Family Farming Tradition

I come from a long line of farmers (my dad still farms) and Adam's parents both grew up on farms. In this part of the country, it's hard not to have some sort of tie to argriculture and I'm excited Ryan will have the chance to play on a real farm and see where our milk comes from!
In addition to my growing up with the real thing, I also played farm with my sisters at home. We had a Fisher Price farm set and I loved opening the barn doors that "moo", putting the rooster in the haymow, and storing the fences in the silo.  I have a vivid memory of also catching crickets in our basement and storing them in the silo, but that's getting off the subject. Adam also grew up playing farm and had a giant wooden barn. He'd "disk" the carpet, making lines in it for rows and loved his toy tractors and animals. Since both of our parents still have those farm sets, I think Ryan might get a chance to play farm too!

To get him started in this family farm tradition, he got an iplay Funtime toy tractor from Great Grandma B this Christmas. When you press the animals down, they make their "sound" and the Farmer plays Old McDonald.  Ryan does get a little confused because we'll press an animal down in the wagon, but the speakers are in the tractor, so then he'll look at the tractor to see where the sound is coming from, but it does keep his interest for a while.

It's a hard toy to play with laying down (see first picture), but it's perfect to set in front of him to help him balance sitting up!

Farmer Ryan likes his tractor! Thanks, Great-Grandma!

Dog For Sale

Breed: Claimed to be purebred beagle but have since discovered she is a Beagle-Wuss mix

Age: 5/old enough to know better

Size: 13" at shoulder with plenty to love. Has a bit of a body image disconnect as she thinks she's a lap dog, yet runs from 4 pound Yorkies.

Coloring: Tri-color (black/brown/white) with occasional sprinklings of milk or ketchup from the dishwasher

Breeding possibilities: none-the gene pool stops here, thank goodness

Hunting Skills: none, she is a pure welfare dog

Shedding: yes, sir, especially on fleece blankets and work pants

Manners: Will belch after each bowl of water and pass gas in mixed company

Disposition: Lazy until someone walks by the house, then channels her inner Doberman

Diet: Will only eat dog food when others are home and will steal any food you bring into living room, usually by distracting you by causing a mess in another room and then sprinting to the coffee table when you get up to check it out

Travel: Whines the entire time and does not like slowing down or turning corners, so basically if you have earplugs on the the Oklahoma turnpike, you're good

Tricks: Opening kitchen and bathroom cupboards to access trash unless child safety locks are in place; sits on command about 17% of the time; eats diapers, but only the good stuff

Extra Special Skills: Impossible to cut toenails without muzzle and strong man holding her. One toenail will bleed and then when your husband takes her for a walk three days later, wound will reopen while washing off her feet and she will race through entire carpeted portion of the house like a maniac, leaving 50+ spots of blood on carpet a few minutes before you are scheduled to lead FPU class at church. 

Price: Your sanity

CALL NOW and receive this special bonus offer FREE!

Ryan in Black & White (and green)

Spiral Pasta & Ham Casserole

I have had a few requests for this colorful casserole recipe and since I made this for lunch today, I finally remembered to share it.

Spiral Pasta & Ham Casserole

1 pkg (16oz) tricolor rotini
1 1/2 c. cubed ham
1 can (15.74oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (2.8 oz) french-fried onions, divided
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Cook pasta according to package direction and drain. In greased 9x13 baking dish combine pasta, ham, corn, 1 c. cheese, and 3/4 c. onions. In a bowl combine broth, soup, milk and seasonings. Pour over pasta and mix well.  Back uncovered at 350 for 30 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and onions. Bake 5 min. longer or until heated through.

My tips: I buy a Jennie-O turkey ham and cube the entire thing, then freeze it in containers to use in casseroles, omelets, etc. I also make my own chicken broth using granulated bouillon. I was out of corn so I threw in some mixed vegetables instead--you barely notice the extra veges and it adds some nutrition and more color! I also put it in two smaller pans and freeze one as it's hard for us to eat an entire 9x13 without getting sick of leftovers.

