Windstorms

Who knew that Cincinnati is quite the windy city??

I mean seriously people, rarely does a day go by that it isn't rather blustery. During the summer, it's great! The temperature can be really hot, but you still have a nice breeze to sit outside.

Now during the winter, it becomes rather scary! Last night we had our third or fourth really good windstorm. The kind where the house seems like it might collapse. It creaks, and the windows sound like they are going to break. It is so loud that I can never go to sleep.

I woke this morning to see that the realtor's sign broke from the wind. The top half broke right off. I guess this is better than the first storm of the season, when the sign flew into the neighbor's yard, a good 75 feet or so away.

Nicholas Update

Sinus infection with conjunctivitis. No ear infections. YIPPEE!

And since he has both the eye infection and the sinus infection, I don't have to try to squeeze drops into a squirmy child who is very strong. Just a lovely white goo that he actually likes to swallow for an antibiotic.

You Know It Has Been Cold While You Were Gone When...

You get in your car at the airport and find a can of Diet Coke contorted in weird shapes.

You get in the same car 3 days later and while waiting in traffic look at the ceiling and notice the can of Diet Coke not only contorted in weird shapes when it froze, it also shot little droplets of brown all over the ceiling of your car.

The good part... it wasn't you, but your beloved spouse who brought the can in the car and left it there.

You Know It's Cold Outside When...

You bring a can of Diet Coke inside from the garage (your current secondary refrigerator), and the drink is slushy inside.

And now your garage is functioning as a freezer and the drinks are in the laundry room instead.

Wonderful Friends

We just got back from 5 days spent in the Houston area. And it was a busy, but very fun time.

Thank you to all our wonderful friends that watched the kids for us, invited us over for dinner, came out to dinner or lunch with us, and generally made us feel like we were home.

Katie didn't want to leave, and keeps asking when we are going back. This from the child who didn't want to come at all. Of course, once she realizes that when you live there, you don't see a different friend every day of the week, she may change her tune. But hopefully, we will be able to keep up the time spent with friends even when we live there.

Great friends are invaluable!!!!

Texas Bound...Eventually

God wants us to live in Texas.

How do I know?

Hmmm...let me see. We got to the airport in Houston very early, since our car rental had to be returned. We found that our flight was delayed until 8:30 from an original departure of 7:45. Nicholas was running a fever, probably around 102 if I had to guess. I was feeling rotten and had no voice. We finally got on the plane, and arrived in Dayton shortly after midnight. Once the bus took us to our car, we discovered a flat tire. Once Mike located the tire and jack, and changed the tire it was after 1 AM. We got back to our house after 2 AM.

I think we should have all just stayed in bed.

And that bed was where????

TEXAS!

Is My Family Crazy?

I am beginning to think we have all gone a little nutty.

The kids are riding their scooters around the house. Yes, we have allowed them to ride indoors due to the rainy and cold weather we have had until today. Today was 70 and sunny. On January 7th. Unimaginable!!

My son thinks he is a Wiggle. And my daughter dances to any music at any time. They put on a 15 minute Wiggles variety show, all caught on video, the other night. She seemed to take a director's role, while he was very comfortable performing.

The Christmas tree is still up. I don't have the heart to take it down. And I am feeling awfully tired anyway. Instead I have been busy watching Grey's Anatomy seasons 2 and 3 whenever possible. I am obsessed. Plus trying to keep a house in "showing" condition with 2 little untidy children, is quite time consuming.

Then we have the husband with his stacks of books that he carts around the house, since you never know what you might be in the mood to read. Who watches endless episodes of Cosmos, and the science channel. And is currently in football watching season - bowl games and playoffs.

Things are definitely stranger than normal.

A Wiggly Christmas

After returning from our trip to Chicago, we found that a last minute present for Nicholas had arrived while we were gone.

My darling son, loves, and I mean LOVES, the Wiggles. He sings, reads, watches, plays, and lives them. He has declared that when he grows up he wants to be a Wiggle. Jeff and Anthony.

As background to this present you should know the story...

