Quiz Time

1. How is Ryan feeling?
A. Not good--he still has matted eyes.
B. Great! His cough and everything is gone.
C. Sleepy--he likes to sleep during the day

Answer: C. he took 5 hours worth of naps today between Abbie's and Adam's mom's.


2. Which celebrity can I not stand more:
A. Spencer Pratt from The Hills
B. Robert Pattinson from Twilight
C. Kendra from The Apprentice and My House is Worth What?

Answer: Spencer Pratt, although I can't stand any of them. Unless it's Jimmy Fallon imitating Robert Pattinsons. Then it is golden.


3. What is the weirdest coupon I've seen this week?
A. A "Save $0.50" when you buy 1 box of Original Cheerios coupon that actually spells out in writing "(the one in the yellow box)"
B. A mail-in certificate from e.p.t. for a free keepsake gift with purchase (a pouch to hold your pee stick if you get a positive pregnancy test)
C. A 6" long baby doll dressed in Tweety Bird clothes called "Tweety Sweeties", payable in two installmens of just $19.99 each

Answer: B. Eww.

4. How happy am I that tomorrow is my last day of work this week and that I have Friday and Monday off to be at home with Ryan?
A. Really Really Happy
B. Really Happy
C. meh

Answer: A.

Double Whammies

Despite my attempts to chant "No whammies, no whammies, no whammies, STOP!" we've seemed to have landed on the little grim monsters that wear Zoro masks and push a lawn mower over the dollar signs. Actually, none of the following really cost us that much, but don't worry, the extra special chip in the windshield I managed to receive from oncoming traffic on a divided 4-lane highway will take care of the rest of that metaphor.


Double Whammie #1:
About 2 weeks ago I came down with a horrible illness that I'm pretty sure I got from my visiting sister (who I hadn't seen in 3 days but I'm convinced this thing had an incubation period of "wait until the work week so you have to use a vacation day"). After experiencing pseudo labor pain in my stomach and ribs for about 7 hours (longer than I was ever in actual labor) and puking every 20 minutes,  I finally crawled into my real bed, abandoning my imprompto bed o' towels on the bathroom floor and slept for 2 hours. I was awakened at 5:30am to Ryan's cries and Adam saying, "Honey, are you feeling any better because I am sick!" Ugh. Double Whammie.  Actually, if I care about any of the people related to me, it was actually an Octo-Whammie since not only did Adam and I get sick from my sister, but both my parents, my other sister, and my in-laws all got the same thing within the next week. We think Ryan was the flu mule but it's hard to be mad at our little germ carrier.

Double Whammie #2:
We seem to live in the tornado magnet of NW Iowa. Friday night, after a spectacular lightning show, we ended up hitting the basement with a sleepy baby in tow while we rode out the thunderstorm/ multiple tornadoes. I finally went to bed after midnight after my adrenaline had a chance to return to my semi-sedentary lifestyle. (Seriously, the most exciting thing that happens during my days to get my blood pumping is when someone stops by my office to announce there is fresh coffee cake in the break room instead of the normal huge tray of candy). Anyway, Saturday night we had some friends over for supper and being spectacular hosts, we kindly offered them a spot on the floor in our cement basement when the sirens went off again. Zoinks! Double whammie. This time, we could hear the wind blowing and we lost power for about 20 minutes. We started thinking about all the things that could go wrong without power like (gasp!) no air conditioning and (oh no!) what about everything in our fridge and freezer! Adam thought it was time to take control of the situation, so he and Scott ventured upstairs in the dark to serve up the strawberry pie and whipped cream.  It's good to know dessert ranks slightly higher than safety.  There were several homes, cars and a farm that were destroyed nearby, so we feel very fortunate to have no damage.

Double Whammie #3:
Ryan's had a cold for several days and started getting gunk in his eyes on Saturday night and one was matted shut on Sunday. I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry when I saw his smiling face in the morning with one eye completely stuck closed and the other with triangle lashes. He handled it all pretty well and was acting relatively normal but I took him in to the clinic this morning since he'd developed a cough and his eyes weren't cleared up. First of all, it's not a good idea to forget both your insurance card and your son's S.S. number when you are going to a clinic for the first time (in the town where I work) but thank goodness for small towns and people who know me and trust that I'll bring in the info tomorrow. Ryan got so worked up over getting his temperature that he ended up screaming through the whole appointment. One look in his ear told us why he was so upset and a look in the other ear confirmed it. Double ear infection. Double whammie.  After a nice rocking from grandma, he took a good nap and seemed to feel a little better in the afternoon and seemed back to his old self tonight, playing, laughing, and babbling through a stroller ride. I'm hopeful the medicine will work quickly and he'll be over his first "illness" in no time!

