Everyday In Oz

8.18.10

2010-08-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

I thank my lucky stars for coworkers who know a sense of humor can lighten the emotional load of our job sometimes (& thanks for the bracelet. Laurisa, it's like a secret on my arm!)

8.17.10

2010-08-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

A great quote to live by :)

8.16.10

2010-08-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is Monkey's favorite thing in the world right now, thank goodness we live in G-town where we can see them all the time!

8.15.10

2010-08-31T12:06:00.001-07:00

Our first glimpse of fall, the high was only 87! We hit the park and I loved watching my two favorite guys swing :)

8.14.10

2010-08-31T12:05:00.001-07:00

We weren't able to go to a very special wedding in Indiana today, but I hope it was a beautiful start to a long & happy future. Congratulations Mr & Mrs Walker!

8.13.10

2010-08-31T12:04:00.001-07:00

Each time I hold a newborn, I am still awed by the miracle that a baby truly is...welcome to the world, Jacob :)!

8.12.10

2010-08-31T12:03:00.001-07:00

Nothing like a train ride, a high speed chase, and flying a banana with a good buddy :)

8.11.10

2010-08-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

Perk of being a kid: Rain Boots look good with everything :)

07.22.10

2010-07-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

I can't believe July is almost over! Today was a perfect summer day for us: long afternoon at the pool with some friends of mine from work, then home for dinner and some ice cream, and finished up by working outside and enjoying the summer evening. Monkey was waving frantically to The Hubs as he mowed but the two just couldn't seem to coordinate their timing so Monkey and I went out and sat on the front steps and watched The Hubs finish up. Then Monkey wanted to help water the flowers... and the house... and himself
For a good 20 minutes he entertained himself by making a line with sidewalk chalk with one hand then watering it down with the hose in the other. After pushing his dump truck across the lawn a few times and making multiple trips down the slide, it was time to get this muddy, grassy mess inside. Needless to say that between pool time, no nap, and lots of yardwork, he was asleep in no time:"You belong among the wildflowers,
You belong somewhere close to me.
Far away from your troubles and worry,
You belong somewhere you feel free."

--"Wildflowers" Tom Petty

07.21.10

2010-07-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Love (& hormones) must be in the air because it seems that a LOT of my friends are preggo right now! Mean old Joann Fabrics keeps making cuter and cuter fleece that I can not resist and so my closet has morphed into a bit of a fleece tie blanket making sweatshop. Yesterday was prep day and I have scissor handle bruises on my right hand I think:

This is my supervisor:

"Tie 'em up" day is much more fun and requires me to sit and tie each one, usually in front of the TV and with a cold beverage :)
Can't wait to meet all the sweet little ones that these are going to!

07.20.10

2010-07-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have a folder entitled "Chuckles" with links to some of my favorite sights that can cheer me up (or in the case of People of Walmart, feel much better about myself) in mere seconds. The above pic is from Faces in Places (<--click to see). Some other awesome recommendations are:
People of WalMart
Awkward Family Photos
Lovely Listing
Oddly Specific
Passive Aggressive Notes
FailBlog
Cake Wrecks
and a newly discovered one from my friend Jenny:
Catalog Living

Enjoy these new and amusing sites that will help you be more distracted and less productive at work & home :)!

07.19.10

2010-07-20T08:04:00.001-07:00

Ahhh, thank goodness for technology :)! Last night after Monkey's bath (and after he wanted to "air out" by running around naked wearing his Robot box), we Skype'd (I think it is a new verb) with our Indy Hupps. We got to watch Papa open his birthday present, see Auntie Jess & Derby dog, and finished up by making Mimi some coffee:

and feeding her a cupcake:

I'm so glad that even if we can't see them every day, at least we can talk to our Indy Hupps "face to face" and share an imaginary cupcake :)

02.11.10

2010-02-11T22:15:00.001-08:00

With Monkey having less than stellar behavior at his first trip to Toddler Story Time (I am his mother and I adore him and even I was appalled!) and no nap, I was more than a little nervous taking him to meet up with some of my coworkers and their kiddos tonight. I am so glad we did, Monkey was a gentleman and I had a great time!

Part of the reason I love my job is getting to help people, learning new things, and all that it entails...but part of why I love my job so much is because I get to work with amazing people like these lovely ladies. You couldn't ask for more supportive, inspiring, and hilarious people than the ones I get to work with every day.

On the way home, we stopped at a Quik Trip to pick up some Gatorade and Ice cream for the ailing Hubs. When Monkey saw where we were he immediately said "Chocolate Milk and Nonut!! Pleeeeeeese??" I have bought him chocolate milk and a donut at a gas station ONCE in his life, it must have made an impression. He was out so cold when we got home that I took his coat off, carried him upstairs, changed his diaper and put PJ's on him and he didn't stir!

02.10.10

2010-02-11T22:04:00.001-08:00

Today was a rare day when I was home and awake during the day and Monkey had daycare so I got to get a bunch of stuff done. One of my fun tasks was making his Valentines for his class... not such a big undertaking since there are 9 kids and 3 teachers :). I had him fingerpaint with Crayola ColorWonder paint and then cut hearts out of it. Since we had all the supplies at home, we only paid for the suckers:

The Hubs came home with a present and decided he wanted to give me my Valentines gift early:

(Angels singing)
We have one of these bad boys in our breakroom at work and ever since we got it, I have been making my own ice tea and drinking that instead of soda. We enjoyed a few cups of coffee and then I got online and ordered my new favorite ice tea flavor:

Yes I got a coffee maker for Valentines Day and I love it :)!

02.05.10

2010-02-11T21:41:00.001-08:00

I am not saying that The Hubs is perfect, but he is the perfect man for me. After all, how many guys do you know will shovel the driveway, fix anything in the house, carry all the heavy stuff...
and then turn around and make you some banana bread?

I am the luckiest :)

02.04.10

2010-02-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I love living in the Midwest and experiencing each of the four seasons. I love the snow, I happily chuck sandbags in my trunk and use my 4 Wheel Drive so that I get about 2 miles per gallon. It is worth it to see the snow falling gracefully and the way it illuminates everything at night. However, this year is getting a little out of hand. I mean I drove to work in Blizzard Warning for crying out loud. And now I am afraid PETA might show up at my door for the horrible plan of action I had against the groundhog if he saw his shadow.

Cabin fever has got me coming up with all kinds of fun things to keep Monkey entertained and not feel like I could give a synopsis of each show on Nick Jr that day :). So today we put up a tent in the living room. And filled it with balls. Then added books, a blanket, a pillow, and Monkey's BFF Syrup the pig. Then we added construction equipment to move the balls. I finally had to say no when Monkey asked for water to start a construction equipment car wash.

I think the cabin fever is making us a little crazy...

02.01.10

2010-02-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

Houston, we have a problem....again.

