Archive for January 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

Random Picture Friday

Where are house was situated in Wisconsin, we caught the worst of snow drifts.

This was the after the blizzard in February of 2007.

It's hard to keep a dog inside the fence when just walking up and over is an option.


Now it's time to put on my Responsible Parent face and get ready for the PAT lady. Have a great Friday!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Family Dinner, No Hair

We were all skipping along until lunchtime yesterday, when our nighttime plans were reorganized. We opted to make the drive back to my parents to see out-of-town family for dinner.

So, I didn't get my hair cut or colored, but it's cool. I've rescheduled and we'll be having this conversation again this time next month.

We had a nice time seeing family. This was the only picture I took.



Ryan's back is going to be hurting tomorrow!

(Fun trivia: after weighing Vance and Vaughn two weeks ago, I discovered that they are within 10 pounds of each other. Is that crazy? I think so!)

I'll tell you what wasn't nice about our evening: The accident that closed the highway and left us to find an alternate way back home. Another late night for everyone and I'm thinking that this morning will be a bit hairy with the kiddies.

Last week Vance told me that his favorite day was Thursday because we always eat pizza on Thursdays. Knowing this information, Thursdays will always be Pizza Night at our house.

Happy Pizza night!

(oh, our first appointment with Parents as Teachers is tomorrow - anyone care to share what I'll be expecting?)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

It's been Bizarro World around here lately.


Everyone's sleep schedules have been off.

I'll spare details because, well, that's boring.

I will tell you that I have a haircut tonight and I'm pretty excited about it. Color will remain the same, but have got to do something with the length. This is the longest my hair has been in a long time and it's driving me nuts. It wouldn't be so bad if I had a desk job, but that's not the case. My hair is everywhere and always in my way.

And Vaughn likes to pull it when she gets feisty.

Which is usually more often than not. Especially since everyone's sleep schedules have been off like I mentioned earlier.

Have a nice day.


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

In a rut

So, it's Tuesday and winter is still here, so it's cold outside which means we can't play outside.


Did you hear that? My forehead just hit the counter.

Internet, we're in a rut.

I'm tired of playing inside. Burned out of the same ol' same ol'. Done with our same routine everyday and night. It hits hardest at nighttime, after dinner, when both Justin and I are DONE with the day.

Grrrr......

We so enjoyed ourselves when Vance was too young to realize what we were watching on TV. After dinner we could still watch our shows, while playing with Vance and doing puzzles in front of the television.

Not so much the case now. Vance is older and soaks up everything like a sponge. Another huge issue is the age difference between the kids. Vance still loves doing puzzles, playing games, setting up train and race tracks, but Vaughn is like a giant tornado when it comes to that stuff. Godzilla-esque.

We may go crazy this winter. I can't even think right now. Vance is next to me and won't stop talking and asking me questions about the road that I suggested that he could draw while I finish this up. He's still talking........still talking..........still talking...........

.....He's still talking. Pardon my abrupt ending.

Monday, January 25, 2010

K Screening Today? Not for my baby!



It can't be.

I'm pretty sure that my calendar says that I have an appointment to take Vance to his kindergarten screening today.

But my baby can't be old enough for that, as you can see. This picture was taken just yesterday.

..............................

A big shout out to my mom and aunt who are coming to stay with the Vaugnimal while I take Vance. He tends to get nervous in situations like these, so we're planning on getting there early to get him used to his surroundings and figured he would be calmer without the chaos that Vaughn seems to always bring to the party.

Update: The screening is cancelled due to the screener being sick. Grrr..... Had to reschedule.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

This time last year...

This time last year we were drinking prickly pear margarita's during lunch at the Pink Taco in Hard Rock, living it up in Vegas, baby.




Justin, my dad, and I sat for a long time watching the crane and workers set pieces for the new part of Caesar's. It was pretty interesting to watch.

They were also working on the area around the pools, staining the concrete to make the designs.

Quite the change from this year. We donated money to Haiti after watching the telethon last night and tried to stay up to watch Conan's last show. And today, we're getting ready for Vance's little buddy to come over and play.

I'm also secretly hoping to see the GD sun sometime soon.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Picture Limit

In the mean time...


Erica alerted me of something I've never heard before. Apparently Blogger limits the number of pictures you can upload to your blog. She has hit her limit and therefore must pay a fee if she wants to continue adding pictures.

I've been blogging since 2006 and this hasn't happened to me yet. I'm wondering if it's more of a space issue. My pictures are small files, taken with a point and shoot digital camera. I'm going to guess (let me know if I'm wrong, Erica) that Erica's are taken with a SLR camera and therefore would be bigger files and need more space.

Anyone else have insight on this?

Will they sleep past 8:00?

Let's play a little game.


For 2 of the past 3 mornings I've had to wake Vance up to get ready for school. Vance is usually an early riser. He never sleeps in.

For the past 3 mornings I've had to wake Vaughn up in order to get her ready to take Vance to school.

