I'd like to start with a thank you to Moe for picking up the slack. I really dropped the ball, or was forced to drop the ball depending on how you look at it. But thanks to her the whole world has been able to keep up with our two adorable children and occasionally their parents.
This is to all my parent friends....don't just tell your kids to eat their veggies...FORCE THEM! The last several weeks has been a battle of wills between me and the girls. Gianna has become the little 2 year old we dreaded; obstinate, energetic, distracted, and super smart. She is constantly testing hers and our limits especially at dinner time. If it looks like it has veggies in it she pics out the good parts and barely touches her food. Well that stopped about a week ago, thank you very much. We sat down at dinner, Moe made a yummy casserole or something along those lines and she refused to eat it, at least on her own, SO I picked up her bowl and spoon and made mild bargains for each bite: a bite for some juice, or a bite for some bread and butter. That soon devolved into an indifferent attitude, which escalated to threats on my part. No games, no puzzles, no movies etc, all the while i am spooning every bite and feeding her like a toddler. This has gone on for a week or so as we have stopped catering her meals and started making her eat ours. It still tries my patience, her resolve is stiff and strong (maybe a drink would help me....) but she finishes her dinner most nights now, veggies included, with far less bartering than when we started......
But her sister picked up where she left off. Last night Moe had some tutoring so I was on my own, with a rambunctious G who wanted to dance and march around the house and a hungry baby. I can't remember if Moe has talked about it or not but Elia hates food...or rather, she can't quit her mom. We have tried and tried and tried and she shows no interest unless it's a cracker or something she can hold. You can try to put a spoonful of something good up to her mouth and she is just refuses with tight lips. Moe has had limited success as well with her eating maybe once a day. Well last night E was HUNGRY and there was no mama for her to go to, and she wouldn't eat her veggies....that's where i stepped up my game. You can't force a spoonful of veggies past tight lips but you can do this....and it paid dividends...little E was happy for hours after that.
Showing posts with label by chris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label by chris. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
PS.....
I can't believe I forgot some of the most important news...We're having another GIRL!!! Two little rowles girls I thought one was cute enough....how can I handle two... I admit I was hoping for a boy...only because I need something to offset the cuteness factor of G...a little punk boy I can slap around...but two little cuties running around the house is going to be a complete delight....it will be cuteness to the max for now..and in 20 years when they have boyfriends....I'm dead meat...we're working on names right now.... The only part of it that we have set is Francesca.... it's my great grandma's name and is only fitting considering the circumstances.
No more crying
Wow. I really let myself go over the last month and now we have a month plus to catch up on. Where to start. Well i guess we have to rewind a month. It was one month ago that G and Moe left me all alone to go celebrate the engagement of "Aunt Shanny" and "Uncle Tom", at that point g was just saying Shanny and Tom...but more on that later. And two weeks later it was back to St. Louis for Christmas. G and "CO-liin" had a great time together...especially with each other's toys. G loved the trains and Colin loved G's dolls....j/k, but he did love her puzzles. I think i may have had more fun with their toys than they did. There was a wooden train set. I seriously built like 15 different tracks trying to utilize all the pieces. One time I spent a good 45 minutes on it while they were sleeping..you know how long it lasted after they woke up? 5 minutes, but it ROCKED! Grandma and Grandpa got webcams for everyone which has been great we've been able to video chat with everyone, it's been a blast. (it's been especially great cause we're able to talk to my great grandma..more on that later also). WE had a visit from Santa...to which there were opposite reactions. Colin...the schemer..new immediately Santa had presents...if I stay on Santa's lap I get presents... G...saw a crazy man with a beard and thought AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Next year though she'll dig him for sure.
Next year I think we need to put a limit on Christmas presents at Christmas cause trying to transport two suitcases full of presents is not fun...especially after Christmas........soooo on a funny/annoying note...my flight was Monday after Christmas so that I could get to work at 9ish...well I showed up to the airport a full hour and half early...and was late boarding my flight...there were seriously like 300+people in the terminal waiting to check/get through security INSANE... Moe came back a few days later which was alot easier.
We're officially lame. 2nd year in a row that we didn't do anything on new years. Next year though we're going CRAZY...that's my resolution.
Okay post holiday wrap up. We gave ourselves/ my mom helped too in lieu of sending us something....revamp some rooms. After two trips to Ikea (They didn't have the shelves we wanted...but got them overnight) we put together an awesome bookcase. The bookshelf is virtually all cubbies that we were able to use to organize G's toys and finally give her a room to play in. Our new playroom is AWESOME....I have pics and video somewhere....
G is now starting to put words together to form mini sentences!!! It's fantastic. One of her favorites is No more Crying. It's so darn cute to hear her say it after she's been crying (heartbreaking if she does it in timeout). But she will consistently use words in pairs and as modifiers, which is really making it easier to understand her wants and desires.
G, you're too young to understand what a delight you are to everyone you meet and how you can truly brighten someone's day. Thanks to Gma and Gpa Mchugh we have been able to see and talk to my grandma, "Grea Grama" who doesn't have much time left. It's been really tough on everyone especially Grandma Rowles . We were able to have a brief video chat and my mom tells me it was the most she's spoken in days and really pepped her up. I know it wasn't my ugly mug that did the trick but it was all you, Gianna. G, I know you are going to read this one day and not understand what it means until you are much older but you absolutely touched my grandma's heart and soul during a time when so many of us can be scared and alone.
Grandma told us a little later that she wants you to have one of her sets of pearls, a small gift really, but it means so much. In 28 years from now when you get married and you're wearing your Great Grandmother's pearls...there will be more than one person in the room who has to say to themselves....No more crying....
Next year I think we need to put a limit on Christmas presents at Christmas cause trying to transport two suitcases full of presents is not fun...especially after Christmas........soooo on a funny/annoying note...my flight was Monday after Christmas so that I could get to work at 9ish...well I showed up to the airport a full hour and half early...and was late boarding my flight...there were seriously like 300+people in the terminal waiting to check/get through security INSANE... Moe came back a few days later which was alot easier.
We're officially lame. 2nd year in a row that we didn't do anything on new years. Next year though we're going CRAZY...that's my resolution.
Okay post holiday wrap up. We gave ourselves/ my mom helped too in lieu of sending us something....revamp some rooms. After two trips to Ikea (They didn't have the shelves we wanted...but got them overnight) we put together an awesome bookcase. The bookshelf is virtually all cubbies that we were able to use to organize G's toys and finally give her a room to play in. Our new playroom is AWESOME....I have pics and video somewhere....
G is now starting to put words together to form mini sentences!!! It's fantastic. One of her favorites is No more Crying. It's so darn cute to hear her say it after she's been crying (heartbreaking if she does it in timeout). But she will consistently use words in pairs and as modifiers, which is really making it easier to understand her wants and desires.
G, you're too young to understand what a delight you are to everyone you meet and how you can truly brighten someone's day. Thanks to Gma and Gpa Mchugh we have been able to see and talk to my grandma, "Grea Grama" who doesn't have much time left. It's been really tough on everyone especially Grandma Rowles . We were able to have a brief video chat and my mom tells me it was the most she's spoken in days and really pepped her up. I know it wasn't my ugly mug that did the trick but it was all you, Gianna. G, I know you are going to read this one day and not understand what it means until you are much older but you absolutely touched my grandma's heart and soul during a time when so many of us can be scared and alone.
Grandma told us a little later that she wants you to have one of her sets of pearls, a small gift really, but it means so much. In 28 years from now when you get married and you're wearing your Great Grandmother's pearls...there will be more than one person in the room who has to say to themselves....No more crying....
Monday, December 8, 2008
Apologies.
Are due for the gap in posts and length of this impending post. Alot has changed in the last month and it's been quite busy.
