Yep, that's right a Goof Mounder...that's Drew's new word for goof ball. And now we've added knuckle head and pretzel head to the mix. Don't ask me where he gets them, but it's pretty funny to hear what he comes up with. We had a nice, warm Saturday and finally got out and cleaned the windows, now I just need to get the inside of the windows done and maybe we can see out! :) Drew had a blast playing in the hose and making mud in the yard. Mike bought him his own kid sized wheelbarrow so he can help when we get the mulch. And yes, this is why we had to build a shed, everyone having their own tools. Speaking of, I got quite a bit of stuff organized in the garage too, so I was excited about that progress.
Scott took Drew and my little bro, Bill, Saturday night and we picked them up late Sunday a.m. We drove up to Howell to meet up with Julie and did a little shopping while we were there. It got pretty chilly, but on the way home we stopped at the Botanical Gardens and picked up a couple rain barrels. Unfortunately, we didn't get them hooked up cuz today it's raining like mad! Drew was so pooped by the time we got home he just wanted to lay down and watch SpongeBob. He fell asleep around 4:30 and Mike woke him up around 5:30 cuz we didn't want him up all night. He was a bit testy and not really sure he wanted to be up. Just before he fell asleep he was yelling at me from the bedroom. "MOM, I'M HUNGRY!!!! It started out normal toned but ended up at the top of his lungs as I was ignoring his screams. Finally, he hit meltdown mode and started crying as he was yelling about how hungry he was. I told him next time, come find me, I'm not going to deal, but I also understood the child was at a breaking point and I better get him a snack before we were to the point of no return.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Welcome to the world, Troy B!
At least he should be here by now. Our friend Jen went in for her c-section this morning around 5 - yuck! But yay, cuz she should have a beautiful little man in her arms! Welcome to the crew little man!
On top of that, it's a beautiful sunny day, and 99.9% of the snow is gone from the 5+ inches we got on Monday...yes, Monday, as in the 6th of April - urgh! And with the snow came a power outage - but we finally got to use our generator and back fed electrical, so 5 minutes after we woke up to a cold house the heat, and rest of the power, were restored...woohoo!!!! It felt good to finally put to use all the precautions we thought we'd need 3 years ago. So Monday was a stay at home day. Then Tuesday I woke up to find I finally got the cold that Mike, dad and Drew had been fighting off for the last several days...boooo! So I worked for about two hours and went home and crashed. Yesterday I caved and took some nighttime cold meds and felt much, much better. It didn't really make me sleep all that well, but took away the aches and sore throat, which was just fine with me.
Again, I sit here and try to figure out where the last two weeks have gone. I guess we've been outside quite a bit. In one weeks time dad built Drew's play structure and with some help from Mike, our new HUGE 8 x 12 ft shed. It's awesome! Three wide, deep shelfs L across leaving us room for anything else in the blank corner. We still don't have it filled up and everything extra (except the stuff I need to donate) is out of the garage. On Saturday we worked on tearing down the wall between the backroom and the garage so we can actually park Mike's truck in the garage...say it with me now...HALLELUJAH! We still have yet to get up in the attic to figure out what could come down, but we've also added several sheets of plywood to the attic so we've got more storage up there too. Love it!!!! I feel a weeeeee bit like Martha Stewart...things are getting their own spots!
Tomorrow Drew is off and I'm looking at working 1/2 day and hangin' with the little man...not quite sure what we'll do. On Saturday, Domino's Farm has a huge Easter Egg Hunt, so I think we're going to try to hit that if the weather holds out. Speaking of, Drew found two big, fake egg decorations in the garage and we've been using those to practice our hunting. It's funny, he's added himself to the hunt by yelling, "Mom, I'm an egg too, OK?" lol, the things he says.
Honestly, he was being a little stinker a couple weeks ago. Little attitude, little talking back, little not listening - more than the absent minded "I'm watching SpongeBob" 4 year old boy not listening. And just about to the wall, I finally realized I needed to pull out the 'step away from the problem arsonal'...duh! Really, I haven't had to use it lately, but after telling Drew 4 times, not to spray the hose near mom, I finally said, "if I have to tell you again, you'll be putting it down for 2 minutes." It did, and then he did. After two minutes he asked me if he could play with the hose again, which I said no to because he asked...waited about 30 more seconds and told him he could with the understanding that it would not happen again and if it did, the hose would be gone for the day. Guess what? Yep, it didn't happen again. He's happy, I'm happy. or is it I'm happy, he's happy!? Both I guess. So back on to remembering that my great little 4 year old isn't perfect, and that boundries work so much better than saying the same thing 4 times and getting frustrated to no avail.
