The Mayne Events

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-01T08:48:00.004-05:00

Word to the Why's

2010-03-19T14:27:00.002-05:00

I had a great morning at MOPS this morning! I love the girls at my table. I feel like our table has really bonded this year. But then we've kinda been through a lot together this year.

But this morning we had a speaker come in and talk about parenting and discipline strategies and give us some of the basic principles behind "Parenting with Love & Logic". She had some great suggestions for eliminating power struggles, and I even got to have my own question answered about how to get my 3 year old out of the habit of constantly asking why.

Her suggestion was to tell D that I only want him to ask "why" when he really does want to know something and to only ask me once. I can keep a little notebook with me and write down his question to answer later when I have time to get into it. If he only asks once he gets a skittle or m&m or whatever and if he asks again, Mommy gets a skittle. Later in the day we can have a meeting of the minds and follow up on his questions.

I think it validates his inquiries and offers motivation for him not to flippantly pester me on & on with "why". It will definiely take some offort on my part though, and follow-through on the written questions. I'm willing to try it.

What do you think? How have you dealt with the never-ending "why"?

Think Before You Answer

2010-03-17T09:34:00.001-05:00

I laugh in your general direction

2010-03-16T21:48:00.005-05:00

I came across this in my latest issue of Parents magazine. You might be a paranoid overprotective nutcase of a parent if . . .

Actual quote from the ad: "Falling on a hard surface while learning to walk can be traumatic for both toddler and parent. Thudguard protective helmet helps to protect your child by reducing the impact of falls or collisions and lessening the chance of head injury."

But what I want to know is this: Who will protect your child from unreasonable fears and phobias and pay for the years of therapy it will take get over them?

Josh & I were ROFL. :)

What we've been listening to

2010-03-16T14:42:00.003-05:00

I've been trying to bring myself to purchase more kid music for D & Linky, but most of the kid stuff out there is SOOOOO ANNOYING! This, however is familiar and fun without being obnoxious. The songs are arranged in a really up-beat way that is fun for everyone to listen to. I'll be buying more Go Fish music in the near future!

I know it's silly, but I'm excited!

2010-03-12T15:49:00.007-06:00

I just ordered new shoes for Lincoln (probably the only new shoes he'll get until he's 15), and I'm super excited because I think they're so cute! And I got a decent deal on them (paid less than I could have), and the store owner offered to deliver them to me! What?!? She was so nice! Costco may have some competition for all time best customer service.

What can we do for the children of Haiti?

2010-02-02T13:51:00.003-06:00

We've all given a few dollars to the red cross at the grocery store checkout. We have prayed earnestly with our families around the dinner table. It seems like there is little we can do to impact the lives of children suffering in Haiti after the earthquake. But there is something we can all do. There has been much cooperation between countries and ministries in Haiti working together to help people who have been injured and displaced, but now it appears that there is a problem. I have linked to a post from the blog of God's Littlest Angels, the orphanage in Haiti that Josh & I are praying for, giving to, and feel God has led us to be personally involved with.

The children of Haiti need our prayers, but they also need us to advocate for them. Could you take a few minutes out of your day and call your Congressmen and let them know about this situation? It's a small thing you can do that could make a big difference in the lives of children in Haiti.

Here's a link to a site where you can easily find contact information for your representatives and senators.

Here's a quick synopsis of the problem:

1. There are orphanages like God’s Littlest Angels who are waiting and able to take care of the wounded and displaced children and UNICEF isn’t allowing them to. The Dutch, Haitian, US and Canadian governments worked very hard at getting the orphaned children who already had forever families waiting for them out of the country and home to their families. Why? 2 reasons – 1) To keep those kids safe but also 2) to create space in the orphanages to care for the children who are suffering because of this earthquake.

2. UNICEF appears to feel that it’s better for these displaced children to stay in tent cities in the badly damaged areas in Port rather than in orphanages that have food, water, medical care, a decent structure and paid professional caregivers waiting to give them love, attention and care. Ask the media and the governmental offices, what’s the sense in that?

3. We at God’s Littlest Angels Orphanage know that adoptions are closed for the time being. We are prepared to and plan on devoting significant resources to helping reunite those who have living family members with their family members. God’s Littlest Angels has and will dedicate the resources that it takes to make sure the kids are well cared for and that all governmental rules are followed in all countries involved.

4. We need UNICEF and the US and Canadian Governments to change this policy immediately and get these children out of tent cities and into adequate facilities like GLA. Not next week, not Friday, TODAY.

It is not an overstatement to say that some of the children in these tent cities are at a much greater risk of disease and infections, some of which could be fatal, due to the careless, thoughtless and selfish behaviors of the people at UNICEF and that needs to change NOW.

Thank you for spreading the word and pressuring those who need to make changes.

Putting Our Money Where Our Heart Is

2010-01-13T22:26:00.007-06:00

We were on our way to drop D off at Awana Cubbies this evening, and for some reason I felt prompted to tell Josh about something that has been on my mind and heart all day today. Without any sort of introduction I just blurted out, "I think it would be awesome if we could adopt a child who has been orphaned in this earthquake in Haiti."

Cue crickets chirping.

"You mean right now?" Josh asked.

"Well . . . yeah. What do you think?"

"I'm open to it."

We went to dinner after we dropped D off and continued to discuss the idea. Then after we put the boys to bed tonight we had Fox News on, and would you believe Greta was interviewing an American missionary who works at an orphanage in Haiti? The orphanage is God's Littlest Angels, and thankfully no one at the orphanage was injured or killed in the earthquake. They are several miles from Port-au-Prince which was the center of the quake and has been devastated by the quake and continuing aftershocks.

The Board Members of God's Littlest Angels here in the States have set up a fundraiser for earthquake relief for the orphanage but also for aid to the people of Port-au-Prince and and the surrounding area. Their goal is to have 1000 people from all over the world each raise $1000 of donations. We have decided we want to be one of the families that helps to raise $1000. Would you be willing to help us reach that goal? We have donated $100 and are hoping 9 or more of our friends who read this will do the same.

We would also love for you to pray with us about the possibility of God placing one of these beautiful children in our family. It might just be the emotions of the moment, but I don't really think it is.

More Recent Pics

2010-01-08T20:29:00.002-06:00

Christmas Pics

2010-01-08T20:14:00.001-06:00

Big Bird Tells Off Michelle Obama

2010-01-05T19:50:00.001-06:00

At Senator Ben Nelson's Office

2009-12-21T20:19:00.004-06:00

My friend Jenn & I took our boys and paid a visit to Ben Nelson's Omaha office today. We went because we haven't been able to get through on the phone for the past several days, and we were appalled when we heard he had been bought off in a closed-door meeting with Harry Reid & Barbara Boxer late Friday. (I hope you're happy with your 30 pieces of silver, Mr. Nelson.)

It was a disillusioning experience to say the least. The intern sitting at the desk promptly informed us that he couldn't talk to us because he had to keep answering the phone. He gestured to a stack of poor quality photocopies of a comment form. We each took a form and sat down to fill them out. There was another intern sitting in a chair next to Jenn answering another phone and doodling on a notepad while telling concerned callers that he would "be sure to get your message to the Senator." He wasn't even keeping a tally of why people called, let alone their names and individual messages.

After filling out our forms we were able to talk to a third staff member. He readily admitted that the office received far more calls against the health care "reform" bill than those in favor but said that the Senator had made his decision in view of the "silent majority". We reminded him of the poll showing that 67% of Nebraskans are opposed to this bill. He just blew it off. Kind of like the soon-to-be-ex-Senator did.

Another gentleman we spoke with in the soon-to-be-ex-Senator's office had the audacity to tell me that Nelson and others in Washington were passing this bill to protect the futures of the little guys I had brought with me. He said that it was going to help to get all the outrageous government spending under control.

WHAT???? Did you just hear what you said, sir? Congress is spending more money this year than anyone has ever conceived of. Talk about historic and unprecedented! How do you get spending under control by digging a pit of debt that my children may never be able to pull themselves out of?

I am glad I went, but I wouldn't be all that surprised of the same intern who was doodling instead of taking down messages just pitched our letters to the soon-to-be-ex-Senator in the waste basket after we walked out the door.

X-mas = Christmas

2009-12-21T10:56:00.003-06:00

A friend shared a link to a very insightful article on the subject of X-mas vs. Christmas. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Pics from December

2009-12-19T15:07:00.002-06:00

I have had a hard time finding art work that goes with Lincoln's nursery theme of lions, so I decided to do my own. I got 4 canvases on sale at Hobby Lobby and used some different scrapbooking papers for manes and buttons for eyes. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Although sometimes I think they look a little like teddy bears with flowers around their heads.

D's MOPS class made these a week or so ago, and I thought it was SUCH a cute idea. We made them again with our playgroup friends this week when we hosted play group at our house.

We got our first good snowfall earlier this month, and D was so excited to go out and play in it. He did not, however, want his picture taken. He refused to look at me.

We decided not to put up the big Christmas tree this year since Linky is so mobile. Instead we pulled out our Charlie Brown tree from when we were first married and decorated that before setting it up on top of the entertainment center, well out of baby's reach. For some reason D decided he wanted to participate sans clothing. It was pretty funny.

Our second snowfall this month was a doozy, I think we got almost a foot overnight, and the next day the high was around 12 degrees. D wanted so badly to go out and help daddy shovel the driveway. We insisted he wear a face mask and goggles. He was less than thrilled, but suffered so he could go out in the snow.

Linky is starting to stand up holding onto things. He doesn't stay up for long, but it's scary how much more mobile he is than D was at this age.

This was my first attempt at cutting D's hair in a couple of years, and it may well be another couple before I try it again. It doesn't look bad in this picture or if you don't look too closely, but if you take a good hard look at it close up you can see the utter imperfection. He was thrilled at the suggestion that we style it in a fauxhawk! Little rebel.

Pics from November

2009-12-19T14:58:00.003-06:00

Linky is constantly scooting from room to room in persuit of either mommy or big brother.

Daddy gives thrill rides in the laundry basket.

Our family art project. Can you tell who made which one?

