life with livingstons

It's Day-light Savings, Fool

2011-03-13T03:21:00.004-05:00

We've been hibernating, just like everyone else, waiting for the winter to let up. Only when my kids are stuck inside they don't like when I'm at the computer to put pictures up for the grandmas...or on the phone, or sleeping, or eating, or showering, or reading, or standing in a quiet place. But that's not the point. I've got pictures of the cute little demanding folk. And we finally got outside! We went to Snake Saturday (of course you knew about this when I've never heard of it...) and went on rides and watched the parade. But Josie refused to listen to it. I don't blame her, paraders are not known for being without air horns.

But Davis loved it. He'd wave to anyone, especially the firetruck engineers, motorcyclists, marching bands, and people on stilts. But not the high-stepping troops, of which there had to be at least a dozen. I didn't know it was so popular. But then again I haven't been/paid attention to a parade since I was a girl scout and actually marched. The best part was the families who would look like they just wondered into the street and decided to walk with the parade route, proud with their kilts and double stroller...You thought I was going to say the Renaissance Festival people didn't you? Well, you'd be right! In the beginning there was the royalty all fancied up, even had a stout man pulling two brimming costumed higher-ups in a hand cart. He must have lost a bet. But then there were the court jesters and the entertainment crowd. Very artsy with tightly worn tights and super over-dyed hair. I wish I took pictures. But there was no time. Next came the belly dancers, male and female. For some, the belly danced whether under their control or not. And all very in character. I wonder what they think of us in this alternate universe they are stuck in, this Modern Day. 'Cause I sure think they are hilarious.
Josie's favorite indoor and outdoor apparel, her princess coat. I hope we don't have to keep winter clothes out much longer, they take up too much space. And strapping her into a car seat twice a day is like fighting a pillow with a mongoose stuck inside - a rabies hazard.
The outfits this girl wants to wear... it's princess colors or tears. I don't like either one, so it depends on if I want to look like the mom who lets her free spirits get dressed at the Renaissance Festival. Sure, what else would give the good people a laugh at the grocery store!?!

When the boy wears clothes, there's less of a chance of yellow snow. And he's cha-a-arm-ing! Did I mention this big 4.5 year old no longer has to buy his own diapers? It was cutting into his cookie budget and he decided to just use the toilet from now on. And occasionally his pants, but only if he wanted to take them off anyway, so that's okay...

One for the Grands

2010-08-29T22:09:00.007-05:00

Who stole my baby?

He really wanted to wear this to school on a non-Halloween day. He negotiated the arm warmers and the monkey backpack (under his regular backpack), I got the horns, boots, and air pump. Can't ride the viking ship to class, either... gotta draw the line somewhere!

Davis said the family prayer tonight. He definitely has the intonation and the spirit of prayer, but all we understand is "Josie," "Jesus," "church,""school," and "amen."His speech has improved tons and we thought we would all say a prayer to encourage him. When it was Daddy's turn, Davis came over to Eric's ear and repeated everything Eric said in a very close, loud whisper. When it was my turn, Davis came over, lifted my hair from the side of my face, and commenced whispering a very sweet but unintelligible prayer into my ear. It tickled like crazy. And Eric's silent, torso-bouncing laugh didn't help either.

The people living in your catalog

2010-07-06T21:17:00.002-05:00

Hi Nancy, it’s Elaine. I’m going to be a little late for lunch. I can’t find my hat or my back-up hat.

Go here catalogliving.tumblr.com

Lizzing and shake giggling. 'Nough said.

I can't believe we got him in his costume...

2009-11-03T20:44:00.003-06:00

There was some question if Davis, Josie, and I could get Eric to take the "bull by the horns" and wear his cow head. But apparently I underestimated him. He did wear a storm trooper costume and a sweatshirt with "Big Enchilada" on it (not at the same time, stay with me). What a sport. Josie was the one who wasn't that excited (she's the limp cow on the end).

(what happens when cowboys name their cows)

Life's Short at 6 Months

2009-05-30T22:41:00.004-05:00

We're not keeping her under the stairs or anything, but we are neglecting the rest of the family that hasn't seen a recent picture of Josephine-jellybean.

