halloween at daycare

And the award for World's Laziest Mother goes to....me! As you can see in the photos, Anthony was one of only two children at daycare without a costume. At least I put a halloween t-shirt on him - it said "Mummy knows best." Jana was the one who painted his face - why didn't I think of that??? Anyway, I figured, A., I didn't have time, B., why spend money on something he's still completely unaware of, and C., he's oblivious and not old enough to go trick-or-treating (nor do I want him eating a bunch of candy). He had fun, nonetheless, and look at what a cute cat he made! I promise, next year I'll do better.

my niece

Look at how completely adorable my little niece Emma is, now at 3 months old. I can't wait to meet her at Thanksgiving!!

fall fest

Yesterday there was a Fall Family Fest in LaQuinta, so we went for a little bit. We got Anthony's finger prints done (Senator Battin's office was doing it), then walked around looking at the booths. Anthony played in the jumper, although it's hysterical to watch, because he can hardly even stay standing, let alone actually jump. He thinks it's great fun, though, just to sit there and get bounced by the bigger kids jumping around him. We took pictures in the little pumpkin patch they had set up, and he went in the petting zoo for a little bit. He was a little scared of the animals, but it was cute. They had goats, chickens, bunnies, a pig...a regular miniature farm!

Afterwards, we stopped at Trader Joe's for some groceries, then went by Frankie's Fresh Fish and got some sushi to take home for a late lunch. I LOVE it that Darrell eats sushi now!

This morning, I made blueberry pancakes and sausage links for breakfast. Darrell went to the first service at church, and I'm leaving when he gets home, to go to the second service. We're going to try this out, because for one thing, Anthony cries every time we leave him in the toddlers class at church, and also, so many of the other kids have been sick and I don't want him to get sick. I know it's hard, but it annoys me when the other parents drop their kids off with snotty noses.

Don't know what we're doing this afternoon. It's been such a beautiful morning, but I think it's going to be hot again this afternoon - was still in the mid-90's yesterday afternoon.

Celebrate!!

Woo hoo!!!! The Cardinals have done it! They won the World Series, at home in St. Louis, in front of all their fans. They are second in all of baseball for most world championships. Anthony and I watched the game, and it was so cute to see him yelling "Go Cardinals!," although only I could understand what he was saying. Next year, he'll really be able to get into it!

two down, two to go

Woo-hoo! The Cardinals shut out the Tigers last night, 5-0, in the first of three games in St. Louis. If the Cards can win tonight and tomorrow night, they can win the World Series on home territory. That would truly be awesome! Suppan is pitching tonight, so they have a good chance. I don't know who's pitching tomorrow night, but maybe it will be the rookie who pitched and won game 1 for them. Fly redbirds fly!!!!

To St. Louis we go

Well, the Cardinals couldn't pull it off for Game 2, so now they're tied 1-1 with Detroit. But we're headed to St. Louis for the next 3 games, where hopefully, the redbirds will take them all! Go Cardinals!!

Who's laughing now?

The USA Today ran an article making their predictions for the World Series. The author wrote that the Detroit Tigers' "biggest obstacle to a championship will be keeping a straight face," and predicted that the Tigers will win in 3 games (in a best of 7 series - go figure). Who's laughing now? I sure didn't see the Tigers struggling to keep a straight face tonight as the Cardinals knocked them right off the stage in a 7-2 victory. A rookie pitcher went 8+ innings for the redbirds, keeping the Tigers to 2 runs on 4 hits. The Cards had 2 homers, including a two-run shot from Pujols in the 3rd inning. Keep it up Cardinals!!!!

1 to 10...

Anthony is learning to count...

World Series or Bust!!!!!

Miracles do happen...look at the Cardinals! A team who won only 83 games during the regular season is NOT supposed to go to the World Series. A team who waits until the last day of the season to clinch a berth in the playoffs is NOT supposed to go to the World Series. And NO team has ever in history won game 7 of the NLCS on the road after having lost game 6.

But this is the St. Louis Cardinals we're talking about - they do it the hard way, but they get it done! They won their 17th league pennant in franchise history, which is second only to the NY Yankees (who've won an amazing 38!).

They won last night's Game 7 the hard way too - waiting until the 9th inning to break the 1-1 tie with a 2-run homer by catcher Yadier Molina. But it wasn't over - the bottom of the 9th was nerve-racking, as the bases got loaded just in time for power hitter Carlos Beltran of the Mets. But the Cardinals' reliever got the job done. Talk about excitement!!!

So...we'll see the Tigers in the World Series beginning Saturday. Go redbirds!!!!

