Sweet Cheeks

It's so hot down here my son has resorted to reading in the nude. After chasing the cat around the house naked (those pictures aren't publishable!) he honed in on his LeapPad.

Look at that little butt!

Brian just may kill me for this post.... (Sorry, honey!)

Step 3 Complete!

We are now into Step 4 of our move. We got to Texas yesterday evening and are settling into our temporary home here. We walked through our "final destination home" this afternoon to see how it was coming along and we can't wait til it's done so we can move in! It's very exciting.

At this point we are exploring the area a little bit, buying groceries, doing laundry, unpacking our suitcases, etc. Tonight I have a new student orientation at school and tomorrow I'll go back to campus to pay my tuition, buy my books, etc.

It doesn't quite feel real. If it wasn't for the 90 degree weather I wouldn't believe we were actually here! MAN it's hot!!

46 Bobby Pins (and even more tears)

I just finished pulling 46 bobby pins out of my head. Today was my dear friend Amanda's wedding. I was her Matron of Honor so I've been here in Raleigh since Thursday and I leave tomorrow.

It was such a beautiful day. The wedding came together perfectly, which is so fitting since Amanda is the essence of perfection! I was so honored to stand by her side today. Amanda and I have been great friends since college. We've been through a lot together and I am so thrilled she and her beautiful daughter Kathleen found Mr. Right to complete their family. Congratulations, Chris and Amanda! The photos I took are in our Photo Album if you want to check them out.

In Amanda's honor I will tell our favorite story. Ready? Here goes.

The summer Amanda was pregnant with Kathleen her car battery died just a few blocks away from where I worked. She stopped into my office and asked if I knew of any guy in the office who could give her a jump. I was in one of those proud "We don't need a man!" modes, so I said I would help her. I pulled my car up to hers and we opened the hoods. We hooked the jumper cables up to my battery just fine but her battery was so old it was corroded and we couldn't tell which was side was positive and which was negative. So what did we do? We guessed.

Never guess.

We hooked it up and a little spark flew up, followed by a tiny sizzle of smoke. Amanda was like, "Ummmm.... Christine?" I said, running to my car, "It's fine.... Just get in your car and I'll hit the gas!"

Never listen to me.

Before we knew it there was smoke EVERYWHERE. We ran out of our cars and the plastic was literally melting off the jumper cables... including the handles (so we couldn't unhook them from the batteries)! In a panic I started running around the neighborhood knocking on doors and screaming for help. Amanda totally kept her cool (that is SO Amanda... and SO not me!). Finally the smoke died down once we turned our cars off and we were able to pry the cables off the batteries with some old rags once they cooled down. We then realized the cables had actually burned into the side of my car (that was fun to explain when I traded it in for a new one a few years later)!

*sigh* OK, fine, I'll admit it.... We needed a man.

Congratulations, David Cook!

Well I am surprised, but pleasantly so! Of the 2 David's (Archuleta and Cook), I definitely liked David Cook better. Archuleta has an incredible voice, but as far as performers go... well, Cook blows him out of the water. While I think the best man won, I almost wish Archuleta had won instead, because I think he needs the contract more than David Cook does. I think Cook would have succeeded either way, but behind Archuleta's amazing vocals he's just a goofy kid with a lot of talent that maybe in 5 years could go somewhere. Right now he's just not marketable as a performer. I'm afraid without American Idol he won't go much of anywhere after this. That being said, maybe that's a good thing. If he were to try to make it now and flop, it would be hard to make a comeback later. If he can stay out of the spotlight til he's matured a little as a performer maybe he could have a shot down the road. Who knows?

Am I making any sense or am I just babbling? Forgive me. Anyway, until next year....

CW.... OUT!

More Animals!

We have had our fill of animals the past few days! Yesterday Brian, Chase and I went to the St. Louis Zoo and it was so fun, especially now that Chase is at the age where he is interested in the animals! His favorites of the day were the turtles, the anteater and the chimpanzees. A new addition to the zoo was the dinosaur exhibit where they had animated life-sized dinosaurs!

