Icenhour Adventures

R.I.P. Icenhour Adventures

2010-11-01T13:16:00.002-05:00

The time has come. As much as I don't want to say bye to my blog, I have to :(

I am just tired of soooo many things on my To-Do list not getting done that I'm taking things off. This working mom just can't take it anymore. So, Icenhour Adventures is one of the many "to-do's" that has to go.

I don't think it will be greatly missed (sorry Nana!) but it has been fun while it lasted. For now, Facebook will have to do.

So, if you want to see the photos (and very short stories) that should have been posted here - just go here. Find me on Facebook.

So long, blog. We had a good run :)

Blog Neglect

2010-09-27T15:00:00.005-05:00

So, I was reminded today by a sweet friend that blogging is the best way to keep up with our friends from afar (aka, South Carolina!) She is having a baby in a few months and was encouraged by one of our other friends (who is now a blogger) to start her own blog. I hope she does :)

I still do like blogging better than posting on Facebook - but really I don't have time for either! So, I'm going to try harder to keep the 'ole blog up to date and, well, Facebook will keep getting neglected as it always has been. Oh well.

My sweet, little family really has had some fun lately and I've got the photos to prove it - just don't have the time to post them. So, here's one. The fair. We do love the fair and all the greasy, fried food that comes along with it.

Michael Dean was so brave this year. Even after skinning his knee (and arm, I found out a few days later...bad mommy) he just kept trucking. Literally. He loved the monster truck ride! I hope to get more pics up here soon...bear with me.

Play-Doh!

2010-09-02T07:28:00.004-05:00

I found this monster set of cookie cutters at Goodwill ($4!) a few weeks ago, so we pulled out the Play-Doh and had some fun. Of course, Michael Dean found the 2 choo-choo train shapes immediately and only wanted to make those. I tried my best to get a giraffe, bell, his initials, and Santa Claus on the table. But, all he wanted were the trains :)

Good times.

A Full Weekend

2010-08-24T07:53:00.006-05:00

This past weekend was jam-packed! It started Friday evening with a small birthday party for Papa (Donnie's dad) at our house. Then, on Saturday our good friends, Sean and Marianne, came over with their 2 boys, Conner and Owen. Conner Michael (as Michael Dean called him, because he has a buddy at school named Conner Walker and was totally confused by the 2 Conners!) is a few months younger than MD but is obsessed with trains too. So, the 2 of them had a ball playing trains together. And, Marianne was sweet enough to bring some special desserts for the kids so the picture above is the boys enjoying their cupcakes "with sprinkles"!

On Sunday, we went to a birthday party for a boy in Michael Dean's class at school - Nicholas. See, Nicholas is MD's partner-in-crime. Well, the teachers have to keep them separated, some, at school so I guess you could say that! Anyway, I've never really seen them together, outside of school, and MAN do I have a different kid around Nicholas! MD was brave, ran right into the water at the Splash Pad, went through the entire jungle gym and down a big slide all by himself, and ran way off from me - which is totally unlike him. It was fun to watch - it was like watching another kid all day!

Then, to top the weekend off, we got a new bell for MD's train bed! Whew, that was crazy excitement for MD Monday night. He LOVES it...and did surprisingly well by not ringing it all night long.

Good times. Really. Our weekends are never quite long enough. Sigh.

Work in Progress...

2010-08-10T14:06:00.003-05:00

Donnie and I are putting a deck on the back of our new house! It's pretty darn exciting.

One of our amazing friends has offered to, pretty much, build the whole thing. So, Donnie and Richard (and his son, Alex) have been working hard the past few days to get this thing done. Yeah! We're hoping to start using our new deck soon, so Phase 2 photos should be posted soon :)

Putting the kids to work!

Time for a break :)

Grandpa Jeff's Train Bed

2010-08-04T09:22:00.007-05:00

My dad was an amazing handyman. And even though his daytime profession was in Engineering, he was an amazingly creative handyman. He built some beautiful wood furniture and anyone who was able to get one of these pieces knew they were very lucky.

About 20 years ago, my dad made a very cute train bed for some family friends. It was intended for their son and ended up bunking all 3 of their sons over the years. Well, when I found out I was going to have a son, we started trying to track down the "train bed" and soon after, our friend, Lisa, immediately offered it back to the Brezina family. So we snatched it back.

We've been waiting 3+ years to put this bed back together and introduce Michael Dean to his Grandpa Jeff's "choo-choo train" bed. This past weekend we were finally able to do that. And, man, was he excited!! He couldn't wait to get it together and play in it. Surprisingly, he sleeps real well in it, too.

So, to my sweet daddy: I'm sure you never dreamed this bed would ever live under your grandson's little body, but now it does! Thank you for being so talented and creative. I benefit from it every day, and now your grandson, who favors his Grandpa Jeff in so many ways, does too. We love you and miss you, Grandpa Jeff.

Trying out his new "big-boy" mattress

Helping daddy put his new "choo-choo" train together

Chugga-chugga. Woo-woo!

The Last 2 (well, 3) Weeks as Told by Courtney's Camera - PART 2

2010-08-04T08:40:00.005-05:00

Gosh, it seems like ages ago, but it really was only 3 weeks ago - my sister's wedding at the beach! They hired this great photographer to shoot their wedding and she was kind enough to provide me some photos, below. OK, it was me.

Before that, though, we got in some more family time. But, this time it was at the beach!

Proud to be a Gleek, on the beach, with my sweet family.

Uncle Bob hunting for seashells. I had to explain what they were...he doesn't see many of those in Colorado. Tee hee.

We miss you, Uncle Bob :(

Our only day, all together, at the beach and it POURED the whole time. Urgh!

Donnie didn't seem to mind the rain

Huddling under a tiny awning, trying to stay dry. Didn't really work.

Aunt Jonda showing off her pro Cornhole moves for MD

Nap on the beach. Does it get any better?

The new Myrtle Beach Boardwalk! Very nice, but that place needs some more shade. Seriously.

Finally, the wedding...

On the way down to the wedding...in a crowded elevator

My beautiful niece.

Aunt Jonda and her ringbearer

Mr. and Mrs. Joey Buchanan

The fam (minus Uncle Bob, Aunt Maureen and Christy - they had a 6am flight that morning!)

The Last 2 Weeks as Told by Courtney's Camera - PART 1

2010-07-21T11:38:00.009-05:00

Michael Dean's 3rd Birthday Celebration(s)!

Since MD's BD fell on a Wednesday, we headed out after work/school for a short choo-choo train ride...

...and lego excursion at the Mills

MD's BD party at school (Nana and Daddy were there too)

The best part about the birthday party (for MD)!

FYI: Lots of Thomas the Trains were harmed in the making of this birthday party. Sorry, little fella.

Engineer Nana and Conductor Uncle Bob

Alert: Adults in the kiddy boucy house!

And, MD not too happy about it

Movie Night with some Great Friends!

(The boys were there, too)

A Little Family Time

The whole family actually all together (my big bro Bob and his family were in town all the way from Colorado!)

Siblings

What, MD liking a swimming pool?!

Uncle Bob and Aunt Maureen playing with the chocolate cookie in MD's belly (literally)

Thomas the Cake

2010-07-13T23:43:00.004-05:00

So, after a few pretty late nights, here it is! The finished product. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I did pretty darn good, didn't I?! I was real happy with how it turned out...and so was Michael Dean. I tell ya, though, it almost hurt to have to cut into that little train. I felt like we had become pretty good friends.

His birthday party turned out just great. A lot of friends and family were there and I think all the kiddos had a good time.

We are so blessed to have such great people who care about our son. He's simply amazing and we love celebrating him with anyone who wants to celebrate him with us!

Cheesing it at up his party :)

The gifts aftermath...

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Little Boy!

2010-07-06T14:41:00.005-05:00

Today, my son turns 3. Man, only 3 short (sometimes long!) years ago Donnie and I became parents for the second time (the first time was to our furbaby, Mila) and it changed our lives forever.

Each day is something new. Literally. Just yesterday we were working on not spitting at mommy and today MD is cutting with big-boy scissors. Every day is an adventure and I am so thankful I get to experience all of this.

I love Michael Dean so much, it makes me tingle. He's a part of me. He came from my sweet husband, Donnie and me. He is my family. He motivates most of what I do. I never thought I'd have a son, but thank God He gave me one.

Happy Birthday, my love. Thanks for making me smile :)

Uptown Boy

2010-07-01T07:19:00.006-05:00

This past Sunday my mom and I had the grand idea to head uptown to Discovery Place for the afternoon. See, they were having a FREE day (for a whopping 5 hours) to celebrate their new renovations. We figured it would be crowded, but we had NO idea just how crowded it would be. The line was wrapped around the building. Seriously. We asked a mom near the front of the line how long she'd been waiting. She looked at her watch and said for about an hour and a half the line had been moving pretty well. But they had been stuck in their current position for an hour. That's 2 1/2 hours, folks! Seriously, I can't even get my kid to play cars with me for 5 minutes without him getting distracted. I don't know how all those parents did it with their little ones in 100+ degree weather.

Needless to say, we didn't wait. This was only the 2nd time Michael Dean had been uptown (the first time was for a birthday party in a men's salon!) so we tried to make the most of it and just played in all the (working) water fountains. It did turn out to be a fun time!

Just a little touch

Almost...

Well, at least mom is smiling. (All the people had MD quite intrigued.)

Making a wish

It's Sad...

2010-06-21T14:36:00.005-05:00

...that digital cameras weren't really around yet back in 2001. That I didn't really get into photography until January 2001 when my world crashed (for not only 1 but 2 really BIG life-changing events) and I bought my first "real" camera as a distraction. Because most pictures of my dad are just that. Pictures. No digital files. Not even any negatives (without digging for hours through tons of little plastic negative holders.) So, I'm left with either scanning worn-out photos or taking a digital picture of a photo and trying my best to work some Photoshop magic.

I think of my dad every day. I'm always thinking of how proud of me he'd be. How shocked he'd be that I actually had a child - this amazing little boy that resembles his Grandpa Jeff more and more each day. I think about all the furniture he'd want to make for my new house. I think about how much better my car would run if he could have maintained it all these years for me, rather than the 15-minute jobs I get about every 4 months at Meineke. (No offense, Lenny has treated me pretty well over the years.) I think about how different my world would be if he were still here.

