Prayers for ROWAN

When I was pregnant with both of my kids, the one thing I was asked more often than I wanted was whether or not I wanted a boy or a girl. Of course, the politically correct thing to say was, "I just want the baby to be healthy" but honestly, that's what I wanted...that's what every parent wants. Would I be lying if I said I didn't care? Yes, I cared. I wanted to know what I was having, I just didn't have a preference...I'm a planner, people...pink or blue, okay?

So then came Facebook and there, I connected with lots of old friends...many of which had become moms, just like me. One of those moms, though, has become really special to me, unbeknownst to her.

One of my sorority sisters, Liz, has a son Rowan, who was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease known as OMS (Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome). I didn't know much about it until I connected with her on Facebook and did some research myself. It's hard to pinpoint for me, why I'm attached to Rowan's story. Maybe it's because I have Ronan and they are around the same age...or maybe it's because I no understanding of why little kids can get sick like they do. BUT, my main purpose in blogging this is for exposure and education.

There are many diseases out there that I know very little about, but it doesn't hurt to learn, right?

Read about Rowan...he's an incredible little man with an amazing family.

Thanks, Liz, for letting us into this part of your family's life...big hugs!

Quick Updates

I'm sorry I've been so MIA on blogging. It's something I love to do and I'm sad I haven't been consistent with it...I will hopefully be getting back on track within the next week or so. BUT, until then, I'll just post some quick updates.

a) Happy Birthday to my Little, Rochelle, who celebrated her golden birthday yesterday. She turned 29 on the 29th in 2009. Crazy! I am so sad that we weren't there to celebrate with her, but I hope she knows we thought about her all day yesterday!

b) Ronan has been drinking, or maybe I should say sipping, soy milk! It's not something that doesn't come without some bribery, but it's a step forward. He doesn't really like it and sorta gags when he drinks it, but I know he's not allergic to it. We've made it taste a little better with some squirts of chocolate syrup. It's progress.

c) Riley is a fish. She is swimming so well and it all came without spending a fortune on lessons. Will we eventually put her in some sort of lesson in the future? Probably. I'd like for her to learn the strokes properly...but man, I'm impressed at how great she's doing! She loves the pool.

d) Our house is officially on the market. It's lost a ton of value since the day we purchased, but we aren't upset. We have accepted it. We just hope it sells. Honestly, I'm ready to move. I'm over Tampa. I know, what will we do when we are so far away from Disney?!?! Well, I think we've been really fortunate to have had the opportunity to go as often as we have and we'll take advantage of the savings on airfare until the time we have to move. And yes, I can't wait to move. I'm ready for our next adventure.

e) I'm obsessed with Big Brother 11. I can't help it. Every season, I watch and I get sucked in. This season is no different. I love having onDemand so I can watch it without having to fast forward to commercials. Does it mean that I have to wait a day to watch it? Yes, but it's worth it.

f) I'm super busy making things for WeAreFullofScrap. It's awesome. I just finished with baby announcements, bridal shower invites and I have several new projects keeping me busy these next few months. I have to thank all my friends who have supported me in this endeavor and ordered products from me! It's allowed me to stay creative!

I will be posting pictures of everything in the next few days!

Mexican Food + Mouse Sighting = Gross

Last night, I went out to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Sinigual. Since it opened in June of 2008, Ryan and I have really enjoyed every chance we get to eat there. It's the one place we choose to go, if we ever get date nights together.

Recently we've even tried their $1 tacos on Tuesday nights and after our first time, we decided it could be something we'd do on a regular basis...I mean, it can cost more than that to make tacos at home!

But last night, I was there with a couple friends and while having a good time, I spotted, in the cantina area we were sitting in, a small mouse. It was so clear to me, as it was directly under the spotlight in that room...but I couldn't even scream. In a loud whisper, I told the other girls there was a mouse...we all sorta froze.

I walked over to the bartender and told him...he came over, called his manager and another guy came to try and find the little critter. After no luck, they opened the door to try and let it out...and the manager came over to apologize for seeing that.

He also went on to say that he had seen a mouse in the restaurant before and that he thought "they lived outside" and the reassured us that he would "let the mall know so they could take care of it." Didn't sit too well with me...so this morning, I decided to call the corporate office and report it. I am hoping they actually do something...because I'm pretty sure the manager wasn't going to. I have never seen someone so lax about a rodent being in their restaurant. He took 50% off our food bill...but I think it should have been so much more than that...

So sad because I love that place and you can tell me all day long that restaurants all over have mice and we just don't see it. That's fine. Whatever. But I SAW this mouse and I just can't accept that as a good answer...we'll see what happens, I guess. One thing is for sure...I won't be going back anytime soon...

