Bad Blogger

I know I have been a bad blogger. There have been so many things I haven't blogged about and just put up on Facebook. There has been Mike, mine and Van's birthdays. Casey walking!  The Thanksgiving trip to Florida. And all of my woodworking. (yes I have started to build things out of wood.)

I can skip over Mike and my birthdays because the only thing that happened is getting another year older. Van's birthday was Toy Story themed and a bunch of fun. We had it earlier this year to accommodate our Thanksgiving plans.  All toy story characters I could dig up were used as decorations, I even had Barrel of Monkeys hanging off the TV.  I even got the kids to play pin the tail on Bullseye.




Thanksgiving we flew to Orlando. We stayed at Bonnet Creek with Mike's mom and my parents. The place has gotten even better since we last stayed there. We spent much time in the newer lazy river and pirate ship themed pool outside of our tower. Van even played mini golf with daddy and PopPop.  Becky treated Van and us to Breakfast with the Characters at Animal Kingdom where Van got a kiss from Daisy. The rest of that day we spent at the Magic Kingdom. My parents and I took Casey back for bed while Mike, Becky and Van went to see the Osborn Lights.

We also made it to Sea World with my parents. Van rode his first roller coaster. Watched the dolphin and whale show and the sea lion show. 

Casey decided to walk during the Kentucky/UF game and quickly took off. Now crawling is just a novelty.

Happy Birthday Casey

Casey James Meyer turned 1 at 9:30AM Friday.

Friday we had a family party with my parents with Sweet Wishes cupcakes and present opening from the family. Casey only ate the chocolate star off the cupcake. He was delighted by the Toy Story toys, clothes and Cars blocks. Aunt Heather skyped from Haiti earlier in the day and watched Casey open her gift.

Saturday was the big party. Casey had a red, white and blue baseball party (pictures on the slideshow). Lots of friends came to celebrate. Casey wasn't very interested in baseball smash cake but dived into a chocolate covered pretzel. We opened the many great presents and then went outside to play in water. The weather cooperated by staying cloudy but not rainy (Bonnie broke up well before she hit our area).

Casey at age 1. He crawls and cruises around the furniture, he has no interest in walking yet. He has 4 teeth and has had 11 hair cuts. He can say baby, we are not sure if he is calling us baby or referring to himself. He talks a lot. He's my free range chicken by being able to wonder all around the house without many limits. He tends to find trouble like it calls to him. I have found him many time pulling books off of books shelves, pouring his bowl on food on the floor or emptying tables of the items on top on it. He makes up for all the trouble by making you laugh.

4th of July

christmas 2009

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casey dc

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new mexico

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Fifth before Sixth

To show how far behind I am in blogging I didn't even mention our wedding ceremony anniversary. I now label it our vow renewal just to be trendy. Mike and I celebrated early by going to Santa Fe by ourselves and eating a very nice dinner. Our actual anniversary I was picking him up from the airport and attending a birthday party family style. July 31 will really be 6 years.

Our trip to New Mexico to visit Mike's Mimi and Aunt Celia was fan except for the travel days. The boys bag got lost on our way out there which caused a hiccup in the trip until mid-day the next day. But some sleep and pie fixed that mood. The first day we went to the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. Van and Casey got to ride in the same wagon for the first time. The thurs and fri Mike and I went to Santa Fe and looked at art galleries, ate at Chocolate Maven and one of the oldest restaurants still running in Santa Fe, and went to an art garden. Next was the Natural History Museum (one Mike's favorite as a child) and Explora Children's Museum then the Zoo.

The boys delighted Mimi and Celia and Cindy. They tired the dog Chu every day.And that was the main goal of the trip.

Once we got home it was open season on the backyard pool. This year we got one low enough for van to stand up in. Casey is a fan when the water is not chilly, which is not a problem this summer with the heat. We are working with Van to put his head under the water and tolerate being splashed. A couple times bringing out the slip and slide they warmed up to it. Now that's what Van requests every afternoon. Van will slide if you push him, Casey just crawls around. ( he has finally figured that crawling is an acceptable way to get around)

Casey is more crawling than swimming around. No new teeth  cut yet but have been able to see them under the gums for many weeks now. He likes salty crunchy people food but not chunky baby food. And he's playing cars and mimics his brother quite well. I can no longer put them in the car shaped shopping carts without both of them driving and making car noises.