So, Father's Day. It's a very mixed-emotions day for me. On one hand, I'm sad that I can't go to the store and pick out the perfect Father's Day card then search for his 127th tie or popcorn tin or remote caddy or some random "dad" gift he'd cherish forever, then be able to hand it to him and get one of his huge hugs and a wink.

And, on the other hand, I have this amazing father-in-law who loves me. I mean, really loves me. And not just for his son's sake. He treats me like a daughter. He cares about me. He makes sure his son is treating me right. He takes care of my son and loves him (and all of his grandchildren) with everything he's got. It's an honor to honor him on Father's Day.

Then, on the other, other hand, there's the father of my child. My sweet husband, Donnie. He's such a good dad. He does all the things I can't do. He has the energy and child-like mind to play with our son when I've just had enough. He likes to get dirty and touch bugs and swim when I just don't want to. He can handle the full-blown, make-you-want-to-break-something tantrums that send me into a corner crying myself. He loves MD so, so much and it too is an honor to honor him on Father's Day.

So, Happy Father's Day (yesterday) Dad, Dad-in-law (Papa) and Daddy. My life just wouldn't be complete without each of you.

My "Most Beautiful" 2 & 3 Year-Old

2010-06-15T16:00:00.002-05:00

He won! Michael Dean was voted "Most Beautiful 2 & 3 Year-Old" in the contest/fundraiser for Charlotte's Most Photogenic Babies of 2010.

In case you missed it, I posted here about a photo contest we entered Michael Dean in a few weeks ago. It was also a fundraiser for the Levine Children's Hospital. All-in-all the organizaton raised over $10,000 for the hospital! Thanks to everyone who contributed in Michael Dean's honor.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to go to the awards ceremony. We had a really great reason, though...Donnie was ordained at our church this past Sunday at the same time the awards ceremony took place. So, a sweet friend of ours (Liz) went for us and accepted MD's trophy for him. (You'll see her here about 9 rows up from the bottom accepting her, I mean MD's trophy!)

(Donnie at our church's groundbreaking service)

Congrats, my sweet little "beautiful" boy!

You can see all the winners (including MD) here - www.photogenicbaby.com/winners/charlottewinners.html.

Words from my Courageous Sis-in-law...

2010-06-09T07:11:00.003-05:00

"My last "Spa" treatment at NEMC. I thought in January that June was forever away. I never thought that I would be able to hold up and endure 8 rounds of TOXIC chemotherapy. I hope that my story gives hope to those that are facing the same giant as I have faced. I also hope that I have inspired others to reflect and strengthen their faith in God.

Most people would believe that given the news that you have Stage 4 cancer is probably your death sentence. I was blessed to be surrounded and carried by the BEST of friends, my family, communities both in which I live, and those that had heard my story. On most weeks, I was unable to see the light at the end, so thanks everyone for taking a turn carrying me until the next person was there with open arms and strong shoulders.

Of most importance, I hope that now people are able to see that God still works miracles everyday. We think about the miracles that Jesus performed, in God's name, in the Bible, but friends... Open your eyes because he is still performing miracles everyday. My faith and trust in God has helped me to be at peace and given me strength to fight Cancer. My hope now is that people who know me will see God working through me as I try to be a testament to him. Reflect on these words as I have during my day-to-day struggle to be strong: When you trust God, you are never alone. Every minute of every day, He is by your side, helping you find your way, wanting good things for you. When you trust God, you're truly understood. He knows you better than you know yourself - your strengths and weaknesses, all your beautiful possibilities. When you trust God, you're loved with a love that can lift you above anything you face in life. It is a love unlike any other, you can hope without end when you completely trust God and have complete faith in him.

Thank you friends for your continuous support and unwavering love and concern. It has been quite a journey. My next road on the path to healing leads to radiation. This should start in about 4-5 weeks. As always, I will keep you posted. Continue to pray for strength and comfort as I smother these last remnants of dead cancer cells.

With deepest love and thanks, Tonia Icenhour and family"

Tonia, I'm so proud of you and am amazed at your strength. We love you.

Vote for Michael Dean!

2010-05-26T14:36:00.010-05:00

Beautiful Category Entry

Fasionable Category Entry

We've entered our handsome Michael Dean into a local photo contest - well, it's also a fundraiser for the Levine Children's Hospital - and he needs your votes!

The American Performing Arts Network and Levine Children's Hospital have teamed up to find Charlotte's Most Photogenic Babies of 2010. We told them they need to look no further, that my son is the winner. But, they want us to vote - you know, give the other kids a chance - and raise some money in the process.

Here's the deal: "Voter's Choice" winners will be decided by collections, contributions and donations made to Levine Children's Hospital on behalf of Michael Dean. (Sorry, you CAN'T vote online.) One vote will be made for every $.50 donated. Between Nana and mommy, we've already started collecting donations (aka, votes) and we'd love for you to help. Donations will be collected on June 11 & 12 between 10am and 7pm at Concord Mills in the Food Court. Though, I have to provide all donations in person, so if you'd like to donate/vote please let me know. Either leave a comment below or email me at cbicenhour@hotmail.com.

If you stop by the Mills on these days you'll be able to view these 2 photos of Michael Dean (as well as other contestants) as they'll be on display. There will also be a "Judge's Choice" winner selected by a panel of judges from various talent agencies.

Each winner will compete against winners from 19 other US cities and those winner(s) - I'm not sure if there will be more than one - will receive a 1-year modeling contract. Seriously, it's a long-shot, but my kid could totally win a photo contest and why not raise some money for a great hospital in the process?! And, I did ask (about 12 times) if all monies donated would be going to the hospital and they assured me they would. (Well, I'm sure they'll need to throw the not-so-enthusiastic photographer a few dollars too...)

Thanks and let the voting begin!

Another New Experience: 1st Bubble Bath

2010-05-21T11:59:00.010-05:00

Finally, Michael Dean figured out it's pretty cool to take a bubble bath. He's never liked them in the past, and to be honest, I've not tried one in a while. I've got a very cool jug of watermelon bubble bath just ready to be used. But, when MD dumped about 1/3 of his bottle of shampoo/body wash into his bath tub the other night, he was completely shocked and amazed. Bubbles! (I was too, actually.)

The kid does love him some bubbles. He just doesn't like touching anything weird. (Well, he did pick up a worm the other night. Go MD!) But, I guess since he made the bubbles appear all by himself, that made all the weirdness go away.

See, I have a love/hate relationship with bubbles. They make a HUGE mess, but are so dang fun. And, they really are fun in the bathtub. Much more fun than those sticky bubbles outside. At least these are soap and they save me time by having to wash my kid. Kidding!

(Thomas and his buddies had to get in on the action, too...)

New House, New Experiences

2010-05-17T08:55:00.005-05:00

I'm learning that with a 2-year old "helping" it takes quite a while to unpack and get settled in a new house. Even though the inside is taking a while, we have quickly settled into the outside of our new home.

We've met lots of our new neighbors (of which most have kids and dogs!) We've christened our driveway with lots of chalk drawings. We've learned that opening and closing the garage door is a very exciting activity that gets us (MD) out the door. We successfully made it through our first garage sale (and got a new tree and some plants for our front yard because of it.) We are now proud owners of a John Deere. We've had lots of "patio" dinners (Spring is a great time to move into a new house, btw!) We've had Nana, Aunt Jonda and Uncle Joey walk to our house. Honestly, I could go on and on.

But, strangely, one of the coolest (no pun intended) things we've experienced so far is the ice cream truck. Man, I have such fond memories of those things growing up. Hearing that now-creepy music coming down the street meant that a sweet treat was coming my way. And I want MD to experience that exact same thing. So, even though it was dinner time (what in the world was that icream lady thinking?!) we had to indulge in an ice cream sandwich and a SpongeBob popsicle - complete with gumball eyes. What a great memory.

Mommy's Day 2010

2010-05-12T14:30:00.006-05:00

This past Sunday (Mother's Day) was a whirlwind! Both Donnie and I are lucky enough to have our moms close by, so the day is always spent with both of them. And, since I'm a mom now too, I always try to squeeze in a little time for me as well. This year, for me, consisted of a 2-hour nap, leaving the kitchen completely a mess from the lunch I prepared for my mom. It was great :)

Side note: We've been just crazy busy trying to get settled in our new house and I can't wait to post our Before and After pics. I just haven't quite found the time to take After pics yet. Maybe one day soon. I hope. (I am close to finally getting my anxious car into the garage - which will be a first for my sweet, little Hunter.)

It's Official!

2010-04-15T08:18:00.003-05:00

Out with the old...

...In with the new!

We're (finally) scheduled to close a week from today. Man, no offense to you loan underwriters out there, but you guys sure like to keep us homebuyers anxiously waiting, don't you?

2 Years Ago...

2010-04-14T14:38:00.003-05:00

Found this while cleaning out some emails. My sweet, baby boy :)

Eggs, Eggs and More Eggs!

2010-04-06T14:15:00.006-05:00

This past weekend (and the weekend before) Michael Dean loaded up on Easter eggs filled with yummy surprises. He also got lots of Easter goodies from family and friends...and he loved it all! What can I say, I grew up on Airheads and Gobstoppers so there's really no chance for MD and candy. He's going to like it. And, boy, it is tough to monitor it all with him. He'd eat candy non-stop if I let him, but I'd like the teeth he worked so hard to get in - to stay in!

Anyway, it was a nice 3-day weekend for our little family and here's a few photos...

Dying our 2nd batch of eggs (Nana missed the 1st batch!)

Swinging with the Icenhour cousins (MD couldn't stop laughing!)

MD and his cousin, Mollie (I think these 2 favor each other the most out of all the Icenhour grandbabies)

A proud Mimi and Papa

Aunt Tonia and baby Milas (She's halfway through her chemo treatments. Keep praying!)

My little Easter stud...and his Easter candy

Redneck Movers

2010-03-31T10:41:00.001-05:00

Red...

...neck

(It's a good thing MD doesn't know about mommy's blog yet, because it would ruin his birthday surprise from his Auntie Jonda.)

