WEEK IN REVIEW

Tuesday was a milestone for Madeline: her first day of Kindergarten! Meredith was just as excited to get rid of , I mean, send her sister off to school. Madeline seems pretty happy with her teachers and kids in her class. YAY! In a few short weeks, Meredith will start her school career as well! I can't wait for homework ! :) Let's see how long that will last. MADELINE'S FIRST ARTWORK FROM KINDERGARTEN

On Friday, it was all about Meredith. She LOVED that! I took her to meet her preschool teacher, Mrs. Meister. This is the same teacher that Madeline had when she was 3. We are thrilled!! Meredith looks like a giant compared to some of these kids. Unlike Matt, I took photos of the class list with my phone so I could remember who is in her class. I still don't know who is in Madeline's class. HAHA

This weekend we celebrated the wedding of Alexis (Matt's cousin) and John. Just a beautiful day to get married! Even though I brought my old camera, I didn't take many photos. And to top it off, most of those stunk. Darn! Here are my best attempts! ---yes, I know I coordinate with the bridesmaid's dress. I swear that I didn't know. Uncle Richard said that I "bedazzled" mine however. :) While we were doing wedding things, Madeline and Meredith spent a fun filled day with Papa and Deb. They started at the zoo. I sent 2 disposable cameras with them to take pictures for me. I can't wait to develop them ! After the zoo, they ate dinner at Friday's where grown-up Madeline had salad and pizza. Then they got to pick out their dessert from Giant Eagle!! And then, they made banana muffins (which we had for breakfast). To top it off, Deb made them chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast this morning. Spoiled girls! Thanks Papa and Deb!

Note: Bridesmaid Anne's dress :) Lyla had just sneezed so that explains the expression on her face!

Yep, this is the bride. Yep, this is the closest of many photos to get her face. Hmmm....

Meredith discovered that we had a little (big!) friend in our bucket out in the garage. I looked and found this ugly thing floating around. I tried to drown it. Didn't work. I spray directly on it with a hose. It balled up and then boom! right back to this. Nasty thing. I took a little video of Meredith and me watching it. What a nasty looking spider! Matt came home and promptly killed it with an ice scraper from the car. What a hero! Anybody need an ice scraper? .

Sharing Clothes Already!

I have a tub of clothes that were mine as a baby and I never thought I'd get a chance to share them with my own DAUGHTER!!! I don't know why, but I was sure I was having another boy. I wanted to trust Edwin's instincts, but didn't want to be let down...but HE WAS RIGHT and I'm soooo glad! This was one of my outfits when I was a baby...and now I have an excuse to save all of my junk - including my wedding dress!!! HAHAH

Emotion Overload

I have experienced EMOTION OVERLOAD several times in my life - actually more than several times as I tend to create drama in situations...but that is another post entirely.

I have been running on emotion overload for several weeks...my grandpa (aka PAPS) had surgery several weeks ago and isn't recovering as quickly as we had all hoped, so upon his request, I loaded up the kids and headed to Tuscon for a visit. Thankfully, my sister was able to travel with us...and on the way out we also had the help of my Aunt Phyllis. I remember being stressed when I traveled alone with Edwin to Tucson when he was 6 months old...but this was over-the-top stress. I had several breakdowns and sincerely apologize to both Jessica and Phyllis if I managed to hurt their feelings during the trip!

The good news - we were able to get the kids into the hospital to see Great Grandpa Ralph. Edwin drew him several pictures which are now hanging proudly in his room. He was so excited to see the kids - and especially to meet Lyla. Of course, she won't remember this trip - but I can't wait to tell her all about it! We also got to see Great Grandma Betty (Lyla's namesake) and it was amazing. There is something about babies that makes her so happy! She was so excited to hold her and snuggle on her. They were so cute together...Edwin wasn't as happy to participate, but entertained the entire nursing home with his beautiful ABC singing!

It was an amazing trip and one that I will NEVER forget. I'm so thankful to my dad for his help in making it happen...so many emotions that I can't explain on a blog...hope you enjoy a few pics from our trip.

Thanks for your continued prayers for Paps as he continues to recover...