Today, Friday morning, a no school day, let's see if they sleep in.

I'll let you know

Update: Vance woke up at 7:30. Creating a ruckus while trying to get himself dressed for the day, he woke up Vaughn.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Pink is gone, Etsy is back

Just for Dave, the pink background is gone.


Also, my Etsy site is back up and I'm working on new stuff - keep an eye out!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Better...And Easier

On Saturday night Vaughn started asking (semi-yelling) for gum. "Gummmmmmm! Pe Gummmm!" I looked at her and thought, "Holy crap, she can talk! When did that happen?!"


It hit me that she's almost 2. It's been the roughest almost 2 years, but they've gone so fast.

Somedays Vance says, "We're almost out of babies. We'll need to get a new one." But after seeing a scene from Supernanny where a 4 year old and 2 year old triplets were going crazy he turned to me and said, "Having only one baby is better. And easier!"

So young, but so wise. Enough said.

Weekend Update!

Weekend Update...With Bullets!


  • Justin did get in on Friday night. 3 hours later than expected, due to Customs situations & plane mechanics. Everyone was happy to see him.
  • Saturday we went to a Luau Open House at Vance's school. The kids had fun playing games and making lei's and grass skirts.
  • While Vaughnie napped, Justin and Vance went to a movie and I got some much needed alone time.
  • I made PW's Baked Lemon Pasta for dinner and it was a huge flop.
  • After dinner we watched Cloudy with a Chance for Meatballs. It was cute.
  • After the kids went down we watched Public Enemies. We both enjoyed it. A lot of the movie was filmed in Wisconsin while we were still living there and I remember all of the advertisements for the Extras that they were needing for the movie. I have a thing for Johnny Depp. Justin is tired of hearing about it.
  • On Sunday my parents surprised us by coming for a visit. It was nice seeing them.
  • This morning when Vance woke up he said, "That was a nice day yesterday."

Friday, January 15, 2010

This blog needs a makeover. I'm not sure on how to go about it. If anyone has insight about this, please let me know.

Happy Hour



Vance took this picture of me. I just found it last night.

And that, folks, is all that I have for you right now. Justin has been away since Sunday and I'm all kidded out. My mind is mush. I've Mommed the hell out of the kids this week and I'm done. Daddy should get home just in time for Happy Hour and that's exactly what it's going to be around here. Happy Effing Hour.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

My public service to everyone today is to remind you that a new season of Project Runway starts tonight. And it's on Lifetime, so who knows which channel that is.


I had no idea it was starting again. Probably because I never go near the Lifetime channel and therefore would never see a commercial for it. Wonder if this is hurting its ratings? I heard a commercial for it on the radio yesterday, so I thought I'd warn everyone too. I know the Housewives are on tonight too, so get your DVR's and Tivo's set up.

The rest is random. A list!
  • There's a big, black fly in my bathroom. I have no idea how it got there.
  • I'm loving the warmer temps.
  • Vance is SO into dinosaurs right now. Each day he focuses on a new one. Looks like today is T Rex day.
  • Vaughn pooped on the potty yesterday. Even though she prompted it, I'm still thinking it's more of a fluke.
  • This has really been a long week.
  • I downloaded a free fun font. I have our names typed out in it and have left it on my computer's dashboard for the past few days because it makes me happy to look at. I love typography.
I think it was Goethe who said, "Nothing is worth more than this day." This will be my mantra for today.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

What's up with boys ripping the knees out of their pants???

I get it. I know they play on their knees. I'm still annoyed every time it happens as if it's the first.

Vance has gone through 4 pairs this season. 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of non-denim. The remainder of the pants are fine - just one knee is ripped. I've tried putting patches on the insides, but that didn't work out too well. I don't know if it's better to buy cheaper, disposable pants or more expensive, heavier pants.

Anyways, it's hump day and it's supposed to be warm(ish) today. Hoping today is a good one!


Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Kindergarten: Why are you trying to take my baby?

Vance is growing up.


He told me herbivore's eat plants yesterday.

I remember when he used to call Justin "mama" and refer to himself as "baby".


I recently signed up for Parents As Teachers and therefore am now on our school district's mailing list. I received a pamphlet late last week of information and nearly had an panic attack. (Coincidentally, this was also the day that Justin woke up with a herniated disc, so I had no choice but to keep it together. ((How responsible of me!)))

Without this info, I would have let kindergarten registration totally sail right by. (It's less than a month away.) Yesterday I was able to get his screening appointment set up and also signed him up for a little class that introduces him to his new school. Even a bus ride in the school's parking lot.

I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready to send him out into the world all by himself. I'm looking at kindergarten as being a bully right now. Tell me that this kindergarten idea gets better and really is not a sham to take our babies away!

........................................

What's up for today? Vance has school and Vaughn and I have music class. Looking forward to the warmer weather we're supposed to be getting tomorrow. Happy Tuesday.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Simple, Hearty White Chili

Over the weekend I made Pioneer Woman's Simple, Hearty White Chili. I should change that sentence to say, "It took all weekend to make Pioneer Woman's Simple, Hearty White Chili."