Hunting Easter Eggs

2010-03-29T11:10:00.009-05:00

So, Michael Dean's been asking for weeks now, "Mommy, where's Easter?" Basically, he means, "Mommy, where's all the Easter eggs filled with candy?" Well, we found them...this past Saturday at our church's Easter Egg Hunt at Frank Liske Park. We've done this now for 3 years with MD and he finally gets it. He waited so patiently for Travis to count down to GO, then he was off! Picking up Easter eggs like a mad dog :)

Now, the bouncy houses were a different story. He spotted the race car bouncy right away and quickly got in. But when it started to come down, that was it for him. I felt like Manny on Modern Family at Alex's birthday party - I had to rescue a few kids before they were all smothered by the deflated race car. OK, so that was a little dramatic. But seriously, MD's little buddy, Gabrielle, was the last one in there and I had to pull her out. Crazy.

Anyway, we had a great time with good friends, Nana and the Easter bunny. My sweet husband was stuck at home on the couch, since he's a recent survivor of back surgery. So, I got lots of pics for him...well, and me.

My sweet boy :)

Nana's boy, too

Beating out all the other slow poke 6-month olds!

Filling up

Michael Dean and the Easter Egg Hunt

Ooh!

Sharing with his buddy, Jake who didn't quite make it in time to grab his own Easter eggs

"Um, I don't think so, mom."

BFFs 4-Ever

Michael Dean with Merissa's 2 boys, Peyton and Jacob

(Later that day) "Smell, mommy!"

Summer Clothes

2010-03-22T13:44:00.003-05:00

What a blessing! Last week I made my way through 3 totes of clothes that were given to Michael Dean back when he was one. When I first went through all of those clothes, I found sizes from 6m to 5T. I remember thinking that it was going to take years for him to get into the bigger sizes. Nope. Not quite. He has sailed through most of those clothes and is now comfortably in the 4Ts!

After sifting through what he'll be able to wear (and what he's already outgrown) I now have 2 totes slammed-full of summer clothes for MD. I'll say it again. What a blessing! There were 5 families that contributed to our lot of clothes and I am so wonderfully grateful for it all.

Seriously, I've not had to buy any clothes for my kid - well, except for those cute holiday t-shirts for $5 at Old Navy and Target. Oh, and shoes. I've had to buy a few of those. Other than that, we've been set.

So...to Susan, Merissa, Tiffani, Tina and Lisa - THANKS!! It's nice to think that every day I put on MD's shirt and pants, I didn't have to pay for them.

Special Treat

2010-03-10T15:29:00.003-05:00

Any of you parents out there have, I'm sure, learned about the power of bribery. That's such a negative word, isn't it? But, if a small bag of M&M's can get us through a grueling Wal-Mart trip or a tiny, orange gumball can ward off those ravenous hunger attacks before dinner - then I'm in!

Michael Dean's Papa (Donnie's dad) gave him this cool little gumball machine (like the one in the picture) the last time he stayed with them and it's provided many "special treats" since then. The coolest thing to me, though, is seeing my sweet little 2 1/2 year old boy chew gum like a big boy. Maybe it's because I was raised on sweets and trips to the candy aisle in Sam's, but it makes my heart smile to see my son enjoy such a small, sweet treat. And, sorry to MD's future dentist. We just can't help it.

(Oh, and is anyone else's nose and eyes about to itch off their face? Ugh! Allergies, gotta love 'em...)

Saturday Mornings & Heart Day

2010-03-01T22:37:00.007-05:00

It's no secret I had 2 Valentines this year - my big guy and my little guy. I chose, though, to make them both a little special treat. OK, so it catered more to MD but it was just so darn cute, I had to make 2 of them. One was scarfed down almost immediately and the other sat for a few days before the pink marshmallows turned into pink rocks. Can you guess which of my 2 guys ate theirs the fastest?!

...
Then, our Saturday mornings have taken on a little ritual here lately. It involves Michael Dean, pancakes and a TV tray (which MD thinks, now, is the coolest thing since Thomas the Train!) The boy loves him some pancakes and I just like to see him eat something else besides chicken nuggets and Pop Tarts, so I've jumped all over this. I gladly fix him pancakes. In fact, he's gotten pretty good at helping me get them ready. It really is cute to see him all cuddled on the couch with a big short stack and his Lightning McQueen fork and spoon...

...
And, last. MD has really grown a lot lately - both in size and mind. He knows so much and can say/sing/repeat/chant so many things. He sings songs I had no idea he knew! I even got him singing "All the Single Ladies" today. I know, I still love that song. Anyway, I just couldn't resist this sweet picture last Sunday morning before church. I was laid up with good 'old strep throat but I got MD ready to head to church with daddy. And, of course, while waiting on daddy to pick him up he played with his "choo-choo trains." Man, he really loves those things. In fact, did you know that 2 Thomases = 1 Mighty Mac? I didn't, until he showed me :)

The Past Few Weeks

2010-02-10T08:45:00.004-05:00

Most of you live in NC, so you know about ALL the snow we've been getting. The crazy blizzards that have been taking over the city for days and days. Um, OK! You know, there actually are still mounds of black snow piled up on the side of parking lots around here. Weird.

Anyway, a few weekends ago when it actually did snow pretty good, we tried to have some fun with it. We, of course, tried to get MD to play in it with us. Didn't work. He was done after about 3 minutes and one foot-sink into the snow-covered grass.

We then decided to brave the snow and ice and head to the circus. It was worth it! We took a few of the Icenhour cousins, some grandparents and MD with us. We were a little disappointed with the lack of animals (really, there were only a few elephants, zebras, horses, tigers and dogs) and the abundance of trapeze artists. Don't get me wrong, that stuff is cool - but when you're looking through the eyes of a 2 1/2 year old you want to see animals, and lots of them. Either way, we brought home a pretty cool light-up wand, thanks to Papa Ivey. Good times.

A happy moment in the snow...

...quickly turned into a not-so-happy moment in the snow!

Ah, much better

Cousins at (or after) the circus

Prayers Needed

2010-02-04T08:20:00.003-05:00

So, today my sister-in-law (Tonia) has her 2nd chemo treatment. She's headed to the hospital as I type. I spoke briefly with her and she sounds great. She's got a great attitude about today, even though it's going to be a long day.

Her 1st treatment (3 weeks ago) consisted of 2 long days of separate treatments. With this treatment, her doctors decided to combine the 2 and get it all done in one day. She mentioned still having to get a shot tomorrow, but all the chemo will be given today.

Please pray that today goes well for her and they can continue to combine her treatments into 1 day. And just pray for her spirits. She's one of the most positive people I know, and I'm praying she stays that way.

My Norman Friends

2010-01-27T08:21:00.004-05:00

About once a year Donnie and I get together with some very dear people to me - my Norman friends.

Leaving The Norman Group back in 2005 was hard for me, but it was something I had to do. It meant moving onto bigger and better things for me and my career, but it also meant leaving some really great people who had been with me through the most difficult and happy times of my life.

See, each year in lieu of Christmas gifts, we would just all get together for a big Christmas dinner and "stuff". (We used to play games, watch football games, chat - but now we just run around after our kids! However, this year we had babysitters.) Each year the pictures change a bit. They started out just us 4 girls at weddings, events, parties, etc... Now, it's all 10 of us, with kids in tow. It really has been amazing to keep these friendships through the years. I could write pages and pages about the crazy things we've done. But, I'll stop here and just share the photos...

All the kids, take 1

All the kids, take 32

The boys (L to R - Corey, Ellis and Michael Dean)

The, um, girls :) Seriously, how could my kid not be in this picture with that most adorable shirt he's got on?! (L to R - Betsy, Michael Dean, Riley and Eva)

My sweet Norman friends (Back row to front row - Big Michael Dean, Janice, Thomas, Amy, Donnie, Kristie, Karen, Carter, Courtney & Patrick)

My Sister-in-Law

2010-01-19T10:41:00.004-05:00

Well, it's official. Tonia (Donnie's brother's wife) has been diagnosed with Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and had her first chemo treatment last Friday. Just yesterday I found a website that has been set up through CaringBridge.org for her and I want to pass it along.

I don't get to talk to her, or see her, as often as I'd like but it looks like this website is a place where she visits for encouragement. There's already over 24 pages of entries in her Guestbook where friends/family/anyone really have shared prayers and encouragement. So, I encourage you to go there and check it out.

I'm sure the future holds lots of fundraising and encouraging events for Tonia and her sweet family and this will be the place to find out about those - www.caringbridge.org/visit/toniasmithicenhour.

Thanks.

It's a New Year

2010-01-14T08:27:00.004-05:00

Time to push down the page the Christmas posts. I mean we had lots of fun, but I just couldn't take the Rudy Reindeer photo any more!

So, I typically don't do these sorts of things, but a friend from church "tagged" me in her blog. I'm supposed to list 7 things about me and 7 honorable blogs. Well, I'm only posting the things about me. It fit for her blog, but mine's a bit different. See, her blog is a very personal place where she shares/vents about a horrible loss she suffered recently. If you're curious, here it is. It's tough to read at times, so go there with caution.

Anyway, here it goes. 7 things about me...

1 - I pick most of the raisins out of my Raisin Bran.

2 - If I can't buy it at Target or Wal-Mart, chances are I won't be wearing it.

3 - When I eat skittles (or any colored candy, really) I line them up in the order of the colors of the rainbow, and eat them that way.

4 - My biggest fear is getting stuck in traffic. Brake lights make me panic.

5 - I sang at Carnegie Hall when I was in high school (and some of you reading this might have too!)

6 - When I'm listening to someone speak or watch TV or listen to the radio, I sometimes type out with my fingers what they're saying.

7 - My sister-in-law has known for about a week and a half, now, that she has cancer. Her first chemo treatment should be tomorrow. Please pray!

There ya go. I won't "tag" anyone, but please feel free to join in the fun.

Christmas Recap - A Few Weeks Late!

2010-01-06T08:50:00.005-05:00

We had a great Christmas. It helped that I had 2 weeks off, but Donnie was also able to squeeze some time off too. We were able to be a little bit normal for a while. It really was nice.

