy sitting RIGHT in front of us (for celebrity look-alike), then later of a woman a row back and over by about two seats.
Well, they did a segment to the classic ballad Dream Weaver! They showed one girl with a dream bubble about an engagement ring - funny! Then the guy beside her, clearly trying to run away from being associated with that, had a "dream" about a Bud Light - funnier! Was skeeved out when they put up a young boy - maybe 8? - with a picture of a skimpily clothed lady. Mom and dad were clearly uncomfortable, too.
Then they showed me and Barb! Then I realized they were showing me because of my Capitals jersey... I had the thought to pull it up to show my Blues shirt underneath, but I was worried about flashing folks. Nobody wants to see that! So I sat there and laughed, anticipating "my" dream. How about this one, my friends.... (picture in a dream bubble)
Since it took a moment between put up my ugly mug and coming up with the "dream" picture, I was literally booed and subsequently laughed at by about 15,000 people! In public! At a hockey game!
In other words, my friends, last night was a perfectly awesome night! GO CAPS! GO BLUES! GO HOFF!
October 25, 2010
Playing Catch Up - St Louis Arch!
So, yeah - we went to the St Louis Arch last month after having talked about going for about seven years! It was a great day, especially considering we kind of decided spur of the moment to go!
We got there early, as they insisted, and walked around the Westward Expansion museum that is housed in the underground part of the arch. Pretty cool stuff that included real artifacts as well as very realistic animal displays!
Since it is St Louis, there was a room dedicated to the history of baseball, and in particular the Cardinals. I swear that I am going to have to start forcing myself to watch that boring sport or they might kick me out of the state!
Anyway - here are pictures from the trip:
The sun hitting the Arch just right:
All seven of us in a pod designed forthree six. It was tight, but a quick ride so not too bad!
Snapped this on the way in - they were too cute walking hand in hand. I don't usually doctor pictures this much, but I like the way it came out:
View from the top of the arch includes the baseball stadium:
We will surely go back, though the price might make it a regularly recurring event.
We got there early, as they insisted, and walked around the Westward Expansion museum that is housed in the underground part of the arch. Pretty cool stuff that included real artifacts as well as very realistic animal displays!
Since it is St Louis, there was a room dedicated to the history of baseball, and in particular the Cardinals. I swear that I am going to have to start forcing myself to watch that boring sport or they might kick me out of the state!
Anyway - here are pictures from the trip:
The sun hitting the Arch just right:
All seven of us in a pod designed for
Snapped this on the way in - they were too cute walking hand in hand. I don't usually doctor pictures this much, but I like the way it came out:
View from the top of the arch includes the baseball stadium:
We will surely go back, though the price might make it a regularly recurring event.
October 22, 2010
In and Out
My family is not one of nudists, just to get that out in the open (ahem), but we are not shy about bodies, especially since we are sharing one bedroom (our choice) and one small bathroom. It’s not out of the ordinary to have two of us doing different things in the bathroom at the same time, and when Abby is trying to get extra attention, she might pop in for a random tooth brushing. Up until recently (three weeks?) Abby has showered with one of us as well. She now showers on her own, and does really well with it!
Okay, now that you are picturing me naked, I will continue with the story that got a little funnier just this morning…
A few weeks back when I was using the potty (yes, I have a three year old, thankyouverymuch) Abby walked by and declared to Anny, loudly, that I have an “out-bottom” which is different from her “in-bottom” of course.
I might have puffed up my chest when she said “Daddy has a BIG out-bottom” too. What can I say, I’m a dude.
Anny and I had a chuckle and chalked it up to something her teacher had said since she is potty training two boys now, and Abby is the only girl anyway. That sounds a lot less silly than “ding dong” and “vijayjay” do. (Thanks Oprah for that last one!) It sounds a lot less weird from a three year old than “vulva” and “penis” do. It fits a nice middle-of-the-road, and I don’t know how far off it is.
We talked with some adult friends that we live with (subtle, right?) and the lady of the house said that her doc even refers to that whole area as the bottom, most likely because it is such when both standing and sitting. Go teacher for being on top of things!
Abby has mentioned it in passing, but it has been rare enough that I had almost forgotten about it. Certainly funny, but not worth posting on the blog. (Except for the awesome mental image of me naked – ZING – got you again!)
But like I said, this morning the whole thing got funnier.
She skipped the potty at home this morning, which is okay with me since the walk to school is about 90 seconds and if an emergency issue came up, I could run her there without issue. When we got to Ms Karen’s I reminded Abby that she needed to go, and one of the boys was on the little potty. Abby looked over and said "he has an out-bottom" as I expected she would.
Then Ms Karen said something strange - "So fun that YOU ALL came up with that - very cute!"
WAIT.
We thought that she was getting it from school, school thinks she got it from here. Our little darling came up with in-bottom and out-bottom all on her own! She came up with a new thing all on her own that is neither too kiddy or too clinical.
How cool is that?!
Okay, now that you are picturing me naked, I will continue with the story that got a little funnier just this morning…
A few weeks back when I was using the potty (yes, I have a three year old, thankyouverymuch) Abby walked by and declared to Anny, loudly, that I have an “out-bottom” which is different from her “in-bottom” of course.
I might have puffed up my chest when she said “Daddy has a BIG out-bottom” too. What can I say, I’m a dude.
Anny and I had a chuckle and chalked it up to something her teacher had said since she is potty training two boys now, and Abby is the only girl anyway. That sounds a lot less silly than “ding dong” and “vijayjay” do. (Thanks Oprah for that last one!) It sounds a lot less weird from a three year old than “vulva” and “penis” do. It fits a nice middle-of-the-road, and I don’t know how far off it is.
We talked with some adult friends that we live with (subtle, right?) and the lady of the house said that her doc even refers to that whole area as the bottom, most likely because it is such when both standing and sitting. Go teacher for being on top of things!
Abby has mentioned it in passing, but it has been rare enough that I had almost forgotten about it. Certainly funny, but not worth posting on the blog. (Except for the awesome mental image of me naked – ZING – got you again!)
But like I said, this morning the whole thing got funnier.
She skipped the potty at home this morning, which is okay with me since the walk to school is about 90 seconds and if an emergency issue came up, I could run her there without issue. When we got to Ms Karen’s I reminded Abby that she needed to go, and one of the boys was on the little potty. Abby looked over and said "he has an out-bottom" as I expected she would.
Then Ms Karen said something strange - "So fun that YOU ALL came up with that - very cute!"
WAIT.
We thought that she was getting it from school, school thinks she got it from here. Our little darling came up with in-bottom and out-bottom all on her own! She came up with a new thing all on her own that is neither too kiddy or too clinical.
How cool is that?!
September 10, 2010
Update
Long update in quick snippets –
Abby –
Has had a cough for a week, but only when she is sleeping or laying down. She does this about three times a year when the seasons change drastically, as it has done here over the last ten days. I’ve slept on the couch with her a lot so that she is more upright.
Loves her school. Raves about it every day. She is getting into “projects” and brings stuff home at an alarming rate. The sorting is easy for me – has to be really special to her and she has to talk to me about it a few days later to be considered. We are really happy with the creativity and fun they are having together.
I don’t know if I have mentioned here, but she is the only girl there. BIG change from last year! She is getting to be braver, which is good for my little scaredy cat, especially on playground equipment and such. We have seen a difference when we are playing together outside of daycare, too. Abby was scarred by big kids toppling her over like two years ago on playground equipment, so this is a big development for us and one that we are welcoming!
Anny –
School is in full swing and it seems that she is really enjoying herself. I am proud of her for trying to be better at this school about participating in things that Abby and I can be invited to, like football games. That being said, we have not gotten to any just yet. Oy! We’ll get there, I am sure. Hockey season is just around the corner, and her school has a team, so we will likely go to some of those. (Wanted to go tonight, but I will only stand in the rain to watch someone that shares my last name!)
It’s a strange thing for us to not be cooking every night, every week. For those who have not read, we developed a calendar called “Operation Dinner In” on our Google Calendar. It is where we keep track of what we are going to be eating for about three weeks into the future. This helps us plan for groceries (buy a bigger tub of feta and spread it across several meals) which helps us save money. Since we are still living with the very gracious Paul and Sarahlynn (never enough THANKS! for this!), we have taken to alternating weeks. It’s fun beyond my imagination as we get to try some of their favorites and get to share ours, as well as journey to new foods together.
Anny has also taken up running! She is a very dedicated runner, she gets up early to go out for a run before work, then does a long one before the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. I think she has a goal of running a 5K on Halloween weekend, but I have not heard details as of yet. I’m disappointed a bit though. Anny has not asked for new running shoes yet, and I LOVE shoe shopping and want to convince myself into a new pair!
Me –
I’m doing well. I am not used to working so late in the evenings, which is one reason that blogging is suffering. I’m trying to figure out times that can work while still hanging out with everyone.
Work is going exceptionally well. I’m feeling like this place is a good fit for me. I am comfortable here, and people seem to like me, even without having brought brownies to the office yet! I hope to do that on Monday, if I can find time this weekend to bake some. I guess I could store buy, and I just might, but it’s a fun project to do with Abby as well.
I am still quite fat. While Anny runs I sleep. I have been partnering with her to do bedtime more, but that is when I should be out running the streets and am not. I would start tonight, but it’s raining. (I’ll say that again tomorrow!) I am genuinely eating better, in part because my desk is front and center as you walk into our office – I can’t sneak food all day long. I’m sure that if I put a little effort in sometime it would be different, so maybe I will. Maybe.
And that is my update. Hope that your world finds you well!
Abby –
Has had a cough for a week, but only when she is sleeping or laying down. She does this about three times a year when the seasons change drastically, as it has done here over the last ten days. I’ve slept on the couch with her a lot so that she is more upright.
Loves her school. Raves about it every day. She is getting into “projects” and brings stuff home at an alarming rate. The sorting is easy for me – has to be really special to her and she has to talk to me about it a few days later to be considered. We are really happy with the creativity and fun they are having together.
I don’t know if I have mentioned here, but she is the only girl there. BIG change from last year! She is getting to be braver, which is good for my little scaredy cat, especially on playground equipment and such. We have seen a difference when we are playing together outside of daycare, too. Abby was scarred by big kids toppling her over like two years ago on playground equipment, so this is a big development for us and one that we are welcoming!
Anny –
School is in full swing and it seems that she is really enjoying herself. I am proud of her for trying to be better at this school about participating in things that Abby and I can be invited to, like football games. That being said, we have not gotten to any just yet. Oy! We’ll get there, I am sure. Hockey season is just around the corner, and her school has a team, so we will likely go to some of those. (Wanted to go tonight, but I will only stand in the rain to watch someone that shares my last name!)
It’s a strange thing for us to not be cooking every night, every week. For those who have not read, we developed a calendar called “Operation Dinner In” on our Google Calendar. It is where we keep track of what we are going to be eating for about three weeks into the future. This helps us plan for groceries (buy a bigger tub of feta and spread it across several meals) which helps us save money. Since we are still living with the very gracious Paul and Sarahlynn (never enough THANKS! for this!), we have taken to alternating weeks. It’s fun beyond my imagination as we get to try some of their favorites and get to share ours, as well as journey to new foods together.
Anny has also taken up running! She is a very dedicated runner, she gets up early to go out for a run before work, then does a long one before the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. I think she has a goal of running a 5K on Halloween weekend, but I have not heard details as of yet. I’m disappointed a bit though. Anny has not asked for new running shoes yet, and I LOVE shoe shopping and want to convince myself into a new pair!
Me –
I’m doing well. I am not used to working so late in the evenings, which is one reason that blogging is suffering. I’m trying to figure out times that can work while still hanging out with everyone.
Work is going exceptionally well. I’m feeling like this place is a good fit for me. I am comfortable here, and people seem to like me, even without having brought brownies to the office yet! I hope to do that on Monday, if I can find time this weekend to bake some. I guess I could store buy, and I just might, but it’s a fun project to do with Abby as well.
I am still quite fat. While Anny runs I sleep. I have been partnering with her to do bedtime more, but that is when I should be out running the streets and am not. I would start tonight, but it’s raining. (I’ll say that again tomorrow!) I am genuinely eating better, in part because my desk is front and center as you walk into our office – I can’t sneak food all day long. I’m sure that if I put a little effort in sometime it would be different, so maybe I will. Maybe.
And that is my update. Hope that your world finds you well!
August 17, 2010
Another Post About Routine
Phew. Summer really is over in our family, starting today. Anny got her new students for the first *real* day of school, Abby went to daycare and I went to work. Now we can let things really settle into place.
But I will miss summer this year more than most. I got to spend a lot more time at home with Abby and Anny than usual, and probably more than I will again in the foreseeable future in such a chunk. We did some fun stuff together and got a bit better acquainted with our new town. Good times.
I miss using my camera. I don't have any good reason. Don't know if it's lack of motivation, or just time or what. Have an 8 to 5, which means I'm home just in time to either help with dinner or change clothes and eat. It was too hot for several weeks, so that is my excuse for that time. Tonight, though? Nothing better than a sore back from running around all day at work.
Speaking of which, things at work are going really well. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from all sorts of people. Better than that, my boss has gotten that feedback too, which is important in the (non-profit) corporate world. I am getting a lot out of meeting everyone because I am at the reception desk, but boredom in a new job is bad. I have begged onto a couple of tasks, and hope to expand that later this week, to. I finished a project today that was supposed to take the whole week. I started yesterday at 4 and finished before 2 today. I am looking forward to new challenges with open arms!
I need to be better about taking my meds, and that's all I'm going to say about that.