I have to say we've been pretty impressed with grandpa too. He's seeing that doing something for Drew quickly isn't as important as letting him do it for himself even if it takes 10X longer. And that as cute as he is, especially with some of the expressions he makes, doesn't mean that he should get away with something, even if it's as simple as needing to put on a sweatshirt if it's 50 degrees.
Guess that's all for now...Happy Easter weekend!
On top of that, it's a beautiful sunny day, and 99.9% of the snow is gone from the 5+ inches we got on Monday...yes, Monday, as in the 6th of April - urgh! And with the snow came a power outage - but we finally got to use our generator and back fed electrical, so 5 minutes after we woke up to a cold house the heat, and rest of the power, were restored...woohoo!!!! It felt good to finally put to use all the precautions we thought we'd need 3 years ago. So Monday was a stay at home day. Then Tuesday I woke up to find I finally got the cold that Mike, dad and Drew had been fighting off for the last several days...boooo! So I worked for about two hours and went home and crashed. Yesterday I caved and took some nighttime cold meds and felt much, much better. It didn't really make me sleep all that well, but took away the aches and sore throat, which was just fine with me.
Again, I sit here and try to figure out where the last two weeks have gone. I guess we've been outside quite a bit. In one weeks time dad built Drew's play structure and with some help from Mike, our new HUGE 8 x 12 ft shed. It's awesome! Three wide, deep shelfs L across leaving us room for anything else in the blank corner. We still don't have it filled up and everything extra (except the stuff I need to donate) is out of the garage. On Saturday we worked on tearing down the wall between the backroom and the garage so we can actually park Mike's truck in the garage...say it with me now...HALLELUJAH! We still have yet to get up in the attic to figure out what could come down, but we've also added several sheets of plywood to the attic so we've got more storage up there too. Love it!!!! I feel a weeeeee bit like Martha Stewart...things are getting their own spots!
Tomorrow Drew is off and I'm looking at working 1/2 day and hangin' with the little man...not quite sure what we'll do. On Saturday, Domino's Farm has a huge Easter Egg Hunt, so I think we're going to try to hit that if the weather holds out. Speaking of, Drew found two big, fake egg decorations in the garage and we've been using those to practice our hunting. It's funny, he's added himself to the hunt by yelling, "Mom, I'm an egg too, OK?" lol, the things he says.
Honestly, he was being a little stinker a couple weeks ago. Little attitude, little talking back, little not listening - more than the absent minded "I'm watching SpongeBob" 4 year old boy not listening. And just about to the wall, I finally realized I needed to pull out the 'step away from the problem arsonal'...duh! Really, I haven't had to use it lately, but after telling Drew 4 times, not to spray the hose near mom, I finally said, "if I have to tell you again, you'll be putting it down for 2 minutes." It did, and then he did. After two minutes he asked me if he could play with the hose again, which I said no to because he asked...waited about 30 more seconds and told him he could with the understanding that it would not happen again and if it did, the hose would be gone for the day. Guess what? Yep, it didn't happen again. He's happy, I'm happy. or is it I'm happy, he's happy!? Both I guess. So back on to remembering that my great little 4 year old isn't perfect, and that boundries work so much better than saying the same thing 4 times and getting frustrated to no avail.
I have to say we've been pretty impressed with grandpa too. He's seeing that doing something for Drew quickly isn't as important as letting him do it for himself even if it takes 10X longer. And that as cute as he is, especially with some of the expressions he makes, doesn't mean that he should get away with something, even if it's as simple as needing to put on a sweatshirt if it's 50 degrees.
Guess that's all for now...Happy Easter weekend!
Friday, March 27, 2009
I don't think this day could go any slower!
First of all - TGIF! The sun is shining and it's going to be in the high 50s - woohoo! I guess that's why today is seeming to take FOREVER! I woke up early this morning, before the alarm even, and felt good about the day. That is, until I was almost to work and realized the sun was out and it was fairly warm, then it set in, I'm stuck at work all day. Which really isn't entirely true. As soon as my boss comes back from watching some EMU softball, I should be out of here. Which I'm guessing will be in the next hour. Until then, I just keep watching the clock.