And, here's the pics to prove it:

We visited the Great Wolf one night for Santa, storytime and a little snow. Then we met "Rudy" the reindeer.

While visiting Grandma Betty, MD found this penguin that danced and played music. He just thought that was the coolest thing!

Christmas Eve at our house...

The biggie - the train table! Thomas and his friends now have a new home, as does Michael Dean :)

Is that really my 2-year old?

Yep, that's a skateboard. He pretends to "skate" all the time. Now he's got the real thing!

Can't leave the pup out...

Our only family, Christmas picture. I never thought those would be so tough to get!

Mila's got a sore on her leg she just won't leave alone, so we had to resort to the hood. Her daddy had a good idea to get this bendable hood so she can at least sleep, her favorite past-time. And, her new Christmas toy keeps getting stuck to the velcro. Tee hee.

'Twas the Season...

2010-01-03T14:40:00.006-05:00

...for no computer for 2 weeks!

I have been off from my paying job, now, for 2 weeks and man has it been a different life. I only got on my computer when I had to, which wasn't much. I had time to run around and do the things that normally I get like 8 minutes to do each week. I used our paid-for week of daycare to clean out closets and our garage, organize, download pictures, print pictures and about 400 other things. I could actually breathe for a few weeks.

But, that's all over tomorrow. Back to work. Back to the grind. Back to holding my breath. Welcome, 2010. (Oh, and when I can chisel out some time in my sure-to-be crazy schedule, I'll post lots of Christmas pics. You know I've got 'em!)

Merry Christmas from Hunter

2009-12-18T09:08:00.001-05:00

Do You See a Theme?

2009-12-16T09:07:00.003-05:00

Madi...

Aunty P...

Courtney...

And the one who started it all, Michael Dean!

OK, so this doesn't fit, but it's rare we get one of these :)

Christmas #3

2009-12-10T13:26:00.003-05:00

Michael Dean's first 2 Christmases weren't too eventful for him. He didn't really get the whole Santa/Christmas lights/Baby Jesus thing - in fact, Santa scared him pretty bad last year (not on purpose, of course.) So, when Christmas started to come around this year, I wasn't sure if MD was really going to get into it. Well, he's proving me wrong...

At the Harrisburg Tree Lighting, in our neighborhood. MD screamed for a half hour while in line to ride the "horseys." We finally got on and he finally stopped crying. The little guy just couldn't understand why everyone else was getting on the trailer, but him. (Yah, that wasn't stressful for mom, at all!)

MD and Conner P at the North Pole. (We met up with our good friends, Sean, Marianne and their little boy, Conner. MD and Conner are about 3.5 months apart, so they had a lot to talk about...)

MD wanted to pose in front of the truck. Seriously. He asked me take this picture of him :)

I tell ya, the boy is getting to where he loves posing for the camera. Hmmm...

MUCH better than last year. When I asked MD to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas, he said "candy cane!" So, Santa worked pretty quickly on that request. His shopping is now done for Michael Dean.

Happy December!

2009-12-01T11:01:00.001-05:00

Hide & Seek

2009-11-24T11:17:00.003-05:00

Donnie's always enjoyed hiding from us, so he could scare us. He quickly learned that's not a game I like to play. So, he's taken up the game with Michael Dean. At first, MD would just cry because he couldn't find daddy. Now, he's grown to like it.

Last night Donnie would tell MD to go out to his choo-choo trains and count to ten. So, he'd trot out there and say "1-2-3-7-8-9-10-13!" then come looking for Donnie. With a little help from mom, he'd find him. But, then he realized it was more fun to hide and have daddy come find him. Though, he always hid in the same place...

At Work

2009-11-18T09:40:00.004-05:00

A small perk about where I work is the random deer families I see out my window. I work in a cubicle-land. Always have - I guess that's why I like The Office so much! About 95% of the people here don't see outside until their lunch break or drive home. I get to see it all day. I freeze. I burn up. But, I don't complain. Especially when I get a few seconds with the sweet deer I've watched grow from litte, spotted fawn to big deer. (Look closely above, they're there.)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T09:30:00.003-05:00

(This is what happens when it rains all day at daycare!)

Halloween, Part 2

2009-11-10T09:53:00.003-05:00

OK, so it's almost Thanksgiving and I'm finally posting our Halloween photos. Oh well! Hey, better late than never.

These photos are from Halloween day. We started the day trick-or-treating at Michael Dean's Great Grandma Betty's home and ended the day with a Trunk-or-Treat at our church's land. It really was a fun day - once MD realized that wearing his Mickey costume meant he was going to get lots of candy. He, then, willingly left those Mickey ears on.

60...This is a Long One

2009-11-05T07:58:00.004-05:00

Today, my dad would have turned 60! You know, it's sad - for many reasons - but, this sad is for the fact that I didn't have a digital camera yet back in 2001 when he passed away. I still loved my trusty 35mm camera. So, I have no picture to post. I've posted on here, before, the sweet picture of my dad and me dancing at my 21st birthday party. But, that's it.

Anyway, I'm not much of a "signs" person but this morning, I've seen/heard many that were sweet reminders of my dad, who I miss more than words can say.

I have a hefty commute to work 3 days a week so I see a lot of vehicles on the interstates. Most are some sort of work vehicle. I always notice the wide variety of business names out there (and think how much better I could have designed their logo!) Well, this morning, just as I was listening to "Smile" by Chris Rice (more on that in a minute) a work truck drove by me with a company name of "Ivey." See, my sweet father-in-law's name is Ivey. It's rare and I've never seen that work truck before. I know that God gave me the sweetest father-in-law in Ivey Dean and (if I believe my dad could see me from where he is) I know he'd be happy I have him in my life.

Also, just seconds later, there was a traffic report about a wreck at IBM drive. My dad worked for IBM (at that location) for many, many years - that's what brought us to NC from CO.

Then there were the back-to-back songs on 91.9. One I've mentioned, "Smile." The song starts with "Cause I just wanna be with You, I just want this waiting to be over...And I finally get to see You smile!" So, it's talking about God - but this song has always made me think of my dad. I can't wait 'til I get to see him again.

The 2nd song (just after "Smile") was "Cry Out to Jesus" by Third Day. This song starts with "To everyone who's lost someone they love long before it was their time. You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye...Cry out to Jesus." And, of course, this song always makes me think of dad, too.

Last, lately I've been talking to Michael Dean about his Grandpa Jeff. He doesn't get it and is just repeating words I ask him to say - "Grandpa Jeff" - but, man, when he says those words I can't help but think how much my sweet dad has missed out on by not meeting and getting to play with his precious grandson.

Anyway, I'm at work and no tears are allowed at work. I love my dad and miss him so much. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Halloween, Part 1

2009-11-04T08:19:00.005-05:00

Last week was a whirlwind of dress-up, candy, Mickey ears and festivals. And, I have the pictures to prove it all - I just don't have the time to pull it all together! So, here's part 1...

Michael Dean's school celebrates this time of year with a "Spirit Week" and a Fall Festival. It really is a fun time. MD still has no clue what's going on but he's starting to realize the cool things he gets to do in these crazy outfits:

"Tacky Day"

"Country Bumpkin Day" (This was a toughie. There's really nothing "bumpkin" in my kid's closet. This was the best I could do!)

"Orange and Black Day" (Really, it was wear your Halloween stuff day - but since he's at a church for daycare, they don't celebrate that!)

Fishing at the Fall Festival

At the Harrisburg Fall Festival, if you could call it that. We went expecting a fun, choo-choo train ride (which wasn't working, due to being "under-staffed") but were met with a parking nightmare and 4,000 people trying to cram into a space for about 100. Good times. Nah, really, we were with some good friends, so we did have fun! (And, we were spotted by our Pumpkin shirts. Thanks, April, for noticing!)

MD's good buddy, Jake the spider (and his dad, Uncle Matt)

More, My MD

2009-11-02T09:32:00.003-05:00

I just can't put into words how my heart flutters when my sweet, baby boy runs into the kitcen, where I'm unfortunately working, and asks "Mickey on, please?" So, I say yes and ask for a kiss - which he gives me - then says "Love you, mommy!" I follow him into the living room, while he hops to his Spidey couch to get on his pillow and cover up with his blanket.

Gosh, that sweet little thing came from me (and Donnie.) Just amazing. I never knew I'd have the opportunity to feel this way. Thank God I do.

(Oh, and Halloween pictures coming soon!)

My MD

2009-10-30T12:52:00.004-05:00

Crafty?

2009-10-28T07:23:00.006-05:00

I don't know what it is about this season, but I'm so inspired to do crafty things! I look forward to when MD wants to jump in and help. But, maybe he won't be crafty like me. Who knows. I know he does like choo-choo trains, though (i.e. the new header.)

So, I've found a few simple crafts to do lately. And, we had to upgrade to Jack-o-Lantern version 2 as well (no pic yet.) It's crazy. The first one (from the previous post) turned green and hairy in less than a week! Oh, it was nasty. Like cleaning up a dead body. Not that I've ever had to clean one of those up. Anyway, so I had to carve another one. It's just not Halloween without a lit-up, smiling pumpkin on your front porch.

Here's a few more "fun" things I've done lately in all my spare time - like 3 minutes a night...

Mommy pumpkin. MD pumpkin. And daddy pumpkin. (Donnie didn't want his "cute." He wanted it scary. I found that pumpkin face in one of MD's bath books!)

For the bake sale at Michael Dean's "school." (The director wanted to chop it up into individual servings, though! I, and the co-director, talked her out of it. Seriously?)

The Heat is On

2009-10-20T07:03:00.010-05:00

We've officially entered Fall at our house. We've turned the heat on, just to 70°, though; we've carved pumpkins; we've (or shall I say Donnie) made veggie-beef soup; we've made Halloween cupcakes; and I've pulled out my comfy pants and sweatshirts. It's nice that Fall is here again. I've missed my cold weather. The warm weather is nice and all. But, there's just something comforting about cold weather and a crackling fireplace.

UPDATE: What's up with the high 70's this week?! I just sent my kid to school today in long sleeves and thick pants. Sheesh...

MD's version of carving pumpkins. He wanted nothing to do with my or Donnie's carving station.

I think they're beautiful!

