Empty Headed

My sincere apologies for a postless week.  It seems that my mind has simply been empty.  It's not that we haven't been busy.  In fact, maybe it's that we've been too busy!  Between Jacob and me, I had a doctor appointment to go to every single day last week after work!  The good news is that we are healthy, our teeth are sparkling, and my neck is straight...well, my neck is never quite straight, but it's as close as it's going to get!  And I'm staring off  this week with a dermatologist appointment for Jacob on Monday and ending it with a vet appointment for the cat on Friday!  Sometimes I get really tired of appointments.  It's the chiropractor I see the most (hence the neck reference), and I am generally in and out of the office quickly, but it's still another obligation.  Oh well, as they say, it is what it is.

I need to call this week and get Jacob set up to resume his ice skating lessons.  I'm not sure where the rink's rotation is at this point - they have ongoing 6 week long lesson spans, and I told Jake that we would start back up again when school was back in session.  It's time.  He loves skating.  It is the only activity that he has shown long term interest in.   He doesn't want to play hockey.  He just wants to skate, and really, that's fine with me.  It's about finding something he enjoys - something constructive, without pressure, that is his.  Andrew took part in a partial session in the spring and did relatively well for a 3 year old, but I am not going to sign him up for lessons again right now.  I think Jake needs to have his own thing, and Andrew was really iffy at times, not wanting to go out on the ice with someone other than Greg or me.   Maybe sometime closer to his 4th birthday we will start again.  There's really no hurry.  

Jake also mentioned last night that he wants to take guitar lessons.  I'm not sure how complete his heart is in taking lessons, but I come from the mindset that all children should at least be exposed to music, so I plan to get him connected with a guitar teacher soon too.  If he peters out on practicing, he owes me for the guitar, though.

Yesterday we attended a big back yard bash at our neighbor's house.  It was fun. These two neighbors couldn't be sweeter people.  They are friends with several of my coworkers from a previous job, so it was nice to reconnect with them as well as some of the other neighborhood folk.  They also have a band, so there was lots of "jamming" going on.  One of my current coworkers is friends with our neighbors too, and she has a grandson who is Andrew's age.  The two of them had their toy guitars and stood in front of the stage playing along with the band for almost the entire party.  When the band was on break, the boys were on the stage giving their own little performances.  I wish I had thought to take my camera.  It was very cute.

Other than that, it's just been the same routine day after day.  Get up, drop the kids off, go to work where life is insanely busy (which is good because the days are flying by and I am totally distracted from anything else in my mind except work), pick up the boys, come home, do homework and get dinner, clean up dinner, play with the kids for a bit and then to bed.  Oh, and somewhere in there add in running some errands and doing laundry and other assorted household chores.  Pretty boring stuff, but time consuming nonetheless.

I haven't been running at all.  In part because I don't have time, but more so because I have a displaced sacrum.  It's the bone that sits at the base of your spinal cord and connects the spine to your pelvis.  That is actually what is causing my hip pain during and after runs, not the piriformis muscle.  I've been seeing the chiropractor for it and it seems to be getting better.  I'm not sure if it's better because he is fixing it or because I am not running and putting stress on the muscles around it.  It is still very sore if I sit for a long time.  Like I said, now that I am working full time, time is an issue as far as running is concerned.  But I have always said that if something is important to you, you make time for it.  I could find the time if I wanted, and I do want to, but I am trying to be realistic about my body.  I wanted to run a half marathon locally in October, and I have officially canned that idea.  The next big race I want to run is the full marathon in Pittsburgh in May.  I'm still optimistic at this point.  I have a long time to heal and retrain for it, but time will  be the true tell all.  In the meantime, I am trying my best to heal, feeling pangs of jealousy every time I see someone running, and fighting the cravings that come when I am doing things as simple as running with the boys while playing.  Running isn't just about physical fitness for me, it's even more about mental health.  It's my outlet, my stress relief, my alone time, so getting back to it is important.  But my physical health is important too.  If I push too much I will end up with lifelong injuries.  I've talked to too many people who ruined their ability to run completely with bullheadedness.  So, here I am, adjusting to life without running and focusing on simply being an employee, a wife and most importantly a mother.  Perhaps the break will do me good.  We can all use a little refocus time, right?