The Ant & the Grasshopper or, Chris is on Vacation

2009-10-13T12:51:00.003-05:00

A friend e-mailed this to me, and I thought it was a fun read worth sharing.

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER: TWO VERSIONS OF A PARABLE

OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building
his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Individual actions have consequences.
==================================================================================

MODERN VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building
his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away..
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well
fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the
shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home
with a table filled with food.
America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country
of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and
everybody cries when they sing “It's Not Easy Being Green.”
Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the
news stations film the group singing, “We shall overcome.”
Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to God
for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry
King that the ant has gotten rich off the back
of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on
the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper
Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green
bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home
is confiscated by the Government Green Czar.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits
of the ants food while the government house he is in, which just
happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he
doesn't maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the
house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who
terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Government actions have consequences.

One More Reason My Kids Will Not Be Put in Public School:

2009-09-24T16:41:00.001-05:00

His Life Flashed Before His Three-Year-Old Eyes

2009-09-23T15:59:00.004-05:00

I took Donovan & Lincoln on a walk in the neighborhood yesterday after lunch, mostly to wear D out a little before naptime. Donovan wanted to ride his trike, so we strapped on his bike helmet (size: youth 8-14 years. Have I mentioned my kid has a big head?), strapped Linky in the stroller, and hit the road. We didn't go too far, just to the end of the main street that runs through our little development, and D wasn't yet ready to turn around and head home. So we turned and went down one of the courts that runs off of the main street.

I just figured we would go to the end, turn around and head back home. No problem. Right? Only this little street goes uphill, so I have to push the stroller and the trike with Donovan on it to the top. Then we go around the circle and head back . . . down.

Donovan was riding a little ahead of me and I started to notice him gaining speed as he rode down the hill. "Slow down, honey!" I yelled as I suddenly realized . . . his trike has no brakes.

"Mommmmmmmmeeeeeeeeee!" D screams, as I'm sure his life was flasing before his eyes when he realized he was going too fast and didn't know how to stop.

This is not going to end well, I thought. That's about when his front wheel turned, and he wentover the front of his trike and landed surprisingly softly hands first on the pavement. Meanwhile I'm running down the hill after him pushing the stroller, and half fearing for his safety and half laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of the situation. D was on his feet before I got to him, and I quickly checked him over. Nothing! Not even a good gooey scrape or a skinned knee. Just shaken up a bit.

I laughed the whole way home, and D kept saying, "Mommy, stop laughing! It's not funny when people crash!" But then the first thing he did when we walked in the door at home was to run up thestairs and yell, "Daddy! I crashed!" Like he scored a touchdown or something. What a boy!

"I Don't Like Repeat Offenders. I Like Dead Offenders." -- Ted Nugent

2009-09-23T15:30:00.002-05:00

Preach it, Ted!

Pictures

2009-09-22T11:56:00.002-05:00

September 2009

All I have time for today is posting a few pictures.

Thank You, Nana!

2009-09-11T17:58:00.002-05:00

Nana sent Lincoln a cute new outfit for fall, and we love it!

The Birthday That Never Ends

2009-09-07T18:21:00.003-05:00

D turned three at the end of August, but it seemed like his birthday lasted all month. The first was a shared celebration with his cousin Madi when Josh's family visited from Maryland. Madi's birthday is four days before D's, and we have been able to have a shared celebration for them every year. We also got to introduce them the little Linky. Can't wait to meet their newest addition due in January!

On D's actual birthday we met Daddy for lunch at one of our favorite BBQ restaurants, and had a special family dinner that night and opened more presents from Nana & Papa.

The Saturday after D's birthday was the Par-Tay! We had a ton of friends join us to celebrate D's third birthday at his very first party. We had about 30 people there, and everyone had a great time eating Josh's crispy hot dogs, watching D blow out the candles on his custom Batman birthday cake, and playing with friends at the park.

If you click on the picture below it will open an album of birthday pics.

D's Birthday

Interesting Article for Homeschooling Parents

2009-08-28T09:34:00.001-05:00

I just read this article, and am outraged. All I can say is pray, people. Pray. And be involved in the political process.

Clingy

2009-08-08T15:42:00.003-05:00

D has a birthday coming up, and my mission this morning was to go through all the toys in our house and get rid of ones that are no longer age appropriate or that he doesn't play with much. I made a pile of junk to throw away and a pile to give away. Josh & I told D at breakfast that God has blessed us with more toys than we need, so we wanted him to choose some of them to give away to kids who don't have as many. He was all excited. He was more than willing to choose toys to give away. It was such a lesson for me. I am much more clingy with my things than he seems to be with his. I am praying that God continues to create in him a giving heart.

Later D went with me to deliver invitations to our neighbors for an ice cream social. He thought we were going around to deliver the toys to the neighbor kids. It was so sweet. I explained that our neighbor kids have planty of toys, too, but I was so proud of him for wanting to share and give. I think we will take the toys to a shelter together later this week.

One Banana, Two Banana . . .

2009-07-30T10:45:00.004-05:00

Do you like bananas? 'Cause I'm not their biggest fan. The Mayne Daddy likes them for their convenience, and D definitely likes them, especially w/ peanut butter. But whenever I buy a small bunch at the store, one or two of them invariably turns brown before the men of the house get around to eating them.

So what happens to all those brown bananas? They get thrown in my freezer. Yes, my freezer is chock-full of brown bananas! Well, there were seven brown bananas in there this morning before D & I decided to make banana bread for our new neighbors. But I also can't have my house smelling like sticky yummy warm banana bread and then just give it all away, so we doubled the recipe and made a loaf for our own snacking pleasure as well. So we thawed four bananas, and we were on our way to a yummy snack.

It's in the oven now. Can you smell it?

D helping with the mixer.

Linky offering his opinion on the morning's activities. They were not words of approval, I'll tell you that.

"Mommy, can I dip my apple in it?"

Ready to pop into the oven!

Anyone want some cheese with their banana bread?

Things I Love Thursday -- Sleep

2009-07-29T23:43:00.004-05:00

I remember sleep.

Back before I had children.

Taking for granted sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

Or sleeping through the night undisturbed.

Oh, sweet sleep, how I miss thee!

The Hairy Green Monster or Becoming a Mother of Two

2009-07-28T15:12:00.003-05:00

I have friends who have in the past years openly talked about a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde aspect of mothering. I listened and sympathized and admired their recognizing their own limits regarding situations that did or did not bring out the best in them as mothers. But even after becoming a mother myself I didn't really experience situations that were so taxing and frustrating that I would completely loose my cool. I would still look down my nose a bit at other mothers who did or said things to their children in my presence that were against my own mommy standards of approved parenting.

Well, enter child number two, and to my surprise and shame I have discovered that I, too, am human and have a breaking point when it comes to mothering. Well, I'm not really all that surprised, mostly just ashamed at how I have gone off on my almost three-year-old a few times since his little brother's arrival. I admit, I have kind of had it easy with my oldest. He is a very compliant easy-going kid. I am utterly blessed (and not all that well tested yet). But when you mix together sleep-deprivation, a needy-newborn, and a potty-training 2 year-old, I can get ugly. So if you have ever felt judged by me in the past when your hairy green monster has peeked out momentarily in my presence, I'm sorry. I had NO IDEA! My sinful nature is just as real and lurking just as close to the surface as yours is, and I'm learning in the past two months to put away a little more of my pride and to ask Jesus to keep working on me and in me. I don't just want to keep the hairy green monster locked away. I want him eradicated from my life. And the only one who can do that is Jesus Christ.

So pray for me, and I'll pray for you. And together we can depend on the Lord to defeat that nasty creature that lurks inside us. I'm so glad I'm not alone in this struggle. Even the Apostle Paul talked about his own struggle in Romans 7 where he says, "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing."

The blessing is that I am forgiven and still loved, both by my Savior and by my child.

2 Months Old

2009-07-27T17:01:00.003-05:00

Linky officially turned 2 months old this weekend. Time has really gone by fast. He keeps growing and growing and getting rounder and cuter by the day. He was in newborn size clothes a while longer than I expected, but he seems to be flying through 0 to 3 months. I think he'll be in 3 to 6 months stuff in no time at all! I think he weighs over 10 lbs. now. He's my snugglesaurus still, and screams most of the time he's not being held. Though he is showing more interest in his mobiles over his crib and his changing table. He is smiling more and making lots more eye contact, but he is mostly very serious and scowls at everyone. It's actually pretty cute.

No More Rattles

2009-07-27T10:22:00.003-05:00

Our precious little house still has its original windows. I'm sure they were nice windows 30-plus years ago when the house was built, but this last winter they rattled, they howled, they were drafty. So this past weekend Josh measured all the bedroom windows and the ones in the family room and we ordered double-hung dual-pane beautiful new windows! They will be in in about 2 weeks, and Josh is planning to rope his brother into helping install them when their little family visits in mid-August. I can't wait to see the difference in our gas and electric bills after these windows go in. And of course they'll be much prettier than the old ones. I also looked at paint swatches because Josh wants to paint the house when the weather cools a bit. The main color I picked is called Toasted Almond. I'm excited to see it up on the house, but it won't be drastically different from what is up there now. It will still look fresh and nice. It is the summer of home improvement it seems. Will post more pics as the projects progress.

June 2009

2009-07-09T10:25:00.003-05:00

June was a busy month for the Mayne family. We went through what I call "Baby Boot Camp", which is the first 5 to six weeks after the newest member of a family is born when Mommy is getting very little sleep, trying to recover from a major surgery, is a hormonal emotional mess, and is trying to figure out the wants and needs of this new little person (all on top of normal mommy duty). It's a little crazy! I thought it would be easier this time having done it before, but I almost think it was harder! Now that Lincoln is 6 weeks old things are settling into more of a predictable routine, I'm mostly healed, and we are both getting more sleep. Donovan loves his little brother and likes to give him hugs and kisses. I'm even able to accomplish one or two actual tasks other than feeding Lincoln and changing his diapers, like getting a load of laundry done or unloading the dishwasher.