As close as he'd get...

OK, so mom iced them but Michael Dean sprinked (and ate) them!

Choo Choo Trains

2009-10-15T07:42:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday, the 2 Grandmas, Papa, Daddy and Mommy took Michael Dean for his very first (real) train ride. (The expensive little train at the mall doesn't count!)

The Christmas Carol train was making its rounds through NC and made a stop in Spencer. That train was pretty cool, but really the highlight of MD's trip was the real train ride. Unfortunately, the Christmas Carol train didn't move so we had to settle for the old train they run around the grounds there. And, it really wasn't settling. We all had a good time!

On the way to see the choo-choo trains with Nana and Mimi.

I know, I'm such a Mom.

So, it's not that great of a photo - but it was the only way to get us all in a picture!

MD's first experience with defacing US currency. Tee hee.

First time stepping on a real train with a real conductor and everything!

Good times.

So, MD liked the train, but he really liked waving at the people...

On a Lighter Note

2009-10-09T14:58:00.006-05:00

A few months ago I accidentally dropped my "big" camera. See, I have a big (Nikon D50) and a little (Nikon Coolpix) camera. The little one is great for random grocery store trips, cute car moments and quick 4-wheeler videos. The big one is my favorite. The one that takes the really good pictures. It makes me happy.

So, when the lens broke after the unfortunate tumble I was not happy. But, life goes on and bills still have to be paid so I was holding out to buy one on sale or used or something. Well, long story short - my big sister is getting married next Summer and asked me to be her photographer. In exchange, her and her fiance bought me a new lens!

And, it arrived today, so peace is restored in my little world of picture-taking. And, too, just in time for our trip to see The Christmas Carol train tomorrow in Spencer.

Just because I can now...

What a Morning

2009-10-08T08:41:00.003-05:00

2:30am - Michael Dean wakes up screaming for me. I go up the stairs and put him back in his bed, with his flashlight. (This is, unfortunately, common right now. I've learned that naps were my least worry. We now have nights from h***.)

3:30am - Michael Dean wakes up screaming for me, again. I go up the stairs and put him back in his bed, with his flashlight.

4:15am - Michael Dean wakes up screaming for me, again. I go up the stairs and put him back in his bed, with his flashlight.

(Do you see a pattern? I'll spare the rest of those details. I'm sure you can guess how the next 3 hours went.)

5:45am - Get ready for work. Put up the laundry. Do the dishes. Take Mila out. Feed her. Make my lunch. Load up my car for the day. Probably a few other things.

7:20am - Go wake MD up, because, of course, he fell back asleep. Get him ready for a day of "school."

7:35am - Come downstairs to feed him breakfast and find that ants have taken over his seat and the floor from his seat to the front door. Spray the floor with ant killer. Wipe up the floor. Wash my hands and give my kid some chocolate milk and a Pop Tart ans sit him on his footstool below the sink. Mop the floor (in business casual attire, btw.)

8:05am - Get out the door to get my kid to school before snack and me to work before 9 so I can work a full day with no lunch break to make up time.

Sorry for the negativity, but seriously, my life is like one long day right now...Help!

Thomas

2009-10-05T13:11:00.003-05:00

So, Michael Dean has finally found Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. Or maybe they found us. Who knows. Either way, I now have a little boy who's on the brink of a pretty big obsession with Thomas.

Let's face it, Thomas isn't so bad. His movies are bores-ville, but MD sure likes them. We rented one when he was sick and I quickly learned I'd need to actually own one before I had to return it 5 days later. So, we headed to Toys 'R Us and found a pretty good deal on a Thomas figurine/DVD combo. Then I used an A.C. Moore coupon to get a set of 3, since one train is just no fun without his buddies.

I do think trains are pretty cool. But, I don't think the prices of these trains are that cool. Whew! I was amazed at how $$$ these things are. So, I'm already prepping the grandparents for Christmases and Birthdays. And, if any of you out there have any Thomas "stuff" laying around that you'd like to sell for yard-sale prices, let me know :)

Also, in case you guys are wondering, naps (kinda) have returned. He's sleeping right now! Shew. After a week of mandatory naps at daycare, they returned at home - with a little bit of coaxing on my part - he's sleeping with a Spiderman flashlight right now. The nighttimes are actually the toughest right now. He's up and down for a few hours a night. He's crying for me. The "big-boy" bed doesn't seem to phase him yet - thank goodness! He's just still, for whatever reason, scared without me at night. We'll see where this thing ends up... Right now, mommy just needs a good night's sleep!

No Naps. Need Help!

2009-09-29T09:10:00.003-05:00

My little one spent most of last week sick. No flu. No strep. Just a sore throat, fever and pitiful. So, I spent most of my week with him on me, sleeping. I couldn't help it. He was just so sick. I wanted him to feel better.

Anyway, where that's left us is Michael Dean refusing to nap in his crib. (Yes, he's still in his crib because he's never tried to climb out and loves it in there. Still does at night. Thank God!)

He's barely 2 and I just don't feel like he should be giving up naps yet - but I'd love some feedback from you mommies out there. When did your little ones stop napping? If you felt it was too early, how'd you get them back to taking naps?

And, when I say that he's "refusing" to nap, I mean that when I try to put him in his crib at naptime he freaks out and screams at me that he wants to "lay down" and "cover up" with mommy. He won't cry himself to sleep. I tried, Saturday, for an hour and he just screamed the entire time. I then got him up and rocked him (because that's what he wanted) and he was asleep in minutes.

So, help, please!

(Side note, he's at "school" 4 days a week where they require a 2.5-hour naptime. If he doesn't nap, he's forced to stay on his mat for the entire time. My kid needs to still nap. Seriously.)

Finally, a Family Vacation

2009-09-25T11:57:00.006-05:00

Last weekend (I know, I'm a bit behind - I've been home with a sick baby) we were finally able to get away. Just the 4 of us. Mila was even able to come too! Some friends from church were sweet enough to offer us their mountain cabin near Lake Lure. So, we headed out last Friday and stayed a few days. We were met with a lot of mountain rain so we didn't get to do much outside. But, the times it wasn't raining, we tried to get out and see the country. Well, at least "downtown" Lake Lure and the creek near the cabin...

On the road, leading to the cabin

Michael Dean was so excited about all the wildflowers on the side of the road that he couldn't stop picking them!

Daddy and MD "flying"

Little boy, big bridge

Playing at the creek (before it flooded with all the rain!)

The family in Lake Lure

Can you tell he liked his new train whistle?

At the Fair!

2009-09-16T08:52:00.005-05:00

Oh, the Cabarrus County Fair. Good times. I have such fond memories of it as a child. Then it got kinda boring in high school & college. It's now fun again, because I've got a kid now to take. Kids give the fair a whole new meaning. (We realize just how expensive it all is!) Nah, really, we made some good family memories Monday night.

Michael Dean's favorite part about the rides was the waving :)

Loved the roller coaster, until daddy squished him on a turn. But, then he loved it again!

Man, those animals can eat...and MD was having tons 'o fun...

...Until he spotted the apple trees. What a great thing for the kiddos!

Oh, and the tractors. A little boy's dream, right? (His buddy Aron loved it too)

Seriously. Have you seen any other boys more handsome than these 5? (From L to R - Alex, Abe, Aden, Aron, Michael Dean. Hmm, which name doesn't fit?)

Our good buddies, and parents of 4 of the 5 handsome boys above, Megan and Richard. Oh, and Donnie and me too...

Big boy play time.

Riding the big caterpillar with his cousins, Holden and Sawyer. Thanks, Uncle Bobby, for the bracelet. MD got like an hour more of fun that night than he would have had with his boring, 'ole parents.

"Mommy, go fast!"

Always Missed

2009-09-10T06:38:00.001-05:00

What a Weekend

2009-09-08T08:29:00.005-05:00

This past weekend was my birthday weekend, so I did a lot and had a lot of fun! I'll spare you most of the details though, for time's sake :)

Basically, the highlights were Saturday night at P.F. Chang's and a movie ("All About Steve" - cute, but kinda dumb. Hey, I can't resist a Sandra Bullock movie.) with the hubster. No pictures. I forgot. I was too wrapped up in my Lettuce Wraps. Yummy. Oh, and no pun intended.

Sunday was my good friend, Tina's son's birthday party at the Kannapolis Splash Pad. MD got way more into it this time, so it really was a lot of fun. Again, no pics. I was too wet.

Then, yesterday was pedis with my great friend, Megan. One of Donnie's BD gifts to me was a pedicure, and that thing was burning a hole in my pocket so I had to use it - especially since I haven't had one in like 3 years. Nah, I've had at least 1!

So, later that afternoon was a Labor Day/birthday pool party, hosted by my sister - who ended up getting proposed to there by her longtime boyfriend! It was a surprise to most of us. Somehow Donnie was in on the secret - and kept it from me. It was real sweet, Joey (my sister's now-fiance) got down on one knee and said some really great things. My sister, of course, said YES. So, now MD has an Uncle Joey. Man, I loved Full House growing up...

Well, what's a post without pictures - even though they have nothing to do with what I've written about!

This made me realize it'd be real easy to make a priest or monk costume for a kid! Doesn't matter, though, because he'll definitely be Mickey this year for Halloween.

Decorating mommy's birthday cake.

I just looooove homemade gifts from my boys!

This was a first.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

2009-08-27T09:11:00.006-05:00

Outdoor movie night! Michael Dean wasn't too sure about all the crazy moves of Jack Black, I mean Kung Fu Panda - but he did enjoy just being outside and watching 3 trains go by during the movie.

My mom recently had my dad's workshop fixed up. It was re-painted to be the exact colors my dad painted it years ago. It's a beautiful little building in the back of my mom's home that's got a great front porch for sitting.

Yes, we were "those" people sitting on the side of Hwy. 29 watching the Monster Trucks for free! Hey, MD didn't care. He loved it.

Nana got MD his first big-boy 4-wheeler. He's still not quite sure about it, but does have fun when his foot accidentally slips on the pedal that makes it go.

Um, this thing will do...

