A Very Miri Christmas

I can't believe that it is December 26, another year has flown by almost in the blink of an eye. Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year (once you take away all the stress of getting it ready and all!) I love the music, decorations and spirit of peace and joy.



As I am sure you can guess from the title of the post Christmas at our house was all about Miri. She had so much fun and watching her tear through her gifts was a sight to behold. Santa brought her her first doll house. And after she opened the gift from Mommy and Daddy with additional furniture in it she was set. In fact Ryan and I opened our gifts to each other while she happily played with her house, we had to beg bribe, and even "assists" her through the opening of the rest of her packages. Guess my budget would have been happier if all we got her was the doll house and furnishings!! But it is fun to watch her get so much joy and excitement from her new toy. Today while I was trying to get her down for her nap she kept asking about "my new house" I assured her she could play with it when she woke up.





Miriam went to see Santa a couple of weeks ago and for the first time didn't scream the second she was put in his lap!! She was pretty quiet but she did tell him she wanted a stroller with a baby doll. So that was her other big gift. And another big hit. At one point yesterday she was pushing it around with her new doll, all of her little Care Bears and Backyardigan stuff animals in it along with a diaper bag, books and several My Little Ponies stuffed in the basket below. I am thinking that whenever I took her out in the stroller as a baby maybe I over packed just a tiny bit!!!




We spent the morning at our house enjoying each other's company and watching our little darling play with her new found treasures. In the afternoon we headed for Ryan's brother's (Evan) house for Christmas with the Wilbanks family. Evan recently bought his first house and was an excellent host for Christmas dinner. Miri and Annabel played together and were sufficiently spoiled by their Nanny, Uncles and Aunts.

The only unfortunate part of the afternoon/evening was we couldn't stay long and soon after dinner we packed up and headed to my parents house for dessert and round #3. Another wonderful visit with my family. Cat was so excited to help Miri unwrap her gifts from Grammy, Pop-pop and J&J that she almost forgot about her own gifts from us. (almost!)

The only stress over the whole day was basically having to pack-up and do three different Christmases. Especially when all Miri wanted to do was play and Ryan and I feel like we don't get to spend enough time visiting with our families. This year Ryan and I's big gift to each other for our anniversary (9 years on the 17th!!!) and Christmas is the commitment to find and buy a new house. One that we can both agree on and that has a lot more space! We have been looking off and on for about 2 years now and we get frustrated with what is out there in our price range in mid-town (where we would like to stay), then we start looking in the suburb areas around and start the whole buy existing vs. build our own circular argument. It isn't that one of us is for one option more than the other, it is that we both see the benefits and negatives of both and just go around and around! BUT this time we have fully dedicated ourselves to the search. I am hopeful that it is short and fruitful, but I am also realistic that it might not be as short as I would like for it to be. I am hopeful that Christmas 2009 will be hosted in our house with room enough for both families to congregate together.

One of those days….

Ever feel like life has turned upside down? Right now I feel like I am in a constant state of upside down and disorganization. I don't know if it is because I am super busy at work, or just really bad a balancing, but I feel like I can't get anything done, here at home or at work and it leaves me feeling discombobulated!

We took M to visit Santa last weekend. She did much better than I thought she would. For the past two years she has screamed the second she sat on Santa's lap, but this year she didn't! Not that she shot a thousand watt grin at the camera either, it was more of a "deer in the headlights" look. I had intended on posting all of her Santa pictures to get a progressive feel, but I can't find last years anywhere. *sigh* I HATE the disorganization that has engulfed this house!!!

So I am sure some of you are wondering about Christmas cards, well those aren't happening this year either. I have lost the ones I intended to send. So then I thought why not order a photo card. But getting Miri to sit still and smile for a picture is much more trouble than it is worth. I actually found myself begging and pleading, screaming and then bribbing her to just "sit still and smile for mommy....." I should have known it just wasn't going to happen.

Oh Well, maybe next year I will be more on the ball.....

Good grief - it's been six weeks????

Yikes - six weeks goes by so fast!

Let's see what has happened since 11/4 in our lives:

Ryan: Saw the shores of Erie for the first time - but not in Ireland. He's picked up the slack of an incomplete project left behind from a co-worker no longer with his company while finishing his own. He's smoked two succulent turkeys for Thanksgiving. He helped eat said turkeys on Thanksgiving and the week after (in the form of smoked turkey enchiladas!) He's also watched our fence blow down thanks to mother nature (and such quality materials choices from the installer of the fence.) Another fence is in dire need of attention, but hopefully the braces I've put up hold (at least through the next round of windy winter weather.) He's also enjoyed the 60+ point per game rampage of his beloved Oklahoma Sooners football team. He's also proud of Sam Bradford (as both a Sooner and a 1/16th blood Cherokee) hoist the Heisman trophy.

Miriam: Is busy being two! She has been sick off and on, but not too bad, just a constant runny nose and stuff like that. Her vocabulary has seem to taken off again, she is holding conversations that are very coherent and her memory is really developing too. She is still not too interested in potty training, I am trying to keep it low pressure but my competitive spirit makes it hard! I think potty training will be much like walking, she is going to wait until she can do it perfectly the first time - no accidents!! At least that is what I am hoping for. Miri had "links" evaluations and testing done recently at pre-school. She is above age level in most areas. The evaluators were very impressed with her communication level. She is excited about Christmas, she loves looking at the lights and gets excited every time we see a decorated house. She has decorated and undecorated our tree several times in the past week we have had it up so I am glad we aren't putting presents under it until much closer to the 25th!