Today we ran around all day and the last stop was the cemetary where Brian's mom is buried. There is a great pond there where we fed the ducks! Chase loved the "quack quacks," but the rest of us were attacked by one or more of them at some point. Here is a nice photo I took of The Worthams while we were there:

Petting Zoo

Today we went back to the petting zoo and it was open this time! Chase had a BLAST with all the animals. He wasn't afraid of them in the least. We were really impressed with all the walking he did there, too. Sometimes he held our hand but other times he just let go and took off after a duck or something (while I prayed he didn't fall into a pile of poop)! GO CHASE! We were very proud of him. Afterwards we went over to the park side and played on the swings!

It's nice to be able to enjoy family time while we can, before we start work/school again in a few weeks.

Movie Marathon

Yesterday Brian and I got a chance to do something we've been talking about doing for months: A Movie Marathon. We spent 10 hours in a movie theatre yesterday. When one movie was over we went to another one. We saw 4 movies total and ate nothing but popcorn, candy, soda, a hot dog and a pretzel all day. The movies we checked out were (in order) Made of Honor, Iron Man, Narnia and What Happens In Vegas. We both agreed we liked Iron Man the best. After that our opinions varied. But none of them were bad movies so I think we did pretty well!

Of course after seeing previews all day for the other movies coming out this summer we decided we are going to need another movie marathon day to see all those summer films!

Anyway, it was great fun. I wonder if the employees there noticed we had been there all afternoon?! The ticket people were confused more than once when Brian bought 2 tickets and then said his wife was already inside (I was often getting the popcorn and soda refills)! I would highly recommend this date idea if you love movies. We were fortunate enough to have free babysitters or it would have been a VERY expensive day! Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa W!

Activity!

We have had a lot of activity here the past couple days. Last night we all went to a Cardinals game, which meant a late night for Chase. Our plan was to put him down for a later afternoon nap than usual so he would be better rested when it was time to go. To keep him occupied during his normal afternoon nap time we went to a park where there were animals! The petting zoo was closed but he was able to say hi through the fences:

When we got home we put him down and our plan backfired (truth be told, they usually do)! He fought the nap for an hour and eventually slept for only about 45 minutes before we had to wake him up to go to the game. We weren't quite sure what kind of mood he would be in at the ballpark but, as usual, he was a champ!

His favorite moments of the game:

• Clapping! He loved clapping every time the audience cheered.
• Dancing to the loud music.
• Flirting with the lady sitting next to me (She loved his clapping, so from time to time he would just start clapping randomly... looking at her the whole time like, "Are you paying attention? I'm being cute here!")
• "Bubbles" (What he called the bugs swarming around the stadium lights)
• Balls - He actually followed the baseball as the pitcher threw it, batters hit it, etc. He would just shout over and over in excitement, "Ball! Ball! Ball!"

We thought he would pass out in the car on the way home but he didn't sleep a wink. He pointed out all the trucks (or "crucks") on the road as they passed, hugged his blanket and kept saying, "night night." He CRASHED when we got back... just grabbed his blanket and literally fell over sideways in his pack-n-play. Too sweet.

Today we went out and did a little shopping, drove around neighborhoods looking at houses, and when we got home Grandma (and Grandpa) took Chase outside for some bubbles (what a hit)!

Tomorrow Grandma and Grandpa have volunteered to babysit most of the day. Brian and I are going to do a movie marathon! More on that next post....

Goodbye Syesha

This week we said goodbye to Syesha Mercado. It was time. I actually thought she should go a long time ago, but she did step up her game in the last few weeks and proved she deserved to be among the top. But I knew it was going to come down to the two David's for the finals.