First girly dressFavorite brother And sworn enemy But mostly favorite brother

Reason I call her Bluey-Louy
First picture of the 4 of us (finally)
Just before 1st haircut (action shot not provided for safety reasons)
Proud daughter of a dentist-man (congrats sweets!)
She pretty much rocks our world.

Introducing...

2008-11-28T18:15:00.011-06:00

Josephine Simone

Our little "turkey" came early. Josephine was born Wednesday, November 26th. Jenny's water broke that afternoon. Jenny tried for a VBAC, but again a C-section was neccessary. 7lbs-3oz and 19 inches long born at 10:12pm. Mama and Baby are doing fine. Admittedly, we were not expecting her for a few more weeks and things around the house are not quite ready. Here are a few pics of our Thanksgiving surprise!!!

Scary

2008-10-31T17:39:00.013-05:00

We figured Davis already gains super-human strength and turns green when he's mad, so why not dress him as The Hulk? That and our friends the Harmons had a costume they let us borrow. But that was last weekend's church party - tonight he was actually a frog. Any other year it would have been great for trick or treating except it was in the 70's and he just wanted to run… in his fuzzy costume with a hood. And when Davis is hot, he's a lot like The Hulk. Only he doesn't help people or throw around bad guys. He just gets mad. So, we ended up with an unreasonable frog, no "treats", and a very early night with our unattended bowl of candy ravaged by neighborhood kids. We even got "tricked", but it's not worth typing about.

Hi?

2008-07-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

So, I decided to make it a good 4 months since the last post. Just to see how many family members would harass us. I had to be strong. But it was great to look at everyone else's blog in the meanwhile, and wonder when something would happen in our lives... It's been so long, I now hate Oatmeal Squares.

Eric turned 3 in dentalstudent years and 28 in regular people years on April 24th and had the sorriest birthday week ever. I shame the birthday week tradition. He had finals and I had no excuse. I did give him a uber-cool U2 book that he was quite surprised by and quoted Bono in one of his lessons at church. But that was just one of the days and there are supposed to be 7 days of celebration. Oh, yeah we went to dinner on his birthday, too.

I went to church girl's camp as nurse in June and got to be a teenager again - though I don't condone teen pregnancy. The Marjeanator got to come watch Davis while I was gone and got to be a tired mother of a toddler again.

We all went to the Texas coast to be with my parents. Davis went nuts for the beach. As in chasing waves without caution and sticking bananas in the sand. You gotta be nuts to still want to eat a sandy banana. Many beautiful moon lit walks and sandy diapers and we were all spent at the end of each day.

Davis has been kissing again. Actually, he just takes the sides of my head and mashes his face against mine. It kind of hurts and sometimes it gets a little intense (headbutting, grabbing my neck and sticking thumbs into the carotid arteries...). But it's sweet pain. We don't know where he gets his passion - Eric and I must be keeping the romance alive...

Before Breakfast

2008-04-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

Jenny - (Greco-Roman diaper changing Davis) I think I found a solution to our mail problem.
Eric - (popping head out of pantry) What? I didn't hear you.
Jenny - (speaking louder since Davis is yelling) I think I found a solution to our mail problem.
Eric - What male problem? (re-entering pantry)
Jenny - (not seeing Eric re-enter pantry, pointing toward piled mail) OUR mail problem.
Eric - (from inside pantry) I wasn't aware we had a male problem. Are we talking about me or Davis?

This was before breakfast so I guess the 8 hours of fasting was keeping us from the almost telepathic communication Eric and I usually have. But if you're wondering what my new favorite cereal is, it's Oatmeal Squares. And, yes, it is sold at Costco. It stays crunchy for a long time and it'll keep your colon rollin'. I could probably eat cold cereal 3 meals a day, and that's no exaggeration. But I don't want to create "male" problems in our house, so I make meals with some of the other foods groups. I usually get the hint from Eric when we go to a friend's house for dinner and he says, "we should have that more often."

Leave the diaper, take the Connoli

2008-03-28T00:10:00.000-05:00

We spent last week in St. Louis for Eric's dental school rotation in a clinic. In spite of the rain coming down and the floods coming up, we found a lot to do with Davis - an indoor mall (don't get me started on outdoor malls in intemperate regions) with a play ground, Chuck E. Cheese's, and the awesome Magic House. The Fitz's decided to fly in from Las Vegas and the Detroit Livingston's minivan-ed it at the end of the week. Davis actually loved being around the cousins which is a total 180 from Thanksgiving, but he would still give them a little love push in the head every once in a while. It snowed on Easter, but stopped long enough to have an egg hunt in the front yard. Davis didn't care about the eggs or candy - he just kept running back and forth like a liberated cage monkey. We loved having the whole schlemiel together since we know it won't be easy, but wonderful, with twin-mania on the way!