Soleil 100 Days

Soleil 100 Days: "There are thousands of fun, sharable prizes in the BIC® Soleil® 100 Days of Sunshine promotion. Join now! www.FeelTheSoleil.com"

7 thru 9

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Trip

This is the start of the pictures from the trip. So far we have been to the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens, the boys spent most of Thursday and Friday morning with Mimi, Grandma and Aunt Celia while Mike and I went to Santa Fe for an anniversary trip.

Miles of Stones

I have been meaning to sit down and write for awhile now, after the boom of blog posts that I read I decided I needed to update.

Casey got his first tooth after Easter. We'd all been sick that weekend and his crankiness just seemed to fit in with all our moods. He was so proud of himself each time you mentioned it to him. He'd just smile and "heeeee". We have decided that he'll never hit that traditional crawl stage. He swims, with the smooth floors he can get everywhere he wants by paddling with his arms dragging his belly on the floor with a little push with the legs. If there is something he wants to take with him he flips onto his back ad pushes himself around with his legs, much like watching an otter swim. He'll pull up on people but not furniture, if you place him holding onto a table he'll get too assertive and try to stand alone. This always results in falling and crying.

Since I first posted Casey has gotten his second tooth. Crawled properly for about 8 steps and then flopped down on his stomach to swim again. And I caught him standing up in his crib today.  ( May 3rd)  He was showing our 6 month old neighbor how to properly gobble down puffs today. He's not fond of the baby pool or the slip and slide yet, mainly because the water was cold.

I know there are many miles stones left to go. I have started planning his first birthday party, even have bought a few items for the red, white and blue baseball party.

Strawberry picking

I took the boys to Mrs. Heather's Strawberry Patch this morning, the same one I took Van to last year. Learning from my mistake of waiting too long last year I went a week too early. They were just starting to get red, you had to hunt through a good number of green ones to find the few red. We managed to find 1/2 a flat of red ones and then bought jam and chocolate covered ones just for good measure. Van looked at the animals and Casey chomped away at the strawberry I gave him to pose with. It was pretty impressive since he still does not have any teeth.  We stopped by Mike's work on the way home but he was in meetings. He was notified by a coworker of the arrival of the strawberries by a coworker bringing one (for him not Mike) in to eat during the meeting.

Our Weekend

Mike's sister Stef her husband Eric and their dog Poncho came up this past weekend and it turned out to be the perfect weekend for them to come.

Saturday we went to Bonnetcreek Swamp for a nature hike/treasure hunt. The Geology club was hosting a treasure hunt walk where we collected polished stones for our chart, made a pet rock and colored rock snakes for the garden. On the way home we stopped at Sweet Wishes for gourmet cupcakes and then yummy VooDoo BBQ. Eric and Stef went off to explore BassPro while we took the boys home for naps. To add to my yummy cibiata bread french toast I successfully attempted homemade whipped cream for dinner. 

Sunday we went to the Fishing and Hunting Sportsman Expo. Eric was in heaven. Van got lots of freebies from the vendors. He and Eric "caught" a fish. Poor Eric as much as he tried to interest the fish they were full and Van had to reel in the already on the hook fish to get the experience of catching a fish. He found the fish wiggly. Then he rode a motorcycle amusement ride, the first time riding alone. Eric shot a bow and arrow with him. The upon his request we ate lunch outside. Eric and Stef got to go to Cabella's and we went home for naps. Pot roast and Samoa ice cream for dinner.

Van and Lily did well with Poncho. Lily arched her back for a bit and then realized that Poncho didn't have much interest in her. Once Casey is potty trained I will think about letting a dog into our house, only 1 thing I have to clean up poop from at a time.

