Some Updates . . .
February 2, 2009 at 10:23 pm | In Declan, Family and Friends, Random, Savannah | Leave a CommentI haven’t blogged in forever . . . no particular reason. Everything is going well. I thought I’d take a few minutes and post a few pics:
My friend Erin (horsey to Halle) and me (horsey to Savannah)
Notice that his hand is over her mouth . . .
Declan and his friend Griffin, born only a couple weeks before him. Griffin is my friend Erin's son.
Declan and the ladies . . . Savannah and Kate & Sara Johnson
Have a good week!
Random Stuff
October 2, 2008 at 10:16 pm | In Declan, Family and Friends, Random, Savannah | 2 Comments
I have been absolutely terrible about blogging lately. I mean, usually there is a little button in the back of my mind that I mentally press when I’m having a blog-worthy moment (I think my father-in-law has this button too, since he frequently says, “I think you might blog about this!”). Frankly, I’ve been too busy to push that mental button.
Last week, we went to North Myrtle Beach on a little vacation. We shared a 3 bedroom suite in a nice hotel with our friends, Kelly and Jason, and their two little rugrats, Kate (3) and Sara (18 months). We had a great time (my favorite part of the weekend was eating the doughnuts that Jason bought at Krispy Kreme. Seriously, I think I ate six). The first night, we foolishly decided to let Savannah and Kate share a hotel room. And I even more foolishly told Savannah that when she and Kate woke up in the morning, they could turn on the TV in their room. Um, I didn’t think about how having a TV in your bedroom is THE BEST THING EVER to two 3 year olds.
I also think I should have more clearly defined “morning”, since Savannah woke up at 4:45 am, preceded to wake up Kate, and then they both turned on the TV. Much jumping on the bed ensued. Kelly, in the room next door, tried to ignore them but couldn’t after Kate fell off the bed and started crying.
The next night, Kate slept in the room with her parents and Sara slept in Savannah’s room, since Sara sleeps like the dead. However, I should probably mention that poor Sara didn’t actually sleep in the same room as Savannah–she slept in a pack n’ play in the bathroom attached to Savannah’s room. In order to set up the PNP, we had to go into the bathroom, shut the door, set it up, then suck in our doughnut-filled guts in order to squeeze back out the door. Thankfully, Sara didn’t seem to mind, and everyone slept great.
Overall, the beach was a hit. Since we went in late September, it was still hot enough to swim/get wet, but not miserably hot. Dec ate, I mean,–played in the sand, Savannah collected seashells, Kevin chased Savannah into the water. I tried to take some pictures, but hardly any of them turned out well.
The hotel we stayed in was right along the beach, and it had several pools. Each day, we’d go to the beach, hang out for a bit, then the kids would express the desire to go in the pool. Um, okay. Kelly and I appreciated it since the pool washed off most of the sand.
Kevin was very excited to take the kids to a place called “Broadway at the Beach”, as it had a little area with games and rides suitable for young children. After cheerfully riding the mini-ferris wheel, the train, and the carousel (Dec was not crazy about the carousel), Kevin railroaded Savannah into going on a ride consisting of airplanes going in a circle. The airplanes could go up and down, supposedly controlled by the two children riding in each airplane. Savannah initially expressed apprehension about riding. After Kevin encouraged her (I DID NOT), and another parent cajoled his daughter into riding in the seat in front of her, Savannah got on. There she sat, frozen in fear, while the ride revolved endlessly. I watched anxiously for tears, or worse, her attempt to jump out of the ride. After the ride stopped moving, Kevin entered the gated area to lift her out of her seat. Once he picked her up, everyone in the vacinity heard “Waaaahhhhhh”. It took awhile to calm her down. Kevin is still in trouble for traumatizing my baby.
Overall, vacation was good. Time with friends, thumbs up. Time eating ice cream and doughnuts, thumbs up, airplane ride, thumbs down.
Homemade Wares
June 25, 2008 at 9:49 pm | In Family and Friends, Savannah | Leave a Comment
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5358584
Keeping Up With the Jones’s
June 21, 2008 at 8:42 pm | In Family and Friends, Savannah | 2 CommentsToday I had the pleasure of taking Savannah to the birthday party of a little girl in her class named Olivia. Like Savannah, Olivia is turning three. The official title of this birthday party was “Olivia’s Zoo Party”.
Let me preface any further commentary by stating that Olivia is a lovely little girl. And I can see where she gets it from, as her parents are warm and caring people who truely seem to enjoy opening up their home to Olivia’s friends and their parents.
But, that being said, this party was completely over the top.
It was located at Olivia’s parent’s house, a large brick home in a very nice part of town. The foliage is lush, the driveway is steep, and the front door is imposing. Inside, the house is bright, kid friendly, and despite the fact that they have lived there over two years, there is little furniture. This comforts me, as it implies that maybe they are not as put together as it appears from the outside.
Now, let’s look at some basic facts of the party:
- Entertainment: pony rides, a jumping castle, face painting (this was kind of fun, as I got to paint faces for awhile), pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, and a movie playing in the family room. These activities were carefully distributed throughout the house and yard.
- Food: Hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, fruit salad, potato salad, beans, macaroni salad, animal crackers, sweet bread, and of course, cupcakes. The beverages consisted of lemonade, iced tea, bottled water, and nearly every kind of soda.