I had to join the witness protection program after taking a picture of an unruly Miami mob boss, but it was totally worth it. This studly suit made him climbing over/under pews at church completely acceptable (except with his mother).

Our little Tiger and Rat are getting older

2008-03-14T08:50:00.000-05:00

This week our niece Kaytlin and nephew Trenten turned 10 & 12 and life is moving too fast. I just hope they don't rush into adolescence and forget who's the boss of them. They are way to precious to miss out on any kidhood - car payments and taxes stink! But they get to go to Disneyland next week and I don't think they'll be doing any growing up on Mickey's watch...

I feel like it's a holiday today 'cause I found out Amtrak goes to Chicago in style (wink, wink Jeannette). Here are some other things I've been excited about (watch out, I'm going to start sounding like an infomercial).

Neti pots - a less attractive thing you can do right in the comfort of your own bathroom... I call it going #3. It's like a nice drowning sensation, but makes you feel like you have extra room in your head to grow brain matter. My sinuses actually thanked me for using it. It was supposedly on Oprah, so it has to be galactically awesome.

Costco.com.tradein/recycleyourjunkthatyouletyourtoddlerplaywithcausetheywanttoplaywiththeexpensivestuff - if you're a member of Costco (or know one), you can figure out if you qualify to trade in old electronics for Costco-bucks (like a Schrute-buck, but GREEN) or just recycle it for free. Stumbled on it while looking for more electronic junk to collect.

Unbreaded chicken nuggets - this one also brought to us by Costco. Davis is a fan, which means I am as well - even if it does look like the creepy skin on a vulture's head.

New outdoor lighting - we have the same lights that the builder installed and, no offense, but I'm sure they weren't pretty when the were new 17 years ago either. We get to do some home improvement over Spring Break, which is what those college kids going to Florida really had in mind. Maybe we'll even be able to barbecue... something CRAZY!

Spending a week out of this beautiful mess - we are all going to St. Louis next week for Eric's rural rotation and get to see Eric's parents, Amy & Ryan, Kevin & Emma & kids, and four walls other than our own. If only it were in a warmer part of the world... I don't think we'd come back.(okay it's not that bad, but give us some hope, local weatherman)

At Costco

2008-03-03T13:34:00.000-06:00

Shopping for Eric's glasses:

Eric - (trying on rectangular glasses) What do ya think?

Jenny - Not bad.

Eric - (putting on some ovaly frames) What about these?

Jenny - Not quite right for your face.

Eric - (trying on a ovaly-rectangular pair) How do they all compare?

Jenny - (looking over, trying on glasses as well) Umm... those seem narrower, like they're not wide enough for your head. Are you trying glasses from the kid section?

Eric - (looking confused at me through ovaly-rectangular glasses) These are my glasses - that I've had for the last 4 years...

To be fair, I didn't have my glasses on.

And now it's a miracle. I can wear contacts again. I've always thought that I just had dry eyes and I had to endure discomfort or use glasses. The eye-guy told me that the contacts were over-rotating all this time, whatever that means. But boom! goes the dynamite and I can see without having a blink fest every time. It was very necessary since Davis bent my frames to the point they fall off in my spaghetti when I look down.

The Met, but colder

2008-02-21T12:42:00.000-06:00

I was on my cell phone when I went through the Sonic drive-through the other day. When I was paying for my smoothie fix, the drive-through technician had this weird look on her face as she handed me my change. She ended up keeping a few dollars and the "weird" look might have been guilt. She does work at Sonic and a girl's gotta pay the rent. I think she thought I wouldn't notice since I was on my phone. But joke's on her - I wasn't really engrossed in my conversation (don't worry it wasn't with you), I'm just horrible with simple addition/subtraction. Just ask Eric every time we play Scrabble and he has to re-count my scoring.

