An Open Invitation

Our State Fair is the BEST State Fair and you are invited to stay at my house to spend a day (or two or three!) at the Minnesota State Fair eating everything you can. Phew!



Bucket-o-Cookies. Let me tell you, these are so good, so soft, so right out of the oven warm! We have to get some every time. Ok, once you get this, head over to the all-you-can-drink milk (and chocolate!) for $1!

(yes my once 3-month-old needed a wardrobe change.)

Ok, after you've chugged so much milk you wanna puke (because it's hot out). Take a seat...if you can find one.



After resting for a moment, wander around and see if you can spot some interesting people.



Ready for some more food? How about some cheese curds? A staple at the Fair.



Don't like cheese curds? How about a Quesadilla?



Still not your thing? Hmm, ok. Oh! Food on a stick! How about tator tots on a stick?


Or Fried Mac and Cheese on a stick?



Looking for something unusual? The Minnesota State Fair doesn't disappoint! Chocolate covered bacon!

(Not another wardrobe change, we went for a second day!)

For reals, we love the State Fair! Discount tickets are now on sale so if you wanna come up, make your plans! August 26th through Labor Day. Great food, great music, great people watching. So who's in?

Bye Bye Baby

He totally says "bye bye" and wanders off. He's a busy boy these days.

I know you have an answer

I wanna know; what are your favorite songs/albums for a road trip?

Mine are (while Justin let's me play them, I'm not sure they are HIS favorite):

Styx Greatest Hits - I'd never heard of Styx until the movie Big Daddy. The movie was dumb and the line about Styx being be "greatest band of all time" is pretty far off, but I still like the album. It's good car-driving music.

Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits - But ONLY the first cd. NOT the second one. Oh, lord is that one bad. We like to listen to his good stuff. You know, before the 1990's.

Muse!

Anything Weird Al. It's just fun to listen to!

Of course, if I'm in my car, I've got satellite radio so I can listen to anything.

Ok, what are your favorite road trip tunes?

13 Months

(Swimsuit edition!)
I know you're considered a toddler now, but you don't walk - yet - and you're still a baby to me...so, preshus baybee.

Baby Jules, you are hilarious! You can push a car around the kitchen all night, if we let you, crawling through the chairs like an obstacle course. You love to give kisses to any plush toy (and mom and dad) including Scully's toys. You crawl as fast as possible when you want to get away from us. Your new thing is to crawl up on our bed and somehow, you can get down without too much damage.



You and Scully are ok with each other. She plays with your toys, you play with hers. You learned to keep your distance from her while she's eating. But she loves to hang around the highchair when you're eating. You reach your hands down to let her lick your hands. Gross, but it's funny.



Daddy plays "the game" with you where he stands you up and lets go for a second or so. You stand, giggle and fall down. A few times you even took a couple steps towards him. Shocked, you laughed! You have a great laugh. It used to be just a "GEEEE - breath - GEEEEE" but now it's a full belly laugh.

We signed you up for swim lessons. Oh man, were you unhappy for the first 10 minutes but once you got used to the water, you LOVED it! Good thing it's two days a week or else you'd freak out every time.

No more baby food for you! You are a little picky right now, mostly because you wanna play, not eat. But you do eat almost everything we put in front of you. You drink whole milk and are finishing off the last of the frozen breastmilk.



We launched fireworks at Uncle Jake's house for the 4th but you HATED it. So, instead of giving up, we took you to St. Paul's show and you didn't cry at all! Maybe you hated the homegrown show, who knows.



You and dad still hang out during the day. Bike rides to the store or library, sometimes a trip downtown for lunch with me, and much needed naps so dad can get some work done. He really loves being home with you.

You jabber all the time and clearly say "doggie", you have used the sign for "more" and you know the sign for "bath" (which you LOVE to see).


We love you baby Jules!

Goodbye Sillycar

I'm almost there. Just buy me a mac and I'll be the smug douche-bag everyone hates. (Except the people who are ALREADY 100% smug. They just don't know it because they are...smug.)

