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Long Time No Blog!

I apologize to all of my loyal watchers out in blogger land. I can't believe it's almost been a month since I last posted. Life has really gotten away from me. I know this probably won't satisfy your need for an update, but unfortunately this is all the time I have. Here are a few pictures from Halloween and another dance video. Boy to my kids love to groove! (the video is a little choppy because it was taken from my camera phone.)

The Best Pumpkins on the Block!

A few weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch and picked out one for each of us. Last weekend we finally carved them. I had forgotten how much fun (and hard work) it is! We bought a pumpkin carving kit which included picture stencils. We gave Madison a few choices of what she could carve and she settled on the Vampire Cat (or kitty as she would say; makes it a little less scary). We cut the top off and she had a lot of fun pulling out the gunk and seeds. (Of course I had to do most of the scraping.) We taped the stencil on and she actually poked quite a few of the holes need to create the outline.

Her little hand was getting tired so I finished up the stencil and Dad did the actually carving. Here are some pictures of the pumpkins lit up. I did the ghost in the graveyard and Tony did the headless horseman. We got Steven a small pumpkin, which I think he thought was a ball, and Tony wanted his to be carved as well. I don't think those small ones are meant to be carved because they have a very tough rind. Tony's hand was deffinitely cramped by the end of that one. Good times were had by all!

"Spilled Milk"

Hello All,
We all have those moments in our lives that aren't so funny when they happen, but we are able to laugh at them later. A little more rare than that are the times we can laugh while it's happening. This happened to me earlier this week. Steven had pulled his bottle of milk out of the fridge while I had it open so I decided to put him in his swing/highchair to feed him. There wasn't much left in the bottle so I took it, filled it up and gave it back to him. Not more than a minute later I heard a pop and looked over to find milk all down the front of him and in the swing and tray. "Oh crap! Steven!" He started crying I think mostly because he did quite know what happened. I took him out as fast as I could before it could soak all the way through, undressed him down to his onesie and wiped up the swing. While he was still whining, I filled the bottle back up, screwed the lid back on and just to make sure it was secure, pushed the bottom of the bag to let some of the air out. This caused the top to pop off again, this time only spilling about a third of the contents. At this point I decided to give up the bottle idea (after all he is quickly approaching 18 months) and switch the the sippy cup. I filled up the cup with yet more milk and while attempting to screw on the lid, it slipped out of my semi-wet hands, hit the edge of the counter and spilled all over the floor. "Dang it!" This was a little more than Steven could take. Not being properly comforted after the first mishap, he instantly burst into tears. It was at this point, that the phrase "Don't cry over spilled milk" came to my mind. At these times in our lives we have the choice to either laugh or cry and I decided to find the humor in this frustrating situation. Afterall, it was just milk. My only regret is that I didn't take a picture.

Dancing Darlings!

I couldn't just give you another scrapbook, so here is a video of my two goofy kids. While waiting for dad to get home from work, and finding nothing on the T.V., I decided to put on some music and do a little dancing. After a few songs, Madison wanted to get into her princess dress so I got out the camera. It's a little dark, but you can still see the moves. Notice Steven's shoulder-shrug. He's so stinkin' cute! Aaahhhh!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Here are the pictures from the zoo. By the way, this is the closest I've been to scrapbooking in a long time! Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Mom's Visit

I know it's been a week since Mom and Greg visited, but it seems the only time I am able to blog is on Saturday while the kids are napping. So, they were here for a week long vacation to visit us, tour Chicago and see Nauvoo. On Saturday we went to the Brookfield Zoo. It was a nice day, not too hot with a good breeze. The highlights of the day were the dolphin show and the monkey house. On Sunday we went to church and then BBQ'd after. Monday and Tuesday, Mom and Greg went to Nauvoo. They stayed in a bed and breakfast and really enjoyed it. Then Wednesday and Thursday they rode the train into Chicago to see the sights. This is really the only way to go to Chicago since traffic is horrible and parking is outrageous! By Friday Greg was pooped so he let Mom and me go by ourselves. Thanks Greg! By this time, Mom was a pro at riding the train; which I was greatful for since this was my first time. We got into Chicago around 10am and headed for the Sears Tower. Since Mom had the three day "Go Chicago" card we were able to go up for free. Yeah! We went up 103 floors in less than 2 minutes. Boy was that fast! It was cool to see the view; everything looks so different from up there. After that we went the "Corner Bakery" and had lunch. YUM! Then we walked to Navy Pier. This was a mile long walk but it saved time from going on the trolley which would have taken us on a long detour. Plus we got to check out all the cool buildings along Michigan Avenue. (No, we did not go shopping, Sorry!) When we got to Navy Pier we decided to take a boat ride on the Chicago river. This was cool because there is a lot you don't see from the road. We also learned quite a bit of the history of Chicago. After that we had our Go Cards scanned and got free passes to go on the big swings and the ferris wheel.
Here's Mom's arm. I was kind of hard to take pictures while we were flying around and since the top, where the swings were attached, was tilted it made us fly up and out instead of just around in a circle.








Here is a better picture of the Chicago skyline from the swings.





After the swings we went on the ferris wheel. Man is this thing huge! It never stops. Pleople just get on and off as it's moving slowly. This helps the line move quickly and keeps you from getting bored while you're on it.














We decided to go on the ferris wheel a second time and boy are we glad we did. The Chicago Air Show was also going on and although the actual show was a few miles north of us we were still able to see a lot of the stunts. While we were on the ferris wheel, four Blue Angels flew right past us in formation. It was way too fast to take a picture, but imagine the planes in the next picture flying close enough to you that you could read the letters on the side. Yikes! It was really cool! And really loud!









After all the excitement we walked down the pier to see the stained glass window collection they have on display. They were very pretty. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to show you. Next we walked back up the pier and stopped to have dinner at Buba Gump's Shrimp Co. I don't eat seafood but I had a very yummy chicken sandwich and Mom was able to buy a souvenier t-shirt. By this time we needed to catch the trolley and head back to the train station. It was a very fun day! You know, it's funny, but when you live somewhere it's hard to find the time to see all the tourist stuff like you do when you're on vacation. Thanks Mom for letting me tag along and giving me an excuse to see the city!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Come out, come out where ever you are! Enjoy a walk down memory lane with me!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Six Flags Chicago

Another fun thing we did while Tony's parents were here is we went to Six Flags. It was hot and crowded but we still had fun. Madison was so excited to go. She had been on little kiddy rides before and never really seemed like she was having fun, but this time she was all smiles. I only have a few pictures to show since most of them were taken with Grandpa's camera, but I will get copies soon.

Steven stayed in his stroller most of the time. He really wanted to practice his walking but with so many people he was bound to get stepped on.

He was even able to sleep for a couple hours.

Madison loved the carousel. Ride 'em cowgirl!

Grandma, Grandpa and Madison with Sylvester.

And the best picture of all! You'll have to click on it to get a better look at Madison's face. She loved the log ride until the very end. Now if you ask her she will tell you she didn't like it at all. "I was really scared!" she said.

A very fun day for everyone! Thanks Grandpa!

Family BBQ

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Tony's parents were in town last week. On Sunday we had a BBQ at our house and invited Tony's family who live in the area as well. We set up croquet and badmitten along with chairs on the deck to just sit and enjoy the weather and company. We were blessed with beautiful weather; not to hot and no rain!

Here is Steven, chillin' and eating a cracker.

Madison striking a pose!

The boys playing a little croquet. (Tony won!)

Madison had to take a picture of me. Every once in a while I get in front of the camera.

Tony's friend RJ. (Huh?!)

Madison, Steven and Uncle Mike; playing with the birdies.

Here Dad, put the hat on. (Madison calls it the "Eagle Hat")

Ok, Mom will wear it.

And Madison.

And Steven. (Mmm, was that spaghetti good?!)

