It's the most wonderful time of the year.....
Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to my blog friends. I hope you get everything you're wishing for. Like peace on earth, a new Kitchenaid mixer, and flannel pajamas. I was hoping for a full night's sleep. Oh well. I did get a pretty amazing gift, though. My best friend called yesterday while we were driving to my parents' house. She got married a few years ago and moved to Fargo, ND where her husband's job was. Just recently, they relocated to Grand Island, NE for his new job. Well, unfortunately, the job fell through. But, he has some leads in Inver Grove Heights and they will be moving back to the cities! I'm so excited!
Here's to too much to eat, much too much to drink, and all sorts of merriment. :)
Monday, December 25, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Christmas Meme
Well, I'm not sure I know what a "meme" is, and I'm just assuming that I'm the Erin that Gloria is referring to. Nevertheless, you are all invited along for the ride...
Neither, unfortunately. Hot beverages make me sick to my stomach. I know I'm weird. It makes for some pretty interesting faces behind the counter at Caribou when I'm ordering a vanilla cooler in the middle of January.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He wraps them. One of my favorite stories of my mother's childhood is that she and each of her six siblings would be assigned a chair or couch cushion in the livingroom, and when they came downstairs on Christmas morning, all of their gifts would be lying on their cushion unwrapped.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Our (artificial) tree has white lights. But I have vowed to get rid of it after this year. It's broken and just generally a pain in the butt. Outside, we have white icicle lights and colored lights on the bushes.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope. My roommate in college brought real mistletoe home once and it actually kind of stinks.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
Usually right after Thanksgiving. However, it was more like a week or so into December this year. I'm gonna blame Jack. :)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Steak. For as long as I can remember, Christmas dinner has been steak.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child.
Decorating the house. We would make paper chains that my dad hung around the room. So tacky, but kind of cute.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I actually don't remember ever believing in Santa. I do remember witnessing some hearts broken when I taught kindergarten a couple years ago. Oh, kids can be cruel.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas eve?
We open gifts with our families on Christmas Eve. Dan and I (and I guess we'll include Jackson this year) open gifts Christmas Day.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
As previously stated, it has white lights. The ornaments are extremely eccentric. There are some dating back to each of our childhoods, and some that we've collected in our 4 1/2 years of marriage. It's random, but it's beautiful!
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Right now, I love it. Come March, I'm ready to see it leave.
12. Can you ice skate?
I haven't since I was about 11, but I assume I still have the skills.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Actually, it has to do with question #12. I remember asking for ice skates one year. I unwrapped the box and realized it was ice skates. When I opened the box, my dad's OLD ice skates were lying there, looking quite pathetic. It was a cute trick. :)
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Family.
15. What is your favorite Holiday dessert?
Christmas cookies in general.
16. What is your favorite Holiday tradition?
Christmas Eve fondue. Yum!
17. What tops your tree?
Well, nothing. The top of our tree is too floppy to hold anything. We have a cool star, though!
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Definitely giving.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
This is hard. I love Christmas music. I just heard "Do You Hear What I Hear" on the radio, so I'll go with that. It will change in an hour or so. :)
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
They're fine. I'm more of a chocolate girl!
All right, Lisa, you're next! Enjoy.
1. Egg nog or Hot Chocolate?
Neither, unfortunately. Hot beverages make me sick to my stomach. I know I'm weird. It makes for some pretty interesting faces behind the counter at Caribou when I'm ordering a vanilla cooler in the middle of January.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He wraps them. One of my favorite stories of my mother's childhood is that she and each of her six siblings would be assigned a chair or couch cushion in the livingroom, and when they came downstairs on Christmas morning, all of their gifts would be lying on their cushion unwrapped.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Our (artificial) tree has white lights. But I have vowed to get rid of it after this year. It's broken and just generally a pain in the butt. Outside, we have white icicle lights and colored lights on the bushes.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope. My roommate in college brought real mistletoe home once and it actually kind of stinks.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
Usually right after Thanksgiving. However, it was more like a week or so into December this year. I'm gonna blame Jack. :)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Steak. For as long as I can remember, Christmas dinner has been steak.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child.
Decorating the house. We would make paper chains that my dad hung around the room. So tacky, but kind of cute.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I actually don't remember ever believing in Santa. I do remember witnessing some hearts broken when I taught kindergarten a couple years ago. Oh, kids can be cruel.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas eve?
