Nutter Center Happenings

Okay, so not technically the Nutter Center. More like Lebanon-is-kind-of-a-suburb-of Dayton-which-is-home-to-the-Nutter-Center happenings. But here is the post y'all (read: JP) have been waiting for since we went to Jerry and Nikki's 3 weeks ago.

Oh, and just for posterity sake, the reason for the far-reaching title is so that I can document that on this day, from the Nutter Center, Republican presidential nominee John McCain appointed a woman to the ticket as his Veep candidate. So, yeah. History in the making.

But so was this:

We don't exactly pack light anymore.

Let's go, let's go, let's GO, Mom!

Sheesh...Uncle Jerry wears me out!

Seriously. I'm exhausted.

But.

Despite this look on my face, he makes really good pancakes.

Yum-o!

And he has really cool toys!

I wonder if we have these at home?

After church Sunday:

So, Jackson, how do you think the preseason is going?

What is that you say? The Steelers are inferior!?

Ha ha ha ha!!!! We'll see about that come October!

And at long last, much too soon....

What do you mean "It's time to go home?" We just got here!

California Dreamin'

Okay, first, a disclaimer:

I know that I owe you pictures of the completed deck and of our trip to Jerry & Nikki's. They are coming.

Also coming will be the California trip "content" post.

But for now, since I know it's what you're waiting for, I'll just do a picture recap of our days in Southern California.

We made it! Hanging out with Dan the (Groom) Man at the rehearsal. (Luke Dillon, Seth's BFF for the weekend, looks on.)

Hanging out with Daddy at the Trump National Golf Course.

Um, somebody's a poser, like Mommy. This was our first "up close" view of the Pacific.


Isn't he talented, writing his name and everything?! Talented, as in, this was taken before he started eating the beach a fistful at a time.

On our way to the beach...

Helping Mom (un)pack. He was methodically biting each piece out of the suitcase, and crawling to the other side of the bed.

Bye bye, California.

Hello, Goodbye

I know I've been promising pictures of our trip to Jerry and Nikki's and of the finished deck, but things are just getting nuts, and they'll have to wait, most likely, until we return from California.

But, some updates:

No word on Baby O. Poor Sara. She is miserable and missing her boys. Seth and Brady are missing her, too. Here's hoping Olive comes SOON!

Daina had another wonderful ultrasound on Monday, and the twins are doing great. Yea!

My "big work meeting" went well, and that's all I can say about that right now. =)

I will be feverishly packing Wednesday night (after my pedicure, of course -- can't go to Hollywood with shabby toes!), and we're west bound at 8 a.m. Thursday.

I'd promise pictures of the wedding, Dan and Margie, and the Pacific when I return....but we all know I've not been so good on the Follow Through With Pictures thing lately. Oops.

See you on the flip side, internets! =)

Starch Reality

There is ONLY one drawback for having a mother-in-law who has instant (and FREE!) access to a dry cleaner:

But it's a fixable problem -- you just give them back, and continue to reap the blessings of the dry cleaning fairy!

Weekend in Review: Part I

Finally, Blogger is letting me upload pictures!

So, it's a little overdue, but here is a recap of the great weekend we had two weekends ago -- no grand plans, no travel (well, okay, a little travel) -- just a great weekend doing normal things as a family.

~~~ Friday, August 1 ~~~

We traveled to Deshler, OH, to have dinner with our dear friends Mike and Melissa. Melissa and I used to work together, and she is hands-down the best thing to come of that entire employment experience. We all hate that we live so far apart (we used to be about 40 minutes, and now it's about an hour (depending on if Jim is driving the speed limit, or 110 [like he was this Friday, as we were in the Mustang [top down] and racing a nasty storm]).

Melissa and Mike welcomed their son Brody in March of 2007, and he is a doll. (Brody was a preemie like Seth, and it was such a blessing to use his preemie clothes when Seth came home from the hospital.) As you'll see in the pictures below, Brody is growing up, and is a pro at sharing toys and "toys" (read: power strips) with his new friend Seth.

Here you go, Seth.

You'll like this!

There you go!

Okay, fine, Mom, we'll play with something a little "safer."

~~~ Saturday, August 2 ~~~

Ah, sleep! I got up at my normal time to pump, but then Jim got up with Seth at 7:00 and let me sleep in until 8:00. Bliss!!! Getting to sleep in, just a little, on a beautiful Saturday with nothing on the agenda until 3:00 pm was the best little gift he could have given me all day.