It will be interesting to see how each of those extremely different artists perform the same song next week!! As you may remember, I am not a fan of that part of the competition but at least this year it could be interesting, because David Cook just may be capable of making a pop song his own to rock it out his own way (if they let him)!

Mom's Shoes are FABULOUS!

I dedicate this post to Nicole, my fellow shoe lover.

Chase was playing with my shoes this morning and I took the opportunity to work on "on" vs. "off" with him. Every time his foot came out of the shoe he would hand it back to me and say, "On!"

Sorry, Brian. He chose the pink heels, not me.... I swear!

P.S. I added a video of Chase walking to the previous post ("Baby Steps") if you want to check it out!

Baby Steps!

Well today we got official word on Step 5 of our move. We will close on our new house in Texas June 23rd. That means a month of temporary housing once we move down there at the end of this month, but at least we have a concrete date to focus on now!

Also in the "step" department, Chase is getting stronger and stronger with his walking! He took his first "real" steps at Nicole's house Tuesday night (meaning he let go of me and took about 5 steps completely on his own), and today he ventured all over the place, going from person to person, letting go on his own without prodding... and he was truly enjoying himself! WOO HOO! We are thrilled, just days before his 17-month "birthday."

You know, our pediatrician said at his last appointment that if he wasn't walking by 18 months he would need to go to therapy (Physical? Occupational? I don't remember). Anyway.... I was never sold on that idea so I'm glad he started on his own before his 18 month visit so we don't have to fight that recommendation. I mean, this whole time we knew he was strong enough and definitely capable, he just lacked the courage and motivation. And come on.... How many adults do you see roaming around on their hands and knees? I was like, "He'll get it!" And today he proved it. We are so proud!

Mother's Day

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all you moms out there! We had a nice day. We went to brunch and did a little shopping. I am the luckiest mom out there, you know it? My son is not only adorable (in my incredibly unbiased opinion, of course), but he loves my stupid little songs. He has been a bit of a crab the past few days (I think the craziness of this move is finally getting to him) but one thing that can calm him down is my personal collection of silly songs, such as "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," "10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," "Little Bunny Foo Foo" and countless others. It's a small thing, but it's something just the two of us share and that is priceless. I even busted out "If You're Happy and You Know It," which I hardly ever do, and he surprised me by clapping his hands. Too sweet.

I also got two Pandora charms for my bracelet for Mother's Day.... An apple "teacher" charm to symbolize my new venture into the world of education, and a house (for our new house, obviously)! But the best Mother's Day gift was a big sloppy kiss on the chin from my baby. You just can't beat that.

Step 2 Complete!

We have completed Step 2 of our move (for a refresher on our "moving steps," click here)! This past week was a "transition week" out of Step 2 and into Step 3. We had a good time in Michigan with my parents, despite our crazy schedules while we were there! Chase played outside a lot at the house and at various parks. We also got to visit with step-family, which was nice since I don't know when we'll be able to see them next! The photos we took while we were there are now in our Photo Album if you want to check them out.

We left my parents' house Tuesday morning and headed for Chicago. We drugged Boomerang up with tranquilizers (he does NOT do well in the car) and he passed out in his litter box:


We stayed the night at friends Bart & Nicole's, who have the most adorable 3-week-old baby in the world! Meet Conor:


Chase thought he was pretty cool, too:


Wednesday morning Brian and Chase left for St. Louis while I stayed with Nicole through Saturday morning to help her with Conor (and to spend a little more time with her before I had to say goodbye.... But don't get me started on that or I'll start bawling again)! 2 nights this week I took over baby duty all night so they could get some sleep. While Conor was a WAY better sleeper than Chase ever was, around 4am both nights I was reminded of the sleep deprivation new parents go through.... And I'm not quite ready to do that again!

While I was in Chicago, Brian flew to Pittsburgh for his friends BJ & Andrea's wedding (Chase stayed in St. Louis with his Grandma & Grandpa W). Saturday we all met back in St. Louis and Step 3 officially began! It looks like we should have a couple quieter weeks ahead of us here in St. Louis until I fly to Raleigh for my friend Amanda's wedding Memorial Day weekend. PHEW!