It was a great weekend. And Stef if you would have had your phone on you could have gotten my call about leaving the cupcakes. Thanks for leaving them the raspberry filling one was great. :)

the rest of the pictures are on the slide show.

SPRING!!!!

I have been elbow deep in my front garden for the past 2 weekends and loving it. Each year I get twitchy when I start seeing my plants die down for the winter and can't wait until I can plant again. I looking longingly at the garden center of Lowes awaiting the colors of spring to arrive.

I have given up on my dream of having a orange and blue garden, my blue hydrangeas are the brightest fuchsia you can find. And have embraced the pinks and purples that my soil creates. This year I have slowly begun to add rubber mulch to the mix. So the front has rubber mulch and then further back in the wood stuff where it tends to get washed out by rain.

With the final addition of discounted pansies I have finished and now need to wait for the growing to start. Once we figure out how (and who) will de-flood the backyard I will start back there. We have 5 weeks to get the swingset up and things figured out before it is my turn for the baby-sitting co-op to meet here.  Cross your fingers it's not raining that day.

My 3 boys

Our Valentines

Much like the last Valentines Van and Mike went off to Lowes on Saturday to create mommy a valentine. This year was a necklace hanger. I had already bought a purse for myself from the boys and Mike can home with planted tulips and a dust buster, which is sorely needed in this house. Van got some Toy Story candy and a Trio bulldozer. Mike got points on goozex.com for games.

We got up in the morning and Van and I made chocolate and banana pancakes. He was so happy that I let him help since most of the time I cook he can't. The rest of the day was playing and talking to Aunt Celia and Mimi on Skype, which means Van can talk to the TV and it talks back. Not sure he fully understands that Celia and Mimi are real people yet.

It snowed Friday about 2 inches. It took 2ish hours for it to fall and 2 hours for it all the melt. I did take the boys out while it was still snowing (Blizzard on the Bayou they called it) and Van made the snowmen he's been wanting to build, complete with carrot nose and threw some snowballs.

Casey is growing like a weed and finally figured out eating solids. Last week he started picking up puffs from his tray and feeding himself. Quite cute as he's not a huge fan of how they taste. Once he started feeding himself  he realized that opening his mouth was an easier way to get fed than having his mouth pried open by a spoon.

Getting the helium

I went to my first social worker appointment. It is a bit nerve racking waiting to see what someone else thinks of how you are feeling. A few checklists and a lessen in brain chemistry (that I kind of remembered from college classes) later things we fine. I found out that hyped up OCD feelings I am having is a part of postpardom and is on the lesser side of the scale. Mike and I describe it as I never left the nesting phase of pregnancy.  And I still grumble every time I get up in the night with Casey, but it doesn't feel as hopeless.  I feel relieved that what I am feeling isn't abnormal and that there is help and I am correct in getting that help.

In need of some helium

A few months ago I started feeling off, like a deflated balloon. I was tired and easily frustrated. Things just didn't seem to settle comfortably. I wouldn't call it depressed but clinically I think you do. I never wanted to hurt myself or the kids but I did wish several time to be left alone. Combined with those feelings and how quickly the baby weight came off and then gaining a few pounds back and the continue hair loss I made a doctor appointment last week.

I think most doctors that are faced with a crying mother of 2 sitting in their office would do what my doctor did. Calm me down, tell me about her experience after her second was born and that it is normal, give me a prescription for zoloft and get me an appointment to see a nurse social worker who deals with these issues.

I think I would make a horrible test subject, I would be fully deceived by any placebo. Just the fact that I went to go get some help and that the blood tests came back normal I feel a little more at ease. I can see that some of the things that were bothering me can wait, I realized that some of my OCD tendencies had been stronger. My neighbor who is a school psychologist told me that the OCD feelings were most likely normal for a stay at home mom, that the messy closet that bothered me is something I look at many times a day and would stick out in my mind more.

I have about another week before they say I should really feel the effects of the zoloft and I am hoping to be lowered in dosage. And I believe when Casey starts to sleep through the night again, he did it for 2 weeks straight and then stopped, the tiredness will go away. And now that I am a bit calmer I think Van is a bit calmer too, well until Mike gets from work (Daddy is his favorite person in the world).