I bought a hybrid SUV (new-to-me. See, I'm not smug, I bought used!). It gets a little less mpg's than the sillycar did, but I did gain a lot of room. Enough for baby Jules' new car seat to still be rear-facing even when Justin drives. Enough to haul fireworks (that may or may not be illegal in Minnesota), the pack 'n play, beach bag, cooler and chairs to the 4th of July party.

Big enough for teh pimp stroller AND a new bathroom cabinet at the same time!

Justin doesn't want to admit it, but he likes it. I'll admit I love it.

I Appreciate What You're Saying... But

I am, by no means, super attractive (please don't tell me otherwise, I'm ok with the way I look - not that I expect anyone to object to that.). Just an average girl trying to do what she can with the face and body given to her. I like to keep things simple with hair and makeup. Clothes and shoes are also simple. I don't over do it and I feel weird when I do.

So when someone in the skyway says to me, in passing, "Hey sexy!" I immediately look around to see who he's talking to. Because, clearly, he can't be talking to me. But then he says, "Oh, I see that big rock on your finger." And I still look around for this sexy chick with a huge rock on her finger. (btw, my ring isn't huge. It's just that my hand and fingers are really small so the ring looks REALLY BIG.) (And, apparently, he was talking to me. There wasn't anyone else around.)

This all happened while I was walking to lunch. I didn't say anything mostly because I didn't believe it. I mean, really, when someone says something to you in passing, you might think, "were they talking to me?" And by the time you realize they may have been talking to you, you've walked away. What would you say to that person anyway? Thanks?

Flattered, I was also somewhat grossed out. Since when did the skyway become a club for picking up chicks? Thanks for the compliment (and I'm sure my husband thanks you too), but no thanks.

(Totally unrelated, but super exciting: I was asked to audition for some voice-over work at tpt and they liked my voice for kids spots! (hahahaha, guess I've got a "kids" voice.) So Minnesota friends, stay tuned because Clifford's coming up on tpt kids!)

12 Months

We celebrated Jules' 1st birthday with lots of cupcakes.



Lots of splashing (on a very cloudy day).



And lots of baby friends (one of like 5 babies at the party). Jules learned quickly to share his toys.




A smash cake that he didn't really smash at all.

At 12 months, it's hard to get a photo of you with Scully.

She thinks you are TOO crazy for her and she stays away. Unless you are casually throwing food to the floor.



Along with all the fun things you do I listed last month, you also:
- Walk along the couch
- Are a pro at getting up and down super fast
- Clearly say "doggie"
- Know when you're naughty
- Like balls and anything you can roll on the ground to chase
- Love bike rides with dad
- Love it when people say "hi". You get shy and coy but with smiles. You LOVE the attention.
- Laugh so hard when Scully comes in your room.
- Still fake cry but it usually starts with a smile and ends with a smile. (you're really a tease)
- Eat pretty much everything we eat



While you still only have two bottom teeth, that third one still hasn't progressed. But, you have two top teeth coming in and one broke through on your birthday.



You really don't have much baby chub anymore. You've thinned out a lot so we'll see how much you weigh and your height at your one year appointment later this week.


(No babies were hurt falling off the couch.)

You're a kisser. When I get you in the morning or afternoon nap, you greet me with a kiss. And when we ask for one, you eagerly pucker up or go for broke with a wide open mouth - tongue and all. I didn't teach you that!

And when you're not kissing, you're usually in the kitchen open and closing cabinets or going through the obstacle course (table and chairs).

Are you a toddler yet? I hope not, I'm not ready. Happy 1st birthday baby Jules!

My Preshus

Oh my garage, people. My preshus baybee is going to be one on Sunday.

O.N.E.!

Looking forward always seems so far away. But looking back, was like yesterday. (Except I can't remember what I wore yesterday. But you know what I mean.)

This time last year, I'd had a false alarm and worked from home most of the week. The one day I did make it to work, we had a company wide meeting and I received my one-year award. I waddled up to the stage - wearing HEELS - and accepted my award wondering if people thought I looked really big. (guess what, I did.)

I look back at photos and it all seems completely foreign to me. I can't seem to remember what being pregnant was like, the day our lives changed (well, the second day. The first day was finding out I was knocked up.), and holding a very tiny baby Jules.




