It's a Birthday, It's a Lazy Day...

So our weekend.  It was mostly Bruiser's birthday and then a lazy day, for everyone else.  I was quite productive this weekend.  A very good thing considering that the outside temps are heading to the basement.  Tomorrow we are not supposed to get above zero.  In fact -10 is supposed to be the high temperature.  Can we all say brrrrr!!!
Bruiser loved getting toys for his birthday, but he looked at us like we were all nuts when we sang to him.  At least he didn't cry like last year.  He likes his Ybike balance bike and he really likes the walking dinosaur that Papa and Nana got him.  He got a soft farm with puppets from his uncles and he has had a good time playing with the finger puppets.  He knows what sound the pig makes.
As for my productivity--I showed the laundry who's boss.  The only thing left are the towels to fold.  They are sitting in the dryer right now.  I rocked the laundry this weekend.  I made brownies for Bruiser's birthday, cleaned house, did copious amounts of dishes, we had loads of people over for Bruiser's birthday, I went thrift shopping with friends, got the grocery shopping done for the week, and I even managed to take care of Nick--he caught a head cold.  Productive indeed.  Maybe next weekend I can just do nothing--sounds lovely. 
Oh, and I also managed to finish a book.  It was sort of a Vampire Romance/Mystery sort of book.  Although I liked it, it wasn't really a romance.  I was happy to finish a book that has been sitting on the shelf, unread, for over a year now.  It was Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs.  Cute book and there's more in the series so I'll have to collect them some time.
So how was your weekend?  Get lots done--or maybe nothing at all?  Either way, tell me something about it.

Confession Time

Time to do Friday Confessions with Glamazon and Mamarazzi.
Now let's get to telling:

• I hate coming up with ideas for dinner.
• I don't hate cooking, just the deciding what to cook.
• The laundry bins are starting to laugh at me again
• Guess that means it's laundry time again.
• Yuck!
• I tend to read more than one book at a time.
• What?  Don't you?
• I love going to little kid concerts.
• Not the ones for little kids.
• The ones by little kids.  Turbo had one last night.  He was adorable, no bias here at all.
• I hate the car we drive.  Last week I had to get a new battery for it after it refused to start for the third time when it was cold out.
• This is also the car that had a short some where in the dashboard and the fan would not shut off.  Killed the battery then too.
• I just don't like this particular car right now.
• But we can't get a new one right now either, so I'm stuck with it.
• I still don't like the stupid car.
• Bruiser has caught the dreaded yuck that Turbo had, at least he has a fever.  Nick is home with him, since I have meetings at work today.  Poor kid, what a birthday present.  Guess we will try next week for the party.

And with that I think I have confessed my heart out, so go see Glamazon and Mamarazzi.  They will listen and not judge (much).

Bruiser at Two

Well on Saturday Bruiser turns two.  What a year it has been.
January Bruiser turned one.  February and March were consumed with learning to walk better.  April and May he discovered outside!  And had a crash that got him a glued together spot on his forehead.  His goofy side came out in June and July.  He got to go camping and found out he likes to ride four wheelers.  In August and September he learned to say more words and to love Scooby Doo or Bee Doo! as he calls him.  October and November Reece learned that Halloween results in candy and Thanksgiving means Mom and Dad are home.  And December brought Christmas and toys.  And more intelligible speech.
Bruiser has started talking lots more--making sentences and stuff.  He has also started the creative use of the words he knows.  He will take our hands and lead us to what he wants--all the while saying showme, showme.  If he's thirsty he wants a dink, but won't say he's thirsty.  He still loves his Be Doo(Scooby) and Bob!(Bob the Builder) and Shows!(Muppet Show) and Rock! (Fraggle Rock).  He will sometimes watch T Train(Thomas the Train) but hasn't really caught on to the train--yet.  Nemo comes out surprisingly clearly, but I still get thrown every time he asks for his vitamin--hard to get vitamin out of wyain.
He still eats in a hit or miss way--some of our food he loves, but if he doesn't like it he kindly spits it out and gives it back.  And there is no getting anymore into him when he decides he's done.
Bruiser is stubborn and determined.  When he takes off to go do something he tucks his arms into his sides and goes.  But he does have devilish side and the twinkle in his eye when he does something he's not really supposed to is hard to resist.
HE adores his big brother.  And Turbo thinks he is pretty cool too, as long as Bruiser leaves his Legos alone.

the bars that keep him out of trouble.