We also had Josh's younger brother come stay with us for a couple of weeks. He was in the middle of a cross country motorcycle ride. He started in Maryland and rode out to the west coast, up into Oregon and was headed back east when he hit a deer out in Wyoming. Praise the Lord he came out of the accident with only some bruises and scrapes. Josh drove out and picked up Chad & the bike and brought them back to Omaha. We really enjoyed having Chad here while he recouperated and got his bike fixed. Josh hadn't had this kind of time with his brother in 15 years. It's always just a quick visit here and there. So the accident brought with it some real blessings, too.

Those are the highlights. Lincoln is growing and changing every day. He started smiling a few days ago, so that has been fun to watch. Here are some pics from June:

The First 24

2009-05-26T05:11:00.003-05:00

The Mayne Family is proud to announce the arrival of its newest member!! Lincoln was born at 4:49 a.m. on Monday May 25th weighing 8 lb 5 oz and measuring 21 inches long. He arrived 10 days early and exactly one week before his scheduled c-section. (I think he got his weeks mixed up.) He has shoulders that span across the room and made it difficult for the doc to get him out, but he is here, and we are all thrilled.

More Signs of Spring

2009-05-04T19:25:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

Build-a-Monkey

2009-05-03T14:24:00.005-05:00

Donovan has gone a whole week wearing big boy underpants (except at bedtime), and as his reward for such an accomplishment we promised him he could make a new "buddy." We took him to Build-a-Bear yesterday, and he got to build his own monkey who is sometimes called Do-do, and other times George. Do-do George makes a monkey sound when you squeeze his foot, and he has his very own camoflage boxer-briefs and hard hat. Maybe for D's birthday George will get some clothes to wear over his undies. :)

And for the price equivalent to about 2.5 weeks of diapers, I'd say it was a very good trade!

Trains, Planes and Potties

2009-04-30T08:47:00.002-05:00

On day 5 of potty training:

D: Mommy I want to wear a diaper.
Mommy: Sorry, buddy, that train has left the station. Diapers are for bedtime only.
D: [wailing] Make the train come back!!!!!!
Mommy leaves the room feeling only slightly guilty for laughing outloud at her distraught child.

A Clarification

2009-04-28T16:04:00.002-05:00

“Wait a minute now . . .

I didn’t authorize ATTACKS on the pirates,

I authorized A TAX on the pirates.”

Burning a Hole in my Pocket

2009-04-28T14:04:00.005-05:00

I've been ordering stuff over the internet the past several days. It's a much easier way to shop for me these days. Mostly things that aren't super-exciting like diapers, Dreft, and nursing bras. But also a couple of things I'm really excited to get in the mail in a few days, like a new swimsuit:

from Lime Riki. Check out their other cute and modest swimwear! (Thanks for finding this site, Becca!) I really needed a new suit for this summer, and this one was even on sale! Hope it's as cute on me as it is on this girl.

I also ordered a new slipcover for our sofa. We have had our current one for several years, and it's getting holes in it. What I'd really like is to order a new leather sofa, but $60 vs. $800 is a difference I can't afford right now. But I'll be happy just to have a nice new slipcover that i can throw in the wash when I need to, which is about 2 to 3 times a month around here.

And finally, I'm considering this my Mothers Day gift for this year. I've wanted one for years, especially the 2 years that we've lived in this house with cream carpet. Josh was actually the one to break it in over the weekend, and boy do our carpets look better!! I have the best husband!
It feels like Christmas! Thanks for shopping with me. It's always more fun when it's a social event!

Spring Update

2009-04-21T15:17:00.004-05:00

Well, I am definitely slowing down these days and am a bit frustrated at how little I seem to be capable of accomplishing each day. I can hardly believe I have less than 5 weeks left to get things done before we have a new baby in the house. There is so much I want to do, and so little time and energy left.

One project I'm working on is making a few baby gifts for friends while I can still use my sewing machine. I also want to get the yard cleaned up and of course there are always projects in the house beyond the daily chores that I can hardly keep up with as it is. My goal for this weekend is to get some cooking done and have several meals stored up in the freezer for after the baby comes.

We are enjoying the many signs of spring . . . finally. I have my first miniature irises in bloom and two or three of the tulips I planted last fall. Josh still hasn't had to mow the lawn, but I'm sure that chore will resume soon. My lilac bushes are covered in buds, and I can't wait to see and smell them. Donovan and I planted several cups of seeds last week, and several have begun to sprout. D's radishes are growing like gangbusters, and we have little sprouts in the broccoli and lettuce cups as well. D is very proud and excited.

Well, back to the sewing machine before D wakes up, and then the kitchen and the laundry room, and we certainly cannot forget passing out in the recliner shortly thereafter.

A Little Current Events Entertainment

2009-04-06T21:59:00.002-05:00

I found this interview fascinating and entertaining. Hope you do, too.

Cuteness

2009-04-03T15:52:00.004-05:00

Donovan kissing Auntie Becca goodbye at the airport a few weeks ago.
I got D his breakfast the other morning and got him situated at the table and then went to fix my own breakfast. When I returned to the table I found that an extra guest had joined us at the table in Daddy's seat. I just had to take a picture.
_________________________________________________________________

I have to write down somewhere D's latest cute stuff. One of his favorite things right now is to ask Daddy at the dinner table, "Do you wanna talk about my day?"

Daddy: "Sure, tell me about your day!"

D: "No, you tell me about my day."

Daddy: "I can't tell you about your day, but I could tell you about my day."

D: "No, Daddy, tell me about my day!"

Daddy: "Did you . . ."

And it ends up being like a game of 20 questions, except that Mommy usually participates and offers hints. It's so cute.

__________________________________________________________________

Another thing D likes to do at the dinner table (and it is branching out to other times as well now) is what he calls "animal stories".

D: "Daddy, do you wanna tell animal stories?"

Daddy: "Ok, Do you want to go first?"

D: "Yeah. Once upon a time a squirrel falled out of a tree! Hahahahaha!" [He always starts with that one :)]

Daddy: "Once upon a time . . . a dog chased its own tail!"

[Ensuing laughter from both.]

D: "Once upon a time . . . a squirrel falled out of a tree!! Hahahahahahahahaha!" [This time he also slaps the table once or twice while laughing. Don't have a clue where he picked that up.]

Daddy: "Once upon a time . . . a rabbit hopped across a field!"

They go back & forth like this for a long time, and Donovan has such a great time you can't help but laugh with him. One time Daddy told a naughty story ["Once upon a time a bear pooped in the woods!"] D about fell out of his seat he laughed so hard, and then that was his favorite story to tell over and over and over and over. It took a lot of redirection to get past that one. What is it with boys and bodily functions & parts??

Happy Heart Day!

2009-02-16T08:24:00.005-06:00

Lots going on in the Mayne household of late. We have passed around a variety of colds and sinus infections, got our first good snow of the year, were surprised with the discovery of some health issues with my mom, and are now heading off to see her in a week.

How was your Valentine's Day? Ours was pretty understated, except for Donovan opening his package from Nana & Papa. It was quite reminicent of Christmas. He opened present after present and there were toys and books everywhere! Josh opened cards from D & me. Donovan tried to sign his himself. So precious! And I gave Josh some cash to buy some beer making supplies. He has this whole gig set up in the garage just waiting to make his first batch. Should prohibition make a come-back we have nothing to worry about. Personally I can't stand the stuff, but I think it will be a fun thing for Josh to try.

Friday we got about 6 to 7 inches of snow, and yesterday we went out after lunch and made a snowman, which Donovan promptly pushed over and then laughed like a maniac. We tried again a couple of times, but in Donovan's mind, the best thing to do with a freshly finished snowman is to topple it. Then we went down to the end of our road dragging our sled behind us. There is a hill at the end of the street that runs between some of our nieghbors' homes and yards, and it's a good long run without being too steep. I went down once with D, and he went down with his daddy 4 or 5 times. I would have liked to have been him, because he got to ride up the hill on the sled pulled by daddy every time. Poor pregnant mommy had to hike up of my own effort -- hence I only went down once.

Here's a little album of some recent photos. The video might be a little long and dull unless you're a Nana or a Papa or an auntie or uncle.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Things On My To Do List Today

2009-01-21T09:32:00.002-06:00

1) Finish folding laundry . . . and maybe put it away.

2) Make a carmel mocha frappuccino with chocolate protein powder. Yum!

3) Pay some bills.

4) Play Little People and cars with D.

5) Finish watching previously recorded Battle Bacon on Iron Chef America. Probably while folding laundry.

6) Get dinner started in the crock pot and bread maker. Winter Lentil and Vegetable Soup and Honey Whole Wheat Bread. Perfect for a winter evening.

7) Find out what gender Baby Mayne is . . . but Josh wants to be surprised, so I'm not telling you!

Donovan's First Party and Our Awesome Lord

2009-01-13T17:16:00.004-06:00

Donovan's First Party

Donovan went to his first birthday party today, and it was so cute. His little friend Jack turned three this week, and we were honored to be invited to share his special day with him. We got the invitation in the mail last week, and Donovan has had me read it to him like a book over and over tha past several days. It had bulldozers and other earth moving equipment on it, and Donovan thought it was the coolest thing. He went with me to the toy store and chose which toy he wanted to get for his friend. He helped me wrap it and even helped me hold the pen while we signed the card. He only knew a couple of the kids at the party and was a little shy at first, but soon enough he was off playing and having fun. He wants to know when the next birthday party is.

Our Awesome Lord

My sister sent me and e-mail today with a youtube link in it, and I normally don't post videos that aren't related to our families, but this one really impressed me. I couldn't not share it with you. It's a little long, but watch the whole thing. I once again have a new appreciation for how awesome and thorough and "in the details" our God is.

Mayne Family Holiday Update Quiz

2008-12-31T09:11:00.003-06:00

I know I've been a blog slacker lately, but this time of year kind of takes over everything. So I have a little quiz for you about the recent weeks of our lives.

How many states did the Maynes physically visit during the holidays?
A) 7
B) 6
C) 5
D) 3

Answer: A) 7 Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Arizona, California, Nevada (You could call it six if you don't want to call our stop at home between Wisconsin and Arizona a state we visited.)

What was Josh's favorite Christmas present?
A) The Peticure
B) Heated massage chair pad
C) Redskins paraphernalia
D) Wii

Answer: D) Wii He has already asked for Mario Kart for his birthday later this month.

