Meet my baby sister, Allayna.
She is my goober.
I wasn't lying she is a goober... next example "Blue Steel"
Well, Anywho! At one of our recent Sunday Night Family Dinners she revealed one of her memories. She started speaking of a time she was choking... I didn't recall her ever choking... and it was on a piece of candy. This story was very interesting because I had never heard it from her before.
Then she said that our dad picked her up and hung her upside down to get her to stop choking. I laughed and I said this happened to you? She said "Yeah, at our house on Crestknoll!" (our childhood home) I laughed more and said "Really? This happened to you...?" she said "Yeah and dad shook me upside down from my ankles until I puked out the candy."
To which I replied, "and it was a yellow spree and when you puked it looked like a sunny-side up egg?"
"Yeah!"
"Allayna! That was not you! That was me!"
"No I swear it was me!"
"Allayna that happened to me and I wouldn't eat yellow sprees until I was 12 yrs old"
"NO, I DIDN'T EAT YELLOW SPREES!"
"Allayna, are you joking? This is my story that I have told 50 times."
"Really? No! I thought it was me.... I tell people that story all the time."
Oh man, I thought I had a bad memory! At least I don't have to steal other peoples memories and use them for my own! Allayna, I love you but I am diagnosing this as a case of vicarious memories. I'm going to start copyrighting all of my memories so you can't use them!
Ok but she's forgiven because she is cute.
Evidence of that is right here.
Honestly, How could you not smile when you look @ this babies sweet face?
Seriously
This is pretty sweet too.
Love these kids
and look @ my handsome, handsome Husband.
I love my sweeties... all of them.
I forgot to tell you all! My beautiful sister in law Sarah had her sweet baby girl last Saturday!! Her name is Vivienne Michael Novosel and she is beautiful and perfect! That baby will have more love than she could ever know what do do with!
Vivienne's parents, formerly known as Sarah and Dave, have taken so well to their new roles as parents. I am so proud of both of them! I envy Sarah's patience, it is definitely something I need a bit more of, and seeing Dave keeping track of all the bodily functions on a chart made me smile. The excitement that they have for their new journey is really contagious! I am sooooo in love with our little Vivienne and when I think about all of the amazing and fun times we will all have as a family I tear up. I tear up when I think of my sweet mother in law saying over and over again on the phone within minutes of Vivienne's birth, "Andrea, It's a girl, she is perfect and beautiful, she is beautiful, she is just beautiful!"
We are all so proud of Vivienne's parents for being calm even though everything did not go as planned and we are proud of Vivienne for making it to 36 and a half weeks and for being the best week old baby we know!
We are happy for you guys and are truly so overwhelmed with love for all of you!
Welcome to the world Baby Girl!
Our Christmas tree is up!!!
I am pretty excited about it!
I haven't put it up in a couple years, so I was surprised by a few ornaments I didn't remember I had. Like this one.... Where did this come from?
It's a creepy Santa.... I'm guessing I bought it from a garage sale. That sounds like something I would do.
Then there are ones I hide at the back of the tree near the wall.
Then there are ones that were made for me and my family.
I like these b/c it reminds me of what happened that particular year.... like I got married... or Chris goes to work in his jammies. Really, that one puzzled me for a bit, but Chris did go to work in his jammies, he worked from home for about 3 months in 2006. See I would have never known what year that was if it hadn't scrolled on an ornament. Thank you Aunt Marcia for carrying on a special tradition! You are so sweet!
Then there are some ornaments that don't make any sense at all!
Like this one... it has an Angel in a turtleneck... and a bunny that looks like it is humping the Angel's leg... Weird. Very weird.....
Let's move on... and try to get that image out of our heads.
I love Christmas time and I love my kids... even when they eat too much candy and drive me crazy. Look at 'em! Ain't they SWEET!?
Lincoln is not accustomed to the flash.... he makes me smile.
I hope everyone is as excited about the Holidays as I am! If you haven't put up your trees yet.... DO IT!!!
This is a sad day. I am writing about a baby memory, not my baby memory, but my babies memory. Wait.... I mean a memory of my baby. A sign of things changing, a baby becoming a boy.
As some of you may know, Harrison speaks another language. Something between French and Chinese, we're not sure. One of my favorites of Harrison's made up words is "pook". Sounds like book, but means pillow. So when we get ready for bed Harrison would grab his "pook" and obsessively adjust it until it was in the right spot. When Harrison comes into my room in the morning to wake me up, he brings his "pook" in so he can snuggle-bug (one of my made up words).
My husband, Chris, and I would giggle and say "PILL-OHHHHH" and he'd smile back and say "POOOOOK!"
Something changed this morning. Harrison opened my bedroom door and walked in and said "Lay down, I got my pildow."