The day my grandma passed away this fall, I had made this casserole in two pans for lunch. Instead of freezing one, I brought both pans to my parents and baked them while we waited for the family to gather. This recipe, along with a few side dishes, ended up feeding 12 people and they all enjoyed some home-cooked comfort food after a week of eating out while visiting at the hospital.

Big Foot

Look at those monsterous paws! 

I discovered Ryan needed his toenails cut tonight and the bumbo is essentially like one of those foam toe-separators you wear during pedicures (not that I'd know), so this is where he sat for the short operation.  He started noticing his feet once I was done with the trim.

Then he finally grabbed his foot for the first time! (Those pesky thighs kept getting in the way.)

But who cares about feet?

When you have a smile like this?

Maybe this is why my shoulders are sore

I finally had enough of looking like I've been living in my car like a homeless person and emptied out all the bags of stuff that I've been accumulating and hauling around. After three trips to the garage, here is most of it:

 From left to right, here are the bags and contents:

• Brown and green tote bag (free from hospital birthing class)
• Show choir music, notebook, clothes, and shoes for teaching choreography tonight
• Brown and red diaper bag
• Holds Ryan's daily "day care" stuff
• Blue, red and white Tommy Hilfiger bag
• Contains spare work clothes I keep with me in case I get stranded in Hometown or anywhere in between because of weather
• Black tote bag with my name monogrammed on it in pink from BIL's wedding
• Items to transfer in between car and pickup in case I have to take a 4x4 vehicle to work. Contains audio CDs, sunglasses, and a bag of Giant Bumpy Chewy Nerds.
• Orange bag free from hair salon
• Completely empty but has been in my back seat for the better part of 2 months. I use it to carry books/CDs/DVD from the library but have managed to carry my 2 CDs without use of a bag lately. 
• Navy "carry-on" cosmetic case
• Makeup, hair products, and contacts/glasses for staying overnight last night
• Purple Purse from Purse-N-ality party (which I have had at least 7 strangers comment that they like)
• Holds the customary wallet, checkbook, pens, lipstick, and a stocking hat that I have yet to wear this season but I forget is in there (that's how big the purse is)
• Black Nike duffel bag with Ryan's name monogrammed on it in orange (baby gift)
• Held all of Ryan and my overnight clothes from staying in Hometown last night after the bball game (I was supposed to have a late night meeting but it was cancelled due to roads.)
• Baby carrier
• Ironically, contains baby.
• Not shown (oh, there's more)
• Two grocery bags containing leftover lunch containers and one very black banana
• Black mini cooler for carrying Ryan's milk
• Black snow boots and windshield scraper
• Extra blanket for Ryan in case we get stranded

I drive a Malibu and sometimes I think I can't ever get a minivan for fear that I will start building shelves in it or buying "larger than airlines accept" luggage to carry all my junk around.  

My simple goal for tonight after getting Ryan to bed was to just unpack all of my bags. Sadly, there are still 3 full ones because I again spent my night fighting and fuming with Bank of America and the criminals at Fannie Mae and have worked myself into such a fury that I can't even eat my customary brownies and ice cream or collapse into bed. I think I will go vicariously work out by watching my 3.5 year old niece's imitation of a Jillian Michaels DVD (watch minutes 2-3 for the best squats and "cwrunches" I've seen).  I'm going to need strong biceps to carry all those bags.

Assume the Teething Position

The past few days Ryan has really started going to town on chewing everything--his fist, his bib, his rattle, teething rings, anything that can semi-fit in his mouth. It was funny watching him chew his teething ring by propping it against the tray of his Bumbo seat and chomping down, but putting his arms straight out to the side like he is flying instead of holding on to it. "Look, Ma, no hands!" It seems like his gums are bothering him as he's been fussier than usual, sleeping less, drooling more and a lot more vocal. There are no visual signs of teeth or red gums, but the symptoms of teething are sure ramping up!