Family Visit Finale

The highlight of our Disney trip, was of course, my birthday. I'm kidding. Ryan made reservations for us to have my birthday dinner at 'Ohana in the Polynesian resort. Although it wasn't as delish as it's been in the past (they changed some dipping sauces and marinades...) we still had a great time and enjoyed the rest of the evening at the Magic Kingdom.

Please note how cute the kids are in this picture...
On the last day of my parents visit, I did the normal Asian family photo shoot with the kids... It was bittersweet because the kids were so excited to be with my parents, cousin and aunt, but sad because we all knew they were leaving in a matter of hours...

Such a great visit with family and an amazing time for the kids to spend with their grandparents that adore them so much. Almost makes us want to be closer to Pittsburgh, with the exception of the fact my in-laws live there...but someday, maybe someday...

July Happenings: Part...uhh...4?

You can't have a group of Asians come to visit and not take them to the happiest place on earth! So, we did. We spent a few days at Disney and had a blast. Both Riley and I were able to celebrate our birthdays there...but, we'll just start at Day 1 of our Disney Vacay. Epcot.

Never have I had a desire to eat a turkey leg and after my parents ordered THREE, I still have no desire to eat it. BUT, they loved it and my dad literally finished his to the bone. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. He could've won a turkey leg eating contest.
My mom seemed to be having fun, although there was a ton of walking and even more rain...I think she was just happy for the much needed sit-down break...even if it meant watching my dad inhale a turkey leg in under 5 minutes. Makes my stomach churn just thinking about it...

And then came Riley's birthday...the big 7. Can you believe it? 7 years. How fast it flies by. When she was born, I worried about what I would put her in to wear to sleep, now, I worry about whether or not the shorts she is wearing are too short. I guess the worry never ends. BUT on July 8th, 2009, I worried about nothing, because she was having so much fun. Anything she wanted, she got...which I guess is okay, when Pa and Grandma are around.

We went to Hollywood Studios that day and here we are, waiting for the bus...

And yes, I wore my birthday pin, too. I can't help it. I like hearing all the birthday wishes wherever you go...even perfect strangers say it. I'm telling you, Disney is magical!

Ronan was nice to Riley...that was his birthday gift to her...

And here Riley is with her second cousin, Alin. They had so much fun together...I think Riley really enjoys having someone pick out all her clothes and hang out with her all the time...Riley got the chance to practice BEING a teenager, WITH a teenager...

Ryan and his Flea Market Purchase: NOT!

My parents are huge fans of flea markets. In fact, I don't think they miss a Sunday outing to Trader Jacks...and I was not about to let that stop us, being over a thousand miles away. We brought them to a local flea market and walked around for a bit.

Ryan came upon a booth and stood next to a set of wiggling breasts and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to buy it and put it above our TV in the living room. You just have to love what you can find in a flea market.

New set of potholders, check.
Package of paper plates, check.
Wiggling breasts that jiggle to music, double check.

My main concern is why does Ryan look so stinkin' happy here...I don't get it.

July Happenings: Part Three

What July 4th would be complete without 'blow-off your limbs fireworks'? Yes, we let the kids hold sparklers We were standing right there, I swear. But, rather than go out and sit in a crowded parking lot, watch fireworks and then sit in traffic for an hour, we opted to sit outside of our house, do our own show and get eaten alive by bugs.
Our neighbors put on a good show, too...so it was nice to sit at home, drink a little and relax -- even though every time Ryan lit a mortar, I held my breath and prayed that he would run a little faster...

But the funniest part of the night was when Ronan decided to do his "tickle-tickle" magic on the most ticklish person in the planet, Rochelle. He literally had her squirming all over the living room floor, laughing and covering her neck from his tiny fingers. After about 20 minutes and some tears of laughter, he stopped...for Rochelle's sake. LOL.

July Happenings: Part Dos

The following day after beachin' it, my parents, cousin and aunt flew in from Pittsburgh. It had been a couple months since we had seen them in person and the kids were ecstatic for roommates and visitors. Riley shared her room with my cousin, Alin and her mom. They stopped for a second to take a picture...
One of the reasons my parents and Rochelle & Steve came to visit was not just to see our beautifully tanned faces, but for Ronan's long awaited Baptism or what I liked to call, "The Cleansing of Ronan's Original Sin." Normally, Catholics do this Sacrament within months of a child's birth...but we thought we'd be rebellious and wait uh, over 2 years! And I'm sure glad we did, because we would've never seen him in this cute little get-up as a newborn!

Yes, folks, it's a vest/tie and button-down all in one (buttoned UP the BACK!), sported with his brand new Shaq tennis shoes in a stark white. I have to say, he looked so stinkin' cute. For real. I just wanted to bite him! He seemed fine with all the attention and we were happy that Rochelle and Steve (the GodParents) could make the flight in and celebrate it with us...