For the second time in the 6 years I have worn my engagement ring, my main diamond fell out. 3 years ago, we were helping my brother in law and sister in law move and I hit it on a doorway as I was carrying a box. I immediately looked at my hand, saw it was gone and found it. This time wasn't so easy. Flashback to Saturday night, The Hubs and I are watching the KU vs K-State game and I trying to rally my team to victory by drinking some wine out of my awesome K-State wine glass my friend Tennille gave me. As I put some ice cubes in it (because I am classy like that!), I heard a faint sound like something had fallen on the floor. I looked all over, but didn't see anything. The next morning I got up early with Monkey, cleaned the house, swept the kitchen, and took out the trash. I was blow drying my hair when I saw the big gaping hole in my ring where the stone should be. I didn't say anything until my in-laws had left because I was sure it was in the bag of trash I had taken out after I'd swept the kitchen. The Hubs told me to go tuck Monkey in for his nap and we'd look when he was sleeping. Monkey and I dozed off after reading and singing and I woke up to The Hubs nudging me and showing a ziploc baggy with my diamond in it. I gently threw Monkey in bed and threw my arms around The Hubs, my hero :).It was the ring he chose, the one he put on my finger when he asked me to marry him, and the one I wore when we said I do... that little rock has a lot of sentimental value :)

01.31.10

2010-02-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

And now for

Cheap Ways to Entertain Your Toddler,
Part 2* Be warned that no matter what you pack in your bag to keep your toddler entertained when you go out to eat, remember that NOTHING will be as fascinating and sought after as the condiments on the table.
* Build Jelly container tower
*Knock down tower
*Repeat until the bill arrives or they kick you out at closing time.
Today was a great Sunday, the house was clean, we got a little visit from my in laws and had a great breakfast at one of our little hometown restaurants. Monkey took pictures of his Grandma and got lots of coffee from his Papa :).

01.30.10

2010-02-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

And now for

Cheap ways to Entertain Your Toddler!
ICE FISHING
* Fill sink with cold water
* Add ice cubes
*Give your toddler some tongs, mixing spoons, and bowls.
*Do not allow to your child to take a bath with the ice cubes,
even if he tells you they are lonely.
*Watch for signs of frost bite if utensils keep falling in and must be retrieved.
* Marvel at how this will entertain your child for an hour when none of his toys will :).
(I used the tongs to retrieve a spoon that had fallen in the ice...Monkey showed his appreciation by thanking me and then thanking the tongs.)

01.29.10

2010-02-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

So downtown KC is now home to the Sprint Center and I have been dying to go see a performance there. Today was the big day and I got to see a living legend AND Monkey got a pic with him!

Okay, so not my first choice but Monkey loved it and I had a great time with some friends of mine and their kiddos, L & J.

Sweet little L is such an affectionate little gal, once she gave J a hug, the "J & L Hug and Kiss Fest" began, it was adorable :)

Oh and I can't lie, the show was pretty good:
**Note the Security officer to the left of the stage... bet Taylor Swift wished she had that kind of security! Kanye's not crashing this performance!**

01.27.10

2010-01-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yikes, it really has been 3 months since I blogged and I am feeling like such a slacker! Here's hoping for some more consistency... and free time :).

I learned this weekend that although boys tend to prefer construction equipment to dolls, this does not mean that they don't play house. After finishing up the dishes, I walked over to see this little motorcade:

To you, it may look like a dump truck, a school bus, a bulldozer, a crane, and a mini concrete mixer, but according to Monkey, this was Mommy, Daddy, Baby, Papa, and Mimi. After the parade, the baby took some time to get hugs and kisses form his Mommy and Daddy :).
I got to be the dump truck, here I am in all my eye blinding yellow glory:As always, I am in awe every day of the little things Monkey is learning and seeing his creativity and imagination in action :)

10.28.09

2009-10-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ahh the blessings of having your parents embrace technology :). I love that my parents can text, know what e-mail is, and can use skype so we can "see" other once in while. And most of the time my mother is a completely hilarious, cool Facebook friend. There have only been a few instances when I have had to tell her a picture comment might not be appropriate or detag myself from a picture. However tonight my mom, aka Yo Mama, hit a Facebook home run :)! I posted this pic on FB of Monkey last month trying on his Halloween costume with the following caption:
"Halloween costumes have come a long way since I was Yoda, which consisted of a plastic body tarp and a drool collecting mask with eye slits in it :)."

So I log on to see that my mom has tagged me in a photo:

I would love to know how that conversation went:
"No Mommy, I don't want to be a princess, I want to be YODA!"

10.26.09

2009-10-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yet another example of why this is my favorite time of year :)!

10.25.09

2009-10-26T06:58:00.001-07:00

After a perfect Saturday of college football watching, being somewhat productive around the house, making banana bread, and having my favorite dinner of Chicken Spaghetti, Sunday was more of the wonderful, lazy same. Since the onset of the terrible twos, we decided it be best to not let Matthew carve his pumpkin this year, no one needs an emotional guy with a knife :). He had fun painting his "punkim" and even stuck his had in the squishy, juicey seed nastiness I was cleaning out of our pumkins.

Punkim Family picture :)

The Hubs' creation: Maybe 5 minutes
My creation: Quite a bit longer :)Have a great week!

10.24.09

2009-10-26T06:51:00.001-07:00

The terrible twos have officially arrived. Monkey has been on a mission to find more cake since a birthday party he went to a few weeks ago. Today's lunchtime conversation went pretty much like this:

"Cake Mommy? Please? Please cake?
"Oh Monkey, we don't have any cake..."
"NO CAKE???"
Ahh, but we still love Monkey and his very healthy lungs :).

10.16.09

2009-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentleman, I have to come clean.

I was not totally faithful....to my celebrity free card.

What is a celebrity free card? Well, for the Hubs and I, it is that one special celebrity who if they show up at your doorstep and profess their undying love for you, you have your spouse's full permission to run off with them. For several years, mine was Ryan Reynolds:

But then Ryan went and married Scarlett Johansson and I thought to me myself, "Do I really want a guy like him if he married a girl like her?" After watching "The Proposal" last night, my answer is, emphatically, YES :)! Not because he looks like this:

though that is no eye sore, let me tell ya...but I love when he looks like this:

and no one delivers a deadpan, one liner like that man :). Oh Ryan, I am so sorry!

10.15.09

2009-10-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I will admit, I have a problem with consistency but after reading the hilarious musings of my friend, coworker, and awesomely proud dog parent Becky, I have decided to get back on the bandwagon for the one or two of you reading this :).

Life has been pretty exciting around here, yesterday Monkey and I were quite the social butterflies :). We met our friends Nikki and Johnathon at Wonderscope, which is an old elementary school that they have renovated into a Children's Museum. Each classroom has different themes and in almost 3 hours we still didn't see all of it.