Bulldozer fun with Papa

All suited up and ready for his (MD's, not Donnie's!) first boat ride. Donnie's parents have some connections at Lake Norman so we were invited along to join in the lake fun. MD, of course, couldn't have cared less about the lake. But, he really enjoyed the boat ride.

Chillin'

His favorite seat that day - on mommy's lap. Well, until he found the driver's seat...

Papa LA let MD take over driving the boat. Seriously. He was even more excited when he found the horn!

Funny how MD learned pretty quickly that you wave at other boat-goers as you pass them by.

Good times.

Wish Us Luck

2009-08-26T14:37:00.001-05:00

(Got it. And it's Filterless!)

Now's the Time to Comment!

2009-08-25T06:59:00.004-05:00

So, I've got tons of fun things I could write about - our recent boat trip, a good potty-training experience, and 4-wheeler fun - but that stuff's gotta wait. I need help from all you seasoned mommies out there.

Now, I know a lot of you are smack in the middle of a 1st day at (or back) to school, but maybe you could spare me a few sentences. I am in desperate need of a good, filterless cool mist humidifier for Michael Dean.

I'm on my 2nd one right now. The first one was an American Red Cross one that needed filters that could only be found ONLINE. Seriously. So, I quickly got rid of that one. My humidifier now is that Vicks one you can find anywhere. But, the filters get dirty really quickly and I can't afford $6 a pop - each week - to keep replacing the stupid things.

See, MD has been coughing, at night, for months. But, the past few weeks have really been torture - on us both. I think coupled with the exit of the paci, he's become a little too reliant on mommy at night. I swear it's like clockwork. Each night around midnight and 3am, he screams for me and won't go back to sleep on his own. I've tried to let him cry-it-out (which sucks!) but all he does is get louder and coughs harder.

The mommy in me tells me something, medically, is wrong - we have a doctor's appointment Friday. So, I've yet to really let him cry it out - since he's coughing so much and his little nose is so full by the time I get to him.

So, I am on a mission to get his room as un-cough friendly as possible. I dust/vacuum each week. I replace his bedding each week. I've cleaned the air vent in his room. And I run the POS humidier - which needs to change, though.

OK, long-story-short (kinda) I need your advice on a good, inexpensive (none of those expensive humidifiers you can only buy from an in-home salesperson!) humidifier. Go.

Working with Mommy

2009-08-13T13:58:00.004-05:00

Since we've been paci-free now for almost 2 weeks, that means Michael Dean's also been long-nap-free for almost 2 weeks as well. He still takes naps, thank goodness, but now needs a book to fall asleep (like at daycare) and doesn't sleep as long as he used to. So, my work days at home on Mondays have started to become a challenge. Mommy has to get a bit creative.

I can typically distract MD with a few episodes of Mickey while I work. But, he'll quickly realize mommy's not sitting on his spidey couch with him, so he wanders in the kitchen - where I'm doing my work - ready to get mommy back. And, since I have to work I can't play. (All work and no play makes...)

So, this past Monday I broke out the camera and stickers. Well, he really likes my computer mouse too - I think he just likes to roll the little scroll wheel.

I do cherish my Mondays at home with my sweet one, but man are they tough!

Day #4

2009-08-04T07:05:00.005-05:00

Well, I guess you could say today is Day #1 - at daycare without a pacifier.

This past Saturday, we "threw away" Michael Dean's pacifiers because they were "broken" (mommy's first strategy to cut the tips didn't quite work!) and "dirty." See, since MD is now 2 he will be moving up to the 2-year olds' class in about a month or so. And, in that class pacifiers (and sippy cups - I know, stupid - but that's another story!) are NOT allowed. Yikes!

My philosophy about this whole pacifier thing has always been to not worry about it. (I have enough stuff to worry about!) That thing got us through a lot of tough times and I never feared MD walking into kindergarten with it still in his mouth, so I just figured it would go away at some point. When the timing was right. No pressure.

Well, in steps daycare. I could go on for days about the cons of daycare. (Don't get me wrong. There are some pros. But, I still believe that a good combo of staying at home with mom and pre-school a few days a week would be the optimal schedule for us.) Anyway, I was told by MD's teacher that we needed to start working on getting rid of the paci since his next class wouldn't allow it.

So, I came home Friday ready to start the process since I can't stand for things to linger. Thinking that MD would handle the "broken" solution pretty well, since he loves to throw things away, I cut the tips off 2 of his pacis. Well, that just p---ed him right off! I ended up giving in very early Saturday morning and gave him a "not-broken" paci.

Because of that, I woke up ashamed and determined Saturday morning to get rid of the pacis completely. So, I had MD throw both the broken and non-broken ones away - which he did very willingly. Come naptime, though, he was not so willing to go to bed without them. He screamed and yelled and I cried. It sucked.

But, after reading online that going cold turkey is the best way and the typical kid will get used to it after 3 days, I decided to stick it out. Sunday went great. Yesterday was OK. I am so nervous about today - his first day at daycare without one.

His teacher knows I don't want him to have a paci so she's not going to give him one. Ugh!! Will 3pm ever get here today???

Good luck, my sweet little boy. Mommy's not trying to be mean. She's just following the rules.

Wordless Thursday

2009-07-30T13:32:00.001-05:00

Backyard Water Fun

2009-07-23T06:48:00.003-05:00

Donnie got Michael Dean this cool water sprinkler toy thing for his birthday and he loves it! It took MD a little while to realize it was fun, but after seeing daddy get wet and have a good time, he jumped right in.

It's great to be able to just open your back door and play in the water! And, it sure beats a hike down to the pool just to sit on the hot pool chairs with a kid who's too afraid to get in the water. (Though, his Aunt Jonda and almost-Uncle Joey were able to coax him in with a basketball and net. We gotta get us one of those...)

2 Weeks Later...

2009-07-21T07:37:00.004-05:00

...And we're still celebrating MD's 2nd birthday! Well, not really. But, it seems like we had lots of birthday cakes to dig into and lots of pictures to take. So, here's a few more:

At the wheel...

Catching bumblebees!

You'd think being 6ft. tall would mean mommy could play basketball, but it really doesn't. I tried to help but I don't think we ever got any in!

Flying high!

Papa getting in the birthday spirit. (MD actually took this picture, with mommy's help.)

The last birthday cake. He just loves blowing candles out. I think daddy re-lit these candles about 10 times :)

6' 2" ?

2009-07-14T07:09:00.006-05:00

We took Michael Dean to his pediatrician yesterday for his 2-year check-up and here's his stats:

- 37in. tall (97%)
- 31.5lbs. (75%)
- 20.5in. head measurement (95% - I think)

So, if it's true that you can double your height at the age of 2 to get your final height - MD's on the road to being at least 6' 2"! But, really, that doesn't surprise me. I mean look at his mom and paternal grandfather. We're giants! And, daddy's tall, too...

I sure love me some tall boys :)

Oh, and completely off topic - we took MD to his first movie, Ice Age 3, this past Sunday! Our good friends, the Harrells, were taking their 4 boys (2 of which are a 1-year old and a 2.5-year old) so we figured if they could do it, so could we. And, it went really well. We loaded MD up with popcorn, M&Ms, chocolate milk, suckers and Dr. Pepper. So, besides being scared to get off mommy's lap, he had a lot to do with his hands and mouth. Plus, he did watch most of the movie. It was really a lot of fun. It feels like we've opened up a new door in this whole parenting thing - since both Donnie and I are such movie buffs. Now our kid can become one too...

Birthday Festivities, Teeth Pulling and the 4th

2009-07-08T08:35:00.009-05:00

Man, we've been busy!

I posted yesterday that my little guy turned 2. And that he did. We celebrated his day with a birthday party at school (daycare!) Then, we continued his day at Chuck E. Cheese with Nana (which he absolutely loved and DIDN'T want to leave) and finished his day with a visit from Mimi and Papa. Pictures from all of that will come later...

First, I've got loads of photos to post from the past week or so. We celebrated MD's birthday 2 Saturdays ago and really had a good time. He had balloons and kids and animals and a Mickey Mouse birthday cake to play with. I think his highlight, though, was blowing out his birthday candles - as he still talks about that.

Mommy's special homemade cake!

The "2" wouldn't stay lit. Good thing I included a few star candles.

A few of MD's buddies

A few days later we had some family photos taken. My good friend, Jim, is always so sweet to head out with my little family a few times a year and snap away. I tell ya, I don't know how Tori and Dean do it. Taking pictures with a toddler is next to impossible. MD was a ham for the camera when it was just him. But, the second - and I mean second - one of us would try to wrangle him into a family portrait, all heck would break loose! The tears and screaming would start. We tried bribery with suckers and big, bouncy balls. But, we really just ended up looking like those parents who "reward" their kid for screaming. Either way, we did get some great shots and here are a few:

Two days later, I had my 3 widsom teeth taken out! See, my company was closed last week (you know, to save money) and we've learned it's not a good idea to keep MD out of daycare for more than 1 week at a time. So, I took advantage (I think!) of the situation and scheduled my torture, I mean surgery. Actually, the procedure went well. Two of my teeth came out like a snap. The third one was a bit stubborn and required some chiseling. Yah, not fun. But, all-in-all, it's done. I'm still in pain. I really miss cereal and chips and am getting tired of potato salad. But, the worse really is over, though - I think!

Shew, you still with me? Next was the July 4th festivities. Our sweet town of Harrisburg puts on a pretty good show. There was the parade Saturday morning; games, food and such at the park in the afternoon; then fireworks that night. We thought we'd give the fireworks a try with MD. He really did great! The first big boom took him by surprise and he made a beeline for daddy's lap. But, after a few minutes he was fine. He enjoyed them for the first 5 minutes or so but then got bored. So, he and his cousin Sawyer, decided to have a little Lite Brite fun in the back of mommy's car - picture below.

Summer really has been a lot of fun so far. Minus the swimming pool (that MD won't touch!) we've been keeping up pretty well with the standard summertime activities :)

2 Years Ago...

2009-07-07T07:11:00.005-05:00

...My sweet, baby boy was born.

Today is Michael Dean's 2nd birthday! We celebrated with family and friends a few weekends ago with a Mickey Mouse party. (I'll post my homemade cake pictures later!) This picture was MD's first experience with birthday cake. I know. He was supposed to tear into his 1-year cake last year, but wanted nothing to do with it. So, I wasn't even going to try this year - but one look at a huge, edible Mickey Mouse and he was done. He wanted him some birthday cake. And I think he liked it!