What was Chris's favorite Christmas present?
A) acrylic stamp set
B) Dustbuster
C) new supply of favorite make-up
D) Wii

Answer: D) Wii Although the dustbuster is a close second

What was Donovan's favorite Christmas present?
A) Leapfrog Refrigerator Phonics
B) Thomas the Train & Percy ornaments
C) Matchbox motorcycle
D) Wii

Answer: C) Matchbox Motorcycle, believe it or not. The 99 cent stocking stuffer trumped everything. But he does enjoy playing baseball on the wii.

What has been the highest temperature in Omaha since we returned from California?
A) 60
B) 55
C) 40
D) 35

Answer: A) 60 degrees I never would have believed it myself after last winter, but about a week ago we had one day that it got up to 60. Donovan & I tried to go for a walk because it was so warm, but with all the puddles and slush we didn't get very far.

What has been my biggest "Toto, we're not in California anymore!" moment recently?

A) Thanking God for highs in the 30's.

B) A front page story in the Omaha paper about residents of a local town protesting the arrival of Dr. Jack's Ink Emporium, a tattoo shop. (Really?? It's not like it's a stripper bar. And on the front page??? Wow.)

C) Taking Donovan sledding on a hill in our own neighborhood. (When I was a kid we drove 45 minutes to the snow to go sledding and make snowmen, and then we drove home and didn't have to deal with the stuff.)

D) Cravings for In-N-Out Burger and no way to satisfy them

Answer: All of the above

What did Chris make for Christmas dinner for the 3 of us?
A) a 14 pound turkey with stuffing, etc.
B) a Costco rotisserie chicken with stuffing, etc
C) Boston Market individual turkey dinners
D) Chinese takeout

Answer: A) a 14 lb. turkey, stuffing, etc. We have buckets of turkey meat in the freezer and have since had turkey and vegetable soup, turkey enchiladas, and lots of turkey sandwiches.

How are we celebrating the New Year tonight?
A) a Las Vegas Casino themed party at a friend's house
B) microwave popcorn and a Christmas movie marathon at home by ourselves
C) dinner and a wii bowling tournament with friends
D) taking down and putting away all the Christmas

Answer: C) dinner and wii, although we didn't get to bowl as the daddies dominated the wii with shooting matches, tennis, and boxing. We closed the evening well before midnight as we had 2 toddlers in our midst, and Josh and Erich got up very early this morning and went hunting. Didn't bring anything home, but they had a good time.

How Many of You Are There?

2008-12-30T11:23:00.000-06:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
4
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

A Good Deal

2008-11-19T10:32:00.002-06:00

I'm getting a haircut today and not paying a penny for it. I am, however, giving my talented friend a massage in exchange for her services. Hmmm . . . maybe she is the one getting the better deal here.

Favorite New Product & My Scary Monster

2008-11-18T10:15:00.004-06:00

You know how you hate scrubbing your shower because, among many other reasons, it's a lot of work, and you have to open the window and turn on the fan and it still feels like you're breathing nothing but cleaner fumes? Well, no more! This little cleaning kit from scrubbing bubbles works like magic with very little effort on my part, and the cleaner is pleasant-smelling and not overwhelming. (This is especially wonderful for those of us who are pregnant and more sensitive to smells.)

And on a totally different note . . .

Daddy taught D how to be a scary monster:

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-08T10:24:00.003-06:00

I know it's a little belated, but these are fun!Our freshly carved jack-o-lantern

Donovan and his friends at the playgroup costume party.

The Pirate and his friend Batman trick-or-treating.

Donovan loved his first experience trick-or-treating. As we went from house to house he was digging in his bucket pulling out one piece of candy after another saying,

"What's this one, Daddy?"

"It's a Snickers."

"It's a Snickuhs, Daddy!"

"What's this one?"

"That's a peanut butter cup."

"That's a buttuh tup, Daddy!"

The Story

2008-10-28T09:05:00.002-05:00

So the picture in the last post was of how I told Josh about Baby Mayne #2. I woke up early and took a pregnancy test, and it came up positive. I thought and thought of how I could tell Josh in a fun way, and what I came up with was a "bun" (aka Costco lemon blueberry muffin) that he would find in the oven. I fixed it up and put it in the oven before he got up, and after he was up and dressed I told him I had put something special in the oven for him for his breakfast.

He thought it was really sweet of me to get him a yummy treat for breakfast, but he totally didn't get it.

I said, "Honey, what is it?"

"A . . . bun?"

"And where was it?"

"In the oven . . . whaaaa? Are you serious?! You're pregnant???"

He acted like he won the superbowl. It has been so hard for him to wait to tell people. We did tell our families right away, but we wanted to wait until after the first doctor appointment to make the big announcement.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and we have an estimated due date of June 5th. We did an ultrasound and there is only one in there. (Praise the Lord!!) I'm hoping for a girl, and Josh is hoping for another boy, but I don't think either of us really cares as long as it's healthy. We have talked about it some with Donovan, but he doesn't really get it at all.

I had absolutely no nausea with Donovan, but this time I have felt queasy on and off, but nothing too bad. Unfortunately most of my queasiness comes in the late afternoon and evening when I need to make dinner and force myself to eat dinner. Josh commented the other day that I've been making a lot of big breakfasts. I told him that's when I feel good, so he'd better take what he can get, cause he might be eating PB&J for dinner for the next month or so.

So that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. My little parasite has been sucking up all my energy and my brain cells, so I may continue to be a reluctant blogger for the next few weeks, and who knows if I will be able to write coherent sentences. Today I have to get busy making a pirate costume for D. He's very excited and running around the house yelling, "Aaargh! Pirates!" I'll be sure to post pictures.

Going Public!!

2008-10-27T16:32:00.000-05:00

Bummed About the Bailout

2008-10-11T13:52:00.001-05:00

Sorry I've been off the radar for a while. I haven't felt creative or witty or like I've had any cute mommy stories to share.

So is anyone else peeved about the bail-out? I was talking to another mom yesterday who said she had read an article that said that if the government, instead of passing the bail-out bill, had sent a check for $300k to every legal citizen over the age of 21, we would still have saved hundreds of billions of dollars. I was already mad about the whole thing, but putting it in those terms made me livid!!! Can you imagine how much more that would have helped the economy than bailing out a few corporate executives who made hugely horrific mistakes?? I'm not saying that that would have been the right way to handle the current economic situation, but it puts the amount of money we taxpayers just spent (thanks to the wisdom and foresight of those representing us in Washington) in a little perspective.

Christmas Card Photoshoot

2008-09-28T14:26:00.001-05:00

Here's a link to our Christmas Card Photoshoot! My friend Deena did the pictures. Didn't she do a great job?

Bet Ya didn't hear about this on NBC

2008-09-26T20:01:00.004-05:00

I thought this was pretty cool:

Family with Down Syndrome Child Meets John McCain and Sarah Palin

September 9, 2008

((( BEGIN PHONE TRANSCRIPT WITH RUSH LIMBAUGH )))

RUSH: Kurt in Pittsburgh , hello, sir. Nice to have you on the EIB Network, and how about the Steelers defense?
CALLER: How about those Steelers, huh?
RUSH: How about that?
CALLER: Hey, listen, Rush, longtime listener, first-time caller, one of those Bible, family, gun clingers from western Pennsylvania .
RUSH: Thank you.
CALLER: And I wanted to share a story with you. A week ago last Saturday we went to the Palin-McCain rally in Washington , Pennsylvania , was the day after he announced her, and we have a five-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, and we made a sign that said: "We Love Kids with Down Syndrome." So when they pulled in their bus, the sign did catch their eye (McCain and Palin and the rest of their family) it caught their eye, we could tell, they gave us a thumbs-up from the bus, so we were all excited just by that --
RUSH: Wait, wait, wait. Who gave you the thumbs up, McCain and Palin?
CALLER: McCain, Palin, Cindy McCain, we could see them from the bus. We were in a position where we had eye contact with them --
RUSH: Oh, cool!
CALLER: My wife was holding our daughter.
RUSH: Very, very, very cool.
CALLER: It was really cool, Rush. I was like, "Wow, that's awesome," because I love Governor Palin and so I thought that's really neat. So then we moved around as the bus was getting ready to pull out, we kind of positioned ourselves so we could just wave them on and a Secret Service agent came up to us and said, "Hey, can you come with us?" I was like, "Do we have a choice?"
RUSH: (laughing) You shouldn't have worried. It's not the Clinton administration.
CALLER: Right. So we accompanied them up the hill, we went right to the bus, where it was, and Governor Palin, Senator McCain, Cindy, Todd Palin, they're all standing there. We're in this inner circle with just us and them, and the Secret Service agent, and they came right up to us and thanked us for coming out, said they loved our sign, and Governor Palin immediately said, "May I hold your daughter?" and our daughter Chloe, who's five, went right to her, and I have some pictures I'd love to send you maybe when I'm done here, but Governor Palin was hugging Chloe, and then her little daughter brought their baby Trig who has Down syndrome from the bus, he was napping, and Chloe went right over and kissed him on the cheek, and my son Nolan who's nine, he thanked her.
RUSH: This is amazing.
CALLER: I will send you all the stuff, Senator McCain was talking to my son, and we thanked him for his service, and he asked my son if he wanted to see the bus, and we were hanging out and it was very surreal. I felt like we could have had a pizza and a beer with them, they were so warm.
RUSH: You know what? I want to put you on hold. I want Snerdley to give you our super-secret, known-only-to-three-people here, e-mail address.
CALLER: I will send you everything, Rush.
RUSH: And then could you send us these pictures? Would you mind if we put them on the website?
CALLER: I would be honored, and my main thing is they are warm, kind, genuine people, and they represent the best of this country.
RUSH: That's right. And when you send these pictures, make sure you identify them. I mean, we'll know Palin and McCain, of course. Identify yourselves.
CALLER: I will, I will identify everybody in the picture, Rush, and God bless you for being a beacon of hope and truth in this country.
RUSH: Oh, no, no. It's nothing, it's nothing. You're doing the Lord's work.
CALLER: Well, we're very blessed and I want people to know what a blessing it is to have a child with Down syndrome. These kids, they're angels.
RUSH: That's the thing. There's always good to be found in everything that happens. It may be a while before it reveals itself.
CALLER: Absolutely. Right, and when she hugged my daughter I said, here's the difference, this candidate embraces life and all its limitless possibilities.
RUSH: All right.
CALLER: That's what she is.
RUSH: Terrific, okay, I gotta run here, but I'm going to put you on hold.
CALLER: Thank you, Rush.
RUSH: Thank you, Kurt. I really appreciate it.
((( END TRANSCRIPT )))

It's A Girl!!!!