Just so we don't end this post on a totally negative note, I really do realize how fortunate we are.
1. We all got over our illnesses in a few days, never required medical attention (mostly because I forced myself to drink Powerade to avoid a $600 bag of IV fluids), and Ryan never really got what we all had.
2. We didn't have any damage from the tornadoes, there were no major injuries to people who lost buildings and homes, and the worst that happened in town were downed trees. It could have been a lot worse.
3. This is the first time Ryan has been to the doctor besides his scheduled checkups and he slept fine, ate fine, and was generally happy throughout this infection with the exception of this morning. He's a tough little guy and we think he'll be all better real soon!

Summer= No Socks

Ryan has never been a shoe person. His feet are shaped like blocks of wood with chubby little toes centered vertically along one edge, so virtually none of the second-hand shoes I have purchased have fit on his fat feet. Even his velcro sandals leave behind a puffy/dent pattern the likes of which I haven't seen since I wore sandals standing up in my BIL's wedding while 8 months pregnant.

Throughout the winter and spring, he's worn his socks that look like shoes every day. He has one set of 6 colors of Trumpette brand he received as a gift from my aunt and one set of 4 colors of Baberoo brand I bought at a consignment shop (unworn). Both are simply fabulous. It's virtually impossible to find baby socks that stay on, but these have worked well for him so far from 2 months-8 months old. He's gotten lots of compliments on them, even from strangers in the grocery store.

But as much as I love these socks, it's time for Ryan to go barefoot for the following reasons:

1. It is too hot for socks.
2. There's nothing like the feel of cool grass (or soft carpet) on your feet.
3. It toughens up your soles. We don't tolerate wussy feet in our house.
4. Easy access for sucking on your toes.
5. Ryan pulls his socks off while sitting in the car seat.
6. He eats them.

Happy Father's Day

Adam's parents came up on Father's Day and the guys enjoyed playing golf and then we grilled and had supper together. It is fun to watch Adam's dad with Ryan--a lot of laughing goes on between Grandpa and his "goofy guy".

Ryan is blessed to have a wonderful daddy who loves him very much!

Happy Father's Day!

Omaha-Andy & Kim

We had fun visiting Adam's brother and his wife this weekend in Omaha. Ryan traveled well, except for throwing up his entire lunch of carrots about 3 miles after we left town, but a pull-over in a hog yard and quick change of clothes later, we were on our way again. It was fun to see their new apartment and surroundings and were glad to see them again!

Friday night we all went to our friend Jeff and his wife Cara's house and it was awesome to see them again. Jeff was a dear friend of both mine and Adam's in college and stood up in our wedding and we sure don't get to see him and his wife often enough!  They all went to the opening ceremonies of the College World Series on Friday while I put Ryan to bed.

On Friday, Adam and Andy spent the day at the stadium while Kim helped me do a little shopping at Kohl's and Babies R Us. We enjoyed some Famous Dave's at night--love the fries, but definitely don't recommend the Nachos. I couldn't even find the soggy chips under the brisket and chili, let alone pick up the chips with my fingers! Nacho best dish, Dave. Stick to corn muffins. (which Adam got 3 of with his meal...future note, don't order corn muffins as one of your sides when it already comes with a corn muffin).

Adam did a stellar job packing all of our gear (those of you with small kids know how much stuff you start needing for a quick weekend getaway...travel high chair, pack & play, food, toys, diapers, full size stroller, etc.) I complicated things a bit by buying a new convertible car seat on Saturday that Kim and I could barely get in the back seat, but Adam showed the Malibu who was boss and we all fit in it on Sunday for the ride home.

Ryan loves his Uncle and Aunt and can't wait to see them again! Even if Aunt Kim likes to tickle him!

College World Series

Friday night, Adam, Andy, Kim, Jeff, and Cara went to the College World Series Opening Ceremonies where the teams were introduced, paratroopers landed, famous baseball players like Barry Bonds appeared, and fireworks went off.

Saturday morning Adam and Andy went down to the stadium at 9:30 to look for tickets and finally ended up scoring some General Admission tickets for only $10. Then, they waited in line for about 1.5 hours just to get into the stadium. They had a long wait for the game to start but got to watch the teams practice.

The game Adam and Andy watched was between TCU and Florida State. TCU was the underdogs (or underfrogs, as I like to call them) since this is the first time they've ever been to the College World Series. I've always been a little fan of TCU since I drove down there for a college visit my Junior year of high school. I had big dreams of going to school in Ft. Worth and loved the campus and the programs, but somehow my used mini-van didn't fit in so well with the Lexuses (Lexi?) in the parking lot and I didn't know how Texas people who think there is a big distinction between "old money" and "new money" would feel about those of us with "no money'.

TCU won with the help of their ace picher, Matt Purke. Adam and Andy both got hats and now have dreams of having a "baseball room" with memorabilia from all their future trips to the CWS. Kim and I are taking a "wait and see" approach which is a little patronizing but a little less dream-squashing at this point.  But Ryan liked the hat.