Goodbye Jason

This week we said goodbye to Jason Castro. It was time. I thought he was adorable and interesting, but I got tired of the same old thing from him and at times he didn't seem to take things seriously enough.

I can't think of anything else to say about Jason. I'm a tad sleep deprived right now (more on that in a later post).

Translator Needed

Can anyone translate?

What a Week!

We have had an incredibly busy week. I will begin with a little background. For those of you who don't already know, I am going back to school to get my teaching certificate to teach theatre! I haven't said anything on this blog before now because I didn't want to jinx myself in case I wasn't accepted for some reason. But I had my interview today and they said I would be getting registration instructions in the mail in about a week so I'm going to assume I'm good to go. I will start classes in June and go to school full-time (7:30am-5:30pm every day) all summer long, then start teaching in the fall (for my internship). SO....

One of the requirements of the program was to get 20 hours of classroom observation in before April 25th (the day after we had to be out of our townhouse). I wasn't aware of that due date until 2 weeks before (the week we were all home sick with the flu!).... I thought I had until classes began to get them done. Since I was working full-time and getting my hours in before we had to move would have been impossible, the kind people at Tarleton gave me a week's extension to today.

OK, now that I've set that all up, let me give you an idea of what we have done this week while visiting my parents in Michigan:

Monday
Brian and I spent the day in Saginaw. I observed about 4 hours of classes and then we spent some time at the mall and went out to eat. Grandma and Grandpa babysat Chase (hey, they volunteered)!

Tuesday
I drove up to Interlochen and observed classes there all day, then stayed the night. Brian drove back to Chicago for a meeting at his school and his LAST CLASS the next day. Grandma and Grandpa babysat Chase.

Wednesday
I spent another full day at Interlochen and drove home that night. Brian was in Chicago all day for his class that evening. Grandma and Grandpa babysat Chase until Grandma had to go to her musical rehearsal, then Aunt Kiersten and Cousin Kailey took over until I got home.

Thursday
I went back to Saginaw to observe their morning class. Immediately after the class got out I hopped in the car and drove to Flint to catch a flight to Texas. I got in last night and rushed over to take pictures of our ever-evolving new house before the sun went down! I then stayed up ALL NIGHT LONG (til 3:30am) putting my classroom observation journal together to hand in at my interview today. Brian drove back from Chicago and got there late that afternoon to relieve the grandparents. Are you tallying up the babysitting bill?

Friday
That brings us to today. I got up this morning, did my interview, and hopped in the car to drive back to the airport, which is where I sit now, just waiting for my flight and the chance to lay my head against the plane window and SLEEP my way "home." Brian and Chase are there waiting for me.

TOMORROW WE CAN BREATHE AGAIN (for a little bit, anyway).... Next week we get a little crazy again while I spend a few days in Chicago with my friend Nicole and her baby, while Brian and Chase will continue on to St. Louis (Grandma and Grandpa W's). Then Brian will fly to Pittsburgh for a wedding he is in there and we'll all meet up again next Saturday in St. Louis. After that we should have more "down time" before we move down to Texas... but we won't hold our breath.

Goodbye Brooke

This week we said goodbye to Brooke White. I liked her, but I think her nerves got the best of her, especially when she was behind the piano. A few times when she played she was very weak on the piano and I was always surprised that the judges never called her out on it. I actually thought she was a lot like me that way. I would hear one little flub and from that moment on I would see her get more flustered and nervous, resulting in more and more mistakes. I think she is a great talent, but she isn't confident enough to play the piano on stage yet. I thought it worked for her style, but when her nerves took over she couldn't concentrate 100% on her vocals and by the end of the song she would lose me. But overall I was sad to see her go. I thought she was a sweetheart and had a lot of talent.