P is for Pirate

Layla has joined her first sport team. She is a Pirate on a tee-ball team of 3 & 4 year olds. Chuck and I made a bet on whether or not she would participate. Judging from Mia's frequent breakdowns on the soccer field, Chuck was betting that Layla would not do anything more than stand on the field and cry. I had more confidence in our little one after going to a Brave's game and watching several on TV, she always appeared so excited about playing baseball. Just like the guys she cheered for and chopped for. I brought the camera for proof I was so confident.

First, I grabbed the team's uniforms which she insisted on putting on immediately. I took that as a good sign!

She seemed a bit apprehensive. Keep in mind, we haven't even done a game of catch with her before this moment.

But she got into it. First they practiced "scooping" the ball up. Unfortunately, unless the ball was directed right into Layla's glove, she had no chance. Poor kid did not understand that you have to move to catch the ball. Nope, she was just going to stand there and watch it roll by and then run after it. Every time.
Then it was time to hit! She was not happy about the helmet but I promised that she could take it off as soon as she was done hitting and that she wasn't allowed to hit unless she was wearing it, so on it went!I was afraid that perhaps simple photos would not be enough for Chuck to believe that our child actually participated. And did not cry! Not one tear! And so for your viewing pleasure - I bring you Layla's first hit!!

I loved proving him wrong. I loved it so so so so much! He is right so often, it's infuriating. But yesterday he was wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. So wrong in fact that Layla is still wearing her uniform. She even slept in it last night.

WRONG.

Andre the Giant has a Posse!

In case you don't watch the news - Atlanta's been underwater for, oh, about 10 days! It's been cloudy and wet and downright miserable. But yesterday the sun ventured out and today a breeze came through and I tell you what - fall has arrived! To celebrate, I went for a walk on my lunch break today. Let me first say that This American Life podcasts are the greatest walking tools! I got so absorbed in the stories, I couldn't hear my internal voice that usually tells me to turn around once I hit the coffee shop. I ended up walking for 40 minutes of my lunch hour! It was fantastic!

On my way back to the office, stuck on the back of a speed limit sign, was a small sticker, no bigger than 4 square inches. On it was a sketch of Andre the Giant and scrawled in the corner was "Andre the Giant has a Posse". What a blast from the past! Andre the Giant?! In 2009?! For some reason this sticker just made me giddy. It was a treasure on a boring walk down a busy street. It's almost a better sighting than the fire next to the train tracks I saw awhile back. Almost. But then a funny thing happened. I started getting all nostalgic.

A silly little sticker brought one person rushing into my head. Grandpa Campbell. He LOVED Andre. LOVED WWF! But not like testosterone filled rednecks love it. He loved it for the comedy. So many times we'd walk into his house and see him sitting in his recliner, watching wrestling and laughing so hard he had tears running down his cheeks. The women sidekicks gave him the most amusement. The more hysterical they'd get, the more he roared with laughter. Then one day he bought us tickets! WWF was going to be in DC! What?! My 10 year old ears could hardly believe that these people who we watched on TV would actually be here, where I lived, and we could go see them! I saw Andre the Giant fight Hulk Hogan. I don't remember anything else from that day except that. It was a legendary match up and I knew it even as a kid. And people still today tell me how impressive that is when I tell them. I dutifully woke up at 7am every Saturday morning to watch "Hulk Hogan's Rock & Wrestling" cartoon and reveled in the knowledge that I had seen them in person! In. Person.

Today my grandpa is gone. And my cousin Stephen, who sat next to me on that awesome day and laughed along with Grandpa at so many things, is also gone. So many things lately flood these memories back to me since Steve left us. I always wonder, would these thoughts come back as easily if he were still here? Would I remember him teaching me the names of all the moves: Nelson, Half Nelson, Sleeper Hold. So many little things that come into my brain and they're fun, happy memories. But they make me so damn sad because I can't tell him that I saw this sticker today and it reminded me of when we were 10. I have to wonder if he would appreciate, as much as I did, a sticker that said "Andre the Giant has a Posse".

The worst brings out the best

How many more people are we going to hear about that are losing their jobs? Too many for my taste. You read the sad stories everyday, people selling their most prized possessions, cutting back on luxuries, downsizing their homes, cars, etc., etc. It's not often you hear the stories of people making it work with the new time they have or finding a new love after a long career was put to rest. Here is such a story. This is the story of Anna. This is a single mom, one of the millions in America laid off. Her newest venture - art. And I love it! It's funky and retro, and just plain fun! Her collages are my favorite. Please check out "It Takes Two" and imagine my girls.
http://www.annacreates.com/

She has her very first art show this Wednesday, August 19 at Get Coffee in Chamblee. Good luck Anna!!!

A time for firsts

Today is Mia's first day of 1st Grade. On Thursday of last week, she lost her first tooth! On Saturday, she took her first trip to Tennessee. And for the first time, my camera has stopped recognizing my memory card! So I have zero pictures of any of these events. So far.........

This blogger's absense has been brought to my attention twice in the past few weeks so I guess it's about time I put it back into my daily routine. Starting tomorrow!

Until then, let me tell you - though I have no photographic proof until I steal the photos I took with my Mom's camera - Pikeville, TN is pretty darn gorgeous! And my Great-Aunt Priscilla & Great-Uncle Ed have one amazing house sitting atop a mountain with the most amazing view from their front porch! We were only there a few hours but had a blast! Thanks to my wonderful family for a great day!

Wearing them out!

Hello Blog readers! Long time no see! I've been busy and lazy lately which is a wicked combination!

Layla has recently decided that only babies nap. She turned 3 in December and therefore has decided that she is NOT a baby and will NOT nap. An issue that wouldn't bother me as a working mom but kills me when I pick her up and she's tired. Tired in a 3 year old translates to whiney and rude. And since my 6 year old has decided that stomping her feet and screaming at me is going to earn her extra play time, my afternoons are just as soothing as they can be.

So I have a new plan. I can't control the weekdays since I don't have her but the weekends - oh boy, I'm going to wear her out on the weekends! On Sat we spent 4 hours walking around the zoo. Our friend had a stroller. Did I let Layla rest a bit in the stroller? Nope. She was walking. Now, I'm no tyrant and did occasionally carry her or put her up on my shoulders but not for long. The Altanta Zoo has 2 playgrounds. We let the kids run around on both. Now it amazes me that Layla is "too tired" to walk from the otters to the pandas but show her a playground and suddenly she's Usain Bolt. (you know, that dude from the Olympics? The fast one. Right. Him) Ten minutes into the ride home and she was conked out. I dumped her on the living room couch, not risking a walk upstairs and had a peaceful hour and a half to read. It was amazing! On Sunday, the only active thing we did was go to the grocery store and she was still so worn out from Sat that she fell asleep watching cartoon at her Papa's house. Thank goodness for the family pass b/c now whenever I have a good book to read, we're going to the zoo first!

5 Albums that shaped me

On Facebook there is this application where you can pick your top 5 of basically any catagory you can think of. And if you didn't think of one, don't worry, some moron thought of it for you. I chose "5 Albums That Shaped Me" and as I did, very specific memories came into focus. And because most of my readers are family, I felt the need to share them. And Facebook status just isn't the place for that. So I give you my childhood set to music (the music will be in your head so sing along!)

The Beatles: Let It Be - My parents loved the Beatles and passed that love on to me & my sister. We spent hours watching their movies, singing their songs, choosing our favorites. I chose this album mostly for the title song. Remember the skit on Sesame Street with The Beetles singing "Letter B"? My cousin Steve & I loved that so much that when the real song would come on, we'd sing the Sesame Street version.

The B-52's: This is their self titled album. I'm saying album because that's how I was introduced to them. On authentic vinyl. It was awesome. Countless times my sister & I would scour the collection to find that bright yellow cover. I have no idea what songs are on this album except for one. The only one that mattered to a 6 year old and her 3 year old sister and the only one that matters to my now 6 year old and her 3 year old sister. That song is "Rock Lobster" and I contend that it is one of the greatest dance songs of all time!

Squeeze: 45's and Under - This is the soundtrack to 1982. Every car ride we listened to this and everytime I hear a song from it, I immediately feel like driving. Steve's favorite song was Cool for Cats. It's on Rock Band 2 and it makes me happy to sing it for him. He had a thing for cat songs, I remember we both loved the Stray Cat Strut too. This album was remasted onto CD in 1995 and became the soundtrack to my freshman year of college. It made my psycho roommate much more bareable when I could drown her out with Pulling Muscles from a Shell. When I wasn't driving her crazy blasting Mr. T Experience of course.

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - This is the album my mother would leave parties early to go home and listen to. I know this because she told me hundreds of times! When I was in college I finally bought the CD and realized what she meant. It's an amazing album. My dad used to wake us up singing "Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head". It's timeless.

They Might Be Giants: Flood - My Aunt Nancy made a mix tape for my mom back in 1990 that included several songs from this album and I fell in love immediately. I must have been crazy nostalgic in college b/c I bought this one too and realized that there isn't a song on it that's not fantastic! And thus began my love affair with TMBG. I've seen them in concert twice and have several of their CD's plus both children's music CD's to pass the love on to my kids. I was so enamored of them that it was very hard to contain myself when on one of the first dates with my husband, he turned this CD on in the car. I was all, "You like them too?!" and I was done for. Not to put too fine a point on it.

Get Unspoiled

I think I'm in love with this man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

It won't let me embed it, I apologize but it won't hurt you to click. It's worth it I promise.

So is this:


My cousin gave up Facebook for Lent. My mom is giving up internet Boggle. I'm giving up just being on the computer at home for anything other than necessities. Family & friends are more important. Call them on the phone, go visit them. Life is more than instant gratification. Just wait, it's worth it.

From the mind of a 3 year old

Mia: Ooh - it's a Tom Tom
Me: Well, Daddy's is called a Magellan
Layla: Jello?
Me: Not Jello, Ma-gell-an
Layla: I like Jello!

Fail

Have you seen the Fail Blog yet? If not, go now. No wait, read this small post first, and then go because once you get there, you will undoubtedly spend hours scrolling through the ridiculous blunders showcased. It is one of the few blogs I view every single day. Although sometimes it's fun to wait a few days so I have more posts to view when I get there.
While I'm out and about, I usually find my own fails that I only hope will one day get posted on Fail Blog. Such as this:

I don't know where to even begin with this. The idea alone appears to be a fail but then there's more. The final 'S' on Jesus is insane. The final 'S' on Loves was an afterthought. It is just fail gold! What is the message here anyway? Are they trying to tell me that Jesus loves police or that the Jesus Police love me? I'm so confused! I didn't even get a photo of his rear window which was covered in spiritual messages. How he sees out of it, I have no idea. So maybe the message is supposed to be that Jesus loves Police so that when he gets pulled over, they will show mercy.

Go Ball Go

Well, here's the video. As you can see, it's sideways. I keep forgetting that while my camera automatically rights sideways photos, it has yet to figure out when I'm retarded and filming sideways. Facebook lets you rotate but not Blogger. So tilt your head and enjoy!

Coming soon to a blog near you....

Wow, I have been neglectful. Sorry to my few dedicated readers. It's not time, I don't think I'm any more busy, just lazier. I'm doing better here than my poor baking blog which hasn't been updated since October.

This weekend we discovered that Mia & Layla can handle Wii bowling. I have video and will post it tomorrow. Layla's form consists of a feeble attempt at "throwing" the ball and then yelling "GO BALL GO BALL GO BALL" as it rolls down the lane. It's hilarious, I promise. I also have plans to include a weekly Layla photo post but since her camera is still in the box and sans batteries, that will have to wait a bit. But when it happens, it will be awesome. What could be better than a 3 yr old's view of the world?

To keep you occupied until I get my stuff together, visit this site my sister sent to me. It is one of the greatest gifts the internet has offered since the Lolcats.
http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/

Grey Gaas

My family is Irish. Last week we lost one of our cousins. We are good at being Irish and so we drank. As we drank, we discussed the merits of Grey Goose Vodka. What happened then was a tale of its origin created by the warped mind of my cousin Joel. This is his story:

Grey Goose vodka was invented by a Mr. Goose. He married a woman name Ms. Greygaas. He made a vodka and it was fantastic. He loved his wife very much. He was honored that she had taken his name when they married because she had such a wonderful name before. So he decided to name the vodka after her and call it Greygaas. But decided to spell it Grey Goose to include his name too. But the correct pronunciation should always be like Greygaas*. So what begins as a love story ends as a story of a man who attempts to be chivalrous but just can't do it 100%. After badgering Joel for quite some time about how ridiculous his story is, he claimed to have read it on Wikipedia. So here's that link; try and find the story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goose_vodka

The moral of this story is. When you're feeling inconsolable about the loss of a family member, just find that "special" family member to make you feel all warm & fuzzy inside.

