Disappointments of the Week

1. Evan over Ade in the finals of SYTYCD - Mindy thinks it’s only sad if he wins, but I say simply Evan's presence essentially ruins the finale. He’s arguably the weakest of the 20 contestants that made it through to the live shows this summer--not even in the same league as the other 3 finalists. Ade being sent home is akin to the Steelers being upset in the '94 AFC Championship game: Super Bowl XXIX suffered as a result.

2. Presidential beer selection - Beers being consumed at last night’s “Beer Summit”: undrinkable Bud Light by the Prez, girly Blue Moon by the cop, and NA for the Veep (why even attend?). The professor’s choice of Sam Adams Light was the best, but that’s not saying much (and what it is saying is that their collective taste in beer stinks).

3. Asparagus portion size at restaurants – At home I eat somewhere in the range of 12-15 spears with dinner. Tonight’s dinner at Otto’s, while excellent (I had the special: Thai Salmon), only included 3 asparagus spears.

4. Huey Lewis’s best song was an unoriginal rip off – We’ve been listening to Sirius ‘70s on 7 as change of pace lately. Tonight, we hear “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” by ELO, and everything I thought I knew of The News has been turned upside down.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Matt had the whole week off to enjoy watching the girls. He bribed them each night if they were good that the next day would be fun. He ended up taking them to a few playgrounds and even tried out a new one for us. It is in Boardman Park and dedicates one playground to 5 and under aged children. Matt said that the kids really enjoyed the paved area with many trikes to ride.

We took a trip to Pittsburgh today for some morning shopping at Ross Park Mall. Of course, the mall had a play area so Matt and the girls 'relaxed' there while I finished looking. Talk about ridiculously priced stores!! I don't think that I will be paying $155 for a pair of jeans any time soon. I would probably shrink the darn things the first time I washed them. It was fun to window shop anyhow! Afterwards we picked up some lunch and visited Papa and Craig. All the girls could keep talking about was the cookies in the bag that I bought. (huge M&M cookies from Mrs. Fields). They obsess... well I was looking forward to them as well. :)

While watching the girls drive around on their Barbie Jeep, we decided to let Meredith drive. Madeline was instructed to make sure Meredith doesn't drive into anything. Meredith seemed to be a pro while in reverse, but once going forward at turtle pace, it was another story. She was looking at Madeline instead of where she was going. She was headed right for the playset which isn't small!!! Madeline took Meredith's head and whipped it forward yelling, "LOOK WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!".

Here are some pictures of our new water toy! Meredith is not too thrilled by water squirting her, but didn't mind sticking her forehead onto the stream?!?

Edwin Stands Up - ON HIS OWN!!!

Edwin actually stood up yesterday (7.29.09) for the first time...but I couldn't get a video until today. Enjoy!!!

Edwin's Favorite Toy

My neighbor edited this picture for me...I LOVE it so I wanted to share it...

WEEK IN REVIEW

This weekend I traveled down to Columbus to attend a seminar led by John Edward with Megan. ... Are you done laughing yet? No , ok I'll wait. Now then, both Megan and I had a great time watching it all unfold. He is quite unexplainable. It happened to also be Megan's big 3-0!! The girls made her flower pots with a colored insert for each. Let's just say it doesn't take much to determine which one was Madeline's vs. Meredith's!

While we were out shopping at Michael's, I noticed some animal hats in their discount aisle. I started trying them on the girls and it was too cute to pass up. Check it out!

It is confirmed, Meredith is my daughter after all. HAHA! At the mall today, she all of the sudden burst out in tears screaming , 'Pick me up, pick me up!!'. I looked around and saw the source of terror. It was a guy dressed up like a cell phone in front of the Sprint store. I couldn't get her out of the mall quick enough. She kept looking backwards to see if he was behind her (including while we were getting into the car). She explained to me that the phone had arms and that it was going to "get" her! She asked me if he could talk. Madeline and I are laughing which irritates her more. I tried to explain that it was a person playing dress up with a cell phone outfit, but she wasn't buying it. Madeline told her that he was going to sneak up and stand behind her back. Meredith freaked out (this happened in the car) and screamed, "the phone won't get my back!!" Poor kid is petrified just like her mommy by costumed characters. They should be outlawed. I am thinking a trip to Disney will have to be delayed. Can you imagine that trip?!?