Hope for Haiti

As some know my sister in law Heather has been a missionary to an orphanage in Haiti over the past few years. She has a passion for these kids and misses them dearly when she is not with them. The orphanage she works with  Danita's Kids  is 9 hours from the epicenter of the earthquake and all are fine. Heather is in Florida and is preparing to leave soon to rejoin them for a year. They will need help as they prepare to take on more orphans. Please keep them in your prayers and consider looking at the website to see if there is a way for you to help.

We don't leave the south for a reason

My Grandmother's memorial was this past weekend in Lincoln. It was a nice service and I got to see the relatives but cold. I lived in Nebraska for 5 years in my life and do not remember it being like that before and know it usually isn't that extreme. I think the highest temp was 7 the whole 3 days. Once the wind settle down it wasn't so bad other than the 7 layers of outdoor clothing. It was so windy Thursday that we got to see a sun dog driving from Omaha to Lincoln.

Van ventured out in the snow at my Grandmother's house with his cousins. Clad in hand me downs he had trouble walking in the 2 feet plus of snow cover and kept calling out "for a little help". Casey went into the indoor pool and the closest he got to the snow was looking at a drift through the pool windows. Van watched the 40 years of Sesame Street DVD in the car and I Love Trash got changed into I Hate Snow which I sung in my head each time I went outside.

I Hate Snow

(sung to the tune of Oscar the Grouches I love trash)

Oh I hate snow
It's all cold, clingy and crunchy
It's all slippery, icy and turns slushy
Yes, I hate snow

I have snow in my pants
It's only negative 2
A 2 foot snow cover is eating my boot
I hate it because it's snow

Oh I hate snow
It's all cold, clingy and crunchy
It's all slippery, icy and turns slushy
Yes, I hate snow

The sun dog in Omaha

Van in the 2 feet of snow at my Grandmother's

Casey at the indoor pool

Uncle Jim (who Casey is named after) Van Casey and Kate

Stealing Other's Posts

Mommy Attorney wrote her post and I liked the idea so I stole it. Many times I have wondered if anyone reads what I wrote.


De-Lurk!
This week is national de-lurking week.

What is a lurker? Someone who reads a blog but does not comment. The best part about the internet, for me anyway, is dialogue that can occur between folks who go through the same experience or have different perspectives on life.

I have a few faithful readers, many of whom comment. But there are a few that I know read regularly and rarely or never comment.

So...

come out and say hi!

Say anything!

Say what you like around here!

Say what you don't like around here!

Say how you found me!

Just say something!

(and yes, I'm talking to you!)
Posted by Mommy Attorney at 5:24 PM

Fa La La La Pbbtthhhhhhhh

I had plans for what to do during the holidays and then I just went Pbbtthhhhh. I wanted to post the holiday letter on the blog, I was pushing it just to get it emailed before Christmas. I wanted to order more paper cards to send out, NOPE. Van still hates the idea of visiting Santa.

I did change up the outdoor decorations and the indoor decor came together after 3 days of tilting my head and saying I didn't like it. It did come out more Mike's style than mine,more rustic cottage than I wanted. But I do live in a house full of boys so pink sparkles just don't seem to fit in well.

Christmas went smoothly. The Grandparents all got in without problems. There were no medical problems. Santa came, toys were opened, tree was packed up to make room to play with toys, Christmas dinner was made and eaten. Other than some really sweet sweet potato mash things went great Christmas day.

New Years Eve the swing set was delivered, outside decorations came down since it was 65 degrees, really glad I did it then since its been a bit chilly since. we went to the neighbors to eat and shoot fireworks until Van admitted he was tired at 9:30. I am amazed at how many fireworks 5 families can amass.

My main goal for 2010 a new couch and maybe some chairs and to recover our dinning room chairs. The couch has lasted well over the price I paid for it and both Mike and I would like more seating. And well Van had done a number on the dinning room chairs. All easy fixes after once we decide on what we want. Hopefully all done by February.

New Years