Now while I am pleased he threw a "d" in just to show me he hasn't grown up completely. I am still a little sad that my little baby is growing up. So in five years when my blog is just a bunch of cached pages on google search, and Harrison and Lincoln are both in Elementary school hopefully I can find this entry and remember my baby sharing his "pook" and blanket with me on chilly mornings.
OK, I'm never promising a post again.... I said tomorrow, but it's all relative. Right? OK.... so what did I steal? I know you've been praying for my soul after my two sins I revealed last week....
1.) Stealing grocery store bag closures. ( Which are free.)
2.) Disobeying my mother. ( Which is never a good idea, she'll embarrass you. See previous post.)
I said I would never steal again, but I lied..... there's the third sin I'm admitting. I stole something just as embarrassing as the bag closures, if not more. "How could it be more embarrassing than the bag closures?" you ask.
Need I say more? It gets worse I stole it from the thrift store. Yes, it was marked 40 cents and a yellow tag that day... so it was 50% off. I can't recall my justification here.
Was the line too long to wait in to purchase my 20 cent item?
Could I not find 20 cents?
Was I embarrassed?
Was I mad they were SELLING toys you could get for FREE at McDonalds?
Or was I just feeling mischievous?
I know I had intentions of using it... I had 7 others clipped to my purse. I certainly needed an 8th. Each one had a different annoying thing it did, squeak, shake, close it's eyes, open it's mouth. If I had to guess what special talent this one possessed. I would guess it was the one where you pulled the tail and it shimmied across the table.
Anywho! I pulled off the tag clipped it on with my 7 others and walked out the door. I had my treasure! But at what cost?
That thrift store went out of business 5 years later and who could say it wasn't because of my 20 cent steal? They reopened last year, I think I owe them a visit, and an apology, and 20 cents, my mother would be proud.
I have stolen 2 things in this life, not including the gas incident. Honestly, I should be ashamed. No, not because of the normal reason involving morality, but because I stole two of the dumbest items ever on the planet.
Let's do the time warp... punches in 1990 and a few other buttons because I am sure there are more buttons to make this time machine work.... ummmm... ah.... click, type, click....Ah Ha! There we go.
We have arrived in 1990 at a Thriftway Grocery Store in the Cincinnati area. I spot a little girl and her mother walking into the produce section. Hey, That's me!!! Awwww I look so cute and innocent, but believe me people, this is where it gets ugly! I am spying the plastic bag clips and my mother is picking up some regular fruits and veggies. Wait... you might need a visual here.
Yes, this is all my little five year old heart desires. So I ask my mom if I can take a few with me. And she gave me at least three reasons why I couldn't. I don't understand. How is Barbie going to get backstage at the New Kids on The Block Concert without her pass. What? You don't see it?
See it now? Barbie would just slip that over her wrist and she could make it into the concert. I had to make the ultimate sacrifice for my dear friend Barbie! I would sneak just a few of these into my keds and walk out with them in my shoes. Great Plan! So, I pick a few out of the bowl and bend over like I am tying my non-existent shoestrings and slip them in the heel of the shoe. I walked around the Grocery Store with my great find in my shoe, we came to the checkout lane and I nearly broke a sweat. I was for sure the clerk would find my steal! I walked casually whistling, well probably not whistling, but I was smooth. I made it through the checkout line and out of the store. I was in the clear. When we got home I immediately took my find to Barbie and we went to the concert.
My mom came into the room mid-performance. Probably one of my personal favs "Hangin' Tough", and spotted the bag closures around Barbie's wrist. She yelled and took them back from me and swore we were taking them back to the store. I cried and she did make ME TAKE THEM BACK to the store manager. He probably thought my mom was crazy for bringing those back, because they are free and I could have taken the whole bowl and no one would have never known. But it's the principal, she wasn't going to let me get away with being a sneak and a thief.
And from then on, I never stole again.... well, almost....
To hear what other ridiculous thing I stole many years later check back tomorrow.
If you are in need of some family photos in time for the holidays, now is your chance! For one day only, we are offering 1/2 sessions for $50. We will have a holiday backgrounds set up inside the lodge and the lodge’s beautiful outdoor landscaping will also be an option if you prefer and the weather permits. Your photos will be available on a private online gallery where you can view, share, and order professional quality prints. You will also have the option to purchase a high-resolution printable CD for $15/each.
With 2 photographers, we have a total of 20 spots available on a first come, first served basis, so don’t wait too long to schedule your session. Email andrea@daphnephotostudio.com or call (513)675-3167.
See, you thought this was going to be about a Panda Bear.... Unfortunately, it's not. It was just me, spewing the first word I thought of (after "Random") onto the title bar.