Thanksgiving- we went to CA to visit the family, it was a bittersweet visit that kinda kept me postless for a little while. "Gre-Grama" (adorable when she says it) was in the hospital most of the week with what at first was pneumonia but later was discovered to be lung cancer and a softball sized tumor on her left lung that was putting pressure on her heart. We went and visited her every day in the hospital. G was the life of the hospital, it's absolutely wonderful the reactions an 18 month kid running through the halls and laughing will illicit in a hospital. Typically we like to get out and about during our stays in CA but this trip was much different. We found out about the cancer on Wed, and had hoped that "Gre-grama" would come home for Thanksgiving dinner, unfortunately she couldn't, but we were fortunate to see her come home on Friday. Everyone was there Sally (my aunt flew in when she found out it was bad),my great aunt Viola and her family Tommy and Betsy. It was wonderful to sit down and talk and laugh even if it's the last time. It's heartbreaking having to say goodbye to your grandma, not knowing if you will see her again, a little easier for her I'm sure (she has some dementia right now which may make things easier for her). G again was absolutely adorable. First time around she got everyone's name down. She had all her aunt's and uncles down the first day we were there, so i wasn't surprised to see her rattle off the new names like it was nothing (Ain't nothin but a G thang Baby?!?!) I have pics and video, moe has most on facebook. One of the cutest moments on the trip was her new favorite friend "Mar-leeee", my sisters dog. Well after a couple of days of being scared of the dogs it was good to see her get to like them, but kinda gross....she learned that you could kiss the dog....and they taught each other....yes each other, that you could kiss on the lips. G would chase Marley around the house saying "Marleeeeee kissss?" and every once in a while she would get Marley to lick her on the lips. Jen tells me that now Marley won't stop till she gets some lip action, and randomly G will ask " Marley kiss?" even though she hasn't seen her for a couple weeks now.
Back on the homefront, G is a riot. She had started to just grunt and whine whenever she was trying to express herself, so we have been teaching her alot of new words to help her get what she wants. We learned Please, Help, Stuck, Thank you all kinds of good words, but she still reverts to the grunting. So we tell her "G, use your words". Well alot of times we throw her a lifeline and tell her what to say, well she's gotten in the habit of repeating the words we say....so now when we tell her to use her words we get "words" in return...with a head bob that says "okay i got it right now give me what i want". Hilarious. Her vocab is growing exponentially, it's crazy. She knows all the shapes, an entire zoo and farm full of animals and a ton of words, well assuming you say them first. My favorite thing we do now is be tigers!
I'm the "poppa tiger" and she's the baby tiger, we get on hands and knees and crawl around growling looking for a momma to pounce on. I also taught her how to be a dog and a cat...and the one i am working on now is the duck we squat down and waddle while we quack. I have more stories I'm sure, but this is getting too long and i need to work.
Thanksgiving- we went to CA to visit the family, it was a bittersweet visit that kinda kept me postless for a little while. "Gre-Grama" (adorable when she says it) was in the hospital most of the week with what at first was pneumonia but later was discovered to be lung cancer and a softball sized tumor on her left lung that was putting pressure on her heart. We went and visited her every day in the hospital. G was the life of the hospital, it's absolutely wonderful the reactions an 18 month kid running through the halls and laughing will illicit in a hospital. Typically we like to get out and about during our stays in CA but this trip was much different. We found out about the cancer on Wed, and had hoped that "Gre-grama" would come home for Thanksgiving dinner, unfortunately she couldn't, but we were fortunate to see her come home on Friday. Everyone was there Sally (my aunt flew in when she found out it was bad),my great aunt Viola and her family Tommy and Betsy. It was wonderful to sit down and talk and laugh even if it's the last time. It's heartbreaking having to say goodbye to your grandma, not knowing if you will see her again, a little easier for her I'm sure (she has some dementia right now which may make things easier for her). G again was absolutely adorable. First time around she got everyone's name down. She had all her aunt's and uncles down the first day we were there, so i wasn't surprised to see her rattle off the new names like it was nothing (Ain't nothin but a G thang Baby?!?!) I have pics and video, moe has most on facebook. One of the cutest moments on the trip was her new favorite friend "Mar-leeee", my sisters dog. Well after a couple of days of being scared of the dogs it was good to see her get to like them, but kinda gross....she learned that you could kiss the dog....and they taught each other....yes each other, that you could kiss on the lips. G would chase Marley around the house saying "Marleeeeee kissss?" and every once in a while she would get Marley to lick her on the lips. Jen tells me that now Marley won't stop till she gets some lip action, and randomly G will ask " Marley kiss?" even though she hasn't seen her for a couple weeks now.
Back on the homefront, G is a riot. She had started to just grunt and whine whenever she was trying to express herself, so we have been teaching her alot of new words to help her get what she wants. We learned Please, Help, Stuck, Thank you all kinds of good words, but she still reverts to the grunting. So we tell her "G, use your words". Well alot of times we throw her a lifeline and tell her what to say, well she's gotten in the habit of repeating the words we say....so now when we tell her to use her words we get "words" in return...with a head bob that says "okay i got it right now give me what i want". Hilarious. Her vocab is growing exponentially, it's crazy. She knows all the shapes, an entire zoo and farm full of animals and a ton of words, well assuming you say them first. My favorite thing we do now is be tigers!
I'm the "poppa tiger" and she's the baby tiger, we get on hands and knees and crawl around growling looking for a momma to pounce on. I also taught her how to be a dog and a cat...and the one i am working on now is the duck we squat down and waddle while we quack. I have more stories I'm sure, but this is getting too long and i need to work.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Oh girl.....
So as I am driving to the store in a semi-frantic pace in the onslaught of rain I'm thinking to myself..
"When you turn 14 and are staring at yourself in the mirror, wondering if you really could be on the cover of Teen magazine....don't hate me?"
And as I am running into the store soaking wet I think again..
"God i hope it's not going to scar....But she's a kid right? They heal really well...I mean like kids are indestructible...right?"
As I am dressing her wound....pinning her down so I can clean it and get a better look
"At least its in her hair line....At least she can cover it up if it does get bad...Am i bad parent? "
Right after she fell from the ottoman I thought...
"That monkey child when will she learn....just the other day she fell from her chair thank god she fell like a professional stuntman and didn't hurt anything, thank goodness she's on the carpet where......."
HOLY CRAP THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE....
It's okay...a little painful for her I'm sure but it wasn't stitch worthy....and she seems to be over it, except when we changed her band-aid this morning...
"When you turn 14 and are staring at yourself in the mirror, wondering if you really could be on the cover of Teen magazine....don't hate me?"
And as I am running into the store soaking wet I think again..
"God i hope it's not going to scar....But she's a kid right? They heal really well...I mean like kids are indestructible...right?"
As I am dressing her wound....pinning her down so I can clean it and get a better look
"At least its in her hair line....At least she can cover it up if it does get bad...Am i bad parent? "
Right after she fell from the ottoman I thought...
"That monkey child when will she learn....just the other day she fell from her chair thank god she fell like a professional stuntman and didn't hurt anything, thank goodness she's on the carpet where......."
HOLY CRAP THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE....
It's okay...a little painful for her I'm sure but it wasn't stitch worthy....and she seems to be over it, except when we changed her band-aid this morning...
Monday, November 10, 2008
Cutest thing in the whole world (At least to me it is)
G's vocabulary is pretty extensive at this point, her teachers tell us she is the most vocal and the most talkative one in her class. Last week i went to drop her off a little later than normal and most of the kids were there, well she starts rifling off their names as if she's the one running the class!!! I think we may have a little napoleon complex here, but if your the smartest one in the class wouldn't you?!?
Some of her new words are so nice to hear. She is finally able to start rationally communicating her needs and issues. She became a big fan of Help over the weekend. I may get tired of that one soon but it's great for now. We've been working on PLease and she now uses it in context! Well after some goading she'll use it but she knows she hass to use to get the things she wants. Thank you isn't quite there yet but we're getting there. She also knows her diaper issues!!! I guess that's the first step towards potty training. We'll ask her if she's poopy (she's been really tooty lately), "NOPE" with a head shake and sure enough she's right, come to think of it i don't think she's given us a wrong answer...
She's got some new animal noises...probably the cutest is the pig...she knows two different sounds the typical "oink" and then the nasal snoring sounding one. She loves to call it by name too..."PI(g)" the g is kinda silent. Lately she's been more concerned with identifying the animal by name and not the sound it makes.
But the cutest thing in the whole wide world (and moe has agreed with me here) is when she calls me "Poppa". Yep Moe taught her that and she agrees that it's unbelievably adorable. She calls me Dad, and Daddy, but Poppa is my favorite.
"Seriously, CUTEST thing ever! Especially when she just woke up and she is all snuggly from sleep and she says it. Freaking adorable."-Moe.
I thought we would use Poppa or Pops for grandpa's but it's mine now and i'm not giving it up!!!
Some of her new words are so nice to hear. She is finally able to start rationally communicating her needs and issues. She became a big fan of Help over the weekend. I may get tired of that one soon but it's great for now. We've been working on PLease and she now uses it in context! Well after some goading she'll use it but she knows she hass to use to get the things she wants. Thank you isn't quite there yet but we're getting there. She also knows her diaper issues!!! I guess that's the first step towards potty training. We'll ask her if she's poopy (she's been really tooty lately), "NOPE" with a head shake and sure enough she's right, come to think of it i don't think she's given us a wrong answer...