2008-09-26T06:18:00.002-05:00

My bestest friend and college roomie just called me and told me she had her baby this morning!!!! Now you know, but I'll let her tell you the details.

Look What I Made!

2008-09-25T07:21:00.004-05:00

I love that I can scrapbook without having to try to keep Donovan out of my paper and scissors and glue! Donovan will someday actually have a baby album!

Daddy's Home!!

2008-09-25T06:35:00.002-05:00

Josh has been gone most of the past week-and-a-half, which is part of the reason I haven't posted. Who has time to blog while being a single parent? Anyway, he's home now, at least for a few weeks. Donovan handled Josh's absence remarkably well. The last couple of days, though, he started getting really upset about Daddy not rocking him to sleep at bedtime and not playing cars with him after dinner. (Mommy just doesn't push a matchbox car across the dining room floor the same way.)

Our newest "game" is Get Your Wiggles Out. The other day I was reading D a few stories before naptime, and he could NOT sit still. Fidgety-widgety, man! So I decided to take him outside for a few minutes and go around the cul-de-sac a time or two to burn off the excess energy or whatever was making him restless. I said, "Let's go get our wiggles out, D!" He was all excited and had a blast mimicking me as I shook my arms above my head and wiggled while I walked. He has asked to "Get wiggows out" every day since then.

Next Weekend I'm Hoping For Boring

2008-09-16T09:10:00.003-05:00

We had another adventurous weekend with Donovan. No teeth involved, and not as much blood.

I put Donovan down for a nap at the usual time, and 45 minutes later he was still awake and fussing. Josh went in to check on him and found him naked from the waste down. He had taken off socks, pants, and diaper, too. (He's never done that before.) He had peed all over his bed, and had pooped, too, but it was stuck to his bottom and he hadn't sat down. So that was one yucky mess averted. I had gotten enough sleep the night before to be able to laugh at the situation. Josh cleaned up Donovan, and I cleaned up his bed, and we put him back down thinking surely now he'll go to sleep.

But no. He didn't. And 45 minutes later I went in to check on him again, and found him fully clothed but with 4 or 5 little puddles of blood on his sheet and more on his chin. He wasn't crying hysterically, and when I looked him over I couldn't find any active bleeding. But I noticed a small bump inside the corner of his mouth. I wondered if he had bitten himself or something. I totally gave up on the nap.

Later in the evening we noticed his cheek was swelling. We called the nurse line at the pediatrician's office and when someone called us back an hour later the swelling had not increased, but hadn't gotten better either. The nurse recommended we take D to Children's Urgent Care which closed in an hour, so we had to get going.

We got to the urgent care 15 minutes before it closed. (After multiple calls to the insurance to check if it was in our PPO network. That's another post in itself.) The pediatrician didn't really know what was going on with Donovan's cheek swelling, but her best guess was a giant canker sore, though she had never seen one this big before. After picking up a prescription we got home just after midnight.

Next weekend I'm hoping for boring.

Random Facts

2008-09-08T09:24:00.004-05:00

My friend Ashleigh e-mailed me one of those "get to know your friends" questionnaires, so I thought I'd use it as blog material.

1. What is your occupation right now? Domestic Engineer

3. What are you listening to right now? Prairie Dawn & Cookie Monster yelling at each other on Sesame Street

4. What was the last thing that you ate? A bowl of cereal

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Thanks to my dad & his Ford Courier pickup

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My MIL

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I like her & I love her. We've been friends too long for anything less. (Hi Ash!)

8. How old are you today? 31

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? I like to play on my computer while sitting on the couch with Josh while he watches a football game. Does that count?

10. What is your favorite drink? Starbucks Iced Toffee Nut Latte w/ whipped cream

11. Have you ever colored your hair? Various shades of red since college

12. Favorite food? brownies & bacon (not together, although I heard that the big hit at the Iowa State Fair this summer was chocolate covered bacon -- eeewe.)

13. What is the last movie you watched? A Bug's Life

14. Favorite day of the year? The day I get to sleep in.

15. How do you vent anger? It depends on who I'm mad at. If it's Josh I usually do something passive-aggressive like make something for dinner that he doesn't like.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Bigwheels bike

17. What is your favorite season? Before I lived in Nebraska it was winter, now I'd probably say spring.

18. Cherries or Blueberries? Rainier Cherries

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Well, since I'm blogging this instead of e-mailing it, I'd like my friends to leave a comment giving their own answer to their favorite question or post their own answers on their blogs (if they're bloggers).

20. Who is the most likely to respond? my blogging buddies

21. Who is least likely to respond? random readers

22. Living arrangements? as long as possible (This is not my answer, but it's hilarious!)

23. When was the last time you cried? Saturday morning when I was pushing my 2-year-old's tooth back into place after he fell with a sippy cup in his mouth

24. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes and dirty laundry

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Ashleigh

26. What did you do last night? Played football in the front yard with Josh & Donovan

27. What are you most afraid of? My children not knowing & loving Jesus

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheeseburger with extra pickles, please.

29. Favorite dog breed? I love my yorkie-chihuahuas, but I think Labradoodles are pretty cool, too.

30. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

31. How many states have you lived in? California, Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska

32. Diamonds or pearls? I'd like to meet the woman who would pick pearls over diamonds

33. What is your favorite flower? Today I'm in the mood for Gerbera Daisies

34. Where is your favorite place to vacation? California

35. What is your favorite color? to wear: aqua / to decorate with: red / to scrapbook with: yellowy-greens

36. Do you have a MySpace account? Yeah, but I can't remember the last time I looked at it.

37. If you could live your life over is there anything you would change? Not that I can think of, and I'd really rather not live through junior high again just to change a thing or two over all.

38. What do you do when you have free-time? read, sleep, go to the store by myself

**I claim no responsibility for the demise of missing question #2**

The Political Me

2008-09-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

You are a
Social Conservative
(31% permissive)

and an...
Economic Conservative
(66% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Republican

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

The Post-dental-emergency Pony Ride

2008-09-06T17:18:00.001-05:00

He Doesn't Look Like He Was Bleeding All Over The Kitchen This Morning

2008-09-06T15:48:00.003-05:00

We have had a day of drama. It was an especially crisp morning here in Nebraska this morning, so I put a brand new pair of cozy socks on Donovan's feet when he got up. To keep his tootsies warm. Not to make him slip on the kitchen floor with a sippy-cup in his mouth and push one of his front teeth out of place making him bleed all over. I was trying to be a good mommy, but my penny-pinching is coming back to haunt me, and all I can think about is how I should have paid a little bit more and gotten the socks with the little rubber traction thingies on the bottom. And the blood, I'm also thinking about the blood.

So Donovan is screaming and crying and bleeding, and I call the pediatric dentist's office, which of course is closed. But they leave an "If this is a dental emergency . . ." number in their message, and if this isn't a dental emergency, I don't know what is. So I call the number from the message, and I get the dentist's voicemail. AAAArgh! And leave a slightly panicked message about how my 2-year-old just slipped and fell and his tooth is not where it is supposed to be and could you please call me back like 5 minutes ago!

5 minutes later the dentist calls me back. (After I have called the pediatrician's office and the receptionist who is the only one there has suggested that we take him to the emergency room. Yeah, way to calm me down!) And the dentist says the only thing we can do is give him some Children's Motrin (already done), and HOLD HIM DOWN AND PUSH THE TOOTH BACK INTO PLACE! Are you serious? I think I'd rather poke my own eye out than mess with my kid's mouth right now, but ok. So Josh is awake and helping me calm D down by now and I tell him we need to push the tooth back into place and take D in to see the dentist in 2 weeks. Josh looks at me like I've lost my mind. But we do it. 3 or 4 times we do it. And it just goes right back to where it was, and we're all crying now.

So I call the "dental emergency" number again. Get the voicemail again. He calls back again, and tells me we'll have to push it back into place and hold it there for at least 10 minutes. Riii-iiight. Donovan about bit Josh's finger off a few times, but by the time it was my turn he had calmed down a bit. We sat and watched most of Toy Story 2 with Donovan in my lap and my finger in his mouth holding his tooth forward and getting blood-tinged drool all down the front of his shirt, but his tooth is almost back in line with the others. It's close enough that is doesn't affect his bite, and that's the important part. Now we wait 2 weeks and go see the dentist to find out if it heals ok or if he severed the nerve and has to get the tooth pulled.

After all that he still wanted to go to the Little Red Barn and ride a "horsey" (pony). So we did. He was a little scared the first time, but after that he was a regular cowboy. They have a little petting zoo, too. Donovan especially liked the bunnies. Thank you, Lord, that we were able to spend $6 on pony rides today instead of $100 on an emergency room visit.

Things That Fill Me With Dread

2008-09-05T15:54:00.004-05:00

I really need to just enjoy the weather here this week. It's beautiful! The mornings are crisp. The afternoons are warm without being hot, and the evenings are cool. We met a friend of D's and friend's mommy at a park this morning, and almost every child there had a light jacket or sweater on. It's my perfect weather! . . . But . . .

Here's the thing. I'm doing something I've never done before. I'm dreading winter. Just ask my family or anyone who's known me for several years. The pre-Nebraska me loves winter. It's my favorite time of the year. But last winter changed all that. I could count on one hand the number of days between Thanksgiving and Easter that we had no snow on the lawn. And I'm not exaggerating! I did count them! I have never before in my life hated winter, and I hated last winter. And now I'm dreading this one. This isn't me. This isn't how I live my life. I don't waste my perfectly beautiful ideally cool fall days dreading what is to come. But I am. So I'm also praying that God will change my attitude. I need to know in my head and in my heart that each of these beautiful fall days that I should be reveling in are a gift, and so are the days to come. So if you are chatting with me on the phone and I start in about how horrible this winter is going to be, feel free to give me an attitude check. I'll probably need it. And if you feel like praying for me and my attitude, that couldn't hurt either.