Sarah: I have been working like crazy to get the end of year bills wrapped up for the office so we can have a 2 week vacation during the holidays. I am also working on getting everything ready for Christmas, shopping is DONE! So that is a relief. The year we did an "adopt a family" project from Emergency Infant Services. I think I had more fun shopping for this family than I did for anybody else (including M!!!) We will be delivering the presents and food basket to this family right before Christmas, I think even at age 2.5 this will be a wonderful experience for Miri, I know it will be for the rest of us. We have also begun the process of looking for a new house - I hope we can find something that we can agree on soon, because this place is way to cramped right now.

So we are all still here, just busy! Every time I sit down to blog I get distracted or the laundry needs swapped, or Miri has destroyed something, or I am on the phone, or I am looking for a house and/or lot ect ect ect - you get the picture!!! We promise to be more current on this and posts some pictures of our little miracle.

History in the Making......

How many times can history be made in a lifetime?? Some good, some bad and some like tonight exceptional. I have chills. We are on the brink of greatness in this country. I am excited for our future and for the future of our children. We live in an amazing country that has the ability to speak for what the people want and give the power of the vote to all of its citizens. God bless the United States of America.

Boo!!!

Why is it that we try to squeeze so much out of weekends? Since the spring I can count on one hand the number of “low key” do nothing weekends we have had and I am fairly certain that number will not be increasing anytime soon. Life is just busy.

So Friday was Halloween and I had the cutest fairy ever to show for it. Miri had a blast; she walked the better part of 5 blocks trick or treating with Cat. It didn’t take her all that long (like one house) to realize she was getting candy out of the deal and well as they say the rest is history. Saturday morning she woke up and wanted her fairy costume back on again and truthfully when she looks this cute who am I to deny her?!?!?!?

Then she started in whining (my fav!) :

“go trick or treat?”

“No sweetie we only do that one time, we will do it again next year”

“ok….” (very disappointed…)

“I still a fairy right?”

“yes you are a beautiful fairy”

“go trick or treat now?”

You get the point I am sure. So that is what I listened to for the better part of Saturday morning while I ran around trying to get Ryan and me ready to head off to Norman. We got on the road after 1pm (later than intended) right before we left Ry got an email stating that our room was not going to be ready by 1 as originally promised but after 3pm – so getting a late start was for the best. But once we got to our hotel it was after 3:30 and our room was still not ready (Nebraska football players are apparently the pokier than me at getting ready – but if I was about the get my a$$ handed to me I would probably want to delay a little too!) Luckily we were staying at a “how can we kiss you’re a$$ this second” kind of hotel so they let us check out later than normal, and got our bags all situated in our room while we headed to Norman.

The game was a blast; we were close to the end-zone where the first 5 touchdowns were scored, so that was really fun.

Sunday we enjoyed a leisurely brunch and then hanging out watching non-cartoon TV in our room until time to check out. We took the scenic road back – old HW 66!!

The plan was to cook dinner for Ryan birthday Sunday night, but because we were going to get home so late we went out with our families instead – it was nice and luckily M had a long nap so she held up rather well!

Our upcoming week and weekend look to be just as busy. So off the the races we will go again......

Awww Fall.....

It seems that fall has finally arrived in Okie land. The trees are starting to turn, the weather is cooler and we made our annual visit to the pumpkin patch today! I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by just this morning Miri was already talking about Christmas trees (thanks retail stores for putting out Xmas before Halloween!! Argg!)


Miri loved the pumpkin patch. She crawled over the pumpkins and choose the perfect two just for her! We also pickup some to carve and some to cook while we were there. Miri got to feed the goats, about half way through the second bag of feed she got the hang out of feeding them with her hand instead of just tossing some food into their pen. She even got to feed a camel, she wanted to ride one but the line was super long and it was time to go. In June when we did the drive through animal park she was quite ademant about NOT feeding the camels or letting them look into the car from the sun-roof. What a difference 4 months makes in a child prespective of which animals are scary and which ones aren't.







We have a busy week coming up. Wednesday is Miri's Halloween party at pre-school. She will get to wear her costume and I am sure get lots of goodies to make her super hyper. Friday she doesn't have school, so I think she will be hanging with Grammy and Cat and carving some pumpkins. We are trick-or-treating Friday night and Saturday morning Ryan and I are heading to Norman for a weekend away to celebrate his birthday!

Pre-School Germs......

Well we have been hit with round one of preschool germs (what is it that little kids carry the most potent grossest germs out there) and the winner of round one would have to be the preschool germs.......

Miri started showing signs of a cold late Thursday evening. By Friday her nose was stuffy and it hurt. I just figured we were dealing with a common cold no bigger. Friday there was no school so my mom stayed home with her. We gave her some sudefed for her nose, big mistake - it wired her up and took forever for her to sleep. Saturday she seemed better, I however started feeling really sleepy. I slept until almost noon, and then took a 2 hour nap with Miri later that afternoon. I started sneezing and just felt tired. Sunday M complained of her ear hurting, and she ran lowgrade fever all day. I ran fever too, slept almost 12 hours and felt like crud. Ryan started sneezing and feeling bad too. On Monday morning M woke up coughing and sounding rattley in her chest. I took her to the doctor thinking it was just a cold turn ear infection or bronchitst - nope it was a cold turned PNEMONIA! This is the second time in her short life she has had pnemonia - my poor baby.

