We Really Did Try

Tonight we attempted to take a family photo for our Christmas card. Usually by the 7th of December, I have not only ordered my Christmas cards, but I have already started sending them out! I am a bit behind this year. My sister is visiting us for a few more days so we thought we would take advantage of having someone to take the photo that is not in the photo; you know what I mean the whole one hand out, not sure what will actually be in the picture.
Even with the advantage of having my sister here, we had a much bigger problem. We have a wiggly two-year-old. We probably took about 20 photos, none of which are "picture perfect." But, we finally gave up and decided on one that D was actually sort-of looking at the camera and all of us had our eyes open. Here are some of the photos that didn't make the cut. You will have to wait for the Christmas card to see the one we chose.

Halloween 08

Hope everyone's Halloween was as great as ours was. Here are some photos of "our little devil."

This and That ... ya know

I haven't blogged in a while ... I just really haven't felt like I had anything to say. It is not that my life is boring. Life is NEVER boring with a two-year-old. I just kept thinking that I need to come up with a clever story or a monumental event to write about. I guess I am still waiting.

Two of my friend's babies are turning one next week. I can't believe they are going to be a year old already. It reminds me of how fast my son is growing. For the longest time he would only speak with one word answers or phrases. Now he is stringing words together. He says things like, "sit, momma," "up momma," eat, momma," "down, momma" and "sing sunshine." You get the idea. He also repeats everything that we say. So needless to say this has curbed the swearing in our house. It is amazing to watch how his brain works and how he learns something new everyday. If you ask him how old he is, he will tell you he is two, if you ask what color eyes he has, he will tell you blue, he will tell you that he has brown hair and wants Batman for Christmas.

We are all very excited for Halloween. (D-Man was conceived after a Halloween party in 2005.) We decorated our house with orange lights, fake cobwebs and spiders and skulls. We got D-Man's costume, he is going to be a devil, we thought it was fitting for him this year. We are also very excited to head out into the cold to go trick or treating. I remember loving this as a kid. Every year my Dad would take me and I would get so much candy that I would be eating it until Christmas. And, I never remember minding the cold. D is still pretty little so we may just limit our trek to our neighborhood.

Happy Halloween!

Gotta Love This Face

Order VS. Chaos

I started my new job this week at the library. So far it has been great. I sort and shelve books for four hours a night. Doesn't sound like fun to most people but, most people don't alphabetize their CDs either. I love order and knowing where to find things ... always.

This poses a problem in my house, Ryno is messy and resists order of any kind. He can never seem to find his keys, wallet, phone, brain ... ok, maybe the last one is always in the same place but if it wasn't part of him he would probably lose it too. We have a key rack in our kitchen and I ALWAYS hang my keys up. Ryno never does. But, when I see his keys in random places I usually pick them up and hang them up. Then when he needs his keys he can never find them because I have actually put them away for him. You would think he would be used to this by now, but it seems that they key rack is the last place on earth he looks.

I also find it amusing to watch him look for the oven mitts to take something out of the oven ... the oven mitts are in the second drawer to the left of the oven; the same place they have been since we moved into our house more than 6 years ago. But, he can never seem to remember this. He opens every drawer except for that one looking for them. I have to laugh. He says things like, that is not where his mom kept the oven mitts when he was growing up ... hello, it has been more than 10 years since you lived with your mom!

It seems I have passed my obsessive-compulsive organizing nature onto D-Man. He likes things just so. If something is not in the right place he will stand there and point and make strange sounds or say, "Momma, Momma" until I come remedy the problem. He has to have all plugs plugged into outlets, cabinets closed, closet doors closed, remote controls put away, I-Pod docked and dirty clothes thrown down the stairs, (Ryno has a hard time with this one because he leaves his clothes wherever in the bedroom and regardless of whether or not they are dirty they end up down the stairs if not put away.) Ryno blames me for teaching D-Man these things. But, I do not remember teaching him any of these things. It must be a trait he was born with, undoubtedly passed on by me.The one area this does not translate is his toys. He doesn't seem to care about the disarray in this one area. He has no problem spreading them throughout the whole house.