We started the morning off with a trip to Costco, and then some tasks around the house: cleaning, laundry, cooking, and working on the deck. (The construction is finished, by the way. I'm in the process of getting together a chronology of before and after shots.)

Yum. 5 lbs. of strawberries for $6.00! Half of them were gone in a week. (I froze the other half for later.)

Ever observant from his newest "favorite" perch.

Daddy working away.

Almost done!

The afternoon took us to Walbridge for Ezekiel's 3rd birthday party. Fun, fun, fun, and Sara never disappoints with her cooking. Instead of traditional cake, we had yummy cupcakes, lemon meringue pie, and blueberry pie. Mmm!

Then, it was off to Andy's not-so-much-a-surprise 30th birthday party in Perrysburg. Sara and I were gracious enough to let Doug and Jim head off in the Mustang while Sara and I loaded up Tabitha and Seth in the Suburban. Now, this wouldn't have been too great a sacrifice on our parts except that Tabby, who is about 4 months old, does not have the best relationship with her carseat. My, oh, my can that girl scream! You can't really tell what she's doing in the picture below, but it's pretty obvious that Seth does not appreciate the noise. (About 10 minutes into the drive, he simply turned his head to the left, and went to sleep!)

Hmmm...so this is what twins would be like.

Following Brody's example: "Here, Tabby, put these in your mouth!"

~~~ Sunday, August 3 ~~~

A normal morning at church, followed by an impromptu cookout with Joel, Kristen, and baby Emily, and Craig and Steph (baby B due 4 months from today!) Seth's contribution was to guard the juice. =)

Seriously, Mom?

The weekend was so normal, so ordinary, so perfect. I hope this coming one is just like it -- nothing on the agenda, really. No plans, no "major tasks to accomplish or else" (although there is always something, you know?), no reason to do anything but enjoy being a family.

Thanks for your patience in waiting for new news (and putting up with my "bad day" posts in the meantime).

Coming soon:

• Last weekend's trip to Jerry and Nikki's;
• (we hope for) Baby Olive's arrival -- Sara is in labor as I type; and
• the countdown to Dan and Margie's wedding (yippee!!! Seth and Jim's first trip to great state of California and the Pacific Ocean!). Stay tuned!

Me and the terrible, horrible, no good very bad day

I mean, seriously: bad enough that I am emotionally drained to the point that, for about 30 seconds tonight, I was trying to plug my breast pump into my laptop.

I'm not even kidding.

Oh, how quickly we forget

Nostalgia, anyone?

How? How did this happen? He was just this little yesterday...

One of many...

things said this past weekend that were taken out of context:

"Ooh....I just can't wait to get my hands on you....you're just so little!!!"

That was for you, JP. I know you're reading and laughing.

*********

Real updates and pictures from the (last two) weekend adventures coming soon, hopefully tonight.

Turn on CNN

I know it's half over, but you need to turn on CNN and Larry King Live, and see the people I am blessed to share my faith with. God bless the Chapmans.

You can take your turkey, Mom, and STUFF IT!

Apparently, Turkey in Turkey Broth? Not so much a hit.

The sweet potato, however? His new BFF.

Update(s)

Unless you're my mom, you've probably forgotten that I mentioned something growing on my left eyelid last week...it turned out to be nothing. It was gone before I could even get to the doctor, so, yea!

And in much more important news, Daina's ultrasound was "perfect." Please, though, continue to keep them all in your prayers. You can imagine the emotional burden one continues to carry after 4 consecutive losses.

Thanks, y'all!

On your knees

I am working on a weekend recap post, but I can't get Blogger to upload photos, and really, the post needs them as support. So. Until later...

Please be on your knees, if not literally, then in spirit, for my friend Daina. She has an ultrasound at 2:30 CST tomorrow to check on the status of the twins.

She is terrified, and I am terrified for her.

I will be sure to post an update when I hear from her.

Thanks.

One, two, skip a few ... ninety-nine, one hundred

So.

I recently mentioned that I was coming up on my 100th post. Well, here it is.