So we have started antibiotics and breathing treatments (the breathing treatments wire her up so we are not doing them at bed time any more!) She is acting like she is feeling better.

Ryan and I both spent most of this afternoon sleeping. He is feeling better but I still feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest - I have a feeling that a trip to the doctor is in order for me tomorrow was well. Luckily M should be heading back to preschool - but I have made her promise not to bring any more icky germs home! (yeah right!)

What a difference 4 months makes!

On May 31st, we lamented the fact gasoline was at $3.679/gallon and still on its way up.

Fortunately it peaked below $4/gallon around Independence Day and started to gradually drop shortly thereafter. Another spike occurred with the panic caused by Hurricane Ike around September 15th, but since then, it's been in a free fall! See for yourself below...



I saw stations selling at $2.659/gal on the way home tonight, and the website www.tulsagasprices.com was showing some at $2.529/gal in the suburbs.

How low will it go? Dunno - but it's nice to see it coming back down after a year of waaaaaay too high.

RW

Green Update/Home improvement time...

OK, OK - it's not time to watch "Tim 'The Toolman' Taylor"... We are attempting to make our lifestyles more "green." Not only is it a chance to lessen your impact on the environment, it's cool. There's even TV channel devoted to it.

We've done the smaller things: use recycled materials where possible/practical. We fill our recycling bin and place it at the curb every two weeks. We're even using less gas by combining trips as much as possible.

But our house... a 1950's era modernist, flat-roofed gem that is tucked into a group of like houses in Midtown Tulsa - leaves a little to be desired in terms of being green. There's lots of glass (very modernist) but it's thin (1/8th inch to be exact) and it's only single paned with steel frames. The roof is flat and there's no attic space - which is bad because it's not thermally efficient and there's no attic storage. And there's gaps, holes, cracks everywhere - and you don't expect any less of a 55 year old house.

Since we moved in, we've:

• Replaced the roof 2 times, once thanks to a bad inspection report when we purchased the house, the other thanks to Mother Nature spilling her ice ball tray right over Midtown.
• The air conditioning system was replaced in 2002 - two summers of high electric bills with a 25 year old condenser unit that shorted out every time it rained was enough for us. We replaced it with a completely new system that had a 15 energy efficiency rating (the old one was a 1 at best.) Our bills thankfully went down by over 50%, but they effectively didn't drop much thanks to an AEP rate hike the next year.
• When the roof leaked the first time, the wall in our living room was drenched, and after a year or so it started flaking off. So we replaced it and 6 feet out from the wall of the ceiling. In that area we placed new insulation in the roof cavity (we can only do it this way or when the roof is off) as the original insulation was riddled with mold spores and compressed so it was on longer effective. When we are subjected to another roof replacement, and being in the heart of "Tornado Alley" we're sure it's coming... we will do a full replacement of the insulation then.

But there were bigger problems. This summer, we noticed the A/C was running quite a bit more than summers past. Last December's ice storm from hell took down several large trees that had provided shade for the northwest sides of our house leaving us to take the full brunt of the late-afternoon summer sun. Essentially, our window wall was turning the back part of our house into a virtual greenhouse. On top of that, we felt that the biggest amount of winter heat energy was lost through our wall of windows in the back of the house.

The back wall of our house was all glass. And they were the original 1950's vintage windows (some of which didn’t close completely) all with 1/8" thick single pane glass. With the back wall of our house essentially facing north, you could imagine how drafty it was in the house. Worse yet, the windows "sweated" profusely on cold mornings after hot showers (much to the delight of our cats who would lick the condensate off the glass!) We had replaced the windows in the front part of the house in 2000 due to the same problems, and we noticed a huge difference in comfort of the rooms where we did this.

So earlier this summer we started the process of getting some bids and replacing the window wall. We went with a company called Thermal Windows. The prices were competitive and we really liked the fact it was a locally owned company and that from the sales people to the installers, everyone is an employee. (Many window companies contract out to various installers – so you never know who/what you will get or the follow-up service etc…). This also helps out in the "Green" aspect of the product too. Principles of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (a.k.a. "LEED") actually give credits towards certifying buildings as "environmentally friendly" for using materials that are locally produced. (For more information go to the U.S. Green Building Council website.)

Finally after weeks of waiting our windows were installed this week. Here is a before shot of some of the windows:



After:



A close-up of the workmanship in the trim:



The "before" group of windows:


The whole wall, completed:



(The deck is a work in progress - the one you see here is coming out, and a new one is going in... as soon as the "gopher trail" where we replaced the sewer line this summer is flattened out.)

We think they did a great job, the guys who came to install the windows were nice, professional and kept the mess to a minimal. The new windows look wonderful! They finished yesterday afternoon, and right away we noticed our living room does not have the glare it use to get, it is also much quieter. Today we noticed that the temperature in the house was much more consistent.