Afterwords Nikki and I watch with great amusement as our boys devoured corn on the cob with more than a little enthusiasm! We headed home for nap time where Monkey has decided he is done with diapers, but not so much ready for using the potty either. It leaves us in a precarious situation...and low on clean sheets for his bed. Then we were off to our good buddy Davis's 3rd birthday party:
Davis is such an amazing guy and this has been a busy year for him, but there is one thing I know, he has such a big heart. He shares everything with Monkey and lives to impress and amuse his sister. Oh, and while we sang him Happy Birthday, this showman blew one candle out at a time during the song to keep the suspense going!

Monkey was first in line for a hat...not because the boy loves hats but because he knew "wear hat = get cake" and that boy would give you the diaper off his butt for cake :)!

07.20.09

2009-08-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

So I notice that girls have way more clothing options than boys at Target and Walmart, not to mention all the cute accessories you can spoil a girl with. So when the few and far between chance for a fun accessory comes for a boy, you'd better take it while you have the chance! That being said:

Monkey LOVES his new cowboy boots :).

07.15.09

2009-07-16T20:14:00.002-07:00

The other night at work, one of the girls was talking about googling her name to see what other people with her name do. She was looking at some pretty amazing pictures by a photographer by the same name. So out of curiosity, I googled my name and sure enough, there is someone living my dream :) :

So if you are ever in Henager, AL, you should look up Stephanie Bryan :).

07.14.09

2009-07-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

My hospital has such amazing artwork all throughout, very kid friendly but something that adults can appreciate too. So after much Googling and Facebook creeping, I have finally found my man...I mean, my artist: Donald Ross aka Scribe. Ironically enough, he is also the artist that created one of my favorite piece of art on my way to work that I blogged about here. Here is his website and here is an awesome video of him creating live art while people watched. It's nice to know that he puts so much pride into it, I know from first hand experience how much enjoyment it brings those of us that work there everyday and the kiddos there too!

07.13.09

2009-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

As I was wondering aimlessly on the internet, I happened across this picture from Life magazine in March of 1954:
and it's of the hospital I currently work in! Thank goodness we now have scrubs but I am a little bummed we don't get to wear the fun hat. I am amazed at how much our industry has changed for the better, but I would love to be able to see a day in the life of a nurse then :).

07.12.09

2009-07-16T19:38:00.001-07:00

Call me a woman of high class, but my two favorite kinds of cake are Funfetti and Jello No-Bake Cheesecake :). So when Monkey decided to be up at 5:45 this morning, I thought our project should be a sugar buzz that would be needed later in the day.

Funfetti Cake before:

Funfetti Cake after:

07.11.09

2009-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

The Hubs surprised me with this awesome set up while Monkey and I were busy picking up the house...my very own poolside retreat on the porch, complete with chair and frosty drink (and as for the nose sucker thingie, no I wasn't congested, they make great water guns!). Monkey had a great time until The Hubs took the hose for the flowers and then he was ready to get out. I got this one picture of my sweet angelic boy:

before he got mad and BIT A HOLE IN HIS POOL! Two little vampire looking holes to be exact. He had a very soggy time out in his swim trunks while I patched it :).

07.10.09

2009-07-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

One of the first times I remember meeting my sister in law was at my brother's surprise 14th birthday, she helped plan it since she was his girlfriend at the time. She was nice to me and to this day does not make fun of the George Michael-esque hat I chose to wear. Amazingly enough, their relationship went off and on through the years and over the miles (she moved out of state before her junior year) and today they are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary! Making a marriage work is such hard work and they have been through some rough things together...I am so proud of them and so lucky to have them in my life!

Happy Anniversary Bub and Tara!

July 9th, 2009

2009-07-09T20:12:00.001-07:00

After working the weekend and my regular scheduled days, today was my much anticipated "Day Home With Monkey." I am so grateful for the schedule I have, I love that Monkey gets the social interaction of daycare a few days a week, a few days a week home with me, and weekends (most of the time) with both The Hubs and I. I love our Thursdays though. After much playing and errand running, nap time came and Monkey fought sleep hard. After he'd finally given in, I peeked in to check on his and saw this:
Mass evacuation of the crib!

I fell asleep after reading to Monkey with him nestled on my shoulder, a treat we don't get much anymore. The Hubs told me that he loved seeing it, it had been so long and that it reminded him of when he first came home. He was tipping the scales at a little less than 5 pounds then and was just a little warm lump on your chest when he'd fall asleep. Now he is this running, laughing, little bundle of boy, not even a baby anymore :).

July 8th, 2009

2009-07-09T20:11:00.004-07:00

I have a new all time favorite steak place....and lucky for me it's our very own house! I am not bragging on our exceptional cooking skills, a majority of the credit goes to Jack Stack Steak Rub (we get it at the grocery store). Plus I usually make grilled rosemary and garlic potatoes and sauteed mushrooms. Only thing we are missing are the wonderful yeast rolls from Texas Road House :).

July 7th, 2009

2009-07-09T20:11:00.003-07:00

Since I am on my "sleeping, spend an hour with my favorite boys, working" schedule, I had to go back to the archives...from last month :). Upon arriving to work on part of my floor that was under construction I saw this lovely piece of artwork painted on the giant plastic barrier sectioning off the under constructions rooms:

Originally this guy (we called him Mr. Pringles Man, given the striking resemblance) had no mustache and was frowning. We brought this to the attention of Awesome Night Shift Maintance Man Darrell who promptly made Mr Pringles Man look a little more kid friendly. After coming out of a patients room around 3 a.m. I saw that Awesome Darrell had made Pringles Man a girlfriend "so he wouldn't be lonely..."After coming home and hitting the sack, I got this lovely picture mail from the amazingly talented day shift nurses and CA's who were giving Mr. Pringles Man a little make over! What a stallion!
One of the millions of reason I love my job :)

July 6th, 2009

2009-07-09T20:11:00.001-07:00

My Martha Stewart-esque friend Sara sent me links to three blogs she gets recipes from and I just love The Pioneer Woman. She does it all: cooks, homeschools, does photography...and all with a pretty great sense of humor. Since she lives on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere, the ingredients for her recipes are pretty much things you can find at any grocery store. I gave up my pre-work nap to make Chicken Spaghetti since the only thing my husband might love more than me is a home cooked meal. It was yummy and even great reheated for my lunch at work (Night shift lunch time: 2 a.m.). Another great blog for recipes is Annie's Eats. Hope your dinner is yummy tonight :)!

