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Mike during Drywall Weekend

Bennett and Annalise love the Christmas tree!

Dressed for the Holiday Tea

MORE! That is what Bennett says whenever the music ends...he loves music! Whenever the hymn ends at church, the guitar stops playing at ECFE or the girls stopped singing during the play we attended yesterday, B moans quietly (or sometimes rather vocally) MORE!
Yesterday after we picked Annalise up after school, Mike, Grandma J, A, B, and I went to see Madeline's Christmas at Stages Theatre in Hopkins. We had a really nice time. Today Annalise has a Holiday Tea at school. Bennett and I stayed home from school, because B is just not feeling like his usual chipper self.

Last night, we had dinner at Nok and Pat's new house. Mike and I just smiled at each other as we stuffed ourselves with Nok's amazing Thai dishes. The kids had a really nice time, and played well together while the adults were still eating. Thanks for a wonderful evening!
Tonight I'm going to hang out with my girls, a night which is long overdue. Bridget and Steve will be at my parents' house tomorrow, and we hope to get lots of cousin playing time in while they are here.

I don't know if I'll post an update or not before Christmas, so if not MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours

What Shall We Give the Children?

What Shall We Give the Children?
The holidays are almost here.
Toys and games and playthings,
As we do every year?

Yes, for the magic of toy land
Is part of the holiday lore
To gladded the heart of childhood
But I shall give more.

I shall give them more patience,
A more sympathetic ear,
A little more time for laughter,
Or to tenderly dry a tear.

I shall take time to teach them
The joy of doing some task.
I’ll try to find time to answer
More of the questions they ask.

Time to read books together
And take long walks in the sun.
Time for a bedtime story
After the day is done.

I shall give these to my children,
Weaving a closer tie,
Knitting our lives together
With the gifts that money can’t buy.

Author Unknown

Stuff

We had a chilly walk to the dog groomer this afternoon. We will all enjoy not smelling Shug anymore. I discovered last night when Mike and I were sharing a sliced grapefruit, that Bennett likes grapefruit! We shared one this morning, and he just smiles after every spoonful. We got our Christmas tree on Tuesday night, and put the lights on last night while watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Annalise was very disappointed that we didn't get to ornaments, but we will put ornaments on the tree tonight. Then our house will be ready for a visit from the elves! Enjoy your Thursday! I will!

Our Crazy, Happy Family!

Helpful Sister

A tells B, as he looks at the bee from an Old McDonald happy meal, "bumble bees don't usually wear shoes." Annalise has been cracking me up lately. She put water on her hair yesterday afternoon, and ran into her bedroom to tell me and B, "I've been baptized!" She then got her hand wet to baptize Bennett too. Yesterday she told me that they read a book about Hanukah in school. She ran around the house yelling, "first night of Hanukah- Happy Hanukah!" Then she looked around and said, "where's our hanukah?" "Do you mean menorah? We don't have one, we're not Jewish." "Well, we can still celebrate the 8 days of lights!"

On Saturday, Mike and I went to A Christmas Carol at the new Guthrie. It was really well done, and fun to get out with my husband. On Sunday, we attended mass with the Hudrliks, and became Jackson's godparents. I'm so excited- I'm a first time godmother. Since there has to be crying at a baptism, and Jack was much too calm, B took over. He wanted to swim in the baptismal font, and kept pulling his leg up to climb the ledge of the pool, and moaning, "water, wahhter...." Hope ended up holding him during the baptism ceremony. We'll have to remain lifelong friends, or they'll look back at pictures and say, "now, who's that kid?" I guess it's true what they say about it taking a village...

Tomorrow is my dear husband's birthday. It also happens to be the night of his company holiday party. G&G are going to have the kids sleep over- yay! Then Saturday morning, both sets of parents are coming over to finally....drywall! It should be a fun, and busy weekend.

One last Annalise-ism: on Tuesday, when we had such a beautiful snowfall, I mentioned to A that we could have cocoa for snack that day, since it was snowing. As she was enjoying her cocoa that afternoon, she asked, "why when we were playing in the snow at Grandpa and Grandma's, and then went in the house, I had cocoa, and they didn't?" I said I didn't know, maybe they didn't feel like having cocoa, or didn't like it. About half an hour later, I was watching a Tivo'd show, and Annalise came over and gingerly placed her hand on my shoulder. I paused the show; solemnly she asked, "have Grandpa and Grandma even tried cocoa??"

Just finishing up

Sorry, no pictures yet, but I realized I didn't even finish my thought about A's earache before having to leave the house. I brought her to the doc on Monday, and he said no infection, possibly a bit of fluid buildup, but no one told Annalise's ear this- she was out of her mind with pain. Poor girl, she is finally back to normal today. The title of yesterday's blog was regarding our progress in the basement. Mike stayed home yesterday morning, and we totally rocked on the insulation. Our plumber is finally coming over to move the sink plumbing by Tuesday, and then we're set to drywall. And paint, and tile....before our cabinets come in two weeks. Wooh!

Movin' Right Along

Just a quick note before B and I head to pick A up from school- Thanksgiving was really nice. We stayed at a friend of my aunt's cabin, so we could be removed from the crazy festivities in order for our children to sleep, which was a nice plan, but didn't end up happening that way. B was still really feverish and coughy (even though he didn't have ear infections when I had him checked out on Tuesday), and A started to complain of ear pain during the night. We left Wisconsin on Friday morning, in order to get one good night of sleep before heading off to yet another strange bed for Saturday night. We had Thanksgiving with Mike's mom's side of the family on Saturday, and had a really nice time. For the first time, we were all able to fit and talk to everybody, because Uncle Paul had set up tables out in his large garage. A was still not feeling up to par; she even took a nap at Paul's which really surprised me. We kept up on the alternating Tylenol and Motrin, and brought her into the Dr. on Monday because her left ear was still hurting quite a bit. More to come....and pictures!