Food N Hair

My Son likes to play with his food, especially likes to rub things into his hair. But, he HATES getting his hair washed. How ironic.

I Got The Job!

The library called today. I got the job. I start next Tuesday. I don't think it would be possible for me to be more excited! I will now be a part of the masses, at least the employed masses. The job is only 8 hours per week, so very part-time. I will still get to spend all day with my D-Man, but by night I will be a library page. It has a nice ring to it.

I'm The Winner!

Man, I wish I was a kid again.

Full-Time Momma, Part-Time Library Page?

I recently applied for a part-time job, more for fun than anything. I didn't really think much would come of it. The job was for a library page for the King County Public Library System. Only an 8-12 hour per week gig. I thought it sounded about perfect for me. I love the library, books and needed some kind of employment to get me out of the house and back into the real world for a few hours per week.

Well, I got an interview, which I think went pretty well. But, I guess you never know. Maybe they hated me and were just too nice to let on. The hours are perfect, evenings and weekend. I could totally do this! They just have to hire me. They are doing more interviews next week so I won't hear anything until the end of next week at the earliest so ... I guess I just have to be patient.

Unrelated, but exciting ...

I recently talked to my sister, Darcy. She told me that when she gets back to NYC she has a meeting with Alicia Keys' manager to talk about representation. My sister has been networking like crazy lately. I guess all her hard work is starting to pay off. I will just keep on believing in her and eventually who knows ... maybe I will be sitting in the front row of that Broadway theatre sooner than I expected. Good luck Sister!

The Zombie Mobile

We were invited to a Labor Day BBQ over the weekend ... near Portland in Vancouver, WA, which is more than 150 miles away from us. The BBQ was at Ryno's childhood friend, A's house. We decided that we didn't have anything else going on and we were going to go. Sounds good so far, right? Well, throw D-Man in the mix and you have a whole new trip.

D-Man doesn't do very well sleeping anywhere but home, actually he doesn't really sleep that well at home either. Whenever we sleep away from home (at least the first night) he wakes up about midway through the night screaming and won't go back to sleep for, seriously hours and hours. We knew that this was a risk we were taking by staying the night at A's house. But, we figured with the next day being a holiday and no one having to get up for work the next day it would be fine. Guess again. As it turned out A's wife had to get up early the next morning for work ... so we all went to bed and D was as snug as a bug in his porta crib.

Then at 4 am the screaming started. Ryno retrieved D as quickly as possible from the next room and put him in bed with us. But, sleep was just not to be had. He quickly was climbing from the bed and saying "go go." So we got him up as quietly as humanly possible with a two-year-old and gave him some cereal, but this only gave him more energy. So by 5:30 am we decided rather than wake up the whole house we would load everything in the car and head for home. We felt bad leaving without a word to our hosts but thought it was better this way.

Ryno and I were both exhausted, we each got about 2 hours of sleep since we stayed up watching a movie with A the night before. We hit McDonald's for some iced coffee and crappy breakfast fast food. I drove almost the whole way home because as I put it, "I just want to get there and crawl into bed." Once we hit Tacoma, D was having none of it. His eyes were drooping and he was screaming and throwing his stuffed Piglet all over the car and yelling "biggie biggie!" But, we had to keep him awake until we got home otherwise he would think the 15 minutes he would have gotten at that point would be enough to sustain a few more hours of playtime at home ... but we made it, by 8:30 am we were in front of our house. No sleep was had for 4 1/2 hours and we were all showing telltale Zombie signs. We came inside plopped D down in his crib, he put his head down on the pillow and said "nigh nighs" and was out like a light. Ryno and I quickly followed suit and all was quiet in our little kingdom ... for a few hours at least.

On Her Own

Over the weekend I visited my hometown of Coeur d'Alene. My biggest reason for the journey east was to see my sister, Darcy play Eponine in Les Miserables at the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre.