Anny and I have decided to join the church that Paul and Sarahlynn go to. It is bigger than all of the churches I have ever joined. Combined, probably. I have done some church studying for a while now and know that the reality is that a huge church is made up of a bunch of smaller communities, so it is not nearly as intimidating. Part of the perk for me is that in a church this big, it will be easier to "hide" from responsibility for longer. I have loved every day of serving as an Elder, Deacon and even as staff, but to go to worship and not worry about why one of the fans is not spinning, or how many people were in Sunday school or how many will show up for an event in the evening is kind of nice. I will get back into it some day, but it's kind of nice for now.
That being said, I really miss our church family back in Maryland. REALLY great people who have loved us like family since the day we visited. Really.
Time to get the girl-child into the shower. She is swimming every day at her new day care. We went with in-home for many reasons, but one of the biggest is the focus on being outside and doing a HUGE variety of different things from day to day. Yesterday they went to a museum and today they went to the park. Tomorrow is the library. She might not have a huge class of kids to hang out with (seven instead of 18) she is getting a pretty awesome experience in this deal!
Seriously, enough typing. I hope to get back to regular blogging soon. No promises, but soon.
But I will miss summer this year more than most. I got to spend a lot more time at home with Abby and Anny than usual, and probably more than I will again in the foreseeable future in such a chunk. We did some fun stuff together and got a bit better acquainted with our new town. Good times.
I miss using my camera. I don't have any good reason. Don't know if it's lack of motivation, or just time or what. Have an 8 to 5, which means I'm home just in time to either help with dinner or change clothes and eat. It was too hot for several weeks, so that is my excuse for that time. Tonight, though? Nothing better than a sore back from running around all day at work.
Speaking of which, things at work are going really well. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from all sorts of people. Better than that, my boss has gotten that feedback too, which is important in the (non-profit) corporate world. I am getting a lot out of meeting everyone because I am at the reception desk, but boredom in a new job is bad. I have begged onto a couple of tasks, and hope to expand that later this week, to. I finished a project today that was supposed to take the whole week. I started yesterday at 4 and finished before 2 today. I am looking forward to new challenges with open arms!
I need to be better about taking my meds, and that's all I'm going to say about that.
Anny and I have decided to join the church that Paul and Sarahlynn go to. It is bigger than all of the churches I have ever joined. Combined, probably. I have done some church studying for a while now and know that the reality is that a huge church is made up of a bunch of smaller communities, so it is not nearly as intimidating. Part of the perk for me is that in a church this big, it will be easier to "hide" from responsibility for longer. I have loved every day of serving as an Elder, Deacon and even as staff, but to go to worship and not worry about why one of the fans is not spinning, or how many people were in Sunday school or how many will show up for an event in the evening is kind of nice. I will get back into it some day, but it's kind of nice for now.
That being said, I really miss our church family back in Maryland. REALLY great people who have loved us like family since the day we visited. Really.
Time to get the girl-child into the shower. She is swimming every day at her new day care. We went with in-home for many reasons, but one of the biggest is the focus on being outside and doing a HUGE variety of different things from day to day. Yesterday they went to a museum and today they went to the park. Tomorrow is the library. She might not have a huge class of kids to hang out with (seven instead of 18) she is getting a pretty awesome experience in this deal!
Seriously, enough typing. I hope to get back to regular blogging soon. No promises, but soon.
July 30, 2010
On Being Tourists
With our wonderful house hosts being out of town, we have been left to our own imaginations as to ways to occupy our time in a new place this week. I has been, in a word, insanity!
We have visited five malls. Really, five different malls. And Target and the grocery store too, come to think of it. Lots of shopping. The weather has been either really hot or really wet (as it is right now), and we have been trying to watch out money that goes out. With that in mind we have been very sure to not eat at a sit-down restaurant, and to eat at least two of our three meals a day at home. Bringing our own snacks on outings has helped on that front, too.
Since we are not really hobos (sorry to any hobos out there reading my blog, your life is incredibly hard and I hate to use you as an example, but really, it's the truth) we could not make our time all about going to shopping malls or bus depots to stay cool, so we headed out on other adventures, too! Adventures like...
We went to the St Louis Zoo one morning before the crowds or the heat arrived. As it turns out around here, the zoo is free, but the "extras" like the Children's Zoo and Carousel are not, unless you are there during the first hour. Since we are early risers, we got there in time to catch the Children's Zoo which has inside and outside fun, and was a great choice for us. Overall, it is a really fun zoo. It has lots of history, and lots and lots of acreage to cover. We have been twice now and have only gotten to about a third on each visit. We might have to head there again in the coming weeks to finish it off! Abby's favorite part is the penguins, but I didn't get a picture of the penguins on this trip, so... She also loved brushing the goats in the Children's Zoo:
While Anny went to meet with one of her new co-workers, Abby and I headed over to The Museum of Transportation, which is just around the corner from the house. We will probably buy a year-long pass because of both the affordability of it and the closeness to where we are. It's small and focuses much more on trains and cars than other types of transportation, but it's the Mid West and that is the deal. Abby was SO small around the trains, and here is an example:
Yesterday we went to the Budweiser Brewery for the Tour. We had a really good group of folks, and a fairly small one at that! I think there were about a dozen people, but we saw another group that was at least 30 people, which means that by the time you sit to listen, they have to move you quickly on so that the next group can come through. They are very clockwork. Abby was REALLY good for the tour, which was awesome for all of us. She loved the horses, of course, but also liked to just be on "the big walk" from spot to spot. I was really impressed with how ornate all of, well, all of EVERYTHING was in the factory. There are four (or five?) chandeliers that stretch for three floors of one of the buildings, and the picture below is of the classic AB Eagle. This is a room that has use. It is a work room. And it is incredibly decorated!
When Anny was talking with her new-co-worker (see above) they planned an outing for today to The Butterfly House. Amanda (co-worker) has a 15 month old daughter, so meeting up there was a perfect idea! As it turns out, another teacher friend with a 2+ year old daughter came along too, and it really was a great time! The girls were really good, the butterflies were plentiful and the laughter was too. I only got one picture of Abby, but several of the butterflies. Check this one out:
We have had fun, but are very much looking forward the return of the cousins and their parents tomorrow! This is a sampling of pictures, for the record, and you can find more HERE!
We have visited five malls. Really, five different malls. And Target and the grocery store too, come to think of it. Lots of shopping. The weather has been either really hot or really wet (as it is right now), and we have been trying to watch out money that goes out. With that in mind we have been very sure to not eat at a sit-down restaurant, and to eat at least two of our three meals a day at home. Bringing our own snacks on outings has helped on that front, too.
Since we are not really hobos (sorry to any hobos out there reading my blog, your life is incredibly hard and I hate to use you as an example, but really, it's the truth) we could not make our time all about going to shopping malls or bus depots to stay cool, so we headed out on other adventures, too! Adventures like...
We went to the St Louis Zoo one morning before the crowds or the heat arrived. As it turns out around here, the zoo is free, but the "extras" like the Children's Zoo and Carousel are not, unless you are there during the first hour. Since we are early risers, we got there in time to catch the Children's Zoo which has inside and outside fun, and was a great choice for us. Overall, it is a really fun zoo. It has lots of history, and lots and lots of acreage to cover. We have been twice now and have only gotten to about a third on each visit. We might have to head there again in the coming weeks to finish it off! Abby's favorite part is the penguins, but I didn't get a picture of the penguins on this trip, so... She also loved brushing the goats in the Children's Zoo:
While Anny went to meet with one of her new co-workers, Abby and I headed over to The Museum of Transportation, which is just around the corner from the house. We will probably buy a year-long pass because of both the affordability of it and the closeness to where we are. It's small and focuses much more on trains and cars than other types of transportation, but it's the Mid West and that is the deal. Abby was SO small around the trains, and here is an example:
Yesterday we went to the Budweiser Brewery for the Tour. We had a really good group of folks, and a fairly small one at that! I think there were about a dozen people, but we saw another group that was at least 30 people, which means that by the time you sit to listen, they have to move you quickly on so that the next group can come through. They are very clockwork. Abby was REALLY good for the tour, which was awesome for all of us. She loved the horses, of course, but also liked to just be on "the big walk" from spot to spot. I was really impressed with how ornate all of, well, all of EVERYTHING was in the factory. There are four (or five?) chandeliers that stretch for three floors of one of the buildings, and the picture below is of the classic AB Eagle. This is a room that has use. It is a work room. And it is incredibly decorated!
When Anny was talking with her new-co-worker (see above) they planned an outing for today to The Butterfly House. Amanda (co-worker) has a 15 month old daughter, so meeting up there was a perfect idea! As it turns out, another teacher friend with a 2+ year old daughter came along too, and it really was a great time! The girls were really good, the butterflies were plentiful and the laughter was too. I only got one picture of Abby, but several of the butterflies. Check this one out:
We have had fun, but are very much looking forward the return of the cousins and their parents tomorrow! This is a sampling of pictures, for the record, and you can find more HERE!
New Look, New Feel
All sorts of things are changing all around me, so when Blogger offered an easy way to jazz up the look of my blog, I hopped on it. If you read through a reader, click through for a change. Just this once.
July 11, 2010
Interview(s)
This week I had three interviews with the same company for the same position. I am hopeful to share with you soon that they have extended an offer of employment, but in case they do not and I want to apply for another position later there, I will withhold the company name.
The first of the interviews was REALLY fun! Strange, but fun. They went into strange office details, and even showed me a picture of a car that went through the glass about ten feet from where I would be sitting. I don't believe that it was intended to scare me, but it was clear that it is a significant part of the history of this particular building within the organization. Pretty crazy to see, though, considering the exterior of the building and the way the streets cross. Insanity.
The position that I have been trying for is as a receptionist. Several folks have pointed out that it seems a bit beneath my skills and history. That is, quite honestly, true. My priority right now is to secure a job and will work through advancing as I go along. Anny and I have talked about that, and it's a high priority for me that I be able to be around the house a bit more as we are getting settled into the new city/time zone/side of the Mississippi River. I don't want a high-stress, late nights job ever, but really do not want it at this time in our lives. The company has tracks for Admins (among others) to advance, and that knowledge is enough for me right now. Another huge bonus if I get this is that there is 100% tuition reimbursement. By golly, folks, I might be going back to school!
It would be a huge change for me to work at this place (sorry, the secrecy does indeed seem strange, especially for me!) in particular because of it's size. There are 400+ people working just in that particular facility. My last office had nine, and the one before that had three. Even combining both offices it would be about 400 short of the folks I would be working with! My extroverted side might just get completely giddy about this prospect! I would probably not see most of the folks most days, but wow, that is just a huge number.
I am hopeful, prayerful, that this job comes through. It's in a faith-based organization, which would make me happy. I am one that believes we work now for reward in heaven, or something like that. They did ask if I was comfortable with meetings that opened with prayer. I chuckled, since I have been leading prayer at meetings for 10+ years at this point!
The first of the interviews was REALLY fun! Strange, but fun. They went into strange office details, and even showed me a picture of a car that went through the glass about ten feet from where I would be sitting. I don't believe that it was intended to scare me, but it was clear that it is a significant part of the history of this particular building within the organization. Pretty crazy to see, though, considering the exterior of the building and the way the streets cross. Insanity.
The position that I have been trying for is as a receptionist. Several folks have pointed out that it seems a bit beneath my skills and history. That is, quite honestly, true. My priority right now is to secure a job and will work through advancing as I go along. Anny and I have talked about that, and it's a high priority for me that I be able to be around the house a bit more as we are getting settled into the new city/time zone/side of the Mississippi River. I don't want a high-stress, late nights job ever, but really do not want it at this time in our lives. The company has tracks for Admins (among others) to advance, and that knowledge is enough for me right now. Another huge bonus if I get this is that there is 100% tuition reimbursement. By golly, folks, I might be going back to school!
It would be a huge change for me to work at this place (sorry, the secrecy does indeed seem strange, especially for me!) in particular because of it's size. There are 400+ people working just in that particular facility. My last office had nine, and the one before that had three. Even combining both offices it would be about 400 short of the folks I would be working with! My extroverted side might just get completely giddy about this prospect! I would probably not see most of the folks most days, but wow, that is just a huge number.
I am hopeful, prayerful, that this job comes through. It's in a faith-based organization, which would make me happy. I am one that believes we work now for reward in heaven, or something like that. They did ask if I was comfortable with meetings that opened with prayer. I chuckled, since I have been leading prayer at meetings for 10+ years at this point!
July 06, 2010
Safe and Sound
Day two of driving was excellent, if not downright boring. At one point I pulled up Bill Cosby and Jim Gaffigan because I knew that laughs would keep me more alert than just my normal "Monroe Weekend" play list on the iPod. I will admit it was pretty fun when my Father in Law was jamming with me to Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers! He complimented me on my generous mix of all sorts of music on the play list, which was nice.
Sever folks have asked how Abby did in the car - she did REALLY great. She's a trooper. She's a great car traveler. Nana brought several treats - new books or stickers - and we had pulled some of her old-but-good toys into the mix so that she got to be excited by the "new" find all over again! During the two days of traveling she only had one breakdown, and one potty "emergency" on the road - but it was even more luckily something that she was able to warn us about, so we managed to get pulled over off of the highway and got her on to her pink potty with success! She's such a big girl - the best!
We did manage to have breakfast, lunch AND dinner at Cracker Barrel, which means Anny got what she wanted. I highly suggest you look at their summer breakfast meals, it's a much lighter and filling and YUMMY!