But with every special gathering, there must come some sort of drama. And drama there was. Ronan's Baptism was scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on July 4th. We were told to arrive about 15 minutes prior...which we did. We sat and sat and sat and sat, in the dark church...and here Ryan and I were, stressed as could be. It was set-up for a Baptism, but there was no priest!

Rochelle proceeded to say, at 1:15 p.m., that if we wanted, we could perform the Baptism on our own and that it would be good...we could just splash him with some water and call it a day. All this time, Ryan was frantically running around, looking for a phone number or someone who could help us. He came back with the news that the priest wouldn't be here until 2:30p.m. Apparently, he had both July 4th and July 11th as the date of the Baptism and wasn't sure which one it was. (Can you picture me, panic-mode ON?)

So, to make the best of it, we had our photographer take a ton of pictures of us and within 30-45 minutes, the priest arrived and Ronan was cleansed.

Whew, at least the guests flying in wasn't in vain. We celebrated afterwards with some food, swimming and more food...

Amen.

July Happenings: Part I

The past two weeks have been filled with lots of activity and houseguests...so I haven't had time to post much. I will be making it up to you in a multi-faceted blog updated filled with lots of new posts.

July began with a visit from the newly married couple, Rochelle and Steve. They flew in from Pittsburgh a few days before my parents flew in, so we were able to spend some quality time with them. Rochelle's grandma has a condo in Longboat Key, right on the water!, so we spent the overcast/slightly wet afternoon playing in the sand and hanging out.

Ryan and I felt like we were on a mini day vacay because the kids immediately left us to play with Rochelle and Steve. (Makes us really wish we lived closer to them OR, they lived closer to us, wherever is warmer.)
I previously posted some pictures from that very day, but had to share this cute one of Rochelle, Steve and Riley...

Such a great start to an eventful weekend...

BFF's

Riley loves Rochelle. From the minute they met each other (oh, what, almost 7 years ago!), I knew at some point, they would be close friends...and they are! Riley couldn't stop talking about how excited she was that Steve and Rochelle were coming to visit and you couldn't wipe the smile off of her face when she saw them yesterday...
Please note, this picture was taken about 5 minutes before Rochelle started tutoring Riley in math. Where is Rochelle all year long when we need her for homework time? Only Riley gets excited to do math problems...when Rochelle is around.

Why go to church for a Baptism...

...when the Godfather will do it himself? Steve was preparing Ronan for what is going to happen on Saturday at the church. At least we'll all be laughing and not crying, right?

The little yellow pot...

Rochelle and Steve made it into town late Wednesday night and yesterday, we spent the day with them at the beach and pool (at Rochelle's grandma's condo in Longboat Key). *I will post more pictures of them after this weekend...* BUT, Rochelle told us this story about the little yellow pot they used to play with when they were little and how they had pictures and old movies of them playing with this yellow pot that would drip water out of its nose. She wondered if it was still there and guess what, it was....

She thought it was funny that she could remember her sister, Rachael, playing with this very pot when she was about Ronan's age...and here he was, totally entertained by this very same pot. Just goes to show that the simplest toys can make just about anyone happy...a two-year-old Ronan AND an almost 29-year-old Rochelle.

Not too hot to go outside...

From my previous post, you read that Ronan was sick...well, at one point during his feverish day, he found enough energy to want to be outside for 10 minutes (which at this point, we all needed some fresh air!). Ryan pulled out the Christmas gift Ronan received but had NEVER played with for the first time...so you can imagine the excitement both kids had when they saw what it was!
You gotta love those remote controlled cars! We only had enough batteries for one of them, but for 10 minutes, the kids were having so much fun and we sort of forgot that Ronan was sick. Even Riley was getting into it...

Hopefully, if the rain holds off this weekend, we'll be able to spend more time outside playing with them...and then maybe, just maybe, they will let daddy have a turn.

Momma, my hot.

You know your kid is sick when he runs to you and voluntarily allows you to feel his forehead. You know he is sick when you offer him his favorite cookies and he says *gasp* NO. You also know he's sick when you say, "let's go to the doctor, buddy" and he runs to get his shoes and stands by the car in the garage.

This past weekend was no fun for Ronan. He woke up on Sunday morning, on fire. His temp, 102. Stubborn little man, he refused any medication. We could do nothing to bring that fever down, but let him rest. All night, he was burning up...so first thing Monday morning, we were able to get an appointment to see our pediatrician.

STREP THROAT. Okay, so now that we have diagnosis, what do we do about it. The thoughts of giving him meds ran through my head...could we strap him down? could we just give him one injection? Our doctor offered an antibiotic we could give him just once a day. Sounds great. Wish me luck.