See me walkin'!

Vroom!  Let's go!

Camping is fun!

Oreos are yummy!

Just a swinging.

Stomping around in Dad's boots, backwards.

Yes getting into Dad's boots was his own idea.

My little charmer.

And so that is my growing boy.  Happy Birthday Bruiser, let's hope this next year is a good one.  Mom and Dad love you lots and are enjoying watching you grow up.

Wednesday Hodgepodge--Superbowl and Snacks

1. Will you watch the Super Bowl? If so who will you root for? If you are outside the USA what is the 'big deal sporting event' in your own country? We will watch the Superbowl.  It the one football game we watch every year.  This year we will be rooting for the Steelers.  My brother-in-law went to school at Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh and we sort of became Steelers fans while he was there.  I also like to watch the commercials--although last year the commercials were a bit of a let down.

2. Is ignorance bliss?  Sometimes.  What you don't know can't hurt you--especially when it comes to gossip.

3. Which of the seven dwarfs are you? (and just in case your Disney is a little bit rusty, here they are-Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy)  I am most like Bashful in social situations where I don't know anyone.  I'm also Sleepy lots of the time--the little boys cause this one.

4. When you are riding in the car with another couple how do you organize the seating? (Men up front? Women up front? Couples sit together?) And thanks to Lori at Mountain Woman at Heart for the question! Everyone go say hi to Lori.  It sort of depends on the car, or truck we are taking.  Sometimes it makes more sense to be couple together, other times women together and men together--also depends on who drives as to who's up front.

5. What is beauty?  That quality that speaks to your soul--a sunset, a kitten, a sleeping child.  It can be anything that moves you.  At the end of a tough day, a glass of wine is a beautiful thing.

6. If someone asks you to bring an appetizer or a dessert to a party in their home, which would you choose? An appetizer.  I'm more of a savory kind of person--I make appetizers better than desserts.

7. What is your crowd pleasing go-to appetizer? I make a pretty mean hot wing.  I also like to make little pigs in blankets--little smokies and cresent dough,  pretty good.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  It's amazing how something so small as a virus (and a few thousand of it's buddies) can make you feel so horrible.  Turbo is much better today--he went to school.  He's still coughing but overall his energy is back and keeping him confined to the couch would have been impossible so off to school he goes.  Thanks for all the well wishes, positive thoughts and knowledge that I wasn't alone in dealing with a sick kid.  Sometimes that makes all the difference.

Tuesday=Random

Well it's Tuesday.  Time to random up a post.  Grab the funky purple button and jump on the ride with Keely.  Here's what I have this week:

• Has anyone seen the new stuffed steakhouse burger that Burger King has now?  The idea sounds almost good, but the burger itself looks not so good.  I think I really prefer my ingredients on top of my burger, not all mixed in.  Who knows, it might be good, but then again this is Burger King, so probably not.
• Has anyone else noticed how much of a discount the car insurance companies are offering?  According to the most common ones, the discounts I should get for changing companies should almost result in them paying me to have their coverage.  Either the math is wrong, or there are people out there who are seriously over paying for car insurance.
• What is it about this time of year?  Beaches start sounding really nice.  I like snow but I'm really having fond thoughts of warm sand and sun.  It won't happen this year but I have fond thoughts.
• Wine is good.
• Turbo is still trying to hack up his lungs.  He sounds so awful.  I'm really hoping he gets better soon.
• Turbo has a winter program on Thursday.  I don't want him to miss it, but if he can't do anything without the hacking of the lungs, there is no point in going.  Poor kid.
• Knocking on wood that what Turbo has does not knock the rest of us down.  So far, so good.
• I joined Goodreads. I'm trying to motivate myself to read and trying to expand my reading horizons.  I'm going to try to read 26 new books this year.  Not a lot but I'm hoping I can do it.

And with that note, I'm off the see Keely.  Go join her party, she's celebrating Tuesday.