In the blogging world (which, by the way, I'm finding out is a big place!!!), the 100th post is kind of a big deal, yada, yada, yada, whatever. And while part of me is like, "A post is a post is a post," I too could see the logic of putting a little more effort and thought into an entry, beyond, you know, "Seth pooped."

Most of the 100th posts I've read have been "100 things about me." Eh. I wasn't so keen on that, until I really started to think about the "why" of this blog.

Originally, as most of you know, Writer Chic 'N Lawn Boy was started with the sole purpose of keeping everyone up to date on my pregnancy with Seth. But he's here and healthy, so what was the point in continuing? Again, I guess I mostly kept up so that friends and family not here in Toledo could keep tabs on us. But I've also begun to realize that this is a "doable" scrapbook -- I'm so bad at that whole thing (which is why I didn't even purchase a baby book for Seth -- I knew it wouldn't get done!) -- and all of a sudden, WCNLB became our family journal. Now I know that Seth, and any siblings to follow, will be able to look back on this site in years to come (I hope...Blogger, behave!) and see what our life was like -- and see a little bit of who his mom was at 27 (and 30, and 34, etc.)


So in keeping with the spirit of "100 things about me," but with my own twist, to someday let Seth know what "makes me tick," right now, here is my variation, to commemorate my 100th blog post:


THINGS I LOVE TO DO

1. Cook. Not doing too hot in that area – working full time and then tending to my boys often results in pasta, or Little Caesars.
2. Read. Right now I’m enjoying Second Glance by Jodi Picoult


3. Sleep. If I time it right, in the morning, after I get up to pump, I can crawl back into bed while Jim is in the shower, and lay there, half-in/half-out of sleep for about 10 minutes….it is HEAVEN on earth.
4. Riding around in the Mustang. Apparently, I’ve become spoiled with having a convertible. I could ride around all day with the wind whipping my hair, the sun beating down, Jim be-bopping away to his 80s tunes, and Seth chattering in the backseat.
5. Blog. Whether it's writing or reading, it's gotta be the simplest, cheapest way to work my brain a bit.
6. Rearrange furniture. Even when it will get me in trouble. ;)
   
   THINGS I LOVE TO EAT:
   
7. Italian sausage and roasted peppers over pasta with red sauce. Dismayed is an understatement for how I felt when Olive Garden discontinued this dish. Thank goodness I’ve found an even better version a Granite City.
8. Chocolate Raspberry Truffle in a waffle cone from Handel’s. No explanation needed.



9. Raisinets and popcorn. The ultimate movie-goer’s snack duo. Oh. With a Pepsi. But I love Pepsi enough that it’s getting its own number.
10. Pepsi. Amen, and amen.
11. Dark chocolate. I’m not picky, though I do recognize and appreciate the quality stuff.
12. Panera Bread’s Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
    
    PEOPLE WHO MATTER SO VERY MUCH:
    
13. Seth. He is the joy of my life, even now, as he begins to really forge some independence and display his free will. Diaper changing has become the number one challenge of my day, every day. As soon as he’s on his back, he digs that left shoulder in, and flip! Off he goes. Thank goodness his little tush is cute, ‘cause it’s all I see anymore.
14. Jim. This man is my rock. Um, number one quality of his that comes to mind right this moment (though as a whole, he has too many to list)…patience, hands down.
15. Sara. She probably gets the award for contributing the most to my sanity. There is NO way I could go to work each day and leave Seth if I didn’t know that he was in the best. hands. ever. She loves Seth like he is her own. I don’t know what I’d do without her. Well, actually, I do. I’d be home with Seth, and probably calling her every 10 minutes for advice. But thankfully, I don’t have to face that dilemma. She is, literally, a Godsend.
16. Kim. Work right now would be unbearable if it were not for her. She helps me keep my attitude in check and my perspective where it needs to be. Most of the time. ;)
17. My dad. He’s my best bud. It’s just that simple and true.
18. My PL/SAL girls. Even as we drift and “need” each other less and less (and that’s a good thing – it means we’re all having babies!), they’re still front and center. Daina, Jill, Gabriella, Tamara, Val, Mandie – love you guys!
    
    PLACES I WANT TO VISIT: (top three picks get pictures)
    
19. Venice. Always have. Will I ever? I dunno. But it’s nice to dream.
    
    