We get it filled, drive home and there I stood in the kitchen, staring at the bottle. I called Ronan in to ask him if he'd take it. "No, momma, my not take medicine." Crap. So then, my patience began to wear thin. He needed this to feel better. Be strong, woman, be strong. You are the boss here. You are bigger and stronger. Do it and get it over with. So then, in my Wonder Woman trance, I grabbed Ronan, held him like a baby and proceeded to shove the syringe of this pink stuff into his mouth. With tears in his eyes, he screamed and angrily spit it all back out. There went the first dose.

But then my mommy brain kicked in and I did what anyone else would do. I threatened him. I threatened to throw away his beloved scooter (coota) if he didn't take his meds. He knew I was serious, as I have thrown away many toys before...so, he cried. He walked into the kitchen and sat down next to his 'coota' and held onto it with one hand. I pulled out the syringe and slowy gave him the pink goodness and he wimpered, but strongly clenching his favorite toy. Four milliliters later, the syringe was empty. Victory was mine!

We've done great for the past 3 days with that. I still must threaten to throw the scooter away, but it gets the job done. Am I proud of myself for having to resort to threats? Of course. Just part of learning how to cope and reason with a two-year-old.

Update: He's on his last day of meds today and is feeling a whole lot better...thank goodness, because we've got lots happening this upcoming weekend! Will update soon!

Judge Judy, here I come...

In April, as some of you may recall, I was in a car accident. I was rear-ended and oddly enough, I was given a citation for "improper lane change" and sent off on my way. May I remind you that I was the one struck from behind...but I'll get to that part later.

Basically, I was driving along my merry way, in the pouring rain. I decided I was going to switch lanes. I signaled right. I observed over my shoulder that I was clear to go and made the move. Within 5 seconds, the light in front of me turned yellow and I opted to slow down and hit the brakes. I didn't want to run the light and chance getting hit.

Haha, very funny.

The guy behind me obviously wanted to run the light. I know this, because I've seen lots of Florida drivers do it. They love to run red lights. So, when you are supposed to actually GO on green, you don't because you don't want to get hit by someone still GOING on red.

So, being that the guy wanted to keep going and I didn't, he swerved to the right and hit the rear passenger side of my vehicle. We pulled over on the side of the road, called 911 and 20 some minutes later, the "Sheriff" arrived. He asked us to pull into the parking lot around a little ways so that he could avoid getting hit himself. At this point, we were quite a distance away from where the accident actually occurred.

He asked me, "What happened?" So, I told him. He didn't ask me anything else. Didn't ask me to point or show him where I did what. He had a repertoire with the other guy, so they bull shat with each other for a minute, stepped over to the side a bit where I overheard the other guy's side of the story (he was there for my whole rant), and the "Sheriff" climbed into his vehicle for 15 minutes to type up the report.

By this time, it was raining harder, so I went into my car to wait. He walked over to the other guy and talked to him, gave him the paperwork and he was off. He walked over to me and issued me a citation along with the report. I was in shock...and so was Ryan.

I didn't understand the citation, so I walked over to his vehicle to ask him, to which he said he believed I didn't switch lanes when it was clear. At that point, I knew I was going to fight it in court.


******
That brings me to yesterday. The court date. Anxious about it all weekend, I wasn't sure how I was going to do. I went through it all in my head, knowing that I wasn't guilty and was as ready as I was going to be to plead my case. I arrived at the County building in Plant City. In fact, I arrived 45 minutes early. That didn't serve my nerves well.


I sat down on the long wooden bench a few seats away from two women dressed in ripped t-shirts and dirty gray shorts. Across from me was a man wearing plaid. All plaid. Head-to-toe. Another was sporting an old Michael Jackson t-shirt. (He was mourning, like I was...) And as I was taking it all in, a man decided to plop himself down as close as he could get to me. (Hey dude, there IS room for you to spread out...) But, as I pressed myself up against the arm of the long bench, clutching my court letter and my phone, I decided to be friendly and ask...


"What are you here for?" (Like we were all in prison or something...)


He gave me his story, his citation story, his work story, his unemployment story, his girlfriend story, and his work history and a crime scene analyst. (I was mostly interested in the latter.) This began the strange bond I would have with this man, who had an Irish accent...his name Michele (pronounced Mee-kale)...I would look to him for advice...


They called us all into the courtroom. All 75+ of us. As we entered, several were asked to spit out their gum. Don't think that I didn't notice all the bacteria on their hands as they spit it into their hand and then threw it into the garbage. *Mental note, do not sit next to them.