No means No, and Yes, and Nose

Poor little B- he hasn't been feeling well lately. Runny nose, cough, fever, not sleeping well at night/not napping well, but the part that really is noticeable is his decreased appetite. I hope he is able to enjoy some of our Thanksgiving dinner. We are heading to Wisconsin Wednesday night, to spend Thanksgiving with my family and my mom's sister's family. It will be fun to see A, B, and Maren play together again. Then we'll head down to Okabena for another Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday.

The title of this post refers to Bennett's frustrating, and endearing habit right now of saying no for everything. Not a bratty shouted, "NO!", just answering "no" to anything we ask, even if I know he means yes, and he's shaking his head yes. I think he just doesn't get it, or doesn't know how to say yes.

The Week Before Thanksgiving!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already- we just left October! I haven't been taking many pictures lately, so I don't have any to include with the post. Mike was pheasant hunting in Okabena with my dad and uncle last weekend, and I elected to stay home with the kids. We had a really fun time. Thanks Hope and Danielle for keeping me company. We went to the Maple Maze on Saturday morning with Hope and Hailey. Bennett loves to hang with the big kids- he took up residence in the ball pit, and had a grand old time throwing balls and just going with the flow of the balls as other kids jumped in and waded around. We spent Saturday afternoon and evening with Danielle and the boys, and had a really fun, loud time.

Last night we had a babysitter come over after supper, and Mike and I placed our cabinetry order. In 2.5 weeks I can call, and find out what week our cabinets will be in (4-6 week estimate, running closer to 4)! Now waiting over two weeks will be the hard part. We've got to get going on moving our plumbing for the bar sink, and then tiling the bar/kitchen area, finishing the insulation and then drywall. Phew!

Tomorrow night, Grandma J is coming over to stay with the kids while Mike and I go to a parents' night at Little Flowers. We're discussing the kindergarten year at a Montessori school- didn't Annalise just come home from the hospital? Time flies, and we are having so much fun.

Have a great rest of the week!

Happy Monday!

Annalise is going to her first non-family birthday party! One of her classmates at Little Flowers is turning 5, and invited the whole school to Pump it Up! The party is tonight- pretty crazy to be doing something until 8 pm on a school night!! Woooooo!

B is doing really well in his recovery. He doesn't seem to be sore at all, which is good, because his operative site looks pretty colorful, and looks like it would be quite painful. He has been sleeping wonderfully at night, sleeping in in the mornings, and taking really LOOONNNGG naps! Yay!

Bridget is in San Diego for a neuroscience conference. She did a talk on Saturday- way to go Bridge!

Happy Halloween!

This is one of my favorite pictures-Superman chillin' with his thumb popped in, hanging out with our favorite flower fairy. Martha Stewart: eat my dust, I think the costumes turned out pretty well this year! Annalise had swimming lessons on Halloween night, and was the only kid to show up, so had a pretty cool private lesson. When they got home, Mike took her around to a few houses in the neighborhood, and she really had a fun time her first time out trick or treating. We were a bah humbug house, not passing out any candy, because I didn't want any temptation around, now that we're following the WW Core plan.

Crocs Float in the Toilet

I forgot to blog about a funny moment we had on Thursday night. We were all upstairs after supper, and starting to get ready for bed. Maybe Bennett could sense the anticipation for his surgery the next day, and wanted to cut the tension in the house. All of a sudden, we see that B put Annalise's blue crocs in the toilet. He was pretty proud of himself, and we all had a wonderful laugh. I think that is going to be a very special trait of Bennett's- to lighten peoples' moods with his terrific sense of humor.

We are Home

Bennett's surgery was uncomplicated, and he did an excellent job with the anesthesia. He didn't need a breathing tube, or nebulizer. He was very laid back when he got out of recovery. He cuddled on my lap with his fleece blanket and puppy, while his IV continued to run, and he sipped on some apple juice. The nurse checked his incisions (looking good), and we were on our way. We stopped at Target for his prescription (Tylenol with codeine- just in case), and his caudal injection (which numbed his whole diaper area) was just wearing off as we got home. He's napping now, and we'll have a small, light supper tonight, and hopefully have a restful night. Thanks everyone, for all of your thoughts, prayers, and kind words. We really appreciate all of the support; nobody has a better or more thoughtful group of friends and family. We love you!

This week...

B and I are going to the zoo tomorrow morning with Kim and Addison. Wednesday we are meeting Grandma J at Mall of America, and Mike and A have swimming lessons after dinner. Thursday is a school meeting, family picture at JCP, and Friday is the big day.

Please pray for Bennett on Friday. His surgery is at 10:15. Grandma J is coming to stay with A (she doesn't have school on Friday because of conferences, but we already had her conference last week). We should be home sometime in the afternoon. I didn't end up making these into t-shirts to support B in his endeavour, but I thought I'd share my graphic design anyway. Here it is:

Sweet Child O' Mine

6 months old

I'm so proud of Annalise. She is so well-behaved; it has become easy and fun to take her places. Tonight Mike went upstairs with A and B, and I came up shortly thereafter. Mike was in B's room reading books with him, and A had spread her pajamas and nighttime diaper on her bedroom floor, and was putting her clothes in the hamper in the bathroom when I encountered her. I love how she does things on her own without being asked, and without being nagged. I have to remember to blog about things like this, so I can go back and read these posts on hard days.
We had a pretty low-key weekend, with the exception of Friday night. We went OUT! My friend Kim stayed with the kids, and Mike and I went out with Becky and Christopher for appetizers, drinks, a movie, with wine and dessert afterwards. We saw Gone Baby Gone, and we all liked it. We stayed out LATE, and had a great time! Saturday we went to the Pumpkin Party, and then G&G J. came over to help insulate the basement (and distract the children). Sunday was quite uneventful; we stayed in for most of the day, and Mike and the kids carved 4 jack 0' lanterns, and I roasted the pumpkin seeds.