I was proud of my car - this is the first time that I know it has been out of the greater DC/Ocean City circuit, and it did really well. I can not speak too highly of the folks at Johnny's Auto Service - they really like to bust my chops, but they keep the cars in tip top shape. I don't think I have put that much gas into my car in four months of combined driving!
All of our stuff from the car is just stuffed in our room, we will sort tomorrow at some point. Tomorrow our plans also include setting up a PO Box, getting new cell numbers and just playing with the girls together. I can't wait. I have a job interview on Thursday afternoon, so please keep me in your prayers.
Sever folks have asked how Abby did in the car - she did REALLY great. She's a trooper. She's a great car traveler. Nana brought several treats - new books or stickers - and we had pulled some of her old-but-good toys into the mix so that she got to be excited by the "new" find all over again! During the two days of traveling she only had one breakdown, and one potty "emergency" on the road - but it was even more luckily something that she was able to warn us about, so we managed to get pulled over off of the highway and got her on to her pink potty with success! She's such a big girl - the best!
We did manage to have breakfast, lunch AND dinner at Cracker Barrel, which means Anny got what she wanted. I highly suggest you look at their summer breakfast meals, it's a much lighter and filling and YUMMY!
I was proud of my car - this is the first time that I know it has been out of the greater DC/Ocean City circuit, and it did really well. I can not speak too highly of the folks at Johnny's Auto Service - they really like to bust my chops, but they keep the cars in tip top shape. I don't think I have put that much gas into my car in four months of combined driving!
All of our stuff from the car is just stuffed in our room, we will sort tomorrow at some point. Tomorrow our plans also include setting up a PO Box, getting new cell numbers and just playing with the girls together. I can't wait. I have a job interview on Thursday afternoon, so please keep me in your prayers.
July 05, 2010
It Is Upon Us
It's 5:09 am where I am. In two days it will be 4:09 am where I will be. Where we will live. We are excited about being in Saint Louis and being closer to our nieces and Anny's brother and his wife. Between now and then, though, there is some logistical chaos of finishing packing the POD with odds and ends like "our beds" and such silly stuff. They will go in after we have breakfast.
Anny and I were noticing last night that we have culled and culled, and yet there are things we wanted to take that we can not. Since our plan is to find a place that actually fits our family, rather than whatever is biggest, we don't need a lot of things. Somehow we still have just a little too much, and some things are going to be left to my brother and neighbors. (Congrats Erin on the new Ikea chairs that you don't know about yet...!)
We were once again overwhelmed with love this weekend - Saturday our neighbors had a picnic that was really relaxing and just nice and fun. Sunday morning we went to church and went through the emotions that go along with leaving folks that have been such a big part of our spiritual health and life for the last five years. There were tears shed, but many more prayers for our pastor as she is dealing with some health issues that prevented her from being with us on our last Sunday. We missed seeing her greatly.
Last night we had dinner with the two boys that might as well be our nephews, and their parents, who I have been best friends with since freshman year of high school. We will miss our family, and our church, but it was really hard to give out those hugs last night to the boys and Bryan and Charlene. They are amazing parents and even better friends to us.
I would be a terrible son-in-law, and a worse human being if I didn't express my appreciation for both their emotional support, and (maybe moreso right now) the copious amount of packing, cleaning and help they have done around the house for the last week. I can never repay them, and know that I would be a fool to even try to. I figure that such a public "THANK YOU!!" to Jim and Carol will be more than they ask. (And since I know Carol is reading this, even better!)
This morning I am taking odds and ends to different places and picking up Starbucks for the coffee drinkers in the house, then we'll move some furniture next door, finish packing the POD and clean house. After that we will load up two cars and start driving west. Above all we are excited, but this morning - these two days - will be a long haul.
Even if you don't want us to be heading West, please wish us God Speed. We will be back in the area later this fall. I grew up here. Even when we say goodbye, it's not for good. This is the right time for the right move, and it's something we feel we need to do for us. I know that some folks do not understand that, and I respect it.
(Thanks will flow to Paul and Sarahlynn in the coming days, weeks and probably months! Promise!!)
Anny and I were noticing last night that we have culled and culled, and yet there are things we wanted to take that we can not. Since our plan is to find a place that actually fits our family, rather than whatever is biggest, we don't need a lot of things. Somehow we still have just a little too much, and some things are going to be left to my brother and neighbors. (Congrats Erin on the new Ikea chairs that you don't know about yet...!)
We were once again overwhelmed with love this weekend - Saturday our neighbors had a picnic that was really relaxing and just nice and fun. Sunday morning we went to church and went through the emotions that go along with leaving folks that have been such a big part of our spiritual health and life for the last five years. There were tears shed, but many more prayers for our pastor as she is dealing with some health issues that prevented her from being with us on our last Sunday. We missed seeing her greatly.
Last night we had dinner with the two boys that might as well be our nephews, and their parents, who I have been best friends with since freshman year of high school. We will miss our family, and our church, but it was really hard to give out those hugs last night to the boys and Bryan and Charlene. They are amazing parents and even better friends to us.
I would be a terrible son-in-law, and a worse human being if I didn't express my appreciation for both their emotional support, and (maybe moreso right now) the copious amount of packing, cleaning and help they have done around the house for the last week. I can never repay them, and know that I would be a fool to even try to. I figure that such a public "THANK YOU!!" to Jim and Carol will be more than they ask. (And since I know Carol is reading this, even better!)
This morning I am taking odds and ends to different places and picking up Starbucks for the coffee drinkers in the house, then we'll move some furniture next door, finish packing the POD and clean house. After that we will load up two cars and start driving west. Above all we are excited, but this morning - these two days - will be a long haul.
Even if you don't want us to be heading West, please wish us God Speed. We will be back in the area later this fall. I grew up here. Even when we say goodbye, it's not for good. This is the right time for the right move, and it's something we feel we need to do for us. I know that some folks do not understand that, and I respect it.
(Thanks will flow to Paul and Sarahlynn in the coming days, weeks and probably months! Promise!!)
June 30, 2010
Overwhelmed
Not blogging recently. Everything is okay, just hard to make time to "journal" all that is going on.
I did want to take a moment to say how overwhelmed Anny and I are by the outpouring of love and support that we are getting from our friends and co-workers.
Anny's teacher-friends threw her a surprise party, complete with Rob-who-should-have-been-at-work! When I walked in I was not greeted warmly - Anny had a large, sharp knife in her hand and she *might* have pointed it in my direction in retaliation for not spilling the beans on her. A few tears. Lots of hugs. Lots of smiles.
My office had a lunch yesterday at Tower Oaks Lodge. I think I'm STILL full from lunch yesterday, and it's almost time to eat breakfast. I was given several gifts, including a book called "What Would Rob Do?" and a Desk Vacuum Zamboni. I am looking forward to the book, and looking forward to the fun of the new office toy!
On Sunday we will be overwhelmed again at church, I just know it. There is a lot of emotion there right now as our pastor is ill, and that will make it just a little bit harder. We have only been at LPC for five years, but it genuinely feels like a lifetime. The people at our church are like family, and that is even more true for Abby than for us.
And to be completely honest, I'm overwhelmed at the idea of leaving my family and the house that I grew up in. Special shout out of "thanks" to Miranda Lambert for releasing this song this spring:
I grew up in this house. I lived in this house during crazy times and during incredibly sad times. I lived in this house when I met Anny, and have lived here for other incredibly awesome times.
I have always been close with my family - and that was even more emphasized when my brother and I moved in with my grandparents, father and aunt in 1991. We now see my three aunts and my brother, sister-in-law and new niece weekly at Family Dinner. It's been really fun, and I will miss having those connections the most.
And that all of that is without acknowledging all of the valuable friendships that will change as we move from one side of the Mississippi River to the other. Even though we know we will be back here two, three or more times a year, but that does mean we can't pop over with burgers and hot dogs on a random Sunday evening. Or can't email at noon one day to set up an impromptu Ikea dinner. (Side note - I am going to miss Ikea!)
Above all I am excited, but it would be unfair to not acknowledge that I am overwhelmed in both good and bad ways. I am afraid that I'm only talking about the positives and excitement that I have, and that is tending toward overlooking the things that I will miss.
I did want to take a moment to say how overwhelmed Anny and I are by the outpouring of love and support that we are getting from our friends and co-workers.
Anny's teacher-friends threw her a surprise party, complete with Rob-who-should-have-been-at-work! When I walked in I was not greeted warmly - Anny had a large, sharp knife in her hand and she *might* have pointed it in my direction in retaliation for not spilling the beans on her. A few tears. Lots of hugs. Lots of smiles.
My office had a lunch yesterday at Tower Oaks Lodge. I think I'm STILL full from lunch yesterday, and it's almost time to eat breakfast. I was given several gifts, including a book called "What Would Rob Do?" and a Desk Vacuum Zamboni. I am looking forward to the book, and looking forward to the fun of the new office toy!
On Sunday we will be overwhelmed again at church, I just know it. There is a lot of emotion there right now as our pastor is ill, and that will make it just a little bit harder. We have only been at LPC for five years, but it genuinely feels like a lifetime. The people at our church are like family, and that is even more true for Abby than for us.
And to be completely honest, I'm overwhelmed at the idea of leaving my family and the house that I grew up in. Special shout out of "thanks" to Miranda Lambert for releasing this song this spring:
I grew up in this house. I lived in this house during crazy times and during incredibly sad times. I lived in this house when I met Anny, and have lived here for other incredibly awesome times.
I have always been close with my family - and that was even more emphasized when my brother and I moved in with my grandparents, father and aunt in 1991. We now see my three aunts and my brother, sister-in-law and new niece weekly at Family Dinner. It's been really fun, and I will miss having those connections the most.
And that all of that is without acknowledging all of the valuable friendships that will change as we move from one side of the Mississippi River to the other. Even though we know we will be back here two, three or more times a year, but that does mean we can't pop over with burgers and hot dogs on a random Sunday evening. Or can't email at noon one day to set up an impromptu Ikea dinner. (Side note - I am going to miss Ikea!)
Above all I am excited, but it would be unfair to not acknowledge that I am overwhelmed in both good and bad ways. I am afraid that I'm only talking about the positives and excitement that I have, and that is tending toward overlooking the things that I will miss.
June 20, 2010
Father's Day Tribute
I meant to write this earlier and time just seems to get away from me. This is actually a post ABOUT Rob, written by Anny.
Rob is an amazing parent. It can be difficult to boast about him because I often feel guilty for having gotten so lucky. Rob changed diapers from the very first day, and in our case, washed them too. Some of my contemporaries joke that it takes more work to leave dad with the kids for a day because they have to come up with all of the details (will they go to a park or stay at the house, what will they eat, what kind of mess will they leave behind for Mom to clean up...) I never worry when I can't be with Rob and Abby, because I know they will have a great time AND clean up any messes they make. Rob cooks and cleans as often, if not more, than I do. He's a bigger stickler on too much TV time and knows just what to say to convince Abby to get into her car seat without an argument.
In many things we compliment each other that way: I'm always asking Abby to try her vegetables and Rob insures that she eats one more bite of meat. He suggests the unpredictable trip to the zoo with lots of friends, when I would play it safe and just do something as a family. He takes pictures of everything (really good ones too!) so we have no need to endure the hours getting professional photos taken and I convince him that it's worth printing some rather than just keeping them trapped in the computer. He comes up with the craftiest gift ideas for Nana at Christmas or Preschool teachers at the end of the year and I make sure they are delivered on time.
All of this makes Rob a great Dad and Husband! He allows me to truly enjoy being a Mom and a Wife! And despite her occasional, inexplicable preference for "Mommy," Abby absolutely loves and adores her Daddy!
Rob is an amazing parent. It can be difficult to boast about him because I often feel guilty for having gotten so lucky. Rob changed diapers from the very first day, and in our case, washed them too. Some of my contemporaries joke that it takes more work to leave dad with the kids for a day because they have to come up with all of the details (will they go to a park or stay at the house, what will they eat, what kind of mess will they leave behind for Mom to clean up...) I never worry when I can't be with Rob and Abby, because I know they will have a great time AND clean up any messes they make. Rob cooks and cleans as often, if not more, than I do. He's a bigger stickler on too much TV time and knows just what to say to convince Abby to get into her car seat without an argument.
In many things we compliment each other that way: I'm always asking Abby to try her vegetables and Rob insures that she eats one more bite of meat. He suggests the unpredictable trip to the zoo with lots of friends, when I would play it safe and just do something as a family. He takes pictures of everything (really good ones too!) so we have no need to endure the hours getting professional photos taken and I convince him that it's worth printing some rather than just keeping them trapped in the computer. He comes up with the craftiest gift ideas for Nana at Christmas or Preschool teachers at the end of the year and I make sure they are delivered on time.
All of this makes Rob a great Dad and Husband! He allows me to truly enjoy being a Mom and a Wife! And despite her occasional, inexplicable preference for "Mommy," Abby absolutely loves and adores her Daddy!
June 17, 2010
Grace Fight!
This evening on the way home from the grocery store Abby was singing in the backseat. She was mostly practicing her songs for tomorrows Father's Day program at daycare. Too cute.
But then she pulled out the grace that she sings when she is in Sunday School. It's fast, it's easy and it fun:
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - Thank You God for feeding me!
I told her that when we move to Saint Louis next month to live with her cousins she will be learning a new grace that their family sings before dinner. They sing Johnny Appleseed, so I sang that for her.
I'm not typing out lyrics, but here is a video example of other people doing it:
We then proceeded to have a Grace Battle - she would sing hers and then demand that I sang mine! "Sing The Things I Need Song, Daddy!"