Little Monkey

Ryan received a gift in the mail today and he likes his soft new monkey blanket named "Pippy". Thanks, W's!

Pretty Good

The Dave Ramsey facebook page had an awesome quote as his status today:

"We've always done it that way" doesn't make it right or the best option. Remember "good" can sometimes be the enemy of "best". 

It reminded me of a poem I read for a "lit program" performance in High School Speech. I still remembered some of the lines, which made it easier to find on the internet, and also proves that it must have had a big effect on me if I remember it over 10 years later. It helps remind me to strive for greatness, not just settling for being "pretty good."

Pretty Good

by Charles Osgood from the Osgood File, 1986

There once was a pretty good student 

Who sat in a pretty good class 

And was taught by a pretty good teacher 

Who always let pretty good pass. 
He wasn’t terrific at reading, 
He wasn’t a whiz-bang at math, 
But for him, education was leading 
Straight down a pretty good path. 
He didn’t find school too exciting, 
But he wanted to do pretty well, 
And he did have some trouble with writing 
Since nobody taught him to spell. 
When doing arithmetic problems, 
Pretty good was regarded as fine. 
5+5 needn’t always add up to be 10; 
A pretty good answer was 9. 
The pretty good class that he sat in 
Was part of a pretty good school, 
And the student was not an exception: 
On the contrary, he was the rule. 
The pretty good school that he went to 
Was there in a pretty good town, 
And nobody there seemed to notice 
He could not tell a verb from a noun. 
The pretty good student in fact was 
Part of a pretty good mob. 
And the first time he knew what he lacked was 
When he looked for a pretty good job. 
It was then, when he sought a position, 
He discovered that life could be tough, 
And he soon had a sneaking suspicion 
Pretty good might not be good enough. 
The pretty good town in our story 
Was part of a pretty good state 
Which had pretty good aspirations 
And prayed for a pretty good fate. 
There once was a pretty good nation 
Pretty proud of the greatness it had, 
Which learned much too late, 
If you want to be great, 
Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad.

Ice Cream is a Staple Food

Long day = short rambling post

I got home from work at 8 tonight and skipped the grocery trip I had planned for the way home in order to see my child before he went to sleep. Now I'll have to do the dreaded Friday after work grocery shopping, but it can't be helped. I hate shopping at that time because by the end of the week, I just want to GO HOME, it is semi-busy as people stock up for the weekend, and most of the ad specials are out of stock. My money is on the fact that there won't be any more pails of Vanilla Blue Bunny Ice Cream for $4.99. Maybe New York Vanilla, French Vanilla, or a Chocolate/Vanilla mix, all of which are silver medalists but still on the podium when it comes to the Ice Cream Olympics.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about different kinds of ice cream. One of my favorite places to babysit was my aunt & uncle's house because they always bought the Well's Blue Bunny flavor of the month and the kids (who are now in grad school and a Senior in HS--yes, I'm old) got to eat ice cream as a special treat when they had a babysitter.  So, I'm not against trying new things, but Vanilla ice cream is a staple in our household. Adam eats it with Double Stuff Oreos and there is nothing like warmed up brownies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. Also, I use it to make caramel roll topping. So you see, it is a breakfast food.

Ice Cream is a complete necessity, Dave Ramsey, and I will make an ice cream envelope if I have to.

Childhood Memories

There are vast amount of my childhood that I simply do not remember, but there are random snapshots that for some reason have always stuck with me. I'm not talking about the general kind of "memories" like "I remember we used to ride our bikes to the pool" or "I remember we used to play in the basement with our flying trapeze bar" or other general things that virtually all kids experienced. What...no trapeze bar in your basement? Maybe this is why there are vast parts I don't remember.