Father/Daughter, Mother/Son taken with outstretched arm

Fun Weekend

We had a nice MEA/NAMTA Friday with G&G. Mike came home at lunchtime, and drove us downtown to Grandpa's office. We had lunch there, and then walked to the Central Library. We read books and played for a few hours, and when Grandpa met us there, we then got on the light rail, and took the train to Cap's for barbeque. Bennett had such a good time on the train, he cried when we got off, and when we started to head to our truck in the parking lot (Mike met us at Cap's after work), B was devastated that we weren't getting back on the light rail.

We took A and B to the Gophers game on Saturday, and besides Annalise not liking the loud fireworks and crowd noise and the Gophs losing to NDSU, we had a nice time. It's sure hard to eat Core at the Metrodome though (I had a hotdog and diet Coke). Sunday we went to Mike, Sarah, and Tommy's to watch the Vikings game. The kids played very nicely together/next to each other. It's so nice to socialize with fellow parents, who also have learned the art of conversation- picking up where a story left off between diaper changes, redirections, fetching of sippy cups, etc.

I am now sick as a dog, and am doing my part to avoid nationwide antibiotic resistance by not getting an Rx for my bronchitis (yet). If I get worse after a few days, and start to be feverish, then I'll go in. I've been working here and there on the kids' costumes, and have to be done with B's by his class on Friday, and A's on Saturday morning for the Edina Family Center Pumpkin Party. Woo!

Neat Toys

I received a catalog from Annalise's school this week, and it has some nice child-sized real life things, like pitchers, potato mashers, bowls, rakes, etc. The website is: www.forsmallhands.com.
If there is anything you would like to buy, let me know by Monday. If Annalise's school places a large enough order, they earn free materials for their school.

Boys are weird

Or maybe it's just mine? B loves to throw things down the stairs. Anything at all. Can't stop him either. He also loves exploring in our bedroom. He likes to open up a box on Mike's side table, and finds some spare buttons in a little plastic bag, and carries them all around the upstairs. Along with his catapulting obsession, B loves to play with my perfume bottles. They are on a mirrored tray on my bedside table, and he especially loves taking the cap off and on of the Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely bottle. We love our little Beezer!

Here are the kids

Since it's been so long, I thought I'd post a few recent pics, since they've changed so much in appearance since late August (only sort of kidding).

Jumping back in

Okay, here I go. I'm just going to start typing. I don't really know what happened, but the longer it's been since I've posted, the harder it seems to sit down and note what's happening in our lives. First of all, the way I've lost 11 pounds pretty closely resembles Weight Watchers Core program. It goes like this: eat all the fruits and vegetables you want (no dried fruit or fruit juice), broth-type soup, fat free cheese/plain sugar free yogurt/skim milk, eggs, lean cuts of meat, and brown rice/potatoes/whole wheat pasta one meal per day. No bread, no sugar, no alcohol. No full-strength Mountain Dew!! Take a multivitamin daily and drink 8 glasses of water. It's going really well because Mike and I are both following the guidelines, so we eat the same foods for meals, and enjoy luscious 94% fat free microwave popcorn for snacks. Now I need to add an exercise component to the plan.

I posted a very long time ago about my concern regarding B's privates....well, we took him to a pediatric urologist on the 2nd, and he will be undergoing bilateral orchiopexy at Childrens' West on Nov. 2nd. The procedure seems very straight forward, and Mike and I both really liked the surgeon; my only point of apprehension is that B will be under general anesthesia. It sounds as if his recovery will be pretty quick- he should be up and running (or as close to running as Bennett comes) a week after surgery, and hopefully will just need a staggered dosing of motrin and tylenol to cover his incision pain. He's supposed to wear two diapers to protect the incision sites from falls, car seat straps, etc. and I got some Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers for post-op. They are so soft, and cute; I really think B will like wearing them.

Annalise starts 4 sessions of swimming lessons tonight. Mike is going to take her so they have a fun father/daughter activity. I've been busy working on the kids' Halloween costumes- they are coming along well.

I'm going out tomorrow night with the moms from B's ECFE class, and I'm really looking forward to it (I will not be sticking to the Core plan for the evening). Friday, the kids are off from school (B for MEA, and A for NAMTA (N. American Montessori Teachers Assoc.) meetings. My mom and I are going to do something fun with them, and then Mike and I get to run around for a few hours, doing basement-remodeling related errands, while Mom and Dad babysit.

There, that wasn't so bad. I will try to post more regularly. I haven't been taking many pictures lately- the kids just aren't cute anymore, I guess. :)

p.s. The basement is coming along- cabinetry will be ordered probably by Monday, and we are ready to get the drywall going.

Play Pals Reunion

A group of moms, kids from A's 2 year old class, and siblings had lunch at Byerly's today. We're going to try to get together on a monthly basis. We were all pretty busy with kids, but it was so nice to see everyone again! Also, I really enjoyed receiving my first compliments about looking like I've lost some weight (9 lbs so far). Mike and I are doing a pretty good job with the new eating plan, but it sure is encouraging now that my clothes are getting big in the waist, and friends I haven't seen in awhile are noticing.

The electricity weekend was a success! We are all wired, and ready for business- drywalling business, that is. You never know when that's going to happen either- Mike's dad might be able to make an appearance any day now. We've ruminated long enough on the fixtures, and I think we're ready to order them by this weekend. Now I get to start wandering around town with paint cards and carpet swatches, to match to my tile and stain. Yippy!

Weekend Anticipated

We had a nice week- very fast, but fun. School continues to be really great for A. B has been a bit of a bugger because he's got a load of teeth coming in at once. He is really starting to blossom though, in terms of his interests, sense of humor, and increasing walking proficiency. We had a great date night last night, when our friend Kim came over to sit on the couch (babysitting our kids is easy!). I'll go to her place in 2 weeks to watch her 10 week old daughter, so she and her husband can have their turn for a date. There weren't any movies we wanted to see last night, so we just went out to dinner. It was fun watching Mike enjoy his sashimi platter (I do not share his sushi love, and had Thai noodles).

Mike has been hard at work framing the basement. His electrician cousins are coming tomorrow, then we'll be ready to sheetrock. I think we're close to a decision regarding lighting fixtures, floor tile, and carpet. I have to take another look at paint, and make sure we've found THE couch. The window measurement specialist (Jed) will be calling in a few days, and we'll order two new windows for the basement.