Now, he demands his own meals, sits at the adult table, and pretty soon he'll be auditioning for Regiment.

Entertainment

Oh, youtube. You've entertained me so much lately (that's where I've been in case you were wondering).

I've been watching the Shaytards for a few months now. Love this family!

Another vlogger I like is this Mexican-adopted dude from Las Vegas (west side!). He's hilarious and his baby his super cute.

(makes me wanna vlog, but my life is boring.)

You can watch music videos, tutorials on anything you're interested in, and stuff just plain hilarious.

What have you been watching on youtube?

Talent at an Early Age

Smart, well-traveled, adorable baby Jules can now drink from a straw. Yes, the talent level increases everyday.



(note his eagerness to clap. he loves to clap.)

I'm here...

Just getting over jet-lag (finally), what I thought was allergies turned into a head cold with ear problems (on antibiotics now) and passed it to Jules (who's also on antibiotics) and just generally feeling behind on everything in life.

Poor Jules - I used the bulb syringe on him so many times he actually lets me do it without a fight. But he does put up a fight when it's medicine time.

I started a post with photos of our trip but if you can't wait, you can see Justin's here.

We got Jules a bike seat for the back of Justin's bike and now we've got a family bike ride planned for this weekend. Justin's really excited. They tried it out last night and Jules didn't smile or cry. He's still sick. I'm sure he'll love it when he feels better.

We also bought him a tree swing. Totally an impulse purchase. We still have to hang it but I know he'll love it.

I pretty much used up all my vacation time so I'm really looking forward to a 3-day weekend. The plan is to busy ourselves during the week with stuff we don't want to do on the weekend so we can play. It's not fun to do boring stuff like chores on a 3-day weekend. What else is everyone doing?

11 Months

Baby Jules, you turned eleven months in London! This month you have mastered a bunch of new skills!

Motion! It really happened after you turned 10 months but it was mostly an army crawl. Now, you crawl. FOR.REALS. I feel bad when I call you like a dog, but you do follow me. It's cute.

It can turn dangerous quickly because we have yet to baby proof the house and we need a baby gate STAT! So we just watch you closely and have you follow us into common places like the living room and kitchen.


(Hotel room in Brussels where you had a great time eating too many waffles and fries)

As fast as crawling came, pulling up came just a few days later. You now pull up to the couch, our legs, tables, and anything else that you can grab. It's fun to see things from a higher perspective. I like to do it sometimes too. One night, I put you to bed and you played for a few minutes, then started to scream. You like to yell but this was different, so I went in your room and there you were. STANDING UP! You looked so proud and so cute. We quickly learned it's time to lower your mattress.



You love to eat and prefer to eat whatever we're having. No more baby food! Ha! Or so you thought. We still give you baby food-from our spoon/fork. So you're still part of the meal, just eating your own food. I'm sorry for the trickery.


(nom nom Speculoos cookies)

Things you love:
Eating
Scully
Mommy/Daddy
A new love for binkies (oh, boy enjoy them now because they are going bye-bye when we get home)
Bath time
screaming with excitement
cuddling
opening doors or anything that you can open
kicking
Standing in your crib
grabbing
pulling my hair
knocking on the door
being outside
tickled behind your neck
taking medicine



Things you don't like:
being told "no"
me walking out of a room
messing with your sleep schedule
jet lag

I'm sure the list is longer, but you really are a good boy who loves everything!



You recently took your first bike ride through Brussels and you loved it! Guess what you'll be doing this summer with dad (wearing a helmet of course).

We think your first word is either "da-da" or "dog-gie" but you do throw "mama" in every once in a while. You also learned how to clap. And when I say "yea!" you immediately clap. You also clap when you see something you like. You must like everything because you clap all the time.



Happy 11 months baby Jules!

Kickball Hiakus

Stretching before games
something I have yet to do
I'm in pain today


Kicked the ball towards first
I ran as fast as I could
I dodged the ball - OUT


Last inning, third base
Dude kicks the ball at my face
I caught it, you're out!