This went on for about five minutes - and was awesomely fun. I can't wait to teach her some of the Summer Camp graces that are so engrained into my brain from years at Camp Glenkirk!
But then she pulled out the grace that she sings when she is in Sunday School. It's fast, it's easy and it fun:
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - Thank You God for feeding me!
I told her that when we move to Saint Louis next month to live with her cousins she will be learning a new grace that their family sings before dinner. They sing Johnny Appleseed, so I sang that for her.
I'm not typing out lyrics, but here is a video example of other people doing it:
We then proceeded to have a Grace Battle - she would sing hers and then demand that I sang mine! "Sing The Things I Need Song, Daddy!"
This went on for about five minutes - and was awesomely fun. I can't wait to teach her some of the Summer Camp graces that are so engrained into my brain from years at Camp Glenkirk!
June 12, 2010
My Three Year Old!
My Dearest Abby -
Today you turn three years old. We will wake you up with what has become our every-birthday playlist of "It's Your Birthday" by Justin Roberts, "La-Di-Da-Di, It's Your Birthday" by Rachel Coleman and "My Best Day" by Trout Fishing in America. We enjoy singing these songs because they capture the spirit of birthdays, and they set the tone early in the morning for what a great day (weekend!) it will be.
This weekend will be filled with lots of friends. This weekend will be filled with lots of food. This weekend will be filled with lots of fun and memories that you will probably remind us of for weeks and weeks to come. But it's not all about this weekend. I wanted to capture some things that are "Abby" as you would be defined on the day you turn three.
Your Best Friend is...
Almost all of your friends are you best friend. Abby F, Abby S, Noah, Luke, Sophie - all of these names come up a lot on your "best friends" rant that you pull out from time to time. You also have declared Rusty, our beloved dog who now lives with Gramps, as your best friend. It's adorable.
Your favorite color is...
Probably purple. Or pink. Really your favorite color is whatever you are wearing, and if you are wearing a dress your favoritism of said color grows exponentially.
You are really great at...
Being open to new things. We are doing our best to expose you to new things all the time. You approach hikes that include climbing in trees, taking in a Blues Festival and marching in a parade are things that you have done this spring, each with enthusiasm and excitement that we love to see in you. I hope you never lose that.
You are also really great at helping, even before we ask. You make your own PB&J before school most days. Whenever you hear the mixer being brought out for mixing and baking you are quick to grab a chair to
help break eggs and pour and stir and well, everything that we will let you do!
Okay, one more "You are really great at" thing is hugs. You give them willingly to anyone we count as friend or family. Your hugs are amazing for both mommy and I. Something you will probably be embarrassed by later in life and deny is that you now ask for "Family Hug Time" where mommy and I pick you up and take turns giving you, and each other, kisses. You smile so big, and I can see in your eyes that you know you are loved, especially in these moments.
Your favorite toy is...
I would have to say it is a tie between your tea set, your painting easel and your Little People. They all get regular rotation with the billion other things we have. I love that you have played with Lego's a bunch, too.
Your favorite book is...
This is another that you just will not settle on. You really loved potty-themed books as you were on the cusp of being potty trained. You are a big fan of reading books that you already know, and are getting good at "reading" them back to us.
We are proud of all that you are today, and look forward to all of the amazing and all of the not-so-amazing things that you have in store. We love you today more than yesterday, and I am sure that you will continue that trend until the end of time.
Happy Birthday, my sweet, smart, beautiful and loving Abby.
Love,
Dad (and Mom too, if she blogged!)
Today you turn three years old. We will wake you up with what has become our every-birthday playlist of "It's Your Birthday" by Justin Roberts, "La-Di-Da-Di, It's Your Birthday" by Rachel Coleman and "My Best Day" by Trout Fishing in America. We enjoy singing these songs because they capture the spirit of birthdays, and they set the tone early in the morning for what a great day (weekend!) it will be.
This weekend will be filled with lots of friends. This weekend will be filled with lots of food. This weekend will be filled with lots of fun and memories that you will probably remind us of for weeks and weeks to come. But it's not all about this weekend. I wanted to capture some things that are "Abby" as you would be defined on the day you turn three.
Your Best Friend is...
Almost all of your friends are you best friend. Abby F, Abby S, Noah, Luke, Sophie - all of these names come up a lot on your "best friends" rant that you pull out from time to time. You also have declared Rusty, our beloved dog who now lives with Gramps, as your best friend. It's adorable.
Your favorite color is...
Probably purple. Or pink. Really your favorite color is whatever you are wearing, and if you are wearing a dress your favoritism of said color grows exponentially.
You are really great at...
Being open to new things. We are doing our best to expose you to new things all the time. You approach hikes that include climbing in trees, taking in a Blues Festival and marching in a parade are things that you have done this spring, each with enthusiasm and excitement that we love to see in you. I hope you never lose that.
You are also really great at helping, even before we ask. You make your own PB&J before school most days. Whenever you hear the mixer being brought out for mixing and baking you are quick to grab a chair to
help break eggs and pour and stir and well, everything that we will let you do!
Okay, one more "You are really great at" thing is hugs. You give them willingly to anyone we count as friend or family. Your hugs are amazing for both mommy and I. Something you will probably be embarrassed by later in life and deny is that you now ask for "Family Hug Time" where mommy and I pick you up and take turns giving you, and each other, kisses. You smile so big, and I can see in your eyes that you know you are loved, especially in these moments.
Your favorite toy is...
I would have to say it is a tie between your tea set, your painting easel and your Little People. They all get regular rotation with the billion other things we have. I love that you have played with Lego's a bunch, too.
Your favorite book is...
This is another that you just will not settle on. You really loved potty-themed books as you were on the cusp of being potty trained. You are a big fan of reading books that you already know, and are getting good at "reading" them back to us.
We are proud of all that you are today, and look forward to all of the amazing and all of the not-so-amazing things that you have in store. We love you today more than yesterday, and I am sure that you will continue that trend until the end of time.
Happy Birthday, my sweet, smart, beautiful and loving Abby.
Love,
Dad (and Mom too, if she blogged!)
June 11, 2010
A Year in Pictures
Abby is turning three tomorrow! Since I have a sappy post lined up to publish in the morning, I'm sneaking this video slideshow in this evening! I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Abby Turns Three! from Anny and Rob on Vimeo.
Abby Turns Three! from Anny and Rob on Vimeo.
June 10, 2010
Abby on the Oil Leak
During Coloring Time this week, Abby was asked to complete the sentence "The sea turtle saw some things in the sea. It saw..." I should tell you that I have rarely seen black crayon come home on the stuff she brings home from school - she tends to go for bright colors first. This day, though, I guess she reached to her inner Tree-Hugger-To-Be and came up with this take on the Oil Leak:
The only thing that I can gather from this is that the sea turtle saw blackness, and tar balls.
Think I'm reading into this too much (which I am, let's be honest!)? Check out the one from the next day:
Lots more black stuff, all over the animals.
The reason I know this is a crock is that we don't watch the news and her access to the horrors of what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico. We used to watch the news in the morning, but got rid of the TV in our room in favor of clock radios, in part because of the stuff Abby was seeing. I get my news online, and Anny does not check news to the best of my knowledge.
Think I'm reading into this too much (which I am, let's be honest!)? Check out the one from the next day:
The reason I know this is a crock is that we don't watch the news and her access to the horrors of what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico. We used to watch the news in the morning, but got rid of the TV in our room in favor of clock radios, in part because of the stuff Abby was seeing. I get my news online, and Anny does not check news to the best of my knowledge.
June 09, 2010
Complete Randomness
I know that it's been too long since writing on my blog when my friend Bryan has noticed! He gave me grief about it Tuesday night, and thus I will write something. I think I filled him in on everything, but not the rest of you!
Abby:
She'll be three on Saturday. THREE! I'm already to the "what was there before Abby" point in her life, and I love it! We have festivities planned to fill every minute of the weekend, or so it seems. I am still amazed when she learns something new - or remembers something from months ago that we thought was since passed.
Abby is a little clueless on the whole move-thing. We've talked with her a few times, but how much is a three year old really going to retain on that front? She knows we are going to live with her cousins for a while, but has not made the leap that we won't be living here. I'm a little worried about her, but not a whole lot. She's smart, she will figure it out.
Post tomorrow about her take on the BP Oil Destruction. (Sorry, it's not a spill, no matter how they say it.)
Anny:
Had her braces off on Monday! She has not eaten an apple or chewed gum like she wanted to, but she got a congratulatory bottle of sparkling cider and three balloons from the office to celebrate! She looks completely different, and I will share a story about Abby's take on it...
Monday afternoon I pointed out that mommy had her braces off, and it took a minute for Abby to really look and investigate. She is very much a thinker. She looked back to my teeth, to be sure I wasn't pulling a trick on her I guess. She looked back at Anny and declared "Now Mommy's teeth match mine!" You're right, sweetie! She is very into matching things - colors, animals and apparently teeth!
Rob:
Doing alright, thanksforasking. I had to work a long weekend retreat, but it was good to see some folks and have meals together. I went out early on Friday afternoon and got in a good hike with my camera, and did the same on Saturday morning. Here is one of my favorite shots:
On my way home Saturday, Anny called to see if we were going to try to make it out to Bowiefest (no) and what our dinner plan was. Abby begged for the phone and said "Daddy, you need to come home to me, okay?" Melted my damned heart. I don't know if my meds are messing with me, but it hit me that it was the first morning that I had been away from Abby in at least a year, if not longer, and that is the part that really stunk about the retreat. Good for the community, bad for my paternal-instincts. I got home and she gave me the biggest hug ever - and she's a good hugger to start with! Best ever.
I had a nephrologist appointment on Tuesday. My protein is up, as well as my createnine. Neither has shot up to levels of concern, but certainly levels of interest. That being said - we are raising my medication levels and are going to test again in two weeks. He has suggested that based on this info, I would be better off finding a new nephrologist to visit in late July, rather than waiting for the fall. Bummer, but okay.
And that is a quick roundup. I will do a post about the oil spill, and hope to put the finishing touches on a Third Birthday Video for Abby. Kind of want to do a "dear Abby" letter to her for her big day, too. Maybe. Maybe.
Abby:
She'll be three on Saturday. THREE! I'm already to the "what was there before Abby" point in her life, and I love it! We have festivities planned to fill every minute of the weekend, or so it seems. I am still amazed when she learns something new - or remembers something from months ago that we thought was since passed.
Abby is a little clueless on the whole move-thing. We've talked with her a few times, but how much is a three year old really going to retain on that front? She knows we are going to live with her cousins for a while, but has not made the leap that we won't be living here. I'm a little worried about her, but not a whole lot. She's smart, she will figure it out.
Post tomorrow about her take on the BP Oil Destruction. (Sorry, it's not a spill, no matter how they say it.)
Anny:
Had her braces off on Monday! She has not eaten an apple or chewed gum like she wanted to, but she got a congratulatory bottle of sparkling cider and three balloons from the office to celebrate! She looks completely different, and I will share a story about Abby's take on it...
Monday afternoon I pointed out that mommy had her braces off, and it took a minute for Abby to really look and investigate. She is very much a thinker. She looked back to my teeth, to be sure I wasn't pulling a trick on her I guess. She looked back at Anny and declared "Now Mommy's teeth match mine!" You're right, sweetie! She is very into matching things - colors, animals and apparently teeth!
Rob:
Doing alright, thanksforasking. I had to work a long weekend retreat, but it was good to see some folks and have meals together. I went out early on Friday afternoon and got in a good hike with my camera, and did the same on Saturday morning. Here is one of my favorite shots:
On my way home Saturday, Anny called to see if we were going to try to make it out to Bowiefest (no) and what our dinner plan was. Abby begged for the phone and said "Daddy, you need to come home to me, okay?" Melted my damned heart. I don't know if my meds are messing with me, but it hit me that it was the first morning that I had been away from Abby in at least a year, if not longer, and that is the part that really stunk about the retreat. Good for the community, bad for my paternal-instincts. I got home and she gave me the biggest hug ever - and she's a good hugger to start with! Best ever.
I had a nephrologist appointment on Tuesday. My protein is up, as well as my createnine. Neither has shot up to levels of concern, but certainly levels of interest. That being said - we are raising my medication levels and are going to test again in two weeks. He has suggested that based on this info, I would be better off finding a new nephrologist to visit in late July, rather than waiting for the fall. Bummer, but okay.
And that is a quick roundup. I will do a post about the oil spill, and hope to put the finishing touches on a Third Birthday Video for Abby. Kind of want to do a "dear Abby" letter to her for her big day, too. Maybe. Maybe.
June 01, 2010
Brookside Gardens
We had a whirlwind of a weekend that started with two trips to two malls and ended with a nice, quiet dinner at home. I could write ten posts and not capture the sheer awesomeness of three days with little to no requirements of schedule.
Instead I will tell you, in pictures, about our trip to Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. (Their website is www.brooksidegardens.org in case you want to visit!) I will do my best to cut down the pictures to five, and include a link at the bottom for more fun!
A friend at church was not sure what she was doing on Monday morning before heading to her afternoon-starting-job. We mentioned Brookside Gardens which peaked her interest in both hanging out and playing with her new camera. She's always been a better shot than I am, but with her new camera that she is still learning to use, she killed me in awesomeness of shots. That being said, here are pictures and stories from my lens.
The wildlife was really out and active on our morning jaunt - we saw several box turtles and a massive snapper. There was one turtle in the water that was covered in moss, so much so that the fish surrounded it and were eating from what was on his shell! Pretty amazing that they all work together. We saw one mama turtle and the tail end of burying her eggs! I gave her the grace of not catching that with the camera, but she ran away pretty quickly, and I got a shot then.
