all of the sudden, things have really changed

Gah!  Look at my used-to-be infant, wrapped up like a little burrito.  You know how people say "where did the time go?"

I never thought I'd say that, mainly because I genuinely tried to live in the moment and cherish Patrick at every stage of babyhood.

But here I am wondering how he got so huge!  Watching him eat his dinner tonight, I realized he really is beginning to look older. 

It only bothers me when I think long and hard about it.  On a daily basis, there is nothing more joyful than watching him learn and grow and play.  And when he brings me a book saying "read you," I know that I have to cherish these moments too.  The ones that I'll be looking back on in another year wishing I could just have one more of.

fun with aunt lindsay

My sister is so good with Patrick.  Well, except the time she gave him raw cauliflower when he didn't have any teeth yet.

So here she is on Thanksgiving giving me a bit of a break, which is what aunts should be doing.

christmas wish list

 

Do you find yourself wanting the same things every Christmas?  Me too!  These have been on my list since I've been married.

 



 

 

 

1.)  A panini maker and a waffle iron.

      I like tools in the kitchen - each unnecessary (but fun) Pampered Chef tool resides in my drawers and cupboards. 

 

2.)  Slippers are a must-have every year - they simply wear out after 365 days.  They also get grimy and soggy after wearing them in places I shouldn't, like to the basement full of dust bunnies and rodents, as well as running to the car when there's two feet of snow on the ground.

3.) Bicycle with baby seat.  I know, it's a biggie.  But I love riding bikes and I haven't owned one since I've become an adult.  Obviously I have to have a seat for Patrick too, since he's my sidekick and all.  If I had to choose just one thing I wanted the most, this would be it.

4.) North Face puffer.  It only costs $330 and I get to look like every other girl my age!

Just kidding.  But seriously, every.  single.  girl.  has a fleece or something of this brand.  Even my students all have them!  I find them on the playground under the mulch or shoved in a ball in at the bottom of their lockers - are you kidding me?  Sometimes I feel like e-mailing their parents and telling them to get their kids Danskin brand from Walmart until they can learn to take care of their stuff.  But can you blame them?  I'm sorry, but a 5th grader doesn't understand that their parent had to work five full days to purchase their jacket.

THEY ARE SO EXPENSIVE.  I've heard it's worth it, so I want one.

5.)  A gold necklace.  I love this one from Etsy. 


When I really think about it though, I can live without each and every one of these items.  I'm not trying to be non-materialistic here (because I am totally materialistic - I love nice stuff), but I swear I just want a healthy family for Christmas this year.  That's it.  But if Santa wants to throw in the bike, I'd be cool with that too.

our thanksgiving + being a stay-at-home mom for five days

These past five days have been glorious - just what the doctor ordered.  It had been killing me going into work every morning and not seeing Patrick until 4 o'clock in the afternoon - finally, I was able to spend some good ol' quality time with him!

And by quality time, I mean:

 

 

Thanksgiving was wonderful - there's nothing I love more than being surrounded by my family.  My mom hosted this year so dinner wasn't ready on time, which wasn't shocking at all.  But boyyy was it worth it when we finally sat down!

My grandma is a beast.  She made six pies!!  Two dutch apple, two pumpkin, one pecan and one chocolate.  PLUS homemade whipped cream!  To die for.

My dad is all about Patrick, and it melts my heart. 

Since dinner was an hour later than expected, Patrick was slightly impatient and decided he would scarf on bananas and wheat chex while waiting.  He's nothing like his impatient mother.

 

 

During the day (after our first Thanksgiving dinner) we took some pictures out by an old barn on the family farm.  I love them so much that I almost used them for our Christmas card and saved the 75 bucks I'm spending to get professional ones done this weekend.

Obviously I changed my mind.

On another note, if you are a stay-at-home mom, you are a saint.  I would need a two-hour shopping spree at Target on a daily basis to keep me sane.  Twelve hours with a one-year-old?  What the hell do you do all day?  I found myself making up ridiculous games like "Let's go grocery shopping!" which entailed Patrick opening "his" cupboard and finding mini cans of tomato paste or a box of macaroni and cheese.  He'd bring them to me, I'd say "that'll be $10.99 sir."  We'd laugh our butts off and I would look at the clock and four minutes had gone by.

So it's like working full-time is entirely too much time away, but staying at home would put me in the looney bin.  I need a 10 am-1 pm job with full health benefits and a $50,000 paycheck.

Haha!  Don't we all!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

decking the halls...outside

We put wreaths on all 300 of our windows each year.  It's always the biggest pain in the butt trying to hang them so they won't squeak and fall off each time the wind hits 5 mph.  It also takes close to two hours to get them all hung, seeing as I used nails, fishing wire and suction cups.  This Christmas season however, I had a stroke of pure genius.  COMMAND STRIPS.  Why didn't I think of this before? I don't know.  The real question is why didn't anyone suggest using them on the dozens of website I used for "wreath-hanging ideas?"  Forget them. 

