I think I will probably depend on this blog when I need to reference things Keaton has been doing lately. And if the little guy would be more consistent about his nap schedule, I might be able to blog more often. Or more consistently. I think a theme for my blog thus far has to be my consistency of being inconsistent. Ugh.
Mr. Keaton is one busy little guy. When he's awake, he does not sit still. If he does, he is either 1) leaving me a gift in his diaper, or 2) doing something he shouldn't. If I am doing something in another room and 30 seconds go by and I haven't heard anything out of him, I know to go find him and see what he's getting into. Usually he's hoarding silicone oven mitts from the kitchen, stealing remotes ("mo"s), or sneaking into my bedroom and playing with Casey's belts in the closet. When he's really tired, sometimes he will walk around the house and point out all the things he is not supposed to play with. This morning he went up to the electrical outlet and said, "No!"... then he walked to the trash can and did the same thing. (I think someone needs to put a shock collar on me and buzz me every time I say 'no' to him, I must say it a lot. Bad Mommy!) I try to say, "Let's not do that" or at least distract him with something else, but that doesn't always work. And what about the times he does something he is definitely not supposed to do (touch outlets, twist himself up in the curtains, or other things that could seriously injure him)? When I try to correct him, he laughs at me. I am sort of at a loss as far as discipline goes for a 16 month old. It's tough to be genuinely upset/concerned about the kid and he's cracking up!! (Sigh)... it's just a phase... just a phase.
I am so ready to go home this weekend!! I think I just need a change of scenery. We (Keaton and I) have gotten stuck in a rut lately and I feel a bit burnt out- it will be good to see family and be in a different environment for a few days. Bring it!
Sorry, I will try to write more later. For now, I need to get to bed... my brain, or what's left of it, is mushy. :)
Love,
Ash
Casey, Ashley, Keaton, Nikolaus, & Rowan take on Chicagoland...
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
A Good Cry
Two posts in a week... what is the world coming to?!
I knew today would be a bit tough, as it's the anniversary of Charley's passing. I'm going to include something I wrote just over a year ago, before Charley passed away. Truth is, I probably won't even read it- it's tough. But then again, maybe I will... I could kind of use a good cry about him right now. It's nice to get it out once in awhile, and being a woman, I haven't had a 'good' cry in a long time. (Anyone that knows me should know I'm a crier, so saying that it's been a long time actually means weeks- maybe even months. That's a long time for me!)
Here goes nothing. I'll try to end on a happy note again at the end.
*****
May 7th, 2010
This is just so hard. You grow so attached to something, knowing that it won’t be around forever. But something so special… Charley has been nothing short of amazing in the almost 6 years we’ve had him. Everywhere I go, something reminds me of him. When I drop food on the ground, no matter where I am, I always think of him and how he’d be right there to clean it up if he could. French fries will probably always make me think of him because it was something he always begged for and always got. I will miss the way his butt wiggled and how he could never walk straight because he was always so full of excitement and joy. He was by far the happiest dog I have ever met, and I’m really glad to say he was mine. He never met a person he didn’t like… except for maybe that one creepy guy at the park in South Carolina. I remember the man calling to Charley, but he didn’t leave my side. He never barked or growled at anyone. In fact, he only barked and growled in his sleep, unless his Kong fell under something and he needed to get our attention. Never growled, though. And he only bit us when he was a puppy. Even when his ears were infected and it hurt to clean them out, he never bit. His spirit was like a magnet- people would just gravitate toward him, even if they were scared of big dogs. He has always acted like a puppy, and most people wouldn’t believe he was almost 6 years old… the only give away was the gray in his muzzle.
Charley’s favorite things were:
1) Peanut Butter (which we had to say in code, otherwise he would start drooling)
2) Kong, which he would drop in our laps or on the bed, covered in Charley Slime
3) People food. I will thank Grandma Harding for that one. ;)
4) Walks
5) “His People” at Petsmart
6) The dog park in South Carolina
7) Anytime we would say “Go” or “Bye bye”
8) Getting his butt scratched, especially when you were in the bathroom because he knew you’d be sitting down anyway so you might as well scratch!
9) 3 Dog Bakery in Columbia, SC. Always had a blast there.
10) Doing tricks. Sit, shake, wave, high 5, low 5, dance, stay, leave it… hide and seek.
11) White rice, especially Japanese sticky rice.
12) Whipped cream
13) LICKING. Some people didn’t like to be around him because he would lick so much, but usually it was an endearing quality about Charley. He was such a friendly guy.
Some favorite memories:
1) Charley coming out of the door, the first pup to greet us when we were picking one out at the breeder. He picked us. And I will always be thankful for that.
2) Thinking that something was wrong with him when I first saw him, but finding out later that the reason his fur was matted on his head was because he’d gotten into tree sap.