And the long awaited car has finally been purchased. The girls are constantly asking for this b/c the neighbor boys each have one . Let me tell you this is one rewarding toy. The girls LOVE it. Madeline is getting better and better at maneuvering around the yard. Meredith spends more time looking at her toes and running into things, so she isn't behind the wheel too much. HA! They crank the radio and zoom all around thinking they are some hot stuff!

Round 2 - Edwin Photos 7.23.09

Round 1 - Edwin Photos 7.22.09

Edwin's New Trick

Sedona

My neighbor is letting me borrow her camera (SONY a200) for a few days to see if I like it. Since Edwin was already in bed, I had to take a couple test shots with Sedona. Here they are...stay tuned for some new pics of Edwin. Should be fun!!!

New Walking Video

Edwin's walking skills continue to improve each day...

No Thanks

Last week The Enquirer reports a Cincinnati councilman is proposing enforcing income tax payments on panhandling. So I have a discussion with a co-worker regarding the seemingly implausible chance of such a tax ever being collected which transitions into an analysis of the state of panhandling in Cincinnati.

We both agree that the panhandlers in DT Cincy are relatively mild-natured compared to the aggressive ones in other cities we’ve both visited. (I provide the anecdote of being in Louisville a few years back and someone harassing me for the entire 3-block walk from the bars at 4th Street Live to my hotel.)

I then begin the story of the only time that I felt harassed by a panhandler in Cincinnati…

Me: I was walking into the Corryville Blockbuster when some large guy asked for some change. So I say “no thanks” and proceed toward the entrance, but the guy gets really pi-

Co-worker: Wait a second, you said “no thanks”?

Me: Yeah, why?

Co-worker: That was pretty rude. That’s probably why he harassed you.

This floored me. “No thanks” has been my standard response to panhandling requests for probably 10+ years. It’s honest, brief, and I thought (since half of it is simply the word “thanks”) polite. What are you supposed to say if giving money to every panhandler you encounter isn’t an option? (Let’s be honest, it really isn’t an option in DT Cincy…aggressive they’re not, but plentiful they are.)

My co-worker tells me the right answer is to tell them you just gave your change to the guy down the street. I’d always known that lying was a popular option but always thought “out of cash, sorry” was the lie of choice. Now, I’m not above lying to panhandlers, but this seems unnecessary when the truth is just as easy.

My co-worker says that the implied message behind “no thanks” is that I have money but am unwilling to give it up. Well, of course. But again, why is this rude?

Am I crazy? Do I have a good response, or should I start lying to panhandlers? Any guidance would be appreciated

Getting Dressed

Here's what happens when Dad's left in charge of outfit selection...

July 17th - Recap of Edwin's Day

Edwin wakes up and begins his day - breakfast, morning play session resulting in every toy basket being emptied, morning nap, lunch date with Stephanie and Vanessa, shopping with Mom, afternoon nap, afternoon play time...


Mom and Dad leave to go to the Reds game.

Edwin is FREE at last!!! Well, not 100% true. Treva and Robert came to babysit - dinner, evening play time, walk around Neport and completely exhausted he goes to bed...

WHAT A DAY!!!

WEEK IN REVIEW

Matt has now had 3 days back at work since losing an organ. His office changed buildings so when he arrived , the room was filled with boxes (which he couldn't carry/lift). How convenient to get out of some manual labor, eh? He, also, returned to his Weight Watchers meeting and lost another 4 pounds!! Matt is pretty thrilled that his goal is getting closer and closer.

Betsy and family were traveling through Ohio on Saturday so we invited them for a BBQ. Papa and Deb came by as well and tried to get our kite to fly. It was so windy, but we couldn't get it high enough for it to stay up. The girls loved trying though. Papa did all the running and was the only one worn out by the end of it!

The following day, Ginny, Claudia, and Grandma Marge were traveling up to Cleveland to visit Grandma's sister. We decided to meet up at Starbucks for a quick visit. We had the whole place to ourselves which was like a living room anyways. The girls love to play with Claudia and just follow her around ... even asking to go to the potty b/c that is where she went. Gross!

On one of his days off, Matt took the girls to the library for a Three Little Pigs puppet show. Apparently, it was quite crowded , but definitely worth it. They even got to make their own puppets! When I got home, Meredith came up to me to tell me that the doggie ate the pig. I was confused, until Madeline said, "no it was a wolf, and it was a HUG... he didn't eat the pig!". The rest of the night Meredith would look at me and say, "a hug?".

