Work, Work, and More Work

I haven't complained or posted about work in quite a while (or at least I don't think I have). I have been working on a project for the past 2-3 years. It's in it's final stages of training, pilots, and rollout. As much as I enjoy that part of my job, it's been taking place "after hours" which makes for a long work week. I barely see the kids or have time to do anything around the house to help out. Ryan has been a saint. The worst part is that it is going to continue for a couple more months. I am trying to nail down the schedule and limit the nights I have to keep pulling late hours. If I don't, I may emerge from my office to find the family replaced me with a new wife/mommy.

Thank you Ryan for doing such a great job with the family and house while I have been slaving away to make the money to bring home the bacon for you to fry. I love you!

Trip Recap

Last Thursday I headed to MN to visit my sister (with my mom). Before I left, Ryan and I took the morning to register the kids at their new daycare. Then we went shopping for Miller's birthday presents. We had a quick lunch and then I was off.

Thursday night we grabbed supper and drinks. Friday, we met my high school friends for lunch; Penny, Bridget, Sheryl, and Michele, at Michele's restaurant. It was great to catch up with them and also had some fantastic pizza. Yum. I may have to have Michele ship me some. It was a cross between Dave's and Giovanni's. Afterwards, Bridget came with us to do some shopping and touristy stuff near Emily's house. The theme of the weekend was visit Target and eat. We had great Thai food that evening topped off by local homemade ice cream. We ran to Target that night and were pleasantly suprised to find out they were open to 11 and not 10 (we got there at 9:50).

Saturday was gloomy / rainy. We had planned on going to an art museum but my sister's naming convention and my lack of searching skills landed us at an Art Institute. Since we had already paid to park, we walked downtown and had a drink and some food. Emily's order was screwed up and instead of a normal beer, she ended up with a KING size beer. For a girl who just got done saying beer makes her feel ill, it was rather funny. In between rain drops, we headed over to Target.

That evening we met Emily's boyfriend at another bar. We were told to be on our best behavior. We were but I think we still embarrassed Miss Sensitive. The boyfriend was nice. He survived meeting us without too much pressure. We also watched a freshly 21 girl go from normal to sick drunk in less than an hour. Then we witnessed a 21 for the third time around (aka old lady) also get snockered.

Sunday was nice so we headed to the Walker sculpture walk and then over to Lowry Park. Before that, we had lunch at a place that served cheese curds. My trip had been complete. Anything after that was a blur due to cheesy goodness in my belly. We took a tour around the surrounding lakes and then people watched some more. We ended the evening with a trip to Target and watched a movie at Em's house.

The weekend was great. I had fun with my family but missed my boys. They skyped a couple times and Miller talked to me on the phone. Ryan survived as a single parent and the house was still standing when I got home.

As you can see, I had no camera. I think we got a couple pics on Em's phone or my mom's camera. Maybe I will add them if they send me a copy.

Mason Started Crawling

Mason just mastered the sitting from any position thing. Jess commented he would be crawling shortly after that. I didn't realize that meant less than a week later! It's not an elegant crawl or one that goes for very long but it's a crawl.

We (meaning Ryan) had lowered his crib mattress this weekend since he was sitting up and could put his big fat noggin' over the top and tumble. Looks like I need to do a little baby proofing now that he's officially on the move. I hope he's a good baby like his brother and not get in to too many things.

I think Annie realizes she has to be on her toes a little more now. That fat baby can now get her. As for Miller, no toy is safe from the grasps of Mason.

The two boys were "wrestling" on Saturday. I didn't take a video of it but it was hilarious. Miller would stand in front of Mason and let him "push" him down. Then Mason would let Miller push him down. It went well for the first few times until Mason went faster than Miller anticipated and Mason hit his head. All it took was a few hugs from Miller and a steamroll or two and they were back at it.

On another note. Daycare asked us to start bringing him 4 jars of food each day. The kid can eat. We are the family that no longer can eat from 1 box of macaroni and cheese. The kids ate one all by themselves this weekend. I think the beer fridge will have to turn into a milk fridge in the future to keep up with their eating and drinking. I can't imagine what our grocery bill will be when they both have growth spurts at that same time.