A little about my sister; she has been doing theatre since she was (I think) 9-years-old. She was the town's really big deal. I mean she was a kid who was tiny and could sing, dance and act. She played Annie in Annie, Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden and did commercials and everyone knew her name. My little sister is all grown up now and lives in New York City and is trying to make her longtime Broadway dreams come true. And to me she is just as remarkable as ever. She has always made me proud. Even in her first play, Jack and the Beanstalk, where is played a bean. Now she has done more plays than I can count and always shines above most that she is on stage with. She has a smile that can light up the darkest room and a voice that can melt butter.

For many years now she has been performing "On My Own" from Les Miserables. It has kinda been her signature song. So when she found out it was going to be done this summer she emailed the artistic director and told him she would be perfect for the part of Eponine and wanted him to cast her. Well, he did and she was right. She is the perfect Eponine, in every possible way.

I couldn't be more proud of her amazing performance. For me, this reaffirms what I have always known; my sister belongs on the biggest stage out there, Broadway. And when she gets there, I will be in the first row on that first night for that first standing ovation.

On The Road Again ...

We are off to North Idaho in the morning to spend some time with the family and see my sister play Eponine, in Les Miserables. Getting ready to head out for a few days is always an adventure in itself. First of all, we have to pack so much. There are all those little "what ifs?" What if D needs this or that? I think I have gotten a little better. The key is to remember that we are coming back. Sometimes I think I forget that.

So once everything is snuggly in its place in the car and we are ready to go, I remember that D hates riding in the car. He usually averages about 1/2 hour of sleep for a five hour drive. Not a good ratio. Don't know why can't be more like me and just get the overwhelming urge to sleep in the car. I have always gotten motion sickness and growing up was always given Dramamine, which makes me sleepy. So now, I have been conditioned that if I am a passenger in a car, I go to sleep. Ryno hates this. But, I think he is pretty used to it by now.

I plan to do some driving so Ryno will have a chance to take in the lovely scenery of Central Washington then Eastern Washington ... probably our first stop will be Ellensburg for some Starbuck's and a burger, then probably Moses Lake where we will need to refuel. This will be followed by at least one stop at either a rest stop or Ritzville (where there is also a Starbucks.) Before you know it we will be in the heart of Spokane, remembering why we moved away. Then just 30 more miles down the road, the place where I grew up, and where the people that I love live. North Idaho has changed a lot since I lived there but it will always feel like home to me. Some things never change. And I wouldn't want them to.

The Big Buzzzz ...

Recently we had a string of pretty hot days ... at least for the Seattle area. In an effort to keep my two-year-old son cool, I suggested that we give him a haircut ... ourselves. Usually my Mom, D-Man's Nana gives him haircuts, since this is what she used to do for a living.

So Ryno took out his clippers and proceeded to buzz off D's hair, I wasn't even in the room yet. I was a little shocked when I finally came into the room and saw that half of my son's beautiful hair was gone. I didn't know he was going to go quite as short as he did. Ryno said he really only knows how to cut hair one length ... completely gone.

I never realized what a large forehead my son has until he didn't have any hair to cover it up. While he is still cute ... I think I will have him grow his hair a bit longer and do without the buzz cuts in the future, but for now at least he is not hot. That could be because the rain started the day after we had our "brilliant" idea. You live and you learn.

Why I Can't Get Enough of Stephenie Meyer

A few days ago I finished "Breaking Dawn," the fourth and final book in the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. While I think it had a strong finish, I found more things that bothered me about it than all the other three books combined. I won't go into what I thought was wrong here since I don't want anyone to get any spoilers and then come toilet paper my house or something.