Here are my snapshots:

1. In kindergarten one day we were playing "There was a man who lived in the moon" where you make a man's face out of letters and I remember being so excited I got to pick the letter for the nose so I could FINALLY have the lowercase "j" I always thought would be perfect in that spot. What were people thinking with the q's and the R's....IT'S A J! I now believe my control issues started approximately at age 5.
2. In 1st grade Mrs. Stange made me pick Jessica H. in the 7-up standup game because no one ever picked her (because she cheated and looked at your shoes) and she of course cheated and knew it was me so I got out. I was so mad. And Jessica was wearing a pastel green and white striped one-piece outfit where the top half was a tank top and the bottom half was shorts with a skirt over it and she was wearing white velcro shoes and I was still very mad.
3. Also in 1st grade, our teacher took us out in the hallway one at a time to look in a box to see a picture of the "most important person." I told everyone "I bet it's a mirror," and I got in trouble for ruining it for everyone. You can't trick me, Mrs. Stange! (or get me to keep my know-it-all mouth shut).
4. In 2nd grade I was the third person to ask Mrs. Anderson how to spell pterodactyl during journaling time because we had decided Tara's new nickname should be this flying dinosaur and we all thought Mrs. A was crazy when she wrote the word on the "P" page of our little construction paper spelling booklet instead of the "T" page. Sadly, I just had to google pterodactyl because I still don't know how to spell it.
5. In 3rd grade, a new kid in our class named Jack K got in trouble for using a bad word. Except none of the rest of us knew it was bad. So innocent we were!  Hint: it also means a bundle of sticks
6. I remember a specific recess when Cleon, the recess attendant, came over and told the boys they had to let the girls play kickball with them so she divided us in half to join each team. But I piped up and said, "But they actually already picked me for the other team." Kudos to the guys in my class for vastly overestimating my kickball skills in fourth grade.
7. During inside recesses we had the boys on one half of the gym, girls on the other, so we would have races down the 2 lanes created by the half court line. First one to touch the stage and come back and slap the hand of the "timer" person at the start/finish line won. I do not remember any specific race but I do specifically remember one of my guy friends asking me years later, "Remember when you used to be the fastest girl in our class? What happened?"  Oh how the truth hurts.
8. In 5th grade Science I sat at a table with Greg A. and Justin B. and they wore USA basketball jerseys from their summer 3-on-3 tournaments on the first day of school.
9. Removed per my dear husband's "guidancing" me. (First made-up word of this post, that I know of).
10. On our 6th grade Iowa History Trip, I remember playing "war" card games on the bed (poolside room) using candy as betting chips and the ratio was 10 M&Ms equalled one Twizzler.
11. I vividly remember riding to the substate game vs. Ruthven Ayrshire and feeling relieved when Loree Walton told us that yes, they had Loren Meyer, but the rest of the team wasn't much. I believe we won that game 101-57 and Scott Bonestroo made the final free throws to push us over the 100 mark. That was 1991, almost 19 years ago and I still remember Boner making that free throw.
12. Unfortunately, I also remember Andy Kosky from Newell Fonda making the free throw that cost us the state championship game in 2000. A more recent, but more painful memory.
13. I remember huddling in the Sibley movie theater bathroom with Becca in 1996 while trying to figure out the seating arrangement for "There's Something About Mary."
14. I remember buying a new shirt at Maurices for my first high school dance and feeling my cheeks burn when someone else from my class showed up in the same shirt. And his name was Joel.
15. I remember playing Kick the Can in the backyard of Rachel S.'s house in 1st grade and someone started crying when another person pulled their arm and and Marty DJ said "If your arm was really out of it's socket, you would be screaming bloody murder." Also at Rachel's house we chewed peppermint LifeSavers in the dark with our mouths open to watch them spark.
16. The name of our fake TV station for the 5th-6th grade Christmas program was WICU.
17. When my younger sister was having trouble spitting her words out one day at supper, I told her not to stutter and my mom scolded me that you "NEVER ever make fun of someone who stutters."  I was like 6, my mom was(is) a speech pathologist, and I don't remember my sister ever stuttering again.