Ugh - game 7

The Cards didn't come through tonight, despite two doubles in a 9th inning attempt at a comeback, falling 4-2 to the Mets. So on to game 7 we go, hoping to clinch a ticket to the World Series starting on Saturday.

Meanwhile, my son is fighting bedtime like it's the ultimate enemy, poor kid. He's got two molars coming in, but I gave him motrin, so I don't think that's the problem at this point. We have GOT to get him back into some consistent routine, b/c not only is this miserable for him, but it's stressing me out! He used to go to bed so peacefully...ah, the good ole days.

Go Cardinals!!!!!

There's nothing like baseball in the fall...especially when my Cardinals are in the mix! For those of you in the dark, the redbirds are fighting for the National League Championship right now. They were the underdogs going in, but they're up three games to two over the Mets as of tonight, and are headed back to New York for game 6 (and 7 if needed). The World Series starts on Saturday against Detroit. Fortunately, for the sake of peace in my home, Darrell is a Yankees fan, not a Mets fan; otherwise things could be ugly right now! Go Cards!!!!

Love affair with a scarecrow

This is the funniest thing ever! I have this scarecrow standing by the fireplace, as part of my fall decorations, and for the first month that she stood there, Anthony ignored her. All of a sudden, the last couple days, he has a newfound fascination, and he keeps going up to her, touching her straw hair, her eyes, her nose, her hat, her hands, and then he leans in and gives her a big smooch right on the lips! It cracks me up!

Birthday Dan

Saturday was our friend Dan Bennett's 50th birthday. Fun was had by all - especially when we watched him open the Victoria's Secret gift box, and later when he tried on the new waders he got for fly fishing. We are blessed to have Dan and Gloria in our lives.

Thanksgiving

Yay! We got our plane tickets for Thanksgiving today. We're headed to St. Louis to be with my mom. I haven't been back there in several years, and Darrell hasn't been at all. This will be the first time my grandmother gets to meet Anthony! We fly out the Friday before Thanksgiving, and return the day after Thanksgiving. I can't wait to take Darrell around to show him my old haunts, and see some of my old friends. Turkey day's coming!

Fall in New England

You have got to check out my sister's blog and see these photos of her and my niece in front of the giant scarecrow! It is so cute! I wish I was there - fall in New England - what could be better???

Bumps and Bruises

Anthony has been beat up by a little girl at his daycare! Earlier in the week, she scratched his face, then today she slugged him with a lego. What up? Jana said he was hardly phased by it, but look at his poor little face! The little girl always greets me when I go to the daycare, so when I saw what she did today, I told her she's not supposed to give Anthony owies!

You can see he's enjoying his apple, although just now I had to ask him, um, what happened to your apple? He just went running down the hall to find it - I'm scared!

Whine and Tears

Are children born with a special whining tone that is created at just the right decibel level and tone to grate on the parents' nerves? I think so. I have read in parenting magazines that the average toddler cries for about 2 hours out of the day. Sometimes I think mine saves it all up for the evening time, a special gift just for me. I pick him up from daycare, where Jana tells me what an angel boy he is. Then we walk in the door at home, and he turns into a completely different child for a couple hours. Perhaps he is punishing me for leaving him all day? My friend (who has no children) tried to make me feel bad the other day because I admitted I don't fix my son breakfast in the morning; instead, I let him eat at daycare, where he often gets bad-carb cereal or sugar-filled pop-tarts. Maybe THAT'S what it is. I don't know, but it definitely has taught me patience.

Of course, then he turns on the tears. I mean, big huge crocodile tears in those beautiful gigantic brown eyes of his with the extra-long eyelashes, and how could I possibly be mad? Right now he's in between fits of tears, in his room, reading a book, going "Big E, little E." Of course, only I can understand him, as it sounds something like "Uh ee, uh-uh ee." I can't even tell you how adorable it is!

Ahhh...parenting...it certainly is the adventure of a lifetime!

Nothing special

No big news to report, just everyday stuff. No new pictures; although, I should have taken the camera with me tonight. Anthony and I picked up Deanna and we went out for ice cream, and I swear I don't know how my son managed to get SO MUCH ice cream on his body. I mean, it was EVERYWHERE! When we came home and I undressed him for a shower, I was shocked at how much of his body was covered with dried, sticky ice cream. Darrell is at a financial bible study tonight - it's the same one we did together in the spring, only now he's co-leading it, which is great. They say the best way to really learn something is to teach it, after all.

I'll try to take some pics and maybe another video in the next few days.

Correction

Your attention, please! I owe my husband an apology. I stand corrected. My dear husband is offended, because he does, apparently, read my blog, and informed me that he has a shortcut on his desktop both at home and at work!