So here's my randomness this week.
1.) Something that bothers me every year around this time is this.... I think I am a semi-ok to good artist and I can't carve pumpkins. I'VE NEVER CARVED A COOL PUMPKIN!!!! That makes me sad.
2.) I have the best video ever to load to this blog, but I don't know how to get it loaded myself, so it may never get done.
3.) Allison mentioned the other day, that I was always her sidekick for Halloween. I never noticed, but there may be some truth in it. One year I was the White Rabbit and Allison was my sidekick though.... you know.... the white rabbit's sidekick? Alice in Wonderland? Isn't that how it goes? The books all about the rabbit? Well maybe not. But this makes me think I must have been a pretty happy kid, because I don't remember being sad about it.
4.) Blogging gets harder when you get a life, but I like having a life. So my internet-blogging life may continue to suffer.
5.) Sometimes I put whiskers and a cat nose on my face and forget they are there. Then little kids come up and ask me "Why do you have that on you face?" and I think, "Damn kid! You've never seen a mole!?" and then I say something like "Because that's just the way my face is." and then I get out to the car and look in the mirror and see my cat face and realize that kid wasn't a jerk and now he's telling his mom that a lady at the park has a permanent cat face.
6.) I want to go trick-or-treating.... I love candy, but I think my neighbors will know I'm not a kid. Isn't that sad? No candy for me..... sad sad sad.
7.) I love you guys..... and for that reason I am determined to figure out my halloween video and post it VERY soon.
This is the first car I've ever driven........
When I was 10.
Ok, Why was I driving at 10 years old? A few reasons:
#1. I'm the middle child and I need attention.
#2. I was only going to move it back 10 feet.
#3. I was confident and it looked pretty easy.
#4. My mom was on the phone and I didn't want to wait.
So the story, my version at least, goes like this:
I wanted to play basketball and hone in on my mad skills, because I needed to practice so I could play in the NWBA. (Yes, I wanted to be a professional basketball player.) I asked my mom if she could move the car and she told me to wait because she was on the phone. I waited at least 15-1 minutes. Maybe it was closer to the 1 minute mark, she was taking a while on the phone.
I was good at getting attention when I wanted it. So I began to make remarks like.
"Mom, you're taking forever. I'm going to move it myself."
"Mom, where are your keys?"
"I found your keys! I'm gonna go move the car."
Then I walked outside and slammed the door behind me. I was sure she would be right behind me. I walked to the car and looked back at the door. She wasn't coming yet.
I got in the car and slammed the door and sat for a minute. Still no sign of Mom.
I put the keys in the engine and started it up. STILL NO MOM!
Well, I think I've seen this done about one thousand times. I can do it. So I put my foot on the brake... Wait.... this IS the brake right? Yeah this is definitely the brake. I slip the car into whatever, the R mode is, I let got of the brake and I start rolling forward. Wait a stinkin' minute... I wanted to move the car back... not forward. How do I stop this? What did I do wrong? As the car begins to scrape the side of the house I realize I am in the N mode not the R. So I slam the bar back to R and plan on moving it back to the original spot without Mom ever knowing. Well it was too late.....
Mom was behind the car at this point screaming at me to stop and get out of the car. I didn't know about rear view mirrors and stuff and am already backing up. My mom quickly jumps out of the way and continues trying to get my attention. I see her and put on the brakes she yells at me to get out of the car. I obey, as usual, I always follow the rules. See I'm a good kid. I got out and Mom returned the car to it's spot on the driveway. On the DRIVEWAY!?!? In front of the hoop?!?!
Wait, I don't get to play basketball?!? What? I have to go to my room? Now I'm never going to be a professional basketball player! Thanks Mom!
Hello all of you beautiful people! I have wonderful plans brewing for a blog series, called Home Movies featuring "Coily".... That's me, just in case you were wondering. I have a new site up and it is not done, but you should check it out! I love you guys and I think I will leave you with this. Allison used to call umbrellas.... "rainbrellas" How CUTE is that?
Noah got baptized yesterday morning and I think that kid really loves church, God, Jesus, and old priests. Or he loves life and just smiles all the time, but I like to think on his baptism day that was what he was happy about Jesus.
As the Godmother of Noah I was given a folded napkin-looking thing and the Godfather was given a candle. Honestly, I didn't know what either of these things were for. I was not raised Catholic and haven't been to an infant baptism in quite some time. First, Noah was prayed for and his parents and Godparents promised to be an example of Christ in Noah's life. He liked that.
Then we went to the alter and he was baptized in the holy water and the Priest talked to him. He liked that.
Then I figured out what the heck the cloth thing was, it was a baptismal garment to be placed over Noah's shoulders. I think he liked that too.
Then the Godfather lit a candle symbolizing the light of Christ in our lives. He liked that.
Then Grace, Noah's big sister, realized this thing wasn't all about her.
And she threw a temper tantrum.
But don't worry Noah probably liked that too.
After the ceremony we went back to Noah's house for a party ate some and watched some football.
The only thing I heard Noah complain about that day was this.
His Grandma and Great-Grandma wore the same outfit! Not really, but kinda. I didn't notice until he said something, but Noah I think you're right. "Total fashion faux pas." WHAT!?! He said it, NOT ME!!!! Don't look at me that way grandma...!! I'm just teasing you! Love you guys!
Chris and I got married close to 5 years ago and our first Spring in our first house we got a major bug issue. I hear this is pretty common in the beginning of the Spring, but I couldn't believe it. We had ants galore all over our home. Those crafty little buggers made their way into MY home and I was going to make sure they found their way out!
I did the first "new wife-y" kind of thing I could do..... act helpless to my husband. (I know this is not looking good on the woman self empowerment front.) I called him and he didn't sound too worried about the ant infestation that had begun to take over our tiny home. I informed him it was no small matter and that I needed help. Alas, I would have to wait for my Knight in shining armor to get off work.
I hid in my basement until I heard Sir Knight walk through the front door. I took him too the sink and showed him our issue. He quickly brushed all visible ants into the sink and sprayed them down the drain. He said that was probably the end of that. I told him I was glad he was home because, "I was minutes from calling the terminator."
He looked at me and asked me who I was going to call.
"The Terminator! You know who kills bugs."
He stared at me.....
*Crickets (or ants) chirping*
I'm thinking "What...? This guy has never heard of a "terminator"?"
What is he laughing about, it's not funny. IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY! Lot's of people call the "terminator" to help solve their bug problems. Right?
Well, fine I will go Google the closest terminator and ask them to solve the bug problem. who needs a stinkin' Knight in shining armor?
As, I start to do another new wife-y thing, pout and storm off, it dawns on me...... "EX!"
"EX"terminator! EXTERMINATOR! Damnit! He'll never let me forget this.
Well, it's a good thing I didn't call for a "Terminator", I don't think he could have resolved my bug problem and it's probably best I didn't get a hold of him. If the Terminator tried to take on exterminating our ants, my kitchen would have probably been one large crater and then we never would have been able to sell it. I mean.... Who wants a crater for their kitchen?
My dear friends Fran informed me that a saga contains more than two stories, someone should inform her of the virtue "patience".
So the saga continues:
I used to work as a corrections officer in a local jail and it was an interesting job. Not just because of the felons I saw day in and day out. Or the fights, or the handcuffs, or the maglites. It was mostly because of the odd people I worked with. Like a man I will call "Mr. Flynn" to protect the innocent.
One day I was visiting "Mr. Flynn" and he had a knack for saying the darndest things. and he told me I look like... Guess.... Guess who he told me I look like.
No, not beautiful gorgeous Charlize Theron.
Guess again.
Nope, not Scarlett Johansson.
Guess again.
OK give up!
I know this was going to be your next guess.
Well, if you guessed George Hamilton, you guessed correctly. (It doesn't count if you remember this from my Facebook status. That's cheating.)
Don't you see the resemblance?
Obviously we were separated at birth.
I mean look at our hair, it's the exact same shade of Blondey-black.
You certainly can't deny it.... it must be our skin tone, we were both going for that tanny-pale look.
Oh wait, I see what "Mr. Flynn" meant. He was saying how much I looked like a man. I get it. Yeah, I totally see how much I look like that George Hamilton guy.
Or wait.... maybe it's the mole.
Damn mole, always going and trying to make me look like George Hamilton. I'm going to have it removed.
Well, it's interesting to me that's all that matters....Right?
My new favorite thing is going out and taking pictures and my friend Kelly from Daphne Photo Studio has been letting me go along on shoots with her. I have also done a few solo and it is not as easy as it seems. You have to direct people: tell people how to sit, move their hands, choose a setting, etc. This is what I've been up to over the past couple weeks and I've really been enjoying it.
So here are a few shots I took:
These are from an in love session with Kelly.
And, these are from a baby session with Kelly.
And here are a few I did alone.
Baby Edie, my cousin's little girl.
Look at her little ear folding down! She kills me.
Here are the Paff Babies, my best bud Joanna's little cuties.
So that's what has been keeping me from blogging, I'm looking through 1,000's of pictures some days! Remember I love you and here's a little story for you.
Harrison ate some of his own poop. It was disgusting and hopefully accidental, but from what I hear not too unusual. UGH... it was bad and I hope he remembers what it tastes like and doesn't try it EVER again!!!!