I love that they were making the same face...too cute!

The Camaraderie Exemption for Sports Fans

In response to my cousin DJ’s Facebook status from earlier today, I’ve been inspired to weigh-in with my theories on rooting on a team that’s not your own (or sports bigamy as Bill Simmons calls it). Here’s DJ’s question:

Question for my friends who are Penguins faithful:
Is it wrong for me to wear the jersey of another team? They are not a direct rival....although they are in the same conference.

A little background: my cousin was born and raised in Pennsylvania, spending the better part of his first 18-years of life in the Pittsburgh suburbs. So the Penguins to which he refers are the of the hockey variety, the 3-time Stanley Cup-winning NHL champion Pittsburgh Penguins. (This clarity provided for my Youngstown peeps who might be thinking of the NCAA FCS version or any Clark College or Dominican University readers I may have.)

DJ—er, maybe I should start calling him Don since he hasn’t been DJ since we were, like 11-years-old…ahhh screw it, he always be DJ to me (sorry, Cuz)—now lives in Indianapolis with his lovely wife and two wonderful children. As a sports fan whose fave team is 289-miles to the Northeast, I can feel his pain.

It’s fun to root for the local team. Anyone who’s spent a full weekend day at a sports bar, straining his neck to watch his team on a muted, 32-inch standard def TV, while fans of the local team cheer on every TD in unison, turning their heads in any direction to find the game on a pristine 72-inch screen knows what I’m talking about. So I have devised the Camaraderie Exemption for sports fandom. Since I’m only a wannabe Penguin fan, who just can’t get into hockey (we’re supposed to dislike the Flyers and Caps, right?), I’ll have to use examples from the NFL.

So here are the 5 simple tenets of being granted the Camaraderie Exemption:

1. You live in another city more than 250-miles from the city of your team.
2. The city you live has another team right there in town (in the ‘burbs at least), e.g. Milwaukee doesn't get you a pass for the Packers, Tucson doesn’t get you an exemption for the Cardinals (and why anyone would to use their exemption on the Arizona Cardinals is a mystery to me).
3. The local team is not in the same conference of your team. I repeat, conference, not division.
4. The local team does not have some sort of historic rivalry with your team. So if we were talking NBA, a native Bostonian who moved to LA couldn’t adopt the Lakers, but that should go without saying.
5. Every 4 years you must temporarily renounce the bigamy, when Steelers play the respective NFC division in the schedule rotation. It should also go without saying that this rule applies to Super Bowl match-ups against an exempted team.

I really struggled with #3 and thought about making intra-division border crossing the only no-no. But the more I thought about it, intra-conference inter-division rivalries are too flexible. Teams play those games much more frequently than inter-conferences games, so when both teams get good at the same time for a stretch, big regular season showdowns for playoff position, and worse, recurring playoff match-ups will naturally occur. A Steeler fan in Massachusetts would be fine in the early ‘90s cheering on the Pats. But things would’ve gotten difficult in the mid-to-late ‘90s, and downright brutal for the entirety of the ‘00s.

I guess an argument against me here is cheering for a team that perpetually stinks. But first off, even terrible franchises have good runs every once in a while (for NFC fans, see Rams ‘99-‘01). And even if a team was perpetually awful, why waste the Camaraderie Exemption being miserable by supporting the Buffalo Bills?

So in the interest in providing excruciating detail that no one but me cares about, here’s my rundown of the Camaraderie Exemption for the Steelers:

• The rest of the AFC – all 15 teams, out.
• NFC East – Cowboys and Eagles are obviously out. Close call, but I sense the Redskins are clear. They’re just barely outside my completely arbitrary 250-mile rule, and plus I just don’t feel any sense of ‘Burgh/DC tension (outside of hockey). Same for the Giants, they’re clear too. Granted, I haven’t lived in Pittsburgh since 1984, so if any lifelong yinzers wanna weigh-in on any DC or NYC vitriol, be my guest.
• The entire NFC North (Lions/Bears/Packers/Vikings) is clear. Like my DC/NYC comment, if there’s any leftover feelings from Super Bowl IX that would rule out the Vikes, please fill me in (we won handedly, right, so who cares?). Also, if you feel the need to relocate to Detroit, you may have bigger things to worry about besides NFL rooting interests.
• The entire NFC South (Atlanta/Charlotte/Tampa Bay/New Orleans) is clear as well. Although those two brutal match-ups last decade—blowing a 17-pt 4th quarter lead to end up tying in ‘02 and the Santonio Holmes rookie turnoverfest causing a undeserved loss in that put us well on our way to a 2-6 start in ‘06—still weighed heavily on me, I’m giving the Falcons a pass. Important note, the NFC South is NOT clear for the ‘10 season, as the Steelers face off against that division this year in the rotation.
• Ahhh, the NFC West. I may be contradicting myself here because the flexibility of intra-conference rivalries that negates exemptions in that category comes into play heavily here. First off, Rams are fine (again, similar to the Vikings in SB IX, if you harbor residual Super Bowl XIV resentment, and again, the good guys won, why?). This may be controversial, but I say the Cardinals are fine too. Super Bowl XVIII was great. It’s over. Let’s move on. The 49ers and Seahawks are out though. The Niners because they’re one of the few threats to the record number of Lombardi trophies. In fact, they had the lead for 11-years from ‘95-‘06. The Seahawks are out due to their fans incessant whining from Super Bowl XL. Yes, there were a bunch of questionable and ticky-tack calls. Most went Pittsburgh’s way. You still lost by 11. Get over it.

So to summarize the Camaraderie Exemption for Steeler fans. Exemptions will be granted for residents of the following cities:

1. Washington, DC (temporary ban in 2012)
2. New York, NY (temporary ban in 2012)
3. Detroit, MI (temporary ban in 2013)
4. Chicago, IL (temporary ban in 2013)
5. Green Bay, WI (temporary ban in 2013)
6. Twin Cities, MN (temporary ban in 2013)
7. Charlotte, NC (temporary ban in 2010)
8. Atlanta, GA (temporary ban in 2010)
9. Tampa Bay Area, FL (temporary ban in 2010)
10. New Orleans, LA (temporary ban in 2010)
11. St. Louis, MO (temporary ban in 2011)
12. Phoenix, AZ (temporary ban in 2011)

So those are the overriding principals of Camaraderie Exemption in terms of determining bigamy-fandom is acceptable. Feel free to do this analysis for your fave team in any sport.

But there is also the Camaraderie Exemption sub-rule 12E-L22 that applies to team paraphernalia in such circumstances: get a hat, a tee-shirt if you must, but cool it on the jersey.

Lyla 2 Months

Today was Lyla's 2-month dr appointment. Here are her stats:

Weight: 11lb, 7.5oz (75th percentile)
Height: 23 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 15.5 (90th percentile)

For those of you keeping track, at Edwin's 2-month appointment he weighed 12lb, 7.2oz and was 22.5 inches long...hmmmm....interesting!

She had to get an oral vaccine and 2 shots...Edwin stood beside her and told her "Lyla, don't cry. It will be okay!" during the entire appointment. Such a great big brother!

Now we are getting ready to fly to Tucson. Our flight leaves at 5:20pm tonight! It should be quite an adventure. Edwin is definitely excited...more posts/pictures to come!

WEEK IN REVIEW

Well, I am back. (and for the record still missing 1% of my voice!).

The girls had a unique experience this week with Nanny Karen. She took them to Wagon Trails. This is a drive through "safari" where the animals come right up to the bus asking for their food. They go between your legs to get the food and even lick your fingers. I am still shocked that Meredith didn't freak out!! There were many different kind of animals that they saw, but they said the water buffalo had an ugly face! What an experience!
I worked 6 days this week so I did nothing too exciting, besides meeting Jill and the crew at The Lube in Sharon. Jill set off for her first year of college at Clarion today so we celebrated with a dinner last night. I haven't been to that Lube since Westminster I think. It was quite tasty: I had the newer Premium Garlic. It was delicious! The girls always have fun playing with Jill (or drive Jill crazy, depends on how you look at it).
Today, Matt wanted to have a great father/daughter experience. He decided to take them to their first movie in a theater today. They saw Toy Story 3. ( I stayed behind for laundry and much needed scrapbooking time). The girls apparently were highly interested in the whole event. Madeline had to use the restroom, but other than that, all went well for Matt! They were very excited when they came home. I got them on tape to tell me about the movie.