More than turtles, there were lots of geese out and about, all of them seemed to be dragging along their own goslings! (I only made one Kate Plus Eight reference - go me!) We got to see one parental goose hiss and go after another goose that got too close. Those things can be very angry, and we kept our distance where we could. Lots of cute little ones kept Abby on the watch - here is the first set we stumbled on:
Of course, most of our visit to the Gardens was about Abby, but I also went to capture flowers that were not out the last time we went. Never failing to disappoint, I grabbed this one which is all around the children's play area that includes a tree house!
The real goal was to get some Abby time, and Abby pictures! We bought her a cute stripey dress on Saturday down at Tyson's, but alas it is too big for her yet. Might be good for mid-summer. Hopefully! I love that she will climb over branches and under other things, even when she is in full princess mode:
And finally, my favorite shot (of mine) for yesterday. This is the back side of the tree pictured above. The sun was hitting just right and Abby was doing some adventure searching back and forth. I grabbed this one, which I love:
That was our day. Well, that was only part of one day of a three day weekend that was filled with finding new things and visiting with friends.
Instead I will tell you, in pictures, about our trip to Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. (Their website is www.brooksidegardens.org in case you want to visit!) I will do my best to cut down the pictures to five, and include a link at the bottom for more fun!
A friend at church was not sure what she was doing on Monday morning before heading to her afternoon-starting-job. We mentioned Brookside Gardens which peaked her interest in both hanging out and playing with her new camera. She's always been a better shot than I am, but with her new camera that she is still learning to use, she killed me in awesomeness of shots. That being said, here are pictures and stories from my lens.
The wildlife was really out and active on our morning jaunt - we saw several box turtles and a massive snapper. There was one turtle in the water that was covered in moss, so much so that the fish surrounded it and were eating from what was on his shell! Pretty amazing that they all work together. We saw one mama turtle and the tail end of burying her eggs! I gave her the grace of not catching that with the camera, but she ran away pretty quickly, and I got a shot then.
More than turtles, there were lots of geese out and about, all of them seemed to be dragging along their own goslings! (I only made one Kate Plus Eight reference - go me!) We got to see one parental goose hiss and go after another goose that got too close. Those things can be very angry, and we kept our distance where we could. Lots of cute little ones kept Abby on the watch - here is the first set we stumbled on:
Of course, most of our visit to the Gardens was about Abby, but I also went to capture flowers that were not out the last time we went. Never failing to disappoint, I grabbed this one which is all around the children's play area that includes a tree house!
The real goal was to get some Abby time, and Abby pictures! We bought her a cute stripey dress on Saturday down at Tyson's, but alas it is too big for her yet. Might be good for mid-summer. Hopefully! I love that she will climb over branches and under other things, even when she is in full princess mode:
And finally, my favorite shot (of mine) for yesterday. This is the back side of the tree pictured above. The sun was hitting just right and Abby was doing some adventure searching back and forth. I grabbed this one, which I love:
That was our day. Well, that was only part of one day of a three day weekend that was filled with finding new things and visiting with friends.
May 26, 2010
May 24, 2010
Menu Monday
We are in the process of clearing out the food that is in our freezer. Part of this is because it's time to defrost and it's easier if the freezer is empty. Most of it is because we are not moving food with us, so we might as well use it.
That is why we had something new this week (yesterday). A few months ago I caught the vacuum sealed Alaskan Farm Raised Crab packages at a ridiculous price. My plan was to eat it, but we forgot about it in the freezer because it's compact and got buried. As the freezer has been cleaned through, we found it. We decided to do a Cream of Crab soup and are glad we did! Yummy!
So - this week here is our plan:
Sunday - Cream of Crab Soup (used a basic recipe from a cookbook, added/improved recipe HERE.)
Monday - Chicken Rococo (From Frozen Food Party)
Tuesday - Meatballs and Rice
Wednesday - Tuna Noodle Casserole
Thursday - Family Dinner
Friday - French Toast
Saturday - Grilled Chicken and Veggies
I hope to blog this week about our changing diet. We both have unique challenges, and of course trying to get Abby to eat at the same time. Strange stuff.
That is why we had something new this week (yesterday). A few months ago I caught the vacuum sealed Alaskan Farm Raised Crab packages at a ridiculous price. My plan was to eat it, but we forgot about it in the freezer because it's compact and got buried. As the freezer has been cleaned through, we found it. We decided to do a Cream of Crab soup and are glad we did! Yummy!
So - this week here is our plan:
Sunday - Cream of Crab Soup (used a basic recipe from a cookbook, added/improved recipe HERE.)
Monday - Chicken Rococo (From Frozen Food Party)
Tuesday - Meatballs and Rice
Wednesday - Tuna Noodle Casserole
Thursday - Family Dinner
Friday - French Toast
Saturday - Grilled Chicken and Veggies
I hope to blog this week about our changing diet. We both have unique challenges, and of course trying to get Abby to eat at the same time. Strange stuff.
May 19, 2010
Wordless Wednesday - Cutie
More wordless fun at http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/
May 18, 2010
It's Tuesday and Stuff
Wow - so last weekend was busy and I have yet to blog about it. I'm just finishing dinner on Tuesday, having planned to "pen" this yesterday, but alas we had no internet, phone or TV. I seriously don't know what I did with my time before either Abby or the web in my life. Seriously. I do know I was skinnier...
Anyway - busy weekend, I'll recap!
Friday -
Still hurting from my wisdom tooth removal on Thursday, I decided to go to work anyway. My grandmother, who passed away 11+ years ago, always had a rule that if you wanted to play, you had to go to school or work first. So I did.
After work I headed up to school to pick up the girls. We went and grabbed a couple of sandwiches, some fruit and chips and headed off to Tire Park in Catonsville, MD. There was a picnic for all of the students, parents and teachers in the daycare system that Abby attends. Her class is only 22 children, but there are four other preschool rooms and two infant/toddler rooms. It was a blast to see Abby's friends out having fun, and always good to talk with some of the other parents, too.
Saturday -
We got up on the early side for a Saturday so that we could get out to the beach early to celebrate Gramps' birthday. As it turns out, Abby had an even greater thing to be up so early for - to poop in the potty! All by herself, and ALL in the potty! Apparently Abby has been requesting to have our potty books read to her at bed time, and Anny has surely obliged. It caught me off guard when she declared "Daddy, I'm pooping and when I'm done I will show you!
Anny reminded me that in all of the books the child shows the poop to an onlooking dad for approval. In my head, though, is "yeah, kid, I've seen it before. You've dropped quite a stinker, there. So Proud!" Since she showed me, I thought I would take a snapshot and share it with you all, but I didn't want to just put it up here, so you will have to click through if you really want to see it. Click HERE for the doodie.
The good news is that Abby has been pee-potty trained for so long that she does not even think about M&M's as a reward anymore, so I promised a "special breakfast" and to get her "special socks" both in honor of her major achievement! Don't ever tell her that we were getting the breakfast and socks, it will kill my credibility with her!
We got to the beach house and met up with everyone else. My aunts got a new puppy, so we played with Riley for a good while before going out shopping, eating and celebrating Gramps' 78th birthday. Riley is a cutie, and at only seven weeks old he looks just like a doll!
Sunday -
The day began with our normal routine on a Sunday - get up, eat, watch some Little Mermaid, shower (Abby too) and head off to church. The non-routine happened after that. We had lunch with some new folks and their adorable almost-two year old daughter, then headed to find a way to kill time for a few hours while our house was Open for showing. Had a few folks come through, one came back with someone else later in the Open House as well. We ended up at the Aunt's house, since they were all at the beach still and Abby needed a place to nap.
The Open House was scheduled from 1-4, so we planned to show up at home at 4:15 and hang out outside. The thing is that we got a call from the showing call center that someone wanted to bring a client through between 4 and 6 pm, which meant another two hours to kill. "Great" is the underlying sigh when you realize you have even more time to kill. We ended up at Columbia Mall for pretzels, a carousel ride and the playground.
All in all we were out more than we were home, but it was fun times all three days! I am looking forward to next weekend already - in part because we can hit our Farmer's Market again. Love me some fresh muffins!
Anyway - busy weekend, I'll recap!
Friday -
Still hurting from my wisdom tooth removal on Thursday, I decided to go to work anyway. My grandmother, who passed away 11+ years ago, always had a rule that if you wanted to play, you had to go to school or work first. So I did.
After work I headed up to school to pick up the girls. We went and grabbed a couple of sandwiches, some fruit and chips and headed off to Tire Park in Catonsville, MD. There was a picnic for all of the students, parents and teachers in the daycare system that Abby attends. Her class is only 22 children, but there are four other preschool rooms and two infant/toddler rooms. It was a blast to see Abby's friends out having fun, and always good to talk with some of the other parents, too.
Saturday -
We got up on the early side for a Saturday so that we could get out to the beach early to celebrate Gramps' birthday. As it turns out, Abby had an even greater thing to be up so early for - to poop in the potty! All by herself, and ALL in the potty! Apparently Abby has been requesting to have our potty books read to her at bed time, and Anny has surely obliged. It caught me off guard when she declared "Daddy, I'm pooping and when I'm done I will show you!
Anny reminded me that in all of the books the child shows the poop to an onlooking dad for approval. In my head, though, is "yeah, kid, I've seen it before. You've dropped quite a stinker, there. So Proud!" Since she showed me, I thought I would take a snapshot and share it with you all, but I didn't want to just put it up here, so you will have to click through if you really want to see it. Click HERE for the doodie.
The good news is that Abby has been pee-potty trained for so long that she does not even think about M&M's as a reward anymore, so I promised a "special breakfast" and to get her "special socks" both in honor of her major achievement! Don't ever tell her that we were getting the breakfast and socks, it will kill my credibility with her!
We got to the beach house and met up with everyone else. My aunts got a new puppy, so we played with Riley for a good while before going out shopping, eating and celebrating Gramps' 78th birthday. Riley is a cutie, and at only seven weeks old he looks just like a doll!
Sunday -
The day began with our normal routine on a Sunday - get up, eat, watch some Little Mermaid, shower (Abby too) and head off to church. The non-routine happened after that. We had lunch with some new folks and their adorable almost-two year old daughter, then headed to find a way to kill time for a few hours while our house was Open for showing. Had a few folks come through, one came back with someone else later in the Open House as well. We ended up at the Aunt's house, since they were all at the beach still and Abby needed a place to nap.
The Open House was scheduled from 1-4, so we planned to show up at home at 4:15 and hang out outside. The thing is that we got a call from the showing call center that someone wanted to bring a client through between 4 and 6 pm, which meant another two hours to kill. "Great" is the underlying sigh when you realize you have even more time to kill. We ended up at Columbia Mall for pretzels, a carousel ride and the playground.
All in all we were out more than we were home, but it was fun times all three days! I am looking forward to next weekend already - in part because we can hit our Farmer's Market again. Love me some fresh muffins!
May 13, 2010
Less Wisdom Today than Yesterday
I went to the dentist this morning. I cracked a tooth that has lost a previous filling and went in with the sole intention of having it re-filled.
After getting to the office early, I sat and waited to be called back. 20 minutes late, I got called back and explained what I was there for. The dental assistant took an X-Ray, which was very cool because the image immediately popped up on a computer monitor in front of me. What was not as cool was the image it put up...
That is the upper left side of my jaw. For the dental nerds out there, those are (from L to R) teeth numbers 13, 14, 15 and 16. The one that caught my attention was clearly number 16, on the far right. It is my wisdom tooth.
It's pretty clear that I was not the only cause of my tooth issue, which the dentist confirmed - the wisdom tooth pinched the bottom of my molar and it cracked the top! Insanity. It became clear immediately that one necessity would be to remove that wisdom tooth, no matter what happened with #15. I mean, look at it - it was pointing at the tip of my nose while the others are pointed at my throat!
He presented me with several options ranging from filling the tooth, if possible, to root canal and crown. Filling cost me about $200 while the other option would run me about $1,300. The concern was that the cavity might be too big to just fill, and the others might be necessary.
I was greatly relieved when he dug in there and figured out that the tooth was indeed fill-able, because I could afford that. I had pretty much decided that it was going to be easier to just have him remove it if it could not be filled, and I was not looking forward to that.
Then cam the removal of the wisdom tooth. The Novocaine had begun to wear off, so I winced almost as soon as he got his hand back in my mouth! He shot me back up and then worked his butt off to rip out that (turned out to impacted) wisdom tooth. OUCH!
It's now 7 pm and I have just finally been able to open my mouth wide enough to eat food, and that was just French Onion Soup. I do not know if I will be up to going to work tomorrow, but pretty much anything is better than sitting around in my house for another whole day. My mouth still hurts, a lot, but the bleeding has stopped it seems. That is a good sign that the healing has begun. Healing brings less risk of infection, particularly for someone with kidney disease that is being treated with immunosuppresants!
(This process took about three hours from arrival to departure, but in the grand scheme part my my fault, part was the dentists. I am grateful to have access to professionals like this, so I take the time and deal with it! I did get to read a bunch more of the book that I started reading last week!)
After getting to the office early, I sat and waited to be called back. 20 minutes late, I got called back and explained what I was there for. The dental assistant took an X-Ray, which was very cool because the image immediately popped up on a computer monitor in front of me. What was not as cool was the image it put up...