Okay, this is turning into a novel (yet another I could write) and I'm not sure anyone would buy the book "1001 Things Courtney Remembers From Her Childhood," so I'll stop at 17 since it's such a nice prime number.

What are the random snapshots you have of your childhood that for some reason have burned themselves into your brain?

Rock Chalk Mohawk

Timeline of a Hair-Don't

You know how when you give a baby a bath, his hair curls up all nice?

Then, as you're getting him dressed for bed, you think, "I wonder if this will stay all curly and nice if I leave it like this overnight?"

It won't.

My Valentine

Updates

I'm not sure what to write about here that isn't boring/bragging or a combo of the two, but since I use this blog as an update/timeline of our family's life, here're a few recent events. And yes, I did just make up a new contraction.

I don't talk about the specifics of my career life much on this sight, but since family and friends read this to stay updated on my life (or maybe just look for pictures of Ryan and see what new words I've made up lately), I do have an update to share.  On Friday, I accepted a new position at my company and will now be the Director of Marketing. I hope the new challenges and opportunities this brings will be a good fit for both me and my company. I plan to hire a new Brand Manager to replace myself at my old position, so if you know anyone looking for a Marketing job, keep your eyes open for an upcoming ad in local papers and on our company website.

On Friday night, we enjoyed supper with Grandpa and Grandma Boone and watched the BH vs. SO basketball game. It was fun to introduce Ryan to some of our Hometown friends. We made it home in time to see the end of the Vancouver Olympic opening ceremony but unfortunately only caught the opera version of the Olympic hymn, the oaths, and the malfunctioning of the Olympic torch lighting. My favorite part was watching the people run along side Wayne Gretzky who was riding in the back of a pickup on his way to the outdoor torch, because apparently that's how they roll in our neighbors to the North. I'm sure the rest of the ceremony was much more glamourous than the part we saw, so I may have to watch highlights online. 

Adam spent a good part of the day today helping about 25 grade school kids go ice fishing as part of the "Fish Iowa" program. They had a good time even though the fishing was slow and the snow started rolling in. It's supposed to snow the rest of tonight with the wind picking up tomorrow. I'm glad we have no plans to leave town for the next two days!

Because of the weather, and my 2010 commitment to try to use up some of my pantry/freezer stores and not waste food, I made a pan of homemade caramel rolls (using the last of my free Well's Blue Bunny cinnamon ice cream to make the caramel topping) and have a three-bean chili in the crockpot for supper (using the leftover half-can of tomato paste from earlier in the week). Of course I may not be terribly hungry at 5:30 when the chili is ready since I just had an omelet for lunch at 3:15. That's what happens when you're home alone with a baby who can't quite decide if he wants to be asleep, eating, held, playing, or making an extremely stinky diaper so he decides to just try everything out in rapid succession, then repeat the process.

Right now the little Dude is sleeping in the big Dude's arms while the beagle sleeps on the couch next to me so I think it might be a perfect time for me to sneak in a short nap. Have a safe snowy Saturday!

Before They Were Famous

I love when actors show up on other TV shows either "before" they were famous, or "after" they were famous.  I love watching old reruns and seeing people we recognize now in some of their first acting roles. I remember a scene on The Cosby Show with Theo and his friends in the locker room and one of his teammates is Adam Sandler!  Other famous people who appeared on the show include Alicia Keyes (one of Rudy's friends at a sleepover) and Sinbad as a used car salesman.

Tonight on The Mentalist (great show), the lawyer at the end of the show representing the slimy middle manager is the guy who played Martin Kendall, Denise's military husband, on Cosby! I also see Rudy's bff/bf Kenny on a few shows and, embarrassingly, recognized him in "Not Another Teen Movie".

I also had a revelation one day that Miss Bliss, the teacher on Saved By The Bell, the Junior High Years, is the grown-up version of the twin girls from the original Parent Trap!