Nicholas has been playing Wiggles with a Little Pet Shop house, and 4 matchbox cars: a blue one, a red one, a yellow one, and another blue one. He asked that Santa bring him a purple car to be Jeff since he didn't have one.

Instead Mom and Dad bought him a group of Wiggle playsets on ebay. They didn't come cheap, but the woman selling them was very nice and very generous. She emailed me saying she was in the Christmas spirit and asked what other Wiggle toys we had and who my son's favorite characters were. When the package arrived there were a ton of extra toys: a microphone that plays music and you can sing in, a big red car with the 4 guys in it, 2 finger puppets, and a big Murray doll that sings and talks. He loves them and plays with them every day. So a Wiggly after Christmas it has been.

And here is the beloved Samantha and Katie in their matching jammies.

Trip to Chicago

We were supposed to go to Chicago to visit my parents, brother, friends, and family prior to Christmas, but I got a stomach bug that ended that plan, and also ended any plan we could have made for our 9th anniversary on the 19th.

So instead we revised our plan to go a week later, right before New Years. My brother would be out of town, but we could see everyone else. Plus we had planned to go visit the Indianapolis Children's Museum, which is supposed to be the largest Children's museum, after Christmas, and it is only another 3 hours to my parents from there. So off we went.

We got to the museum an hour later than planned. Partly because we got stuck sitting in stopped traffic while some construction was being done on the highway, and partly because we didn't leave as early as we had planned. The museum was packed!!! So busy that we really couldn't enjoy ourselves with 2 small kids. We went to the dinosaurs first, which was really a great display, but a little dark for Katie's taste, and very busy. The kids did have some fun playing the computer question games that were set up along the walls though.

They also got to see several other parts of the museum, and take a ride on the Yule Sled, a good sized slide from the second floor to the first. I went with Nick, and Katie went by herself right next to me, but had to hold my hand at first. Too bad we had to wait 15 minutes just to ride or I think they would have done it several times.

I highly advise going on a less crowded day. The museum is not set up well for parents with young kids. There are many exhibits that your child can go one way, and you have to run around to try to find where they came out at. And with all the people, it could take you 10 minutes to find them again. It also seemed geared to older kids in my opinion.

Oh and did I mention we lost Nicholas while standing in line waiting for our tickets. Only for a few minutes though.

Then Saturday, after being at my parents house for several days, I took Katie up to the American Girl store with Grandma and Grandpa. She had been saving her money since before her birthday, and had some to spend. Then she got money from her grandparents, which gave her enough to buy the one thing she wanted from Santa that she didn't get. A new American Girl doll.

But before purchasing anything, we were able to get into the brunch at the cafe there. I had tried getting a reservation but they were booked. We were third on the wait list and luckily managed to secure what looked like one of the last tables there. Yippee! Katie stared around in amazement as the waiter sat both her and her doll at the table.

Then we went out to finish our shopping.

And Katie picked out Samantha, one of the historic dolls. She is beautiful! And as of right now she dresses her for the day, and for bed, and caters to her like a real person.

Christmas 2007

This years winning Christmas photo.

The dress was one Katie got from Grandma E. last year, and while a little snug, it was gorgeous on her.

Also, that adorable looking, handsome, smiling boy in the picture...5 seconds before this shot had been writhing around on the floor complaining he couldn't stand up. That is until Daddy got on the phone with Santa. Amazing what a little phone torture will do.

Making Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve after going to mass in the gym.

Yes I said gym. The gym was supposed to be for the overflow of the church and have a large screen telecast. The gym was also filled to capacity with people standing. Luckily for us, the children were ideally well behaved. Katie wore the gorgeous dress that Grandma E. gave her last year in addition to the one in the above picture. This one was a little more practical for the weather of the day with long sleeves. Nicholas on the other hand, had to wear an old shirt and pants, since he had gotten his Christmas clothes dirty previously, and they weren't dry in time for mass.

Two happy children on Christmas morning. 5:45 to be precise!!Nick with one of his favorites from Santa, and mine too. A Shake and Go Racecar set.

Katie, Bitty Baby, and the American Girl who is just referred to as my American Girl (once upon a time Princess Christmas and Princess Springtime) all in matching jammies and hats from Santa.