Pittsburgh Pirates Below .500…Again

For the 18th consecutive season, the Pittsburgh Pirates will finish their year with more losses than wins. The 2010 club did so in a particularly pathetic fashion, notching their under-.500-clinching 82nd loss with a significantly-less-than-respectable 40 in the win column. At 75% of the way into the season, this was the earliest the club has been mathematically eliminated from finishing with a winning record over the entire 18-season nightmare streak.

The chart below displays what percentage of each season was completed before the Pirates clinched a losing record over the past 18 years:

Anyone remember the glory years of the late ‘90s when the Buccos went 3 straight years of better than 90% of the way into their season before being guaranteed of a losing campaign? What an excited time to be a Pirate fan that was.

another photoshoot for lyla - a few more shots

another photoshoot for lyla - a few more preview shots

a couple from my camera

another photoshoot for lyla PREVIEW

I wanted to get a picture of Lyla in her baptism gown before we return it to Great Grandma...so a friend came over to help me get some shots...we got a ton, so here are a few to wet your appetite...more to come!

Something for ME!!!

So, if you know me you know that I have a hard time spending money on myself...well, yesterday I DID!!!!! I have been wanting a food processor and couldn't pass up this great deal. Reg price $99.99 and I got it for $59 (including tax)! Can't wait to give it a try - oh, and get rid of our old blender too!!!! BONUS!!!!

WEEK IN REVIEW

Can't blog this week due to laryngitis.

--p.s. yes, it affects my online communication
-p.p.s. no pics taken this week, nothing you missed :)

AVAILABLE: BEER-VIEW MIRRORS $15 EACH

My dad and his girlfriend Tiffany are AWESOME!!! They recently finished RAGBRAI XXXVIII, a bicycle ride that went through northern Iowa from Sioux City to Dubuque from July 25-31. They were 2 of 10,000 riders that navigated a 442-mile route. CONGRATS to them and to the rest of their bike team - The Hills Angels!!!

SIDE... NOTE: Interested in a rear-view mirror for your bicycle helmet? Let me know! My dad makes them out of your favorite beer bottle caps and sells them for $15 each! Nothing better than a 'BEER-VIEW MIRROR!'

Lyla's Celebration

Melinda did a great job summing up our wonderful weekend. We always love having family in town and especially for this this occasion...it was a perfect weekend! Thanks to all of our family and friends for making the trip to celebrate with us...and to all of our readers and extended family for your prayers for Lyla as she begins her journey of faith! A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MATT and JESSICA, Lyla's Godparents.......


Here are a couple tidbits not mentioned in Melinda's post:

Lyla can sit in her bumbo chair. Not for a really long time as she starts to slump, but I think she already enjoys a slice of independence. Edwin also likes sitting in the bumbo chair - he tells everyone he likes it because it is "com-for-ble!" Hilarious!

Besides looking for pirates, Edwin was also very interested in the statues around the sanctuary. During the ceremony, he kept asking me, "Hey, who is that guy...what is that guy's name?" I kept telling him to be quiet...eventually I had to hand him off to Dave...and he had to convince him to go find someone else. Thankfully, we had a lot of friends/family (thanks to everyone who came to the baptism) to help keep him quiet.



Since Dave had to work today, I took the kids and met M6 out for breakfast at Bob Evans. I got Lyla all dressed up for the occasion - see the pic. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) she slept in her seat during the entire breakfast and no one got to see the full cuteness. Edwin turned up the charm and asked the waitress, "Hey, I want more potatoes!" as she asked if there was anything else we needed...she of course thought he was too cute and brought him a little plate of extra potatoes, which we quickly put in a to-go box and brought home for snack! He knows how to turn it on...and get exactly what he wants...I'm in TROUBLE!!!!