Lastly, we leave you dear reader with this thought that is making the viral e-mail rounds:
“If you had purchased $1,000 of Delta Air Lines stock one year ago, you would have $49 left. With Fannie Mae, you would have $2.50 left. With AIG, you would have less than $15 left. But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drunk all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND, you would have $214 cash. Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle."

So there you go - going green is the way of the future! Heck it can even make you some $$ :)

R&S

Boomer Sooner!

'Nuff Said!

Our Mastercard moment... from our Kansas City trip

3 Tickets for Backyardigans Live - $150.00
Souvenirs at show - $100.00
Two tanks of gas $100.00
Two nights hotel room $300.00 (thank you NASCAR!)

Seeing your child's face light up when she see's her absolute favorite characters live and in person - PRICELESS.

Our little get away weekend ended up being a bit more than I had anticipated - but to quote Ryan "Worth every F'N penny!"

Especially this "priceless" moment:

Backyardigans Live

"oh the things that gobblin has grabbed....." I can't get this song out of my head!!! Earlier this evening Miri got to see her "Uggers" live and on stage. She danced, she sang, (she threw a major hissy fit for Backyardigan toys on sale at the theater), she had the time of her life! Ryan and I sang (we didn't dance), gave into Miri's desire for souvenirs and we had a wonderful time - watching our miracle.

The live show was a bit different than the TV show, they added some songs and changed a couple of things around, but it was great and I will gladly do it again (hopefully not having to drive to Kansas City to do it though!) Our day in Kansas City has been fun (even before going to the show) and I think we will defiantly be back up here to do some exploring of this interesting town sans baby soon.

Unfortunately I have no pictures from the show, or really from this trip. Everything has been kinda spur of the moment and lugging around a camera has not been practical. Also the theater where the show was being held had no electronic devises allowed" printed on our tickets, we didn't want to risk having to go back to the car with the camera (although I don't think it would have mattered!) I really wish I had had the camera during the show, so you could see the utter joy and amazement on the face of my child. Tonight there was no world outside the backyard". The other reason I wished we had taken the camera was for the theater itself; an old restored movie house. The theater was three levels plus a basement level where bathrooms were located. It was built in 1926 in the Barouque revival style; recently restored to its formal grandeur and was frankly one of the coolest building I have ever been in.

Right now Miri is passed out in her bed in our suite, clutching her Austin doll dreaming of her "Uggers". Meanwhile I have songs stuck in my head and can't seem to reach the state of relaxation needed for some much needed sleep.

Today has been a great day!

Greetings from Kansas City

We are in countdown mode to Backyardigans Live. After a morning of shopping, Miri is taking a nap while Ryan is watching some football and snacking on leftover KC style BBQ from last nights dinner.

Our drive up here yesterday afternoon was pretty uneventful. Miri and I got to pet a horse that was tied up in front of a grocery store. He was pulling an Almish style buggie. Miri thought that was pretty cool, I felt like we had fallen through a time loop! The only problem with the drive up was that Miri refused to nap. She was pretty good, played with her sticker book mostly and listen to her "uggers" - she screamed whenever Ryan or I proclaimed it was time for some Mommy/Daddy music!

Last night we ate some local BBQ, that was Ryan's only request for this trip, and since he will be missing the game tonight - how could I say no! The food was good, but little miss no nap proclaimed she was done after about two bites of her dinner and then proceeded to scream until we boxed it all up and went back to our hotel. This is why we have some yummy BBQ for snacking on this afternoon!

We went to the Legends Shopping District (think Riverwalk Crossing only bigger, cooler and way more fun!) to look around. It is right next to the speedway, so we could here cars practicing for Sunday's race. There were tons of cool stores (lots of them were outlets) and lots of really cool fountains in the walking area. There was an interesting Dinosaur store (Build a Dino) but the line was out the door so we didn't get to go in. Ryan did take a grainy cell phone picture out in front of it - I will have to get him to post it in here soon!

Miri was ready for a nap in no time - so here we are, T-minus 2 hours and counting until the big show!!!!

Funniest series of Youtube videos ever!

http://www.youtube.com/user/JeepersMedia

You will lose hours of productive time just watching these.

You will hate me later for this. :)


RW

I weep for the future......

Last night Ryan and I decided to be a little spontaneous and go to the TU game. We hadn't been to a game in a few years and wanted to see the new stadium that we have watched slowing being built over the past year. Plus it was a bye week for OU so what better way to spend a Saturday night than by watching a football game. The game itself was fun - it was awesome to see that TU sold out a game and they are looking like a pretty good team this year. The crowd at a TU game is very different than an OU game - much more subdue even when their team is ahead 40 something to zip! So that was all good... now for the not so good....

The seats we paid for were actually taken by the time we got to them (only 3 gates open so lots of line waiting!) It was not worth making a stink about so we decided to go sit on the grassy bank on the south end of the stadium. This was a good place to sit for all of 15 minutes - when a group of loud kids came to sit in front of us and not SIT and chatting and giggled. I whispered to Ryan if he thought they were in high school or TU students or what "probably TU students..." was the response! WHAT!!! No way - they were soooo young and weren't we just in college ourselves (ok so 10 years ago isn't that much time!) Needless to say I started feeling a little old. Then I got attacked by a swarm of bugs - YUCK I really hate hate hate bugs. I looked longingly over at the seats on in the south end zone - the ones up against the short fence dividing them from the grassy hill we were on were empty. I can get over that fence no problem, or so I thought. So I got up and walked over there - hopped the fence (gracefully - not!) and claimed a seat. The seats were decent enough, and no bugs or noisy teens. Until I started to feel my two glasses of tea from dinner and the bottle of water I had consumed during the first half. OOPS - the closest set of stairs was about 38 seats to the east of me, with many people in those seats too. I could hop the fence again and slide down the hill, but on a full bladder I figured getting to the stairs would be the smarter way to go. I went up a row because it looked less populated and made my way over - who should I run into but the "kids" from the hill. Not a single one of them got up so I could get through - I stumbled through the throng, trying hard not to step on any toes or fall into any laps, not to mention trying not to twist my own ankle or knee in the process! I called Ryan after I got down and finished my business to meet me at the gate - it was time to go!!!

So for my own sanity I have decided that those were middle school kids - because at least it is hoped that they will have several more years of learning some common decency before venturing out into the world - otherwise god help us all!

Political Quiz - Ryan's turn.

You are a Social Moderate (50% permissive) and an... Economic Moderate (55% permissive) You are best described as a: Centrist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid.com: Free Online Dating Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Political Quiz - Sarah's turn.

Where do you fit in on the political spectrum.......

I am:

You are a Social Moderate (50% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (21% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Politics at its Best!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Vocabulary

Miriam loves to talk - I am sure you all are very shocked at this fact, I am too. NOT! Her vocabulary is ever expanding and she knows the right time to use her new words and the right emphasis to put on them. And for those that know me very well I am not just talking about the four letter variety either. For example:

Last night we were leaving the house to go to the "Team Jack" benefit at Arnie's downtown. Miri normally feels the need to comment on the weather every.single.time. we leave the house and last night was no different - we step out and hear ""It's MUGGY". Yes darling with 70% humidity it is very muggy! So my 2.5 year old seems to have the vocabulary of a kindergartner, can we say talker or what!

WIRED!

First off I would like to thank every bobdy for the warm and wonderful birthday wishes - you guys are so sweet! This is a historic post - the very first "wireless" post to this blog. That's right our house is now wireless!!! (well not completely - but you get the point.) My wonderful and sweet hubby got me a lap top, wireless router. He has networked our computers so I can get to all my favorite things on the desk top - mainly pictures!!! Miriam enjoyed the boxes baring my gift - so for her gift to me I got a good picture of the best gift ever!

Miri actually went to bed fairly early so Ryan and I were able to have a nice adult meal - catching up on DVR'd TV shows!!! Guess I am getting old - because I can't think of a better birthday.

In other news I have decided that Ryan and I need to do a better job about communicating with each other about what we do with Miri when we are out separately with her. For example: yesterday after preschool I took M to get her some white tennis shoes, while there I couldn't resist getting her a carry along "Backyardigans" coloring book, a new bow to go with her OU cheerleader outfit (thanks Uncle Evan!!), then we had to run over to Borders and get Lucy (another September 4 baby!!) a birthday gift. Miri wanted to get Lucy a book like her favorite bear book - I thought that was incredibly sweet and of course I awarded her sweetness with a new book for herself! Ryan picked Miri up while I was at my mani/pedi appointment early that evening. He needed to run to Best Buy and get something for my new toy, well Miri was once again good, agreeable and sweet to the sales lady so Daddy awarded her with a new CD and DVD! Let's recap Miri's loot for a Friday afternoon/evening (not her birthday or anything!)
1. Shoes
2. Bow
3. coloring book/crayons
4. story book
5. CD
6. DVD

I think our kid is a little spoiled!!! When asked what are we going to do to solve this problem Ryan's response is "We will figure it out"

I do think we have done better today - no goodies for M! We went to Lucy's birthday party, Miri and Lucy had tons of fun chasing each other around and stomping bubbles that one of the older kids kept blowing for them. We got home and M crashed for a very long nap.

That has been our last few days in a nutshell - don't you all feel privileged at having a glimpse into our crazy world!

SLEEP INTERRUPTED

About 2:30 this morning we were awaken by loud cries, awaken out of a very sound sleep! Miri had thrown up all over her bed, she was upset about the whole act of throwing up (who can blame her for that) but she was also very upset about messing up her big girl bed! Poor little one. This was the first time she has gotten sick since we have switched out of the crib, and since I am normally the one cleaning it up I can say with confidence cleaning up the new bed and getting it ready for her to go back to sleep is way way easier now than it use to be!

Miri was up this morning bright and early at 7:30 - I however was not moving so well. We spent the morning with my parents, bagels and coffee - yum yum! And then came home for a nap - I could have slept all afternoon, Miri only felt like she needed an hour and half.

So while I was not the one barfing at 2:30 in the morning I have felt like a slug all day, I have pretty much let M veg out in front of the TV, while lounging on me. Is it the fact my sleep was interrupted or because I am a year older..... I guess only time will tell!

How To Make Your Husband Roll His Eyes……

Ok I could probably make a VERY long list but I will spare you all…..

Last night I watched the two hour premiere of 90210 (the new Beverley Hills 90210). I didn’t love it as much as the original, but then I am no longer a 15 year old girl (thank god) I did like it though, and I have to say that I will be watching again next week – it already looks like a Brenda/Kelly love triangle might be starting (aww the good old days)!!

I don’t think this series will run as long as the first, but I did tell Ryan last night that I am hooked, at least for the next few shows, and of course he rolled his eyes!

Too cute for words!

Ok I admit I am shamelessly biased when it comes to Miriam - but you have to admit these two video's are cute cute and more cute!!!

Click here for two Miri videos

I was playing around with my cell phone, right before bedtime so the quality is not that great. But I have made an executive decision - we will be getting a video camera before our trip to Kansas City to see the Backyardigans Live at the end of September.

In other Miri news - the other day she stuck her fingers in her ears and informed her Daddy "I not hearing you" while he was having a discussion on her misbehavior at dinner.

And today she has pee pee'd in the potty twice today!!! As well as dumped about 1/2 a roll of tp down the sewer line (good thing we have a brand new one!)

Awwww the joys of a toddler.........

The Best Phrase

Today when I went to pick M up at Pre-School she was playing on the playground, when I was about half way to the gate she saw me and ran the fence line - "That's my Mommy!" "Mommy" "My Mommy" "That is My Mommy!!!!!" I will never tire of hearing that phrase over and over again. The shear joy, excitement and pride in her voice made my heart melt. I know the day will come all too soon when seeing me will not bring such an enthusiastic greeting, but for now I have today and my sweet little girl who wants nothing more than her Mommy!!!!

Pre-School

Today was Miri's first day of Pre-School. I think I am still in a bit of shock that my baby is going to preschool! She was so excited this morning. Once we got there she basically just left Ryan and I standing by the door and went to go play, when I picked her up she cried as we walked by the playground on our way to the car b/c she wanted to play some more. Needless to say I think she had a wonderful time today! Her teachers both raved about her when I went to pick her up, they said she was talkative, helpful and played well with the other kids. The only thing she didn't do well was rest time, she was lying next to another little girl during rest time, apparently they spent the time talking and conspiring about what they needed to do in order to get to go outside again! Can't say I am very surprised that I have a talker. We chose the University Methodist Pre-School for her - click here She will go on MWF from 9-2. When we got home she ate a snack (the rest of her lunch!) and promptly passed out she was soooo tired. All and all I am so glad today went well and that she liked school - I hope this trend continues for the next 21 years or so!

Genius??????

This weekend Miri put her building talents to work and built this......


all by herself!!!
Do you think she will pose for the cover of Architectural Record with the bobo in her mouth?? Lets hope not.

Junkies...

This week has been particularly tiring – Miri has been sick with a bronchial infection and her Dr. has her on oral steroids and nebulizer treatments - i.e. this child is HYPER! She bounces around like a little monkey, constantly gets into everything, and is a chatter box – if you don’t acknowledge her right away she will repeat herself over and over and over again until you do. Naps have been few and far between and bedtime seems to get later and later. Throw that in with the fact that Ryan and I can’t seem to turn off the TV until well past midnight and you have 3 very tired and cranky people in the mornings! After another night of being up past midnight Ryan and I have to accept the fact that we are junkies – Olympic Junkies that is. I LOVE the Olympics – both summer and winter, once I start watching them I can not turn them off – even for sports I normally wouldn’t watch and for sports I do enjoy watching (swimming and gymnastics) I sit glued in front of the TV, I analyze at commercials in other words nothing gets done. Laundry is piled up, the house is messy and getting up to go into work in the mornings has gotten harder and harder as the late late nights add up. But in my mind it is totally worth it – after all we only get to watch the Summer Olympics every four years!

I have been a little disappointed with the IOC – I can’t believe that they let the Chinese Government that also over sees it’s sports be in charge of issuing those passports for the LITTLE GIRL gymnasts. I bet the conversation went something like this:

Head Gymnastic’s Person: We have some very talented girls that could win gold at the Olympics, but they aren’t allowed to compete b/c they are two young. I guess we will not be able to guarantee a gold for the People this time around.

Government: Nonsense – we are the BEST and our country is hosting those girls are women, not too young at all, see I issue passport saying that they will be 16 in 2008. Now win us a gold or face life in prison…..

Head Gymnastic’s Person: Of course we will win gold! And in 2012 we will win again – our gymnasts can stay 16 for 4 years – no problem. All the westerns think we all look the same anyway no one will ever know the difference…….

Ok – so maybe I took a little liberty with that conversation but you get the point. Team USA might have only won a Silver in the team competition, but last night our girls showed the world that they truly are the champions and the BEST – going Gold and Silver in the All Around is such an accomplishment not only for Lukin and Johnson but for the United States Gymnastics program as well. WELL DONE!

The only other complaint I have about the IOC (to date) has to do with beach volleyball. Compared to what the women wear making the men wear shirts is a crime! I think the competition would be better enjoyed (by women throughout the world) if the men were shirtless. Maybe I need to petition the IOC about that…..

Presidental Election

Ok I am the first to admit that I am not a big political talker. I think everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion but recognize that it is only an opinion and not try to force feed it on anyone else or belittle others and their opinions. So we are gearing up into the political commercial season, like there isn't enough trash on TV already. I feel that in order to be truly informed you should go read each platform of the canidates and not rely on whose commericals pull the most heart strings - of course this is only my OPINION.