During one trip in the car, Madeline started singing this song we had never heard before, Down by the Riverside by Four Lads. We didn't even know the song! Nanny Karen had apparently taught them it and the 2 of them loved it. I decided to make them perform it for the blog. Here are the lyrics in case you can't understand them singing.

Things I Like Right Now

1. Adam Carolla's podcast
2. Cincinnati 's public library
3. our gym membership
4. print edition of The Economist
5. how the new bus driver on my 7:30 a.m. #23 route tells us to have a great day as we depart
6. analyzing So You Think You Can Dance with Mindy
7. Loose Cannon Ale
8. John Calipari's Twitter feed
9. coordinating my and Edwin's outfits
10. Newport weather recently
11. Youngstown adequately represented on Cincinnati morning news
12. FX shows on Hulu
13. after dinner family walks
14. walk to work Fridays
15. my RSS reader
16. 3-lb. bags of Sam's Club almonds
17. Mindy's crazy idea to put seasoning on our grilled chicken
18. Pampered Chef vegetable steamer
19. Stonyfield Farm organic non-fat yogurt
20. researching smartphones that I'm too cheap to ever pay for the monthly service fee on
21. Mindy's cholesterol

The Shirt Says It All!

Grandma Nikki got Edwin this shirt...too cute!!!

PS: I also updated my photo albums for June/July (so far)...click on the link to the right to see!

Edwin 13 Months Old

Okay - I have to be honest...I completely forgot to take a picture of Edwin on his actual 13 month birthday (July 12th), so this is a few days late...but I'm counting it...

A lot has happened since Edwin's birthay.

First...he is walking!!!! He still can't stand up on his own, but I'm sure that won't be to much longer. Here is the first decent video I've been able to capture of his new skills!




Second...he has 3 more teeth - so the teeth count is now at 11. I had no idea until he was crying and had his mouth opened so wide that I saw them...good thing Dave's been brushing those chompers...they are looking great!!! He is using all of those new teeth to eat all sorts of new foods. He loves raw green/red peppers and zucchini...and of course his normal snacks.




Third...he doesn't use a pacifier anymore. We went cold turkey last Tuesday. So, it has been 1 week - a rough one...but I think we're out of the danger zone. He still is having a hard time with naps, but he's managing.

Finally...he is talking all of the time. I don't know if anyone else can understand it, but I know I've heard him say: dada, mama, dog, apple, ba-nan-na, ball, and o's. He LOVES reading his books. Here is a video of him reading - he loves black cats, just like Dave!!!

REDHEADS AND DENTISTRY

I ran across this article in my JADA magazine today. I of course immediately thought of my red headed brother-in-law. However, tell me if I am wrong , Dave, but I think you don't fit into this study's conclusions.

Increased Dental Anxiety, Fear & Care Avoidance in Red Heads
Conclusion: The results support our hypothesis that red hair and mutations of the MC1-R gene are associated with dental anxiety, dental fear, fear of local anesthesia, and avoidance of dental treatment. Patients with MC1-R mutations may thus require special encouragement to obtain dental care, as well as additional local anesthesia for procedures.

I hesitate to post this article as the red hair gene is listed as a mutation... which is what Dave has always implied his condition to be. :) And yet , we are all jealous of his hair!

Newport Yard Sale

Today was the annual Newport Historic District Yard Sale. I had a successful sale thanks to my dad for helping bring everything down to Newort, Dave helping me unload everthing out of our basement, Grandma Nikki and Great Grandma Shirley for keeping Edwin occupied all day so I could SELL SELL SELL and my neighbor for keeping me company!!!

Here is a cute pic of Edwin from today. My neighbor snapped it...her friend's little girl Morgan is 1 month older than Edwin - instant friends!!! Edwin was trying so hard to share his food with her, but she wanted no part of it! Too funny!!!

WEEK IN REVIEW

This has been a long week ended by the appendicitis excitement. Matt is doing well, but has restrictions until Monday. We are happy that his appendix planned its infection on Matt's week off!!