So what's new...hmmmmm. We finally put together the air hockey table (OK, actually my dad did) but it's because we finally made some more room in the garage. So now everyday Drew wants to play, which wouldn't be bad except it's a bit chilly out there and I'm kinda just ready to be inside where it's warm. Last Saturday we asked Drew if he wanted to go out to dinner. He said yes but then quickly did an about face and said he would rather stay at home with Grandpa and drill stuff. They were working on using a drill and cordless screwdriver and putting screws and holes in an empty box. We were shocked it opted to stay home and reminded Grandpa it was a pretty big honor cuz he always is up for going to dinner.
Speaking of Grandpa - he cracks me up. Last weekend we bought a new grill as ours would require more money in parts (after only 4 yrs) than just replacing the whole thing. So all three guys went to Sears and picked up a new one. My dad looked at the box as it sat in the driveway and said, "I didn't know KMart sold Kenmore". I said, "dad, Sears and Kmart are the same company now, have been for several years!" I was amazed. Likewise of all our new-fangled technology like the DVR, laptop, cell phone, caller-id, voicemail...yep, all those "new" technologies are mind blowing. A couple weeks ago I was blogging and he looked at me in amazement, and said, "well, I could have never typed that fast" and I said, "well you know this isn't a typewriter, we can push delete." Luckily, he and Drew have a great time after school playing outside. It's been a bit chilly but it doesn't stop them. They practice fishing, play hide 'n seek, trim the trees, and have a great time just being outside. Their latest project, which Drew doesn't know about yet, is building an elevated playhouse. Drew really wants a treehouse but we don't have any trees quite ready for a house, so now they can build the next best thing.
So what's new...hmmmmm. We finally put together the air hockey table (OK, actually my dad did) but it's because we finally made some more room in the garage. So now everyday Drew wants to play, which wouldn't be bad except it's a bit chilly out there and I'm kinda just ready to be inside where it's warm. Last Saturday we asked Drew if he wanted to go out to dinner. He said yes but then quickly did an about face and said he would rather stay at home with Grandpa and drill stuff. They were working on using a drill and cordless screwdriver and putting screws and holes in an empty box. We were shocked it opted to stay home and reminded Grandpa it was a pretty big honor cuz he always is up for going to dinner.
Speaking of Grandpa - he cracks me up. Last weekend we bought a new grill as ours would require more money in parts (after only 4 yrs) than just replacing the whole thing. So all three guys went to Sears and picked up a new one. My dad looked at the box as it sat in the driveway and said, "I didn't know KMart sold Kenmore". I said, "dad, Sears and Kmart are the same company now, have been for several years!" I was amazed. Likewise of all our new-fangled technology like the DVR, laptop, cell phone, caller-id, voicemail...yep, all those "new" technologies are mind blowing. A couple weeks ago I was blogging and he looked at me in amazement, and said, "well, I could have never typed that fast" and I said, "well you know this isn't a typewriter, we can push delete." Luckily, he and Drew have a great time after school playing outside. It's been a bit chilly but it doesn't stop them. They practice fishing, play hide 'n seek, trim the trees, and have a great time just being outside. Their latest project, which Drew doesn't know about yet, is building an elevated playhouse. Drew really wants a treehouse but we don't have any trees quite ready for a house, so now they can build the next best thing.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
ok, it's not just me
So, first of all, we are midway through March and I'm not really sure where the time has gone. I've noticed this seems to be a theme with other friends and family blogs I keep up with. I've been bummed that I haven't seen much activity on their blogs but understand since it's the same with mine.
We had a great, sunny, warm day today and spent it outside taking down a few trees, cleaning up some of the fall leaves that got stuck in the flower beds and putting together a new grill. Our grill, which is only 4 yrs old, is rusting out so we had to breakdown and buy a new one. Fun, fun. Drew got his Jeep out and drove around the yard. He drove over to his babysitter, Julie's house, and asked her to come over and babysit today. So a few minutes later she showed up and asked us when. Let me just say - meltdown city! He was crushed that she couldn't babysit today, but we worked thru it.
What else, oh, Drew will be starting a new school in two weeks. We took him to the new place on Friday and he didn't want to leave...good sign and great feeling. He makes it sooo easy some times. Most times really - unless Julie can't come over and babysit!