Other than the basement project, I don't think we have any plans for the weekend. Mike is taking his cousins to the Gophers' game Saturday night with our season tickets, so I rented a movie I don't think Mike would care if he missed (The Painted Vail). I'll let you know what I thought of it.

Oh, by the way...

I suppose you might be wondering, you know- no news is good news.... but it's not that bad- I just forgot to post- I passed my board exam!!!!! I got an email on Monday (the 17th), and my scores were available online. What a relief- I'm going to enjoy the next 5.5 years! Thanks to everyone who offered such great encouragement, and afterwards such nice congratulations.



Now for some pictures:

The Gang plays golf

At the State Fair

A's latest gymnastics award ceremony

Better than Climbing Everest

For those of you who know our dirty little secret about how many er's we had on the tivo (the whole last season +), and who wonder why we even still watch it- WE ARE DONE!!! Mike and I accepted the challenge, and slowly but surely, and with a large surge at the end, finished every last episode of ER, and LOVED IT! So there!

Stuff

Sorry it's been awhile- I'm writing from the house of sick. We're all almost recovered now, but it wasn't fun wondering who would be the next to fall, and when. Friday night, A woke up in the middle of the night and had her 1x vomit- in the toilet no less, yay Daddy! Thanks for your wonderful aim and timing. Saturday we bought a pop up trailer! Woah, that is weird to even say, I don't feel like we're old enough to do something like that, but I guess we are. You may recall from an earlier post that we tested one out for one of Mike's tournaments, and it went really well. That's the one we ended up buying. Saturday night the kids slept over at G and G's, and Mike and I went to the Gophers game with Eric and Katie.

Thanks for all of your comments about little B- he is doing much better, although I don't think his appetite is back on track just yet. Tomorrow A has her kindergarten screening through the city. I'm kind of excited to see how that goes. I'll let you know!

I too love how this blogging thing has turned out (I don't know if Mike would agree, but oh, well). Jeny wrote in a recent post how much she loves it, and I have to agree. It's really nice to look back and see some cute/sweet things the kids did on days when they are driving me crazy! I've been working on publishing the posts from 2006 in a book...more on that later.

Sick B

Poor little babe- B threw up last night (x2) for the first time. He didn't sleep well last night, and isn't eating today. The worst part is that Grandpa and Grandma J were babysitting last night! Thanks for all of your help G&G; we really appreciate it!

Bridget, Steve, and Maren are in town for yet another post-doc visit of Bridget's. I had hoped to let Bennett and Maren have a little cousins' playdate while A was in school, but we'll see if B is up to it or not.

Mike and I planned out our cabinetry design last night. I'm really excited about them now- it turns out we are going to order cherry cabinetry for the whole basement, I think it'll look great.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happiness is...

getting a sweet, gentle hug from my daughter, and having her say, "you make me so happy, Mom." How blessed am I?

Our Little Darlings

Thursday after school we went to get haircuts for both kids. Its amazing how much older a haircut makes Annalise look. She had individual school pictures on Friday. School has been really great so far; we are so glad to have chosen Little Flowers for Annalise. Bennett is having lots of fun in his first ECFE class too. He completed his first artwork yesterday- a squirrel holding an acorn, with plenty of marker and roller paint adornment. Here's a pic right after we got home from haircuts on Thursday.

We finally caught him!

Although B has been walking for a few weeks now, we have yet to capture the moment on film, because when I set him down and move a distance away to start filming, he starts crying.

Yummy Salad

While I'm not thrilled with the name of the recipe (it actually says Yummy Salad), it is a great salad- the salad which brought me back to salads after an almost 4 year hiatus. I experienced my first bout of morning sickness while eating a salad, hence no more salad. I am also told that picky eater extraordinaire Chad Hudrlik enjoyed this salad, which I brought to share at the last meeting of the Ya-Ya's (and husbands).

Yummy Salad Serves 6-8

1 bag romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup Craisins (or more, can't go wrong with Craisins)
1 cup unsalted cashew pieces (or salted, can't go wrong with salt)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 apple, cubed
1 pear, cubed (I used a red pear for color)

Dressing:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup oil (I think I used olive oil)

Combine dressing in a blender. Dress salad (duh).

I'm Back in Business

Hey all, thanks for all of your comments on the blog, good study vibes sent my way, and patience as I slowly make my way back to normalcy. Studying for the board exam was one of the hardest things I've done since PA school. I don't have any idea how people with children make it through graduate programs and the like. I missed my family so much while I was holed up in the library studying. What a Labor Day weekend. My most efficient day of studying was actually on Labor Day. After trying out Border's (because the library was closed) and finding it was way too noisy, I headed to my parents' house, because they were away for the weekend. It was just like high school, although I never studied like that in high school. The PANRE was arduous, but six hours later, I was headed home with an okay feeling in my gut. There were plenty of questions where I had to guess (I'm a pretty good guesser), and so many things I could have told "them" all about if only they had asked, but all in all I'm feeling pretty good about the exam. And also very glad I don't have to think about it again for the next six years.




Now I am once again the most qualified armchair commentator on our favorite medical (?/!)shows, like Grey's Anatomy, House, and ER (yes, we still have 16 episodes left to enjoy).

We received some sad news early Wednesday morning that Mike's Grandpa had died. We headed down to the Okabena/Lakefield area on Friday after school for the wake. The funeral was on Saturday. Annalise was complaining about her ear hurting while we were having lunch in the church basement. We thought maybe that was her way of complaining about how loud it was (there were 350 people at Grandpa's funeral), and headed home to change clothes and nap. She was becoming more and more upset about her ears, and a dose of Motrin and a call to Blue Cross about an out of town visit later, we found ourselves at the urgent care in Worthington. Sure enough, A's first ear infection turned out to be a double ear infection! We got her amoxicillin prescription filled at the Walgreen's in town, and headed out to Uncle Dave's to visit more with family. She really was fine after that first dose of Motrin, and we were quite lucky to have made the decision to head to urgent care, for it closed an hour after our visit.