We open gifts with our families on Christmas Eve. Dan and I (and I guess we'll include Jackson this year) open gifts Christmas Day.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
As previously stated, it has white lights. The ornaments are extremely eccentric. There are some dating back to each of our childhoods, and some that we've collected in our 4 1/2 years of marriage. It's random, but it's beautiful!
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Right now, I love it. Come March, I'm ready to see it leave.
12. Can you ice skate?
I haven't since I was about 11, but I assume I still have the skills.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Actually, it has to do with question #12. I remember asking for ice skates one year. I unwrapped the box and realized it was ice skates. When I opened the box, my dad's OLD ice skates were lying there, looking quite pathetic. It was a cute trick. :)
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Family.
15. What is your favorite Holiday dessert?
Christmas cookies in general.
16. What is your favorite Holiday tradition?
Christmas Eve fondue. Yum!
17. What tops your tree?
Well, nothing. The top of our tree is too floppy to hold anything. We have a cool star, though!
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Definitely giving.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
This is hard. I love Christmas music. I just heard "Do You Hear What I Hear" on the radio, so I'll go with that. It will change in an hour or so. :)
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
They're fine. I'm more of a chocolate girl!
All right, Lisa, you're next! Enjoy.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Nine months
Jack,
Well, this is a milestone birthday for you. You have officially been in this world for as long as you were inside me! And when I think about the last 18 months, the pregnant nine sure felt longer than the motherhood nine have! We can hardly believe that in a mere three months you will be one year old. Crazy!
Let's see...newsworthy information. You aren't sleeping much these days. In fact, as I write this, Dad has just gone up to check on you because you woke up after only being asleep for 45 minutes. What's up? Some people try to make us feel better and say that you just love being around us so much that it's hard for you to go to bed. It's a lovely thought, but I'd rather just get some sleep. :) You tend to wake up a lot at night. Sometimes we have a couple nights in a row of "better" sleeping, which simply means that you only wake up two or three times as opposed to six or seven. Right now, you aren't feeling well, and you tend to wake yourself up when you cough. This is the second time you've been sick in the last month or so. The first was right around Thanksgiving. You just had some bad congestion and a cough, but your nose got so infected, so the doctor prescribed Amoxicillin. You thought it was pretty yummy! I don't think there is anything wrong with you right now that antibiotics would help, but we do have your nine-month appointment on Thursday just in case!
Your first Thanksgiving was pretty low-key since you were sick. In fact, we didn't even get to Berube's house until after everyone had already eaten because you were finally taking a good nap and we didn't want to interrupt it! I wish I could say that you enjoyed the feast, but being sick left you with very little appetite, and let's face it--we would have had to stick it all in the blender. Yuck. Speaking of eating, you are broadening your horizons a little bit and eating a larger amount of food at every meal. You still gag sometimes (especially when you're sick--dang phlegm), but you are getting pretty good at keeping everything down. You especially like yogurt and any fruit. And you simply tolerate vegetables! You really like "chewing" pieces of real food while we eat dinner. Sometimes you just collect little pieces of food in your mouth and never swallow!
Your personality is just the best. I think you know that you're funny! And you're very smart. When we ask, "How big is Jackson?", you raise your arms over your head and we all say, "SO BIG!", and you laugh and clap for yourself. You are crawling everywhere. We have gates all over the place. And you are drawn to cords. Dad is pretty sure you are bound to be an electrician when you grow up. :) If they weren't potentially dangerous, we'd let you have your fun with them. But there's the whole electrocution risk and everything. Oh, bother.
Christmas is next week, and we are SO looking forward to experiencing the holiday with you. We have lots of fun presents for you to open if you ever figure out how or get past the excitement of the paper itself. We really wish it would snow so you could experience a white Christmas! Besides, one of your gifts requires snow; unless we want to look like the crazy neighbors pulling their child in a sled down the dry blacktop street! No thanks.
When people hear what our nights with you are like, I think they feel sorry for us. Or you. Or both. But the truth is, you are so delightful during the day, it makes the nights a little more bearable. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a full night's sleep one of these days, but until you figure it out, you are just the most lovable, awesome kid around. Watching you grow up brings us joy beyond belief, and I know it will only get better.
Bless you, baby. I love you.
Love,
Mom.
Well, this is a milestone birthday for you. You have officially been in this world for as long as you were inside me! And when I think about the last 18 months, the pregnant nine sure felt longer than the motherhood nine have! We can hardly believe that in a mere three months you will be one year old. Crazy!