July 5th, 2009

2009-07-05T22:26:00.001-07:00

The Hubs is quite the daddy, he can handle poopy diapers and other toddler unpleasantness in stride (he claims to be a sympathetic vomiter, but so far so good). Tonight however, The Hubs' iron constitution was challenged. For dinner The Hubs made a Bryan family favorite: Puke. FYI: Bryan family tradition states that a family favorite dish must be given an unsavory nickname. Puke is cut up pot roast in brown gravy over rice or potatoes. Monkey started off with his fruit, and decided to add freshly squeezed watermelon to his Puke. We both assumed that given the new ingredient, Monkey would have no interest in eating it. Oh contrare! He loved it even more, eating large spoonsfuls of it and saying "Yum!" The thought of Puke doused in watermelon juice was too much for the Hubs, he simply stated"I think I am going to be sick." How appropriate given our main course :)

July 4th, 2009

2009-07-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!The picture of the day responsibilities went to The Hubs since I was working today. Monkey had a great time with his cousins and was home in bed before fireworks this year.

I have such memorable and meaningful moments with my patients and their families when I have worked holidays and this 4th was no different. Another perk is that we have an amazing view from the floor of the hospital I work on and not only do we get to see one big display, we get to see a panorama of the KC skyline and all kinds of smaller displays going on. Happy 4th, may your food be great and your fireworks be sparkly!

July 3rd, 2009

2009-07-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

A Tale of Two Kitties

For our first anniversary The Hubs and I decided to adopt two very sweet little brothers, Jack and Cole. And like most brothers, their personalities are quite different. Cole has the patience of a saint and is a total lover. He lets Monkey wrestle him and appreciates any time you sit and pet him, be it 5 minutes or an hour. Jack is more....well, he quite the drama queen. He meows and scratches at the door at 5 a.m. to be fed (although there is some food left in his bow he needs fresh food...RIGHT NOW!) and avoids Monkey like the plague. The other day I was checking my e-mail and heard the hallway floor creak like someone was walking down the hall: it was Jack... I think I may need to invest in a kitty treadmill :). But occasionally Jack will reward your effort with a quick 5 minute snuggle and then he is off...and it makes me wonder if he helping me prepare for the those pesky teenage years with Monkey. But I do love my boys, all four of them :).

July 2nd, 2009

2009-07-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how much guilt neglecting a blog can give a person, right up there with finally making that phone call to a friend or relative you now you should have months before. I had gotten so far behind that I figured it best just to start with a clean slate today :).

This summer has been so hot (reaching 90 degrees or more by 10 a.m.) so today's overcast sky and temp of 72 degrees was a welcome change and called for a trip to the park. On our way we got a little taste of the warmer climates: We had a great time with a new friend we met and spent most of our park time with. I asked his dad if he made friends every where he went and his dad said "Yes, actually we are having to teach him about strangers because he thinks EVERYONE is a friend." Afterwords we came home and Monkey enjoyed a 3 1/1 hour nap. His favorite word right now is NO! (the NO count is off the charts today) and he enjoys wearing his safari hat and taking his pants off...what this means for his future I have no idea...

April 9th, 2009

2009-06-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

These are from last weekend when we went to get some landscaping ideas and then hit the park. It was a very windy, kind of chilly day and an independant little Monkey did not want to be hold, he wanted to walk with his daddy:

Thank goodness for phone cameras, I could snap pictures of flowers so I would remember them when I got home, these were some of my favorites:

Monkey had more of interest in walking then playing at the park, so he and the Hubs went and checked out the Veterans Memorial at the park:
The Hubs teases me all the time about the massive number of pictures I take, but each time I see one like the one at the top, it makes me happy that Monkey (& us!) will have that picture for years to come :).

April 8th, 2009

2009-05-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

30 years ago today, I arrived kicking and screaming into the world :)!

I tend to avoid the camera when possible but I wanted to make sure I got a picture of myself on my 30th birthday. Sure I am a little chubbier than I would like to be and in desperate need of a tan, but my life is exactly how I always hoped it would be. Since I had to work the night before my birthday, we celebrated at midnight with Sprite shots in med cups. My coworkers are saints for putting up with me :).I came home, slept, picked up Monkey and took him to the park since The Hubs had a install he had to run from home. It wasn't how we had planned it, but I got a cake, flowers, and the customary, practical plant from The Hubs.I've decided I'm not going to be one of those women who lie about my age. I have lost friends too young and stood witness to people fighting for their lives...I am thankful for every year I have and proud of each one :).

Okay, try again...

2009-05-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't realize I had been gone for almost a month! It has been crazy around here and although I have been taking pictures, I haven't had much time to post them. So here is my crazy new concept to make my life a little easier: Instead of "365: #" I am going to use the date as my posting. That may not make much of a difference to a reader but it is going to help me out a bit so I can keep track. That being said, I am going to post some back pics and then get going with some new ones! Ahhh, photoblog, I have missed you!

What day is it??

2009-04-04T21:57:00.001-07:00

The last three weeks have shot right past me and so I am playing catch up (or ketchup, or catsup, whichever you prefer), trying to post my daily pic and some of the older ones. I should be back on track here in a few days :)!

365: 326

2009-04-03T21:19:00.001-07:00

04/03/09

We were up bright and early this morning, mainly because Monkey was up at 5 a.m. and also because he was getting tubes in his ears today. Luckily we were able to keep him distracted with a morning bath (not in the usual routine) and some book reading and Sesame Street so he didn't notice that we hadn't (and couldn't) feed him breakfast. He was a trooper and gave us snuggles before the nurses did the "swap and go" with a warm blanket to carry him off to the OR, monkey in hand. Everyone was great, but the emotional part of my brain was winning out over the rational side and I got a little teary eyed.

But everything went quickly and well and pretty soon we were rounding a corner to hear our little guy screaming "Daddy! Mommy!" He was a little loopy from the anesthetic and I ended up wearing most of his apple juice :). After a long nap, he was up and back to his old, pre-ear issue self! He was feeling so good that he made a trip to the store, a consignment sale in town, and to get his hair cut:

We were so blessed and lucky to have such great care and so glad our little guy is back to feeling better!

365: 324

2009-04-03T20:10:00.001-07:00

04/01/09

After working all night, I had to go to a 2 hour diversity training seminar (which was pretty interesting...what amazed me is that I don't remember 2 hour college lectures going that fast!), had to run some errands on the way home, and literally collapsed into bed around 11:30. I was startled awake by my phone ringing and got that "oh no" feeling when I saw that it was Monkey's daycare. Sure enough, our little man found a way to hurt the one part of his body scheduled for surgery on Friday... he fell against a table and split his ear open!

It was deep enough and bleeding enough that we headed over to the urgent care, where they cleaned out and wrapped it up (which was a 3 person effort) but luckily they decided not to do stitches. The Hubs and I took bets on how long he'd keep his headband on... he slept through the night with it! He will probably always have a little divit in his ear lobe, my little April Fool :).

365: 322

2009-04-03T20:09:00.001-07:00

03/30/09

Mimi brought Monkey a book on her trip and as we read it tonight we noticed it had a sticker covering an error, so of course we had to see what the error was...

Can you find it :)?

Heck yeah this is going to www.failblog.org!