It's pretty clear that I was not the only cause of my tooth issue, which the dentist confirmed - the wisdom tooth pinched the bottom of my molar and it cracked the top! Insanity. It became clear immediately that one necessity would be to remove that wisdom tooth, no matter what happened with #15. I mean, look at it - it was pointing at the tip of my nose while the others are pointed at my throat!
He presented me with several options ranging from filling the tooth, if possible, to root canal and crown. Filling cost me about $200 while the other option would run me about $1,300. The concern was that the cavity might be too big to just fill, and the others might be necessary.
I was greatly relieved when he dug in there and figured out that the tooth was indeed fill-able, because I could afford that. I had pretty much decided that it was going to be easier to just have him remove it if it could not be filled, and I was not looking forward to that.
Then cam the removal of the wisdom tooth. The Novocaine had begun to wear off, so I winced almost as soon as he got his hand back in my mouth! He shot me back up and then worked his butt off to rip out that (turned out to impacted) wisdom tooth. OUCH!
It's now 7 pm and I have just finally been able to open my mouth wide enough to eat food, and that was just French Onion Soup. I do not know if I will be up to going to work tomorrow, but pretty much anything is better than sitting around in my house for another whole day. My mouth still hurts, a lot, but the bleeding has stopped it seems. That is a good sign that the healing has begun. Healing brings less risk of infection, particularly for someone with kidney disease that is being treated with immunosuppresants!
(This process took about three hours from arrival to departure, but in the grand scheme part my my fault, part was the dentists. I am grateful to have access to professionals like this, so I take the time and deal with it! I did get to read a bunch more of the book that I started reading last week!)
May 12, 2010
Wordless Wednesday: Face Meets Dirt
More wordless entries at www.wordlesswednesday.com!
May 11, 2010
Stupid is as Stupid Does
A post about modeling.
(Sorry to disappoint you with no pictures of me in the newest clothes to hit the runway - you're welcome. This is not about that kind of modeling.)
We try very hard in our house to value each other as well as every person or animal that we meet. It is not actually all that hard, I tend to view people in their positive light before I ever notice their flaws. I don't think this is a bad thing.
The thing is that we send our daughter out into the "real world" every day by sending her to preschool. We love every aspect about the care she has gotten since she was ten weeks, so don't look for this post to blast that choice. We are extremely happy that we chose to send Abby to daycare, even so young. Many added benefits.
But she learns things at daycare. She learns so much every day that in our house we call it "school" and not preschool. She had learned colors before she could really even say them. She learned shapes early enough that she's already able to draw circles, triangles and squares. She has learned most of the letters of the alphabet in more detail than "The ABC's Song" - what words they start and how they sound and such. She knows many more songs that we even uncover at home because she sticks to two of her favorites and the others don't come up.
But she learns things at daycare. She learned to spit and push at daycare. She may have learned this from her peers, but might have had it in her and it just came to revelation at daycare. I prefer to believe the "blame school" side of things, as I am the first to give school the credit for having taught her all of the great things in her education, like the stuff in the paragraph above.
The thing that drove me really mad that she learned at school was the proper use of the word "stupid." "Daddy, you're stupid" is not something that I was prepared to hear from Abby just yet, but it is something I was greeted with during silly play at home. There was nothing to invoke it, we were just playing, but out it came. I was ready to drop all of the good things that I have ever said about how great daycare has been for Abby's cognitive and social development. Gone in that instant were my continued high hopes for her to continue to be the cute AND smart girl. Now, thanks to daycare, she was going to be the cute terror of a child that drives her parents to the asylum.
But then I realized that it was TV.
Abby watches TV, and I am not going to continue to apologize for that. A lot of the movies that she watches - Shrek and The Grinch come to mind - use "stupid" as if it was a prefix to your name. "Stupid Donkey" has to come out in each of the movies, at least twice. I realize that the movies are not designed for toddlers, so I can not and do not fault the movies, but I realized how much the word pervades in other shows/movies, like Madagascar and such. Shocking, but it should not be.
After I realized that, I realized something really sad - it was not the movies, it was ME.
It was me that calls me stupid. I have never, and will never, call Abby (or Anny) stupid. But my self esteem is not the best, so when Anny calls me on something my response is typically "yeah, I know, I'm stupid." Abby was hearing me say something, and she was mimicking. How could she know that she should not say something that her parents are saying? I was the problem. I can pinpoint the spot in my kitchen when I heard myself and winced.
Since that day my attitude has changed. I remind myself that I am not stupid, but more important is that I have changed the way I think about both myself and others. Some jerk on the road driving up the median in traffic? Maybe they are on their way to the hospital to see someone important. Slow wait staff (not THIS slow!)? Kitchen is busy and everyone is probably covering. I have always been positive, but I am actively looking for the good behind the perceived bad. I give the benefit of the doubt to anyone I do not know, and do my best to ignore initial appearance. Clearly I need to work at that - the eyes are powerful - but it has begun for me.
I think that this attitude is showing in Abby now, and that is my whole goal. She has not called anyone a name in my presence since the day that it clicked for me. She is faster to say "please" "thank you" and "how are you" to people she knows and people she meets.
Parents - it's all about modeling. A positive attitude in you will be reflected by the ones you are raising. Practice this and see what a difference it might make in your house!
(Sorry to disappoint you with no pictures of me in the newest clothes to hit the runway - you're welcome. This is not about that kind of modeling.)
We try very hard in our house to value each other as well as every person or animal that we meet. It is not actually all that hard, I tend to view people in their positive light before I ever notice their flaws. I don't think this is a bad thing.
The thing is that we send our daughter out into the "real world" every day by sending her to preschool. We love every aspect about the care she has gotten since she was ten weeks, so don't look for this post to blast that choice. We are extremely happy that we chose to send Abby to daycare, even so young. Many added benefits.
But she learns things at daycare. She learns so much every day that in our house we call it "school" and not preschool. She had learned colors before she could really even say them. She learned shapes early enough that she's already able to draw circles, triangles and squares. She has learned most of the letters of the alphabet in more detail than "The ABC's Song" - what words they start and how they sound and such. She knows many more songs that we even uncover at home because she sticks to two of her favorites and the others don't come up.
But she learns things at daycare. She learned to spit and push at daycare. She may have learned this from her peers, but might have had it in her and it just came to revelation at daycare. I prefer to believe the "blame school" side of things, as I am the first to give school the credit for having taught her all of the great things in her education, like the stuff in the paragraph above.
The thing that drove me really mad that she learned at school was the proper use of the word "stupid." "Daddy, you're stupid" is not something that I was prepared to hear from Abby just yet, but it is something I was greeted with during silly play at home. There was nothing to invoke it, we were just playing, but out it came. I was ready to drop all of the good things that I have ever said about how great daycare has been for Abby's cognitive and social development. Gone in that instant were my continued high hopes for her to continue to be the cute AND smart girl. Now, thanks to daycare, she was going to be the cute terror of a child that drives her parents to the asylum.
But then I realized that it was TV.
Abby watches TV, and I am not going to continue to apologize for that. A lot of the movies that she watches - Shrek and The Grinch come to mind - use "stupid" as if it was a prefix to your name. "Stupid Donkey" has to come out in each of the movies, at least twice. I realize that the movies are not designed for toddlers, so I can not and do not fault the movies, but I realized how much the word pervades in other shows/movies, like Madagascar and such. Shocking, but it should not be.
After I realized that, I realized something really sad - it was not the movies, it was ME.
It was me that calls me stupid. I have never, and will never, call Abby (or Anny) stupid. But my self esteem is not the best, so when Anny calls me on something my response is typically "yeah, I know, I'm stupid." Abby was hearing me say something, and she was mimicking. How could she know that she should not say something that her parents are saying? I was the problem. I can pinpoint the spot in my kitchen when I heard myself and winced.
Since that day my attitude has changed. I remind myself that I am not stupid, but more important is that I have changed the way I think about both myself and others. Some jerk on the road driving up the median in traffic? Maybe they are on their way to the hospital to see someone important. Slow wait staff (not THIS slow!)? Kitchen is busy and everyone is probably covering. I have always been positive, but I am actively looking for the good behind the perceived bad. I give the benefit of the doubt to anyone I do not know, and do my best to ignore initial appearance. Clearly I need to work at that - the eyes are powerful - but it has begun for me.
I think that this attitude is showing in Abby now, and that is my whole goal. She has not called anyone a name in my presence since the day that it clicked for me. She is faster to say "please" "thank you" and "how are you" to people she knows and people she meets.
Parents - it's all about modeling. A positive attitude in you will be reflected by the ones you are raising. Practice this and see what a difference it might make in your house!
Menu Monday (on Tuesday)
Crazy weekend that ended up with me being really sore and not feeling like blogging on Sunday night or Monday morning.
Last week I mentioned that we were doing a new slow cooker brisket recipe, and shortly after that I realized that it took 24 hours to crock pot. It was awesome, and made two complete meals for us!
This week we are intentionally incorporating two of the meals from the frozen food party we went to a week ago. We would likely space them out to once a week, if we felt like we could plan out that far. Right now, with the move coming quickly, we are trying to be sure that we account for everything in the freezer. Maybe with a little luck we will have an empty freezer soon, and resort only to fresh fruits, vegetables and meats for a stretch in June.
So, the menu this week:
Sunday - Leftover Brisket in tortillas (added rice, salsa and sour cream)
Monday - Hearty Chili & Cornbread - From the Frozen Food Party
Tuesday - Macaroni and Cheese with turkey hot dogs
Wednesday - Burrito Pie - From the Frozen Food Party
Thursday - Family Dinner
Friday - Picnic with Abby's Daycare (five centers, ~22 children from each, FUN!)
Saturday - Family Dinner to celebrate Gramps' birthday, in Rehoboth, DE!
All in all it looks like we will not even have a chance to go out to dinner this week - lots of time and money savings going on here! How about you?
Last week I mentioned that we were doing a new slow cooker brisket recipe, and shortly after that I realized that it took 24 hours to crock pot. It was awesome, and made two complete meals for us!
This week we are intentionally incorporating two of the meals from the frozen food party we went to a week ago. We would likely space them out to once a week, if we felt like we could plan out that far. Right now, with the move coming quickly, we are trying to be sure that we account for everything in the freezer. Maybe with a little luck we will have an empty freezer soon, and resort only to fresh fruits, vegetables and meats for a stretch in June.
So, the menu this week:
Sunday - Leftover Brisket in tortillas (added rice, salsa and sour cream)
Monday - Hearty Chili & Cornbread - From the Frozen Food Party
Tuesday - Macaroni and Cheese with turkey hot dogs
Wednesday - Burrito Pie - From the Frozen Food Party
Thursday - Family Dinner
Friday - Picnic with Abby's Daycare (five centers, ~22 children from each, FUN!)
Saturday - Family Dinner to celebrate Gramps' birthday, in Rehoboth, DE!
All in all it looks like we will not even have a chance to go out to dinner this week - lots of time and money savings going on here! How about you?
May 07, 2010
Frozen Food Party!
On Sunday of last week we went to my brother and sister-in-laws house for a different sort of party - a party focused on frozen food! It's an idea that I had a few years ago, when we needed to stock the freezer before Abby was born, but never got enough support to pull it off. I was very glad to have Nadia (SIL) ask me about doing one this spring as they are expecting.
The process was as such -
Decide on an invite list, being sure to include folks that would take it and run with it, but don't let the invite list get too big. Everyone has to bring enough food to send home with each person/family participating, so a party of 12 families would end up being a ton of work for everyone. This task fell to Nadia, as it was her party, but I was sure to get some names in there of cool people that I hang out with too.
Explain the party in detail to everyone coming. I think it would have been greatly embarrassing to have someone show up with no food to share, and would have been awkward to figure out for everyone in the end! Be open to questions, as there will be some since a lot of folks have not heard of such a party before!
Well, Rob, what IS the detail? That's the fun part! Each person/unit plans out a meal that they prepare or organize that can be stashed in the freezer and brought out on a night that you don't want to have to cook fully! Then they cook or prepare it. There are whole websites dedicated to "Freezer Meals" and the like, but it is amazing how many things you already make that you could double when you have time and freeze some of for later! We did a crock-pot meal (recipe below), dished it into a freezer bag and included tortillas and cheese for a whole meal. Everyone must label their bag with reheating instructions, and the recipe is optional but nice!
Once all of the RSVP's have come in, or the RSVP date has passed, let everyone know how many meals they are bringing. If six families are coming, each family needs to bring five of their dish to share - one for each other family. (For the one we went to, the number six was passed around, so most folks had an extra of their own to take home, too!)
So, for a total of about 30 minutes of work on my part - deciding the meal, preparing it, overnight in the crock pot and assembling for the freezer - we gotfive six meals that we get to take home and try over the coming weeks! Throw in about two hours of hanging out with some fun people and their fun children!
The meals we got were:
Chili
Burrito Pie
A Red Chicken with Cous Cous (I missed the name!)
Rico Chicken
Creamy Chicken
Chicken Soup
The meal that we took was one that we have adapted from a kidney-friendly blog. It calls for pork, but we had chicken and used that. So, here is our recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken and Green Chili Stew:
Serving size: 3/4 cup stew, 1 tortilla
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 pound chicken, cut into bit size cubes
* 1 4-ounce cans green chili peppers, rinsed, and diced
* 1 garlic clove, crushed
* one 14-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
* 6 flour tortillas, burrito size
* 6 tablespoons sour cream
* 3/4 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
* 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Preparation and Serving
1. Place chicken, flour, pepper, peppers, garlic and broth into a slow cooker.
2. Cook for 10 hours on low heat.
3. Place 3/4 cup of stew on a tortilla and roll burrito style.
4. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream, lettuce and cilantro.