So, the "weird" look could have been confusion. Like the look on my face just now as Davis was pushing me around the house at ball-point (not the type of pen, he was using it like a weapon). I would really love to know what he wants, but I'm going stop wishing that he could talk. I'm sure he will be heard.

You may be wondering when van Gogh used bits of fruit in his art. Well, he didn't. That is the fabulous I Can't Believe It's Snowing Again by D.E. Livingston. A lot of "gay abandon" going on in his works. And then he can eat it 'cause it's colored tapioca pudding. Functional art.

I would post this in 3D, if I could

2008-02-16T22:16:00.000-06:00

I took Eric to U2 3D at the IMAX theater for Valentine's Day Eve and, if you know Eric, that is the most romantic thing I could ever do next to taking him to #2 an actual U2 concert #1 Bono's secret rock star lair for a private concert. Combined, Eric and I have been to 3 U2 concerts, just never together. Walking into the theater a little late was like flashes of science fiction - the light of the massive screen reflecting off 3D glasses, everyone staring straight ahead brainwashed into thinking The Edge's 20 ft "axe" was going to land on their laps. It was awesome, if you get the chance. If my life were in movie format, I would pick U2's music for my soundtrack. But my life would have to be a lot more interesting to be in movie format. Right now it's kinda like the movie Groundhog Day for a stay-at-home mom. I guess that movie would be called Mother's Day, without the perks of the holiday but the bonus of feeling recognized once a year.

Anyway, to kick the romance up a notch at the "concert," I brought along some bottled IBC root beer (outside beverage, I know). Not so conspicuous, especially if the cup holders are almost bottomless and everyone thinks you're tipsy-clumsy. From now on we'll just save the IBC for other romantic settings. On the way home we were discussing what would have happened if my bottle had exploded, like in the beer commercial. You know, the one where the guys take the bottles of beer to the opera and they burst when the super-soprano hits that note...

Jenny - "What note is that?" (followed by trial high note)

Eric - "I think it's a high note, but also it has to be sustained for a while in order to actually crack glass..."

Jenny - (holding bottle up, longer trial high note)

Eric - "I don't-"

Jenny - (more trial high notes)

Eric - "-think you're gonna-"

Jenny - (even higher, longer trial high note)

Eric - "get there. Sometimes your voice hurts my ears."

silence

Jenny - (more trial high notes)

Eric - "Whoa, hey, I think I misspoke. It must be short, low notes..." (demonstrates, bass "eh")

That's love.

To Every Groundhog, There is Eventually a Shadow

2008-02-11T00:30:00.000-06:00

We're all about opposites around here. It was 73 degrees (!?!) here on Monday and Wednesday Eric had a snow day from school. The kitchen was spotless yesterday morning and now looks like some food gypsies came and made a 7 course meal. Davis is content with our parenting one minute, running in place and flailing in protest the next (we hear this one is normal).

Just about every night while laying in bed, exhausted from wrangling our little cow-poke, Eric and I review how blessed we are by Davis. Right now Davis loves to build with his mega blocks. If there's anything that he wants to do that's not within the realm of "safe," usually we can dump out the block basket and he'll come running. He will start building as if he can't help himself, MUST BUILD... Davis is dissatisfied with his current height. We find him at curious levels, now that he's climbing, whether he's just getting taller or gets something to stand on, it's put us on constant alert. It actually looks like we're expecting a flood - everything is above 36 inches. He now jumps off the stairs (see K to the IWI) onto the couch and wears himself out pinballing between the pillows. Since he only speaks an obscure dialect of Oinkus Latinous (Tscha!), he will drag us by whatever he can grab (i.e. pants, fingers, collar, foot) to whatever he wants. What he usually wants is a banana. Sometimes we buy a ton in case of emergency, but they have to be a little green. Apparently, the last bunch was a little too green and never ripened. That was a harry 48 hours as Davis detoxed and I held onto the hope they would get a little more yellow. I even tested one and, nope, kinda chalky. Davis saw this test and snatched it. He wasn't impressed either. Don't buy green bananas.

But it can't get any better that being rewarded by blown kisses when we say "I love you." Then again, he blew kisses when he heard those words on the radio. davis (n.): BOY.

One of seven...million...

2008-01-30T20:14:00.000-06:00

Write 7 random things , "tag" seven people, blah, blah, blah...put links to their blog, and make a comment on said blog letting them know they're fair game on the playground.