Mom and Dad's night out

Darrell and I got out last night, for what seems like the first time in quite a while. Actually, it may have been the first time since his birthday in August, so it has been almost 2 months, I guess. We actually hadn't planned it, but it was so gorgeous outside, nice and cool, and I was in a party mood, so I called Dan and Gloria, who were happy to babysit. We dropped Anthony off at their house around 7:15, complete with jammies and an Elmo video (we even included a movie for Dan and Gloria to watch after Anthony went to sleep).

Then we went down to The River and had sushi at Maki Maki. Did you catch that? My husband ate sushi!!!!! Oh my gosh! Old dogs CAN learn new tricks! He let me order everything, and he actually liked it!

Then we went to the theater and saw the new movie, Departed. It was so good! I highly recommend it. It's about the Irish mob in Boston, and it has Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and Leonardo Dicaprio in it. They were all great. It was long, over two hours, but went fast and so worth it.

I haven't been to the movie theater at The River for quite some time, and I was shocked by the swarms of teeny boppers there. Oh my gosh, one day my son is going to be a teenager! It kind of freaked me out! I'm scared to think about ever having a little girl!

We got back to Dan and Gloria's at about 12:20 a.m. Anthony was sound asleep on the living room floor. Dan and Gloria reported having had a great time with him. He was so busy chasing their dog Julio around that he didn't even watch his Elmo video.

Gloria and I were planning to go hiking this morning, but my legs had gotten really sore over night from running on the treadmill the night before last, and I woke up all night with cramps in my lower legs. I figured hiking probably wasn't the best idea this morning, although I do want to get outside and enjoy the cool weather. I cooked breakfast, but still haven't had my coffee - might need to go meet Deanna at the coffee shop!

Anthony

This is from a couple nights ago, when Anthony and I were dancing to some tunes. By the time I got out the camera, though, he'd had about enough dancing. You'll hear his "No" loud and clear! Mom - you'll be happy to hear him say "Gramma."

Comments?

Hey, I notice almost no one has been leaving comments on here or emailing me when you read my blog. I want to know you're out there, being entertained by my musings! I don't even think my own husband reads it! :)

Deposition and Work Changes

Today was my deposition - thank God is it over! Everyone's prayers helped a lot, because I really felt confident and, for the most part, calm, most of the day. I did battle nerves this morning on the way, although even then, I knew the Lord was with me and I did have peace in my heart. By near lunch time, my patience was running a little thin and I felt myself becoming frustrated with the child's attorney's questions. But after lunch, thankfully, he only had another 40 minutes or so of questions. Then it was the father's turn to ask questions. I know it was a God-thing, because he fumbled all over himself and could barely put together a coherent question. After a while of struggling to try to question me, he finally just gave up, and we were done shortly after 3 p.m. What a load off my shoulders! One of my attorneys told me afterwards that I had done great and that he hadn't had a better witness in over a year! That made me feel good, and I know it was because I was not alone in there! Thank you everyone who prayed for me!

I'm kind of bummed out about work this evening, though. Two of my favorite co-workers are both leaving; one's last week is next week, the other is leaving at the end of October. I work well with both of them, but more than that, I have become friends with them and will miss them both. It's interesting how people come into our lives at certain times.

I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I know that God sends people into our lives to teach us things, bless us, meet our needs, open our eyes to things, etc. Both of my co-workers have a lot of wisdom, are great to talk with, are great communicators, and I just genuinely enjoy being around them. From one of them, I have been reminded to let go of regret, forgive myself, live each day to the fullest, and to quiet myself more often. He has also reminded me to be more honest with myself, procrastinate less (HUGE for me!) and to rely on God for strength. From the other, I have been reminded of how important relationships are, how much I need to stop and spend quiet time in prayer, and how refreshed I can feel after being with other women who share my faith. I am thankful for them having touched my life and for their friendship, and hopefully that will continue, but I know that often doesn't happen when people go their own ways.

Anthony has been talking up a storm tonight. I was sitting on the couch, and he climbed up there on my lap, just jibber-jabbering away. I couldn't understand any of what he was saying, but he was carrying on a full conversation. Oh so cute! I'll try to take some photos in the next few days.

Pray for me!

Today I meet with my attorney to prepare for my deposition, which is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. I am really trying to focus on staying relaxed and peaceful. I just did a breathing meditation and am feeling pretty good right now! Pray specifically that I will trust the Lord to fight this battle for me, and that I will let go of any fear or anxiety. Thanks all! I love you!