Can you think of other examples of seeing actors "before" or "after" they were famous?

Checkup

Adam took Buddy Boy to his 4 month checkup today where they confirmed he is a healthy little boy! He now weighs 16 lbs. 1 oz (85th percentile) and is 24.25" tall (50th percentile). We realize how fortunate we are that Ryan hasn't had to visit the doctor at all except for his scheduled checkups and that he seems to be healthy and happy! We are looking forward to going to the basketball games tomorrow night and seeing Grandpa and Grandma Boone. The weather isn't looking good for fishing on Saturday but at least the snowstorm isn't going to be during the week this time!

Lay Decorating/Le Decorating

The title of this post is a homophone because it has two meanings and if you use your imagination and squint a little, both are pronounced the same.

"Lay" means "not belonging to, connected with, or proceeding from a profession." This is just to clear up the fact that I am not a professional decorator, as if you needed to be reminded by the four years it took to get curtains up in my kitchen. So, like all good lay preachers, instead of delivering original words or wisdom, I'm just going to be stealing from multiple professional sources, rarely citing them correctly.

"Le" means "the," as in "the word you say before a totally English word to try to make it sound French."  We will also be discussing a french-inspired decoration.

Now that our English lesson is complete, let's commence with the decorating- because Webster defines "commencement" not as an ending, but as a beginning, as any good lay graduation speech has taught you.

First, I have been in love with Design Dazzle's blog ever since my coworker found it last week. We were both totally impressed with this play kitchen someone made from an old entertainment center:

Today's post was this playroom, including a play "house" made under the stairs.

I also love these letters as clever wall decor:

A smaller version that would actually match Ryan's current room is found on Tonky Designs: 

But I hesitate to pay money to a company who is also offering this chic wall sticker (in 14 colors...including mint):

Quickly, now, let's return to the "letters and numbers in different designs" train of thought which brings us to the French part of our post today. My old coworker who now lives in Florida saw this Parisian perpetual calendar on etsy:

So, she went around Cocoa Beach with her camera and printed out her own letters on magnetic "paper" to create a personal sign on her apartment door. Love it!

So, there you have it: Lay Decorating and Le Decorating.

Good night! or Bonne nuit! or whatever. 

Sweetheart of a Deal from this week's Golden Shopper

How does this sound?

Valentine's Special this Saturday

Dinner for Two

• Prime Rib

• Baked Potato

• Tossed Salad

• Dinner Roll

• Free Wine Sampling

• Full Service

Where can you take your Sweetheart to experience this romantic meal?

The Hy-Vee Deli

...not feeling it


Also, note to my husband: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT pay $16 for a Single Carnation, even if it is "arranged in a vase with greens and baby's breath" I will beat you with the baby's breath if you spend $16 of my/our money on a single carnation and you know it.

My Buddy and Me

WARNING : Sentimental "Mom-Blogging" Ahead

I really look forward to the weekends and am trying to remind myself to enjoy the time I do have to spend with Ryan while he is little. Saturday morning I was cooking up a storm, putting casseroles in the freezer, browning hamburger to use during the week, etc. while Ryan was getting fussy in his exersaucer. Something hit me that I need to just quit trying to be such a "maximizer" (word my older sister uses frequently) and just stop to "waste" some time being quiet with my baby. I put everything in the fridge, washed up my hands, scooped up my baby, and went to his room to read some books.

Ryan is able to pay attention to books a little more now that he can see the bright colors and likes to feel different textures. I treasured the time spent with him in my arms and ended up rocking him to sleep. He then took a 2.5 hour nap, allowing me to finish up all my cooking and even get the dishes finished by the time Adam returned from ice fishing.

If I had pressed on trying to get all the kitchen work done on my own schedule and just trying to keep him pacified and semi-happy, I would have worked myself into a frazzle and missed out on some precious time with my baby. Sometimes I need reminders to just stop and be a mom.