I adorned my unpainted porch with large colored bulbs and I love it. It adds cheer and looks so festive at night. 

I want the house loaded with lights this year.  White, colored, whatever...I just want them.  Isn't it funny how you spend hours putting all the lights on the bushes and trees and railings but somehow it doesn't look like much when you're all finished?  

Getting the wreaths down from the rafters in the garage was fun.  I kept saying to myself  just wait for Jeff to get home, don't even attempt it.  And then I went ahead and got them down anyway.  At one point I almost thought I had em, then CRASH!   

 

The best part of putting the wreaths and lights up this year was that Patrick was running around getting into everything while I was doing the hanging.

Then we played with the best $80 ever spent:  the wagon.  Patrick will play with this thing for like a half hour straight and Mommy can fantasize about Christmas decorating ideas on Pinterest all while cheering him on.  It works great for both of us.  We're such a team.

Friday is the big reveal, and I'm so excited to plug in all the lights (Christmas Vacation style of course) and watch everything shine and start the countdown to the birth of Baby Jesus!  Or as Patrick would say, "beebee Sheshesh."

saying goodbye to grandpa miller

 

 

Jeff's grandfather passed away a few days ago.  After the initial sadness and shock (even though he was sick, it still seemed to come too suddenly), I couldn't help but think about the incredible family he left behind - three amazing children that now have children and grandchildren of their own, and an even more incredible wife.  That somehow makes it easier to swallow.

 

We'll miss you, Grandpa Miller.  And we can't wait to meet you again in Heaven.

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

total solar eclipse!

This is a view of the total solar eclipse that was seen from Australia yesterday!  It was Tuesday afternoon in the U.S., but Wednedsay just after sunrise for them.  This was near the city of Cairns, which was the only city in the world able to view the totality of the eclipse for the longest amount of time, which was four minutes.  From start to finish, it lasted about an hour and a half. 

Obviously my students and I have been counting down since the first day of school so I was thrilled to finally see it, and I cannot WAIT to show them the pictures and video tomorrow.  For those of you that don't understand (or give a crap), a solar eclipse is when the moon passes in front of the sun, literally blocking out its light so all that's visible is the sun's corona.

It's amazing to think how prehistoric people believed eclipses were bad omens.  I mean, can you imagine not knowing the science we do now and seeing that in the sky?  I'd be running for the hills too! 





This video is pretty good despite the Australians' lack of technical talent.  I'm just kidding - I know nothing about their talents.  I sort of just envision them frequenting the opera in Sydney and chasing kangaroos on the weekends.

The next total solar eclipse will be March 20, 2015 (and it's only viewable to Iceland, Europe, Africa and Asia).  The next one that will be viewable to us here in the United States will be August 21, 2017!  I am already starting my countdown! 

happy veteran's day

Our church choir sings all the military hymms on Veteran's Day, and this morning was no exception.  From the time I got out of high school up until I had Patrick, I was in the choir and I couldn't even sing those songs without choking up.  If you haven't heard them before, you must look them up - they're so worth downloading.  This morning, it was so much easier to just listen to them singing.  At the end of Mass, our priest had all the veterans stand up and we all applauded - there wasn't a dry eye in the place. 

There is nothing more noble and selfless than serving our country.  To those who served or are serving...thank you.

Speaking of veterans, I've done my fair share of dating some cutie patooties that were in the military - I always wanted to marry a Navy pilot...OMG.  The sailor outfit?  Check.  F/A-18 Hornet?  Check.  Co-piloting whenever I want?  Check.  Ten percent off on Tuesdays at Old Navy?  Check.

For those of you who didn't know, I am obsessed with fighter jets.  Like, chills down my spine when my eardrums ache from the engine decibel.  For a while there, I was going to air shows left and right.  A few years ago, I actually got to meet one of the pilots of the Blue Angels!  One of my top ten life moments, without a doubt.

Obviously he fell madly in love with me on the spot.

 

 

 

Happy Veteran's Day!  And for those of you that get a day off tomorrow, just remember that I'm taking care of your kids.

 

 

 

 

 



1994 was the best time for movies. period.

Actually, the 90's in general produced amazing movies.

1994.

Remember this girl from Dumb & Dumber? 

Everytime I put on my Native American-inspired shawl I am reminded of the annoying lady at the bar that couldn't stop talking about her ex-boyfriend.

 

 

all i need is a jeep grand cherokee with skis on the top.

 

A quote from Dumb & Dumber rolls through my mind on a weekly basis.  They never get old...

 

 

"We got no food, no jobs...our pets' HEADS ARE FALLIN' OFF!"

 

 

"That's a lovely accent you got there.  New Jersey?"

"Austria."

"Austria!  Well then, G'day mate!  Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!"

 

 

"Throw some salt over your right shoulder."