Lots of family fun for all!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Boredom

What do you do when your bored? Eat, read, watch TV, .... or blog! I am at work and the boss is gone and did not leave me a much needed project. So, I decided I would change by background; isn't it cute?! I still don't have the pictures from Madison's trip. Argh! I will hopefully get them tonight and try to post them tomorrow. Also, Tony's parents and grandmother are coming into town on Saturday. They are staying for 5 days and I think we are going to the zoo and Six Flags. Not sure what else we are doing, but I am hoping this will cure my boredom. The combination of this and the fact that Tony is in one of his spring cleaning moods, we will be cleaning out our house of all unneeded crap. Sounds like fun! (this is sarcasm; I really don't enjoy this, especially with two kids under my feet) Wish me luck! The good thing about this is that I will get my bottom kitchen cabinets back, and Steven won't be able to pull everything out or get in. They have been off for a month or more trying to get painted.
Okay, enough complaining. More fun stuff to come. See you soon.

Stomach Flu Update

I have had a few people ask me about Madison's status. I am happy to inform you that she does not have the stomach flu. Her symptoms were really weird, because she would be fine for a day and then the next night complain that her stomach hurt. Sometimes she would throw up and sometimes not. Well, she had planned to visit her cousin Ethan up in Minnesota (leaving Saturday July, 12th) and the night before she threw up her dinner again. So Saturday morning I called the doctor and they told me to bring her in. I am so grateful they are open on Saturday because I knew I couldn't send her on a week long trip in her condition. So the doctor checked her urine and said everything was fine there. Whew! But, then he proceeded to tell me that he thinks she has acid reflux. What?! Isn't that supposed to only effect adults? Well I guess not. He gave her some medicine to take for the next two weeks to see if it goes away. If it doesn't she will have to go back for an ultrasound to check her stomach and intestines. I am certain that the medicine will do the trick and so, much to the relief of Madison, she was able to go on the trip. She went with Aunt Shirley and cousin Stephanie and will be spending the whole week with her little cousin Ethan. Although she has never been away from home before, Madison is pretty independent and I am sure she will be fine. As for me, I am enjoying the time I can spend with Steven, but I am sure I will want her back soon.

The 4th of July

We spent the 4th of July at Aunt Shirley and Uncle Mike's house along with all the neighbors. Every year the surrounding neighbors go to Indiana (fireworks are illegal in Illinois... I'm talking the only things that are technically legal are snakes and smoke bombs. LAME!) and buy thousands of dollars worth of fireworks. We only saw one cop the whole night and he didn't do anything. I guess they only stop you if someone complains. Luckily we didn't have any scrooges around us. We got there around 4pm and started grilling around 6:30pm. Just as a side note for those of you not from around here, the Midwest must hold stock in grills. I don't know a single person who does not own one and use it on a regular basis. (Yes, even in the winter. They're crazy!)

Steven trying his first piece of watermelon.

Madison loves it too! (they are my little fruit bats)

Independence day gear.


Notice Steven's curling iron burn is healing nicely. Looks like he won't have proof of his war wound for long.

Getting sunblock to go outside.

(he's only smiling because I haven't started rubbing it in yet.)

Hanging out on the front porch.

(Uncle Mike middle, Tony back left, Cousin Stephanie right)

Got her in mid-kick. You go girl!

Daddies are always good for a little tickle torture.

My turn!

Taking a ride in the tractor trailer. (also a Midwest thing)

Madison left, Nicky right

Steven left, JJ right

Steven with Donna. (babysitter, aka mommy #2)

Madison was not feeling well. (literally 20 seconds after I took this picture she threw up all over herself and the blanket. Yuck!)

10:30pm, poor little guy is pooped. If not for all the excitement of the fireworks he probably would have been asleep by now. He loved the fireworks and would laugh and clap for every one.

Poor Madison fell asleep about 9pm. She had a hard time really enjoying herself.

All in all it was a good day and with all the neighborhood fireworks we didn't even miss seeing the city ones. I hope you all enjoyed your Independence Day! God bless America!