We started our vacation week off with a trip to Papa and Deb's house where the girls were dropped off for the night. The lucky parents got to go to Firework night at the Pirate game and stay in a hotel over night. We walked across the Clemente bridge directly into the "African American Heritage Night" celebrations! We didn't stick out or anything :) The weather was perfect, our seats were at first base, and the Pirates won. What more can you ask for? A foul ball right, well , Matt tried to get one, but squished me in the meantime. The guy behind me got a beer down his shirt, so I guess a little squishing isn't too bad. We got a close up view of the pierogies that run around the field, but I still wouldn't put my hand out to touch a costumed figure :)

We returned home to attend our neighbor's 3rd bday party!! Matt and I become chopped liver when they are playing with each other. Madeline actually cried when I suggested she come eat some pizza!! WOW.

We got only one day at the swim club due to the crappy, rainy weather for 5 days straight. Matt's work buddy whose job moved to Mexico was up for a visit bringing his son, Christopher. It is entertaining to watch the Spanish vs. English speaking when the kids play. They had a blast though.

We were then off to Toledo for the weekend to visit my dental school friends, Jody and Matt, (and 2 girls) and high school friend, Peg. The first stop was at the Toledo zoo. The girls really enjoyed seeing the animals and commenting on how badly the elephants stink! At Peg's house, we all got a chance to go fishing off a floating dock in their backyard. This was Matt's first catch so now maybe he will use that lure that Madeline had given him. HA!

We watched the fireworks at Matt and Jody's backyard. Perfect seats!! The girls got to use sparklers and snakes and pops and eat slushies!! Both Madeline and Meredith fell over sideways in their lawn chairs ... directly into another chair. So clumsy!

And that is the abbreviated version of what has been happening at our house. Click HERE if you want to see all the photos of the weekend including the Pirate Pierogies and mascot!

Edwin's Musical Talents

Edwin attempts to sing/hum that traditional song we all learn as kids. The ABCs? Not quite. I'm talking about the theme from Sanford and Son...

HURRY UP AND WAIT

Ok, so here is the picture of Matt's appendix! He doesn't know I am posting this, which is surely to annoy him, but I couldn't resist. Yesterday while I was at work, Matt called me to apologize for not getting anything done (ie grocery shop). He said he couldn't stand upright. We all thought appendicitis right away. He refused to call the doctor right then, b/c the pain wasn't that bad. I called an hour later and he agreed to go see the doctor. I took him and it was a brief examination and off to the E.R. we went. Then we waited there while Matt was in discomfort of a "5" ...I told him when the nurses ask you that you always say "10". DUH! Two and a half hours later, the nurse calls his name to take blood work. She debated putting a hex lock? in b/c there weren't any rooms to put him in. Apparently, they don't like you to sit in the ER waiting room with it ,b/c you could walk out and do drugs. Hmm. We told the nurse that we weren't leaving, b/c we had no where to go. If it were that busy, then this info would have been helpful 2.5 hours ago!?!?!?! Anyways, it was indeed appendicitis. Surgery was performed at 9:20 last night; I saw him at 11:15; I got back home at 12 :30 a.m. to find groceries purchased by Grandma and Karen Thomas . THANKS! Now it is the next day at 4:30pm, and still have no idea when he is leaving. Hurry up and Wait.

p.s.

madeline thinks daddy is the coolest b/c he is just like "Madeline" the book.

June Family Photo Shoot - Thanks to Grandma Ross

Here are some of my favorite photos from our June photoshoot with my friend Shannon...thank you Grandma Ross for the AMAZING photos!!! I'm sending the discs north and I'm sure Melinda will pick some of her favorites of her family to share - right???? hahahaha...

BUSY 4th of July Weekend Update

Friday (7/3): Edwin spends the night with Grandma Nikki so we can go to dinner and attend the Huey Lewis concert in Mason with friends.

Saturday (7/4): My cousin Jennifer got married! I did a lot of dancing and everyone LOVED seeing Edwin, of course!



Sunday (7/5): We traveled to Indianapolis for Ava Mueller's (Edwin's 2nd cousin) 1st birthdy party. Edwin had a blast playing with all of the kids. He is so close to walking...won't be too much longer, I'm sure!




Edwin w. Braelyn


Edwin w. Ava, Kailey, & Braelyn


Ava - The Birthday Girl!!!


Solomon


Edwin - exhausted after the party...

Huey Lewis - Happy 4th of July!

Tonight I thought I was going to my 2nd Huey Lewis concert - both with Dave. I thought my first was in the summer of 2004...but I was wrong. Apparently, my first concert was in 1984 with my parents and Uncle Rick...

My dad and Uncle told me about that at tonight's show...crazy!!!