Take two kleenex and call me in the morning

So the run of good health we were enjoying came to a screeching halt Friday.  Turbo has a nasty cold--sore throat, cough and fever.  The fever is over now but the coughing continues.  The poor kid sounds like he is hacking up a lung.  He did lose his voice on Saturday.  Too bad he felt to bad for us to enjoy the quiet.  THen to top it all off last night he threw up.  From all the coughing mostly.  He is at home, miserable, on the couch, watching Boomerang.  Nick is with him.
Bruiser is still feeling good--active.  He is happy being Bruiser.  Although, I could do without his new thing of getting up at 6:15am.
Nick is going to physical therapy for his foot--hope it helps.  The hobbling around is no fun.
I cooked this weekend--Shrimp and sausage jambalaya and a crock pot chicken cacciatore.  The jambalaya was way better then the cacciatore.  The Jambalaya was easier to make than I thought it would be and tasted better than I thought it would too.  The migraine went away by Friday evening--good thing because I got to take care of Turbo.  Being mom is so much fun.
All in all it was a quiet weekend.  It was cold enough out to keep us indoors--mostly.  Nick did spend part of Saturday dismantling the old camper we had.  He's hoping to turn it into a utility trailer.  Our neighbor does salvage and makes regular trips to Denver to recycle things like aluminum and copper.  He will be taking the aluminum from the old camper for recycling.  He gets the money for recycling and we get to feel good for not sending it to the dump.  Hopefully this will start a period of home projects for Nick.  We really have not done a lot of stuff around the house recently--except for the have to stuff--dishes, laundry, cleaning stuff, etc.
So how did your weekend go?  Excitement?   Or just another quiet weekend?

Friday Confessions

TGIF and that means time to confess all from the last week with Glamazon and Mamarrazzi.




So here are all my transgressions from the last week.

• I have decided that little boy toys are out to get me.  
• I have stepped on lots legos recently.
• I have even found the little suckers in the wash.
• I'm kind of over Legos.
• I have been really good about doing the dishes at night.
• This scares me a bit--am I getting all efficient?
• No, just finding the motivation.  Yeah, motivation.
• Don't worry, I'm sure my old friend procrastination will come to visit soon.
• Anyone got any good books to recommend?
• I'm trying to find my reading mojo again.
• It got lost with my scrap booking mojo.
• I have a migraine.  I hate migraines.

So with that I will move on to see the other confessions today.  You should too.

What's Up Round Here

Well so last night I went out with some friends.  This has become a sort of weekly thing--and it is so good for me to just get out and away from the family.  I come home and can face the rest of the week and the weekend with out wanting to hide from the boys.  There are three of us who get together--I keep asking another friend to join us, but she hasn't made it yet.  We go various places and just talk about all kinds of stuff.  Grownup, adult stuff, family stuff, kid stuff.  All kinds of stuff really.  And have a couple of drinks.  Good times.

Nick is going to a foot doctor tomorrow to see what can be done for his foot.  We are hoping that something can be done so he will feel like doing things again.  This whole heel thing has really put a damper on skiing, and really just leaving the house for Nick. If we can get this fixed before summer it would be a good thing.

Turbo has discovered the Magic Tree House books.  Nana got him the first 16 books on CD and the first 8 as books--so he could follow along as they were read to him.  He is loving listening to them and playing with his Legos in his room.  We are going to find a portable CD player and a case so he can take thses with him.  And I forsee more book on CD in his future.

And Bruiser--well Bruiser continues to be BRuiser.  He turns two next weekend--I can't believe that two years ago I was uncomfortable pregnant and waiting for him to show up.  Now he walks and talks, and has such an awesome personality.  More about him next week in the post I will do for his birthday.

Hope the week has gone well for everyone.  Mine started on a good note, but I didn't know it until I checked today--I won the weekly contest at Leigh vs the Laundry.  She has a weekly caption contest for a picture from Awkward Family Photos on Fridays and announces the winner on Monday.  This Monday I won.  Go see the photo and the runner up captions.  For winning I get to display the award badge she give out.  It looks like this.

Go see Leigh and check out her contest of Friday, the picture are always funny!