Another thing I am not a big fan of is super celebs, in particular a vacant blonde who has made it clear that she is a princess and as far as she is concerned the world revolves around her........

So what happens when two things I don't really like collide?? You get this:

CLICK HERE

And then you laugh your A$$ off!!! This is the funniest video I have seen in awhile and I would love to see it played on national TV, during both conventions.

Big Girl Bed

Last week marked a major milestone in our little Miriam's life - she said bye bye to her crib and HELLO to her big girl bed! It did not phase her one bit to switch - in fact more than a week later she still says "lets go see my new bed" every time we come home! I was a little sad to see the crib go, part of it was because we may never have the need for a crib again and the other part was fear of the unknown - would she hate sleeping in the bed, feel scared or just really enjoy her freedom to the point of not sleeping too much? I am happy to report that she is not scared of her new bed, and although she does get up more easily we are working (and making progress) on staying in bed once the lights are out, nighttime is there, but naps still aren't. One problem we have encountered that I wasn't prepared for are mornings, particularly weekend mornings! Sunday she was in our room before 7am - I put her back to bed with some books and told her she needed to stay in bed for at least an hour more. Luckily she went back to sleep until closer to 10:00 - which is what we have been use too. In addition to the bed we also purchased a dresser - I say this was more a present for Mommy because I love the amount of storage I now have for her clothes, and a night stand. We went with the "Build a Bear" collection made by Pulaski in the pastels, it is well made and will be grow with her as she grows. Here is the link to the furniture:

CLICK HERE

We went with the white and pastel collection. Right now her dresser drawers are pink, green and purple. But when she is older I can make them all white with an easy switch of a panel. I love the versitiliy of it and of course the cuteness factor! Since the new furniture has been installed I can't get over how much her room looks like a little girls room and less like a nursery! Here is M after waking up from her VERY FIRST official nap in her new bed! If you will notice the cats that seem to think we got it just for them......

A New Fav.......

Miri has made two new friends recently - and as of this moment they are her favorites! In my search to find the perfect bedding for her new bed, I discovered this little company out of Atlanta Georgia (I have listed the link under favorite sites) I was totally smitten by their products that I ordered two little animals for M and I informed Ryan that from now on the only stuffed animals or creatures she will receive are from BlaBla and it is my goal to get her the whole collection (eventually!). Of course Ryan called me crazy until he saw them, now he thinks they are pretty cool too. I don't just think the dolls are cute, the hats are adorable and based on the softness of the dolls I will go on a limb here and say very comfy. I do plan on having one of these around for when it turns cooler around here! Here is Miss M with her BlaBla's - please excuse the pout - she was sooooo done with being cooperative!

Ready for a change???

Do you guys think M is ready for her big girl bed or what???

WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just in case anyone heard the shouts of joy, sighs of relief and champagne bottles being opened - don't worry it was just us CELEBRATING!!!!!!!!!!!

Update!!!!!!!!!

Miri had her echo and her murmur is “nothing to worry about” (per the Dr.) She will more than likely out grow it – so we don’t have to have anymore follow-ups with the pedi cardio dr., our regular dr. will monitor it. I guess if it sounds different or something at one point we might have to go back, but they didn’t seem to think it would be an issue!!! I am so relieved. Thank you to everybody for your good wishes and prayers they really mean a lot to us. This has been a wonderful blessing filled week!

Also I just have to brag on my little one - she sat on my lap and held perfectly still throughout the whole ultrasound. Now a days it seems she hardly ever sits still and if we are doing something she really doesn't want to do she is quite adamant about not doing it! So I was dreading her possible behavior, but she did great and made Mommy so very proud of her well behaved little girl.

Off to "Wiscaansin"...

Well, I'm off to the land of the Cheeseheads, Miller Beer and the guy who is slowly ruining baseball - Bud Seilg. Since this trip is a goofy one - two meetings at 6:30 PM (one on Monday, one on Tuesday) and not much in between, I figured there would be time to take a trip to either Miller Park to catch the Milwaukee Brewers, or sneak down to the northside of Chicago and catch an afternoon Cubs game and make this trip worthwhile.

Yes, I was envisioning the scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off where Ferris, Sloane and Cameron end up at Wrigley on TV right under the Principal's nose. Well, small problem... er, problems:

-- The Brewers are in town both Monday and Tuesday, against my #2 team the Colorado Rockies. Good, right? First pitch, both nights - 7.10 PM. (Meetings start at 6.30 in Somers - about 25 miles south).

-- The Cubs are off Monday, but Tuesday, they play the Reds - at 7.10 PM.

Rats.

Oh, and if you haven't seen ticket prices for these teams, you would be in for sticker shock. Bleacher seats at Wrigley for all games from June 1 through Labor Day are $45 per game - general admission!!!! That's actually more expensive than the upper deck, lower level near the infield. The Brewers aren't much better, however those prices would get you into the lower level, down the lines at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Maybe I need to find the free microbrewery tours... or see if S.E. Johnson has tours of their Administration and Research buildings (done by Frank Lloyd Wright.)