 

 

 

Other super movies from the 1990's:

 

1991.

This has been my favorite movie since I was a little girl.  I wanted to be Annie Banks.  Annie Banks Mackenzie.  My french name in high school was Annié.  I want to name one of my baby girls Annie.  My bridesmaids walked down the aisle to Canon in D just like Annie's.  And I can impersonate Franck better than anyone on the planet.

 

"Velcome to the nineties Mr. Bonks!!"

 

 

 

1993.

 

1995.

 

 

1994.

 

1992.

 



1997.

1990.

1999.

1999.

1994.

1994.

Time to start a collection on DVD.  And I want to watch Varsity Blues right this moment.

 

 

 



 

this weekend

This weekend...

• All three of us made it to church!  What a blessed Sunday morning.  It's typically just Pat and I because Jeff has to "farm", but since the little guy had been sick I was all alone for a couple weeks there.  We celebrated by going to the Township all-you-can-eat pancake & sausage breakfast (in which I went up for seconds because it was like, all-you-can-eat, and they were out...) and doing a family photo sesh afterwards.

• We had a playdate!  Kinze is close to Patrick's age and they had a ball together, all while both the parents got to chat, eat, and most importantly, drink.

• I realized (three hours late) that I had gone grocery shopping Saturday morning and had the back of my SUV full of food.  I guess that makes one advantage of having colder weather:  nothing spoiled.

•  I cleaned my microwave.  I cannot stress to you how much I love a clean microwave. 

• We got the yard cleaned up a bit.  Ya know, taking down the ferns that Hurricane Sandy killed and pitching the pumpkins that have rotted and have been half eaten by rodents.  It's a beautiful thing.  But now I have empty plastic hanging baskets and pots, things that are so junky that they're not worth saving.  Instead of throwing them out like a normal person, I let them sit on my porch to get blown away.

• I burnt my hand so bad I had to go to the E.R.  After paying my $150 co-pay, I left with my hand wrapped in gauze and four Vicodin.  Those things make you relax, like now. It also took away the blinding pain I was feeling, so I drifted into an incredible coma deep sleep only to be awoken by my used-to-be-sleeping-through-the-night son FOUR TIMES thanks to Daylight Savings Time.  Remind me to have a conversation in Heaven with the blithering idiot who came up with that idea.

• I was told that my best friend is still in labor.  Please, please, please...send prayers her way!

what's currently making me happy

+ This little man has been sleeping through the night on a pretty regular basis.  I never thought I'd see the day - a blessing from above, no doubt.



+ $10 seamless leggings from Old Navy.  They're like maternity, except you don't have to feel like an idiot wearing maternity leggings when you're not pregnant.  (Guilty)



+ The fact that Thanksgiving (my second favorite holiday) is around the corner.  Not only do we get to feast and make corny crafts, but I get a four-day weekend to spend with my guys after the brutality of parent-teacher conferences.



+ The conversations I've been having with my son.

      Mommy:  Look at the farm over there.  What do the cows say?
 
      Patrick:  Moooooooo!


      Mommy:  Would you like juice or milk?

      Patrick:  MIIIIIIIIIILLLLLL


      Mommy:  Do you want more?

      Patrick:  more.  more.  more.  BITE.


      Mommy:  Say "kitty."

      Patrick:  tit-ty.    



+ Next week, my Biology students will be studying fermentation, so obviously we're going to make wine for Mrs. Rowland to drink during her planning period. 



+Hats:

 

 

      I have been on a serious roll.  Three for me, three for him.  The giraffes are from The Children's Place.  I couldn't pass them up - in the nursery, we have a painting of a giraffe and that's Patrick's newest animal word - "Gee."  And I mean, look at the mittens!  Completely unnecessary?  Yes.  Do I care?  No.



+ My best friend is in labor.  And I'm able to say this calmly because she has been in labor for almost two days now.  Boy or girl?  Girl or boy?!?!  I'm going to secretly guess it's a girl.



+The sun has shown itself again.  It still exists!

book club #4

Wow, this is way late.  I completely forgot to summarize our October book club meeting on And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.  Not surprising, seeing as the book was overall pretty forgetful. 

Apart from the Sherlock Holmes series, this book is probably the most famous mystery ever written.  Why?  I don't know.

Summary:
Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion in England.  Each is accused of some guilty secret by a recorded message.  By the end of the night, one of the guests is dead...and they don't know who the murderer is.

Most of us girls liked the book.  It was an easy read (despite the old-fashioned setting) and no one expected the ending.  Our discussions could only go so far though.  They sounded like this:  "Oh, you thought her?"  "That was pretty unrealistic."  "Yeah."  "Cool."  "Mhmm."  It wasn't heated or exciting or sad or any sort of emotion - it was a bit dull. 

Our overall rating (we had a non-finisher this month):

Get ready for this month though...I CANNOT WAIT to tell you about November's book!