365: 321

2009-04-03T20:08:00.001-07:00

03/29/09

We had to take Mimi back to the airport today and although it is never easy watching your family leave, it makes it a little easier knowing when you are going to see them again...luckily it's only few weeks!

Love you, Yo Mama!

365: 320

2009-04-03T20:07:00.004-07:00

03/28/09

Ah yes, you have to love Spring in Kansas. Thursday was jacket weather and today? Blizzard! We didn't get hit as hard as other plces but we still got a lot of snow for March! We made the most of it by:

Daring to dream that I may once again have clean floors by making these giant floor placemats to catch the food Monkey loves to launch accidently on purpose :). Yo Mama aka Mimi sports the back up :).

Taking turns entertaining Monkey,

Enjoying a wonderful dinner of Chicken Cordon Bleu courtesy of Mimi,and finishing the mini-scrapbook we started for Monkey that we started when he came home from the hospital (a 4x6 picture for each month and holidays).

Hands down it was an awesome day!

365: 319

2009-04-03T20:07:00.003-07:00

03/27/09

The Hubs has been being very secretive. And the Hubs isn't the best liar. But for the life of me, I have no idea what he is up to! For the last week or so, he has been driving me nuts with something that is going on this weekend. I have done things below my standards to try and figure out what it is. Finally last night, the Hubs told me to pack a bag for Monkey and to grab my sleep mask. We loaded up in the car and on went the mast until we got to our location...the airport parking garage! I had no idea who was coming and didn't even see a flight from Indy (where my family is) on the arrival screen. Turns out whoever was coming had a flight delay so we entertained ourselves:

Finally a plane pulled up and one of the very last people off was...My mom! She flew in as a little surprise for my upcoming birthday and yes, I cried like a baby :).

365: 318

2009-04-03T20:07:00.001-07:00

03/26/09

Poor Monkey, after getting antibotic shots on Friday and Monday and seeing the ENT yesterday, his 18 month well child (with bum ears) appointment was also this week. He is now in the 90% for height and the 70% for weight, a pretty solid little guy! We had a good times playing with the tape measure and the coloring with the crayons I stashed in my bag on the table paper. But then he remember what seems to come at the end of all of our visits lately:

Darn shots. Darn them all!

365: 317

2009-04-03T20:06:00.004-07:00

03/25/09

So in our marathon of doctors appointments this week, Monkey had an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat doc to see what the deal is with his ears. I miss the first part of the appointment, which according to The Hubs was the funniest. With toddlers, they screen hearing using visual reinforcement audiometry. Basically there is a darkened box to the right and left of Monkey that lights up and a stuffed animal inside of it will dance if he looks the same direction that the sound is coming from. Directly in front of him is a clear box with an animal that dances that is used for the audiologist to get his attention. After seeing the dancing animal in front of him, Monkey was bound and determined to watch that box until the animal moved again, no matter what was going on around him :).

(Obviously this studly pair is not my studly pair, I had to google!)

The verdict: Monkey will have tubes put in his ears next week!

365: 315

2009-04-03T20:06:00.001-07:00

03/23/09

After working all night, I headed back to pick up Monkey and go back to the doctors office since he is again pulling on his ears. Again, he got the 2 shots of antibiotic and this time we got a referral for an Ear Nose and Throat doc since Monkey has been battling ear infections for almost two months now. I tried to sweet talk the nurse and see if we had to wait the 20 minutes after the shots to have her check for a reaction. I thought we were safe since he has had so many without a reaction. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, his legs got swollen and red. By this point he was exhausted and dozed off in my arms. Being the big, independent man that he is now, I don't get the chance to rock him as much as I used to, so I had no problem staying an extra 30 minutes until his rash cleared up and they let us go home :).

365: 313

2009-03-30T07:14:00.002-07:00

03/21/09

Today was my friend Rainy's non-traditional wedding shower and traditional bachlorette party. The party started the night before with a sleep over and I joined up the next day for an afternoon of shopping and lunch (we made her wear a tiara):

Then off to get ready (and open gifts) at a hotel in downtown KC, dinner at a great little Italian resturaunt, and lots of fun at The Power and Light District: And staying out very very late making sure the Bachlorette had a great time :)!I drove home after, about 4 a.m... luckily I know some people awake and working at that time :).

365: 306

2009-03-30T07:12:00.003-07:00

03/15/09

Today we were off to see the The Hub's family and have lunch. We had a great lunch conversation about what our perfect day would entail and what our earliest memory was. Since I work tonight, I took my nap after Monkey took his so that he could play in the "big outside" around Grandma and Grandpa's house. We got to see Blue Eyes and Goose before we left, I love seeing all of the kiddos together :). And the view on the way home was pretty great too:

365: 305

2009-03-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

03/14/09

Another day of beautiful weather to tease us that Spring might finally be here :)! The Hubs woke up with it in his mind to start on some landscaping projects, kicking off with a flower box around the posts of our deck. Monkey helped by taking a nice long nap so I could help out (yea for monitors!). It may not look like much, but I can't wait to plant some flowers and putting up some hanging plant brackets :)!

365: 304

2009-03-30T07:11:00.001-07:00

03/13/09

Okay, I am ready to admit it, I think I am in need of the show Intervention. I have a terrible addiction to....

Cheese quesadillas.

Not just any cheese quesadillas, they have to be made on a certain skillet, with Crystal Farms 3 Cheese Mexican, and a side of light sour cream. And yes, sometimes I will even have them for breakfast. Doesn't so bad does it? Well today I introduced them to Monkey for lunch...and he is addicted too. But if loving cheese quesadillas is wrong, I don't wanna be right :)!

365: 303

2009-03-11T20:14:00.004-07:00

03/12/09

I love my Thursdays, after working three 12 hour shifts in a row, it's my time to catch up with Monkey and The Hubs. Today's project was painting with colored pudding:

And although he looks happy here, Monkey was horrified that such yummy pudding was going to waste...

So what did he love the most? Clean up! He spent 45 minutes standing on a chair playing with soapy water in the sink with a wisk and a spoon. I will remind of this when he is 15 and does not want to load the dishwasher or take a shower :).

365: 302

2009-03-11T20:14:00.003-07:00

03/11/09

A little shout out for my Works For Me Wednesdays (since I am no good at keeping up with them anymore!). I found this card organizer at Target, which I think was supposed to be for business cards but it works great for gift cards too. We have several and never remember to take them when we are going out. This way I have them on me...and now I have to hope no one reads this and mugs me :)!

365: 300

2009-03-11T20:13:00.001-07:00

03/09/09

One of my new favorite Monkey books is a series by Leslie Patricelli that includes Quiet Loud, Big Small, and our favorite, Yummy Yucky (so elegantly displayed by Jack). I got a serious wake up call when I read this page to Monkey and when I said "Booger," he gave a little giggle snort...kind of like a middle schooler when someone says "boob."