She's got some new animal noises...probably the cutest is the pig...she knows two different sounds the typical "oink" and then the nasal snoring sounding one. She loves to call it by name too..."PI(g)" the g is kinda silent. Lately she's been more concerned with identifying the animal by name and not the sound it makes.
But the cutest thing in the whole wide world (and moe has agreed with me here) is when she calls me "Poppa". Yep Moe taught her that and she agrees that it's unbelievably adorable. She calls me Dad, and Daddy, but Poppa is my favorite.
"Seriously, CUTEST thing ever! Especially when she just woke up and she is all snuggly from sleep and she says it. Freaking adorable."-Moe.
I thought we would use Poppa or Pops for grandpa's but it's mine now and i'm not giving it up!!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Halloweeny
What culminated in an overly energetic G bouncing round the room, was the untimely discovery of Chocolate and Candy. We have seriously tried on a number of occasions to lure her to the dark side of the sweet tooth range of flavors with bits of chocolate here and there....but she would have nothing to do with it. 
Untill the discovery of the "ORANGE" wrapper.(one of her favorite colors next to "yewlowred" which i guess is orange..) It started with a Reese's stick which is a peanut butter kit-kat and there has been no looking back. She of course loves one of my favorites Dots, which isn't that far from her little gummies she gets. The chocolate discovery was precluded by a round of trick or treating that was uneventful to say the least. She enjoyed being dressed up, but was too shy to go up to the doors. 
We got her to say "treat" but her stage fright came through and she refused to perform despite our goading. She seemed to enjoy watching the other kids coming to our door, but really could care less for going to other peoples doors...why go to them when they can come to you.....seems to be her mantra as of late, as she knows how to get what she wants. 
It had all started with an entertaining pumpkin carving session that her rfusing to even look inside the pumpkin. We tried to get her to scoop out the guts and put them in the bowl but she just wanted to put her tinkerbell outfit on... she absolutely loved the wings and refused to wait any longer....why waste time on this thing...when you could be dressed up?!?! Already has the mentality of pretty girl...is that her nature or is it learned? 
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Words, what are they worth?
If a picture is a worth a 1000 words, what's a word worth? And what would be the value of a video in respect to words? I am of the opinion that some words are priceless, and timeless. That being said can a picture have value if a word is priceless? We have great speeches, and lines from important people that will continue on long after their legacy, but first words are even more important, and even more valuable to the ones who speak them.
G's vocabulary expands on a daily basis and yet it doesn't seem to be enough. This is when it gets tough. She loves to talk, loves learning new words and yet it still is hard for her to communicate, she just doesn't know enough, poor thing. I just wanted to share some of her favorite words and songs...
Colors-she knows almost all the standards ones red, blue, green, orange, yellow,pink, purple, black,
Numbers-she loves 2 4 and five...has problems with 3 and 1 is just boring...who wants just one anyway.
Body parts- only a couple she doesn't know....and that's okay she can wait on those.
More yes and no are standards and she uses them well, hello goodbye blow kisses are all favorites as well.
Songs are by far one of her favorite things to do. Her new favorite is "IF all the raindrops were.." she loves the "ahhh ahh" part. Twinkle twinkle is another of her faves she puts her hands in the air and gives some twinkle fingers. Wheels on the bus has been a staple for a long time and never gets old, she knows all the little hand parts. Hokey Pokey, this one is hilarious she now has it down pat, every part of the dance, and always wants "more". Her "more" is hilarious she puts 1 finger up in front of her mouth and says "more" and moves her hand up and down. Usually she means she just wants another song. We probably need to get some Barney, Raffi/ other children's song cd's cause I'm a little rusty on them and getting a little tired of the ones i know. We'll get a video of the song cycle up soon.
G's vocabulary expands on a daily basis and yet it doesn't seem to be enough. This is when it gets tough. She loves to talk, loves learning new words and yet it still is hard for her to communicate, she just doesn't know enough, poor thing. I just wanted to share some of her favorite words and songs...
Colors-she knows almost all the standards ones red, blue, green, orange, yellow,pink, purple, black,
Numbers-she loves 2 4 and five...has problems with 3 and 1 is just boring...who wants just one anyway.
Body parts- only a couple she doesn't know....and that's okay she can wait on those.
More yes and no are standards and she uses them well, hello goodbye blow kisses are all favorites as well.
Songs are by far one of her favorite things to do. Her new favorite is "IF all the raindrops were.." she loves the "ahhh ahh" part. Twinkle twinkle is another of her faves she puts her hands in the air and gives some twinkle fingers. Wheels on the bus has been a staple for a long time and never gets old, she knows all the little hand parts. Hokey Pokey, this one is hilarious she now has it down pat, every part of the dance, and always wants "more". Her "more" is hilarious she puts 1 finger up in front of her mouth and says "more" and moves her hand up and down. Usually she means she just wants another song. We probably need to get some Barney, Raffi/ other children's song cd's cause I'm a little rusty on them and getting a little tired of the ones i know. We'll get a video of the song cycle up soon.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
3 days at a time.
Last week was pretty rough for G..even though it was very short. Our 3 day weekend last week was great but for the rest of the week she was having some intestinal issues and teething issues that made her week a little rough. After 3 days at school she got a break when Grandma and Uncle Ryan made the drive down from St. Louis and stayed with her on Friday....giving her another 3 day weekend...srb.(yes i am jealous)
Sidenote...Mom is uber-trusting of Ryan... I don't know many parents that would have let their 15 year old drive 90 miles an hour with them in the passenger seat...but it's good that he learn to speed the right way! i.e. not getting caught)
She had a blast with Ryan and Grandma all weekend. At first she started with the generic "Mat" for uncle ryan (my brother which she also uses for Tim) but i think we managed a "Ry" a couple times this weekend.
I am not sure who had more fun this weekend, G or Ryan. I've never seen a 15 year old who was more interested in playing with baby toys than the Wii...It's true i think i caught him playing with the toys while g was in the other room reading!
Not only did we get some free labor (i wish mom didn't feel obligated to clean something, but i won't turn it down!) but we also got our carpets cleaned, a new dining room table (grandpa's table from the farm...it's beautiful) and we also managed to rearrange some furniture and snazz up three rooms at once! It was amazing how one piece of furniture allowed us to do so much to our house. It was great that they were there friday and saturday, but a shame that we really only got to hang out for friday night and saturday. They left first thing on Sunday, and G waived and blew kisses as they drove away. We have some great videos and pictures that will be up soon.
In the spirit of our new dining room set, we went to Hobby Lobby last night and got some picture frames for our Wine Valley Maps, that go great with our table. I have to pat myself on the back a little here...i matted them too...A little harder than i thought it would be. They don't look professional, but it's hard to tell!
Sidenote...Mom is uber-trusting of Ryan... I don't know many parents that would have let their 15 year old drive 90 miles an hour with them in the passenger seat...but it's good that he learn to speed the right way! i.e. not getting caught)
She had a blast with Ryan and Grandma all weekend. At first she started with the generic "Mat" for uncle ryan (my brother which she also uses for Tim) but i think we managed a "Ry" a couple times this weekend.
I am not sure who had more fun this weekend, G or Ryan. I've never seen a 15 year old who was more interested in playing with baby toys than the Wii...It's true i think i caught him playing with the toys while g was in the other room reading!
Not only did we get some free labor (i wish mom didn't feel obligated to clean something, but i won't turn it down!) but we also got our carpets cleaned, a new dining room table (grandpa's table from the farm...it's beautiful) and we also managed to rearrange some furniture and snazz up three rooms at once! It was amazing how one piece of furniture allowed us to do so much to our house. It was great that they were there friday and saturday, but a shame that we really only got to hang out for friday night and saturday. They left first thing on Sunday, and G waived and blew kisses as they drove away. We have some great videos and pictures that will be up soon.
In the spirit of our new dining room set, we went to Hobby Lobby last night and got some picture frames for our Wine Valley Maps, that go great with our table. I have to pat myself on the back a little here...i matted them too...A little harder than i thought it would be. They don't look professional, but it's hard to tell!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Columbus Day...the perfect day off.
What happened to it? Did anyone realize that yesterday used to be a standard day off? Well some Texas schools (cfbisd) called it Fair Day and gave it to their kids. Fine and Dandy but do the kids realize that we're celebrating the day that Columbus discovered America? DO THEY EVEN KNOW WHO HE IS ANYMORE?!? I don't care if he did anything objectionable....we still love Thomas Jefferson and he had slaves and bastard children with them! okay okay....enough of that.