Now that all four books are firmly behind me, I can get excited for the "Twilight" movie. I have to admit when I first heard they were going to make this book into a movie I wasn't happy about it. Generally speaking I hate movies that are based on books that I have read. For example: I hated the movie "Blood Work" based on a novel by the same title by Michael Connelly. I thought it was the worst adaptation ever, with "Mystic River" in a close second. I think the only exception to this would be "To Kill A Mockingbird." But, the more I see about this movie the more intrigued I have become. At first I didn't think much of the casting but now ... I don't know, it just might work. I think I was most concerned with the actor playing Edward. This character is described as godly beautiful. How can they find an actor to pull that off? I hope Robert Pattinson has the acting chops to play this role. If he does it could be the big break of his life. What could be better than being known for personifying the most gorgeous vampire ever?

I am also looking forward to sinking my teeth into another novel written by Stephenie Meyer. I have a copy of "The Host" just waiting for me to finish "Audition," the memoir written by Barbara Walters. I can't believe Walters is 77-years-old! I hope I look that good at 77. I have high hopes for Meyers' "Host" since it is actually written for an audience over the age of 18. But, I will let ya know.

An Affair To Remember

So yesterday was my 6th wedding anniversary. It kind of sneaked up on me. Amazing how after a few years anniversaries seem to do that. I remember back in high school when Ryno and I celebrated our first year together ... it was such a big deal. Something that I looked forward to almost as much as my birthday. I remember getting a dozen roses and going out to a fancy dinner. I guess that the passage of time, becoming a parent and just plain-old life makes us forget why we celebrate and why it is important to remember.

Since, yesterday was not one for the record books in the romance department (we had dinner at the Mexican restaurant down the street, D-Man would not sit still and I had to take him outside a few times just to appease.)
So I decided I would post some photos from our wedding as kind of a tribute to our 14 year journey together.

We were married August 10, 2002 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in my Dad's backyard. We were both 25-years-old and had already been together for more than 8 years.


My sister and one of my long-time friends sang "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain and "When I'm With You" by Sherrif (in my opinion the most romantic song ever!) and we wrote our own vows and even toasted with beer mugs.

Goodbye Bernard McCullough

When I got up this morning I do what I normally do; get D some breakfast and and sit down at my laptop to catch up on the world outside my little house.

I noticed that the headline on Yahoo's website was "Bernie Mac Dies at 50." I was stunned. Honestly, I couldn't believe that one of my favorite comedians was dead. So I read the story that he died from pneumonia complications. All I could think was, "What?!?!" How can a 50-year-old man die from pneumonia complications? I also read that he had Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease, but it went into remission in 2005 and his publicist was quoted as saying that the pneumonia was not related to the earlier disease.

So what went wrong?

I don't have the answer, but do know that he made me laugh with his comedy. I loved the Bernie Mac Show. It transcended racial and family barriers and did so with some style. Bernie Mac style, that is right "Baby Girl." Now, every year as I watch Bad Santa (which is now part of our family's Christmas tradition) I will do so with a heavier heart. But, I will be doing exactly what Bernie would have wanted ... laughing.

Thanks Bernie, You will be missed.

The Dawn has FINALLY broken

A few days ago I got the email I have been waiting for ... from the library telling me that my copy of Breaking Dawn (the 4th and final book in the Twilight Saga) was in and waiting for me. I was so excited, so naturally I rushed to the library to pick it up. Once I had it in my hot little hands I realized that I was currently already reading three other books (all from the library) so I would have to make a choice. Do I want to put those others aside to read this one? The answer was I really wanted to finish Hold Tight by Harlan Coben first since I had been waiting months for it to be available and had only gotten it a few days before. (I finished it and was disappointed.)
So now my time has finally come. Bella, Edward and Jacob you have my undivided attention. And my hopes are high. Jacob, I am rooting for you.

One Child's History through Pictures

This is how I spend my quiet evenings after my son has gone to bed. I hope that someday my son will enjoy looking through the scrapbooks I have made for him. Secretly, I think I made these more for me (like when he is a teenager) than for him.

Underneath It All?