Can't really think of much else - probably because I'm really tired after working outside all day, and not looking forward to heading back to work.
We had a great, sunny, warm day today and spent it outside taking down a few trees, cleaning up some of the fall leaves that got stuck in the flower beds and putting together a new grill. Our grill, which is only 4 yrs old, is rusting out so we had to breakdown and buy a new one. Fun, fun. Drew got his Jeep out and drove around the yard. He drove over to his babysitter, Julie's house, and asked her to come over and babysit today. So a few minutes later she showed up and asked us when. Let me just say - meltdown city! He was crushed that she couldn't babysit today, but we worked thru it.
What else, oh, Drew will be starting a new school in two weeks. We took him to the new place on Friday and he didn't want to leave...good sign and great feeling. He makes it sooo easy some times. Most times really - unless Julie can't come over and babysit!
Can't really think of much else - probably because I'm really tired after working outside all day, and not looking forward to heading back to work.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Back from vacation and still tired
Well we've been back from vacation a week and I'm already tired. Mike's been gone this week and now Drew's got a buddy over for some play time. I'm so ready for Saturday. I'm not really sure why I'm blogging today. I feel like I want to fill in all the blanks on what's been happening but I'm so whipped I can't think of anything that's happened.
Let's see...Drew's daycare is down to 5 kids. 3 are preschoolers, of which 2 will be leaving in Sept for kindergarden. That leaves Drew. We've really enjoyed the school but I'm not sure how long they can keep this up and Drew is getting bored with the lack of kids and told me today he'd rather stay home with Julie than go to school...not a good sign! So, I checked in to a couple other schools today and they are more expensive but I heard a lot of kids in the background so that's a good sign.
Drew went to his 4 yr well visit. 4 shots later, he wasn't real thrilled with me!
Let's see...Drew's daycare is down to 5 kids. 3 are preschoolers, of which 2 will be leaving in Sept for kindergarden. That leaves Drew. We've really enjoyed the school but I'm not sure how long they can keep this up and Drew is getting bored with the lack of kids and told me today he'd rather stay home with Julie than go to school...not a good sign! So, I checked in to a couple other schools today and they are more expensive but I heard a lot of kids in the background so that's a good sign.
Drew went to his 4 yr well visit. 4 shots later, he wasn't real thrilled with me!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
California
I can't believe we are on our last day of vacation. Most times we are on vacation, I'm ready to leave on the last day. Not this time. I was just reading the forecast for Michigan and it sucks! We've been really lucky with weather here. It's been sunny and low 70s all week, with the exception of a rainy morning yesterday. Disneyland was AWESOME - coming from Drew himself. He rode just about everything with the exception of Space Mountain cuz we rain out of time and energy. We got to Disney at 7:30 and found out we could check in to the room then, so we got all that taken care of by just before 9 and headed toward the park. There were some crazy lines to get in to the park but once we were in it was smooth sailing. We jumped on the Buzz Lightyear ride first...loved it! Then on to Autopia, It's a Small World and some of the smaller rides. The first big ride we hit was the Big Thunder Railroad, Drew came off screaming and jumping around...THAT WAS AWESOME!!! And that was the beginning of some proud papa moments with Mike. We did the Matterhorn, same result. We didn't get on Splash Mountain either, a bit too cold in the early evening to get soaked.
The next day we went to Build a Bear where grandma and grandpa bought Drew a bear, and headed to San Diego. Not too much traffic. Easy check in. Then headed off to the bay for lunch and some site seeing. Mike & I got to go out for some drinks and Drew stayed with Grandma & Grandpa. Saturday we headed down to the San Diego Zoo. Not at all what I remembered (from 24 yrs ago), I don't know why! The best part was a bus tour around the park. It was the first trip of the day and all the animals were awake and moving around. And since we didn't get to all the exhibits it was good to get a peak at everything. We took the gondola from the polar bears (at the top of the park) down to the bottom. The panda bears were playing around but the polar bears were sleeping on the rocks. Drew loved the gondola, although I have to say, it took my breath away a bit. It was the highest one I had ever been on. You could see over the mountain and down to the Pacific. Incredible views.
On Sunday we headed back north to California Adventures. The other side of Disneyland. It was packed but we got on the rides quickly again. We took Drew on the Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror, and may have hit our limit on the adrenaline junkie. It goes straight up and down several times and literally takes your breath away. We were all a bit in shock after that ride. Then over to Soaring over California which is just an incredible ride. It really feels like you are flying over some of the best sites in California. We all LOVED it! After several hours, we had all had enough of lines and walking and headed back to LA.
