New Years Eve

New Years Eve is a holiday that rates right up there with Valentines Day in my book. Over-rated. I always get excited to think about staying up late, watching the year in review, and then watching the ball drop. We never go out because it's too wild and crazy (and who needs a DUI to start the new year?).

Over the past couple years, we have started staying home, watching a movie, and toasting the New Year with a glass of champagne. Normally I am bummed out because I want to be with other people but this year, I am looking forward to alone time with Ryan. The holidays wiped me out. Granted, Friday morning, I will probably be bugging to do something with friends.

So, with that in mind...anyone want to get the kids together this weekend?

I can't believe it's time to start writing 2010 now! How crazy is that? Have a safe and happy new years!

Pictures

Here are a few pictures from the trip to MN for Christmas and a few from FL. We didn't go nuts on the traditional pictures and now I feel bad. Oh well, these should help tide everyone over for a bit.

Which way to Bemidji?

Bundled up and loving it.

It's kinda hard to walk in all this warm clothing but I am trying.

Check out my "momo!"

See ya!

Ring Worm

I not only picked up Miller's cold but I also have a case of ring worm. Hmmm...who would have thought that is something I would pick up. At least it's not too bad. I am on a cream to kill it (it's a fungus, not an actual worm) and it has already gone down in size. It still itches and is annoying but I will live.

Miller had a great "second" Christmas with the Sladky set of grandparents. One day I will get around to loading pictures. In MN, the highlight was riding behind the "tractor" and in FL, it was riding on his "momo." For those that don't know, a momo is motorcycle and supposedly his new tricycle fits that same genre.

We had a great 2 weeks of family, food, and fun. Tomorrow it's back to the grind. Then it will be time to hit the new years resolution which is really to exercise and lose some weight. I know everyone sets this goal but this is the first time I have set it for new years and plan on sticking to it. I received the Jillian Michael's Wii game which should be an interesting form of torture. I will let you know how it goes.

Baking and Losing

I had this wild hair up my butt that I was going to make chocolate chip cookies and almond bark covered pretzels for Xmas this year. I would like to remind everyone that I am not a baker and today's events prove why.

Chocolate chip cookies:

I did use regular butter and took the sticks out of the freezer to thaw on their own. I had one large bag of chips and followed the directions to a T. When I poured the chips in, I realized the bag was twice the normal size but the recipe was for only half the bag. Therefore I whipped up another batch of dough to mix in BUT that butter hadn't thawed. So I let it sit for over an hour before I finished the mix.

I knew my first sheets would be the test group (a little too large, figured out the time thing). The proceeding sheets were also crap. I think airbake cookie sheets are the devils work and need a good cheap sheet that no one cares if you use a knife on it. After laughing over my attempt to make cookies (and surpised to find I still had flour and sugar in the house I moved onto the almond bark covered pretzels.

Almond bark pretzels:

I searched Publix high and low yesterday for almond bark and even asked a person for help. They didn't know where any was but I saw the white chocolate bars that said you could melt and cover fruit, pretzels, etc. It looked like the right stuff. Had examples of what I was going to use it for...It's 6 hours later and the stuff is still wet! WTF? Even a chocolate covered strawberry would have hardened up by now.

I will continue to uphold my "no deserts" status of the group and stick with appetizers and salads. Santa better hope he gets better cookies next door and is too full for mine.

Christmas Round 1 Summary

This will be the abbreviated version and pictures will follow later. Bullet style to keep it brief.

• Left Thursday-plane coming into FL was late, then we sat on the runway for over 2 hours due to rain. Who would ever think that we would be delayed in FL due to weather? Miller did ok considering the time spent in his seat and without a real dinner.
• Made to it Minneapolis and that's all the further we went Thursday. We missed our flight to Bemidji. The "rent a car and drive" option was stopped after we found out a one way rental to nowhere (Bemidji) is over $200.
• Trecked back through the airport to call a hotel. I did not bring any toiletries or a change of clothes since for the first time in years I thought of Ryan when packing. Knowing he would be mad if he had to carry extra stuff and that I was being a pessimist, I opted to try the optimistic route. Hmmm...I think I will keep planning for the worst.
• The good news is that MN is nice and we hopped on a shuttle to a nearby hotel. The staff was super nice. Ryan got Miller set up while I ran to the restaurant to try to make last call on food. (we hadn't eaten since lunch) I missed it but opted for 4 over priced Miller Lites. That was the best $18 I have ever spent and they tasted like honey.
• Friday's flight to Bemidji went without a hitch. The MSP airport has a play area in one of the terminals so that helped.
• Miller got bundled up and had his first snow experience. He did ok and seemed to like it even in his overbundled glory. Pictures will follow later.
• We were able to spend time with our friends Friday night (great to see you Bridget and Sheryl)!
• Saturday Miller and I took a trip to the Science Center to meet Sheryl and the girls. The kids played while we caught up. It was a nice science center. I never knew that little place could hold so much stuff! Miller played for 1.5 hours!
• Saturday Miller played with the family and then we headed to Great Grandma's for "Xmas Eve." We had a good meal. Miller was the center of attention. He delivered presents to everyone. I think he can read. We swore a present was for me but he brought it over to Erik. Upon further inspection, it was to Erik and not Erin...very weird.
• Sunday we went to church (Miller's new version of the word truck has the tr replaced with an f...made for an interesting morning). He wasn't very well behaved and spent most of church with Uncle Sean, Dad, or Grandpa who he has named Papa.
• After church we had more presents. Then we bundled Miller up again and we all went outside. He went sliding and rode behind the four wheeler (which he calls a tractor).
• Monday we hung with the family (tried to see Erik and Emily off but their flights were messed up too). Then we headed back to the airport for our own trip home.
• We were late leaving Bemidji and sprinted through the MSP airport to get to our flight. We did not want to spend another night in MN. Let's just say I need to start working out again. I thought my lungs were going to burst. Then we made it to our flight. Thank goodness someone was watching out for us (Bridget-you dad?) because they pre-arranged for us to get our seats together. Originally we were 3 seats in 3 different rows. We had the last row of the plane which wasn't all that bad. The bathroom was a good 10+ rows ahead of us and only the stewardesses were behind us.
• Come to find out, they held the plane since there were a lot of connections running late. That led to us leaving MSP later than planned. We got into FL around 12:30. By the time we got luggage, to the car, and home, it was past 1:30. Bedtime was around 2 for us. Uff!