365: 299

2009-03-08T12:05:00.003-07:00

03/08/09

Monkey likes to help with the chores, which is nice because every stuffed horse loves a bath in the dishwasher :).

365: 298

2009-03-08T12:05:00.001-07:00

03/07/09

I love how when you put up something new in your house, it makes you happy every time you see it. I got these words from my sister in law for Christmas a few years ago and finally found the perfect spot for them:

365: 297

2009-03-08T12:04:00.001-07:00

03/06/09

ook Monkey to the mall and grocery today where he literally was like a one man parade. He now loves to wave and yell "Hi!" at everyone :)

My good friend Rainy is getting hitched and since she has a lot going on right now, I offered to address her invites for her. I jokingly told her that if we were having a beauty contest or running a marathon, she would totally win. However, if there is a handwriting competition, I would kick her butt :). Tonight I got started on "Operation Carpal Tunnel" and finished half of them :)! I told her I am going to keep the address list to work the reception:
"Hey Jim and Joan, how are the kids? How the new place over on Euclid?"

365: 296

2009-03-05T19:28:00.002-08:00

03/05/09

I am about a week behind, but I wanted to get today's pics in and will hopefully get caught up tomorrow :).

After several days of working, I was really looking forward to some time with Monkey today. I decided to get out the ball pit that he got for Christmas and set it up for a few days. Several minutes of inflating it (thank to hand pump) and it was good to go. Monkey liked it....but was much more interested in the hand pump:

Our friends Jenny and baby Josie stopped by and we had a great visit while Monkey took a great nap:

The highlight of my day? I was on the phone with the Hubs who was on his was home from work, laying on my side on the floor with Monkey sitting on my knee. Monkey stands up, walks over to my face, and gives me a smooch! No more open mouth baby kisses, he puckered up and gave me a real kiss...twice :). I cried, it totally caught me off guard and was one of those "Oh, you really like me! And not just because I change and feed you!" moments :).

365: 295

2009-03-05T19:28:00.001-08:00

03/04/09

Every year, the morning radio show that I listen to does a three day fund raiser for the hospital I work for as well as another local hospital with a pediatric unit. Every year I seem to be driving home after working all night and listening to it on my way home. They played a montage of patients saying what they wanted to be when they grew up and one of them was one of "my kids." I loved that of all those voices, I knew hers. I feel so blessed and lucky to have a job that I love and that fulfills me. I can usually only listen to it for a little while since it's at the end of my day, I am tired, and more emotional than usual...crying hysterical driver does not = safety :)! But I heard this little guy and his story and it was great. The little boy had an infectious laugh and was giggling as his mother recounted his story. The DJ asked the little boy's mother if he is in any pain and in his tiny little 4 year old voice he said "No, that's crazy!" and started laughing. Everyone in the studio and I were laughing and I still do whenever they replay it :).

365: 294

2009-03-05T19:27:00.003-08:00

03/03/09

One of the hard parts of my job is not being able to speak the same language as some of the patients and families I care for. I can't imagine how scary it would be to have a child in the hospital and not be able to communicate whenever you need to. Luckily we have translators available 24-7, but sometimes if it's something small I use Babel Fish on www.altavista.com.

However, now I am a little concerned about the accuracy of Babel Fish!

My coworkers Julie, Alesia, and I were joking around about our Medical Rock Band Names and decided that we would be Aliquot (Julie), Hynotic Misc. (Me), and G-Tube (Alesia). We also used Babel fish to leave messages to each other in Spanish on Facebook. However when I entered my spanish message into Babel fish, the translation was hilarious. Julie told us "you guys suck" which was translated to "Individual inhale you them!"

365: 293

2009-03-05T19:27:00.001-08:00

03/02/09

Monkey loves talking on the phone (he says quite a bit now) and now only refers to the cats as the "Meows." The hardest part of the days I work is when I leave and know that I only got to see him and the Hubs for a few hours. I try to make sure at least part of that time is spent truly listening to and interacting with him...and catching the little moments like this.

365: 292

2009-03-05T19:26:00.003-08:00

03/01/09

Trying to capture the beautiful sunset tonight, this picture didn't do it justice:

Had a very relaxing. fun weekend with my favorite boys, now it's back to work...

365: 291

2009-03-05T19:26:00.001-08:00

02/28/09

As I walked bleary eyed down the hallway with an early bird Monkey on my hip, I walked by our window and did a double take. Yesterday was rainy, the day before that was 70 degrees and gorgeous, and today:

3 inches of snow!

Hopefully this is our last dusting of snow for the year, I am ready for Spring!

365: 290

2009-03-05T19:25:00.001-08:00

02/27/09

The Hubs and Monkey both had doctors appointments today, same building, different times. After battling ear infections for a month, Monkey escaped without getting antibiotic shots in his legs this time! Afterwards we went to one of my favorite places and Monkey got one of his favorite things:

Overall, it was a wonderful day of getting some stuff done but enjoying some family time too :).

365: 289

2009-03-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

02/26/09

My sister posted this on her Facebook and tagged her friends with different titles...it cracks me up! I am tempted to print it out, laminate it, put it on the fridge and that was I can decide what person me, The Hubs, and Monkey are each day :).

FYI: Today I seem to be "The one that always swears" and am pretty sure I will never be "the tiny dangerous one" :)

365: 288

2009-02-25T20:45:00.001-08:00

02/25/09

Another beautiful spring day, so we headed outside to blow bubbles and draw with/eat some sidewalk chalk and leave a message for The Hubs who had to work late:

The fun was over when I wouldn't let Monkey play in the street... I feel bad for the neighbors who had thier windows open, it wasn't pretty :).

365: 287

2009-02-24T20:25:00.001-08:00

02/24/09

What a beautiful, sunny, 60 degree day! I wasn't try to rush in to spring until now :). Monkey and I stopped by a new playground after I picked him up and he is officially fearless when it comes to slides. Plus he found a nice walking/drumming stick :)

365: 286

2009-02-24T20:24:00.002-08:00

02/23/09

So, how you doin'???

365: 285

2009-02-24T20:24:00.001-08:00

02/22/09

I have been called many things, but a "girly girl" and "fashion forward" are not usually among them :). I think is why I love my most recent purse purchase so much, it's so not me:

It's more the slightly metallic, butter soft pink purse that my fashion forward rock star alter ego would buy :).

365: 284

2009-02-21T21:31:00.000-08:00

02/21/09

Snaps: Monkey is finally feeling better and is back to his usual chipper self.
Slaps: The Hubs and I are battling fevers and other such yuckiness.

