Funniest News Story Ever

I've never done this before, just shared a random YouTube clip, but this was too good.

This is wild - my favorite part is the recreation of the bear running through the woods, and climbing a tree. Yes, re-created.

Well Check

Sisters! Ru & Kar

Karly had a well check this morning with our beloved pediatrician, Dr. B. This was her first 'simply routine' visit since November 2007.

Guess what? She's fine.

No new surprises. Nothing. Nada.

I don't know how to process that!!! But - it's GOOD!

Good-byes

When I was a kid, one of my favorite holidays was the 4th of July. We'd always go to my Uncle Jack's house to watch the fireworks - and there would be a ton of people there - family & friends. The best part, though, when we were kids - was the smokestack.

Across the street from my Uncle's house there's a very tall smokestack, that stands alone, leftover from the mining days. When we were kids, someone from our party used to light the smokestack during the late afternoon, before the fireworks began. They'd bring a ladder over to it, and pitched in old tires - and if you'd ever spent the 4th of July in Iron Mountain, MI in the '80s - you'd know exactly what I'm talking about - a thick trail of black smoke would float across the town. Sometimes it would be lit before we arrived, and it was as if the smoke was leading us to the party.

Eventually, the fire department would come & put it out, and as the years went by the ownership of the smokestack changed hands and we were no longer able to light it - but I still think of that every year, and how fun it was to be with my cousins & family for this holiday when we were kids.


When I was in high school, we moved back to Iron Mountain from two years in Minnesota and it seemed like no matter where I went, people knew me. Even old people - adults - knew who I was. If I told someone my last name, people would ask one of two things - they'd either ask if I was related to Jack (my uncle) or if I was Jack or Bob's kid (and I'd always say, "Jackie's my uncle, Bob is my dad.")

I realized I was never going to get away with ANYTHING in that town, because everyone knew who I belonged to.


Every time I saw my Uncle Jack, he'd say, "How long has it been?" And I'd say, "Too long," and he'd give me a kiss. It didn't matter if it had been two years or ten minutes, it was always the same.

Stubborn guy that my Uncle Jack is, he's been in the hospital fighting pneumonia for the past few weeks, and we've been waiting for him to get better and laugh at us for all our worrying. We were in Michigan this weekend, and Brian & the kids hung out in the waiting room while I went into the ICU to see him. I doubt he knew I was there, but I'm glad I got to tell him that I loved him, one last time.

This morning, my Uncle Jack passed away. One more time, we'll all gather in Iron Mountain - right around the 4th of July.

Uncle Jackie - this one's for you. I love you.

Review

My True Blood review for this week is up! If you like to read that sort of thing.

My Big Girl

Sadly, it's true. Ruby is no longer a baby. She's a big girl in so many ways - and finally, FINALLY - she's begun to outgrow some of her 12 month clothes. But, only some of them.

Sittin' Pretty

How big is Ruby?
Soooo big!

How old is Ruby? Ruby is TWO!
(and yes - that's what she is doing here - this is how she says she's two!)

That's enough pictures - she's off to play in her house!

Finally Summertime!

It's finally warmed up enough this past week, that the kids have been able to play in our little outdoor pools.


Ruby loves to splash - and rub water all over her legs.

The sand & water table is lots of fun, too

Kitchen Situation Solution

In an effort to keep Ruby safe, we've banned her from the kitchen while I'm cooking. Since she is now just tall enough to get into trouble, it was necessary.

Before, we had these doors open wide and then blocked, so Ruby couldn't move them and squeeze in behind them. Now we have them closed - they block off the office from the dining room (which is attached to the kitchen.) Then, Brian took the gate that blocks the stairs and puts it in the other entrance to the office - in a sense, we made a very large cage, where he and Ruby can hang out, safely, while I made dinner.

She played well for a while - but she would come over & yell at me from time to time - it's hard for her, because she can see me, but I won't let her in by me.

She's pretty hard to resist, this sad little gal.

But - she's much safer in there while I cook, for the time being - the second night of this new system, she handled it even better and she played the whole time she & Brian were in there.

More Signing

This morning I posted about Ruby having a sign for Braden and next up, we'll work on one for Karly. I had figured that if Ru can sign & say "Cat" whenever the cat came into the room, she could learn signs for Braden & Karly.

In the comments, people asked if we were signing "where" as well (since the kids were playing hide & seek) - and I didn't know how to sign where! Brian found this website, Signing Savvy - and they have videos that show you how to sign words. I don't know anything about this site, but it looks like a great signing resource!

So, if you're like me you can watch & learn how to sign WHERE!

Signing Braden

I know it's probably hard to tell what Ruby is doing - but she's signing Braden. It's like the letter "B" held next to her ear, and she moves her hand a little - away from her head & back.

She got a lot of practice signing Braden today, since he was playing hide & seek with her. It was sooo cute - and after he hid a few times, she ran off and hid from him.

It was so cool, how well she understood the game and how much fun they had!

Unruly Children

Please tell me I am not the only one who has a ton of pictures like these?

And by the way -

I'm reviewing HBO's show True Blood for IGN if you want to read my review.

That is all.

Bowling with Braden

Braden started bowling again this summer. Today was the second week. They bowl with bumpers, and last year he would bowl in the 50-60 range per game.

Today, he accidentally bowled with an 8 pound ball (instead of his usual 6) and he bowled a 97 and a 99! That beats my average!! (Although, my league does NOT allow the use of bumpers ... if it did, my average would probably still be about the same.)

Oven Mitt

The other day, Ruby stole an oven mitt from my kitchen drawer. This is remarkable in the fact that the top drawers in the kitchen used to be out of her reach.

Ruby's growing taller, and we've got BIG problems now. Mainly - how do we keep her safe? She simply does not understand yet, that some things are dangerous.

A few days ago, I was making dinner, stirring something on the stove - and Ruby came over, determined to help. She had a big spatula from the drawer, and was stretching, reaching up - trying to help me stir.

Yesterday, I set a bag of hamburger buns on the stove. Ruby pulled them off. How do I keep her safe, if she's able to pull things off the stove? And, after dinner, we have to clear the table before she gets out of her chair, or she pulls things off the table.

For now, I guess the main thing will be to keep her out of the kitchen while anything is cooking. It's the only way to guarantee she won't pull something down - or reach up and give something a push.

So, we closed the doors between Brian's office and the dining room, so he can take her in there and keep her safely out of the kitchen while I cook.

Ruby wore my oven mitt to her house
(Ewww - I might need new oven mitts. That one's looking pretty grungy.)

And the next morning, she still had ownership!

Can I just say how cute she is in these little boy pajamas? She only had a couple pairs of summer pajamas, so I went to the used kids clothing store and couldn't find any girlie pjs - but I found 2 little boy pairs - Spiderman and Bob the Builder. They're so cute on her!

She's cute, and she knows it!

PB&J

I made chicken quesadillas for lunch today. Braden didn't want one - which is weird, he loves quesadillas! But, instead, he wanted to make his own sandwich.

So, he did!

He only needed help opening the jam container. He didn't even need help spreading the peanut butter (which is Karly's least favorite part of making PBJ sandwiches.)



We are so proud of our little guy! He's such a good kid.

And I really think it's little moments like this that make me so glad we have this blog - so I can look back at my 5-year-old making his first sandwich someday. Someday, when he's a whiny teenager who wants ME to make his lunch - and I can say, "Look! You learned how to make a sandwich when you were FIVE!"

And of course, because it's a cherished memory, blah, blah, blah.

Now that Ruby sits facing forward

she was introduced to the fun that is DVD-watching-in-the-van!


Hooray!!

Then she looked at Braden like, "You knew about this? I can't believe you've been holding out on me."

Ruby is SUCH a better traveler than when she was a baby and used to SCREAM non-stop. She just wanted to be held all the time - and car seats did not make her happy, since she was all lonely in there. I love this age she's at right now - everyday it's a new discovery or new skill.

Like walking backwards! She thinks it's the funniest thing - and it freaks me out, because let's face it, she's still a bit wobbly walking forwards ... but she sure tries so hard.

All done!

Ruby's ear tube procedure went really well this morning. She held up well, too - even though she couldn't eat or drink. We're home now - and she's trying to eat her daily intake of Kix that she missed out on this morning.

So glad that's over with! Now we just have to watch her extra carefully today, since she's groggy and likely to be clumsier than usual.

Silly & Worry

Braden brought the book Silly Billy home from the library this week. For a random grab-a-book-and-go, it's a very appropriate book for him - and I wish we'd known about it a couple years ago.

See, Silly Billy worries all the time - and then he gets some worry dolls, to help him with his worries. Not that Braden is overcome with worries, but he's a sensitive kid and it sure would've been nice to have these when Karly was in the hospital so much. (although, he did have his Kissable Frog back then!)

Wouldn't you know it - I have a set of worry dolls. So we dug them out this morning, 6 little friends who are right now helping Braden win a game of Scrabble Junior (he always wins. He cheats. It's not his fault - he's an early reader.)

Braden lined his worry dolls up for a picture ... now they're all strategically placed on the Scrabble board.

Maybe tonight he'll whisper to a little doll his worries about Ruby's surgery tomorrow morning. I know I will.

Ruby's New Trick

Ruby is such a climber - her latest skill is climbing up onto the chairs in the kitchen. She's so small - being short is the only thing that slows her down. Anyway, in her quest to be more like Braden, she's now mastered the chair.

Ruby Reads a Magazine

Mondays are killing me.

In the morning, Ruby has gymnastics at the Y (which is an entire post in itself of the inappropriateness of the things they expect these kids to do in a class for new walkers). Today, right after lunch Braden & I had to rush to bowling, since it's the first week - and then it started half an hour late. Then - don't forget, Karly & Braden both have swimming lessons at 4:00.

I need a drink. Or a nap.

So.... you get this easy-cheesey post about me whining about how busy Mondays are - and a couple cute pics of Ru.

These pics are from last month (hence the long pants & long sleeves - it's a bit warmer now. Not much, but she is in shorts now)...

but I thought they were cute!

She's reading the free magazine that's full of local coupons.
Trying to find her Mom a good deal!

Why looking up is dangerous

Hanging out while waiting in line for the train ride - I picked Braden up. We were looking up at a plane in the sky, and then some birds....


and then...

after looking into the sun...

he sneezed.

All. Over. My. Neck.


What a cherished moment. I'm so glad Brian captured it on camera.

Oh dear

My five year old spends HOURS in the bathroom every day - he sits in there reading his magazines.

What's it going to be like when he's a teenager?

Help me.

Are you on Facebook?

If not, you really should be. I forget that FB & my blog are different places - so, I update one and forget about the other.

Anyway. Tuesday, Karly & I made the trek down to Milwaukee - again - this time to see her neurologist. We had a good visit, talked about her meds, and she even chatted with him a little bit (she's grown some pretty decent doctor-anxiety lately - not that anyone could blame her. You should see how mean & crabby she can get with her oncologist - but he's a good guy, and just laughs it off).

Then, in breaking with tradition, I did NOT take Karly to Denny's for lunch. It's usually her number one pick, but we had the VERY WORST service last time, so forget it. And, we were at a different hospital, so they had more restaurants - and we went to Noodles & Company (except I kept forgetting the name of it, so we called it Noodles & Things).

I had only eaten there once before, and this time, Karly ordered the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese - and here's my big question:

Is it called the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese in other states?

And - have you tried it? It's hands down the most wonderful mac & cheese I ever ate in my entire life. (even though Karly ordered it... but I let her try my Pad Thai, too).