I told you I was going to fill you in on Bennett's 18 month well child visit. He weighed in at only the 15th percentile for weight. The NP sent him for a hip xray, (even though he had been walking for a whole day before the appointment!), just as a precaution, and it was negative for hip dysplasia. He is also going to see a pediatric urologist because his left testis is not descended as much as she'd like. B's been walking more and more, but still looks like a little Parkinson's patient.

Bennett and I had our first ECFE class together on Friday. It was really nice to finally have some time to play just with B. He had a great time discovering playdoh, and my guilt waxes and wanes throughout the interaction period, as I realize I never exposed him to various things (like playdoh-which A had been playing with for months by his age). Oh well, it's good that we have our time together now.

I'm working on shooting some video of the little walker, and I'll post the salad recipe I mentioned later today.
P.S. to my amazing husband of eight years, Happy Anniversary Sweetheart.

Signing OFF

I will not be posting to Milk & O's until at least the evening of September 5th, when my recertification exam will be finished. At that point, I'll tell you all about:

• Dinner in Maple Grove (with salad recipe)
• State Fair experience (with pictures, some taken by Mike)
• B's 18 month visit stats and follow up appointments....don't worry....
• how I am sure that I passed the PANRE with flying colors!!!

Annalise had a great phase-in hour at Little Flowers this morning. It was a good sign that this morning when I picked her up she asked, "do I get to come back here tomorrow?" She returns tomorrow for 2 hours, then we'll be attending the award ceremony at her last Little Gym class for awhile. Mike is going to Mankato on Friday to complete his Fantasy Football draft picks (I conned him into bringing the little dears), otherwise the weekend will be filled with studying, studying, and more studying. I'm going to bed right now, I've done enough studying for the night. Good bye for now, and I'll be in touch soon.....woah, that kind of freaks me out. I still have plenty of time to conquer endocrinology, don't I??? Okay, BYE.

HE WALKS!!!!

We're going to count today as the day that Bennett finally started walking. He's taken an isolated step here and there, but I saw him take at least four steps toward me this morning, and Mike watched B walk "at least 8 feet" when he was playing with the kids outside this afternoon. Of course no video camera was in sight. He did the exact same thing with crawling- I guess he's a procrastinator like his mother. He crawled the day before he turned 11 months, and now has walked the day before he is 18 months!!!

All grown up

My little yoga girl (doing tree pose)

All of a sudden, A has grown up. She looks like a little girl now, not a pudgy toddler. It happens so fast...

Double 3 for the Double E!

We've had a great day so far! We met our friends from 2 yr old Play Pals at the 32nd St beach at Lake Calhoun for a morning playdate. Both kids had so much fun; I have to remember that, and be better about going to parks more often. Then we ran through the drive through at McD's, and I avoided buying the happy meal (yay!), and B is having a car nap.

Tonight my friend Stokes and I are going to our friend Eric's birthday bash at St. Anthony Main. A great cover band, Orange Whip (http://www.orange-whip.com/), is playing, and I am planning on cutting loose and having college-like fun (although when you plan on it, it rarely happens, does it?)! Mike's parents will be home with the kids, and I feel like all is good for the rest of the weekend. Just fun, fun, fun. Double 3 for the Double E tonight, then playing with Hope, Jack, and the three kings in Maple Grove tomorrow afternoon/evening, and then Mike will be home Sunday (at the latest- he'll be home earlier if his team loses twice.)

Daddy's Biggest Fans

Who needs Legos? B and A were filling the dog dish, and then started making a tower with dog food. I taught B how to fill the dog's dish, and he was so proud to be doing something helpful. That was A's first chore also. We were playing upstairs earlier in the day, and A wanted us to dance in the rain, for which you need to wear a rain necklace (who knew). A got necklaces on all of us, but once we were finished with our dance, B would not let us take off his pearls!

My domestic boys! They can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan...

Gymtastic

Mike left around 10 this morning for Des Moines, AGAIN. He is pitching for a team from Appleton, WI. Mike's parents, sister, and nephew came to town Wednesday night, because his sister Sarah is showing a pig at the state fair. The funny thing is that A and B haven't seen Grandpa and Grandma F yet. They got here after the kids were asleep, and left the house before the kids woke up. Then they got back from the fair tonight about an hour after bedtime.
Gymnastics today was great. It's nice watching her be such a good listener! I can't believe A has only one more class until summer session is over. We are going to take a break from all extracurriculars, since she's starting Montessori after Labor day, and that runs 5 days a week. We'll have to see how tired she is after school, and what kinds of things we'll want to do for fun in the afternoons. I'm excited to finally have an ECFE class with little B. We'll have that class on Friday mornings, and then we might do a music class at MacPhail as well.

The Big 10!

Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to our great friends Danielle and Mark! Keep up the good work!

Wednesday

Today, the kids and I had to get out of town! Mark and Chuck were working in the basement again today, moving the pipes up flush to the floor joists, and the kids were not at all happy with the noise (neither was Shug). We went to Kim's new house in Eagan, and met Addison, who was 5 weeks old today.

I suddenly have to buy all new everything for Miss A. Her pajamas don't even fit! Where would you suggest I buy shoes for her? I also have to buy some new shoes for B- maybe it will encourage him to try walking- but fortunately, I don't have to buy any clothes for him, since we are lucky to receive Charlie and George clothes. Although B better watch out, or Danielle will be calling for a return of the clothes because Henry has caught up with B!

A, B, and I are off to St. Peter, to pick up Mike's grandma, and bring her to the airport. Hope everyone is staying dry...


Aarhfhghghggh....so frustrating! Picking up Grandma went just fine, then we met Mike and drove to Humphrey terminal. Sun Country to D.C. was 2 hours late, so we went home for awhile. Traffic to the airport around 5 was hellacious!!! We finally figured out that all the traffic was so messed up because President Bush was flying in to town for a Coleman fundraiser. We actually saw his motorcade pass by, but that wasn't cool enough to make up for the awful standstill in traffic.