So Moe had the day off and I decided we needed a three day weekend as a family. The weekend was phenomenal. Saturday was the annual University of Dallas Rugby Football Club Alumni Game. And we kicked their butts. I scored more times than their whole team. It doesn't help that as a coach I know their weaknesses, but as much as I was on the field I was still trying to coach them while they were trying to tackle me....Yes I was telling them to get lower as I ran them over...it was funny. As captain of the victorious team I get to hold the Macnab Shield for the next year...it's UD's stanley cup if you will, and I also got Man of the Match (MVP). IT helps that even though I am coaching I still run all the drills and run with the team so my fitness level was up there. I think the final score was like 45-5 (in rugby it's 5 points for a try(touchdown) and 2 points for the conversion (kick), we didn't make many kicks but I think almost all of the alumni tried which made the festivities even more fun.
Sunday we went to another furniture store...this time it was Ikea...and again G went nuts.. she really enjoyed the ikea rooms. In the kids section they have a bunch of different room set ups (some really good ideas) but they have little hidden archways/tunnels going from room to room which was a blast. IKEA Is nuts...we were there at opening at 10 am and if we got there any later it would have been useless to go at all. We were still there for a good 2 hours or so which really wore her out.
Monday was the best day of the weekend. Since I didn't figure out if I was going to take it off too far ahead I "called it in" my super D. Love was totally cool with it. SO we got to the zoo at opening and the line was packed with kids. I guess there was a good contingent of schools who had "Fair Day"...I guess the Texas State Fair is Bigger than Columbus...I bet more kids can tell you who won the Red River Shootout than what year Columbus discovered America... I digress.
There were some awesome exhibits. The primate exhibits at The Ft Worth Zoo are phenomenal. They had a toddler Chimp in the indoor exhibit that was so exciting. G stood at the window watching him play with his mom and the ladies for a good 20 mins. They also had 4 baby/toddler lion cubs, and some young giraffes. They were adorable, i could have stayed there all morning watching the lions and primates alone. We got some awesome pics I'll put them on flickr soon, they're on facebook. We brought g's animals and she loved trying to give the animals to the real ones. we almost lost a couple of them but I've got some quick hands...OF all the animals the one she loved the most was .....wait for it...
a horse. Yes...that's right. We had lions, gorillas, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and birds ( and she loves birds) but she went CRAZY over the horse. She wouldn't stop saying "ORSE" and "NAY". When we told her that some of the animals we're sleeping, like the coyote, she would say "goodnight" and waive, I think she knows when she's being too cute...
I wish i didn't have to work today and we could go do something else really fun like yesterday.. it was the best day off in a long time. I would have to say it was even better than visiting family or going anywhere...it was perfect.
So Moe had the day off and I decided we needed a three day weekend as a family. The weekend was phenomenal. Saturday was the annual University of Dallas Rugby Football Club Alumni Game. And we kicked their butts. I scored more times than their whole team. It doesn't help that as a coach I know their weaknesses, but as much as I was on the field I was still trying to coach them while they were trying to tackle me....Yes I was telling them to get lower as I ran them over...it was funny. As captain of the victorious team I get to hold the Macnab Shield for the next year...it's UD's stanley cup if you will, and I also got Man of the Match (MVP). IT helps that even though I am coaching I still run all the drills and run with the team so my fitness level was up there. I think the final score was like 45-5 (in rugby it's 5 points for a try(touchdown) and 2 points for the conversion (kick), we didn't make many kicks but I think almost all of the alumni tried which made the festivities even more fun.
Sunday we went to another furniture store...this time it was Ikea...and again G went nuts.. she really enjoyed the ikea rooms. In the kids section they have a bunch of different room set ups (some really good ideas) but they have little hidden archways/tunnels going from room to room which was a blast. IKEA Is nuts...we were there at opening at 10 am and if we got there any later it would have been useless to go at all. We were still there for a good 2 hours or so which really wore her out.
Monday was the best day of the weekend. Since I didn't figure out if I was going to take it off too far ahead I "called it in" my super D. Love was totally cool with it. SO we got to the zoo at opening and the line was packed with kids. I guess there was a good contingent of schools who had "Fair Day"...I guess the Texas State Fair is Bigger than Columbus...I bet more kids can tell you who won the Red River Shootout than what year Columbus discovered America... I digress.
There were some awesome exhibits. The primate exhibits at The Ft Worth Zoo are phenomenal. They had a toddler Chimp in the indoor exhibit that was so exciting. G stood at the window watching him play with his mom and the ladies for a good 20 mins. They also had 4 baby/toddler lion cubs, and some young giraffes. They were adorable, i could have stayed there all morning watching the lions and primates alone. We got some awesome pics I'll put them on flickr soon, they're on facebook. We brought g's animals and she loved trying to give the animals to the real ones. we almost lost a couple of them but I've got some quick hands...OF all the animals the one she loved the most was .....wait for it...
a horse. Yes...that's right. We had lions, gorillas, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and birds ( and she loves birds) but she went CRAZY over the horse. She wouldn't stop saying "ORSE" and "NAY". When we told her that some of the animals we're sleeping, like the coyote, she would say "goodnight" and waive, I think she knows when she's being too cute...
I wish i didn't have to work today and we could go do something else really fun like yesterday.. it was the best day off in a long time. I would have to say it was even better than visiting family or going anywhere...it was perfect.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Crazy Baby
So after a pretty low-key Saturday, hanging out with fam, Sunday was our day to get out and do stuff. No we didn't go to the park, or the zoo or the pool or anything like that. We didn't go for a bike ride or a walk. We went shopping...not grocery just errand shopping. First stop was Babies R' Us for our friends John and Sam's baby shower present. It was the start of a crazy afternoon (side note....cowboys kicked off 3 minutes after we got in the car to go to Babies R Us just pointing out the awesome dad/husband I am to skip out on Football Sunday...hehe). She absolutely loved the store she must have picked out like 4 outfits she wanted 3 hats (none of which fit we're trying to find a girls toddler baseball cap she lost her last one that she loved so much) 8 toys 4 accessories....sometimes i think that women are born with the shopping gene...and this one has it bad.
After about 20-30 minutes at babies R us we were off to REI....and it wasn't MY IDEA...she couldn't get enough of this place either. She loved the tents...Anybody looking for a Christmas idea...Kelty Villa 4 or Kelty Trail Dome 4. She just loves to run around look cute/flirt and touch stuff, and REI had plenty of cool stuff to play with.
So after another 20-30 minutes we were headed home and i saw a Sports Authority...I needed some new cleats for rugby so we stopped in. Again she had a blast. Tons of balls to play with cool stuff to touch and most importantly space to run! She started getting a little too crazy so we hurried up and got out of there....on our way to the car we noticed Freeds Furniture next door.... why the heck not.
So we headed over to Freeds. I find it absolutely hilarious how these stores/car dealerships work...they put the Most Expensive Ridiculous stuff up front. We were a little disappointed when we walked in because that's all we saw... 7k for a dining room set FORGET IT! Well we head to the back and start realizing THIS PLACE IS HUGE and the selection in the back is pretty sweet... Gianna had the same exact thoughts I imagine it went something like this...
"WOW this is cool all this space to run all these cool couches and rugs and tables i want to see and touch it all...better hurry before Mom and Dad catch me!!! AHHHH CRAZY BABY"
...seriously she calls herself crazy now. G really enjoyed helping us find furniture....in fact i think she actually may have picked out a couch or two and with all of her insane energy and running around i think we saw a couple of pieces we wouldn't have otherwise. There was some really good furniture there anybody in the Dallas area looking for stuff you should check this place out..(Freeds you can pay me now). She enjoyed herself more at the furniture store than i think she has at any other place we have been two...guess what we're doing next Sunday????? Ikea....or THE Dump or something like that...especially since she loves it so much.
Crazy Baby part 2....
She was pretty stressed out last night when i got home...stressed or anxious or frustrated...something along those lines...Dinner was rough and her bath was not that enjoyable for her...but after her bath....more crazy baby time...we played our usual game of nakey tag....where we try and corral her into her room to put pj's on...except she won...she got out into the living room and started running circles around the couch/chairs/coffee table all the while saying "Crazy" and "Nakey" we couldn't stop her. I have to get this on video...cause for the first couple minutes she runs around with her towel on...and it's the towel with the little hood so it looks like she is "Super Crazy Nakey Baby"...my little girl is pretending to be a super hero already.... Finally after about 5 minutes she disappeared in the back....oops....need to put a diaper on sooner... well as soon as the diaper went on... back to running laps and singing "Crazy". It's like we should have given her a bath first thing when we got home and it would have made everything better.