The process was as such -
Decide on an invite list, being sure to include folks that would take it and run with it, but don't let the invite list get too big. Everyone has to bring enough food to send home with each person/family participating, so a party of 12 families would end up being a ton of work for everyone. This task fell to Nadia, as it was her party, but I was sure to get some names in there of cool people that I hang out with too.
Explain the party in detail to everyone coming. I think it would have been greatly embarrassing to have someone show up with no food to share, and would have been awkward to figure out for everyone in the end! Be open to questions, as there will be some since a lot of folks have not heard of such a party before!
Well, Rob, what IS the detail? That's the fun part! Each person/unit plans out a meal that they prepare or organize that can be stashed in the freezer and brought out on a night that you don't want to have to cook fully! Then they cook or prepare it. There are whole websites dedicated to "Freezer Meals" and the like, but it is amazing how many things you already make that you could double when you have time and freeze some of for later! We did a crock-pot meal (recipe below), dished it into a freezer bag and included tortillas and cheese for a whole meal. Everyone must label their bag with reheating instructions, and the recipe is optional but nice!
Once all of the RSVP's have come in, or the RSVP date has passed, let everyone know how many meals they are bringing. If six families are coming, each family needs to bring five of their dish to share - one for each other family. (For the one we went to, the number six was passed around, so most folks had an extra of their own to take home, too!)
So, for a total of about 30 minutes of work on my part - deciding the meal, preparing it, overnight in the crock pot and assembling for the freezer - we got
The meals we got were:
Chili
Burrito Pie
A Red Chicken with Cous Cous (I missed the name!)
Rico Chicken
Creamy Chicken
Chicken Soup
The meal that we took was one that we have adapted from a kidney-friendly blog. It calls for pork, but we had chicken and used that. So, here is our recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken and Green Chili Stew:
Serving size: 3/4 cup stew, 1 tortilla
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 pound chicken, cut into bit size cubes
* 1 4-ounce cans green chili peppers, rinsed, and diced
* 1 garlic clove, crushed
* one 14-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
* 6 flour tortillas, burrito size
* 6 tablespoons sour cream
* 3/4 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
* 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Preparation and Serving
1. Place chicken, flour, pepper, peppers, garlic and broth into a slow cooker.
2. Cook for 10 hours on low heat.
3. Place 3/4 cup of stew on a tortilla and roll burrito style.
4. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream, lettuce and cilantro.
May 06, 2010
Our Little Family
Abby is getting better at repetition when it comes to her art work. Her lines are straighter and her circles are more rounded than eggs now.
In the last few months she has even moved on to drawing "people," as defined by Abby. Earlier this week she was tasked with drawing her family, and that she did. Here is the picture, and below I will give you her words to me about it:
I asked her this morning about her picture. She explained to me that the one on the left if "My Mother," "Abby Minroe" is in the middle and "Dally" is on the right. There was no explanation for the green blob up there, believe me I asked.
As you can see clearly, we all have eyes and mouths. Only recently have we begun to develop legs, and the arms are new as of this week. Maybe we are merely tadpoles in her mind! Some day I'll be able to hop!
In the last few months she has even moved on to drawing "people," as defined by Abby. Earlier this week she was tasked with drawing her family, and that she did. Here is the picture, and below I will give you her words to me about it:
I asked her this morning about her picture. She explained to me that the one on the left if "My Mother," "Abby Minroe" is in the middle and "Dally" is on the right. There was no explanation for the green blob up there, believe me I asked.
As you can see clearly, we all have eyes and mouths. Only recently have we begun to develop legs, and the arms are new as of this week. Maybe we are merely tadpoles in her mind! Some day I'll be able to hop!
May 05, 2010
Daddy Daughter Date
We have always been fans of Chick-Fil-A, and last night that appreciation grew even more!
About a week ago I saw on Facebook that the Chick-Fil-A in Columbia Mall was going to have a Daddy Daughter Dinner night. I popped an email over to Anny and suggested that she go out with a friend of ours and I would take Abby to dinner. She agreed and I signed up! About an hour later, though, I got a phone call from their PR person asking me if I was open on the time or had one specifically in mind. I told her that I could be open on the early side, but too late and Abby might be a Crabby. She then told me that they "hoped" it would be successful, and were now down to one open spot and a wait list for everyone else. The last slot they had was at 5:30 and I took it! (Sorry other dads, I won't be around next time, you take those slots.)
I hung up and then realized that on Tuesday I had a staff retreat at work. Argh. On a normal work day I would be able to sneak out a little early to try and beat the traffic. On a retreat day I would have no control over my time. That is okay, just something I did not factor in when agreeing to a 5:30 dinner date!
As it turned out the retreat ended right on time, which was a little late for my preferred plan but not going to stop me. I flipped on the traffic. Backed up the whole way from where I was to home. It would easily take me an hour to get home, then an hour to get to Columbia. That would be 6:00. Anny and I had talked about this on Monday, though, and agreed that we could meet somewhere and swap cars. We met close to the middle, but clearly at a convenient place in Calverton, made the swap and headed our separate ways.
Abby and I got to the mall a few minutes early, or in Abby time "just right" for getting on the merry-go-round! So we did that once and headed down to the potty. We both did what we do in such a place and still ended up at Chick-Fil-A about ten minutes early. They are close to the play area, and closer to a shoe store. I mentioned that we were in the 5:30 seating and knew we were early, but I thought I would give them a heads up. They noted that a lot of the 5:30's showed up a little early. All of them, actually! The tables were ready for us, though, so we sat immediately.
Our table - in the food court remember - was set our right for a date, even down to the doily! Abby was given a long stemmed rose to celebrate, too!
We had a table to ourselves, and even had a waitress! That is a little funny at a fast food joint, but appreciated because I didn't have to wait in line! We had our normal fare - Abby got nuggets, I got a grilled chicken sandwich. Abby at the strawberries, oranges and grapes from the fruit cups and I got the apples. Then we both share a chocolate shake. Delightful!
I was sure to thank the PR person, whose name is escaping me. It was a fun event and gave me an excuse to take my daughter our and spend time with just her.
We went and played in the play ground for a while, Abby even found an older girl to chase for a while. It was funny, but made it hard to drag her away! The only thing that worked was the promise of a trip to the pet store (we look, don't buy). After that we went over to the merry-go-round for a final ride and then headed home.
It was fun and I look forward to more Daddy/Daughter dates in the future! Maybe next time I'll upgrade the restaurant - a stand alone Chick-Fil-A instead of the food court!
About a week ago I saw on Facebook that the Chick-Fil-A in Columbia Mall was going to have a Daddy Daughter Dinner night. I popped an email over to Anny and suggested that she go out with a friend of ours and I would take Abby to dinner. She agreed and I signed up! About an hour later, though, I got a phone call from their PR person asking me if I was open on the time or had one specifically in mind. I told her that I could be open on the early side, but too late and Abby might be a Crabby. She then told me that they "hoped" it would be successful, and were now down to one open spot and a wait list for everyone else. The last slot they had was at 5:30 and I took it! (Sorry other dads, I won't be around next time, you take those slots.)
I hung up and then realized that on Tuesday I had a staff retreat at work. Argh. On a normal work day I would be able to sneak out a little early to try and beat the traffic. On a retreat day I would have no control over my time. That is okay, just something I did not factor in when agreeing to a 5:30 dinner date!
As it turned out the retreat ended right on time, which was a little late for my preferred plan but not going to stop me. I flipped on the traffic. Backed up the whole way from where I was to home. It would easily take me an hour to get home, then an hour to get to Columbia. That would be 6:00. Anny and I had talked about this on Monday, though, and agreed that we could meet somewhere and swap cars. We met close to the middle, but clearly at a convenient place in Calverton, made the swap and headed our separate ways.
Abby and I got to the mall a few minutes early, or in Abby time "just right" for getting on the merry-go-round! So we did that once and headed down to the potty. We both did what we do in such a place and still ended up at Chick-Fil-A about ten minutes early. They are close to the play area, and closer to a shoe store. I mentioned that we were in the 5:30 seating and knew we were early, but I thought I would give them a heads up. They noted that a lot of the 5:30's showed up a little early. All of them, actually! The tables were ready for us, though, so we sat immediately.
Our table - in the food court remember - was set our right for a date, even down to the doily! Abby was given a long stemmed rose to celebrate, too!
I was sure to thank the PR person, whose name is escaping me. It was a fun event and gave me an excuse to take my daughter our and spend time with just her.
We went and played in the play ground for a while, Abby even found an older girl to chase for a while. It was funny, but made it hard to drag her away! The only thing that worked was the promise of a trip to the pet store (we look, don't buy). After that we went over to the merry-go-round for a final ride and then headed home.
It was fun and I look forward to more Daddy/Daughter dates in the future! Maybe next time I'll upgrade the restaurant - a stand alone Chick-Fil-A instead of the food court!
May 03, 2010
Menu Monday
I missed last week - things were crazy around here! Anny had a phone interview on Tuesday, but I was at a work meeting so a friend came over to play with Abby then they went out to dinner. The rest of the week we stuck to the plan, though.
Yesterday we went to a fun party based around frozen dinners. Will do a whole blog post about that because it earned it, and will include a recipe for a slow cooker stew that was requested on Facebook!
So, this week there is a special Daddy/Daughter night at Chick-Fil-A in Columbia, so I'll be taking Abby there. We got the last spot, so it's pretty popular and I am open to seeing what they do with it! Also a change this week is that we let Abby pick up okra at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. She was excited to see something new, and we are trying to try new things this year, so we got enough for a side for dinner. Will probably do that with the brisket.
Here is our plan this week:
Sunday: Out with the big family - 11 of us at the table!
Monday: Frozen Stroganoff on Egg Noodles
Tuesday: Daddy/Daughter dinner/Anny out with a friend
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Brisket (recipe over at Sarahlynn's Blog)
Thursday: Family Dinner
Friday: Pancakes
Saturday: Kabobs
In looking at our freezer yesterday morning in preparation for the Frozen Meal Party I noticed that we have things in there that we have had for a while and really need to eat, so our plan next week should include the use of frozen crab meat!
What are you eating? What is in your freezer that you have been avoiding or forgetting about? What are you going to do with it?
Yesterday we went to a fun party based around frozen dinners. Will do a whole blog post about that because it earned it, and will include a recipe for a slow cooker stew that was requested on Facebook!
So, this week there is a special Daddy/Daughter night at Chick-Fil-A in Columbia, so I'll be taking Abby there. We got the last spot, so it's pretty popular and I am open to seeing what they do with it! Also a change this week is that we let Abby pick up okra at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. She was excited to see something new, and we are trying to try new things this year, so we got enough for a side for dinner. Will probably do that with the brisket.
Here is our plan this week:
Sunday: Out with the big family - 11 of us at the table!
Monday: Frozen Stroganoff on Egg Noodles
Tuesday: Daddy/Daughter dinner/Anny out with a friend
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Brisket (recipe over at Sarahlynn's Blog)
Thursday: Family Dinner
Friday: Pancakes
Saturday: Kabobs
In looking at our freezer yesterday morning in preparation for the Frozen Meal Party I noticed that we have things in there that we have had for a while and really need to eat, so our plan next week should include the use of frozen crab meat!
What are you eating? What is in your freezer that you have been avoiding or forgetting about? What are you going to do with it?
April 30, 2010
Artsy Fartsy
As parents of an almost-three year old we are blessed to have a child that loves to both get dirty and clean up messes. We were such proud parents on Wednesday when Abby cleaned up her doctor kit before asking to play with her tea set, all without prompting.
Her at home painting routine involves picking out two colors and two brushes and getting on her smock in preparation. Painting involves the brushes for a few minutes, and almost always devolves into painting each hand and doing finger or hand painting before calling it quits. She always makes sure to grab her paint cups and brushes and brings them to the sink to spend almost as much time cleaning as she did painting. She will even "clean" other dishes if they are in the sink at the time. This has led to more than one instance of paint brushes being found later by turning on the garbage disposal, though. Working on a plan for that.
All of that is completely unrelated to what I wanted to share with this post. We get lots of artwork sent home from school and are never sure what to do with it. We decided early on this year that we will keep some of it, maybe three pieces a month, but most go right into the recycle bin after we ask Abby about it. I decided this morning to take some with me to work to hang up, and I thought I should go ahead and scan them to share since I had brought them.
Without further useless build-up -
She clearly likes bold colors. In one she was going for lines, and on the other it was more free form.
My question for you other parents-of-little-ones is: What do you do with your child's art? Do you keep all of it? None of it? Where do you keep it?
I kind of want to come up with a regular way to display it in our next home. I don't mean frames, but I want to get out of trashing each one right away. Do you have a good idea for keeping them short term and deciding what to keep?
Her at home painting routine involves picking out two colors and two brushes and getting on her smock in preparation. Painting involves the brushes for a few minutes, and almost always devolves into painting each hand and doing finger or hand painting before calling it quits. She always makes sure to grab her paint cups and brushes and brings them to the sink to spend almost as much time cleaning as she did painting. She will even "clean" other dishes if they are in the sink at the time. This has led to more than one instance of paint brushes being found later by turning on the garbage disposal, though. Working on a plan for that.
All of that is completely unrelated to what I wanted to share with this post. We get lots of artwork sent home from school and are never sure what to do with it. We decided early on this year that we will keep some of it, maybe three pieces a month, but most go right into the recycle bin after we ask Abby about it. I decided this morning to take some with me to work to hang up, and I thought I should go ahead and scan them to share since I had brought them.