D's Maryland Birthday

2008-09-01T20:45:00.002-05:00

Click on the photo to go to the photobucket album of D's Maryland birthday celebreation!

Photobucket Album

We're baaaack!

2008-09-01T20:26:00.002-05:00

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been. August 16th through the 23rd we visited Josh's family in Maryland. It was our first time to get out of Omaha all summer, and boy were we ready. We had a wonderful time visiting with grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. We went out in the family boat almost every day and soaked up the beauty that is the Chesapeake. Donovan had his first taste of steamed crabs, got his first Redskins jersey (more for Daddy than for D), and had a super-fun co-birthday party with his cousin Madison who is four days older than him.

We had a fabulous time, but at the end of the week we were ready to come home. I'm not sure we were ready 2 days later for D's birthday, but there was no stopping it, and it lasted all day long. We opened presents from Mommy & Daddy in the morning before Daddy left for work, and opened more from Nana & Papa & Auntie Becca after dinner.

This week had been filled with unpacking, unwrapping, un-jetlagging and generally recovering from travel & birthday madness. I'm posting pictures from our trip first, and will post pics from the big birthday in a couple days.

Where Are We Going This Summer?? Crazy. . .That's Where!!

2008-07-22T14:08:00.004-05:00

This month has been a chaotic one. Sorry there haven't been many blog updates. We've been swimming and setting off fireworks, hiking through the woods and doing yardwork. We've been here at home the whole time, it's just been crazy. Anyway, thought I'd share one of my favorite Donovan videos:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

And the winner is . . .

2008-07-08T20:14:00.003-05:00

Affordable and in stock (two crucial qualities), this is Donovan's new quilt that Nana & Papa got for his birthday that's coming up next month. When I went to buy the animal one it was sold out, and I couldn't find anyone else in the universe that was selling them. I was a little heartbroken, but then we found this. I think it will go nicely with the colors that are already in his room and will appeal to his new found obsession with Buzz Lightyear.

We just watched Toy Story for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it is all the rage around here. "Watch Buzz-year, Mommy?" is his most frequent request. He'll be getting a couple of other Buzz Lightyear things for his birthday.

The other request most frequently heard around here is, "Watch this, Mommy!!" as you can see in the video below.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Save Money on Groceries

2008-06-27T13:06:00.003-05:00

I just learned about a cool ministry called Angel Food Ministries. They do monthly sales of boxes of groceries. The boxes are $30 & contain about $65 worth of fresh, frozen & packaged food items. Each box contains enough food to feed a family of four for about a week or a single senior citizen for about a month. They offer a different menu each month & you have to order in advance, but there are no restrictions on who can order. There are ministry sites all over the country, so go to their website and see if there's one near you.

What About This One?

2008-06-26T14:51:00.003-05:00

This one is in stock (big plus) and already goes with curtains, paint & other accents in the room. It's not trains, but I can be flexible, right?

Isn't it Purty???

2008-06-24T15:23:00.001-05:00

Another new look from:

Starring . . . Donovan!!!

2008-06-24T09:23:00.008-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanks to Becca for finding such a fun way to share videos & pictures!

Don't forget to push NEXT after you watch the video to see more pictures

Big Boy Bed

2008-06-20T15:11:00.009-05:00

I think we've decided to move D into the full size bed we already have and just move the crib & baby furniture into the spare room. Or move him into the spare room where the bed already is. I'm not sure yet, but I've been looking at bedding, and I like this set which is very boy and will allow us to use the trains we already have in his room. It's the least expensive quilt/comforter with trains I've found.

I like this one from Land of Nod better, but it's about $100 more. Is it $100 cuter? Not if it's $100 you don't have. It's the cutest one I've found, though.

Then there's this one at overstock.com, but they're sold out. They're supposed to e-mail me when they get more in. This one's just about $20 more than the one at the top. If they get them back in I'll probably snatch one up.

Daddy's Little Helper

2008-06-20T08:24:00.002-05:00

Got a new bubble mower for D last weekend, and he has played with little else since. He even asked Josh to get "Daddy's wan-mower" out so they could push them together.

Being Betty Crocker

2008-06-12T14:39:00.006-05:00

I've been on a baking kick the past couple of days, and I've been in the mood to try new things. So I hopped on over to my favorite recipe website allrecipes.com, and availed myself of their vast resources. I'm going to have to stop soon or I won't be able to button any of my pants.

Yesterday I had a hankering for a soft pretzel, but didn't feel like driving all the way to the mall just to buy an overpriced treat. Surely I could find a recipe and make them at home myself. Well, unfortunately the recipe was too good, and I had to freeze half of the dough and give half of the ones I baked away or I would have eaten them all myself yeaterday afternoon. They are easy but time consuming. If you want to try them, and I recommend that you do, here's the recipe. If you have as little self-control as I do be sure to think of a friend or neighbor you can share them with. They'll thank you. (Right, Heidi??)

This one isn't really baking, but it turned out so well for dinner last night and was so easy that I thought I'd throw it in. Lime Chicken Picante went over very well at our house last night. Josh went back for seconds even though he wasn't hungry anymore. And we used sour cream instead of plain yogurt because that sounded better to us and we had it in our fridge. It would pair really well with Black Bean and Couscous Salad, which is already a favorite at our house (double the dressing!).

Finally, I just pulled these strawberry muffins out of the oven, and my house smells divine! Donovan & I went berry picking on Tuesday with friends from our playgroup and came home with over 4 pounds of strawberries. We had homemade strawberry shortcake for dessert Tuesday night, but I've been trying to find other fun ways to use them. I deviated from the posted recipe so much I just thought I'd share my own:

Strawberry Muffins a la Chris
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar (I subbed splenda baking blend)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
rounded 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
rounded 1 cup chopped strawberries
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp lemon juice

Mix it all together and spoon into paper lined muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Makes about 9 muffins.

The littlest bed was just right. . . or maybe the next size up.

2008-06-10T14:10:00.004-05:00

Josh & I went on a date the other evening without Donovan and had a fabulous time! I wish we got to do that more often. The babysitter put him to bed before we got home, so I had to go in and look at him before I went to bed. I don't usually see him asleep in his bed, and I was reveling in the angelic peacefulness of my sleeping baby, er, I mean boy. Suddenly it dawned on me that my "baby" was taking up almost 3/4ths of the lentgh of his bed. He's not gonna fit in this thing much longer, and to heck with the toddler bed. We'll have to move straight to a twin. I perused a few websites, and this seems like the most likely candidate:

Only $150 at Ikea. Guess we'll be making a trip to Mineapolis toward the end of the summer.

Adventures In Poop

2008-06-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

We got D a potty chair this week and checked out a book from the library about a little boy learning to go poop in a potty. He loves the book and asks to read it several times a day. I'm not trying to potty train D yet, but I wanted to start to introduce the concept to him and have things in place and familiar to him when the time comes that he wants to make that change.

I've been telling myself that it could be a year before he's ready to use the potty. He's not even 2 yet. But this evening while I was filling the tub for his bath I needed to pee, and when D saw me use the big potty he decided he wanted to use his little potty, too. He wouldn't sit on it until he was completely naked. He got situated and sat while I finished getting his bath together. When I came back over I thought I could see something at the bottom of the potty looking between his knees. Would you believe my little guy actually pooped in his potty?? I am floored!

Part of me is so excited and proud, and another part of me is really hoping this is just a happy accident because I'm not mentally ready to really start potty training. I guess we'll see. This growing up thing happens way too fast!!

BTW

2008-06-04T15:21:00.001-05:00

Just so you know, Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works are having their semi-annual sales. If you have one near you, well, you know what to do.

Not Funny & Witty

2008-06-04T08:10:00.002-05:00

The past few days have been the hottest ones of the year so far, and of course our AC picked Friday evening to go out. I've been trying to think of some funny & witty things to say about spending 4 days in a very hot & humid house, but I got nuthin'. It's just not funny. Nope. Not even a little bit. Thankfully the HVAC guys came out yesterday evening, and we are once more in air conditioned peace. Am I spoiled or what? I tell you what, I am not cut out for pioneering or trailblazing or even camping, for that matter. Give me climate control & indoor plumbing thank you very much.

Favorite New Product

2008-05-29T09:58:00.002-05:00

Dove Deep Moisture Facial Cleansing Cloths

I have been using Cetaphil cleanser for a few years now because I knew it was gentle, but my skin has not been at its best for a while now. I have been looking for a new cleanser that would clean well, but not dry my face out and maybe even do a little exfoliating. These recieved a glowing review as a cleanser for dry skin by the book Don't Go To the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. I figured they were worth a try, and I LOVE THEM! I cut them in half so I get twice as many uses out of them. (Yes, I am a cheapskate like that.) They also come in formulations for sensative and oily skin. Haven't tried those, but if you have dry skin try these. My face hasn't been this soft and smooth in ages. How's that for a commercial?

8 Wonderful Crazy Long Short Years

2008-05-28T08:25:00.003-05:00

As of yesterday Josh & I have been married for 8 years! Almost a decade. It seems longer than that, and it also seems shorter than that. It seems like we've been together forever, and it seems like we were walking down aisles saying ridiculously serious things with ridiculously goofy grins on our faces just a few months ago.

We went out to dinner last night at the Kohna Grill, and it was fabulous. Did you know they have Happy Hour M-F from 5-7p.m. with half price appetizers, sushi, pizza and drinks? (I'm planning a Girls Night Out in June. Wanna Come?!)

The restaurant is at an outdoor mall (Sidenote: We have come to believe that outdoor malls should only exist in Southern California. Who wants to shop at an outdoor mall in the middle of winter in Nebraska? Or in the middle of summer in Atlanta? Not me.) so we took our umbrella and walked down through some of the shops 'cause we weren't ready to go home and pick up the boy from our friend's house yet.