After about 20-30 minutes at babies R us we were off to REI....and it wasn't MY IDEA...she couldn't get enough of this place either. She loved the tents...Anybody looking for a Christmas idea...Kelty Villa 4 or Kelty Trail Dome 4. She just loves to run around look cute/flirt and touch stuff, and REI had plenty of cool stuff to play with.
So after another 20-30 minutes we were headed home and i saw a Sports Authority...I needed some new cleats for rugby so we stopped in. Again she had a blast. Tons of balls to play with cool stuff to touch and most importantly space to run! She started getting a little too crazy so we hurried up and got out of there....on our way to the car we noticed Freeds Furniture next door.... why the heck not.
So we headed over to Freeds. I find it absolutely hilarious how these stores/car dealerships work...they put the Most Expensive Ridiculous stuff up front. We were a little disappointed when we walked in because that's all we saw... 7k for a dining room set FORGET IT! Well we head to the back and start realizing THIS PLACE IS HUGE and the selection in the back is pretty sweet... Gianna had the same exact thoughts I imagine it went something like this...
"WOW this is cool all this space to run all these cool couches and rugs and tables i want to see and touch it all...better hurry before Mom and Dad catch me!!! AHHHH CRAZY BABY"
...seriously she calls herself crazy now. G really enjoyed helping us find furniture....in fact i think she actually may have picked out a couch or two and with all of her insane energy and running around i think we saw a couple of pieces we wouldn't have otherwise. There was some really good furniture there anybody in the Dallas area looking for stuff you should check this place out..(Freeds you can pay me now). She enjoyed herself more at the furniture store than i think she has at any other place we have been two...guess what we're doing next Sunday????? Ikea....or THE Dump or something like that...especially since she loves it so much.
Crazy Baby part 2....
She was pretty stressed out last night when i got home...stressed or anxious or frustrated...something along those lines...Dinner was rough and her bath was not that enjoyable for her...but after her bath....more crazy baby time...we played our usual game of nakey tag....where we try and corral her into her room to put pj's on...except she won...she got out into the living room and started running circles around the couch/chairs/coffee table all the while saying "Crazy" and "Nakey" we couldn't stop her. I have to get this on video...cause for the first couple minutes she runs around with her towel on...and it's the towel with the little hood so it looks like she is "Super Crazy Nakey Baby"...my little girl is pretending to be a super hero already.... Finally after about 5 minutes she disappeared in the back....oops....need to put a diaper on sooner... well as soon as the diaper went on... back to running laps and singing "Crazy". It's like we should have given her a bath first thing when we got home and it would have made everything better.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Dancing Diva
After a pretty low-key week and a mellow Saturday morning /afternoon we ended up a The Carse's beautiful new residence to spend some time hanging out with friends. G tried to be shy at first but ended up being the life of the party. It's not hard when you're the cutest girl in the room and the only one under 25. I feel bad for turning two of her favorite things into party tricks but it's hard not to when it's that freaking adorable....
Wheels on the Bus, I swear if I started singing it to her in her sleep, her arms would start going. This is out of order but on the way home she started drifting off and was kinda asleep and I tried it and her right hand went up and down once I think it's almost a learned/subconscious response. Back to the story... we were sitting around after an awesome dinner(cooked up by a prego Sam), G was being a little afraid of Annie, the Carse's dog, when I busted out the wheels on the bus. Immediately her eyes get bigger than her face, her hands ball up into tight little fists and the arms start going around each other while she lets out a loud "YEAH!", she knows all the moves, the wipers, move on back, babies, mommas, and when you get to the mommas, you better keep going cause she certainly is.
And since we had her going I decided to bust out the hokey pokey, which I hear is her favorite at school and she's one of the few who does it all the way through. She usually has to hold onto something to put her foot in and shake it, and she's kinda "gotten over" that part of it, most of the time she just wants to turn herself around... How often is it that you go to an adult outing and sit around singing children songs...I guess I better get used to it.
As John informs me she was quite the life of the party even after we left, apparently a couple of boys showed up after we left who weren't nearly as cute or well behaved as G. From what John told me the 2 1/2 year old was a menace to society. He apparently broke their barstool when he fell backwards out of it, rammed their glass door face first, threw his sippy cup at someone who had a full margarita (guess where that ended up) and ran circles around the house chasing poor annie. Needless to say G looked to be a perfect angel in light of rest of the evening.
I really need to get some footage of the wheels and hokey but also of her spontaneous dancing, in the car at home and whenever...sometimes it's to music in her head but most times it's just to whatever's on, last night for instance Moe had it on Fox when the King of the Hill theme song came on....what makes this even better, Moe absolutely hates King of the Hill and asks me to turn it as soon as she hears the song...well G danced around the living room for the whole song and as soon as it ended wanted "more".
I really don't know why this pops into my head or when the last time I saw this movie was....and for those of you who know how bad I am at movie quotes it may surprise you....but ...
"Nobody puts baby in a corner"
Wheels on the Bus, I swear if I started singing it to her in her sleep, her arms would start going. This is out of order but on the way home she started drifting off and was kinda asleep and I tried it and her right hand went up and down once I think it's almost a learned/subconscious response. Back to the story... we were sitting around after an awesome dinner(cooked up by a prego Sam), G was being a little afraid of Annie, the Carse's dog, when I busted out the wheels on the bus. Immediately her eyes get bigger than her face, her hands ball up into tight little fists and the arms start going around each other while she lets out a loud "YEAH!", she knows all the moves, the wipers, move on back, babies, mommas, and when you get to the mommas, you better keep going cause she certainly is.
And since we had her going I decided to bust out the hokey pokey, which I hear is her favorite at school and she's one of the few who does it all the way through. She usually has to hold onto something to put her foot in and shake it, and she's kinda "gotten over" that part of it, most of the time she just wants to turn herself around... How often is it that you go to an adult outing and sit around singing children songs...I guess I better get used to it.
As John informs me she was quite the life of the party even after we left, apparently a couple of boys showed up after we left who weren't nearly as cute or well behaved as G. From what John told me the 2 1/2 year old was a menace to society. He apparently broke their barstool when he fell backwards out of it, rammed their glass door face first, threw his sippy cup at someone who had a full margarita (guess where that ended up) and ran circles around the house chasing poor annie. Needless to say G looked to be a perfect angel in light of rest of the evening.
I really need to get some footage of the wheels and hokey but also of her spontaneous dancing, in the car at home and whenever...sometimes it's to music in her head but most times it's just to whatever's on, last night for instance Moe had it on Fox when the King of the Hill theme song came on....what makes this even better, Moe absolutely hates King of the Hill and asks me to turn it as soon as she hears the song...well G danced around the living room for the whole song and as soon as it ended wanted "more".
I really don't know why this pops into my head or when the last time I saw this movie was....and for those of you who know how bad I am at movie quotes it may surprise you....but ...
"Nobody puts baby in a corner"
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?
Sorry for the major slackage in posts, you can blame me. I usually take a little time out of my workday to write these things and i have been just too busy to do it, which is both good and bad, Bad that i spend so much time at work (two Saturdays in a row) but good for our bank account, i hope. Anywhoos..This blog has always been more about G and less about me.... so on to our feature presentation...
It's been so long i don't know where to start. Daycare has been alot easier lately now that she has warmed up to it and enjoys being with her friends. We had a little bit of an issue with biting...her and her best friend Brynn like to bite each other...i have a feeling it's more fun than it is jealousy or frustration, but they were getting in trouble for the frequency but that has cleared up and we haven't had an incident in over a week.
My daughter is a fashionista and I wonder where she gets that from. At 16 months she already loves to play dress up...Which involves putting on all of Moe's fun bracelets and necklaces, grabbing her purse and parading around the house. She also loves to pick out her clothes in the morning, as I discovered this morning. I washed her up after her "OOameal" and got her down to her diaper on the changing table. She's sitting on the edge looking down into her drawers as i grab an outfit, as soon as i put my hand on it she says "i no want" (At least that's what she is trying to say) and keeps saying it until i grabbed the one she was looking at to which her reply was "YES". And what do you know it was her shirt that said "Daddy's girl", yes my daughter can read already... :)
I've got more stories and more to tell but even more work to do...so i'll save some for later....
Stay "Hap -Py"!!!!
"Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking "wow, you're ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career."
_Next post_ The Dancing Diva_
It's been so long i don't know where to start. Daycare has been alot easier lately now that she has warmed up to it and enjoys being with her friends. We had a little bit of an issue with biting...her and her best friend Brynn like to bite each other...i have a feeling it's more fun than it is jealousy or frustration, but they were getting in trouble for the frequency but that has cleared up and we haven't had an incident in over a week.