Since I wasn't up for taking pics today, I borrowed these breathtaking pics from my friend Peter who is currently teaching in Alaska:

365: 283

2009-02-21T19:25:00.001-08:00

02/20/09

Finally got to venture out of the house for the first time in days, which was great even if it was just for a doctors appointment. We've been at the doc's office 3 of the last 4 Fridays for ear infections. Despite 2 rounds of antibiotics and a shot of antibiotic, Monkey's ear infection will not go away. Poor guy got another shot of antibiotic and this time I about cried (it's been a long week!). Since Monkey was in a good mood, we stopped by Wal-Mart and also stopped to get his hair cut...which did not go nearly as well as last time. The poor hairdresser did her best for a moving target, but he has some short spots and some long spots...but still enough hair for this:

365: 282

2009-02-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

02/19/09

Nothing exciting going on, Monkey is still under the weather and we are camping out inside since Monkey requires diaper changes about every hour or so. Bless his little heart, even when he is sick he is about 10% less happy than normal. Working as a pediatric nurse, I am no stranger to Rota Virus (the mean little GI bug he's battling), but it is so much easier when you have an endless supply of clean linens, gowns, diapers, wipes, and gloves at your disposal (and masks for when it gets super stinky!). Since I am sure no one wants to see pictures of anything realted to Rota Virus, I will share this one instead:

This type of cup (little fat cups, I think they are called tumblers) are my very favorite. They hold just the right amount of ice and can of Diet Pepsi and as weird as it is, they are one of my main motivation for doing the dishes (hey, I only have 4!). For part of my Christmas present, my friend Erin brought me 12 cups from 4 different restaurants in her current home of Stillwater, OK. I am so excited, not only do I have more, but now in snappy colors like hot pink, orange, silver, and navy!

365: 281

2009-02-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

02/18/09

A few entries ago I mentioned a blog I'm reading by Matt Logelin, a pretty amazing guy who lost his wife Liz the day after his daughter Madeline was born. He helped start the Liz Logelin Foundation, which helps raise money for families who have lost a parent. We are participating in "$7 on the 7th," a small way to contribute money to a really great cause. I don't know how I would cope with the loss of a spouse as I try to raise a child, I am so glad that out of the sadness of Matt and Liz's story comes something amazing.

Here is a little example of why I like this blog so much (click here)

365: 280

2009-02-17T19:08:00.002-08:00

02/17/09

Poor Monkey has been under the weather since Sunday and although the Hubs isn't feeling his best either, he has done a great job of taking care of him no matter how many times Monkey "honks" on him (the Hubs' word). When I got home this morning Monkey was exhausted, asleep on Hubs and not keeping anything down. So we headed the urgent care for a diagnosis of GI virus and a mild case of croup. So Monkey got some pedialyte/orange slushie rehydration 5 ml at a time:

He also got some medicine for the croup and lots of snuggle time:

365: 279

2009-02-17T19:08:00.001-08:00

02/16/09

The Red Box Machine:

Snaps: Very convenient, only $1 a night!Slaps: Forgetting you rented them and paying over $30 for two movies you never got to see!

365: 278

2009-02-17T19:07:00.003-08:00

02/15/09

My work/fellow music fanatic friend Holly was telling me about this website called www.tastekid.com where you can go and enter the name of an artist you like and it will suggest new artists with a similar sound. So I head on over and type in my new favorite artist Ron Pope (think acoustic guitar, more alternative than pop). Poor Ron is fairly new on the circuit so it only offered me one suggestion:Kanye West?? Hrmmm, notsomuch...

365: 277

2009-02-17T19:07:00.001-08:00

02/14/09

Compared to last year, we had a very fun and exciting Valentines Day this year. We had cinnnamon rolls and did gifts in the morning and the Hubs got a new pair of LL Bean slippers:

I got a handmade coupon for a free plane ticket to see my family (the Hubs said this masterpiece took him three hours...)

And Monkey was pretty happy wth his new bubbles, tub toys, and book :).
Later on we met up with our friends Erin and Ben, who had driven in from Wichita. They love to go to Tanners Bar and Grill almost as much as they like to see us when they are here and I can't blame them, good food and it's smoke free. To quote the movie Sweet Home Alabama "You have a baby? In a bar?" But Monkey was bot the only kiddo there, nor was he the youngest! We watched the KU vs K-State game and Quasi-Aunt Erin taught Monkey to pinch his nose and say "Peeyoo KU!"

365: 276

2009-02-17T19:06:00.001-08:00

02/13/09

My friend Angie came into town today to pick up the newest member of her family and we got to meet up for lunch. Angie and I got engaged about a month apart and since we were getting married in the same town, we ended up doing a lot of our wedding planning together. She is the one that called me when I was home for Christmas break to tell me that the church we'd both planned to get married in was on fire! Monkey was a great date and walked our friend to the door:

We didn't get to meet Buddy the puggle, but we've seen pictures and he is cute!

365: 275

2009-02-17T19:05:00.002-08:00

02/12/09

Up late battling insomnia (a side effect of us night shift workers) and came across the blog of a friend of a friend of a friend and this sweet little face:
Needless to say by the time I had read the entry, my desk was soaked. Cora Paige was a little 10 month old who recently passed away of cancer. In an effort to celebrate her life, her family is raising money to build a playground in her memory. One of their friends is selling these on etsy to raise money:
So of course I bought one. I just wanted to pass this along in case anyone else would like to contribute! What an inspiring little angel and an amazing family.

To buy a flower, click here.
To read about Cora Paige, click here.

365: 274

2009-02-17T19:05:00.001-08:00

02/11/09

I saw this on a package of Monkey's food today and it made me giggle...

365: 273

2009-02-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

02/10/09

When people find out you are a pediatric nurse, they usually say "Oh, I don't know how you do it." I usually say two things: 1-I have an easy job compared to the social workers, they are saints! 2-After working with kids, I don't think I could ever work with adults. What gets you through the hard parts of the job are the inspiring stories you see, the amazing kids (and families) you work with, and of course, coworkers who share your same sense of humor.

Poor Laurissa made the mistake of telling us that she hates touching cotton balls...more specifically, the squeak that dry cotton balls make when you push them between your fingers. So of course when she was off in a room, we put cotton balls in her pockets, work bag, and all over her work station. To her credit, she did a good job of removing them without actually touching them. However she did tell us that wet cotton balls are okay, so we filled her cup with "SAFE" wet cotton balls:
We also found this in our bag of Swedish Fish:
BAT FISH!

365: 272

2009-02-10T08:14:00.001-08:00

02/09/08

This morning on my drive home I saw a rainbow (It's right above the exit sign)! I honestly can't remember the last time I saw one, plus it made stop and go traffic on the highway a little more bearable. Got some great sleep (tired night shift nurse + rainy weather = DARN good sleep!), then off to pick up Monkey. His teacher informed me that he only arrived wearing one shoe, poor Hubs :). Got home, had some quality book reading with Monkey, dancing to oldies music time with both Monkey and the Hubs, and threw together a great dinner before heading off to work. If I only get two hours with my boys today, I am glad they were a productive and fun two hours :).