As I scoured the room for a seat, I spotted Michele and sat next to him...reaking of stale cigarette smoke (and the most stain-ridden teeth I have ever seen), I reluctantly took a deep breath in to calm myself down. The bailiffs came into the courtroom and made some announcements.


"This is an arraignment. You will be pleading 'guilty,' 'not guilty,' or 'no contest.'"


I felt my stomach drop. An arraignment? Am I going to have to put on cuffs and shackles? Where is my attorney? Do I have to talk in front of EVERYONE in this room? What am I going to say? I should have had a donut or something.


I knew I was not guilty, so that was what I planned to plead. BUT, I guess the 'no contest' plea is the easiest and basically just gets it over with at that point. I wrestled in my mind as to what I was going to do. Why didn't I know that was an option? Why didn't I research it? I mean, I research EVERYTHING else, why didn't I think there was more to this?


So, I looked at my smoke-scented friend for advice. "What would you do?" He told me to follow my gut. He said that since the cop wasn't actually a witness, what would he say in court? He told me to plead not guilty if I felt like I really wasn't.


*****
There I was, next in line. I placed my bag and umbrella on the large table and clasped my hands as I approached the podium. I realized that once I got there, that I had walked to it as if I were heading to Communion at church or walking down the aisle at a wedding. I was mortified. But the Judge asked my name and said I was charged with "improper lane change" and to what I plea?


Not guilty, your Honor.

She answered: "Your trial will be on August 11 at 8:30 a.m. Thank you."


TRIAL?

Did she mean hearing? I mean, do I need an attorney? I'm all freaked out. Anyway, my short time with Michele educated me on what I need to do to prepare myself for the next court date. I am to take lots of pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. And, I'm to go into the room, completely confident. BUT, if you know me, you know I dread public speaking and that I will be sick about it for weeks. How am I supposed to pull confidence out of that?!



Ryan is going to help me get all that done. I am nervous. Not nervous about facing the "Sheriff" or the other guy...if he is coming... but just nervous about all this. Was this the right thing to do? Would it have been better to just plead 'no contest' and had it done and over with? I guess it's too late now. Time to prepare....

Daddy and his babies...

These were taken the other night...they were too cute to not share!

Future Gymnast?

Although Riley is not in gymnastics anymore (boo hoo...), she still insists on doing cartwheels and headstands throughout the house. Our motto has become, "as long as noone gets hurt!" Recently, Ronan has been imitating his big sister and has attempted to do cartwheels throughout the house. Riley decided that teaching him how to do a forward roll would be better...and he's actually really good at it. He still calls it a cartwheel, though!

Birdie go bye-bye?

For three days, we watched this bird from our side window...and then, it all came to an end. I had a local guy come cut our grass (it was outta control in the back and the gas is out on my lawnmower...) and after that, the bird was gone.

After making Ryan check and see if the eggs were still in the nest, we were all saddened to see a broken egg in the grass below. Poor little baby birdies.

The next day, I had an egg for breakfast. Not THAT egg, but an egg you buy from the store. I actually felt bad for eating it and contemplated becoming a vegetarian...but Ryan said, "circle of life, babe, circle of life."

Shout out to Ryan!

I just wanted to congratulate Ryan on being #7 out of 137 Marine Science Technicians to (cross your fingers!) advance to Chief. Okay, so I probably said that completely wrong in Coast Guard lingo, but we are hoping that he did well enough to make the cut-off to advance this year!

I'm really proud of him and I hope that all of his hard work pays off!

Love you, Ryan!!!

End of an era....

When I was 6-years-old I won a mirrored wall hanging of Michael Jackson, similar to this photo above, at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, PA. I remember listening to his RECORDS on my dad's record player (Riley has no understanding of what that is...if it's not an iPod, it doesn't mean anything!) over and over. My brother, Michael, used to wear this red pleather looking outfit, resembling the red leather jacket that Michael Jackson used to wear during his 'Thriller' days.

We practiced the "Moonwalk" and mortified the parental units when we grabbed our crotches like Michael did, with a sequined gloved hand pointed straight in the air.

Last night, Michael Jackson passed away -- and it truly left me in a strange state of shock. Although I fell asleep to the news stories reminiscing and reviewing his short 50-year life, I still could not believe that this pop legend passed away and ran to the tv this morning to make sure it was true.

I'm not devastated, as I would be if it were a family member or loved one, but it's just crazy insane that he is dead. I knew he was mentally whacked, but had no idea that he was physically sick in a way that would kill him.