Wednesday Hodgepodge--Still Winter

1. Do you like your name? Were you named after someone? If you have children how did you settle on their names?  I was named after a girl in a science Fiction Short story that was my father's favorite.  The year before I was born my parents purchased a VW Van.  My mom would not let my father call the van Vandy.  So later when he found out she was pregnant he told her she had no choice if the baby was a girl they were naming her Vandy.  And here I am.  I hated my name for a long time--it was too different in the small town I grew up in and it wasn't until I was at college and wasn't one of six Stacys, Lisas or Jennifers that I really appreciated my name.  As for the boys, well lots of hunting through baby name books and websites yielded the names we choose.  A complicated--sort of--first name for Turbo and a simpler middle name and a simpler first name and more complicated--sort of--middle name for Bruiser.  The nicknames came from their personalities.  Turbo rarely stops for much and Bruiser is solid from the ground up.

2. How do you define success?  Being content in what you have.

3. Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy?  I love them both--but enjoy the trivia of Jeopardy just a bit more.  Although I rarely watch game shows anymore.

4. If you could own any single object that you don't have now, what would that object be?  Right now I am longing for an e-reader.  Probably a Kindle.  For the free books alone.

5. What is something that inspires you?  Right now I'm having a hard time finding things inspiring.  Beautiful scenery inspires me but right now we are mostly house bound and pictures only go so far.

6. Meatloaf-yea or nay? If its a yea how do you make yours?  I like meatloaf, but have to have mashed potatoes to go with it.  My mom makes a pretty good meatloaf--except she grates the onions that go into it--for more onion flavor--after eating her meatloaf I end up burping onions for hours.

7. Which is more admirable-the ability to organize and be methodical or the ability to adapt and make do?  I admire those who can be organized, but you can't be so rigid that you can't adapt to changes.  And I am a champion at making do.

8. Insert your own random thought here. We did a four-wheeler safety course in December.  For doing this we got a $100 gift certificate.  This weekend we got Turbo a helmet.  A green helmet--just what he wanted.  We had one very happy kid.  And it didn't cost us much to boot.  A win all the way around.

Random Tuesday stuff

Raadom Tuesday, comes every week, a great way to share the random things that run through my head.

• Has anyone seen Pajama Jeans?  Jeans that feel like pajamas?  Umm, jeans should feel like jeans and pajamas should be limited to the bedroom, the two should not meet, except in the closet.  Ohhh, maybe that's where these came from.  Some weird jean/pajama action going on in the dark.  Ewwww!
• So I won the laundry battle this weekend.  The towels are in the dryer.  They may live there until I do the next load of laundry but I consider them done.  They aren't mocking me from the basket so I win.
• Pyrex explodes when it hits the ground.  Sometimes they bounce.  Not last night.  Shatter all over the floor.  Fun to pick up.  We have a very clean floor right now.  At least where the dish broke.
• Long weekends go by way too fast.
• Nick's heel spur is killing him.  I think we are going to have to do something more...invasive to get it to feel better.  He goes to the doctor this week to see.
• I've been having fun adventures in sleep lately.  Insomnia has reared it's ugly head.  I hate waking up in the middle of the night and just lying there knowing I need to go back to sleep and not being able to get there.  I can't even blame Bruiser--he's sleeping pretty good right now.  Even if he's getting his two year molars.  There's only so much Unisom you can take.

Well that covers my random for this week.  Go see Keely for more, she just getting over a head cold, but she's not contagious now, I think.

Not Monday

We all get today off for the holiday.   So today is not Monday for us.  I will think of ll of you who are working today with fondness and revel in the fact that I get to stay home.
I will be finishing laundry, organizing and maybe cooking, after we go run errands.  Yeah, we know how to spend days like these, don't we?
Have a great day and See you all tomorrow.

I'm Confessing....

SO time to get it all off your chest and confess with Glamazon and Mamarazzi.  They have this cute button, grab it and confess all.


I confess:

• I'm getting compulsive about doing my dishes in the morning before I leave for work.  
• It would be better if I did them at night.
• But with all the kid things and after a  full day at work, I just can't muster the motivation.
• Laundry this weekend.  Enough said.
• I get cranky in the evenings.  
• And it makes me snap at the boys. 
• They can be having a perfectly lovely time playing--loudly--and I will just get all tense and then snap.
• I'm trying to get better about this--it's easier when Nick is around to run some interference.
• Nick was gone for three days this week.  He got back last night.
• It's hard to divide your attention between two little boys and the hubby too.
• I may need to run away this weekend and go wander around a book store.  Just for some non-mommy time.
• Cause I got to have drinks with the girls Wednesday night, but we all got together at my house.
• It's just not the same when the kids can still yell for you.