My favorite Brighton key-chain broke about a year and a half ago, and I've been wanting a new one since, but I haven't been able to bring myself to spend $30 on a key chain. So that's what I decided I wanted for my anniversary present. Many of my anniversary presents have been Brighton necklaces or earrings or bracelets, but this will be the first anniversary keychain. I ended up getting the ABC one that you can attach charms to, and I got a charm of my initial. In coming days/months I also plan to get a charm of Donovan's birthstone and a few others I think are just cute.

The ladies in the store were so nice. We got to talking and shared about our families and they were so sad we didn't have Donovan with us. I showed them our most recent family picture and our engagement picture from 9 years ago. They said Josh looks exactly they same but I look more "stylin'". Of course they saw me dressed up for an anniversary date with my man, not in my everyday mommy uniform of crop pants and a T-shirt. I enjoyed the compliment anyway.

Aren't you glad this isn't your lawn?

2008-05-26T16:42:00.004-05:00

My friend Deanne is always up on hip new things for blogs 'cause she's cool like that and spends way too much time on her computer. Am I wrong, Deanne? So she just gave her blog a makeover, and it's too cute! So I had to copy. Imitation is the most sincere yadda yadda and all that, right?

I really liked the background that Deanne picked, but I didn't want to totally copy, so I chose this one! I think the little dandelions are so appropriate for our recently arrived spring. If you want a free blog makeover of your own feel free to hop on over here & get one:

Oh Where, Oh Where Have I Been?

2008-05-22T08:53:00.005-05:00

Trying to keep up with my toddler

Learning how to do digital scrapbooking (See my first few pages?!)

Digging grass out of my flowerbeds (Man, I'm a little sore.)

Scrubbing muddy pawprints out of my cream colored carpet

Enjoying the great outdoors (It's finally spring here!)

It's Funny . . . Now

2008-05-15T08:34:00.007-05:00

Here's a slideshow of parts of our trip to visit Nana & Papa & Auntie Becca. The visit itself was much more pleasant than the traveling.

We recently returned from a trip to California. Donovan & I went out to visit Nana & Papa & Auntie Becca while Daddy was in Orlando on business. First of all, if you can avoid it, never travel alone with a toddler. If you can't avoid it try to make sure he's cute. Fellow travelers forgive a lot for a really cute toddler who doesn't like traveling. Mommies, while not immune to the cuteness, have gotten used to it and it doesn't work quite as well on them. I have for several years held to the theory that the cuter a child is the more he needs to be to survive. This theory gained more credence in my mind on our flight back to Omaha after a really nice visit with our family.

I admit that part of it was my fault. PART of it. I booked our trip thinking that we would fly directly from Sacramento to Omaha when in actuality we were to stop in LA, Phoenix, and finally in Omaha without ever deboarding. Stupid. stupid. stupid. Don't ever do that on your own let alone with a 20 month-old. So we packed lots of snacks in the diaper bag (including Dramamine) and set out for home.

The first leg of our trip went ok. He had a little bit of trouble with his ears, but over all, this was the easiest part of our journey. The flight wasn't full, so D had a little bit of room to stretch & move.

The second leg from LA to Phoenix was not as pleasant. I knew we would be hitting nap time on this flight, so I snuck a teeny bit of Dramamine in his juice at the beginning thinking surly it would help him sleep. No, he screamed for half the flight, and as we were decending into Phoenix he was laying across two seats thrashing about like a fish out of water posessed by an angry sleep deprived toddler as he finally passed out.

This was the one point in the whole trip that I was glad not to be getting off the plane. I was grateful that he had about half an hour to sleep before the new passengers boarded and in all likelihood woke him up. About 5 minutes after the other passengers had deboarded, one of the flight attendants came on the speakers and announced that due to electrical problems we would have to deboard while they got a different plane. Of course, even with the aid of Dramamine D couldn't sleep through me trying to carry him and our carry-ons off the plane. In total he probably slept 15 minutes.

The last flight was the hardest and the longest. The plane was packed to the gills. There was only one empty seat, and it wasn't next to us; so Donovan had to sit on my lap the whole flight. About 10 minutes into the flight a flight attendant came over and told me that the passenger sitting in front of us had recently had surgery and we needed to try very hard not to jostle the seat. Seriously?? He needed his seat not to be jostled and he chose to sit down in front of a toddler?? Are you people kidding me? By this time I had grown weary of trying to distract and pacify Donovan. I just wanted to keep him in the seat and survive the rest of the trip. This is where the cuteness comes in. There were very nice people sitting around us who attempted (since I had obviously checked out from sheer exhaustion) to talk to D and stop him from screaming by asking him questions and giving him things to look at. Telling him how cute his glasses were, etc.

We did survive, and we have thankfully gotten back into our routine here at home. I guess the moral of the story is, well I don't have one. I'm just glad it's over.

Here's a video of Donovan dancing at Disney Main Street:

D's New Tricycle

2008-05-09T07:40:00.003-05:00

Daddy brought home a surprise yesterday. Donovan was so excited to help Daddy build his new bike! Mommy & Daddy were almost as excited as D.

Mostly Pictures

2008-04-13T14:37:00.004-05:00

D & Mommy at the mall playground.

Helping mommy dig grass out of the flower beds. D loves to use the "duh-bo" (shovel).
Daddy showed Donovan the cool way to stand when you play the guitar, but D mostly ends up almost doing the splits and falling down.
On sunny days (not to be confused with warm days which are sorely lacking here) we like to open the front door and leave the storm door closed so D can enjoy looking at the wide wide world from the stairs. The past couple of days it has been snowing, so the door has been closed. (Those would be my seedlings in the big pot by the door. Someday (maybe July) it will be warm enough to plant them outside!)

Have I mentioned that cute = trouble?

D is learning new things every day and trying feats he isn't quite capable of accomplishing. Here he makes a valiant effort at putting on his own "docks".

Cirque Du Soleil

2008-04-07T07:48:00.003-05:00

We had such a great time at Cirque du Soleil on Saturday! It was an early anniversary present from my fab man (8 years next month!). I can't tell you what my favorite part was, but the acts that stick out to me are the juggler, the uh, I'll call them synchronized bungee jumpers, and the bicyclist. Amazing strength & skill these performers have, and the costumes are so surreal.

I would go again in a heartbeat. When we were in Vegas in February we saw billboards for at least three different Cirque du Soleil shows and wanted to go then, but we had Donovan with us, and I think he would have had as hard time making it through the whole thing. The one in Vegas that tempted us most was called Ka. It seemed to have some martial arts overtones. Looked fabulous.

In other news I got my first sunburn of the year yesterday. Praise God for sunny weather warm enough to go out in and get a sunburn on the small of my back where my shirt and pants didn't meet. No picture of that, folks. That's about all for now.

The New Me

2008-03-29T20:58:00.004-05:00

My New Look/Look

I got new specs this week, & I really like them! Thought I'd share. Wadda ya think? I've had my old ones for 3-4 years now, and it was time for a change, especially as our vision insurance will cover them completely.

Recipe of the Week: Peanut Butter Kisses

This is a throw-back to my childhood. My mommy made these yummy treats for us quite often.

1 c peanut butter (we like Costco's Kirkland brand organic)

1 c honey

2 c powdered milk

Mix together until well blended. Scoop by tablespoon onto squares of waxed paper and wrap like candy. Mmmmmm! Keep refridgerated, if they last that long.

My Green Thumb??? . . . and Will Spring Ever Come???????

Here are the packets of the seeds that I planted . . .

in these, and set them by my kitchen window, pretending that it's spring. I also got ambitious, and in complete denial that it is never going to be spring here, I started digging in my yard, removing plants that I want to replace with the fun things pictured above. The funny thing was, it was pretty tough going, and when I took a closer look, there were ice crystals all throught the dirt I was digging in. I'm really starting to doubt if spring ever comes to Omaha.

Edited at 8:04 p.m.:
I don't know what's up with the spacing on this post. I've tried to fix it several times. Sorry about all the white space.

Our Not-So-Traditional Easter

2008-03-28T22:03:00.005-05:00

Not a cheap haircut, but it also didn't take an hour & a half and end with both mother & child in tears. All in all, I'd say it was worth the $18 plus tip . . . maybe not every time he needs a haircut, but we'll see. He definitely needed a trim before the big day.

Instead of a basket, Donovan woke up to a little wagon filled with sand toys! He was so excited.

All dressed up for Easter with the traditional reindeer antlers and everything!

Going on an egg hunt . . . on Tuesday. Oh well, he didn't know the difference.

Pay no attention to the dog doodling in the background.

You Know You Spend Too Much Time At Costco When . . .

2008-03-23T22:18:00.004-05:00

You know you are at Costco far too often when you drop in on a Saturday while your husband has the kiddo at home and both the lady at the register and the lady checking receipts ask you, "Where is Donovan today?" Seriously they both asked about him by name. I don't know whether to be embarrassed or flattered. We'll go with flattered.

Another symptom of TMC (too much Costco) popped up this evening while I was on the phone with my SIL. I was talking about something I had bought at Costco & D runs over to me and says, "Pizza?!" I only mentioned the word Costco & he knows enough to associate it with pizza. Should I be worried? At the very least I should adjust our eating habits.

WT Mommy Moment

2008-03-21T09:53:00.003-05:00

A few days ago I had a white trash mommy moment. Donovan & I went to our weekly MOPS meeting, and I dropped him off in the nursery and went about my morning. I picked him up a couple of hours later and we headed straight to Costco just a couple of miles away.

During the sort drive D downed an entire sippy of juice, but I wasn't worried because I assumed that the teachers in D's classroom had changed his diaper like they usually do. When we sat down at the Costco snack bar to eat our oh-so-healthy pizza lunch, his pants felt damp. I threw our pizza in the back of the cart and headed to the restroom to change him before the problem got worse.

By the time we got to the restroom and I put him on the changing table his pants were soaked front & back. There was no way he could wear them, so I dug in the diaper bag for the spare pants I usually keep in there. I dug & dug until it dawned on me that I had taken them out a few days ago because I had wanted him to wear them with a certain shirt. I did have a clean shirt & undershirt for him, but no pants.