Trying to explain this to Riley was hard. We fortunately, have not lost anyone close to us. But, if you would have seen Ryan and I last night, you would have seen us go through a strange state of mind...just trying to comprehend it all. We paid tribute to him by playing his music (the early stuff) during dinner, only to have to explain to Riley, "no, this isn't a girl singing..." or telling her that it would be like "Miley Cyrus dying a lot later in life." Not a good way to equate what we were experiencing. (Yeah, mother of the year award winner right here.) But, we tried to put it in terms she would understand and it didn't quite go the way we wanted. Yes, she was reassured that Miley is 100% still alive.

Anyway, I will spend the next few days or so scouring all the tv channels and will stop to watch any music videos they might play...because we all know they don't make videos like they used to! (Remember the "World Premier" of his videos that would air on every channel?!)

May he finally rest in peace.

Rochelle and Steve: more wedding pictures

Her photog finally was able to blog about it and I just have to share these pics...

Visit Chris Gooden's blog to see the gorgeous wedding photos he took of their special day! AND, there are a couple with Riley in them...

Makes me even more excited for their visit!!!!!

Am I in trouble now?

The kids have always been interested in music. Riley wants to play the piano AND the violin (preferably NOT at the same time!) and Ronan...well, he is the one that bangs on all my pots and pans when I'm in the kitchen.

As much as I love the sound of drums, I don't know that I would want them in the confines of my small home...especially in the hands of my little dude. BUT, when we went to Best Buy the other night, Ronan made his way over to this contraption and I couldn't help but think about how adorable he was sitting there...

Should we get it or not? LOL. We could have our own little 'Rock Band' and I can manage it.

Quick moments of love...

And then it ended when they started slapping each other. At least it lasted a minute or so...

Knock Knock

Last night, Riley taught Ronan a "knock knock" joke and surprisingly, he was able to deliver it...enjoy!!!

I'm a bad Asian...

Believe it or not, I haven't been taking many photos of the kids lately. Since Riley's been done with school, we've been trying to get the pool as much as we can and I hate taking the camera there...so I've been quite the slacker.

Updates:

a) We all have great tan lines. This is the most tan I have been since 2001 because I refused to wear any sort of bathing suit when I was pregnant and most of the time thereafter. Not that the body is nearly anywhere it should be, I have decided to embrace the Florida heat and cool off at the community pool. This has been a great thing for all of us because Riley is really doing well with the swimming part and Ronan is totally entertained in the water. Now, if only I could remember to put sunscreen on my lips. Man, do they hurt when they are burned.

b) Decluttering the home is difficult. It's so hard to let go of things. Especially when you know you paid good money for it or spent any money at all. I have been trying to simplify our lives a little and clean random rooms out each day and it's so hard to say, "donate" or "trash" or "sell." Every item seems to have some sort of emotional attachment, yet hasn't been touched or looked at in years. This seems to be worse with DVDs. Why we buy what we do, I have no idea, but someone is going to make out with them when I sell a bunch at the next garage sale.

c) Beer tastes better when you are stressed. Yeah, that's all I have to say about that.

d) Will I ever be a size 2 again? Along the lines of decluttering, parting with clothes has been draining. I was a size 2 at birth. So, it's hard to get rid of my baby clothes. Kidding. No, but I guess it's the realization that the body has shifted and changed and I should probably accept that I won't ever squeeze into those lime green leather pants. (I don't have those, I swear. They were donated.)

e) The strongest desire for chocolate comes immediately before and after each meal and then sometimes in between each meal. Do I have lots of chocolate in the house? No, I do not...but I should put it on my list when I go grocery shopping again. Wonder if that candy bar from Halloween last year is still good...hmmmm....

Speaking of chocolate, I am going to go to the pantry and see if I have a piece somewhere...

Will update you with new pictures next time, I promise.

The Hangover

I cannot remember the last time I saw a movie that was this funny. Slightly vulgar (which I love), Ryan and I laughed the entire time. If you haven't had a chance to see it, you need to go see it. I am slightly tempted to go a second time, just to catch the parts I might have missed when I was laughing. This is a definite DVD purchase. Can't wait.

Excitingly Boring

Although there are days when it feels like we haven't done anything, we've actually done a whole heck of a lot! Yesterday was one of those days.

This is what I had to do yesterday:
1. Panera for Ronan's muffies.
2. Library to return books and get more out. Riley is a reading machine.
3. Stop at the church to turn in paper for Ronan's upcoming baptism.
4. Gym-- scratch that, not enough time.
5. Lunch at Sweet Tomatoes with the kids...me, alone with the kids, at a salad bar.
6. Vietnamese grocery store for Yan-Yan crackers to bring to therapy.
7. Get Ronan's baptism outfit from Ave Maria in Brandon, FL.
8. Go back to Wendy's and get Mandarin Oranges for Ronan's feeding therapy.
9. Therapy with Ms. Janet.
10. Dermatologist appointment.
11. Pool.