You know, I was going to get all sappy with my blog post today. And, believe me, I could. But, MD is just such a barrel of laughs nowadays, that I'm going to keep this light. And, he can't read it anyway, right?!

Seriously, I just love my kid to pieces. I can't even begin to imagine my life without him. I look forward to his sweet smile every day and thank God he's mine.

Happy Birthday, my little boy!

Summertime Fun

2009-06-24T06:58:00.008-05:00

Date night with the hubby. I chose the movie and he chose the restaurant. So we saw The Proposal (very cute!) and ate at Steak 'n Shake. It was a great night.

Michael Dean helped daddy do a little yard work...

...then decided to have some water hose fun!

Nana and MD blowing up his new toy - from Nana

Fun in the new toy. It really is a very cool bouncy thing. MD likes to get in those kiddy bouncy houses, but hates when bigger kids (or daddy) bounce him too high. So, this is perfect. His own little bouncy house - with no roof!

OK, is he not the most beautiful kid you've ever seen? I know, I'm a bit biased :)

Save Money. Live Better?

2009-06-18T13:22:00.006-05:00

I went to Wal-Mart on my lunch break today to pick up some things we've needed for a while. One of them was a can of Manwich. It's a quick, easy and fairly healthy meal - if paired with veggies and not fries, of course...

Anwyay, I'm not too familiar with this particular Wal-Mart as I don't go there that often. And, no 2 Wal-Marts are ever the same, so I couldn't find the Manwich. I stopped an employee and asked him where the Manwich was. His response: "What's Manwich?" Seriously?! I thought everyone knew what Manwich was. I just laughed, started to explain - then thought what was the point. So I walked away.

Well, he yells down the aisle to a group of 3 other WM employees and asks where the Manwich is. A guy yells back that it's probably on aisle 2 or 3 - which I just came from. So, I thought I'd give those aisles another try. No luck.

I end up back on the aisle where the group of WM employees were standing. The Manwich was right in front of where they were standing! Again, seriously?!

Man, what has happened to good customer service? Is it just nowhere to be found anymore?

Splash Fun

2009-06-16T07:49:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, my best friend and her family were in town. Their weekend was full of graduation festivities, but we were able to squeeze in some time at the Kannapolis Splash Pad.

What a fun place! See, we've learned that Michael Dean doesn't like swimming pools. The idea of them is cool. Every time we walk by our neighborhood swimming pool he wants to go in. But, I think it's just so he can play in the outdoor showers. The boy won't step foot in the pool.

So, I thought a place with squirting water from the ground, buckets that dropped water and big, red guns that shoot water would be a blast for him. And, it was! It took him a while to get warmed up to the idea, but once he did he really had a good time.

There's also a mini-choo-choo-train that rides around the Splash Pad, so after about 30 minutes of water fun, MD decided he'd rather ride the train. So, we gathered the Plummers and hopped on.

It was just such a great day. I love it when I can enjoy summer activities with my husband and my son! Even if it is on a hot, sweaty, crowded Saturday morning...

"Um, not too sure about this, mom!"

"OK, I guess it's fun!"

"Woah!"

"Oh my!"

Train ride with the Plummers

My sweet family!

Springtime at Daycare

2009-06-12T14:05:00.001-05:00

What a ham!

Surfside Beach 2009

2009-05-29T13:38:00.003-05:00

We made our way down to the beach last weekend with some good friends of ours from church and really had a great time. My little one even slept well. Thank you, God!

MD's favorite place to sit (and favorite thing to drink) at the beach condo

Something new!

The minute he spotted this beach ball, it didn't leave his hands. It didn't get him in the pool, though...

Happy boy :)

At the Aquarium...

More fishies!

Can you believe he actually hugged the shark?

This really was his favorite part about the whole thing. It had big, red, squeaky wheels to turn.

He liked the beach up until this exact moment. He never went back towards the water again.

Chillin'

A Conversation, Already?

2009-05-28T19:55:00.003-05:00

Mommy (while putting MD to bed): "Oops, did you drop your paci?"

MD: "Yah"

Mommy: "Well, where is it?"

MD: "Don't know"

Mommy: "Oh, here it is."

MD: "Thank you, mommy!"

Finally, conversations with my son. Wow.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T10:02:00.001-05:00

Outdoor with MD

2009-05-18T11:47:00.007-05:00

Since the weather has been so nice (except for today...I sent MD to daycare without a jacket...oops!) we've been spending a lot of time outside. Michael Dean has discovered he loves to draw with sidewalk chalk. Mom does too, so it's a win-win.

We've also been enjoying our walks around the neighborhood. It's hit-or-miss if MD's going to enjoy it, but if mommy's in a strong mood, he has no choice! It always helps, though, when our good buddies, the Cochrans, come over and walk with us. Their little girl, Maggie, just looooves Michael Dean. She's always hugging and kissing on him. So, we thought they'd enjoy a little date-night walk around the neighborhood, equipped with bottled water and raisins. It was a lot of fun - even when Maggie decided to put on a show for MD and spit water out of her mouth, drenching herself, and forcing her mom to strip her down to her little Princess pull-ups. She was just shaking (it was chilly that night) but MD thought she was the funniest thing.

Great, Great Wolf

2009-05-14T11:50:00.009-05:00

This past weekend Donnie and I headed way far out of town, to The Great Wolf Lodge, to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. It took us a while to get there, but when we finally did, we had a lot of fun! Nah, for those of you who don't know, The Great Wolf Lodge is a new lodge/indoor water park right across I-85 from Concord Mills. Simply minutes from our home.

We loaded up MD, shipped him off with Mimi and Papa for the night and headed to the lodge. Man, we had so much fun! The water slides were amazing. The water activities were great. The rooms were beautiful and smelled new. The food was OK, a bit pricy. The staff was sweet and helpful. The cost was way too much for just 2 adults. But, all-in-all, I'd definitely recommend it. And, we'll definitely go back.

Even though Donnie and I were purposely there celebrating each other and the 6 years we've managed to make it with each other (love you, Donnie!) - we missed our little guy. We think he would have loved it. They have this very cute little area set up just for kiddos his size. It really was just a lot of fun.

Well, since I felt a bit awkward pulling out my camera around a bunch of half-naked strangers, I didn't take a lot of photos. However, I did manage to snap Donnie getting drenched - and I mean soaked - by the huge water bucket that constantly filled up and dumped out every few minutes or so. Donnie's the little guy in the bottom, left corner in the red shorts...

The Real Mother's Day Pics

2009-05-13T07:24:00.004-05:00

In my last post, I just put a bunch of photos of MD and me. You know, to celebrate my Mommy's Day. Well, here's pics from my actual Mother's Day. We had my mom and grandma over for dinner, then met my sister and her family for some Grampy's ice cream later that night. So far, MD's no fan of ice cream. I thought getting his favorite color ("lellow") ice cream would help, but all he wanted to do was carry it around and give people bites...

The boy still loves him some bubbles ° ° °

"Really, mommy?"

Daddy and MD playing like boys play

My sweet family

MD and his yellow ice cream

My mom and her girls (and boy)

Whew, I'm Back

2009-05-12T06:16:00.003-05:00

OK, I think I'm back on. My little menu is back that lets me post pictures. I sure missed it.

Anyway, I've got lots of photos to share but I'm going to start with Mom's Day. These pictures weren't exactly taken this past Sunday, but they're recent - and they're of my sweet one and me. I'll be back with more, soon.

And, Happy (Late) Mom's Day to all you mommies out there! You are all absolutely special and should be made to feel extra special every day.

Happy Mom's Day to me!

Say Ahhh...

On the front porch, creating some sidewalk art

:)

Problems

2009-05-05T06:42:00.002-05:00

Well, it seems I'm not able to upload pictures at the moment and that makes me very sad. So, I'm going to investigate because I've got some good pics to share - finally.

Bear with me...

Suckers and Good Friends

2009-04-21T09:14:00.003-05:00

My sweet little family has been having a lot of fun lately. First, there was Easter Sunday that was filled with church, family and friends. Then there's just been a lot of hanging out on our newly-redesigned back patio!

See, Donnie and I scored a great deal on a black, wrought iron patio set - complete with a table, 4 chairs and a huge blue umbrella. So, Donnie's been working hard to get that and the back yard looking real nice. He scraped all the rust off the patio set then spray painted it black. Good as new! Then he visited Lowes and Wal-Mart a few dozen times to furnish our back yard with new plants, mulch and a really cool temperature gage/clock thing.

We are really glad warmer weather is finally here. And, of course, so is MD.

Happy Easter 2009 (with a sucker, of course)

One of my crazy, college roommates, Melissa, dropped by for a 1-night visit. So, I put her to work entertaining my kid.

One of my other crazy, college roomates, Sarah, came by too. She's a new mommy with her little one, Will.

Our good friends, Richard and Megan's 3rd little guy, Aron with his purple sucker!

And MD with his blue sucker.

Smurfing on daddy's shoulders...

A Sweet Story

2009-04-17T10:10:00.004-05:00

This morning when I dropped MD off at daycare (which has gotten way better, by the way!), one of his teachers told me that yesterday, on the playground, she felt a little tug at her leg. She looked down and there was Michael Dean standing there with a little, green clover to give to her. She thought it was very sweet of him.

See, the boy loves him some flowers. He loves to pick them, smell them, then give them away. It's pretty darn cute.

41 Cents

2009-04-15T14:06:00.006-05:00

Today, on my lunch break, I went to CVS and got all of this for, yep, $0.41! All of these products were on sale AND had extra bucks that came with them AND I had coupons. So, I spent $8.90, but got $8.49 back in extra bucks. For those of you not up with the CVS lingo, you're way cooler than me. But, you also don't know that extra bucks are basically free money you can spend only at CVS. Every week they have these deals where if you buy certain products you get extra bucks back - you know, so they can suck you back into their store to buy more stuff. But, hey, you can't beat (almost) free, right...