My daughter is a fashionista and I wonder where she gets that from. At 16 months she already loves to play dress up...Which involves putting on all of Moe's fun bracelets and necklaces, grabbing her purse and parading around the house. She also loves to pick out her clothes in the morning, as I discovered this morning. I washed her up after her "OOameal" and got her down to her diaper on the changing table. She's sitting on the edge looking down into her drawers as i grab an outfit, as soon as i put my hand on it she says "i no want" (At least that's what she is trying to say) and keeps saying it until i grabbed the one she was looking at to which her reply was "YES". And what do you know it was her shirt that said "Daddy's girl", yes my daughter can read already... :)
I've got more stories and more to tell but even more work to do...so i'll save some for later....
Stay "Hap -Py"!!!!
"Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade. I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking "wow, you're ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career."
_Next post_ The Dancing Diva_
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Nothings.
There is nothing more endearing than your knee hugs. A child who is so anxious to show her affection, she can't wait for you to bend over or get down on the ground to her height, she has to hug your knees immediately as if she needs to release this tremendous amount of love that she carries all day, and is too impatient to wait.
There is nothing more entertaining than learning. I love how hard you try on each new word, and how obsessed you are once you've got it down that older words become mundane, that is of course with the exception of "mom" and "dad".
There is nothing more energizing than your uncontrollable laughter, and while it may be past your bedtime and I really shouldn't keep you awake, I can't help but indulge myself in my addiction to your laughter.
There is nothing sweeter than a sleepy baby. Playing in the clean laundry and trying to get comfortable enough to go to sleep and yet you want to stay awake. And even though we both know you're way too tired to function properly you still don't want to go to bed.
There is nothing more precious than when you look up at me to make sure I'm still there before you go to sleep. After i put you down and you've put all your animals where you want them and snuggled up with George (curious), you check to see if i am still there. I know I have only been home for an hour but I promise I won't go.
There is nothing more entertaining than learning. I love how hard you try on each new word, and how obsessed you are once you've got it down that older words become mundane, that is of course with the exception of "mom" and "dad".
There is nothing more energizing than your uncontrollable laughter, and while it may be past your bedtime and I really shouldn't keep you awake, I can't help but indulge myself in my addiction to your laughter.
There is nothing sweeter than a sleepy baby. Playing in the clean laundry and trying to get comfortable enough to go to sleep and yet you want to stay awake. And even though we both know you're way too tired to function properly you still don't want to go to bed.
There is nothing more precious than when you look up at me to make sure I'm still there before you go to sleep. After i put you down and you've put all your animals where you want them and snuggled up with George (curious), you check to see if i am still there. I know I have only been home for an hour but I promise I won't go.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Daycare Stinks
Last year was fine. She hardly had a clue what was going on for most of it. The first half of the year she was too small to care and the second half of the year she was excited to see her friends, and so it wasn't a problem when it came to dropping her off.
This year....I have a feeling is really going to stink. The second we get out of the car she knows where we are and she starts her tight grip on the back of my shirt. It gets tighter as we walk up to the door. I say hello to her teacher from last year, who she used to love and now pretends she doesn't know, only for G to shrug her off and grip tighter. Her room is the second on the left and you can feel her muscles start to clench. Today we walked in and Miss Letty was blowing bubbles....you would think that would be enough to distract any kid....nope not this one. All her little friends are playing and climbing on stuff but she just wants to squeeze tighter. Nothing can distract her long enough for me to sneak out of the room. She knows what's coming and does not want to make it any easier on either mom or dad. No kisses or hugs to start the day just screaming and crying...I really don't think that's a great way to start the day for either of us. But it's how she wants to do it.
I really hope she gets over this separation anxiety soon, cause it's harder on us then it is on her...she forgets about it soon enough and then gets to play all day...i have to go to work and pretend to forget about it...at least until I see her tonight.
This year....I have a feeling is really going to stink. The second we get out of the car she knows where we are and she starts her tight grip on the back of my shirt. It gets tighter as we walk up to the door. I say hello to her teacher from last year, who she used to love and now pretends she doesn't know, only for G to shrug her off and grip tighter. Her room is the second on the left and you can feel her muscles start to clench. Today we walked in and Miss Letty was blowing bubbles....you would think that would be enough to distract any kid....nope not this one. All her little friends are playing and climbing on stuff but she just wants to squeeze tighter. Nothing can distract her long enough for me to sneak out of the room. She knows what's coming and does not want to make it any easier on either mom or dad. No kisses or hugs to start the day just screaming and crying...I really don't think that's a great way to start the day for either of us. But it's how she wants to do it.
I really hope she gets over this separation anxiety soon, cause it's harder on us then it is on her...she forgets about it soon enough and then gets to play all day...i have to go to work and pretend to forget about it...at least until I see her tonight.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Texas Tornado in St. Louis
If you haven't read the news this weekend then you might have missed the biggest story of the weekend. No it wasn't the amazing Michael Phelps and his 8 gold medals, and it wasn't that hurricane thingy over in Florida. It had nothing to do with McCain, Obama or Bush. It had to do with a Texas Tornado in St. Louis, a la the Rowles' whirlwind visit this weekend.
A 5 am wake up for a 7am flight out of Dallas on Saturday morning had us in St. Louis for breakfast. We couldn't believe the weather it was like 70 out so we ate breakfast outside. After breakfast we all had a little nap time before going to the park and playing a little tennis. After that it was time to celebrate the Mchugh's 30th anniversary, which started with a little celebration at the house and dinner at a restaurant. I think they rented the whole place out cause we were the only ones in there. They really went all out for the 30th. Dinner was so delicious and filling that Moe and I had to walk back to the house just to make some room for dessert!
Sunday we got up bright and early packed the cars full of people and supplies and went to a YMCA camp, Trout lodge. It was jampacked full of activities from Archery to kayaking, rock climbing rope swinging and swimming. G go so worn out she fell asleep on the beach. We really cut it close too. We were having so much fun that we almost forgot to leave. WE had to be to the airport at 6.30....we didn't leave trout lodge till 4 and got to the house at 5.30...meaning we had 20 minutes to pack up and say goodbye before we left. Not that we really had time to unpack in the first place...
A 5 am wake up for a 7am flight out of Dallas on Saturday morning had us in St. Louis for breakfast. We couldn't believe the weather it was like 70 out so we ate breakfast outside. After breakfast we all had a little nap time before going to the park and playing a little tennis. After that it was time to celebrate the Mchugh's 30th anniversary, which started with a little celebration at the house and dinner at a restaurant. I think they rented the whole place out cause we were the only ones in there. They really went all out for the 30th. Dinner was so delicious and filling that Moe and I had to walk back to the house just to make some room for dessert!
Sunday we got up bright and early packed the cars full of people and supplies and went to a YMCA camp, Trout lodge. It was jampacked full of activities from Archery to kayaking, rock climbing rope swinging and swimming. G go so worn out she fell asleep on the beach. We really cut it close too. We were having so much fun that we almost forgot to leave. WE had to be to the airport at 6.30....we didn't leave trout lodge till 4 and got to the house at 5.30...meaning we had 20 minutes to pack up and say goodbye before we left. Not that we really had time to unpack in the first place...
Friday, August 15, 2008
Boy Band Friday
Ohhh ohh oh oh
Ohhhh Ohh oh oh
Ohhh ohhh weee oh oh
The right stuff
Best things about Fridays are the mornings! Not cause I want to be at work or cause it's the last day but because we crank up the jams! I like to think of Freaky Friday, Funky Friday, Fresh Friday or any of the trillion names we've given it as my creation, and most people will agree to it as that. We tend to theme it every Friday, and have hit the highs and the lows of music from 90's rap (Tupc Bigs and Dre) to 70's Disco(Ring My bell!), but i think today we may hit either a real high or a real low depending on your mood. That's right boy band Friday, because as much as you may hate it (me) you still know all the words " Cause it ain't no lie... baby bye bye bye"
G-She is trying to learn every word we use and it is so darn cute. We've really been working the body parts lately. She can say nose and eye and can point out her legs arms neck chin toes ear mouth and i think cheeks. She's can pretty much do anything you tell her and she is so close to being able to talk. The one thing she hasn't learned yet is Don't Touch and No...but those are always the hardest right?
Side note- We're going to St. Louis this weekend to Celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Mchugh's 30th anniversary. Now that Gianna is really trying to learn words, I've decided to start calling them Grandma and Grandpa, I really want her to start using them, she's got mom and dad down so it shouldn't be too far off. This weekend should be jampacked with fun since the whole fam will be in St. Louis and there should be plenty of pics!