OK, that covers me for this week.  Go confess for yourself and see how much better you feel.

Winter Fun

Before Christmas we went skiing, all of us.  Bruiser rode in the backpack on Nick's back and Turbo and I both skied.  The morning was wonderful.

Bruiser is not really sure he likes snow yet.  But since mom was kneeling down he wanted to sit down too.  He ended up sort of crouching, but he looks so cute in all his cold weather stuff.  Cute in a "I can't put my arms down" kind of way.
We are looking at getting more snow this weekend (I just jinks us, now we won't get a flake) so I foresee more outings like this one.  It's one way to beat the winter blues.

Wednesday Hodgepodge--Think January

1. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to mis-use, over-use or just general uselessness and they receive over 1000 nominations. Here are the fourteen words/phrases they'd like to see banished in 2011-viral, epic, fail, wow factor, a-ha moment, back story, BFF, man up, refudiate, Mama Grizzlies, The American People, facebook/google when used as verbs, I'm just sayin', and Live life to the fullest.

What word or phrase would you like to see banished from our everyday vocabulary in 2011? You can choose one from the 'official list' or you can get creative and come up with your own.  I'd have to choose BFF, LOL, ROFLMAO, and any of the other abbreviations that have become common usage since texting became so common.  I always stumble when reading anything with those abbreviations in it.  Habit from lots of reading--if it's abbreviated then I should be able to put the whole phrase in the sentence and lots of times it just doesn't work. 

2. Do you consider opportunity something that comes to you or something you create for yourself?  A little bit of both, really.  You have to be able to recognize opportunity when it shows up and be able to go after it.

3. Since we're all eating healthy this month, ahem, what's included in your favorite salad? Is there dressing?  I love a good steak salad with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, sirloin steak--medium rare--croutons, and blue cheese dressing, although a good balsamic vinaigrette works too.

4. The fourth Monday in January is said to be Blue Monday...aka the most depressing day of the year. The date was calculated using many factors including weather, debt level, time since Christmas, time since we've failed at our new year resolutions, low motivation and feeling a need to take action. Do you get the blues this time of year and if so what is something you do to lift your spirits?   I do get blue this time of year--getting out with friends helps, getting outside helps and being active--more than just house work-- helps.

5. Do you wear a watch? Any other everyday jewelry essentials?  I am addicted to my watch.  I feel undressed without it.  My hubby does not wear a watch and sometimes it drives me nuts because he does not pay any attention to the time.  I also always have a necklace, earrings and rings on.  They coordinate but not necessarily match.  I used to do that--matching  jewelry and outfit, but I don't have to dress that way any more.

6. What is something useful you learned in high school?  If you put to many girls in the same place, drama will ensue.  And you can never totally get away from the high school dynamics as you get older--the players just get older.

7. Do you use an accountant when completing and filing your income tax returns or do you attempt to muddle through all by yourself?  We go to H & R Block.  That way we have some one to deal with the complicated filing that we have had at times.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  My car hates the cold weather.  Yesterday was the second time it has refused to start when the thermometer has dipped below zero.  It's going to be a long winter.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

 
Tuesday and that means it's time to jump on Keely's bandwagon and random it up. 