Let's see...newsworthy information. You aren't sleeping much these days. In fact, as I write this, Dad has just gone up to check on you because you woke up after only being asleep for 45 minutes. What's up? Some people try to make us feel better and say that you just love being around us so much that it's hard for you to go to bed. It's a lovely thought, but I'd rather just get some sleep. :) You tend to wake up a lot at night. Sometimes we have a couple nights in a row of "better" sleeping, which simply means that you only wake up two or three times as opposed to six or seven. Right now, you aren't feeling well, and you tend to wake yourself up when you cough. This is the second time you've been sick in the last month or so. The first was right around Thanksgiving. You just had some bad congestion and a cough, but your nose got so infected, so the doctor prescribed Amoxicillin. You thought it was pretty yummy! I don't think there is anything wrong with you right now that antibiotics would help, but we do have your nine-month appointment on Thursday just in case!
Your first Thanksgiving was pretty low-key since you were sick. In fact, we didn't even get to Berube's house until after everyone had already eaten because you were finally taking a good nap and we didn't want to interrupt it! I wish I could say that you enjoyed the feast, but being sick left you with very little appetite, and let's face it--we would have had to stick it all in the blender. Yuck. Speaking of eating, you are broadening your horizons a little bit and eating a larger amount of food at every meal. You still gag sometimes (especially when you're sick--dang phlegm), but you are getting pretty good at keeping everything down. You especially like yogurt and any fruit. And you simply tolerate vegetables! You really like "chewing" pieces of real food while we eat dinner. Sometimes you just collect little pieces of food in your mouth and never swallow!
Your personality is just the best. I think you know that you're funny! And you're very smart. When we ask, "How big is Jackson?", you raise your arms over your head and we all say, "SO BIG!", and you laugh and clap for yourself. You are crawling everywhere. We have gates all over the place. And you are drawn to cords. Dad is pretty sure you are bound to be an electrician when you grow up. :) If they weren't potentially dangerous, we'd let you have your fun with them. But there's the whole electrocution risk and everything. Oh, bother.
Christmas is next week, and we are SO looking forward to experiencing the holiday with you. We have lots of fun presents for you to open if you ever figure out how or get past the excitement of the paper itself. We really wish it would snow so you could experience a white Christmas! Besides, one of your gifts requires snow; unless we want to look like the crazy neighbors pulling their child in a sled down the dry blacktop street! No thanks.
When people hear what our nights with you are like, I think they feel sorry for us. Or you. Or both. But the truth is, you are so delightful during the day, it makes the nights a little more bearable. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a full night's sleep one of these days, but until you figure it out, you are just the most lovable, awesome kid around. Watching you grow up brings us joy beyond belief, and I know it will only get better.
Bless you, baby. I love you.
Love,
Mom.
Friday, December 15, 2006
I got it!
Okay, I've reclaimed my Japanese IQ test score. And I remember what I did, in case you need help. :) So glad I figured it out!
I'm such a nerd.
I'm such a nerd.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Put on your thinking caps!
All right, here's a little brain teaser for all of you. It reminds me of a math problem I had around 6th grade. Anyway, it's a Japanese IQ test, and it's apparently given to job applicants in Japan. Click here and good luck! I did finally get it, and I can now go sleep peacefully!
Happy Friday!
:)
UPDATE....I just went back to the site to retrace my steps and remember what I did to solve it. You know, in case you got stuck and needed a hint or two. Well, I am totally stuck again. So, if you figure it out, let me know! So much for going to sleep peacefully! Dang.
Happy Friday!
:)
UPDATE....I just went back to the site to retrace my steps and remember what I did to solve it. You know, in case you got stuck and needed a hint or two. Well, I am totally stuck again. So, if you figure it out, let me know! So much for going to sleep peacefully! Dang.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Like a baby
I caught the last half of Law and Order last night. That's kind of a hard show to follow when you come in halfway through, but it's also the kind of show that hooks you no matter when you start watching. Anyway, the verdict ended up being kind of controversial and at the very end, one of the new attorneys asked Jack McCoy "How do you sleep at night?" And Jack looked her square in the eye and said, "Like a baby."
And I said, "Like a baby!? You poor thing!"
Who is Dick Wolf (L&O creator) to assume that all babies sleep so well that we ought to compare our own great sleep to theirs?
I'm not bitter. I'm just sleep deprived.
And I said, "Like a baby!? You poor thing!"
Who is Dick Wolf (L&O creator) to assume that all babies sleep so well that we ought to compare our own great sleep to theirs?
I'm not bitter. I'm just sleep deprived.
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