I think gymnasts should stop wearing scrunchies. Eric wonders why magicians need to look creepy weird.
I cringe when someone says their going "down" to somewhere when it's really east or their going "up there" when it's south geographically. Eric elbows me every time someone mixes up, "I could care less..." because he, apparently, "couldn't care less."
I used to be fascinated by old prisons. It started with a field trip to the old Idaho State Penitentiary. I finally made it to the Mecca, Alcatraz, and I was like Augustus Gloop let loose in the Chocolate Factory. I left my family in the dust when we got there and they were worried about me being lost. But what they should have been worried about was me being that into prisons at age 10. I even got a shirt that said "Alcatraz Penitentiary: Swim Team" and wore it with pride. Eric loves Shark Week on Discovery Channel and he thinks orcas are awesome.
I could sleep 12 hours every night. Eric knows every episode of Saved by the Bell.
I went to a Boyz II Men concert when I was 13 and thought I was pretty tough. That was in my baggy jeans and oversized T-shirt/flannel phase. Kinda looked like Kurt Cobain but my hair was longer. In 9th grade, Eric had Hugh Grant hair (Notting Hill style - flowing locks, almost a bowl cut...).
I was almost an art historian. I dream about living in Greece for a month just to take in the history, the food, the Windex-loving culture... Eric would love to be a radio sports talk show host - any sport, any level.
We have been known to take conversations about Harry Potter to depths that no literate pre-teen has...

I tag Marjeanator and Clyde (separately), Stephanie, Mary, Godric Gryffindor, Craig, and Tina Fey.

K to the IWI

2008-01-23T22:42:00.001-06:00

I have learned a lot of borderline useful pieces of info this last week... Like onions don't freeze well (shout out Jen) or the name of Paul Bunyan's BFF ox, thanks to our one-night friend, Dave (hint: it's not Big Blue, see poll). A "fun" discovery is that Davis can climb the outside of our stairs and we might have to get a special helmet for him after all. I found out that there's more to the bitter cold of Missouri that eats at your face - we have some decent sunrises, for all you vacationers out there. But most heartbreaking, and my personal least favorite tidbit, I'm definitely allergic to kiwi.
The Story of Kiwi

I love kiwi. You could say it's pretty much my favorite food besides artichokes. I would sometimes eat them with the skin on - I couldn't always wait to peel it. I even tried some kiwi juice while on vacation in Cancun with my family - though I like all things kiwi, let's just say that wasn't its best chemical state. And honeydew melon juice isn't as good as it sounds either. Anyway, last summer I downed a kiwi and noticed a weird film form in the back of my throat. No biggie, just coincidence. Later that week, when I had a fruit salad laced with delicious kiwi I noticed swallowing wasn't coming so naturally. Months went by and I avoided kiwi in the grocery store, at friends' houses, in the juice aisle, but never really admitting to myself that I had a problem. Then, in December, the shower came. A breakfast baby shower. Let's just say it took a scary amount of time to feel a hole in my "pie hole." But that didn't stop me. Apparently I was in deeper denial than I thought, 'cause I took one bite of kiwi today and I started having flash backs. I spit it out like it was frozen onion casserole. The withdrawals are depressing, especially since I just saw a clip of Martha Stewart showing an awestruck audience how to magically remove the skin of a kiwi. Stupid kiwi.

In Australia, I Would Have a Warm Birthday

2008-01-16T22:44:00.000-06:00

Lunch with Nicole Harmon was delicious, appointment with Parents as Teachers was insightful, Davis' nap was long, and my date was fabulous (thanks Bro Fullmer for babysitting)- complete with snow and lots of "Happy Birthday"s. Just what the birthday doctor ordered. Today should actually be the last day of the birthday week but I forgot to start earlier. I still have 3 more days.

(Last) Rule #4 Pass on the birthday week love.

This is where you get to perfect your strategy for those who have made your week special and dish it right back when it's their turn. Thank you Eric, my sweet hunk of a husband, for being an anchor to this weeks fun and come April you're gonna get it. And I'm gonna give it to ya!