Her beans took 2 hours to cook, and I gave up on mine after 8.5 hours. I started it after dinner on Friday night, took it off the heat to go to bed and started it back up on Saturday afternoon. By 8:00 PM on Saturday, I gave up on them and decided to eat it anyways. (I went back and checked comments on her recipe and everyone else had this same problem too. The recipe called for UNSOAKED beans, just to let you know that I'm not crazy.)

Even though the beans were a little tough, the soup was good. If I make it again I'll either soak the beans overnight first or just go with canned.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Happy Birthday Drew!



Yesterday was Elvis's, today's it's Drew's!

Happy 1st birthday! We love you!

Friday, January 08, 2010

Happy Birthday Elvis!

Vance is fond of The King, it's his birthday, so we're celebrating!


(I have found that if you have a theme for the day, there's more to look forward to, therefore it's a little more exciting.)

Vance's thing for Elvis started last month. I'm at a loss for the title of the Christmas song, but it's the one about, "a man who lived in Tennessee and he was waitin' for, Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie...". He started asking who the man was from Tennessee and I told him about Elvis.

He's the king of everyone? "No, sweetie, just rock n' roll", I said. (Vance's knowledge of kings comes from the Lion King, Robin Hood, and Chick Hicks.)

We've talked in depth about Elvis, looked at pictures, listened to songs. Vance saw something on TV yesterday about The King's birthday and got excited, so I'm playing along. I have Elvis sheriff badges (don't ask) so, we'll be wearing those with pride today.

Don't be cruel today.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

I know most of you read my sister's blog, Life After Baseball, and have heard about our good friend who just found out she has stage 3 breast cancer. However, I wanted to mention something here. She's a believer of the power of prayer, therefore the more prayers and good thoughts sent her way will very much be appreciated!


Our friend is one of the nicest people that you'll ever meet. In fact, her entire family is the nicest family I've ever met. They are an amazing group of people. She's full of life, always up for a good time, and lives life to its fullest. She's an extremely hard worker and awesome mom. She is the type of person that I'd like to be more like. She's also a fighter and I have no doubt that she's going to take what will be coming her way with the utmost strength and dignity.

My sister and I have agreed to run in the Race for the Cure this year in her honor. It's June 12 and the more, the merrier. Whether walking or running, it's a great way to show your support for everyone who has battled or is battling this awful disease.

Our friend will be starting her own blog to journal her experiences and how she's going to beat this. With her approval, I'll provide a link so we can all track how she's doing.

Again, whether you're a praying type or just a good thought sending type, she, her family, and her friends would greatly appreciate it.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Nothing but important business around here today.

First things first, our morning was hijacked by a trip to the Urgent Care. Justin woke up with unbearable pains in his neck and turns out the doctors think he has a herniated disc. He's still in a lot of pain and is having a hard time moving around. The kids don't really understand this and keep trying to jump on Daddy. They also think it's exciting to have Daddy home during the day, so they've been revved up all day long. (I think for this reason alone Justin is hell bent on getting back to work tomorrow.) Hope he feels better tomorrow!

Now on to more important business. (I kid, I kid!)

We received an awesome gift from friends, which brought be back to my childhood. I have vivid memories of my brother and I making Snoopy Sno-Cones in the kitchen of our old house. It's a slow process, shaving one ice cube at a time, but Vance and I had a good time.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Music and Soup.

Even after her horrific behavior in the grocery store yesterday, I'm still taking Vaughn to her first music class today.


After we drop Vance off at school. (Thank goodness THAT starts again today.)

And after we exchange the carton of leaky milk that we bought at the store yesterday.

Yea.

I made Pioneer Woman's Cauliflower soup yesterday and it was good. Not sure if it's one that I would ever make again, but we enjoyed it this time around. It reminded me almost of a chowder or even a potato soup. (If you steam the heck out of cauliflower, add some butter and cream, and mash it you'll end up with a healthier version of mashed potatoes.) I ended up with some bigger pieces of cauliflower in the soup, so I remedied that by using a potato masher, which in turn made the soup a bit thicker. Vaughn even ate it. Vance? No way.

Unfortunately, when you cook cauliflower you can't escape the smell, so that's the unfortunate part of this tale.

Enjoy your Tuesday. Make it count.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Our dinner conversation was lacking last night. The only sound was our dinner music.

(It's fun to play music that matches what you're eating and Pandora makes it so easy. Last night was Mexican night, just to set the mood for you.)

We have been together so much over the holidays that we have nothing to say to each other. Absolutely nothing. We have been inseparable and therefore experienced nothing by ourselves to report back to the group about.

Justin is anxious to get back to work today. I'm a little jealous that he gets to leave.

At least we should have some new stories to share over dinner.



Friday, January 01, 2010



Here's the kids before our guest arrived last night.

 

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