It was a big deal being the last year in Rosenblatt Stadium and Adam got down with his sensitive self and took some artsy-fartsy pics of the stadium which have now replaced the action shots of the Iowa-Iowa State game on our laptop desktop. Good thing we have these sporting events, otherwise I have no idea what picture we'd use for a desktop background. It's not like we have a kid or anything.

I think it's hard to be sentimental when this is the first time you've been to the stadium, but it's easy to get swept up in the hype. I guess in this case, it's "when hello means good-bye." *sniff* *sniff*

Sayonara, Rosenblatt.

Watch it, Buster

Something tells me this kid should not be trusted with a live animal in his hands.

Y'all know what comes next:

"Hello there pretty little pet, I love you. 

And then I stoke it, and I pet it, and I massage it. 

Hehe I love it, I love my little naughty pet. 

You're naughty! And then I take my naughty pet and I go...

"SHAKE...SHAKE...SHAKE"

I think we managed to break Buster in pretty good to what his life is going to be like in a 1st grade class room. Although those kids might not try to eat him as much as Ryan did. The look on the hamster's face pretty much says it all.

Cousins

My sister and her kids were visiting this week and Ryan had a lot of fun with his cousins! It was nearly impossible to get a good picture of the three of them, but this was our best shot!

If you cut Ryan out of the picture, I thought this was a great picture capturing Emily & Lincoln!

The Fisher Price Incrediblock was one of the kids' favorite toys since they can all play on it at once.

This was the "cousins" picture from last November.

What a difference 7 months makes!

Three Great-Grandsons

My Grandma has three Great-Grandsons all born within 6 months. Here is Ryan (8 months), Lincoln (13 months), and Hudson (11 months). Hudson lives in Michigan and when his family was here this week, we all got together at my parent's house.

The kids had fun playing outside with bubbles, balls, and lasso golf.

Grandma holding Hudson.

Lincoln and Hudson playing together.

Girls and Boys on Playground Toys

Emily as Dora the Prehistoric-Explorer, Emily barrel-racing Barney, and Aunt Abbie roping a T-Rex.

Ryan's disappearing legs trick, Lincoln's "meh" attitude toward the swings, and Ryan stubbornly refusing to wear his hat because "It ain't that bright out, ma, I promise!" *squint* *squint*

Emily playing "Mis-sis-sip-pi hot-dog" on the playground piano. (Sorry, lame Suzuki piano joke.)

Emily and Ryan

Emily and Ryan

Partners in Crime against Curls

"You sure talk a lot"

 "Who me?"

Walk to Vote

On Tuesday, Emily had gone to the polls with my mom and decided she wanted to help Aunt Abbie vote too, so Abbie volunteered to take her along to the library. Megan volunteered to mow Abbie's lawn if she took both kids with her and Abbie was all over that deal like Republican telemarketers on a list of used pickup owners. So, Abbie took Megan's 2 kids and I took my 1 on a trip to the library to vote! While Emily went inside and instructed Abbie on what she needed to do with her ballot, I stayed outside with the 2 boys since I'm registered to vote in the county where I sleep, not the county where I spend the full span of open poll hours on almost every election day.

Ryan and Lincoln were trying to sway Aunt Abbie's vote the whole way to the voting booth and even though I reminded them no electioneering is allowed within 100 feet of the polling place, they wouldn't let up on their primary trash talking.

"Chuck Norris is going to round-house-kick 

Terry Branstad back to the 80's so he can give

John Oates his moustache back."

"Oh yeah? Well the only guy who's run for 

governor of Iowa more times than Vander Plaats

is...oh yeah, Terry Branstad. Who won. Four times."

The boys were momentarily interrupted with the town's 6:00 whistle and just then Abbie returned. I guess we'll never know which boy was more convincing as Abbie said it was a "game-time decision" and it's possible a game of eenie-meenie or "quick pick one because Emily's getting antsy" may have influenced her more than the trash-talkers.

Just don't get them started on estate taxes or farm subsidies.

I'd like that Extra Rare, Please

Maybe Jim V. will hire Ryan at "Simple Dreams Genetics" when he's old enough to put on the shoulder-length gloves. Atta farm boy!

And Then There Were 6!

Four on the top, two on the bottom. You know how hard it is to get a picture of this? Click the pic to enlarge, if you want an up close and personal view of Buddy's nostrils.

Snoozin' Outside

Ryan fell asleep at the very end of our Sunday afternoon walk and I didn't want to disturb him to transfer him to the crib, so I just reclined the seat and he slept for an hour in his stroller on the deck while I read and worked on the laptop.  I love nice weather!

I Can Clap!

And yes, the video is sideways and I can't change it. I need to remember to only videotape horizontally on my camera!

Toys for Boys

Ryan was a lucky boy last Friday, spending the morning with Aunt Abbie and the afternoon at Grandma Sue's. He slept almost the whole afternoon, but we stayed for supper and more play time. Grandma had some fun new toys to try out!

Ryan knew just what to do when we put him on the horsie! (Sorry it's sideways)