Day 3

2008-01-15T22:02:00.000-06:00

Great day. My sassy nurse ladies, Stephanie and Sara, took me to lunch while pretending that Davis was not trying to climb on top of the table and the waiter was not secretly wishing that a tornado would touch down right on top of our table and suck us into its vortex and take only our table away. Stephanie's son Matthew is 3 months and an angel, he just sat there real cute-like and tried to be good publicity for us. But the damage was done and my little "Britney Spears" man was complaining enough for us to leave and play on the giant fruit. Overall, great people and good food and nobody took off their diaper. Eric had a birthday week treat for me at home and Davis ran himself silly around the house after dinner. Great day.

Rule #3 There will be at least one adventure of the birthday weekers choice.

One birthday week I took Eric camping with a our friend Kirsti - that was actually more of a delayed birthday wish of mine since you can't go camping in Utah in January. But this is the time that you go to that art museum or Gladys Knight on Ice (it could happen...). Something you wouldn't normally do. Some of you might go somewhere to sleep. That sounds like an adventure.

Day 2

2008-01-14T20:32:00.000-06:00

It was one of those days where you feel like you take two steps forward, but then eggs are bowled across your kitchen floor and it's like taking two steps back. Not in a good, Paula Abdul song kind of way - I got nothing done. But I found a pair of pants that I thought were gone forever and gorgeous flowers magically appeared in my kitchen. Which brings me to...

Rule #2 Be ridiculously nice to the birthday weeker.

This means leave the last clean breakfast spoon, warm up the bed, don't throw yogurt on the floor (that should be easy for non-toddlers), and hand over the remote. Basically, do whatever you need to let the birthday weeker know that you feel like their birth was a true blessing, if you don't already do this on a daily basis. "Because it's my birthday week" works well here, too.

Happy Birthday Week To Me!

2008-01-13T22:17:00.000-06:00

I tried to kick off my birthday week yesterday with a churro from Costco, but all the other kids got to them first. So, I decided that I would try my luck with starting birthday week today. It was a good decision since I woke up to pancakes and got a kiss on the lips, with a little tongue (literally little), from Davis. That's right, I said birthday week. That's what Eric and I have done since we were married. But we've never set guidelines for this week of total self-loving, "celebrate me, I was born" tradition.

Rule #1 The birthday weeker is always right.
If there is ever a dispute, birthday weeker simply states, "But it's my birthday week." KO - round 1! You gotta keep that one in your pocket at all times...

At Dinner

2008-01-06T23:45:00.001-06:00

Eric - (mock exasperation) "Ahh, Davis! You threw guacamole crap on my pants..."
Jenny - (sarcasm) "Davis, tell daddy that guacamoles don't crap."
Eric - (wisdom) "Davis, tell mommy that there are no 'guacamoles' - they're avocados."

The funny thing was, Davis didn't say a word.

2008

2008-01-01T01:01:00.000-06:00

'Member how when New Year's Eve hit for the year 2000 everyone thought the world was going to explode or at least the machines would turn on us? 'Member? Well, it is the year 2008 and the machines in this household are just dying... Our portable DVD player broke on our plane trip back from Salt Lake (if you've never felt fear, take a 14 month-old on a plane with a bunch of strangers and expect the worst). Then our TV decided to sensor everything on the bottom third of the screen and one of Davis' toys won't stop revving its engine. Last, our wireless Internet is only working wired. I feel like we have regressed to near dial-up status and are living out a really mild version of Maximum Overdrive.

So, now that I have shared how spoiled we are, I'm going to go enjoy the New Year the old fashioned way and go to bed. I hope our robo-maid has turned down the bed...

Very, very, very merry christmas!

2007-12-25T12:13:00.000-06:00

Driving around this morning, Eric and I saw multiple joggers in the Avenues of Salt Lake City. There are many things wrong with this - first, it's the Avenues (for anyone unfamiliar with the Avenues, it's a neighborhood on the foothills of Salt Lake...more like foot "mountains" and some were running uphill). Second, it's Christmas. And C, it snowed a good 8-10 inches last night. We couldn't imagine what compulsion makes one run in such conditions, but then again we're not runners in the most optimal circumstances - on a warm-not-hot day, level terrain, at sea level, NOT CHRISTMAS MORNING. We quickly concluded that they were either without shelter and they needed to run to keep warm or they are running from something. But that something must have been invisible and that's really freaky...