Toddler Bed Woes

Well, Anthony now has a toddler bed, and this is what happened. I put him to bed in it last night, and after fussing for about 10 minutes, he fell asleep. And the first couple times I checked on him, he was fine. However, after he'd been asleep for about 3 hours, I went in and this picture is what I found - him still sound asleep, with his feet on the floor! I gently moved him back onto the bed, but the remainder of the night was filled with me having to get up because he was crying. Most every time, when I got in there, he was sitting up in bed or nearly falling off the bed. Finally, at 4:50 a.m., I took him to our bed, but by that time, it was nearly time for me to get up anyway, so after laying there to get him back to sleep, I got up. I'll be tired tonight! 

The Power of Today

For the past few weeks, my pastor's messages have been about the stressful lives we lead. One of the things he talked about was how often we "live for the weekend." It's been sort of bouncing around in my mind since then, particularly because I've been pondering what basic values I want my son to grow up incorporating into his life. I think it's worth giving some thought to, this "living for the weekend" thing. While I don't believe there is anything wrong with looking forward to relaxing on the weekends, I do see his point. When we are so intensely focused on getting to the next weekend, the next vacation, the next job, the next new car, the next house, the next phase of our life, the next whatever...we miss today. We miss out on the possibilities of today, the opportunities, the relationships, the miracles of each day. When we are so focused on what comes next, we don't live each moment. We miss out on the people God has sent into our lives to bless us, or those people whose lives we are supposed to touch.

A friend recently told me how much he dreads Mondays. I can relate, because in the past, I really have dreaded Mondays, particularly when I was in a job I no longer enjoyed. I remember getting that feeling on Sunday afternoons, that dread of what was coming the next morning. Right now? I don't dread Mondays. Partly that's because I love what I'm doing right now, but more than that, it's because I am trying to consciously live in the here and now. I don't want to miss out on life because I'm so busy looking forward to whatever comes next. I see how fast the past 18 months have gone; my son is no longer a baby, he's a little boy now. It has gone incredibly fast, and I don't want to miss a moment because I'm too busy waiting for something else.

I'm not saying we shouldn't plan ahead, or that we can't look forward to things. I just think we need to focus more on being present in the right here, right now. I think we will find much more to be grateful for, experience many more blessings, witness more miracles, and experience a tremendous amount of peace if we can live each moment, right here, right now.

Tough Guy

We had our first injury-related trip to the emergency room last night (for Anthony, that is - those of you who know me well are aware how many I've had for my OWN injuries!). It was about 9:25 p.m. Darrell was in Anthony's room putting together his new toddler bed. Anthony and I were in the living room, dancing to some tunes; I was trying to keep him entertained because he was tired. A song ended, so I sat on the couch for a break, with Anthony on my lap. He crawled off my lap, next to me on the couch, and when he rolled on his right arm, I heard a "pop," then he started crying. Darrell and I tried to calm him down, and for a bit, we weren't sure whether he was crying because he was hurt or if it was because he was so tired and this was the last straw. After about 15 minutes, when he still wouldn't calm down and he screamed every time Darrell tried to move his arm, we decided to take him to the ER.

MY suggestion was to go to Eisenhower Medical Center, which is about 15 minutes away, but Darrell was worried and wanted to go to the closest hospital, which is JFK Hospital, just a couple miles away. We got there, and of course, the place was jammed. I will NEVER go there again by choice. It was dirty, the people working there were slow and not helpful, and after we sat there for nearly 2 hours, I suggested we leave and go to Eisenhower. I called over to see how busy they were, and they were slow, so we left to head over there. Poor Anthony was in pain, and every time he tried to move his arm, he cried. Not to mention that he was exhausted because it was well past his bedtime!

So we went to Eisenhower, where everyone was very nice, the place was clean, and they got us in right away. They actually seemed to CARE that my son was in pain! (We will be heading there first from now on!) They didn't even take an x-ray, because the doctor knew right away that he had dislocated something in his elbow. Apparently, this is a common injury in young children, and it's called Nursemaid's Elbow. Anyway, the doctor had to straighten his arm, put pressure in the elbow, and twist a bit - all of which must have been excruciating for Anthony, judging by the screams and tears coming from him. But within five minutes, he was using his arm again and had calmed down, and gave me a "high five," so we were able to leave. We got home shortly after 1:00 a.m. Darrell stayed up and finished putting together Anthony's new bed, since we had already taken down the crib and the pack-n-play. Anthony refused to go to sleep in the new bed, so fell asleep in bed with us, then Darrell moved him to his new bed, where thankfully, he slept the remainder of the night.

Today, he's been pretty cranky (Anthony, not Darrell - although Darrell's in Venice, so he may be cranky too, I just don't know about it!), so I figure his arm is probably still sore. I gave him some motrin, but he's still pretty clingy and needy. Probably just tired and traumatized by the whole ordeal. He finally just fell asleep for a nap in his new bed (after much protesting and many tears), so hopefully he will sleep for a long time!