Rock On

Did you see the new videos on the side bar?  If not, check them out.  Andrew just cracks us up with his  love of Rock-n-Roll.  He grabbed a light stick the other night and began pretending it was a guitar.  Of course, we had to indulge him, so we cranked up some AC/DC on the computer while he performed a personal concert for the cat, who amazingly sat quite intently despite the volume and the fact that Andrew felt the need to "touch" the cat with his make-shift guitar several times.  After one song, we decided to dress him up in his AC/DC shirt and give him a real (er) guitar to jam with.  Here's what happened: 

 Picking the old 6 string, just like Uncle Freddy!

 Another request!  You guys are killing me!

 Getting serious about his tunes.

 "Dirty deeds.  Done dirt cheap."  Can't sing those lines with a smile!

 Rock on, baby!

Channeling Angus

Making Our Own Fun

Our original plans for this weekend included a trip to Pittsburgh for a family picnic.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, the picnic was canceled, and we found ourselves at home with an open weekend.  Now, many people may feel sad by the sudden cancellation, but I honestly found it freeing.  Don't get me wrong, we were a little disappointed.  Lately, we have been making fewer trips to Pittsburgh because of all the things we have going on.  We miss everyone.  Jacob adores my cousins, Andrew and Ella play very well together, and I really wanted to see my sister's new house.  But there will be more opportunities to visit in the near future.  We are already thinking of a time in September or early October to visit an awesome pumpkin patch near my sister's house that does tons of kid friendly Halloween activities.  

In the mean time, my sister and her family came home to Hollidaysburg for the weekend instead.  While she was traveling on Saturday, Andrew and I met a friend for a little while in morning and then ran some errands. It was great to reconnect with my friend while Andrew played.  In the afternoon, we gathered up a few of the neighbor boys and went with my sister and niece to Slinky Action Zone (like a Chuck E Cheese for bigger kids).  Then we had dinner at my mom's.  My niece, Ella, is a true cat lover, so after dinner, we walked to my house to introduce her to Sam, and the kids played here for a few hours.  

On Sunday, we took the kids to the mall.  We shopped around a little, ate lunch and then I sat with the little kids in the playground while my sister, mom and Jacob did some shopping of their own.  It was a nice, laid back, stress free weekend.  Today, Greg is off of work.  We have no plans yet, except to spend the day together!  Aside from the weather being a little dismal, it's the perfect way to start the day!  I even slept until 715 this morning!  I don't remember the last time I slept that late!  If you ask me, I couldn't be happier.  I need more of these "just hanging out" weekends...oh, and if we could make them all 3 day weekends too, that would be even better!

The neighbor boys and Jacob stop for a cheesey moment.

I don't think the rumble slide quite met Andrew's expectations.

Darth Vader and Spidey took over our home for a little while on Saturday.

Andrew very intently listens to my mom's instructions. 

We even had a little dinner music!

Some of us found the dinner music to be slightly over-stimulating.

Jacob played with my Photo Booth application while the little kids did their thing. 

Two headed Jake.  Thank God it's just pretend!

Sticky Situation

I thought it was general knowledge that kittens and lollipops don't go well together.  

But Andrew finds a hair pop to be simply enchanting.  

Irresistible, in fact!

The cat would beg to differ.

It's All Fun And Games...

...Until someone tries to roll you up in a rug.  Then the game is over.

Little Boy Blues

What's a kid to do when the older boys don't want you in their club, and won't let you play?

A tailor-made game of Spiderman Monopoly with Mom should pep things right up.  

"Mom, you wanna buy a hotel? I think you owe me $40 in rent."  

Back To School

Jacob started back to school on Monday.  He spent Sunday night crying off and on, as well as Monday morning.  He wasn't ready to give up his "freedom" (his words), or get back into the homework routine at all.  Despite all efforts to comfort and console him, he was a wreck.  He was so grim walking into the building with his head hung low.  He couldn't possibly have taken smaller steps.  It made a knot in my stomach that didn't loosen all day long.