Ohhhh Ohh oh oh
Ohhh ohhh weee oh oh
The right stuff
Best things about Fridays are the mornings! Not cause I want to be at work or cause it's the last day but because we crank up the jams! I like to think of Freaky Friday, Funky Friday, Fresh Friday or any of the trillion names we've given it as my creation, and most people will agree to it as that. We tend to theme it every Friday, and have hit the highs and the lows of music from 90's rap (Tupc Bigs and Dre) to 70's Disco(Ring My bell!), but i think today we may hit either a real high or a real low depending on your mood. That's right boy band Friday, because as much as you may hate it (me) you still know all the words " Cause it ain't no lie... baby bye bye bye"
G-She is trying to learn every word we use and it is so darn cute. We've really been working the body parts lately. She can say nose and eye and can point out her legs arms neck chin toes ear mouth and i think cheeks. She's can pretty much do anything you tell her and she is so close to being able to talk. The one thing she hasn't learned yet is Don't Touch and No...but those are always the hardest right?
Side note- We're going to St. Louis this weekend to Celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Mchugh's 30th anniversary. Now that Gianna is really trying to learn words, I've decided to start calling them Grandma and Grandpa, I really want her to start using them, she's got mom and dad down so it shouldn't be too far off. This weekend should be jampacked with fun since the whole fam will be in St. Louis and there should be plenty of pics!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Ouch...
UPDATE...PICS ARE POSTED..
Link on the side OUR FLICKR
I really should have posted once or twice while in Cali. It would have made this much easier. I guess i'll break it down by day...
Saturday-after mowing the yard and getting ready we hopped in plane to SFO. G would not take a nap and thank goodness we were on a big plane (airbus with two aisles) cause we occupied the aisle most of the way to SFO. What a little handful. Got to napa for the start of a week of feasts and some poker with the fam. Lasagna Dinner (one of my favorites best lasagna EVER)
Sunday- Fresh blueberry pancake breakfast with eggs saugage the works...Got to put the hiking backpack to good use. We went up to one of the insider spots in Napa, the Christian Brothers monastery. Went for a hike with a good amount of family and wandered through some old abandoned vineyards (some of these vines were easily 100+ years old). And that was just the start of that day. We had the family potluck over at house that evening where we celebrated the monthly birthdays. Go figure mine happened to be that week two. Basically all the all the extended family was over that night for dinner and boy was that hectic but fun.
Monday- Second morning in a row of pre-5am wake ups. G shared our room which made it tough for her to go back to bed. So Moe G and I got up ate a little breakfast and zoned out in front of the tv, watching lion king which she loved. Basically moe and i fell asleep on the floor/couch and g eventually joined in the pre-dawn nap. After that nap, when kids (bros and sisters, and for those of you who don't know me too well..i have 9 younger brothers and sisters youngest of which is 6) started waking up we went on a bike ride. Yep we gathered a total of 10 bikes up from family and friends and rode 6 miles to yountville. It was fantastic. My sister beth who is 8 even kept up. We had sandwiches and hung out at the yountville park before riding home...another 6 miles. I think my mom was the most impressed, impressed that i could get my entire family to go riding and that we made it without a rowles injury! Well we got back took a dip and then went to a GIANTS game. So it's August in Cali..you wouldn't think you would need pants right? Wrong...pants and a hoodie were no match for the cold biting wind of the San Francisico bay. Moe went through 2 or 10 hot chocolates trying to stay warm. Giants won...thank goodness.
Tuesday- Starting to become a blur due to the early wake ups and activities. I think this was the day we went to Benicia. I went on an early morning hike with Eric(maybe that was monday?) up to alston park with the dogs. Beautiful NorCal morning 65-70degrees. just beautiful. Then later the whole family went to this awesome park in Benicia with a 35 foot cement slide. Wow that thing was cool. Did a little picknik thing for lunch. And more feasts for dinner. Every night my mom made something amazing. I am blanking on what she made as i think i went comatose with over eating. It was ridiculous.
Wednesday- Was lazy day. We hung out all day did some swimming and hung out mostly. We went on a hike that night before dinner. Up the Westwood hills. You get some amazing views of the valley from here. Again took all the kids with us and we had a blast exploring some of the lesser used trails. Fajita Burrito dinner
Thursday- WE picked up Shan and her boyfriend Tom from the airport. Stopped for some In&Out. I know i am surprised i waited till Thursday also. G ate a whole cheeseburger....little fatty (not really but i think if i start calling her that she'll live up to it). Got back to the house went for a little wine tasting at our favorite spot.... Artesa. That place is amazing as many of my friends know. Then before dinner we went on another hike...another hidden gem in napa...so hidden most of my aunts and uncles who have lived their whole life in napa (and grew up not to far from this park) didn't know about it. Timber Hill. More beautiful views of napa adn some of the best blackberry picking around. Shan and tom didn't bring tennis shoes but we were able to round up some extra ones, i think they were a little skeptical of a "hike" but really loved the whole adventure...it's hard not to when you get rewarded with some of mom's kick butt cooking. She made a full turkey dinner. Whipped it up no problem and fed 8 adults 2 teen boys and 4 kids.
Friday- Off to Fresno for a weekend of wedding fun. Girls did some nails appointment thingy before the rehearsal. Tom and i got to skip out on this so we got a 12 pack and watched the olympics/tv. Then went to the rehearsal dinner. Holy cow. It was hosted by the Jura family at their beautiful Fresno estate. I had no clue there existed such a beautiful neighborhood in Fresno. Moe asked me on the way back if i would mind living in fresno... I said not if i could live there!
Saturday- Big day for our friends Nichole and Oskar. The wedding was amazing. They had the UD Collegium come and sing which was pretty amazing. Jenny and Vince were invited so we got to partay with them. Good times. The reception was located in downtown fresno at the Downtown club....beautiful. We had a great time, dancing drinking hanging out with the Jura Family and friends. Had so much fun it was tough to get going in the morning.
Sunday- A blur of hangover travel. Tough to get up in the morning and get going. We were supposed to be in napa for a brunch...well brunch turned into linner. My mom again came through with a massive spread too bad we were a couple hours late. Cold but good. Too bad Shan and Tom couldn't enjoy it. Well our flight was late 7.30 but g had just gone down for a nap a couple hours earlier so we did the responsible parent thing...and gave her some benadryl, to make sure napped on the plan and kept on schedule. That was funny, she was so drowsy but fought so hard not to give in, eventually she did and was sprawled out across both of us. We got in at 12.30....and didn't get home till 1.....
Ouch.
(pics to be posted soon)
Link on the side OUR FLICKR
I really should have posted once or twice while in Cali. It would have made this much easier. I guess i'll break it down by day...
Saturday-after mowing the yard and getting ready we hopped in plane to SFO. G would not take a nap and thank goodness we were on a big plane (airbus with two aisles) cause we occupied the aisle most of the way to SFO. What a little handful. Got to napa for the start of a week of feasts and some poker with the fam. Lasagna Dinner (one of my favorites best lasagna EVER)
Sunday- Fresh blueberry pancake breakfast with eggs saugage the works...Got to put the hiking backpack to good use. We went up to one of the insider spots in Napa, the Christian Brothers monastery. Went for a hike with a good amount of family and wandered through some old abandoned vineyards (some of these vines were easily 100+ years old). And that was just the start of that day. We had the family potluck over at house that evening where we celebrated the monthly birthdays. Go figure mine happened to be that week two. Basically all the all the extended family was over that night for dinner and boy was that hectic but fun.
Monday- Second morning in a row of pre-5am wake ups. G shared our room which made it tough for her to go back to bed. So Moe G and I got up ate a little breakfast and zoned out in front of the tv, watching lion king which she loved. Basically moe and i fell asleep on the floor/couch and g eventually joined in the pre-dawn nap. After that nap, when kids (bros and sisters, and for those of you who don't know me too well..i have 9 younger brothers and sisters youngest of which is 6) started waking up we went on a bike ride. Yep we gathered a total of 10 bikes up from family and friends and rode 6 miles to yountville. It was fantastic. My sister beth who is 8 even kept up. We had sandwiches and hung out at the yountville park before riding home...another 6 miles. I think my mom was the most impressed, impressed that i could get my entire family to go riding and that we made it without a rowles injury! Well we got back took a dip and then went to a GIANTS game. So it's August in Cali..you wouldn't think you would need pants right? Wrong...pants and a hoodie were no match for the cold biting wind of the San Francisico bay. Moe went through 2 or 10 hot chocolates trying to stay warm. Giants won...thank goodness.