My son, D-Man recently celebrated his second birthday, and even though we are sure he will be a genius or at least a musical prodigy on guitar, he is no where near ready to potty train. However, one of his birthday presents was a pack of super cute underwear. I guess we thought since he wasn't quite ready to wear them where they are supposed to be worn, we would have him wear them as a hat. And of course, we took a picture to show future girlfriends.

Why I Love My Friends

A couple Christmas' ago my Dad bought me the boxed set of all ten seasons of the TV show, Friends. Of course this is exactly what I asked my Dad to get me for Christmas. That is how it is with my Dad, you have to tell him EXACTLY what you want or else you may end of with a calendar featuring naked or partially naked men.

I just recently pulled out the boxed set again and started them over from the beginning. I had forgotten how much I love this show! There is something in every single episode that makes me laugh so hard and I love watching the friendships of these characters evolve and the definitely think Ross and Rachel "were on a break."

I have also been able to draw parallels with things that happen on that show that remind me of things or people in my own life. For example, there is an episode where Rachel has something wrong with her eye but refuses to let anyone help her with it or go to the eye Dr. She has this thing about putting things in her eye or letting anyone touch anywhere near her eye. I had this same thing happen with Ryno, he needed eyedrops for some reason but every time I tried to get close enough to put them in he would jerk away or close his eye. I call this having one of my "Friends" moments. There is another episode called, "The One With The Screamer," where Ben Stiller guest stars as "the screamer," a guy that Rachel dates that has anger control problems that manifest themselves very much the same way someone with road rage would. Once again, Ryno has some road rage issues and whenever he shows this side of himself, I tell him, "this is just like an episode of Friends!" He doesn't really seem to care. He doesn't get my love for this show.

I don't know many people who love this show as much as I do. Although I do know they are out there, I just don't know any of them. But, I am not obsessed, I don't have posters of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Joey and Chandler on my walls. But, there was a time that I bought a hair product because that is what Jennifer Aniston used for her signature "Rachel hair." My hair never looked like Rachel's did. But at least I tried. I have tried to have "Rachel hair" more than once in my life. Come to think about it, my current hairstyle is similar to circa1999 "Rachel hair," only not as good.

To me, Friends will always be like that old friend that you don't get to see that much but when you do it is like you were never apart. You pick back up where you left off and nothing has changed.

"I'll Be There for You, because you're there for me too."

D-Man's Second Birthday Party

Last week we celebrated my son's second birthday. In our house party planning is a huge deal. Ryno loves throwing parties. I too have caught that "I wanna have a party" bug. We haven't had one since D-Man's last birthday, so it had been a year. We were jonesing to have a reason to make a party playlist and slideshow on our I-Pod, hit Costco for some chicken sausages and assorted chips and dips and beer and most of all a reason to vacuum under my couch and clean the top of my fridge.
But, I forgot how stressed I get at the prospect of having a party, I have this perfectionist streak which rears its ugly head periodically. So I mailed out the invitations a month in advance then waited for people to RSVP. Which they did. We were on our way.
I then started to stress out about the cake. After all this was a birthday party for a two-year-old. I saw a picture in a magazine (Rachael Ray Everyday) of a pink, pig cupcake and decided I was going to try to replicate it. (The reason the pig was perfect for D-Man is because his transitional object and current best friend is a small stuffed Piglet.) The replication went smoothly so I was feeling pretty confident there.

But then I started to worry that it would rain and this was supposed to be a "backyard BBQ." After all it rained last year for his party. I decided to put that out of my mind and just focus on the things I could control. Like baking, frosting and decorating 48 pig cupcakes. It took me 2 1/2 hours. I will say they were cute but I have vowed if I never see another pink, pig cupcake it will be too soon.In the end, the party was a success with no rain. It was a lot of fun! We got a chance to see all our friends, eat some food, drink some beer and enjoy a nice summer day in my backyard. D-Man loved getting to hang out with other little ones and demonstrated his "fix-it" skills with his new toy drill. Thanks for everyone who came and helped us celebrate. I think we will make this birthday party stuff an annual thing.