Look how adamant he is and how his family just laughs at him. Bless his heart.

Love you Joel!

*a spelling which I am completely making up by the way

Stephen

I keep looking at your facebook page.
You were my first friend.
I opened up the scrapbook my mom made and the very first picture is us kissing at age 1. The second picture is us in the July 4th Parade in Grandma's neighborhood.
I remember fighting w/ some kid in Kindergarten because he was sitting next to you. I was so upset. You were MY cousin and that was MY seat!
I remember talking you into walking to the bus stop the long way when there was snow so we'd miss the bus on purpose and have to stay home. That only worked once before our parents caught on.
I remember being jealous of your store bought Halloween costume. It was a cheap plastic Yoda mask with a crappy rubber band. I thought it was awesome.
I remember annoying the crap out of Megan during sleepovers.
I remember Lory chasing you around the St. Michael's playground yelling "Campbell soup! Campbell soup!" and you were so happy when you got to change your name.
I remember drinking Mellow Yellows after our moms' soccer games and singing the Donovan song.
I remember getting candy cigarrettes at Friendly's and thinking we were so cool.
I remember being a flower girl and you the ring bearer.
I remember sitting at the playground by my house until late at night, catching up on all the years we'd missed.
I remember taking Grandpa's raft out too far in the ocean. We were trying to reach the waves where they began. The current was too strong and we couldn't get back to shore. Grandpa had to swim out and drag us back in.
That's how I'm thinking of this. You had gone too far and Grandpa came and got you.

I love you and I will miss you so very much.

Ice Skating

I mopped the floors to celebrate our puppy finding a new home. Layla discovered that she could glide around in her socks after I did that. This spring I'm enrolling her into dance classes because she cannot keep her feet still. We watched the new Muppet Christmas special this year and every time they broke into song, Layla broke into dance. This is her favorite activity recently, singing and dancing in a circle:

P.S. Layla got her own digital camera as a bday present so look for blog posts by Layla coming soon!

Merry Christmas!!

Where does the time go? Lordy, I don't' know how my mom survived with a job, three toddlers and two teenagers back in the day. It's two days before Christmas and we have yet to wrap a single present OR even get our tree up!! It's so so sad. Between hospital visits, birthday parties, Christmas parties, and plays I've done very little to prepare for this wonderful holiday and it saddens me. I mean, I've only watched A Christmas Story once and haven't even touched It's a Wonderful Life! It's a crime!!

Here's what we have been doing lately:

Visiting Santa Claus!

Chuck did a painting for his dad for Christmas. It came out beautifully! Of course I forgot to take a photo of the finished product but here's the work in progress:

We celebrated Christmas a bit early with Chuck's dad since they are in Puerto Vallarta this week (lucky dogs!) Layla was actually happy that she got this Disney Princess Calendar but not that I wanted to take a picture of it.

Mia's class had a small holiday party at school. They sang Raffi's "Must Be Santa" which was awesome since when my siblings were much younger, we hear that song ad nauseum. I actually started singing along by reflex until Chuck elbowed me in the ribs. So I let the kids have the glory.

I love the snapping.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!

I need a nap.

Hooked on Phonics worked for me!

Mia is really getting into reading and writing. It's amazing to watch your children develop, just one of many things that makes parenting worth all the trials. Watching her sound out difficult words and putting them together to read sentences, read books. It's awesome.
The girls received some early Christmas presents from her great grandparents on Chuck's side. They were in town for Thanksgiving and wanted to see them opened. One was a little Disney Princess (of course) diary. Side note - I promise to try really hard to NOT be one of those parents that reads their kids diaries but I think at age 5 it's not yet considered an invasion of privacy.