- Favors (this is the really over-the-top part): Every child received ALL of the following: A t-shirt that says “Olivia’s Zoo Party”, a hat that looks like a hat a worker at the zoo might wear, a really nice placemat that has the alphabet on it, a stuffed animal, and a marker and accompanying coloring paper. The placemat was wrapped with a ribbon and fastened with a sticker that said, “Thank You, Olivia”. They had to have spent hundreds of dollars on favors.
- Guests: About 25 kids from Olivia’s school, their parents, and a bunch of family members. Maybe 50-60 people in all.
I couldn’t help but wonder what kinds of gifts the other moms had brought.
I have to say, Olivia was a trooper. She was polite, seemed to be enjoying herself, and was in awe of the gift table. It was stated on the invitation (shaped like an elephant and printed with all the details) that the party was three hours long, falling between the hours of 12:00pm and 3:00pm. Around 2:00pm, there was a mass exodus as one after another of the almost three-years olds started to come down from their sugar rush and dissolve into tearful children who were no longer able to wait their turn, share, or speak in an inside voice. Savannah got into the car, sat in a trance during the car ride home, then slept for 1.5 hours until I woke her up at 4:30pm.
Um, I am SO not interested in competing with that. If this is what they do for a 3 year-olds party, what will they do for her 16th? Or her graduation from high school? Or her wedding? Have you ever seen that show on MTV called, “My Sweet Sixteen”? Where teens help plan and throw a 16th birthday party that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, often involving celebrity musical guests, cars that cost over 100K, and hundreds of high school kids? Will I see Olivia on that show in a few years?
Anyway. We had a great time, but I need to make sure that Savannah’s standards remain very low, so we will not be going to too many parties like that anytime soon.
_________________________________LATER_______________________________________
As I was putting Savannah to bed, I asked her if she had fun at Olivia’s party today. She said, “Yes, it was so much fun!”. I asked her what her favorite part was, and she answered, “The cupcakes were so good.”
That’s my girl.
Sayings from Dad
June 15, 2008 at 10:21 am | In Family and Friends, Reminiscing | Leave a CommentA few weeks ago, around Mother’s Day, I offered the Top 5 “Sayings from Mom” that I recalled from my childhood. I figure I should offer the same on behalf of my Dad. These are the sayings most remembered:
1. I’ll really give you something to cry about. (This was said in a threatening tone in response to all whining/crying. Um, Dad? You never really gave us something to cry about.)
2. Let me just have one bite. (This was said as he was grabbing our sandwich/candy bar/ice cone out of our hand. After this assault, there was usually only about 3% of the food item left.)
3. Ask your mother. (This was utter deflection. Usually, a similiar conversation ensued:
Us: ”Mom, can we go have an ice cream cone?”
Mom: “What did Dad say?”
Us: “He said yes.”
Mom: “Ron? Did you say they could have an ice cream cone?”
Dad: “No, I told them they had to ask you.”
Mom: “So he didn’t say yes.”
Us: “No, but we think he wants one too.”
Dad: “No, I’ll just have one bite.”
4. Don’t be a beanhead. (Usually stated when we did something stupid, like jumped off the bunkbeds, poked a bees nest, asked for money, or when one of my brothers zipped up their pants on a crucial body part after using the bathroom)
5. Punch him back. (This was said to me when I complained of my brothers’ tendency to beat on me. Surprisingly, it was very good advice.)
Happy Father’s Day, Dad.
____________________________EDIT_____________________________________________________________
6. Don’t tell your mother. (This was said usually when he was pulled over for speeding but didn’t actually receive a ticket, when he picked up a hitchhiker (only happened a couple of times, probably because we told our mother) or when he let us do something dangerous (like play on some slippery rocks overlooking a river).
Sayings from Mom
May 6, 2008 at 8:30 pm | In Family and Friends, Reminiscing | 4 Comments
So, in light of the fact that Mother’s Day is coming up, I’ve been thinking of my mom. I started thinking of phrases that I heard my mother say frequently while growing up. Off of the top of my head, these are the ones that stand out. My brothers may remember different ones.
1. If it was a snake it would have bit ya (Also synonomous with “Are you blind?”. This was usually said to my father, who has the male affliction of asking about the location of an item while staring directly at it. I usually just screech “Are you blind???” to Kevin rather than saying the more tactful version. Or even more rudely, I say, “I’m not telling you, cause it’s right in front of your face.)
2. You’re driving me to drink. (I use this one a lot, usually muttered under my breath during one of Savannah’s tantrums. It makes me feel better.)
3. Were you raised in a barn? (This goes hand-in-hand with “What would your mother think?”, which is said in public in order to immediately disown us when we did something embarrassing. Case in point: My youngest brother let out the most disgusting belch in a restaurant while we were on vacation. People turned their heads. My mother snapped, “What would your mother think?” and was absolved of all blame. Brilliant.)
4. It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. (Said in response to any complaint. And really, how can you dispute that?)
5. I hope you have a child just like you when you grow up (to be fair, she said this to my brother Nathan more than me. He was a rascal. I prefer to think that when she said it to me it was said in loving, admiring tones.)
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.
Aunt Tara and Uncle Kevin
April 27, 2008 at 9:48 am | In Family and Friends | 1 CommentIt’s official. I am an aunt.
Gavin David Nusz was born on Saturday, April 26 at approximately 11:00 am. He weighs 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and is 21 inches long. He is healthy and eating well. His parents, Dave and Summer, are doing well, albeit tired. His birthdate is particularly significant, as it was on Dave and Summer’s 5th wedding anniversary.
Congratulations, Dave and Summer! We can’t wait to meet our new little nephew.
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