Miller did ok flying but we are done. No more travel for a while. Our patience was tried and Ryan and I only mildly wanted to kill each other a couple times. Sorry, the bullets weren't very short.

Now, time to unpack, do laundry, get groceries and prep for my families arrival.

Christmas-Round 1

This afternoon we will be flying the friendly skies on our way to Bemidji. The bags are packed (I am afraid we are over the 50lb limit but don't give a crap-it all fit into 2 suitcases). We will also have a stroller, a diaper bag, a carry-on, and my purse. Oh and don't forget the car seat or Miller!

We hope that he is a good flyer. I have plenty of snacks, a couple toys, and a couple books. I know he's going to be bored and throw at least one hissy fit but I hope Ryan is able to deal with it. I will be a nervous wreck. I never want to be the parent with the unruly child.

Pictures from Christmas-Round 1 will follow upon our return from the northland. I am hoping to snap some good outdoor shots. It is warming up for us (I hear it's in the 20's) which isn't too bad for playing outside if there isn't a wind.

Funny Conversation

Last night we had a great party with our Florida friends. We had an italian feast and then our annual gift exchange. Miller made out like a bandit. (Thank you everyone for the gifts!)

This morning, I over hear Ryan putting the farm gift together (which really means untwisting a million twist ties).

"Miller, here's the farmer.Wait, here's a second farmer. Why isn't there a lady farmer? Why are there two dudes?"

Erin replies from the bedroom, "Maybe it's a father and his son. Or...it could be the two brothers after their father passed away."

"Or it's Brokeback Farm," snickers Ryan.

Hmmm...I don't know whether it was funny or just stupid but it made me chuckle.

18 Month Stats

Miller's 18 month check up was yesterday. Here are the stats:

Height: 35 3/4 inches
Weight: 30 lbs 9 oz

What this equates to is one tall boy who is off the charts (still) and estimated to be 6'4". Not surprising but fun to have a doctor tell you that.

He has 16 of his 20 teeth and those may or may not come until he's 2 (hence being called 2 year molars).

He's advanced with his speaking skills (especially for a boy). Some boys don't speak until 2! Could you imagine how quiet our house would have been these past 18 months if that were true in our case?

He's on track with his motor skills too.

So, other than unnecessary screaming and carrying on when he was measured, weighed, toe pricked (his iron was tested-good results), and his 3 shots...it was a great check-up. We go back at 21 months for a regular visit. He's all done with shots until kindegarten! As the doctor said "The next checkup is to make nice." LOL!

Oh, and one other thing. The Miller Monster has been biting at school. We have a meeting with the administrator on Tuesday. The Dr. was like "there's not much you can do at this age," so it will be interesting to hear what they want us to do to change his behavior. Another kid has Roseola so we are crossing our fingers he doesn't catch it or come down with it next week when we fly. Always something for me to worry about.

Happy Birthday Sean!

Happy Birthday to Sean! Not only another year older but officially wiser (or so says his Ph.D). :)

Great Birthday

I had a wonderful birthday weekend. Saturday Miller and I spent the morning together (Ryan had to work). Then we dropped him off at Jon and Shannon's to play with Rylee while we did his Christmas shopping. We spoiled him rotten but you will have to wait for the Christmas report to hear what we bought him. After that, we had an early dinner and then picked him back up. We started a movie but decided since I am now super old, it was time for bed (9pm).

My actual birthday morning started with the best suprise ever...Miller slept in until almost 9am! It is the first and probably the last time we will experience that. Ryan headed out to McDonald's to bring home some iced coffees and breakfast. Then he headed back to work and Miller and I had a great morning.

For some reason with all the sleep he got, he wasn't going to make it through lunch so we put him down for a nap. The plan was to try ice skating with him but he slept through it. Maybe next weekend. Instead we took him to the park. I was the paparazzi trying to get a good Christmas card photo. I am not sure if I succeeded-this week's "night time" homework.

We had dinner and more play time and now he's in bed. I should be working on my annual review but part of me thinks "It's my birthday-no work." I received a ton of well wishes via phone and facebook. It has been a wonderful birthday. Not to mention I received some nice gifts from my parents and Ryan's parents. Miller made me a mixed CD with 99 songs (hmmm...where does he get his money?) and I had already received my laptop a month early from Ryan. My brother in-law called and had a gift in my inbox and my sister called with news that my gift should arrive tomorrow. I always wondered when my parent's said they didn't need gifts for birthdays and Xmas's but now I understand.  A good day with my family was more than enough. Material gifts are nice (keep them coming) but being with friends and family is the best.

Thank you everyone. (No, I haven't had a ton to drink. I am really thankful and not loaded.) I must be a real adult now. :)