Dudes

I think I just saw a drug deal go down.

It reminds me of the time I saw some people "meet up" for s.e.x. in the parking lot of my old job. Multiple times.

Did I just see...

No, that didn't just happen!

Wait, yes! OMG. For reals!

It's Been a While

Let's have some updates, shall we?

- We're buying Jules a convertible car seat. But we're waiting til he's a year old before we use it. 1 year AND 20lbs. is the rule and we're following rules.

- Minnesota is WARMING UP and it's GREAT! I weeded my garden but I still need to finish it before I plant my veggies. A veggie garden, how awesome is that!? I'm so excited.

- We leave next week for London. Have a few things planned, but really, we'll determine places to go based on how Jules will be. He'll be good! YES! He won't be crabby or anything!

- I'm looking for a car. With a new style carseat (that still needs to be rear facing), it's time to upgrade the Sillycar. There's no way one will fit and I'm ready for something new (to me. buying used of course). Any suggestions?

- With gardening and now, being a kickball player at work, I've been sore for about 2 weeks. (We lost our first game - but it was a great comeback!)

(OH! So my office - did I tell you I moved offices? - has a window looking down to a very busy street with lots of people. A guy just walked down the street in a gray suit and a hat. Straight out of the 40's, I tell you what!

Yesterday, a guy wearing too short shorts was rollerblading on the same street. Not sure if he meant to go this way because it's downhill and he wasn't controlling his blades very well. I watched him until he almost bladed into traffic but turned at the last possible moment. He turned down another downhill road. I hope he made it.)

Anyway, back to kickball. So I'm playing third base and the ball got kicked to short stop, he's literally 4-5 feet away from me, goes to give me the ball and throws it WAY HIGH and the runner goes home while I'm scrambling to the ground to get the ball. DUDE, I was right there, just lob the ball. (lob, right?) Don't toss it way above my head when you're that close! IDIOT!

So I'm saying, because of that, we lost.

New

Ok, so the maid came 2 weeks ago and is coming tomorrow. While I was excited for a clean house, I said "meh" when I got home. Some things weren't done.

To her defense, she said she didn't have enough time to get to everything and I believe it. My house isn't big, but for one person to clean the WHOLE thing, it would take more than 2 hours.

That's why I hired someone.

In other news. I started on my vegetable garden! We've got about 60% of the ground weeded and should finish the last of it tonight. The space is huge but I'm starting small with onions, sweet corn, carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkin, cauliflower, and...that's it. The previous owners had a huge garden and took a lot of it to the Farmer's Market.

Maybe one day I'll have one that big. If you have gardening tips, please send them my way. I'm a newbie.

And, in one last other news: I'm going to try to make refried beans this week. The one time I tried, I ruined them. RUINED! (and the pan too) I was newly married and wanting to cook all sorts of stuff. After that fiasco, I never wanted to try them again. Now, I have way more knowledge and confidence in the kitchen so I'm going to try them again. I'm pretty sure I know where I went wrong. Wish me luck!

10 Months

Double digits! 10 months! At 10 months you: scream with delight whenever you see me or your dad.


(or an Easter basket. No candy for you. Just empty eggs, a puzzle, a map of the U.S. and some new pjs.)

Stats: 20lbs (50%) and 28" tall (10%). Lots of baby chub, hair, and cuteness.

You LOVE to eat so we've been making homemade baby food. But most of the time, you end up eating whatever we have on our plate. You also love Cheerios. We'll sprinkle a few on your tray, you grab as many as you can with your right hand, hold them, and use your left hand to pick up the rest. Once you are done, you still have some in your right hand. It's like saving the best for last.

What you eat:
Cheerios!
applesauce
sweet potatoes
peas
refried beans (oh, I'm so glad you love them!)
bread
rice
chicken
green beans
asparagus
crackers
yogurt
cheese
cereal
and on and on

You recently tried mac 'n cheese (which you LOVED) and jambalaya (which you also loved). You pretty much eat anything we put on your tray or give you. But you still nurse once in the morning and twice when I get home and bottles through out the day.


Loving your Ergo!