We are the runners-up, my friend...

We arrived home from Des Moines on Sunday evening, venturing through the floods and storms in Southeastern MN. Mike's team was in the championship game on Sunday afternoon, losing by a narrow margin in the final innings. Pretty impressive that they're the second best team on the continent (in their division). Mike is attempting to win every division at the NAFA World Series, therefore, he is returning to Des Moines this week (sans family) to pitch for a team from Appleton, Wisconsin.

Greetings from the Marriott

Hey all, I've plugged into the hotel's high speed, so I'm ready to tell you about our weekend. Mike's team was 3-0 until this afternoon, when they lost a heartbreaker 4-3. That puts them in the losers' bracket, starting with a game at 8 am tomorrow morning, and then they play back to back until (if) they lose. It was HOT, HOT, HOT today, but not a drop of rain, like I hear it's been doing back home. We have a really great suite, where everyone has their own sleeping space. I've actually gotten some nice studying done after the kids are asleep. We've had some nice pool time too. Eating has been okay- not the most nutritious, but not terrible. We have started a trend of afternoon snack ice cream sandwiches- they are so good! We had lunch with Melissa, Carter, and Kaylie, and will see them tomorrow too.

Softball weekend, again

We had a really nice day. A had her last day of Fun in the Sun, and B and I got a huge project done! We went to JoAnn's with our 60% off framing coupon, and framed our family portrait, as well as 8x10's of A and B. I'm really excited to see them completed- I think they'll look really sharp. After picking the frames, mattes, etc. we had to go to Sam's and pick up the enlargement of B I had ordered online. Then back to JoAnn's to drop off B's picture to be framed with the others. I went to Joann's first because they opened at 9, and Sam's didn't open until 10, and we had to be efficient with our time. Grandma J came over after lunch, and Mike and I did some furniture shopping for the basement. Then Grandma J and I went to Cafe Ena (Latin Fusion) for dinner. It was good, and very nice ambience. After our dinner, Grandma stayed home with the sleeping kiddos, and Mike and I went to Bourne Ultimatum. We love those movies! Tomorrow after Little Gym, we will hopefully be packed up and leaving for Des Moines. Have a great weekend everyone!

Hesitantly, I return

I'm back. I'm exhausted. I'm glad to be home. It's crazy how much I missed my little ragamuffins. B has been quite difficult since I've been back. I keep telling myself to be understanding, and just hold him more and give him more attention like he wants, but it is very wearing on me. Hope and Jack came over today, and we made some cards. I was actually amazed that we were able to get anything done at all, with the pumping, putting grumpy B down for naps, eating the lovely meals A served us, giving Jackson a bottle, etc.

"Holy fast weeks Batman!" / "On the contrary Boy Wonder, it was only five nights."

Well, it has been a good run. Mommy gets back tomorrow and The Daddy Solo Experiment is about to end. No major injuries, no appointments missed, sanity well intact, house still standing, and I'm still interested in Operation Early Retirement/stay-at-home-dad status.

The only thing we didn't get done this week was to get over to Maher/Klukow Estates so that A&B could play with the 3 Kings. Sounds like a good thing though. Illness has stricken the royal family. Get better soon little Henry.

We also have a seasoned TV personality in the family. A's gymnastics class was featured on Channel 11 today at 4 p.m. Some fluff piece on fighting summer boredom with your kids. Check out the replay online at www.kare11.com/onlive. Click on the "Kid Boredom Buster" picture in the middle of the screen in the video window. A has a cameo doing a perfectly executed forward roll. There is a few other random A sightings too if you pay close enough attention, but I'm sure to the typical observer it just looks like controlled chaos and all the kids look the same. If you pay extra attention you can even see yours truly and B milling around the observation lobby. I'm still kicking myself for not getting it on TiVo though. Silly daddy.

I've enjoyed the week in blogoshpere, especially reading everyone else's blogs. I'll have to make that a more regular practice since apparently no one keeps up with each other's current events via the spoken word anymore. It's blogtastic!

Stay cool in blogland everyone. As for me, it's back to being a lazy, softball addicted, inattentive, stereotypical dad who gets the luxury of leaving the house every day for the heaven of corporate life.

In closing, I'd like to thank the academy and the coutless individuals who helped me throughout the week. Team Enslin/Kenney - couldn't have done it without you. Teacher Lisa - A raves about Fun In The Sun. G&G Jacques - the overnight with the kids on Tuesday was critical to the flawless execution of The Daddy Solo Experiment. All you other bloggers out there - you know who you are - you were my window to the outside world. Anheuser Busch - how could I almost forget you. You are the best. Kate - thank you for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. And Marquette - your continued financial support is the straw that stirs the drink. Thanks again everyone. I love you all.

This is Bloggy Bloggerson blogging out.

I Love Them Redheads

Dumped the kids off in Prior Lake with G&G and it was off to the mall to buy a shiny shirt and tight jeans, stop at home to shower and fluff the chest hair, dig out the gold chains, and splash on some Brut. What a night at the clubs! As the great Alicia Bridges once sang, "I love the night life. I got to Boogie."

Seriously, do/did people do that? I loved Saturday Night Fever and Tony Manero as much as the next guy, but....

Actually, it was a good night. To whom it may concern, there was a UMM alumni event at the St. Paul Saints baseball game tonight and I was there, thanks to the chauffeuring efforts of Team Enslin/Kenney. First Saints game for me since the Summer of '99. Not much better than bad baseball, cold beer, perfect MN summer evening weather, and old friends. Made me remember fondly our days at UMM. For those enlightened few, ergo the "Dazed and Confused" reference for this blog post. I don't know how many times we watched that movie. Not by coincidence, I'm sure the UMM alumni association also mandated that the beers at the game be poured in clear plastic glasses and sold for a price of $4. However, I think they forgot to tell the concessions people that UMM alums could walk up to the keg for refills whenever they wanted one. Imagine my shock when they expected me to pay $4 every time. TJ and Skippy would have had much smaller crowds on Thursday nights if they ran that type of operation.