Michael Dean es famoso en América Latina

2009-04-08T07:10:00.004-05:00

I posted, recently, about MD doing a small photo shoot for Britax car seats. In case you forgot, scroll down or click here. Well, his sweet little face made it all the way to (somewhere in) Latin America! Mundo Bebe, to be exact. (I found their website, but my high school Spanish is a bit rusty, so I couldn't figure out where exactly they were. Lo siento, Senor Sacco.)

Here's the proof. (Click each one for a bigger photo)

Look real close at just above the 30% off sign, on the right...

...And, there he is!

MD's 2nd Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-06T10:29:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday our church hosted their 9th annual Easter egg hunt / MD's 2nd annual Easter egg hunt. Last year was pretty uneventful. Just a few eggs in the mouth. No candy. This year - whew! What a difference a year makes.

And on a pretty cool side note - Donnie planned this event for our church! He did a really great job and even got some recognition in Concord's Sunday Independent Tribune. Good job, hun. Everyone had a really great time!

MD and his girlfriend, Maggie, on the "safe" bouncy toy

About as close as he was going to get to the Easter bunny

Our really great friends, the Harrells with their kids (4 of them), mom, niece and nephew (look, a woman taller than me!)

MD was way more excited to pick up an egg and throw it, than to stash it for the candy inside

He did like putting his eggs in his bucket, though

Ewww!

(Part of) Our family!

Part of our day was spent on the playground, while other age group egg hunts were going on. I'm not sure which was more fun for MD - throwing eggs or swingy, swingin!

Trying to climb

All by himself! (OK, not really. Nana was there to spot.)

Swing time with mom, and some juice

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T07:09:00.001-05:00

Our Little Models

2009-03-31T09:16:00.003-05:00

Late last year, Michael Dean was asked to do some "modeling" for Britax. A good friend of mine, Marianne, works there and she passed on the message that they needed little boy models for their car seats. Of course, we jumped on the opportunity.

So, the pictures have finally made it to the public! Well, at least online they have. If you go to www.britaxusa.com you'll find MD and Donnie sprinkled throughout the site. You'll also see Marianne and her little man, Conner, on the home page as well as a few other pages.

I know it's just a little, tiny area in the big wide world of the web. But, I think it's pretty cool...

www.britaxusa.com/media (Click on "Decathlon" on the right)

www.britaxusa.com/media (Click on "Decathlon" on the right)

www.britaxusa.com/about-us/jobs-careers

www.britaxusa.com

www.britaxusa.com

Fun with Daddy's Music

2009-03-24T10:04:00.002-05:00

Funny how MD knew exactly what to do with those little ear buds...

Grandma Betty

2009-03-17T08:25:00.003-05:00

Or as Michael Dean calls her, "Betty!" She just celebrated her 88th birthday back in November. She's got so many life stories to tell - from being an airline stewardess back when there were no "flight attendants" (and they had to wear 3in. heels) to retiring, with my Grandpa Duck, through Fords (Motor Company) up in Detroit, Michigan. She's just a sweet, matter-of-fact older woman - who's wearing out.

She'd been living on her own for-ever until a few weeks ago when she took a spill and ended up in the hospital for a few days and is now in an assisted living, rehab facility in Harrisburg. My mom's really taken on full-time care of her while she's in there and is now faced with finding a new permanent home for her. Basically, a nursing home. Yah, we all cringe when we say those words.

Anyway, please keep my Grandma Betty (and my mom) in your prayers. They've both got a long road ahead of them and are both wore out. Thanks :)

RRCC Marriage Retreat

2009-03-11T10:51:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, Donnie and I headed to Charleston, SC with about 20 other couples from our church for a marriage retreat. Although I violently coughed for about 90% of the time, we did have fun. We spent most of our time hanging out with other couples - well, except for the hour or so that Donnie & I spent driving around Charleston looking for an (open!) urgent care facility. We were unsuccessful. Apparently, Charleston's urgent care facilities think they only need to be open during normal doctors' hours. Oh and by the way, Delsym did absolutely nothing for my cough. So, don't waste your money, kids.

Anyway, some of the trip's highlights were a Ghost Walk - which included a creepy cemetery where our guide claimed to have seen the "lady in white!" Um, OK. A meal at Poogan's Porch - very good biscuits and sweet butter. Beautiful weather. A hotel room where I didn't have to clean up after anyone. Time away with my husband. And a by-chance run-in with my best friend!

So, we knew we'd both be in Charleston for the day but had NO IDEA we'd both be eating lunch at Hyman's on Friday afternoon! BFF 4-ever...

Just strolling through Charleston...

Working Mom Example

2009-03-05T08:59:00.002-05:00

This morning, at work, we had a mandatory training meeting on environmental and safety practices around the office. You know, so we all can go home safely to our families at night. Well, they bribed us with BoJ's biscuits and juice, to come, then made us listen to the most monotone-speaking man in our company for 30 minutes. In order for our company to have a record that each associate attended, we had to sign a sheet, give our personnel number, then rate the course. For some reason, everyone always rates these courses as "Very Good" when they're really not. Anyway, I signed the sheet and passed it onto the 2 guys sitting behind me, who pretty much made fun of the presentation the whole time. That was fun. About 30 seconds after I passed the sheet off, I realized I had given my NC driver's license number rather than my Bosch personnel number. I mean, my NCDL # just slid right off my pen, with not a second thought. The 2 guys got a kick out of that - then made fun of ME for the rest of the time. Ah, the joys of being a working mom.

Sixty-Five and Fabulous!

2009-02-27T23:59:00.001-05:00

Mom, you're the most beautiful woman I know. You've always unconditionally loved me and you taught me how to be a beautiful and proud, tall woman. I so much appreciate you for that. I love you and and am proud of the 65-year old woman you've become. Enjoy your special picture, just from me...

My First "Bye"

2009-02-27T09:36:00.002-05:00

We pulled into the parking lot at daycare this morning and Michael Dean quickly told me he wanted to "wook". So, we made it inside the building then I let him down to walk. We used the special key to open the door and made our way down the hallway - all the while, MD is saying "Layla." (His current teacher's name is Kayla) We turned the corner and walked happily into his room. All of his little friends were sitting in their seats waiting for their snack. There was one open for MD, of course. So, I took off his jacket and asked if he wanted to go sit with his buddies. He thought that was a good idea so he started toward his seat. He then turned around to me, waved his sweet little hand and said "Bye!"

What a change, huh?

On the Computer

2009-02-25T07:53:00.002-05:00

It's funny how I let my child do things that I swore I'd never let my child do. Pre-child, of course. Like play with my cell phone. Well, that doesn't happen much. Only in desperate times. Like give into his whining at the grocery store by giving him a sucker. Like letting him play with my camera while I try to "facebook"...

Fun with Balloons

2009-02-19T08:12:00.003-05:00

Nana got Michael Dean 2 balloons for Valentine's Day. One was this cute, little, quiet, heart-shaped balloon. The other was this massive, heart-shaped balloon that sang "Wild Thing" when you hit it. Well, this gave MD free reign to hit something - so we listened to "Wild Thing" almost all day! And we've been listening to it ever since. He hits the big balloon with the little balloon and just chuckles. It's really been a lot of fun watching him have so much fun with these "toys", that aren't even toys...

His New Thing...

2009-02-06T11:39:00.001-05:00

...trying not to smile :)

Well?

2009-02-03T14:28:00.002-05:00

You know how 40 is the new 30 and pink is the new orange (from a favorite movie of mine) and so on...? Well, I now believe that "well" is the new "sick." I feel like for the past 4 months I've had to answer the question "How's Michael Dean doing?" with "Well, he's sick again." It just never goes away. The runny nose. The cough. The lack of appetite. It's always there. So, I guess that IS the new definition of "well" - runny nose, cough, no food. At least for a while. Don't get me wrong. I stand by my previous post about the ear tubes. Without those I believe MD wouldn't be as "well" as he is.

Oh, and he's finally taken to a hat. Go Kevin Harvick!

Thanks to Whoever Invented the Ear Tubes

2009-01-27T08:55:00.002-05:00

OK, so there could be a lot of reasons why my sweet little toddler has been sleeping better and generally been more pleasant to be around. But, I'd like to credit his shiny, new ear tubes for the positive change. He's now had them for a little over a month - and besides the random cough and runny nose, he's been pretty healthy. Finally. So, he now gets to be just a plain 'ole 18-month old toddler. You know, whining when he doesn't get his way. Crying at the drop of a hat. But, at least I know this is all normal (I think) and his days are much more pleasant (minus some of his day care days!)

Reading the Sunday morning funnies

Driving at the grocery store

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-21T14:48:00.002-05:00

18 Months!

2009-01-14T08:02:00.004-05:00

Well, Michael Dean's been 18 months for a week now and I've got his stats. I don't even remember the last time I reported these on here. I guess they aren't as exciting when you don't get them every month.

We saw his doctor Monday and he's still a growing, healthy (minus the constant head cold he always has) little boy. So, here they are:

> Height: 35 in. (top 97%)
> Weight: 28-ish lbs. (top 75%)
> Head: can't remember exactly (top 95%)

Our doctor said he should be saying at least 5 words now. Um, I think he's got that covered. Let's see, there's ball, truck, school bus, pumpkin, book, work, Mila, mommy, daddy, burger, mana (banana), Nana. OK, I'm probably boring you now. Anyway, he's developing great and is just so much dang fun! I truly miss him when I'm away from him and really want more time with him - but that's for another post, maybe.

And, of course, some pics:

Cheese!

Sick MD hanging out with mommy

Is it Bad of Me...

2009-01-09T09:36:00.005-05:00

...to be excited that my company is shut down for 5 Mondays in a row due to the bad economy?

Even though we just went through 2 weeks of mandatory shut-downs at Christmas, we start these Monday shut-downs on Jan. 19. And even though I probably won't get paid for those days (unless I choose to use my hard-earned vacation time), I'm pretty excited. I work from home on Mondays AND I keep MD with me. Just so I can have a weekday with him. It's amazing how different from weekend-days those feel. So, my Mondays are pretty tough. And, the thought of getting 5 of them off, in a row...well, is pretty cool.

Sorry, boss, if you're reading this. But, you know how I feel. I do hope our business takes a turn for the better.