We love to take you to new places to learn. Here, we learned about tapping a tree for maple syrup! Guess what we're doing next year?!

You love to be outside and watch the neighborhood kids ride bikes (Dad may or may not be riding with them.) Now that the snow is gone, we go out for walks and enjoy the sun. But on days when it's too cold, you're happy looking out the window, giving it a little tap.



I've been working on teaching you how to sit on your own from laying down. You are 95% there. You are so close to doing it on your own, it will be soon! (you did it once yesterday using my leg for help.) You've also increase the frequency you rock on all fours. You REALLY want to get somewhere and you know forward motion is the way to go, but after one "step" you can't get your left side to move. So you drop and roll. But you have crawled 2 steps before dropping, so you'll be doing that soon too.


You sprouted another tooth about a week after the first one. And you've got another one in the works - all on the bottom. You handled it surprisingly well, but did have a few rough nights going to bed.


Monthly photos with Scully are getting easier. Here's the "outside" edition.



We spent last weekend apart. And while I found out you did just fine while I was gone, you were so excited and upset when I got home. You obviously love me :)

Dear WGI 2010,

To the high school students:
I was once you. Excited because my FAVORITE show was coming on! No, WAIT, THAT was my favorite show! I spoke of "I hope next year..." and "When Mrs. so and so asked me to blah blah..." and other stories of your season and everything else you commented on, I did it at one point too.

But.

If you stick with it, soon, you'll be me. A spectator who paid her whole way to Dayton including very expensive seats to finals. A spectator who doesn't want to hear your stories during the performance. After, sure! Go ahead! Talk all you want. But when that music starts, please, be quiet and watch.

A spectator who doesn't want to get kicked in the butt by your very stinky feet. Wait, let me be clear. MY feet don't smell like vinegar. I'm wearing shoes. YOUR feet smell like vinegar and please, don't place them near the shoulders of people. We can smell them. And if your feet stink, for the love of EVERYTHING, don't wear flip-flops!


To WGI:
I appreciate the VIP section. I did it last year and it was nice. But, why would I want a VIP seat on a High School bleacher? It's not like the seats are any better. I'm still sitting on a bleacher.

To the rest of you:
SIT DOWN! Especially BEFORE a show starts! Just SIT! SIIIIITTTT! Find a seat AFTER the show is done. I didn't pay to see YOU walking by. Also, please place garbage UNDER your seat and not in front. Wanna know why? Because when I leave to go pump for the hundredth time and you don't want to move, I end up kicking and stepping on all your garbage. It's gross and just annoying.

To all the finalists:
I think you all deserved to be there this year. Last year, a few were questionable. My favorites this year (in no particular order, just as I remember):
Pride (really, if this wasn't your favorite, you might want to get out of the activity)
Santa Clara
Onyx
James Logan
Mariam Catholic
Cypress
Tarpon Springs

And a bunch more I can't remember the names of. Either way, so many great shows this year. Til next year...

Best Deal Around

I have many levels of frugalness. I like to save money but there's a side of me that likes to spend, wisely of course. If it's worth it, I'll fork out the cash. I carry my coupons with me all the time. I check websites for the best prices before I buy. Justin always asks if I have a coupon for something he wants to buy. I don't have the newest (or even remotely new) car. I scour craigslist for items I need or just wait for a good sale.

Since Jules joined the family, my time is valuable. Before, I took the bus to work. A 45 minute trip on the bus with an additional 15 min drive home. Now I drive it in about 20-25 min BUT I pay for parking. It's a big chunk out of my check, but I'm home in time to hang out with Jules for a few hours before he goes to bed. So it's worth the parking fees.

If I can do something to save cash, I'll do it.

Oh for hecks sake, I hired a maid. No reason to beat around the bush. And I shouldn't be ashamed of it or have to explain to people (like I felt I had to explain to someone WHY I would spend so much on a stroller.) Yes, I am frugal, but I hired a maid. Let's just say I'm frugal with my time and I can't spare it to clean my floors.

We all sacrifice things in life.

Removed title because too many people came here for something else

(It IS dark for the first 10 seconds or so. It's not you.)