We can't wait for mommy to come home. Study hard and refresh that medical memory for the upcoming board exam. Then I can implement Phase 2 of my diabolical plan - Operation Early Retirement. Mommy works, kids go to school, daddy stays home to: 1) play fastpitch and 2) practice for the next World Series of Pop Culture. For those readers of Milk & O's not in the know, the World Series of Pop Culture is on VH1 and is the greatest game show of all time. I need a team of 3. Assuming myself and a certain someone currently residing in Houston are in, I need a 3rd. Preferrably someone who knows music post-1998. I can't take what the kids listen to these days.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No ...... It's Superdad

25+ hours since the matriarch of our family left for P.A.-apalooza in suburban Chicago and we are somehow still surviving. Of course the house is in utter chaos, we are eating M&M's with a side of ice cream at every meal, and there is not a vegetable in sight, but what else can be expected from a stay-at-home dad. Chipotle is on speed dial, the fridge is stocked with beer, the kids have been running around the backyard without clothes or sunscreen, and tonight we are all going to daddy's softball game to play in the dirt. This of course will be followed by going to the bar, running around while dad drinks beer and plays pull-tabs, and staying up until at least midnight. Just like that Parenting 101 class suggested.


Seriously, things have been going great. A had "Fun in the Sun" with the incomparable Teacher Lisa today and painted a Jackson Pollock-like masterpiece. Meanwhile B and Daddy went to the DMV and the bank before going home to nap, scratch ourselves, mow the lawn, and do other man things. Maybe on Wednesday when A has "Fun in the Sun" Day #2 B and I will try scotch, cigars, and picking up chicks at the park.


Yes, we did go out for lunch, but what is a dad gonna do? Today it was Schlotzsky's by Southdale where we unexpectedly ran into little Tommy Larsen's daddy. We proceeded to have what must have looked like the perfect Norman Rockwell alternative lifestyle lunch. Two men - two kids. Except my non-showered/shorts/t-shirt look was probably our saving grace. Mr. Larsen was dressed much better than I, and I clearly would not have been an acceptable partner.


That is our day so far. Silly mommy for thinking I would not blog while she was gone. Isn't that part of the job?


We miss you mommy. Hopefully Uncle G is keeping you in line while you are away. See you Friday night and/or Saturday morning.

Signing off (for now)

Tomorrow, I am headed to Chicago (Schaumburg, actually) for a week-long recertification exam review, which is VERY, VERY necessary for me to pass my board exam September 5th. Right now however, it feels like I'm heading off to prison. This will be the longest either Mike or I have been away from the children ever. It's going to be a very long time, and they'll grow up so much while I'm gone. B will for sure start walking, and Mike won't be in a hurry to grab the video camera either. I know that Mike will have a wonderful time being home, and the kids will have lots of fun too (and probably lots of Chipotle). I might try to post an entry from the hotel at night, but Mike said he'd keep up the blogging from the homefront (I'm not holding my breath).

Pop Up Camper Trial

Overall, we had a really good experience with the pop up camper. The kids slept really well all three nights, although they were more restless the first night because it was so cold. I ended up snuggling with B all night to keep both of us warm. Preston, MN is a nice little town, and the softball tournament was run really well. Mike's dad and brother, and old teammates got back together for this tournament, and I think they had a good time playing together again. We stayed at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds campground on Friday and Saturday nights, and it was nothing more than a mowed lawn with a fire pit and electric hook-up. The bathrooms were GROSS! Sunday after the tournament, we met Mike's aunt and uncle who live in Rochester, for lunch at Roscoe's (really good bbq), and then went exploring for where we'd set up camp for the night. We ended up at Nerstand Big Woods State Park, and it was beautiful- a night and day comparison to the fairgrounds. We made hobos (hamburger, potatoes, carrots, cheese, and onion in tinfoil) on the fire, and toasted marshmallows for s'mores (after B was asleep- sorry B).

After dropping the camper off at the rental place Monday morning, our week proceeded as usual. A, B, and I stayed over night at Grandma J's (Grandpa was out of town), and went to Mall of America the next day for Toddler Tuesday. Wednesday we stayed cool by taking a Target trip to buy clay. Thursday was a busy, fun day. A had a great time at gymnastics (she jumped three times across the balance beam!), and afterwards we went to Danielle and Mark's for a playdate with Charlie, George, Henry, Hope, Hailey, and Jackson. All of the kids played really well together, and had a blast. Then we headed home for dinner with my parents, Steve, Bridget, and Maren. They came to town for a wedding up at Steve's cabin, but came early so Bridget could interview with some labs at the U of M for her post-doc.

Photos

Mmmm, Bing Cherries!

A practicing her Gene Simmons tongue

Catch of the day!! (Note the pants-less fishing ensemble)

B running for the hills

No Time for Flowery Prose

Hey, this post is pure utility. My husband has had a week full of extracurriculars- by tonight I needed to get away. We went out for a pizza, and I drove separately. I then went to my friend Heather's for an ete purse party. It was nice to sip a glass of vino verhde, somewhere other than my home sweet home. My family got new cell phones on Tuesday, so I spent last night reading the manual and setting mine up how I like it, while Mike was at softball. Tomorrow during Book Buddies, B and I are going to Pottery Barn for a concert. Then.....
We are renting a pop up trailer, and camping at Mike's softball tournament this weekend in Preston, MN!!! I have been wanting to get a pop up for quite some time; I think it would be a nice way to combine an interest of Mike's (fastpitch) with an interest of mine (camping), and save on hotel costs during travel league. This weekend will be a nice trial run to see if it is a good fit for our family.
I realized yesterday that I have only 1 picture of myself with both kids, and very few pictures of me and B. Mike is going to try extra hard to fill that empty spot in our photo albums- so look for some mother/son/daughter pics in future posts.