She has as of yet just written one page and then gave up because she was tired of trying to figure out how to spell things. She created a title page for her new diary and her title is this:

Printsess Slepnge Byoode

(translation: Princess Sleeping Beauty)

10 points for creativity! The kid's got the greatest imagination.

Words that should be 4 letters

Tumor is just about the scariest thing a doctor can say. It is second only to Cancer. I am lucky to have a "benign" tumor. Although the definition of benign is "of a gentle disposition". I have to disagree with that and find a new adjective for the angiomyolypoma that has made a home in my kidney. Little 3 cm masses that rupture, bleed, and make you want to die from the pain are anything but gentle.
Today I feel ok. Ok is only due to a nice orange bottle full of percosets.

But there is a silver lining to the dark cloud. While I am incapacitated, my husband has been amazing. He even pushed me around the supermarket in a wheelchair while we waited on my prescription to be ready. He's done laundry, read to the girls, put them to bed, and has just about waited on me hand and foot. I have wonderful friends and family that have been so supportive. I am truly blessed. So I just wanted to say thanks to everyone in my life. I love you all!

It's Christmas Ryan!

It's that time of year. The Christmas season is my favorite! I adore Christmas music and driving through neighborhoods looking at the lights and decorations people put up. Until recently, my favorite Christmas CD was Muppet Christmas with John Denver. It's nostalgic and wonderful. I used to put it in my walkman and fall asleep to it when I was a kid as I cuddled up to my stuffed Santa (which I still have and put out every year!) Now, my favorite, my mom's favorite, my sister Erin's favorite and my brother Ryan's least favorite in the whole world is the five CD set by Sufjan Stevens. Ryan might have liked it at first but since it has become the staple of mom's Christmas listening, he has been overwhelmed by the soothing sounds and they have become nails on a chalkboard to the poor boy. Me, I have it on repeat on my office computer and I never tire of it. How can you not love this?


Merry Christmas to all my friends, family, and internet readers!

Houston, we are go for poop

One of the most daunting tasks of parenting is potty training. It is frustrating and messy. I made the decision to stop fooling around with the pull ups already and get down to business on the long holiday weekend. Why didn't I try this sooner?! Layla took to it almost immediately. Seriously, one day of accidents (thank you GOD the one at my in-law's was outside!) and she was all into being a big girl! She argues about wearing a pull up to bed but I draw the line on washing sheets more than 3 times in a week! Not to get all graphic but going number 2 is a bit difficult for the little ones. Layla seemed to wait until she got her nap diaper to go. My dear, loving husband found this out the hard way. We had just sat down to dinner and she said she had to go. I, luckily, was trapped in bench seating and he was at the head seat so he got up to help her. He took her to the bathroom, yanked her diaper down and *plop*, a nice present landed in his hand! For all the mothers out there you know what a moment this is! This is retribution for all the stinky diapers and throw up and runny noses we have ever had to clean up. I could barely choke out a "sorry honey" as the tears rolled down my face.
She has since mastered that aspect and though she still has an accident here and there, they are getting fewer and farther between and I am proud to say that I bought my last package of diapers!

Hi, remember me?

I'm the girl with the blog. I've been busy/lazy and not updating for - jeebus - one month! Sorry to my loyal 3 readers. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I missed my VA family as I nommed on dry turkey and strange yellow gravy. It tasted right but looked off. However, yellow gravy does not top the myserious green potatoes of '89. I can eat yellow gravy, I could not find it within myself to sample Nana's potatoes.

In the time between now and my last blog. We've been busy! The girls enjoyed trick-or-treating very much!

We went to a neighborhood that goes all out for the holiday and though many houses scared the crap out of poor Layla, many were like this Hollywood home - very cool! There was a Wizard of Oz house that was handing out full tins of hot chocolate mix. It was a lot of fun. Although Layla still complains about the monsters to this day.

In other news, they are preparing for Santa's arrival by studying toy catalogues and asking for different things everyday. Chuck prepared by cashing in extra leave hours and buying a huge a$$ TV! I have to admit, it is an awesome television and we have enjoyed it immensly. Especially when LOTR came on this weekend and Aragon was in 42" of high def!

So, we are all still alive and well. I will leave you with a Mia-ism. Last night we were driving home from my father-in-law's and Mia asked, "Mommy & Daddy, can you get me & Layla some stock bonds?"