Another Milestone for Mason

Mason has been sitting up for quite some time. A few weeks ago he learned to move his body forward and push himself back up. This week he mastered sitting from a laying down position. He is also close to crawling. He gets in position and usually slides backwards or takes a digger on his face. Don't let this fool you though. The kid can move like no other. He barrel rolls, repositions himself, and barrel rolls to the next thing. He's not only pretty accurate but also pretty darn quick.

We also have decided on a new daycare. For those that didn't know, Motorola is closing it's daycare facility at the end of August. I was pretty devastated thinking of the kids having to get used to new teachers, make new friends, and the teachers all having to find new jobs. The reality of how much our routine would change didn't hit home until we started the search.

Much like shopping for a house, we had our wish list and knew we would have to sacrifice something. We gave up convenience but I think we have made a good decision. We haven't officially signed up but at least we are in agreement on the location.

The school has many nice features. I hope the kids like it and do well there. I am actually looking forward to having to take them to school each day. I will get some more "morning time" with them and it will allow Ryan to resume his music only trips to work. No more yapping kids. He will still do the pick up but at least we are splitting the drive.

I will tell you more about it once we are officially on the roster and have a start date. One bummer for Miller, it requires a uniform. Oh well, at least the camo shorts and super hero t-shirts will be even more special once he comes home from school and on the weekends. Mason doesn't have to worry about that until he hits pre-K.

Official Mother's Day Recap

Ryan and the boys know how to spoil their mother. Ryan got up and took the boys on an adventure so I could have a little quiet time. (Don't get too excited, their adventure was to Dunkin Donuts and Publix)

They returned with donuts and iced coffee. Yum! We opened cards and then a few gifts. I received a new flavored coffee, the K-cup thingy for using your own grinds, and then the best gift ever...a new hair dryer! Yes, I am overly excited about this darn hair dryer. I mentioned mine was on it's last leg and that I was going to splurge on a nice one this time around. They bought me a very nice one and it worked super well.

I was able to take my time getting ready (time to paint toe nails, play with the new hair dyer, etc.) I hung out with the kids until after lunch and then headed for my afternoon of freedom. I went directly to the mall on the hunt for a few things. Jess and I met up and went for a nice little snack at The Cheese Course. Girl talk, no kids, cheese and wine. Yum all around.

I was home shortly after the kids woke up from their naps. We played outside in the porch and on the swings for a couple hours. Both kids were in a good mood which always helps. Miller was a good big brother and let Mason play with some of his super heroes and Capt. America's shield. When he asked for it back, Mason actually gave it to him. It was a pretty amazing coincidence that I will pretend was understood sharing. Both kids were giggle faces on the swings.

After that we went inside for a wonderful crab and lobster dinner. Miller had fun cracking the crabs and ate well. We were battle free which is always a plus. Mason, well, the kid loves to eat. I think he ate a bowl of chicken noodles and something, some squash, and cheerios.

Afterwards we did a quick round of baths. Mason had a bottle and went to bed without a peep. Miller, Ryan and I watched the rest of G.I. Joe (what a terrible movie after having watched Avengers last weekend. Even if the story was ok, the special effects were so horrible, it was almost painful to watch.) Miller went to bed without a fuss. Ryan and I watched a couple sitcoms and were in bed before 10pm. It was a fantastic day all around. Ryan set the bar pretty high for father's day...I better start planning now!

Mother's Day Breakfast

Miller and Mason had a Mother's Day breakfast at school today. Mason went in with Ryan and Miller and I went in a little bit later. Miller was pretty pumped to have me take him to school.

The school had a nice plate of fresh fruit and a cinnamon roll. The kids were served their normal cereal. Of course I couldn't keep him from eating at home before we left so he ate 2 bowls of cereal at home and half of my stuff at school. He didn't touch his own cereal (which, I wouldn't blame him; plain cheerios or fresh fruit and a cinnamon roll...).

After we ate I went into his classroom, read him a book, checked out all of the stations and other things in the classroom. He only mildly put up a fit when I left. Then I headed over to surprise Mason.

Mason had the biggest smile on his face when he saw me. I sat and played for a few minutes with him. Gave him a few snuggles and then headed out to register them in a new school.

The new school which I thought I was just going to do a quick visit (Ryan had previewed them for us) and then sign some paperwork to get on a waiting list didn't materialize. It had a few things that turned me off and I just didn't get a good vibe from it. I am sure it's a fantastic school but we both felt put off by it. Something just didn't fit with us or the way we see our children's needs being met. We did get on the waiting list as a backup plan.