So there I was walking around Costco feeding pizza to a child with no pants. It was a humbling experience, and I was trying to figure out how I was going to get him out to the car without freezing his little legs off. I called my friend Jenn who is a much more experienced mom than I am now bringing her 6th child through toddlerhood, and she recommended I look through the clothes and find something inexpensive that D at least kind of needed and put it on him.

We finished our shopping and pulled up to the register with Donovan wearing blue monkey pajama pants with his green shirt, and looking only minutely less red neck than he did with no pants at all. But hey, his little legs were covered and he has a set of cute spring/summer pj's that we probably would have purchased at some point anyway. I guess God knew I needed a little dose of humility.

Obsessions

2008-03-03T23:17:00.002-06:00

D seems obsessed with vacuums lately. He is always thrilled to go down the vacuum aisle at Costco and devastated to leave it. Last night Josh was putting Donovan to bed, and while they were reading bedtime stories I decided to vacuum the family room. Apparently this was not a good idea, because a few minutes later Josh & Donovan came walking down the hallway to watch me, all the while Donovan yelling, "Mommy! Bah-boom! Mommy! Bah-boom!" I quickly finished my chore so that the bedtime routine could be resumed, but even after stories had been read and Josh had laid D down to go to sleep, we kept hearing "Bah-boom" over & over on the baby monitor until he finally fell asleep.

18 Months Ago

2008-02-28T21:21:00.003-06:00

In the short span of a year-and-a-half my baby boy has gone from this:to this:
We had Donovan's 18 month check-up yesterday, and I always find the pediatrician's questions thought provoking . . . like:
P: Is he sleeping through the night?
Me: Finally!
P: How many words is he saying?
Me: Seriously? I can't even keep track any more.
P: At least 10?
Me: At least 10 I'd never heard him say before this week.
P: And is he putting together phrases?
Me: My favorite is "Where it is??"!

So D is healthy, tall & thin, with a big head (more brains they tell me jokingly, but my money's on a thicker than average skull), and G-R-U-M-P-Y after the three shots they gave him.

Donovan has started sorting the world into categories recently, but is limited by his better than average but still small 18-month-old vocabulary. For example, all animals are either doggies, bears, or birdies. All musical instruments are "tar-tar"s. (I tried to tell him tar-tar is a sauce you put on fish, but he remains adamant.) And he gets especially excited when he sees a guitar on the t.v. when mommy is watching American Idol. Most recently, all electrical implements are "Bah-boom"s (vacuums). Everything from the actual vacuum (much more appealing when it is not turned on) to my electric hand mixer to the electric can opener. It's fascinating to see him organizing the world in his own little mind.

New Pictures

2008-02-12T23:28:00.004-06:00

Donovan is learning to sign "I love you." He gets 2 out of 3 fingers up! So sweet.

D & his buddy Abby visited the zoo together & had a good time. It was COOOOOOLD, though. We ran from one indoor exhibit to the next. Sorry, lions, we'll see you next time.

Donovan has a fascination with everything that is Daddy's, especially his gloves. He has a blast wresting them from Daddy every evening when he gets home & trying them on.

In this season of presidential politics, I thought this clip was ammusing:

Long time no post

2008-02-09T21:41:00.000-06:00

I am alive. Thought you'd like to know. I'll try to get some new pictures and stories up here soon.

Moving on.

2008-01-13T15:34:00.000-06:00

Things I love about Donovan at 16.5 months:

When Daddy tries to get him to give a "High-5", he will almost always run over to me and smack my hand. (Don't tell Josh I get such a kick out of this.)

He may refuse to eat anything on his plate at dinner, but once we let him down he will often climb into one or the other of our laps and enthusiastically partake of the exact same foods from our plates.

He is all about watching "ball" (football) with Daddy & loves mimicking Josh's cheers and gestures. It's soooooo cute!

He has learned to sign & say the word play and does so with much fervor when he is so inclined. What's so funny is that his typical idea of "play" is to dump all his toys & blocks on the floor and stomp through them like a dinosaur.

Things that make me a little sad about Donovan at 16.5 months:

He has almost grown out of his first pair of real little size 5 sneakers. I had to buy him new ones at Target today, and they look so big.

His pronunciation of "Trixie" & "Turbo" are sounding less and less like "Deet-dee" & "Bo-bo" and more and more like "Trixie" & "Turbo".

He no longer happily complies with my every request. He has started defying my will and turning around and doing the opposite of what I ask. I know this means he is growing up and learning that he is his own person, but I'm not really excited about saying "no" over and over til I'm blue in the face every day. I am praying that God will guide me through this parenting challenge with my sanity and Donovan's little spirit intact.

Merry New Year!

2008-01-05T14:11:00.000-06:00

Mommy, Donovan, Madison, & Aunt Dani all dressed up for the Christmas Eve service.

Donovan gives Grandma Bliss a rare opportunity to hold him.

Donovan & Uncle Chad.

Donovan & Uncle Wyatt.

Donovan discovers his stocking.

Donovan helps Madi open presents.

Could he be the next American Idol??

The boys: Wyatt, Donovan, Josh & Chad.

Donovan & Madison recover from the trauma of having their picture taken by playing with Grandma on the mall playground.

The four brothers reunited.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas & New Year. Ours was quite busy. We went to Josh's brother's house in southern Indiana for about a week. All I have to say is no more road trips for us for a while. I must admit it could have been worse, but a thirteen hour drive with a cranky toddler really isn't a bowl of cherries. We left Omaha at 3 a.m. on the 22nd thinking that D would go right back to sleep once we got on the freeway. Wrong. He stayed awake and grumpy for a few hours after we left. We tried placating him with food and toys, all to no avail. Finally he fell asleep after we had stopped for breakfast and he got to run around for a little bit. We got in to Evansville around 4p.m. and were never so happy to get out of a car. Seeing our family was nice, too.

It was quite the full house with 8 adults, 2 toddlers, & 2 dogs, but we managed to make it through the week still liking each other pretty well but quite convinced that none of us could easily live together. Donovan got to meet his uncles Chad & Wyatt for the first time. We hadn't seen Josh's younger brothers in about 5 years. What a blessing to be with them again! My SIL Dani & I tried to take the little people to Penny's to get cousins pictures taken, and what a nightmare that was. Donovan screamed any time I wasn't holding him, and unfortunately it didn't take long for that attitude to rub off on Madi. We got a couple of shots where they weren't actively screaming, but there were no smiles to be had. Bummer!

After we left Evansville, we headed north to Indianapolis to visit friends for a couple of days. It was so nice to see friends who feel like family. Not everyone was in town, so we missed a few, but we did get to go to our old church that Sunday, and it sure made me homesick for our Indianapolis family.

We headed home New Years Eve and got home about 10 o'clock that night. Donovan did better on the trip home -- more sleeping, less screaming. Praise the Lord! We spent New Years Day unpacking the car, putting Christmas decorations away, and watching the Rose Bowl.

Josh had the rest of this week off, and we have done a lot of relaxing together as a family. Tomorrow it's back to the daily grind, but I'm sure glad we had this extra time off after our travels.

Six-Eyes Goes Sledding

2007-12-16T21:28:00.000-06:00

D had a blast with his cousin's green flowery sunglasses!

All bundled up for our first sled ride. Hey, mom? Am I supposed to be able to move??

Here we gooooooooo!

Help! I've fallen, and I can't get up!

Hold the Ice

2007-12-07T18:47:00.000-06:00

Here's something to ponder. I was listening to Paul Harvey when I was running around doing errands a couple of days ago. He was talking about this study that was done testing the ice in restaurants around the country. Let me start by saying I will never order a drink with ice again. In some of the restaurants the water in the men's room toilets was cleaner than the water in the ice. In all of the restaurants the water in the ice was full of nastiness. The water itself was fine. It's just that no one ever cleans the ice makers so they get full of bacteria and cooties. So next time you dine out remember to ask your server to hold the ice.

Picture Meme

2007-12-06T21:50:00.000-06:00

I saw this meme on Deanne's blog and thought I'd give it a whirl! Here's how it works; just type in the answers to the questions on google images. Then paste the first picture that comes up. (Ok, so I too cheated on that part.)

1. Age I will be on my next birthday:

2. Place I would like to travel:

3. Favorite place:

4. Favorite object: (heated leather seats in my car)

5. Favorite food:

6. Favorite color:7. Nickname:8. Place I was born:

Play if you want. I'd love to see your pics.

Video from Thanks-Christmas

2007-12-02T14:58:00.000-06:00

Sorry we've been MIA. We've had family here from out of state since just before Thanksgiving. Haven't had time to think let alone blog, but we have had a ton of fun. We had Thanks-Christmas with my parents and sister. Thanks-Christmas has become a tradition for us the years we have Christmas with the other side of the family. The highlight of the event was Donovan's Tickle-Me-Elmo which he loved and was fascinated with until it lunged at him unexpectedly. They have since made up and are friends. We saw "Mo-mo" the other night on Extreme Home Makeover, and D was all excited. Will post more later.

D Movies

2007-11-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Donovan has been doing lots of neat new stuff lately. He learned how to say no (Daddy taught him and mommy was none too pleased), he can now sign milk, more, all done (which also means I want down), bath, & please (although we're still working on the appropriate use of please). He has also started knocking on doors and playing a version of tag with Trixie. He dances to music (and often to the music in his head), and we just finished swimming lessons where he learned, among other things, to jump (or step) off the side of the pool into Daddy's arms. And I think the sweetest thing he has started doing is he now sings with me when I'm rocking him to sleep at bedtime. We gotta get a video of that sometime. And now, for your viewing pleasure . . . D Movies!!!!

A Merry & Inexpensive Christmas to You

2007-11-05T06:33:00.000-06:00

So we are about to embark on the fun and fabulous and not at all intimidating task of coming up with and then executing an amazing homemade Christmas gift idea for friends and family. I think I have a great idea for family gifts, but if anyone wants to chime in with an idea for a homemade gift from our family to our friends' families, I'm all ears! I can't tell you what the family gift is because too many of my readers fall under that very category (but my friend Jenn of Ivy Six-Pack agrees that it will be a hit). I'm sure there are websites that contain such ideas, but does anyone have a website they'd recommend? I'd love your input!