I really enjoy holding Ryan through church--singing with him and letting him sleep in my arms during the sermon. I even like going to basketball games and other events, like the Super Bowl party, with him. He constantly reminds me that I have so much to be grateful for. I love you, buddy!

Super Bowl..It's about the food

Since the Vikings are the Vikings and didn't make the Super Bowl this year, my interest shifted pretty quickly to food over football. I started out the weekend feast on Friday at work where our office brought enough food to feed about 100 people. Since I was pretty busy last week, I made a deal with my boss that I would make a cheeseball if she brought the crackers. Thursday night I whipped together this football-shaped cheeseball in about 10 minutes. Full reciped is: Mix together 16 oz. cream cheese, 1 envelope Ranch dressing mix, a handful of cheddar and mozzarella cheese, then roll in chopped pecans and shape into a football. Scrape the remaining cream cheese mixture off the beaters to form the laces.

The remainder of the football and a few leftover pecans created a now round cheese ball for my treats at FPU today. I also brought PB Cap'n Crunch Bars. These are like Rice Krispie treats only you use Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch, melt a little peanut butter in with the marshmallows and butter, and mix in some M&M's. They are one of my favorite 'travel' foods and kid-friendly. I also brought candy from work because the brand manager in me can't pass up an opportunity for blatant promotion of my candy.

After FPU today we packed up for Worthington to watch the Super Bowl with some friends where all the leftovers from FPU now joined food from the other 2 couples: pizza, smokies, and two kinds of brownies. We sure didn't go hungry!  The lesson for me here is that my cheeseball hit 3 parties, got eaten by people other than me, and I still felt like I contributed to each of the places where treats were required without me going bankrupt in time or money this week. Sometimes it's nice to just keep it simple!

Two Dergs and a Baby

First, to explain, dergs is the plural form of "derg" which is the species name my sister and I use to refer to our canines. It's like "dog" but when they are being bad, it switches to the negative "derg". As in, "Quit being such a naugherty derg." If you don't get the logic in that, you may as well quit reading this blog because there is much more where that came from.

So my sister's derg came over to visit my derg on Saturday afternoon/evening so they (my sister and her husband, not the dergs) could watch Ryan while I made my first shopping trip to Sioux Falls since before Ryan was born.  Adam and I had a successful trip, picking up a few items, had fun spending time together, and capped the night using the rest of our gift card to Carnaval. Carnaval is a Brazilian grill where the guachos come around to your table and serve you all the meat you can eat. It's like the poor man's Fogo de Chao, although you'd have to be a pretty well-off poor man (or have a gift card). Adam enjoyed the meat and roasted pineapple, especially the pork loin and bacon wrapped beef.  I decided to forgoe the unending carnivorous offerings and went with the salad bar. I highly recommend romaine/spinach greens with a variety of chicken salad toppings with the pineapple mango dressing. There was also an excellent crab potato salad (and I don't even like potato salad). The salad bar has a few hot offerings as well, like soup, garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veges, which is why you can easily make a meal out of it.  We both left extremely full, but not too full that we didn't break out a bag of gummy worms about halfway home, because we're classy like that.

When we got home, my sister said Ryan had been pretty good...the dergs on the other hand...

These are the pictures I found on the camera when I got home, so let me use my inferencing skills to narrate what happened. (After all, I got 100% on the "Inferencing" Skills Book in Mrs. G's 7th grade class...that's right, the one with the gray cover...don't hate). 

They decided they wanted to get a picture of Ryan with the dergs, so first they got the two dergs together on the couch:

Then they told Milo to move out of the way:

Then they added the baby:

Then Milo decided she would do some rearranging:

For which she was scolded:

So they tried to put her back in place:

But she was pouting and wouldn't look at the camera:

Then she couldn't keep her eyes open (have you ever seen a dog blink when getting their picture taken?):

It looks like SOMEONE has to be the center of attention:

And it ain't this kid: