Could you hear it???

The gigantic sigh of relief at 5pm from our home? No?!?! Are you sure because it was pretty loud and clear!!

Happy Tax Day, friends!! Josh is home. Actually, he's not really home because he had his over 30 basketball league game this evening. But tomorrow night he'll be home on time, yay! And he will be able to help with the bath and the books and the keeping Michael B IN BED. (He likes to get up numerous times before he falls asleep. I'd like to stick him back in the crib right now, and I even told Michael that this evening. He then went right to sleep.)

I officially have a craving. Rita's Italian Ice. Good grief. I've eaten more Italian Ice over the past two weeks than I have my whole life. My very favorite flavor is mango. Thank goodness for the Rita's club card, I'm on my way to receiving my first free ice. The cravings could be worse, right? Ice cream with pickles, Potato Chips, Soda...A child's size Italian Ice is harmless... and OH! SO! GOOOOD!!! I don't even miss coffee anymore, which is shocking to me. I wonder if we could install an Italian Ice machine so that I could have a morning serving as well? It's a great little break before I pick Michael B up from daycare. My dad thinks it's cruel that I don't take Michael B, but he really doesn't seem to enjoy Italian Ice. He prefers ice cream, and we're just not doing that every day! : )

A Little Bit of Bonding...

Michael and I have been on our own this weekend. Obviously, Josh is working harder than ever, so we've been left to our own devices. Really, we didn't do much of anything. Aside from a delicious and relaxing dinner with Michael and Mary Jane (Granddad and Mango) last evening, and a visit to the big library, we haven't done much.

Today we baked lemon, raspberry cupcakes with a lemon glaze icing. The recipe was from the Bon Appetite magazine. I should have known better than to BAKE a recipe from Bon Appetite with a two year old! Box recipes are hard enough to bake with a two year old, and all they call for are eggs and oil! I ended up throwing away all of the cupcakes, after Michael and I had a taste. (Bummer!!) The bonding with Michael was much more important than the cupcakes, anyway.

It's been kind of a longish weekend, especially since we stayed at home ALL day today! The one on one time with Michael was wonderful, temper tantrums and fighting sleep included. He fills my days with so much joy, and his laughter is so contagious.

Change of Scenery

Josh needed a change of scenery, so he came home around 7:45 this evening to work from the home office.  Michael was in the process of being tucked in when we we heard the garage door open.  He began squealing and trying to hide under his blankets.  Josh read Michael another Disney story and tucked him in, again.  Michael went right to sleep.  No tossing, turning, trying to escape; just right to bed.  

It's amazing how easily he'll go down for the night when his Daddy is around.

We're almost done with tax season, thank goodness.  I think we just might plan a little mini-vacation for the weekend after tax season.  It's time for some family bonding....

GRAND: It Is!!

Spring break is coming to an end, but what an end it has been!!

Here's a re-cap of the past three days:

Thursday was a great day. Josh, Michael, and I all had separate dinner/evening plans. Josh is playing in an "over 30" basketball league. All of his games are on Tues/Thurs evenings. His team won on Thursday night and he was even able to get out of bed without too much pain on Friday morning. Michael went with my parents and his Aunt Patty to dinner. From what I hear, he was well behaved and enjoyed the night away from his mom and dad. I had the best deal of all--dinner with my girlfriends. Carrie, Nikki, Amy, and I went out to one of our favorite restaurants. The meal was delicious, but just being able to spend some time with my dear friends was wonderful. They love me so much that they stood around with me to watch the end of the WVU/Xavier bball game.

Friday, Michael and I packed up and headed to Grandma Rose's house for the night. We got to her house just in time for lunch. We had a yummy meal with my Aunt Doris. After lunch, we went back to Grandma's house for a visit. My parents were along for the trip, as well, so I was able to take an incredibly long afternoon nap. Michael worked outside with my dad. He did not nap. : )

This morning, Michael and I played with the Lego's and cars at Grandma's house. We went out to lunch with Grandma. The meal was delicious and very fattening. : ( (I had a few too many fries, I'm afraid!!) Michael and I then headed home so that we could get to the park in time for the grand opening of the new playground!! Josh left work for a little bit so that he could be there for the grand opening, too. We enjoyed playing together for an hour or more as a family. (Michael is really missing his dad these days.)

Tomorrow will be a low-key-nap day, as we are back to school on Monday. Too bad. : )

Now I GET It...

I've always heard from fellow CPA wives that tax season, or busy season, isn't all that bad. I didn't get "it" until this year. No help around the house? How's that fun? No one to talk to at night? Seems kinda lonely to me. With the bad, though, comes the good. Shopping sprees get ignored, Ann Taylor Loft bills go up just a little, dinners are easier- take out or salads, and it's easier to sneak away during the day; I'm learning. ; )

My amazing husband is very protective of Michael and me. He loves nothing more than spend time together as a family and plan fun things for us to do. Pretty much every vacation has always been planned by Josh. And, as I mentioned above, with his love also comes the desire to always keep us safe and as close to home as possible.

A few days ago I announced that Michael and I were going to DC. Normally, this would send Josh into a bit of a frenzy. Normally, I would need to have a complete agenda, proof that I have directions, an oil change in my car that week, and a fully charged cell phone. Or, Josh would somehow convince me to change my mind. Not this week, however. : ) Josh is so incredibly busy and is up to his eyeballs in work, that he hardly has time to breathe or eat. I know I shouldn't take advantage, but....It's spring break! And, what a great time to take the little one to DC for a field trip! Right? My mom agreed to come along for the adventure, which was a huge help.

Our trip to DC was fabulous. We drove into the city, found a great little parking garage, and hit up the Smithsonian. Michael enjoyed the Museum of Natural History, but he was a little bit on the tired side. You'll notice that his little thumb was in his mouth in a number of the pictures. He really enjoyed the animal exhibits, particularly the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus. I have no idea why, but he is totally fascinated by these two animals. I would say, though, that he is still a little young to understand that we're looking at the remains of a dinosaur. He loved the pictures of the dinosaurs. The skeletons? Not so much. I think it's still a bit hard to conceptualize at this age.

After our jaunt around the museum, we grabbed a few hot dogs and then ate in the outdoor museum of sculptures. I probably have this museum's name a little mixed up... This was my favorite part of our day. We sat in front of a blooming magnolia tree, the sun was so warm, and the grass was so lush and green. And, boy did my hot dog taste good!! We took pictures, called my dad, and just enjoyed ourselves.

I can't wait to go back this spring, with Josh. Even though we have a little bit more freedom, in terms of doing crazy things...like driving to DC, I miss him. A lot.

A great day...

We've really been having a great week. Nothing too special has been going on in our house this week to make it "great", but the evenings and mornings have been relatively easy. I have actually caught myself thinking that tax season really isn't all THAT bad??? (Maybe I'm losing my mind....)This is such a relief because not having Josh around is a challenge for all of us.

Michael has been just wonderful this week, I have been truly amazed! He has played independently every night with his cars and his books, so cooking dinner has been a piece of cake. Dinner time is usually a bit hairy around here to say the least, and I find myself getting frustrated and agitated easily. Maybe someone has been slipping Michael B a little terrific two juice without me knowing about it? It's hard to put my finger on why/how things are running so much smoother this week. All I know is that I'm incredibly grateful for this wonderful week and Michael's pleasant demeanor.

Guess who had the most fun this weekend?

Some photos from this weekend! I'm pretty sure that if you click on the picture, it will enlarge on your screen. We had a wonderful time, but we're all dragging a little bit this week. Baby brother Clay comes home this Friday for spring break and Daniel is

 supposed to come home sometime next week. 

For what it's worth, posting pictures lately has been a total PAIN. The computer is slow or blogger is slow....maybe I should switch to typepad or wordpress or something. This is waaaay too time consuming! Now I'm experiencing a scheduled outage...or something....Can't save, can't post, can't add more pics! What a hassle!!

Weekend Report:

The race went really well!   I finished in under two hours, I think my time was about an hour and 53 minutes, or so.  My "splits" were so consistent throughout the race, which made me happy.  I did struggle from miles 9 to 10, I had to do a little "self talk" to drag my butt up those hills.  There was one really steep one that took my breath away, it was past a bridge which crosses the James River.  (The view was beautiful!) 

The weekend as a whole was even BETTER than the race.  We really need a night away as a family during this time of year.  Michael was able to bond with Josh, and I was actually able to SIT DOWN on the hotel bed and just chill out.  It always feels SO GOOD to go back to our Alma Mater, without the stress of being a student.  I'll provide more details and lots of pictures tomorrow or later in the week, it's been a really long day and I'm tired!  

Here's a list of my afternoon activities:

1. Emailed a zillion parents after school.
2. Went to get $$$ for the sitter, since I wasn't prepared last Thursday.
3. Ran into the grocery store for fresh fruits and veggies.
4. Picked up Michael.
5. Here's where it got sticky-- The sitter's husband got home around the time I got to MB.  He walked towards the road to get the paper and seemed to be checking out my car.  He patiently waited for me to get outside, and then told me in a very, very concerned voice that my tires were going to blow out.  He kindly pointed out the WIRES sticking out of my tire and noted that they shouldn't look that way.  He stressed that I really should not be driving my car with the tires in that condition.  (I was so incredibly grateful for his advice!  You have no idea! )
6. I call Josh.  Call the kennel to cancel the pick up date for Duncan because I had to get tires today!  LIKE ASAP!  Serious, serious safety violation on my part.
7. Go to the tire shop and get all four tires replaced.  Waited for about 30 minutes. The tire guys were AWESOME. 
8. After we got all set up with new tires, I called the kennel to say:  I'm coming to get him!!  
9. We got to the kennel just before 5:30, the closing time.  Michael lost his stinking cars while we were there....those cars drive me crazy!
10. I'm exhausted and don't feel like waiting for the picture upload from this weekend. : (  I've got some good ones, so check back tomorrow night!!

Fun in the Parking Lot.

Our son can make anything fun!  Honestly.  

The locked keys in the trunk saga continued today because we were not able to find the spare key last evening, I just have the valet key on my ring for Josh's car.  Because Josh's non-billable time is quite precious these days, I offered to meet him at the dealership to switch cars.  I was going to sit with Michael while the key was cut, so that Josh could quickly get back to the office.  We decided upon a time and Michael I happened to get there twenty minutes early.  So, I called Josh and told him to HUSTLE because I was waiting in a parking lot with a two year old.

As a special treat, I took Michael out of his car seat and put him in the front passenger seat.  This was a HUGE deal for the little guy!!! HUGE, Huge, huge.  He played and played and played.  We danced to the children's CD, we danced to the Christmas CD's, we pulled things out of the glove box, and we also ate a few mini cadbury eggs.  (YUUUMMMY!)  After playing for about twenty minutes, Josh pulled into the lot.  He ran into the service station to prove that the car was in his name and to show the mechanics his ID. 

Michael and I waited.  We continued to dance, play with the CD's, and sing.  (We did the Hokie Pokie in the front seat.  He's in training to be a Hokie, just so you know...) Josh came out, about twenty minutes later.  With a NEW KEY in his hand.  He opened the trunk and pulled out his key chain.  I was in disbelief.  I wanted to say, "What in HECK have Michael and I been doing in this blessed car for forty minutes????" I didn't.  Instead I thought to myself: "Wow.  That had the potential of being a miserable forty minutes, but it wasn't!"  Michael and I had fun, and I enjoyed spending the time with him...in a parking lot.  (Very weird, right?)  

Michael isn't feeling well, he's got a little cold.  That's par for the course, though.  This week continues to be entertaining... What will tomorrow bring?

Two for Two.

Well. The mornings just continue to get more and more interesting around here, I tell you what! 

Yesterday was the mother of all temper tantrums.  Today Josh locked his keys in the trunk. THis meant that he and Michael were not able to drive to work/the sitter's, nor were they able to get inside the house!  

I'll spare the specifics, but it was another interesting morning in our household.  I'm wondering where we will find ourselves tomorrow!  There is one little part of the story I would like to share:  I called the dealership to find out if they could "slice a key" for us.  When I finished explaining the scenario, this man says to me, "Well.  Did you know there's a little latch that you can just pull on next to the door?"  In a short voice I said, "Yes I know about the latch, SIR.  THE LATCH IS LOCKED AND MY KEY WON'T WORK, SIR. "  He seemed to figure out what I was saying by that point, but my goodness was I irritated and ready to bite off his head.  

We'll get things taken care of, I know.  It's really no biggie, it just made for an interesting morning.  Michael sure has been talking about it all evening.  All he can really get out is, "DAD LOCK! KEYS! Mom. Because he did."  Gosh, does he make us smile.  Our little sugar....

Give him the crackers.

It's undeniable.  Josh and Michael have had this bond since the day Michael B was born.  Josh is a wonderful father-he loves to teach Michael about animals and dinosaurs, he loves to read to Michael,  he loves to show him new places.  Josh gives Michael his bath each night and usually reads the bedtime story to Michael while I finish the dishes.

So, when this time of year comes around, Michael and I struggle a little bit.  We miss our guy.  Our support.  Michael had a meltdown of sorts both last night and this morning, over going to bed and over having crackers for breakfast.  Every night Michael is in bed between seven and seven-thirty. However, if Josh is not home at that time, Michael waits and waits and waits to hear the garage door open.  Last night Michael waited past his bedtime for his Daddy.  When Josh came upstairs, Michael excitedly told him about his day.  He talked about how he got into trouble with his Mom, he talked about his cars, his punishment for talking back in the bath tub, and so on.  He spilled his guts basically.  Michael was so happy to see his Dad that it took him another HOUR to get to bed.  

This change in routine last night, of course (!) changed the morning routine.  Michael was a utter bear this morning.  He was weepy, he was tired, and he was missing his Dad.  It was a sad sight.  We had a bit of a blow up over having Cheerios versus Cheese It's for breakfast.  Naturally, I was pushing Michael to eat the cereal and he wanted the crackers.  He cried and cried over me not giving him the crackers. As a result, I scooped him up, rubbed his back, and rocked him.  He didn't get the crackers, didn't finish the cereal, but he had a better start to his day.  The trip to daycare went well, and he was SO HAPPY to see his friends this morning.  

When I told the story to a friend today, she said sometimes you have to pick your battles, Katie.  Next time, I'd just give him the crackers.  And while, I definitely agree that I need to pick my battles, (I've definitely learned that from teaching middle school!) I feel like it's important for me to set a standard for discipline.  Josh isn't able to be at home as much right now, and I need to be able to handle these temper tantrums and establish the rules of the roost.  What would you do?  Give him the crackers?  Or, would you trust that the sitter would give him a little something if he was really that hungry later in the morning?  It's a tough call, I think.  

Oh, and tonight was awesome.  Michael was happy all evening, he went to bed without a whimper, and didn't tell me to straighten up!  Getting back into our little routine helps, for sure.  

It was time.

Snow days are some the most coveted days of the year for me, they're like right up there with our annual trip to the beach. However, after two days of being cooped up with a very talkative and demanding (!) two and a half year old, it was time to leave the house. It was time to get out of the house and integrate him with society. In hopes that maybe the social interaction with others would subdue him, just a teensy bit. When I heard that the local middle school wrestling tournament was still on for Saturday morning, I announced to Michael that we would be going to watch Uncle James coach his team.