When I picked him up from school, however, he was all smiles.  It wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be, after all!  He even got a little prize bag from his teacher.  Whew! What a relief for both of us!  Although he did well academically last year, he never quite got to the point where he liked school. I think there were multiple reasons for that dislike and several of them are no longer an issue, the biggest one being that he is not the new kid in the class.  They have a new classmate who will wear those shoes. 

Here's hoping to a wonderful school year...maybe even the one that changes his attitude towards school...OK, maybe that's asking too much.  Let's just hope for compliance without arguments and tears! 

 Andrew was ready for the first day of school!  Of course, it's easy when your first day of school doesn't involve a move, new teachers and new friends!

 Jacob tried several stances to gear up his confidence.

The "puffed up cat look" seemed to do the trick!  Bring it on, baby!  I'm ready!

 Oh, hey, you can have your seat back.

Because your shoulder is a heck of a lot more comfortable than that old ratty chair, anyway.

Space Invader

"What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine."

 "Oh, I'm sorry.  Were you sitting here?"

"Oh.  Was that your water?  My bad.  Sorry again."  

Playground Bound

 Whee!  Look at me!

 This slide was built for two!

 Life is all about balance.  The earlier you refine those skills, the better.

 Happy to be at the top!

 If the size of a puppy's feet can tell you how big the dog will be full grown, what do these puppies say about Andrew?

Cheese, baby.  Can't live life without it!

What Did You Say?

Time again for some thoughts from the boys.  No introductions are needed, right?  You all know how this goes by now!

Last night, Greg was playing with Andrew, pretending to be someone else and asking Andrew questions.  Greg: "Andrew, what does your dad do for work?"
Andrew: "My dad works at a pirate plant."
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Andrew: "Mom, you are a girl and dad is a boy?"
Me: "That's right."
Andrew: "Why?"
Me: "Because that's the way God made me."
Andrew: "Who is God, Uncle Rob?"
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On the way home from Harbor House one day, Andrew asked if I had two thumbs.  I said yes and he, in his "why" obsession right now, asked why.  Jacob answered him for me: "Andrew, everybody has two thumbs."  Then Jake thought about it for a few minutes and added, "It would probably be very expensive, and pointless, but you could probably get extra thumbs if you wanted.  It would be an advantage in thumb wrestling matches."  Um...thanks, but I think I'll stick to a limit of two.
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One day while I was changing my bed sheets, Andrew came into my bedroom.  "Are your sheets dirty?" he said.  "Yes," I replied.  The he said, "Well, who peed in them?"
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Jacob bought a box of orange flavored Tic Tacs the other day.  He held the box in his hand, looked over the ingredients list and then proclaimed, "Artificial orange flavoring is usually pretty good.  I think I'll like these."  I guess all my preaching about natural ingredients hasn't quite sunk in yet!
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One evening when the phone rang, I said, "I wonder who's calling us."  Andrew answered, "Probably your mother."
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When we were  at the beach, Jacob and I went shopping one evening without Andrew. We decided to surprise Andrew with his own hermit crab.  We bought two cages and all the supplies.  When we returned with the crabs, Andrew was less than thrilled.  He was terrified of the crabs at first.  When Jake took Andrew's out to show him, Andrew screamed at Jacob, "Put that crab back in his garage!"
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When I put the boys to bed at night, I always say, "Night, night.  Sleep tight.  Don't let the bed bugs bite."  Then I tickle them.  Any normal kid would just accept it as a goofy bed time poem and enjoy the tradition.  Not Jacob.  One night it sparked a long conversation about whether or not bed bugs were real.  Then when he finally accepted that bed bugs are indeed real, he made me reassure him repeatedly that we do not have bed bugs.  The next night, Jacob came into Andrew's room with me while I was putting him to bed.  As I got ready to say good night to Andrew, Jacob said, "There's really no point in saying that bed bug poem, because we don't have any bed bugs."  Uh....paranoid anyone?
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Andrew has several words that he just can't get right.  Among them:
"Wipe" instead of white
"Oppelputh" instead of octopus
"Chimpmocks" instead of chipmunks
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While we were driving one day, I noticed a black squirrel.  Since black squirrels are relatively uncommon around here, I pointed it out to the boys.  Jacob said, "Uh...I never saw a black squirrel.  Are you sure it wasn't a porcupine or a raccoon?"  Now if I don't know the difference between a porcupine, a raccoon and a squirrel by now, I'm really in trouble!
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One day this summer, in the middle of that heat wave, as I put Andrew into the car, he said, "Whoa!  Who put the hot in here?"  Good question, Buddy!
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And that, my friends, is all for now.  Have a great weekend!