Yesterday we took it easy and stayed close to home and today we are headed to Santa Monica as it's our last day here. Have to get Drew on the beach at least once while we are here. Tomorrow our flight leaves at 8:30, so we'll be getting up at the crack of dawn. I think it's going to be a struggle getting back to Eastern Time.
The next day we went to Build a Bear where grandma and grandpa bought Drew a bear, and headed to San Diego. Not too much traffic. Easy check in. Then headed off to the bay for lunch and some site seeing. Mike & I got to go out for some drinks and Drew stayed with Grandma & Grandpa. Saturday we headed down to the San Diego Zoo. Not at all what I remembered (from 24 yrs ago), I don't know why! The best part was a bus tour around the park. It was the first trip of the day and all the animals were awake and moving around. And since we didn't get to all the exhibits it was good to get a peak at everything. We took the gondola from the polar bears (at the top of the park) down to the bottom. The panda bears were playing around but the polar bears were sleeping on the rocks. Drew loved the gondola, although I have to say, it took my breath away a bit. It was the highest one I had ever been on. You could see over the mountain and down to the Pacific. Incredible views.
On Sunday we headed back north to California Adventures. The other side of Disneyland. It was packed but we got on the rides quickly again. We took Drew on the Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror, and may have hit our limit on the adrenaline junkie. It goes straight up and down several times and literally takes your breath away. We were all a bit in shock after that ride. Then over to Soaring over California which is just an incredible ride. It really feels like you are flying over some of the best sites in California. We all LOVED it! After several hours, we had all had enough of lines and walking and headed back to LA.
Yesterday we took it easy and stayed close to home and today we are headed to Santa Monica as it's our last day here. Have to get Drew on the beach at least once while we are here. Tomorrow our flight leaves at 8:30, so we'll be getting up at the crack of dawn. I think it's going to be a struggle getting back to Eastern Time.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
It's been a crazy month
Well let's see...I've tried to start a post several times in the last month. January 11th my dad showed up and has been here on and off since. More off really. He's going up to a small town north of here to see friends on the weekends, so it's been a good mix of having an extra person around but also having some space. Mike was in Ohio for a couple days and is now working nights this week so he's been kinda whipped. Drew stayed at Uncle Scott's house last weekend and they went to see Hotel for Dogs, went to Chuck E Cheese and also hit McDonalds. As you can guess, Drew didn't have a bit of fun.
Big things for Drew lately...He'll be four in two weeks and has informed me he is having 4 birthdays. One at home, one at school and two at Disney. I asked for some clarification and he said, one in California and one On Ice. Ahhh....Scott is taking Drew to Disney on Ice when we get back from California as a wonderful birthday present. Great for us too, as he doesn't need anymore toys.
Speaking of California, we leave in two weeks and one day...YES!!! I'm so ready for warm weather and a nice break from the realities of normal life. Talked to my mom today about all our plans for the week we'll be there. We're spending one night at the Disneyland Hotel and I think Drew is just going to be so excited. Then two days in San Diego and one day at the San Diego Zoo before heading back to LA. A few days of doing some of the normal stops - Santa Monica, Hollywood, etc and that will wrap it up. Now of course, Drew is asking me if he can spell words on my laptop so I'm off blogging to let him make up words. Happy Tuesday!!!
Big things for Drew lately...He'll be four in two weeks and has informed me he is having 4 birthdays. One at home, one at school and two at Disney. I asked for some clarification and he said, one in California and one On Ice. Ahhh....Scott is taking Drew to Disney on Ice when we get back from California as a wonderful birthday present. Great for us too, as he doesn't need anymore toys.
Speaking of California, we leave in two weeks and one day...YES!!! I'm so ready for warm weather and a nice break from the realities of normal life. Talked to my mom today about all our plans for the week we'll be there. We're spending one night at the Disneyland Hotel and I think Drew is just going to be so excited. Then two days in San Diego and one day at the San Diego Zoo before heading back to LA. A few days of doing some of the normal stops - Santa Monica, Hollywood, etc and that will wrap it up. Now of course, Drew is asking me if he can spell words on my laptop so I'm off blogging to let him make up words. Happy Tuesday!!!
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