After my morning run with the girls, I quickly got ready for the wrestling tournament and whisked Michael B out the door. When we walked into the crowded gym, full of noise and commotion, he turned into a quiet (but very curious) two year old. Instantly, I began to yell for my brother's wrestlers, and also my students (they're in the same league). Michael sat quietly and timidly in my lap listening to me yell things like, "TAKE HIM DOWN! SHORT TIME! LIFT THE CHIN! GET YOUR BASE!" He wasn't really sure what to make of this side of his mama. It was a little strange for him, but totally fun for me! (I love, love, love the intensity of wrestling. LOVE IT.) Prior to leaving, Michael began to yell, too. He liked the team with the black uniforms, and would yell, "COME ON! GET UP! BLACK!"

Unfortunately, while we were watching the matches we saw a dislocated shoulder and a back/neck injury. So, wrestling has since been ruled out by Michael's mother and turned her thoughts back to basketball. However, after watching a high school basketball game last evening, I'm not real sure that I'm up for my baby boy playing the type of basketball that we saw. You know, shoving while going up for a layup and the elbows to the face; it was a little over the top for me, too. It's a good thing he's only two, I'm going to need some time to toughen up.

The basketball game last night? That was a date night for Josh and me! We went out to dinner with friends before the game, and then headed over to the game with the group. It was a blast. Just my kind of fun. This little winter vacation has been fabulous. Check out www.runhappy.blogspot ~~ there's an update!

A Couple:

Pictures From Today!

The "new" dishes from my mom!

He would cry and cry because he could hardly walk.....

And then, he would laugh and laugh because he loves the snow!

I wish I had a few from this evening, when Michael helped Josh with the shoveling. They were a precious sight. Michael followed him up and down the sidewalk. When I stepped outside to see if he was ready to come inside, Michael told me that if I went back inside he would give me a treat. Then he told me to set the timer. Michael and I made a snowman this afternoon, and this evening he made his own while he was shoveling with his dad. I'll have to snap a picture tomorrow. What a wonderful day we had! More to come tomorrow. As always, G*** came through for us teachers!! (Josh was right!)

Sweet, Sweet Snow!

Weellll! It's snowing! School was cancelled for the day, and I have a feeling that we'll be out again tomorrow.  Josh called earlier to say, "Those kids in G*** don't have a chance!"  If you're scratching your head about that comment, I'll do my best to explain our inside joke.  I teach in a relatively large county, one that extends into deep mountains with dangerous back roads.  Anytime we get snow, that mountainous area generally gets slammed.  Even though the roads might be fine near the schools and the surrounding neighborhoods, it can be really dangerous for those children and school bus drivers way out in the foothills.  So.  We always say, "At least we've got G***!" It looks like the buses will likely have a hard time getting those kiddos tomorrow morning. 

Michael and I got cabin fever prior to the snow this morning.   We ran around town, completing our errands; including the GROCERY STORE!  Honestly, I haven't been to the store in a little over two weeks.  Our cupboards are BARE!  The cart was overflowing this morning, believe me. We also ran over to the sitter's house so that we could be sure she was paid, just in case we don't make it out of the house tomorrow.  (I'm so optimistic, aren't I?  That...  Or, foolish!)  Josh, naturally, threw a fit about us going out in the "storm".  I knew that was coming, even though when I called him it wasn't even snowing yet!  (We should probably just change our last name to W-W or Worry-Wart.)  

When Michael and I got home from our errands, we were surprised to find these gorgeous dishes sitting on our front porch!  They're from my mom, and they were the dishes my parents used during my childhood.  Not only are they the perfect color for my kitchen, I also love the memories they bring back from my childhood.  I've already put them in the cupboards, and have moved the other dishes to the basement.  

Stay tuned for photos, as we haven't really been out to "play" in the snow just yet.  Josh is coming home "early" (like 5pm.) to hide away and work in the office.  We're looking forward to seeing him at a reasonable hour tonight.  I also have a birthday shout out (or, two) coming this evening too.  Have a good one...