This morning, Ruby went in to see the ENT. I like him. I think he's right - she's borderline on her need for tubes, but we should be more aggressive about it, because she does have DS. We don't want to hinder her speech/hearing. So.... next Friday she'll be going in for tubes in her ears, which is by all accounts an easy & quick procedure.

And - we'll be able to do it at a LOCAL hospital. Bonus points for that.

Day Out with Thomas

This morning, we loaded up the younger kids (Karly didn't want to join us, so she went to a friend's house) and we went to the train museum in Green Bay to see Thomas!

Braden has gone for the past few years, but this was Ruby's first Day Out With Thomas - and it was a great success. We really lucked out - we had tickets for a 10:00 train ride, and the weather was sunny and in the 60's - a huge improvement from the rain & temps in the 40's we've had lately.


Thomas!

The new open air car, directly behind Thomas
We totally lucked out - we got into line early and we were the second family in line, so we got to sit up by Thomas. They only allow 100 people into this car, so our timing was great!

I don't know any of those people, but this was the only way to get a picture of the new car. I always feel a little weird about that - like, Hey, strangers - be on my blog! But, just think of them as extras.

Miss Ruby enjoyed the ride, relaxing with Daddy and waving to people on the sidewalk

My brown-eyed guy, sitting right behind Thomas!

They also have a bunch of activities for the kids (and a reasonably priced, family-friendly lunch tent. Seriously, we ate lunch for under 10 dollars for the 4 of us).

A new attraction this year:

Bouncy toys!

TWO of them!

This is the other bouncy house - is complete with a slide!
(Braden is in the blue shirt, with the blue hat)

We were bummed they didn't have the big bubbles set up outside, Ruby would have loved that - but they had 2 wooden train play houses that were pretty cool:

Ruby is so small, she walked out the front of the wooden train!

Braden 'drove' the train play house, by setting the gear to fast, while some lady in yellow talked on the phone.

And another new thing this year - a hay maze! So fun!

It really was the perfect size for kids


They also had several tables of Thomas the train wooden tracks set up. Ruby had so much fun - she's not often allowed to play with Braden's trains at home!

We also went through the train cars that are part of the regular museum.

My favorite car is the mail car! It's usually Braden's favorite, too - but today he ran off ahead of us. Ruby enjoyed walking in the trains, too.

It's a totally different experience to be at the train museum when Thomas is there. We've gone there on other occasions, just to see the museum & explore the old train cars and it's usually pretty vacant. It's a nice vacant though - it's quiet, like you're revisiting the past.

Anything He Can Do,

She has to at least try to do.

I swear she thinks she is 5 years old - anything Braden does, Ruby wants to do. I think he is her best therapy - and she is his biggest fan!

Help - send tiny socks!

Ruby's latest skill?

Opening the garbage can.

She keeps throwing away her socks.

And yesterday? She realized you can also take things OUT of the garbage can. Lovely.

A trip to the Dark Side

We went to a Make A Wish party yesterday - in the rain. Even with steady drizzle and temperatures in the 40s - we had a good time in the big tent.

The best part?

Star Wars!!

There were several Star Wars characters there!


This Storm Trooper has Karly & Braden protected ... or held hostage. It's hard to tell...

Look out! Darth Vader is behind you!

As I was taking pictures ... this Storm Trooper put his head in front of my camera and said,


"I'm much better looking!"

Then we went to see the (very chilly) princesses



But Braden & Ruby's FAVORITE - was Darth Maul (this scary dude!)

Braden couldn't wait to meet him!

And I didn't get a picture of it, but Ruby kept trying to touch his face. He even said, "Wow, she's really not afraid ..." and I laughed and told him she'd been afraid of the princesses!

It was very similar to when we were at Disney World - she LOVED the characters in costume, but if they were people, just dressed up - then she didn't like them. I think because the people would try to hold her (like Little Mermaid) and the characters in full costume (like Daisy Duck) would not. That's the best explanation I have - she was really 'stranger shy' when we were in Florida (especially when she wasn't feeling well). Now she's not nearly as stranger shy, but she still reacted the same way.