Believe it or not, I finished everything on that list. That is the most I have ever been out with the kids...and in-and-out of the car. Usually, I try to keep it to one or two places, just to avoid having to get Ronan out of his carseat excessively. I didn't have a choice yesterday, as there was just too much I had to get done. It was excitingly B-O-R-I-N-G. I didn't go to Target, which usually brightens any errand. LOL.

P.S. Riley has been shocking us lately. She is reading more than ever and above her level AND, she is swimming now! I thought I was going to have to get her lessons, but last night, she proved us wrong. She was swimming in the 5 ft section! How awesome is that!?

Update on Ronan, in a nut (I mean not a nut because he's allergic) shell...

1.  The man of little words is stringing together sentences.  I asked him to come over to me so I could change his stinky butt and he said, "wait a second momma."  Uhhh, okay, I guess I'll just have to wait.

2.  He still hits.  I hate it and I don't know what to do about it. I am clueless and nothing I do is working...

3.  He told his first lie last week.  He goes to feeding therapy every week to help him with his textures.  Last week, Ryan took him.  He was having a tough time, not wanting to do anything and clinging to Ryan.  BUT, when I asked him what he did with Miss Janet (the therapist), he said without a pause, "my put my hand in applesauce, momma."  His nose is growing as we speak.

4.  He now calls his scooter a "cooter" and I can't help but laugh everytime I hear it.  

5.  He threw a hairbrush and it hit me in the mouth.  It hurts and now my lip is swollen.  For a split second, I wanted to walk out of the house and never come back, but then an hour later, sitting at the dinner table, Ronan broke out into opera and I'm still here...laughing.

6.  He screams like a girl.  It hurts and doesn't sound as pretty as Mariah Carey's belches.

7.  He asks to look at his poop in his diaper.  I think it's disgusting, he thinks it's "gwoss."  Why he does it, I'll  never know.  

8.  He says I look like a "Pwincess" in my wedding pictures.  Makes up for my anger during #5.

9.  He thinks it's funny when anyone pretends to get hurt.  Ryan pretends to run into a door, he laughs.  Riley pretends to slap herself in the face, he laughs.  Not sure if it's something I need to worry about.  

10.  And now, he loves 'hide and seek.'  And I love scaring the crap out of him when I hide and he seeks.  Probably traumatizing him, but I freaking love hearing him scream and run away. LOL.

Goofy Girls!

Today, I had the pleasure of hosting a playdate with Riley's two friends, who happen to be sisters... Knowing that I had 3 girls (ages 6-7) and Ronan, I needed to find something for them to all do and not have Ronan be a "bother" to them. I took them to Playmania and let them play out some of their energy. You would have thought these kids had never seen toys before. They were so excited to see the most simple objects. Riley and Holly had a blast on the roller coaster thing they have there...

The best part, was that they did this over and over and over so I could take as many pictures as I could handle. Then I took them to McDonalds and gave them lots of sugar, so I could give them back to their mama on a sugar high. LOL...

A Citizen of the Year: Our Riley

End of the year = award time. Thinking that Riley wasn't going to get any because of all the times we took Riley out of school, I didn't have my hopes up for anything too exciting. She received "honor roll" which was good but the big surprise was the last award....
She was one of about 15 students to receive the Citizen of the Year award at school. I was pleasantly surprised and extremely proud of her! As part of the reward, she has a free meal at Applebees!

And on a side note: She's not the tiniest child in the first grade anymore! She's actually taller than the classmate next to her in the picture above...I can't believe how big my little girl is getting. Now, if only she'd clean her room.

Riley-ism #127

If you don't want to be slightly grossed out, then please do not read. Otherwise, continue...but do not judge us. Thank you. LOL.

So last night, I was in the shower and Riley was sitting on the potty in my bathroom. As I was shampooing, this is the conversation we had:

Riley: Momma, one of your butt hairs is on the floor.

Me: (repulsed!) No, Riley, it's not mommy's.

Riley: Oh, then it must be daddy's....eyelash.

Me: (laughing silently) Yes, it's his eyelash.

I was dying. Dying. I could not stop laughing, but I didn't want her to think I was laughing at her. So, when I came out and she said, "why are you smiling like that? All goofy..." I said, "oh, momma is just happy to have had the chance to take a shower today."

It was so innocent. But hysterical. And slightly gross. I guess that means I need to go clean the bathroom a bit.

Dinner...Done! But not so yum....

I do not position myself as an expert in the culinary field. I will take this opportunity, though, to say that I wanted to be a pastry chef and my dreams were smashed by my dad who told me I had to get "real degree" and well, look at me now. I change diapers and sing songs from freakin' Yo Gabba Gabba. I digress.