After that tour, we headed to another school that originally Ryan had crossed off the list. We both like parts of it but there are a couple negatives / open items. One of the main ones is that they only accept 1 year olds who can walk. We can't predict Mason will be walking by the time he starts. We liked the 2+ year old classrooms and VPK curriculum.

We left deciding we would have to reopen our search and maybe try another area we hadn't looked in. It's like house hunting; once you know what you want; it's a matter of finding that perfect place. I know we will have to sacrifice something in the end and right now; it appears to be convenience. There are a few things we want and won't settle unless everything else outweighs it.

Who knows, we may need to put Miller in school and hire a nanny for a few months until Mason can walk. Right now it's back to the drawing board.

Mason and Mom

Mason and I have been having some quality time together. (Miller and Ryan headed north to Chris's graduation.) Last night he was a funny boy. We played, had dinner, played a little more, Skyped G&G Sladky, and then it was time for bed.

I wish I could capture him on film when he's being silly. Last night he wiggled and rolled his way from the middle of the kitchen around to the space between the barstools and the couch. Oh well, I know how cute he is.

Everyone slept in this morning. Then we got up and moving. Mason's been a little fussy. He needed a nap but was fighting it so we went to the grocery store. We had lunch and now he's sleeping. I have a few more chores to go but figured I would also enjoy the quiet time.

The troops will be here in a couple hours. Hopefully we get some pictures with everyone together. (Sean, Erik, G&G Froyd, Great Grandma Froyd, and us)

Super Mom and VPK

I am going to mix a couple rambles into one post. I hope you follow. I am also warning, I use a little colorful language to describe things.

First, I totally deserver a Super Mom award for my recent cleaning and organizing of Miller's toys. Now that his toys are back in themed bins, it's like a whole new world of toys arrived. He has played with his army/super heroes for days on end and has been excellent at putting the small accessories and guns in their little container when he's done. Tonight, he resurrected the airport and fire station that I posted about (remember, the one that took me hours to put together because there were a million pieces, stickers, and horse shit directions). Let's just say putting it back together a year later still took me half an hour and there are a few missing pieces. I received enough thank you's to make up for the earlier tantrums and discipline we were enforcing.

Second, I finally got an appointment to register Miller for VPK (voluntary pre kindergarten). It took me forever to print the forms, fill them out, make the photocopies of necessary docs, etc. Every document and every webpage said the same thing: Come to your appointment with your appointment ticket, the form filled out, copies of docs a, b, c (which there was another form that told all of the acceptable forms of a, b, and c). Tonight I arrived at my appointment. The lady checking us in must have felt like a tape recorder asking the same questions about if you had your stuff filled out, copied, etc.

The people ahead of me were not prepared. Then she would tell them to get it done and that they needed to sit behind x in the chairs over there. Well, no one could follow the directions. Some lady busted in front of me and said she was next after x. I said, no, you aren't because I have all of my stuff ready and I am behind x. She proceeded to jump in front of me. The lady taking applications said I was next and I said very loudly (because honestly, I don't give a crap anymore. I deal with morons all day. What's one more?), "That's fine. Let her go. She's not prepared and I can wait another 5 minutes while she gets her shit together. I just hope my kid doesn't end up in her kid's class." Yep, I was totally obnoxious and don't give a hoot. The lady next to me bust out laughing.

Then it was my turn. I walked up, handed my form to the guy. He asked for a copy of my ID and a copy of Miller's birth certificate. He asked if the info was accurate and up to date. I replied yes. He hand copied it all onto another form (ummm...hello online forms and computers...) and said that was it. I asked if he wanted the copy of the third document they asked for and he smiled at me with one of those "no thank you, you have your crap together" looks and said nope, that would be all. As I walked out, the bitch who cut in front of me was still filling out her stuff.

As a side conversation, another woman was frantically filling out her stuff and said "I have been waiting a month and a half for this appointment. I can't miss it." I replied "yes, so have I." In my head, I was thinking "you have had a month and half to fill out the dumb form and make your 3 copies. How hard is it to make the appointment and turn it in?"

So, I guess this is just a taste of what my thoughts are going to be about the kindergarten registration process. I am totally joining the PTA. I can't believe how stupid people are and if my kids are going to have a good school experience, I am going to have to get involved. Yep, Miller and Mason, you have one of those moms. Please don't hate me for it.