409 Days of Davis

2007-11-29T19:19:00.000-06:00

We finally finished raking our leaves! That's huge for us, especially since we have 12 trees on our property. While raking, bagging, freezing - we discovered our son is a workhorse! We had to tear him away from his "mini" rake, little man hands with an iron grip, running away to get to sweet freedom with his new gardening implement... This bodes well for our future as tyrants. Maybe he'll big enough to do the gutters next year.

In Our Opinion...

2007-11-28T22:28:00.000-06:00

Typing out our Christmas lists, I thought about how much I would love to get Toy Story 2 (hint,hint)-I think I was glued more than my niece and nephews when we saw it in the theater. Then I pondered, "was that one of the only sequels that was better than the original?" And then I remembered that I've had this debate before and that reminded me that I don't have that great of a memory anymore... So, after dusting out the cobwebs in my skull, the list of Eric and Jenny's "better/equal sequels" started to come back to me along with some newer ones as well (some of these are considered trilogies, for the technical people out there):
Empire Strikes Back
Gods Must Be Crazy II
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Shrek 2 (not "the Third")
Wayne's World 2 isn't bad for a sequel
Lord of the Rings - Two Towers/Return of the King
Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum
Ocean's Thirteen
not Pirates of the Caribbean

I know there are more out there. Please leave your opinions and suggestions - we can better our list only if you leave your comments...

Trypto-fan

2007-11-27T21:53:00.000-06:00

I'm still not a little bit country...

2007-11-08T22:15:00.000-06:00

But Garth Brooks puts on an amazing show. Beautiful, adventurous Miranda flew in from Florida for 24 hours to see cowboy Garth and his awesome live performance. Of course, this does mean that I am open to all kinds of scrutiny from country fans and country haters alike, but that's OK. There were a lot of cowboy hats, boots and twangs. But the Wranglers were the most interesting part. Some people should not wear these second-skin pants, it's a privilege not a right. Fun fact: Wranglers aren't just Wranglers 'cause they're tight - they actually don't have a seam on the inside so as not to chafe the wearer while riding horses, mechanical bulls, fences, etc,. But Miranda and I saw no horses or mechanical bulls parked outside the concert so I'm thinking Wranglers were worn for the "tight" aspect. The closest Miranda and I came to "cowgirling" up was the twang. It was like being around someone from London, eventually you take on a little British accent.

This brings up the topic that Kansas City has a new venue that just about everybody is coming to - Billy Joel, Dancing with the Stars Tour, Elton John, the Blue Man Group... So, if you find yourself with nothing to do and a hankering for some entertainment, you are welcome to come stay with us. Yes, we're talking to you Hannah Montana fans.

Boo

2007-11-01T15:44:00.000-05:00

It's been a fun fall and the people around here change fast. Well, maybe just Davis. But here is a smattering of photos that I haven't had a chance to post yet.From the actual Halloween in our old neighborhood. Trick-or-treating=chasing Davis, chasing all the kids dressed-up funny. A little after school Daddy-son giggle. Who needs toys when you have a Dustbuster to drag around? But it has to be turned on and full of stuff that can be potentially shaken loose for it to be tempting...
Davis finally has a tie, and doesn't he look employable? His skills include dust busting (see above picture). He also likes to put his tie in everything - snack cups, water fountains, Daddy's mouth. I guess he's more like a monkey with a tie, and they're not so employable (Fact: I misspelled "employable" in a elementary school spelling bee. Not my finest moment. That will be Davis' first word.)

Davis' newest bear friend. We hope it sticks for now 'cause it's just too cute to see him hugging. But we don't think he's monogamous, since he lunged for the giant bear outside of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and would not let go. By the way, I highly recommend the Apple Pie Carmel Apple.

The Vampires Are Early This Year

2007-10-27T20:31:00.000-05:00

Wow. I can't believe it's finally October 27th. That means that the blood drive that I've been coordinating for the last two months is finally over... I've learned that trying to get people to donate a pint of blood is like asking them to give a pint of their blood...wait a minute... Sign-ups, taking appointments, reminder calls, having a cookie decorating station for kids, and giving a pint of my own is more than I thought it would be. But we made our goal of 25 units and, hey, free t-shirt...

While I was with my friends from the American Red Cross, Davis got to hang out at a kids Halloween extravaganza. He was happy as long as they let him do what he wanted to, which was never. But he sure looked cute. He's a monkey if you can't tell...