Anyway, now that we are more budget conscious, I've been trying to cook at home and it's been difficult coming up with ideas that don't involve chicken. I mean, really, how many times do you need to eat it, right? So, I bought shrimp the other day and figured we could marinade and grill it...and this is what it turned out to be:
I grilled pineapple rings with a ginger-sesame marinade, the same I used on the shrimp, steamed some broccoli and made a side of couscous. Looks real pretty, right? I was so excited and so proud of myself for veering away from the usual. We sat to eat and I thought Ryan was going to be sick. I took a few bites, washed it down with my beer and went back at it, thinking it was just that piece of shrimp. BUT, apparently, the marinade is so enriched with sodium, that it made the shrimp taste awful. I couldn't stand to take another bite. I could barely look at both Ryan and Riley, who tried hard to eat it...at least until Ryan said, "I can't eat this, it's awful." Now, I know it was the marinade, but I felt so bad. I felt like I wasted money and even though I knew he wasn't taking a stab at my non-culinary skills...I still was upset about it.

I tried to eat the other foods I prepared...they were fine. But, the meal didn't feel complete and it was just such a bummer to have been so excited for something and then have it turn out so yucky.

That's the last time I cook! Kidding. I mean, it's the last time I use the Sesame Garlic marinade by Lowry's. Yeah, that's what I meant.

Short Weekend Update

On Saturday night, I went out with a couple of my friends (which I'll have to save for another post!), but the kids stayed with daddy and poor Ronan spiked a phantom fever that has taken almost 3 days to recover from. On Sunday, he was spent...and fell asleep on the couch like this:
So, Riley and I headed out for her friend Mya's birthday party. It was ice cream themed and absolutely adorable. Her mom had a "create your own flavor" contest and an ice cream eating contest. Riley came up with her "Chocolate-Vanilla-Strawberry Sherbert" and somehow, a handful of MALTBALLS, not meatballs, ended up in there. Not too appetizing looking, but she seemed to think it was delicious. I had a bellyache just looking at it.

And normally, Riley wouldn't participate in a contest of any sort. She's so quiet and shy and easily embarassed that it wouldn't even cross her mind to join in. She spent days talking to me about this contest and said she was going to do it. Well, it came time and last second, she freaked out and decided not to. I said it was her choice, but she might regret missing out on something fun. Right before the contest started, she jumped into her spot and held her hands behind her back and dove in.

Within seconds, though, she got upset that she couldn't hang or figure out what to do, so she got up and walked away from the table, pouting. I felt bad for a split second, but then beckoned her to get out of her moody funk. She finally did and then it was time for cake. (Like these kids didn't already eat enough junk, right?!)

She loved it, though...black icing and all! And it only took about 3 hours for the sugar-high to come down. Not too bad!

The Monday List of Issues.

1. I cannot truly function without the garage door opener. This is especially a problem because my car is parked in the garage. There is something really annoying about opening the garage, getting in the car, backing it out, running into the garage to close it and having to go out the front door and lock it before getting in the car again. The same issue arises when I return back home, except in reverse order. Mental note: Do not leave the garage door opener in Ryan's car, ever again.

2. I almost threw up in my mouth, watching a gentleman on "The Dr.'s" show on NBC today. He literally bit chicken RAW off the bone and stood there advocating how much more healthy it was to eat foods raw. I eat my bananas raw. I will eat some veggies raw. I will never, ever, ever eat my meats raw. Considering what a bacteria-phobe I am, I'd probably die of stress before actually participating in the act of eating raw meat.

3. Yo Gabba Gabba can put me into some serious moods. After one episode, I'm pretty much spent. Ronan, on the other hand, could watch it all day long. Thank goodness for the word "no" in my vocabulary. Granted, I don't use it all the time, but for Yo Gabba Gabba requests, I'm happy to bring it out.

4. I am so sick of the letters I get from Verizon FIOS, asking us to switch. I get them literally 5 times a week, it's not even funny. I don't want to freaking switch, okay? Stop sending me the letters.

5. I have an intense fear of potty training Ronan. I'll be honest, I want nothing to do with it. Do I want to change diapers for the rest of his life? Not really...but the whole prospect of trying to get him to pee in the toilet is daunting. For Riley, not an issue. She was easy. Potty trained withing a matter of weeks. But, I think it's easier for girls. Naturally, they sit to pee. Not the case for boys. So what did I do? I bought a little potty and then a little seat for the adult potty. Problem? Well, the little "shield" they have in the front to protect innocent bystanders from being sprayed with pee pee isn't quite tall enough to protect us from anything. And I'll be darned if I have to tell the little dude to point it downward. I don't know what to do and I am afraid it'll be forever before he'll be potty trained. I know you momma's of boys out there will have some advice for me. Please help!