365: 271

2009-02-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

02/08/09

Lazy day, just a quick trip to the mall and indoor playground, cleaning and catching a nap before heading off to work. Pulled over and caught some good pics of the sun setting on my drive to work:

365: 270

2009-02-10T07:55:00.001-08:00

02/07/09

Feeling much better today and the Hub's family came to visit. Grandma & Grandpa Bryan watched the kiddos while we went out and had some lunch (Cheesecake Factory, yum!). Monkey had a great time with Goose and Blue Eyes, gladly gave Goose a snuggly (put his head on her shoulder and gave her a hug) and cried when it was time for them to go. Monkey's first real word besides Mama and Dada is bubble, as you can tell, he is a big fan of bubbles:

365: 269

2009-02-10T07:49:00.001-08:00

02/06/09

I had minor surgery this morning (and no, not the boob job I'd been secretly hoping for!), which meant we were up at 5, at the hospital by 6 and poor Hubs had to keep Monkey entertained while I got some great, sedation induced sleep. Luckily everything went well and soon I was heading home to spend the rest of the day dozing on the couch (where Hubs could "keep an eye on me") and enjoying a quiet day with my guys. I also got this beautiful surprise from my parents and sister:

365: 268

2009-02-07T19:47:00.001-08:00

02/05/09

Busy day since I was trying to enjoy the unseasonably great weather with Monkey as well as some together time before I was laid up over the weekend after minor surgery on Friday. So we started off with arts and crafts:
Then onto the park:
Then a quick stop by Wal-Mart:And finally another park on the way home (the first park's swings weren't great, plus who knows when we are going to have weather like this again?)

365: 267

2009-02-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

02/04/09

Despite the 11 year age difference, my sister and I have almost identical taste in music. The other night she told me to check out Ron Pope's "You're the Reason I Come Home." I loved it! So I went on itunes and took a listen and liked everything I heard so I bought the album. The song I love the most is "Headlights on the Highway". These lyrics make me think of a certain tall, handsome, smart, funny, overall wonderful man:

You mean everything
There are not quite words enough to tell you
All the things that you've become for me.
And the headlights on the highway cannot help me understand
Whatever it is you need, I pray I am

365: 266

2009-02-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

02/03/09

So as I was digging through the archive, I came across this photo:

And I think it's safe to say that there is no doubt that The Hubs is Monkey's Baby Daddy:

This weekend when I came home after my first night of work, Monkey and Hubs were up and waiting for me. I came upstairs and before I could pick Monkey up, I had to go take a shower (being a nurse makes you a little paranoid about germs, especially depending on what patients you had the night before). Monkey was offended and voiced his anger the entire 2 minutes I was in the shower. When I finally got to him, I pick him up and he put his hands on either side of my face, studied me for a minute, and then gave me a snuggly (laid his head on my shoulder). It was hands down one of the most amazing moments of my life. It's like he has gone from "Oh I know you, you take care of me..." to "Oh you're my mommy and I missed you!"

365: 265

2009-02-04T22:51:00.001-08:00

02/02/09

I am reading the most excellent, funny, heartbreaking, insightful blog (yes, that is about all of the reading I do these days) about these two great people:

Matt and Madeline Logelin
Matt lost his wife Liz and Madeline lost her mommy the day after Madeline was born. Matt first started the blog while Liz was on bedrest and has continued it, telling about his life as a single father. It will break your heart one minute and having you laugh out loud the next. I am amazed at how open Matt is with his grief and memories, you really feel like you know Liz just from what he shares. His photography is amazing and the pictures he took of his wife, some smiling at the camera, so many of her caught in the moment, just being herself, will be a treasure to Madeline one day. I sent my first fan letter at the age of 29 and Matt wrote me back the same day :). I encourage you to read it with a box of Kleenex at your side...

365: 264

2009-02-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

02/01/09

This "25 Random Things About You" post has been going around Facebook and I love it! I love finding out such random facts about my friends, like who secretly longed to be a bus driver as well as their deep insights on life. One of my 25 things was things was to that I wished I could hug 4 people one last time and tell them how much they meant to me. They were:

Grandma and Grandpa Green. Grandpa always had a pack of Juicy fruit, smelled like Old Spice, had butterscotch candies in a butter container for us left over from playing cards with his friends, and would wait to stop at stop signs until about 0.25 feet before it (slight whiplash). Grandma loved The Price is Right (and Bob Barker), was an amazing cook, gave "dry kisses," had hair that would dry perfectly into place after a bath, and said exactly what she was thinking in her older years. They left me a pair of wooden praying hands when they passed away and it is the one thing that meant the most to me. Grandpa would write the checks and put the bills in the hands and Grandma would take them to the post office, but Grandpa told us that he put the bills there and God took care of them :).

Aunt Dede. My Aunt Dede was boisterous, funny, said exactly what was on her mind, and adored her kids. She seemed the happiest talking about the kids and their activities, you could tell how proud she was of them just by the look on her face. She would always tell me that she knew I was her favorite aunt and my grandpa's favorite daughter. She left us so unexpectedly and far too young, but I know she is watching her three kids and would be so incredibly proud of the people they have become.
Kelly. Kelly was one of my best friends growing up, in 7th grade we had almost every class together, were in the band together, and managed the high school football team together. Kelly always had a hairbrush, gum, and a pretty good idea of what to do for fun. She was boy crazy but a great listener and loyal friend. Kelly kept our lives exciting and pushed me out of my shell. So many of my memories of middle school and high school have her in them, those are the gifts she gave me.

365: 263

2009-02-04T21:37:00.001-08:00

01/30/09

Since I am going to be working the next few days (which means, for those of us working 12 hour shifts, it's mainly sleep, work, and a little family time), I thought I'd dig through the archives. These are two of the less mentioned members of our family:

Jackson Butters and Cole Token!
We adopted these little rascals (they are brothers) from a good friend of mine on our first anniversary. We brought them home and they headed straight under the bed in our guest room. That ended up being their favorite spot until we moved! I am so glad we got them together, they still snuggle up, chase each other around, and generally keep each other company. They have been forgiving us bringing home another roommate, although Cole will let Monkey lay on him and pet him whereas Jack wants very little to do with him:

365: 262

2009-02-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

01/29/09

Since I knew I'd be working four days in a row and getting very little Monkey and Hubs time, I tried to make today about fun and not about picking up the house :). What could be more fun than a doctors appointment to start off the day...yup, another ear infection. We have learned that teething = ear infection for Monkey. But while we waited for his antibiotic, we walked, pushed the cart, and enjoyed an aptly named book:

Afterward we headed to our favorite indoor playground where Monkey was unsuccessful in fish wrangling since the fish bucked him off:
(this was actually from another day at the playground, but he wore the same shirt, it's my favorite). But he did manage to climb the big slide by himself and this spent a good 30 minutes climbing up and sliding down...and making friends with a very sweet little girl. It is fascinating to watch the kids interact and people watch the parents a little too :).