Without further useless build-up -
My question for you other parents-of-little-ones is: What do you do with your child's art? Do you keep all of it? None of it? Where do you keep it?
I kind of want to come up with a regular way to display it in our next home. I don't mean frames, but I want to get out of trashing each one right away. Do you have a good idea for keeping them short term and deciding what to keep?
Potty Breakthrough
So, lots has gone on this week and I have not blogged. Those my not be mutually exclusive... I might get a post or two up this weekend. Hopefully.
*This is a post about poop. And a shower. If you are a visual person, this is probably not for you...
Last Sunday we had a breakthrough of sorts on the potty front. Abby had been a week since pooping. Again.
We had been pushing blueberries into her like water starting on Friday as soon as she got home from school. I don't know if it is the same for every child, but blueberries are a go-to for us. They work to move things along in her little system, and they taste great! We are still using blueberries from last summers Farmer's Market that have been in the freezer, by the way. The only downside of frozen blueberries is that it make her lips look like she has been making out with Cookie Monster and her fingers look like she voted in an Afghan election.
So anyway, we could tell that Abby was finally going toexplode give in and poop, so we decided to take the opportunity to make sure it all ended up in the potty. She is still pooping in her underwear of late - when she poops, that is. She was doing a little dance and could not sit down any more.
I want to break in here and tell you that I am not an abusive father. It pains me to know that she is not passing her poo, and I am looking forward to your comments about things that help "move" your children along. This has only been a problem since switching from diapers to the potty, which she has embraced. Except the pooping part. I read a post about a child who finally gave in when he heard the word "suppository" and it was explained what that meant. I don't want to get that point.
Typically on Sunday morning either Anny or I will bring Abby into the shower with us to get a really good cleaning that does not happen in the tub and to wash her hair. Again, great father, right? Oh well. I got her into the shower with me with a guarantee that we would spend some time playing before washing her hair. This convinced her to come in, and then she got really uncomfortable on the poop front. She was not playing in the water because she was focused on holding everything in.
And then something clicked in her head. She asked for the potty. She wanted to poop - in the potty! This, my friends, is progress in a major way. Part of it was setting her up, but sometimes that is all it takes. She could not hide in her room if she can't get out of the shower.
Anny brought the potty into the kid-potty into the bathroom, but Abby didn't want to get out of the shower because she was wet and knew she would be cold. We did the only logical thing... We brought her potty into the shower for her to take a dump. Abby got special permission to poop IN the shower. Lucky kid.
So we reminded her about her "friend" Prudence from Once Upon a Potty who had to sit. And sit. And sit and sit and sit and sit.... And sit Abby did. For ten minutes.
But it worked. She pooped in the potty, and only in the potty. VICTORY!
As a reward she got to wear her new Sleeping Beauty Princess Dress, which is better than chocolate as a reward for my child. She wore her dress to church and got to tell everyone why she got to wear such a special dress - because she had pooped on the potty. She was fawned over, even more than usual, and got congrats and cheers and high fives for the whole day.
Maybe that will have been enough to make the "click" of using the potty stick.
Maybe she will think about all of the attention the next time she starts to poop in her pants and she will get our attention rather than get quiet and hide it.
Maybe, just maybe, my daughter will have to go to a local college so that she can come home once a week to take a poop in the shower.
I'm hoping for one of the first two choices above - you can guess which two.
*As an "update" to a not-yet-posted-post, it is Friday morning and Abby has not yet pooped since the victory I just wrote about. Two nights this week we have even given her medicinal help in the form of "Little Phillips" for toddler tummies. This child has a stubborn stomach I tell you. We will begin the blueberry regimen tonight, I guess.
*This is a post about poop. And a shower. If you are a visual person, this is probably not for you...
Last Sunday we had a breakthrough of sorts on the potty front. Abby had been a week since pooping. Again.
We had been pushing blueberries into her like water starting on Friday as soon as she got home from school. I don't know if it is the same for every child, but blueberries are a go-to for us. They work to move things along in her little system, and they taste great! We are still using blueberries from last summers Farmer's Market that have been in the freezer, by the way. The only downside of frozen blueberries is that it make her lips look like she has been making out with Cookie Monster and her fingers look like she voted in an Afghan election.
So anyway, we could tell that Abby was finally going to
I want to break in here and tell you that I am not an abusive father. It pains me to know that she is not passing her poo, and I am looking forward to your comments about things that help "move" your children along. This has only been a problem since switching from diapers to the potty, which she has embraced. Except the pooping part. I read a post about a child who finally gave in when he heard the word "suppository" and it was explained what that meant. I don't want to get that point.
Typically on Sunday morning either Anny or I will bring Abby into the shower with us to get a really good cleaning that does not happen in the tub and to wash her hair. Again, great father, right? Oh well. I got her into the shower with me with a guarantee that we would spend some time playing before washing her hair. This convinced her to come in, and then she got really uncomfortable on the poop front. She was not playing in the water because she was focused on holding everything in.
And then something clicked in her head. She asked for the potty. She wanted to poop - in the potty! This, my friends, is progress in a major way. Part of it was setting her up, but sometimes that is all it takes. She could not hide in her room if she can't get out of the shower.
Anny brought the potty into the kid-potty into the bathroom, but Abby didn't want to get out of the shower because she was wet and knew she would be cold. We did the only logical thing... We brought her potty into the shower for her to take a dump. Abby got special permission to poop IN the shower. Lucky kid.
So we reminded her about her "friend" Prudence from Once Upon a Potty who had to sit. And sit. And sit and sit and sit and sit.... And sit Abby did. For ten minutes.
But it worked. She pooped in the potty, and only in the potty. VICTORY!
As a reward she got to wear her new Sleeping Beauty Princess Dress, which is better than chocolate as a reward for my child. She wore her dress to church and got to tell everyone why she got to wear such a special dress - because she had pooped on the potty. She was fawned over, even more than usual, and got congrats and cheers and high fives for the whole day.
Maybe that will have been enough to make the "click" of using the potty stick.
Maybe she will think about all of the attention the next time she starts to poop in her pants and she will get our attention rather than get quiet and hide it.
Maybe, just maybe, my daughter will have to go to a local college so that she can come home once a week to take a poop in the shower.
I'm hoping for one of the first two choices above - you can guess which two.
*As an "update" to a not-yet-posted-post, it is Friday morning and Abby has not yet pooped since the victory I just wrote about. Two nights this week we have even given her medicinal help in the form of "Little Phillips" for toddler tummies. This child has a stubborn stomach I tell you. We will begin the blueberry regimen tonight, I guess.
April 23, 2010
Moving Update
Anny and I are decent actors. I have heard her tell someone the same things that I have been saying to other people, but we don't say it to each other.
"Yeah, I am getting nervous about not having a contract on the house and no job lined up yet..."
On the House Front
We have had one open house and at least a half a dozen showings at this point. Our house is sloped inside so it is a harder sell, but I am getting frustrated with the process, and it has nothing to do with our Realtor, believe it or not. I do not play games with real life very well. Want to play a board game or a sport, I'm in. Want me to keep my house in tip-top shape because some people can not envision the house without a toy Princess Castle on the floor? Tell them to figure it out, I have better things to do with my life than move that stupid castle twice a day!
The other thing driving me crazy is the "game" of real-estate-showing windows. We get a call saying that somoene wants to show the house in a one hour window - let's say 6-7 pm. We get out of the house to grab some dinner, spending money we do not really have to spend on food and disrupting Abby's schedule beyond belief and come home at 7:30 to give the Realtor a half hour cushion. Why, oh why, did they show up at 8:00? I know that you're out seeing several houses in one trip, but you can't tell all of them that you will be there in a one hour frame, it's not fair to those of us who are trying to live a life. One Realtor actually snapped back at me "you know how it is when you're looking at five houses." I may have suggested that she be more considerate in the future. I bet we don't hear from her again. Oh well.
On the Job Front
Anny has entered her information into a big database for Missouri schools and has already had one interview! It turns out that she did not get that job, but she has since gotten a little more attention from one of the school districts. They asked her to do an online questionnaire, which she did on Wednesday. Then she got a call yesterday that they want her to come in for an interview. It seems that they can not do it over the phone, so we looked at our calendar and have been in contact with Paul and Sarahlynn about arranging a quick trip for Anny. Once she sets up with that particular district she is going to call one or two others to see if she can set up interviews on the same day and do it in one trip. So - Anny has progress made, but no job yet.
I on the other hand have nothing. Nada. I have applied for one job which turned out to be part time and thus I was disqualified. I have been pretty calculated in not applying for jobs until we have Anny figured out. It would be really nice if we can both work in the same area so that we can look for a house that would be close, too. The "good" part of not having a bachelors (or higher) degree is that I am not going to be tied into a particular field, and that is cool with me. I am completely open to anything! I have working in all sorts of places - my first job was driving a golf cart at a driving range, and since then I have worked retail, worked in a warehouse, worked in an office with three people and had my own office. I won't work construction (I'll admit it, I'm weak) but outside of that I'm open to absolutely anything. With that being said, I have made no progress and have no job yet.
If Anny has nothing lined up by June 1 I willbe freaked out pick up a job hunt and deal with a commute if I have to, but since we have some flexibility we are alright with how things are right now.
The Current Plan
People ask us when we are actually planning to move and we kind of duck and weave. We are not sure, but we do have a window available to us. As a teacher, Anny will complete her contract here and will be ready to roll at her new school in August. That is the bottom line. That leaves us about a seven or eight week window to get to Saint Louis. The best bet that I can give folks is that it will probably be between June 25 and the Fourth of July. If someone swept in today and offered us a contract on the house and says they want to close on May 31, we will figure out temporary housing to finish out Anny's school year and take off shortly after that. If we do not have the house sold by the end of June - well, that's where things get tricky. We are hopeful. We are prayerful. We ask that you are hopeful and prayerful for us as well.
The Listing
It seems silly to put up a blog post about our move and not include a link to the official listing for our home. If you know someone who is looking for a house inside the DC Beltway, please send them here:
It lists four bedrooms, but there is a fifth that we can't include because it does not have a window. New A/C, huge kitchen (big enough to be jealous of!) and a house-sized addition, too!
"Yeah, I am getting nervous about not having a contract on the house and no job lined up yet..."
On the House Front
We have had one open house and at least a half a dozen showings at this point. Our house is sloped inside so it is a harder sell, but I am getting frustrated with the process, and it has nothing to do with our Realtor, believe it or not. I do not play games with real life very well. Want to play a board game or a sport, I'm in. Want me to keep my house in tip-top shape because some people can not envision the house without a toy Princess Castle on the floor? Tell them to figure it out, I have better things to do with my life than move that stupid castle twice a day!
The other thing driving me crazy is the "game" of real-estate-showing windows. We get a call saying that somoene wants to show the house in a one hour window - let's say 6-7 pm. We get out of the house to grab some dinner, spending money we do not really have to spend on food and disrupting Abby's schedule beyond belief and come home at 7:30 to give the Realtor a half hour cushion. Why, oh why, did they show up at 8:00? I know that you're out seeing several houses in one trip, but you can't tell all of them that you will be there in a one hour frame, it's not fair to those of us who are trying to live a life. One Realtor actually snapped back at me "you know how it is when you're looking at five houses." I may have suggested that she be more considerate in the future. I bet we don't hear from her again. Oh well.
On the Job Front
Anny has entered her information into a big database for Missouri schools and has already had one interview! It turns out that she did not get that job, but she has since gotten a little more attention from one of the school districts. They asked her to do an online questionnaire, which she did on Wednesday. Then she got a call yesterday that they want her to come in for an interview. It seems that they can not do it over the phone, so we looked at our calendar and have been in contact with Paul and Sarahlynn about arranging a quick trip for Anny. Once she sets up with that particular district she is going to call one or two others to see if she can set up interviews on the same day and do it in one trip. So - Anny has progress made, but no job yet.
I on the other hand have nothing. Nada. I have applied for one job which turned out to be part time and thus I was disqualified. I have been pretty calculated in not applying for jobs until we have Anny figured out. It would be really nice if we can both work in the same area so that we can look for a house that would be close, too. The "good" part of not having a bachelors (or higher) degree is that I am not going to be tied into a particular field, and that is cool with me. I am completely open to anything! I have working in all sorts of places - my first job was driving a golf cart at a driving range, and since then I have worked retail, worked in a warehouse, worked in an office with three people and had my own office. I won't work construction (I'll admit it, I'm weak) but outside of that I'm open to absolutely anything. With that being said, I have made no progress and have no job yet.
If Anny has nothing lined up by June 1 I will
The Current Plan
People ask us when we are actually planning to move and we kind of duck and weave. We are not sure, but we do have a window available to us. As a teacher, Anny will complete her contract here and will be ready to roll at her new school in August. That is the bottom line. That leaves us about a seven or eight week window to get to Saint Louis. The best bet that I can give folks is that it will probably be between June 25 and the Fourth of July. If someone swept in today and offered us a contract on the house and says they want to close on May 31, we will figure out temporary housing to finish out Anny's school year and take off shortly after that. If we do not have the house sold by the end of June - well, that's where things get tricky. We are hopeful. We are prayerful. We ask that you are hopeful and prayerful for us as well.
The Listing
It seems silly to put up a blog post about our move and not include a link to the official listing for our home. If you know someone who is looking for a house inside the DC Beltway, please send them here:
It lists four bedrooms, but there is a fifth that we can't include because it does not have a window. New A/C, huge kitchen (big enough to be jealous of!) and a house-sized addition, too!
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