2007-10-17T12:01:00.000-05:00

Would you look at that!?! It seems that there might be a first turn bingo that racked up a nice little cusion of 76 points. We may be Scrabble nerds but at least we know it. The specific nerd that slammed this down would be me, Jenny. I "pillaged" Eric all right, so much that it made me talk like a pirate all night. Arg matey! Shivered his timbers!

Annual Checkup

2007-10-13T23:53:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday, Davis! D-Liv had quite the celebration, if you know what I mean. He went to the Dianna Rose Farmstead and didn't quite pet the animals 'cause he knows where they've been, if you know what I mean. And he said "thisss" a lot, but we don't know what he means. It's been so exciting that Davis forgot to sleep all day. But that's okay because he has new toys to explore. Like the dancing monkey, totally worth it.

His favorite parts of his day... balloons, attention, grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, new books, all-you-can-eat banana for lunch, chasing/being chased, sitting on mommy's face, opening presents, laughing, being up-side-down, stacking blocks for minutes, and of course, chocolate cake & ice cream (after the initial 5 minutes of being revolted by it and shivering from its weird new texture). He got to be quite comfortable being the birthday boy - adoring paparazzi capturing every moment and getting away with everything, even murder of a perfectly good piece of monkey cake.

More pictures to the right

Mug Shot

2007-10-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

Our neighborhood has mature trees that shade the road as you enter, the houses are unique from each other and are well taken care of... But since moving into our house a year and a half ago, we've learned that our neighborhood isn't as perfect as it looks. Last summer while talking with some neighbors, we found out there have been several car theft attempts in our little strip of the street. A month ago, we drove up after going out to dinner to find a fire truck sitting a few houses down with just it's lights on. All we could see were a few people standing around what we thought was a corpse, then it tried to get up; he was taken away in a ambulance, very quietly. Then, a week ago, Eric came home in the evening and said there was a police car in front of our house. And he just sat in his car making notes with his headlights on for almost an hour. We're not sure why...

The most recent event happened yesterday as I was turning onto our street. The driver of an oncoming car flashed a hand gesture over his steering wheel right as I was passing our "Neighborhood Watch" sign. I didn't know the "assailant" and, at first, I didn't know the symbol he directed toward me. After a millisecond of confusion, I realized the two fingers looked like a peace sign. Whether it was a time traveler from the '70's or just a quick half-wave, I was caught of guard. For the most part, our neighbors are good people; I should be the one offering a friendly salute. And don't worry about our safety - apparently we are well patrolled by officials. And hippies...

2007-09-25T22:25:00.000-05:00

This morning after our little bi-polar bear's mania came to an abrupt end, I found myself saying what I seem to be saying a lot these days - "Davis, don't rub your eye with a _____." The fill-in-the-blank has included (but not limited to): ketchup bottle, block, cell phone, dirty diaper (I don't know how he got that one...), bowl of rice cereal, flip-flop, cup, curling iron (not plugged in, of course), and pair of my glasses. Then I thought of all the objects I've used to scratch an itch. A pine cone is my personal favorite. So, I figure Davis is almost mature enough to know what to rub his sleepy, delicate baby eyes with. But I draw the line at pine cone.

We Are Fans

2007-09-16T20:02:00.000-05:00

...so much that some of us can't even look away from the game to take a picture. It's too bad things didn't turn out so well for the Cougars in Tulsa. It's probably because Davis had to go to bed.

Eat It Up

2007-09-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

Dinner, well any meal, turns into such an interesting mix of yinging (yell-singing), banging, and food between our toes when we step in Davis' discarded food. Yet it still seems to be getting in and sticking to his bones somehow...Cheers!

2007-09-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

I get this nagging feeling right in the middle of my keyboard every time someone tells me that they've started a blog. Do I need to blog? I've got a perfectly good email address and cell phone that people have been communicating on for tens of years...there's always the United States Postal Service and, though slower, it is so gratifying to send and receive a piece of mail. There's nothing like feeling the sender spent more than mere seconds and just a few keystrokes to address, stamp, and walk to the mail box (not forgetting the flip of the flag if you've got one) just to make my day...a few days later. So, as a tribute to good ole mail, every once in a while I'll print out this blog and send it to you. Whoever you are...