Thursday, October 30, 2008

Colby's Comments of the Day

As we are walking past the local funeral home...

Can we go see Uncle Albert in the bed?

As we are walking home from playgroup...

The leaves are falling on me. Why are the trees tired?

I can't quite get him to understand the death and burial process. I told him Aunt Buck was going to see Uncle Albert where he is buried in a few days. That just confused him more. Uncle Albert is not at the funeral home anymore. One of these days he'll understand.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Can someone smarter than me tell me how to get these pics to show up in the slideshow box at the top?? I know I have smart friends who read this!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Rough patch

If you know my mom, say a prayer, send a happy thought, send a card. Her sister went to the nursing home 2 weeks ago with alzheimer's having gotten the best of her. It hasn't been a great adjustment, which was expected. Her best friend, Vel, from Columbia passed away yesterday. She and I are making the roadtrip - Col, Nauvoo??, here? this weekend. I'm driving, she's navigating where she needs to be. Vel was 88 (I think), and didn't graduate from high school. She was very self-conscious of her writing and spelling, so would make her daughter write her cards for her. She always remembered the big days in our lives, including sending my kids $2 bills for their birthday or Christmas. They started the Quarter books which has driven my mother nuts for the last several years. So glad the US Mint is almost done with that! I think she had told us for the last 10 years that she wouldn't make it through another winter. Rest well, Vel. I'll think of you every time I see a $2 bill.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Accountability

Another weekend at work - I learned CF sucks. Wait, I already knew that. If my children ever have a chronic illness, please don't let that change the way I treat them. Chronic illness should not equal wimpy, puny, pathetic or rude, especially to the folks trying to help you get better.

On to the point...

Our school participates in a big marathon in the big city every year. The kids who want to are asked to complete 26 books, 26 good deeds, and 25 miles in their community, and the last mile is at Forest Park on the day of the marathon - Read, Right and Run. I told Evan I would run with him last year when we did this, but didn't get my butt moving. Now I know that we can't run with the kids on marathon day, but that doesn't mean I can't challenge and help him. Last year, he walked the mile with a volunteer and cried. This year, I'd like for him to feel like he can actually run it, and he's starting to get a tummy like his parents. I ditched the Weight Watchers membership today, and joined our rec center last week. Now it's time to get serious. It's too easy to skip the WW meetings and waste the $$. There is a pool that the kids like at the rec center, which will get us through spring break on a 6 month membership, when it's warm enough to be outside. Poor Colby - one morning last week we were walking after I dropped Evan at school, and it was 42 outside. Little chilly when you're in the stroller, not generating any heat. If you see me on a regular basis, hold me accountable for going to the gym. Hold me accountable for eating crap and drinking soda. Encourage my kids to eat good stuff, despite their sweet tooth. Give me trouble for feeding them fried chicken for dinner. I can probably learn to cook healthy, if I put forth a little more interest and effort - right after I learn to cook...

Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Kitchen

There's the before, more or less...


Memorial Day weekend - the beginning of kitchen demolition.

We bought this house from Tom's parents when we were expecting child #1, but I never really planned to stay here for long. It's little, old, and needs lots of work. I have figured out that we aren't going to put it on the market and get a bigger, nicer, fancier... maybe next summer. We bought it, it's ours, and it keeps me working part-time, not full-time. With that, we have (ok, Tom and his dad) gutted & redone 1 bath, added a 2nd in the basement, a playroom, bedroom, and utility room in the basement, and most recently, the kitchen. I think we're staying here till it's paid for, at which point having the 2000 square ft house with the $200,000 mortgage won't sound so appealing. We'll just have to add a wheelchair ramp!





The men in my life do some good work! Yvonne & Rosie, thanks for the decorations.

The Birthday Boy



We celebrated this weekend. It was a party for the birthday boy, but also a "we're close enough to done remodeling to show off our house" party. Colby has more trucks, tractors, fire engines, ambulances, Batman and Leapster stuff than he knows what to do with. He is having so much fun with his new loot! We all enjoyed an afternoon with family and friends, sitting on the patio, munching in the new kitchen, and the kids trashing the playroom. All of Tom's siblings, my parents & sister, Colby's daycare buddies, and Evan's friends that have younger siblings Colby's age all came over to celebrate. And to think, 3 years ago I was a week overdue and making everyone else miserable. I can't imagine life without him. What a joy!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Tidbits

Mizzou played Nebraska on Saturday. #4 ranked Mizzou. Mizzou harvested corn in Nebraska by the time it was done. GO TIGERS!!

Work lesson of the weekend - don't ride your bike home from the bar if you actually drank at the bar. You might get hurt. If you choose to drink and pedal, you should wear a helmet. I appreciate the gas conservation effort, but you negate it with an ambulance ride.

Oh, poop. Tom had a great weekend with the boys, and Colby is getting the hang of potty training. I was a little worried that he'd want diapers back, but they did fine. Amazing, dads really can handle things when we let them. I should get out of my own way more often. We got 1 kid out of diapers, and the other 1 needs them today. I really hate it when my kid stays home because it's the right thing to do, not because he feels sick. He's driving me nuts, and creating more poopy laundry. Really, he could go to school with a change of clothes, couldn't he?? I am pretty sure his teacher doesn't need that to deal with, and it wouldn't get me "mother of the day" either. Another day in the life...