I'll keep the long "o's" to a minimum when I get back, eh? :)

RW

GREEN

“Going Green” this seems to be the catch phrase of the year. But truly how new is this concept and how long before it falls out of our vocabulary (again). I remember not to long ago a big environmental push to recycle, plant more trees and cut down less rain forest in the early 90s. And although I wasn’t around for it history tells us of the 60’s where being “one with the earth” was the thing to do. Like most fads in this country the concept of being “green” fell out of the news and therefore the public consciousness. Now it is back with a vengeance. And I hope for the sake of our planet and future generations that this time it sticks and that more people make lifestyle changes that will affect in a positive way our planet and her ability to sustain life for generations to come.

Generations to come - I never really put too much thought into this phrase. I have always felt like the day when our planet can no longer support our life is far far into the future. After some reading and research I don’t think it is that far away. In fact I truly believe that in Miriam’s lifetime catastrophic changes to our environment could occur and that scares me. I want our children and our children’s children and many more generations to enjoy all this planet has to offer. So how do we change a future that seems so bleak and how do we face what seems like such a daunting tasks?

The only answer I can think of is start at home, make some small changes I truly believe that if every household made some small changes it would help change our world and our environment – the “Think Globally Act Locally” phrase has some merit. Ryan and I are following the “Reduce Reuse and Recycle” philosophy. I have to be honest this really excites me and is something that I feel is very important. I am planning a series of post on this, how we plan on sticking to each idea, what we do everyday to accomplish this and what we plan to do. So stay tuned for some exciting posts on “being green and going green”

Fourth of July

Happy Birthday USA!!!! I love the Fourth (and I really love the 4th when we don't have to work the next day!) . There is nothing like fireworks, cook-outs, family and friends doing nothing but having a good time. I never feel the "holiday pressure" on the Fourth like I do during Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. The Fourth is just casual fun times.

We had a wonderful celebration this year. Like we do nearly every year we went to a backyard party at our good friends, the Bowman's house. The live very close to the river so we are able to walk down and watch the fireworks when it is time.

Miriam is completely in love with her Uncle Jeremy, especially since he was feeding her red, white and blue Jelly Bellies.

We made some new friends. This is Miri and Cat with Alisha. She is the g/f of one of Jeremy's buddies. She also just happends to be one of the nurses at M's cardiologists office and will be helping with our echo next week! Talk about a small world and fate. She was just awsome with M and C, you can tell she is a total kid person and I am feeling much better about this appoinment.
Miri and Cat both enjoyed dangling their feet in the fish pond. I was able to catch them both in a rare momemnt of stillness.....

I even enjoyed a moment of fish watching with my little girl.

Miri got to experience the joys of sparklers for the first time. She loved playing with her "fire sticks". Guess we have created a little pyro but then again who doesn't like sparklers and poppers?!?


The big finish and best part of the evening was of course the fireworks. And what a great job the City did this year!!! What a spectacular display, it was simply breathtaking.
And it was so much fun to watch M enjoying herself - no tears for this baby over the big booms, only "ooooosss" and "awwwssss" Watching through the eyes of a child is truly an amazing experience.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Independence Day and continues to have a fun and safe holiday weekend.

Murmer......

Please keep some prayers and positive thoughts for our little girl handy. In case you haven't heard M was diagnosed with a heart murmur on Friday. The Dr. *thinks* it sounds innocent, but is recommending an ultrasound just to "be sure". So how am I calmly posting about this you may wonder.....

Well Ryan had M into the dr. for an upper-respiratory infection a couple of weeks ago and the dr. heard the murmur then. But becaouse murmurs can apparently be caused by viruses and therefor resolve themselves she didn't want to say for sure until she could re-check M when she was healthy. So I have had two + weeks to digest this information and to research heart murmurs (especially those in young children to death!)

But I do worry that the ultrasound will not confirm the "inocentness" of her murmur and will show something worse. I worried before every single one of my pregnacy ultra sounds (I had about 10) that something would be wrong so I guess this is nothing new to me. However with the heart problems on both sides of our families and one of the issues doctors are always concerned about during diabetic pregnancies is heart developement I am concerned. I do think that some extra prayers will help!

Father's Day

We had a quiet laid back Father’s Day this year. Brunch with my parents, then Ryan (bless his heart) had to go work, we finished with a late afternoon swim and cooked out burgers at my parents house. In true M fashion even though it was the day to celebrate all things dad she only wanted Mommy. I know R felt bad about this, but she does love her Daddy. During our swim at Grammy and Pop-pops she got some quality time in with Daddy, it was so much fun watching her swim with him. I enjoy watching her interact with all the men in her life, she is a complete flirt and even though she has her “mommy only moments” she does enjoy her Daddy time. She sometimes protest her channel being changed but she will sit and watch any sport with her Daddy, she can even name the sports correctly! She loves to cuddle in his arms after a long day and bath time with Daddy is the most fun ever!

I couldn’t ask for a better partner on this adventure into parenthood than my wonderful Ryan. He works hard to provide a great life for our family. He can come home from a stressful day at work and within minutes completely forget all about it and focus on nothing but a belly-blowing tickle fest or a tea-party or castle-building (destroying) endeavor or a book reading session in the rocking chair. Her Daddy is wrapped around those sweet little fingers.

We love you Ry!