• We were putting a table up in the attic--getting it out of the way of the main living area--and while I was up there I was looking in some of the boxes and checking what we had up there.  I happened to look in a bin that was in the play area of the attic--half is play area and half is storage-- and I found a bin of 24 month/2T clothes that I couldn't find last winter when I was looking for a coat for Bruiser that Turbo had worn.  I found these clothes just in time.  If it had stayed in hiding for another six months, nothing would have fit.  As it stands Bruiser is set for the rest of the year.  The only thing he may need are shorts this summer.  I have no idea how that bin got stuck behind the couch we have up there but there it was.  The hand me down clothes are much more organized now.  (I can find all of them now;))
• I found a site that was new to me last week.  It's called GeekMom.  Go check it out, I think it's an interesting take on being a mom.
• I am a temporary single parent.  Nick left early this morning to head north.  Part of me is jealous--he's going to have way too much fun on this trip.  Part of me is happy to see him go so I can miss him.   A very large part of me will be happy to have him back.
• Bruiser has a serious Pacifier habit.  I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to break him of it.  It's a great relationship they have going.
• Nick is the master of finding the strangest movies.  Maybe he is just more adventurous in his movie watching than I am.   Nope.  He just watches weird stuff.
• Turbo found a new book that he loves.  Ook and Gluk: Kung Fu Cavemen of the Future.  He has read a lot of it and really likes it.  I'm just happy he found  book that he likes.  A major achievement for a boy who is not that fond of reading.
• I have really had to fight the urge to hibernate the last few days.  The cold weather just makes me want to stay home under the covers where it is warm.  Or in front of the wood stove.  With warm things to drink and soup, lots of soup.

Well, on that note, I'll say go see Keely for more Random,and have a good Tuesday!

Weekends are for....

What do you say about a weekend that was nothing special?  I did all those householdy things there is never time for during the week, things like dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, and even some baking.  But really the weekend was nothing exciting.
Nick and Turbo went swimming on Saturday while I stayed home and let Bruiser have a nap, than when they got home everyone was lazy and did nothing really.
I did get the tree undecorated, and Nick got the tree broken down and back in a box.  Now we just have to get the Christmas boxes back in the attic.  Baby steps, baby steps.
Sunday, I never went farther from the house than the garage.  I did laundry--Bruiser"s, baked pumpkin bread, did eleventy hundred dishes, and played some video games.  It snowed and got cold so staying in where it was warm was very appealing.  It's still colder than snot outside.  Below zero cold.  This is our second bout with the arctic air and really, I could do without it.

Nick leaves for three days in the field tomorrow.  Poor guy, he has to snowmobile to the top of a mountian to get rock samples.  Must be tough. (He is going to freeze his butt off in the process, but I think the fun factor will more than make up for it.)  Turbo would love to go with him, but with school and the fact that this trip is for work, he gets to stay home and keep mom and Bruiser company instead.
So that was our less than exciting weekend.  Sometimes you just need the chance to decompress.  Although I will say the the weekend went by way too fast.
Now for the weekly cuteness factor:

He is almost two, wow, where is my baby going?

Yes they are in fact sitting on Nick.

Friday Confessions

Time to confess all with Glamazon and Mamarazzi.  I think confessing all is a wonderful way to start the new year.  And we are off:

• I'm really glad that the holidays are over.
• My tree is still up in the living room however.
• I'll get to it this weekend.  
• There are days when I just don't understand boys.
• Too bad I live with three of them.
• I didn't wash towels with the laundry last weekend.  
• They are still mocking from the basket where they sit.
• Find me someone who likes to do laundry and I'll show you  someone who has no life.
• I got to go out with friends Wednesday.   It was awesome!
• I hate the winter blahs.
• I kind of wish it would snow again.  I like it when it snows--especially when I can stay home and watch it snow.

OK, now that everyone thinks I'm nuts for that last confession, I'll go and check out the other confessions.  You should too.  Have a great weekend.

No Resolutions Just Promises?

Last year I tried to make some resolutions.  Yeah, well, they didn't go so well.  The only one I really kept was the blogging one.  So this year I'm going to try something different.  I'm going to make some promises to myself and make a list of things I want to accomplish--most definitely not resolutions.
So for the promises:

• to give myself a break.  Go do something just for me, no one else at least once a week.  Even if it is just a leisurely stroll through the book store, sans kids.  Better if it's an evening out with friends.
• to see the kitchen as a room of possibility, not drudgery.  I need to find the magic of cooking again.  Easy simple things that don't come from a box or bag.
• to start doing more walking, hiking, skiing, camping, garden work--just be outdoors more--weather permitting of course.
• To not be so down on myself so much.  I need to work on the glass half full part not the glass half empty part.

Now for the things I want to accomplish this year.