Tuesday- Starting to become a blur due to the early wake ups and activities. I think this was the day we went to Benicia. I went on an early morning hike with Eric(maybe that was monday?) up to alston park with the dogs. Beautiful NorCal morning 65-70degrees. just beautiful. Then later the whole family went to this awesome park in Benicia with a 35 foot cement slide. Wow that thing was cool. Did a little picknik thing for lunch. And more feasts for dinner. Every night my mom made something amazing. I am blanking on what she made as i think i went comatose with over eating. It was ridiculous.
Wednesday- Was lazy day. We hung out all day did some swimming and hung out mostly. We went on a hike that night before dinner. Up the Westwood hills. You get some amazing views of the valley from here. Again took all the kids with us and we had a blast exploring some of the lesser used trails. Fajita Burrito dinner
Thursday- WE picked up Shan and her boyfriend Tom from the airport. Stopped for some In&Out. I know i am surprised i waited till Thursday also. G ate a whole cheeseburger....little fatty (not really but i think if i start calling her that she'll live up to it). Got back to the house went for a little wine tasting at our favorite spot.... Artesa. That place is amazing as many of my friends know. Then before dinner we went on another hike...another hidden gem in napa...so hidden most of my aunts and uncles who have lived their whole life in napa (and grew up not to far from this park) didn't know about it. Timber Hill. More beautiful views of napa adn some of the best blackberry picking around. Shan and tom didn't bring tennis shoes but we were able to round up some extra ones, i think they were a little skeptical of a "hike" but really loved the whole adventure...it's hard not to when you get rewarded with some of mom's kick butt cooking. She made a full turkey dinner. Whipped it up no problem and fed 8 adults 2 teen boys and 4 kids.
Friday- Off to Fresno for a weekend of wedding fun. Girls did some nails appointment thingy before the rehearsal. Tom and i got to skip out on this so we got a 12 pack and watched the olympics/tv. Then went to the rehearsal dinner. Holy cow. It was hosted by the Jura family at their beautiful Fresno estate. I had no clue there existed such a beautiful neighborhood in Fresno. Moe asked me on the way back if i would mind living in fresno... I said not if i could live there!
Saturday- Big day for our friends Nichole and Oskar. The wedding was amazing. They had the UD Collegium come and sing which was pretty amazing. Jenny and Vince were invited so we got to partay with them. Good times. The reception was located in downtown fresno at the Downtown club....beautiful. We had a great time, dancing drinking hanging out with the Jura Family and friends. Had so much fun it was tough to get going in the morning.
Sunday- A blur of hangover travel. Tough to get up in the morning and get going. We were supposed to be in napa for a brunch...well brunch turned into linner. My mom again came through with a massive spread too bad we were a couple hours late. Cold but good. Too bad Shan and Tom couldn't enjoy it. Well our flight was late 7.30 but g had just gone down for a nap a couple hours earlier so we did the responsible parent thing...and gave her some benadryl, to make sure napped on the plan and kept on schedule. That was funny, she was so drowsy but fought so hard not to give in, eventually she did and was sprawled out across both of us. We got in at 12.30....and didn't get home till 1.....
Ouch.
(pics to be posted soon)
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Here we come!
A couple nights ago we rode our bikes over to this park. The park is nice it's low profile so g can climb up it and around it, and it has this sweet rubber pad instead of sand. Well, there are 5 slides at this place...2 teeny kid ones and then 3 big ones....Well that little dare devil baby decided to take on the biggest one of them all...by herself
That's right, see you later mom and dad i gots this!
I had to work some major hours this week to get ready to leave. And last night i stayed pretty late so i called home on the way home. I was quite surprised when G answered the phone(mom helped i am sure)...well we actually had a conversation...
California is only a few hours away, and i think G knows something is up. I hope she's as excited as I am.
That's right, see you later mom and dad i gots this!
I had to work some major hours this week to get ready to leave. And last night i stayed pretty late so i called home on the way home. I was quite surprised when G answered the phone(mom helped i am sure)...well we actually had a conversation...
"hiye"
Hi Baby
hiye hiye hiye
Hey Baby its Dad
DAAAAAD
That's right. I love you
Can you give momma a kiss
*smack*
How about that.California is only a few hours away, and i think G knows something is up. I hope she's as excited as I am.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Mental Break....and weekend update
Holy Crap my brain hurts, and my phone won't stop ringing...i'm on the q right now and some thinks it's appropriate to call me 6 times in a row(on my personal line) and not leave a message! Gyargh....that and my portfolio is making me work overtime cause they're stupid. So i gotta take a sec and get away and here i am...
Weekend update.
I know it's Wednesday and i usually do this on Monday but it was just a little too hectic. Moe left early Saturday morning....5am early. Too early to function...we dropped her off went back home and turned on some Saturday morning cartoons... I have been hooked lately and it was nice to enjoy them with G...we both took a nap while watching cartoons. IT was actually pretty cute...she took a pillow put it on the ground and laid down on it...two seconds later she was out! That's the first time she has put herself down that i know of. After her little nap (it was still only 8.30 when she woke up) we went to Kohl's. I am looking a little ridiculous in some of my clothes and needed to get some interim clothing (Update....i guess i need to make it official it is 40lbs total loss and still counting). G had the time of her life. It took us like 2 hours to pick out some clothes....not because i am picky but because i didn't put her in the stroller...it was too much fun. I would put her down to look at some pants...the second her feet hit the ground she was off running and giggling through the aisles of clothes and she wanted to be chased. It was nice cause there weren't many people in there. We went home for a nap and some lunch and then off to the pool....
IT'S A PUBLIC POOL PEOPLE AND I DON"T WANT TO SEE YOUR 2 YEAR OLD'S JUNK ON THE SLIDE! gross.... luckily enough a lifegaurd put an end to that...
Nap, a bike ride dinner and bam out like a light....
Sunday was just as ridiculous. G was up at the crack of dawn and so we got church out of the way at 7.30.. went home and got some bfast and a nap... As soon as she got up we went hiking at arbor hills. We had gotten a hiking backpack that will carry g and she loved it. It has a shade even which was really nice and managed to keep her cool even when i was sweating rivers. We stopped and took a little break by a creek and she actually wanted to get back in! She thought the downhills were like slides "wooooow wooooow". Another nap and then she got to hang out with the uncles. Matt was outside for almost an hour playing with her in the pool and our friend Jonathan Weinpel gave her an assortment of rainbow colored golf balls that she couldn't get enough of. Well Moe was supposed to get in Sunday night but AA cancelled her flight out of Tampa without any sort of restitution and put her on a flight the next morning which involved me staying home from work for most of the day....not complaining but g had definitely had enough of me and my craziness.....
Weekend update.
I know it's Wednesday and i usually do this on Monday but it was just a little too hectic. Moe left early Saturday morning....5am early. Too early to function...we dropped her off went back home and turned on some Saturday morning cartoons... I have been hooked lately and it was nice to enjoy them with G...we both took a nap while watching cartoons. IT was actually pretty cute...she took a pillow put it on the ground and laid down on it...two seconds later she was out! That's the first time she has put herself down that i know of. After her little nap (it was still only 8.30 when she woke up) we went to Kohl's. I am looking a little ridiculous in some of my clothes and needed to get some interim clothing (Update....i guess i need to make it official it is 40lbs total loss and still counting). G had the time of her life. It took us like 2 hours to pick out some clothes....not because i am picky but because i didn't put her in the stroller...it was too much fun. I would put her down to look at some pants...the second her feet hit the ground she was off running and giggling through the aisles of clothes and she wanted to be chased. It was nice cause there weren't many people in there. We went home for a nap and some lunch and then off to the pool....
IT'S A PUBLIC POOL PEOPLE AND I DON"T WANT TO SEE YOUR 2 YEAR OLD'S JUNK ON THE SLIDE! gross.... luckily enough a lifegaurd put an end to that...
Nap, a bike ride dinner and bam out like a light....
Sunday was just as ridiculous. G was up at the crack of dawn and so we got church out of the way at 7.30.. went home and got some bfast and a nap... As soon as she got up we went hiking at arbor hills. We had gotten a hiking backpack that will carry g and she loved it. It has a shade even which was really nice and managed to keep her cool even when i was sweating rivers. We stopped and took a little break by a creek and she actually wanted to get back in! She thought the downhills were like slides "wooooow wooooow". Another nap and then she got to hang out with the uncles. Matt was outside for almost an hour playing with her in the pool and our friend Jonathan Weinpel gave her an assortment of rainbow colored golf balls that she couldn't get enough of. Well Moe was supposed to get in Sunday night but AA cancelled her flight out of Tampa without any sort of restitution and put her on a flight the next morning which involved me staying home from work for most of the day....not complaining but g had definitely had enough of me and my craziness.....
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