Tiny Dancer

We went to Mike's cousin's wedding on Friday night in Mankato, and had so much fun watching A at the dance. This is the first wedding reception we've let her stay up late for, and it was so fun watching her experience it for the first time. She collected every little mint tin at the table, enjoyed chocolate wedding cake with buttercream frosting, and danced with abandon to all songs (even during the dollar dance, she shared the dance floor with the bride and groom). I tried hard to make sure that she wasn't one of those annoying little kids who run around on the dance floor, wreaking havoc while his or her parents have no idea where he or she is. We were watching her the whole time, and made sure she didn't get trampled during the polkas. She even did the chicken dance motions. After a hardy breakfast at the Americinn Saturday morning, we were off to pick up the dog at Grandpa and Grandma J's, and get Mike to his fastball tournament in W. St. Paul. He came home with Jimmy Johns after his two games, and after putting the kids to bed, we watched a marathon of World Series of Pop Culture.

Sunday brought a trip to Home Depot for foundation paint/waterproofing treatment, lunch at Chin's Asia Fresh (much better than Leeann Chin), and a car nap on the way to G and G's. We had to pick up Teddy after he was inadvertently left there during a potty break on Saturday. We then went to HOM furniture, and I think we found a good choice for a new basement couch.

Mommy Play Date

I just got back from hanging out on Mary's patio with some of A's classmates moms. We had a really nice time, and enjoyed some mojitos, grapes, and cheese. Tonight for dinner, we brought Dino's gyros over to Danielle's. The kids had a fun time playing at Disneyland (Danielle's backyard) after supper. It is fun to watch them and imagine how it is going to be when we all get together, even 5 years down the road. We'll be like the Ya Ya's, sitting back sipping our Morgan cokes, and refereeing.
We are headed to Mankato tomorrow for Mike's cousin's wedding. We'll be back in town on Saturday, because Mike has a fastpitch tournament in West St. Paul. Why can't they all be so close?
My mom and dad celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this weekend, although they can't remember whether it's the 22nd or 23rd, so therefore I can't remember either. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! Congratulations!

Should my three year old be reminding me to empty the dehumidifier in the basement? Just a thought. It's good we have her around.

She Got In!

We received some great news yesterday- A got off the waiting list at Little Flowers Montessori!!! She'll start preschool after Labor Day. Little Flowers is on the way to Mike's office, so now he'll have to keep his job forever (or at least until A goes to first grade). This news really puts me at ease- I was kind of in a panic, trying to imagine what we'd do in the fall without some type of preschool. A is the kind of girl who really loves learning new things, doing projects, etc. and has been saying that she wants to attend school every day for at least the past 6 months, so I didn't know what I was going to do if I'd have to play preschool teacher and curriculum director in addition to wrangling B.

Hi Danielle!!

Now that I know I am entertainment for Danielle while she pumps, I better get better about posting more often. Here's the rundown of F family events: swimming lessons finished on Tuesday 7/3. A will retake Littles I (as will the other two kids in her class). I think I might schedule her for lessons again in the fall. After swimming, we loaded everyone up and headed to Okabena.

Okabena has a great Fourth of July celebration. We had such a great time. We ate lunch in the city park, and looked around before the kiddie parade, followed by the real parade. A sat on the curb with Mike and her cousin Cody. At first when candy was thrown, she would stand above the offering, and decide which piece she'd like. We explained how candy gathering worked, and from that point on she had a blast. The pure joy emanating from her was so heartwarming. She'd turn around and shout, "I got a lollipop!!!" We went home for supper, naps, and baths after the parade, and before fireworks. I think our two were the only kids sleeping in Okabena, when they fell asleep in the car as we drove back into town before the fireworks. They woke up just in time, and we watched fireworks with the kids sitting on our laps in the front seat of the truck. That actually worked out really well, because with the A/C running, the loud blasts were muffled somewhat, and the kids didn't get frightened. The rest of the week included helping Grandpa F fix the fence so the cows couldn't escape again at Great Grandma F's, and playing with cousins.

We left Okabena on Friday, headed for Bristol (just outside of Kenosha, WI) for the Progress Days fastpitch tournament. We stopped in Madison to visit Bridget and Maren, and left Shug with them for the weekend. The kids got soaking wet in Maren's backyard pool, and we had to borrow clothes for the drive to Kenosha. We stayed in a hotel in Waukegan, IL, where I went to PA school, so Mike and I had lots of fun seeing how things have changed, and visiting our must-eat spots (Kaiser's Pizza on Milwaukee (Rte 21) off of 41 is amazing (thin crust).) Progress Days ended with yet another parade and fireworks display on Sunday. This parade had more candy thrown at the crowd than anywhere else I've ever been! A has a gallon ziploc stuffed until the zipper broke, plus some runoff, which will keep us going until Halloween. [For some reason, I've decided that she can have gum when she turns 3 and a half, so I've been eating all of the dubble bubble.]

Our family enjoying some post-game refreshments out of the back of the truck (typical softball scene). [ I just realized after posting the pictures that it looks as if B spends his whole life in a stroller- NOT the case, just happenstance picture choosing.]

Mike's team had another game to play after the fireworks, and the kids weren't going to go back to sleep in their carseats after fireworks, so they watched the game from a blanket, wearing their pajamas, and were up until after 11 p.m.! So we've been having some trouble getting everyone back on a normal sleeping schedule. A had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night until almost 9- the fun part was that she slept until 9 a.m.! I'd rather have her back to her usual 7p-7a though, for consistency's sake.

A friend of Mike's might come tomorrow to give us an estimate on new windows for the basement. We got the final plans from our architect, and he also sent them to the custom woodwork guy he uses (and who Danielle and Mark used). We are planning on a little fieldtrip to Loretto (even farther west than Maple Grove, Hope) to take a look at our slap of soapstone for the countertop. Mike heard about a place near 7 corners that carries old radiators, so we might head there to pick out a small one to add to the basement. And we've got some guys coming on Monday to take a final look before starting to move the pipes up into the joists. It's coming along- not as fast as I would like, but it's encouraging to see the progress.