Rainy Day Joys

The last 5 weeks have certainly been a period of adjustment for me.  The agency I work for is experiencing some growth and development, and since I have taken on a new position, I am personally experiencing some growing pains too.  It's been a great adventure so far, but as with any change, even positive ones, the process can be exhausting.  Luckily, I have a great supervisor who allowed me to take a personal day today to catch up on some much needed house keeping, errand running and most importantly, bonding.  I'm still getting used to working longer hours, and finding that balance between home and office responsibilities.  It'll come in due time.  

Originally, I planned to spend the first half of today fishing with Greg and Andrew, my brother-in-law, father-in-law and nieces at a local lake, but the weather had other plans.  We had some monumental thunderstorms this morning, and being much less dedicated fishermen than my hubby, Andrew and I opted to stay home instead of braving the elements.  We got a lot done this morning.  Andrew helped me gather all of Jake's supplies for school, so he is ready to go on Monday morning.  I also finished all the laundry, ironing and prep work for next week, aside from making lunches.  We have a birthday party, a visitation from Jake's dad and a Mary Kay party this weekend, so having today to knock out some of my cleaning and prep was super helpful.

After our housekeeping at home, Andrew and I drove to a local store to get Jacob a new gym uniform for school.  Then we hit up Barnes and Noble.  I got a new book - "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children," which I am itching to start, and Andrew bought a new Cars toy.  We ran to the grocery store and stocked up on a few essential items, as well as ingredients for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.  I even let Andrew drive one of the car carts that I typically avoid like the plague!  He was so good, he deserved a little excitement at Giant Eagle!  Then we headed home to start baking.  

Now, I have come a long way in the kitchen since my early adulthood.  I would even venture to say that I am a fairly decent cook at this point, but a baker, I am not.  It's not the recipes or the mixing, but rather the timing in the oven.  Aside from my kick ass banana bread (my mom's recipe) and a pretty good from-scratch berry pie, I simply can't bake.  Oh well.  That doesn't stop me!  As I tell the parents in our program, it's often not the final product that is important, but rather, the process that counts.  Andrew and I certainly had fun with the process of baking this morning.  Take a look:

 So excited to start those cookies!

 "Hey, somebody get me an egg!"

 Throw in a little brown sugar...

 "Mom, look!  A dome!" (Yes, that's what he was calling the brown sugar blob...pretty darn smart, if you ask me!  Love that vocab!)

 Unsweetened applesauce instead of nasty oils and fats!  We try to make even our desserts healthy around here!

 Mixing, mixing, mixing!

 Mixing requires some pretty intense concentration when you're three.

 We can't forget our favorite add-in, special dark chocolate chips!

 Better taste one or two of those chips, just to be sure they're OK before we put them in the cookies.

 In goes the chocolate!

 Ready to bake.

 Oh, and being the obsessive-compulsive cleaner and multi-tasker that I am, I took a moment to do some laundry while the cookies were baking.  Sammy offered his help.  Such a thoughtful kitty!

The finished product.  Yum!  

I'm not going to bother with the recipe, unless you all really want it.  The cookies were good, but not outstanding, in my opinion.  We had fun spending some time together and that's all that matters.  Now, I had originally intended to do some dusting and cleaning while Andrew napped, but I'm feeling a little tired myself.  You know what?  It's my day off.  I think that couch is looking pretty comfy about now!  Don't call me until after 2:30.  I'm taking a nap too!