20. Ireland. It’s just so pretty. And I’m a ridiculously small fraction Irish, so it’s kind of my homeland. Right?




21. Big Sur. A little more doable. Maybe as a family vacation soon? California was so much prettier and vast and spectacular than I expected it to be…I can’t wait to go back!
    
    
22. London
23. Hawaii -- this mostly made the list because everyone I've ever know who has gone there says "You HAVE to go!!!"
24. Boston, MA -- been there, loved it, want to go back with my boys!
25. Bar Harbor, ME -- been there, loved it, want to go back with my boys!
26. Savannah, GA -- been there, loved it, want to go back with my boys!
27. Gulf Coast of Florida. I want to take Jim and our kids back to the place that was so influential in shaping my life. Not just PCC, specifically, but the whole 5 years that I was in Pensacola.
    
    PLACES I'M OPEN TO MOVING TO:
    
28. Louisville, KY
29. Austin, TX
30. Dallas, TX
31. Cincinnati/Dayton, OH
32. Asheville, NC
33. Nashville, TN
    
    PEOPLE THAT ONCE WERE MY "BEST FRIEND"


34. Weston
35. Jenny
36. Colleen
37. Anne
38. Wendy
39. Mandy
40. Kimberly
41. Daniel
42. Sarah
43. MaryBeth
    
    I’m sure there is a wealth of things to be said from that list, considering I only have contact with 3 of those 10 people. But that is another post for another day.
    
    FRIENDSHIPS THAT REPLACED THOSE LOST
    
44. Melissa and Mike
45. Nikki and Jerry
46. Steph and Craig
47. Kristen and Joel
48. Sara and Doug
49. Abby
50. Matt and Jenny
51. Andrea and Jay
    
    BRAND ITEMS I WON'T COMPROMISE ON:
    
52. JIF
53. Country Crock margarine
54. Crest toothpaste
55. Tampax
56. Kraft Mac ‘N Cheese (cause it’s the “cheesiest”!)
    
    FAVORITE PLACES TO BLOW $25....or $250...whatever
    
57. Biggby Coffeehouse
58. Target
59. Hobby Lobby
60. Pier One
61. The Body Shop
62. Borders/Barnes & Noble



63. Pottery Barn
64. Williams Sonoma – we’re trying to build our “really good” cookware collection. So far, we have 2 pots.
    
    MAGAZINES I ENJOY READING:
    
65. Midwest Living
66. Martha Stewart Living
67. Real Simple



68. People (I know, I know. It’s hardly journalistic.)
69. Parents
70. Rachael Ray Everyday
    
    BEST MOMENTS OF MY TWENTIES (so far)
    
71. College graduation
72. Getting published
73. Moving back home
74. First date with Jim
75. Working at Koinonia
76. Walking away from grad school at BGSU
77. Getting married
78. Buying our first home
79. Discovering The Nest and all the friendships it brought
80. Getting pregnant
81. Meeting Seth
    
    HEIRLOOMS I HOPE MY CHILDREN WILL CHERISH
    
82. Our china
83. Grandma Samas' pearls
84. Grandma Krueger's pearls
85. The "four" wedding gowns in our family
86. My Soldano wedding quilt
87. Our family nativity
88. My dad's Bible(s)
89. The Soldano cradle
90. Jim's wodden toys
    
    And finally...
    
    THE TOP TEN THINGS I HOPE TO POST OVER THE NEXT 100 entries:
    
91. Baby Olive (Sara and Dan's) is here safe and sound!
92. Baby B (Craig and Steph's) is here safe and sound! (no post, but Aaron arrived 12/6/08!)
93. Daina and Jeff's twins are here safe and sound! (shame on me! Also, no post, but Gregory and Ari arrived 2/24/09!)
94. Our deck is done!
95. Seth said his first word! It was "bath," at about 8 months.
96. Seth is walking! On his first birthday, and no turning back.
97. I'm pregnant again! Found out 1/6/09.
98. We're moving! (I dunno....no plans to, I just have an itch.)
99. SONIC IS OPEN!!!! =)
100. Time for my 200th post....
     

Thanks for your company on the journey so far. And if you read and don't normally comment, take a second just today to say hi to commemorate by "big day."

Ciao, internet!

Welcome to the dog days....

As we head into the tail end (ha, ha) of the "dog days" of summer, when the heat and humidity gets to be borderline unbearable, and the air becomes almost unbreathable, I just need to be thankful that I'm not still surviving August in Pensacola -- where not only are the heat, humidity, and barometric pressure off the charts, but you deal with hurricane season, too.

Oh, wait…..

I just looked up some info to support my "logic," and instead of getting the reaffirmation I was looking for, I see that the average August temps for Pensacola are 82 (air) and 84 (water -- the warmest the Gulf is all year).

I changed my mind. I want to go back to Florida! (The weather is better, and their Sonic is already up and running!)

Happy August, y'all!