• Scrapbooking.  I am so far behind.  I need to organize projects and get them done.  No excuses.
• Camping--I want to go camping with my family lots this year.  We have a fabulous new camper and we need to get out there and go enjoy it.
• I want to get to Rocky Mountian National park.  It's less than 2 hours away and I've never been there.  
• I want to read new books.  I have a hard time finding new books, but I need to read more.  It's good for my soul.

I think that is enough for this year.  2011 can bring it on.  I think I can handle it.

Christmas--The Picture Edition

I may have mentioned that Christmas was good to us this year.  Here is the proof.

Bruiser loved his rocking horse.  He knew exactly what to do with it.  Rock 'em Cowboy!  Yee Haa!

Turbo with just about all his loot.  The morning was a jumble of presents, what came form whom got lost in the scads of stuff he got.

Proof I was there too.  Bruiser loved the little people farm stuff he got.  Without any coordination his uncles got him a tractor set and we got him a farmyard set. 

Turbo and I made a gingerbread house that lasted from Christmas Eve day until about 10:00 am Christmas day, when it got broken.  Pretty good for our first attempt.(I will admit, the house was already assembled when we got it.)

Bruiser snuggled with his new Scooby Doo, or BeDoo! as he calls him.

So, as happy as Christmas made us, I'm glad it's over until next year.  I'm looking forward to the next year with great anticipation.  Bring it on 2011!

RTT: New Year, Same Old Thoughts

The first Tuesday of the year is upon us.  I feel like it ran me over.  Anyway time for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  And here we go:

• After a vacation, getting back into a routine can be kind of comforting.  Painful, but comforting.  I'm so not a fan of early mornings.  BUt later mornings lead to later nights and those are no fun with kids.
• This fall we got a programmable thermostat for the furnace.  The stupid thing turned on this morning at 3:30am to start warming our house up.  we have it set to raise the temp at 6:00am.  Two and a half hours to warm the house up five degrees.  I'm not a fan of it it the moment.  Because the stupid thing woke me up and I didn't really get back to sleep.  Therefore I am very tired right now.
• Turbo got the Lego game Creationary.  Kind of like pictionary with Legos.  It's fun but some of the things they have you build are crazy--like a fruit stand, basket shaped and with fruit on top.  We have modified the game so you can answer yes no questions while you are building.  Otherwise some of those things would never be guessed.  But it is fun and you do have to stretch you brain to create and that always a good thing.
• Bruiser has become a parrot.  We really have to watch what we say now.  Of course he still can't say fork clearly.  Turbo giggles every time Bruiser demands a fork.  I sort of snicker too.
• My back is feeling better.  Nana is improving in the hospital.  Nick's heel is showing signs of improvement too--although it's slow going.  Now that we have had our three for this year the rest of it should be great--right?
• Now the focus turns to the end of the month and Bruiser's birthday.  What exactly do you get a two year old who just got spoiled by Christmas?  We are thinking about a balance bike.  For indoor and outdoor use.  Otherwise we got nothing.

Now head on over to see Keely--she' trying to come up with efficient travel plans in case the Zombie's come while she is out of town.  I wish her luck.  Now go forth and be random.

Some Mondays

Well, here we are a new year and all that jazz.  We had an OK New Years--the seafood was great, but the day long feast was interrupted by an unexpected trip to the hospital.
No, none of us got sick--Nick's mom did.  She was diagnosed with gall stones and sent in to have her gall bladder removed.  She is recovering slowly, but since she is Nick's dad's rock, he was pretty shaken by the whole thing.  Nick spent lots of time with him at the hospital both Friday and Saturday.  What a way to ring in the New Year.
We are almost happy to get back into the swing of things--a normal routine, mostly.  Nick is still going easy on his heel--the bone spur he has is still not treating him well.  Turbo is looking forward to going back to school and seeing his teacher--so good to hear coming from a seven year old.  Bruiser is--well Bruiser.  He is talking more and trying to say more every day.

Yesterday as we were coming home from a visit to see Nana in the hospital, Turbo was trying to teach Bruiser to say No, thank you if he didn't want something.  Awfully cute to hear.
I'm still working on pictures of Christmas--maybe Wednesday.  Hope everyone had a great New Year and that 2011 is good to everyone.