3) The first night he was home with us, and he was crying in his crate. Casey had to hold me outside the door to his room because I had a hard time hearing him cry. Funny how similar it is now with Keaton.
4) The first time he climbed up on the couch. He wanted SO badly to be up there with us, and we kept yelling, “You can do it, buddy!” Then he made it up there and curled up with us.
5) The kid learned tricks so quickly that I forgot how I taught him things. I think ‘shake’ was his first trick. He was so excited when he did it and got praise for it that he would do it all the time.
6) He loved chasing lizards on our screened-in porch. I think I still have video of him playing with them.
7) He ate a pecan and it got stuck in his tummy. We had to go to the vet, and they had to go through the ‘back door’ to see what was happening. I am pretty sure I cried when he did… his little eyes bugged out of his head. Mine would have, too.
8) The time our friend Jose gave him beer… he ended up peeing on my friend Jenny’s foot. I remember walking into our house to see my puppy’s face in a Dixie cup, slurping up the beer. He’s never had it again, but always wanted some whenever Casey was drinking it.
9) The way he kept sliding on the floor of our kitchen in our first house in SC, and would end up bumping into something and scaring himself.
10) Scaring himself at Swearingen while chasing a Palmetto bug and barking at it, then flattening out on the ground when his bark echoed and sounded like a bunch of other dogs barking. He was so freaked out!!
11) Playing ball with him in the courtyard at Swearingen.
12) Taking him to visit Casey in the lab, and having him run up and down the hallway. He scared so many of the foreign students. One Chinese student wouldn’t come out of the bathroom until Charley was gone.
13) Having him sit in the front seat of the VW, and pulling up to stop lights. People would always glance over at him and laugh or smile.
14) The way he scared a girl at Sonic, and she refused to bring us our food because she thought he would bite her.
15) Having brunch with Casey and Charley at The Gourmet Shop in Columbia.
16) Charley’s first plane ride to Kansas. Leaving him with my parents while we were in Japan was one of the hardest things I’ve done so far, next to this. It was really hard to say goodbye to him. I feel that pain again now.
17) Seeing his daily ‘puppy dreams’.
18) The way he and Melanie, our neighbor’s daughter, would get so incredibly excited when they would see each other! “Charley Brown” was one of her first phrases.
19) His soft coat. We would get compliments on it all the time. He really was soft, and I think it happened even before we started giving him peanut butter.
20) I never knew dogs could get allergies until Charley came along.
21) The way he would walk up to the baby’s swing and push it with his nose, or give my pregnant belly little kisses before “Peanut” was born.
22) Last night, hanging out with my boys on our bed. Keaton had his hand on Charley and looked like he was really feeling Charley’s fur. He also smiled at him while in his bouncy seat last night.
23) The talent show at Three Dog Bakery where Charley decided not to do any tricks. He still got second place.
24) Running circles around him when he got fixed because the huge cone around his neck hit the ground and scared the crap out of him… he literally would not move. I had to walk him into the house one paw at a time.
25) Sitting with Charley and Casey on our porch swing in SC, getting him through his first thunderstorm.
26) “Blue”, the toy octopus. He went through at least 2 if not 3 of those. Ripped them to shreds.
27) Getting trapped in bed between Charley and Casey, both of whom were snoring.
28) How high the kid could jump!!
29) Charley in Charleston… afraid of the waves.
30) Charley being in love with Mya… and running in circles for 3 hours the night before he got fixed.
31) Charley running to the door or window whenever I say “Daddy’s home!”
*****
I don't blame you if you already stopped reading this. I made the mistake of reading it and am barely able to see the computer screen through my tears. But you know what? I am just thankful that he was in our lives, and I'm thankful he's not in pain anymore. BEST DOG EVER.
Well, I think that's more than enough emotion from me for one day. Here's a happier note for you- one of my favorite pictures of Charley and Keaton together:
I knew today would be a bit tough, as it's the anniversary of Charley's passing. I'm going to include something I wrote just over a year ago, before Charley passed away. Truth is, I probably won't even read it- it's tough. But then again, maybe I will... I could kind of use a good cry about him right now. It's nice to get it out once in awhile, and being a woman, I haven't had a 'good' cry in a long time. (Anyone that knows me should know I'm a crier, so saying that it's been a long time actually means weeks- maybe even months. That's a long time for me!)
Here goes nothing. I'll try to end on a happy note again at the end.
*****
May 7th, 2010
This is just so hard. You grow so attached to something, knowing that it won’t be around forever. But something so special… Charley has been nothing short of amazing in the almost 6 years we’ve had him. Everywhere I go, something reminds me of him. When I drop food on the ground, no matter where I am, I always think of him and how he’d be right there to clean it up if he could. French fries will probably always make me think of him because it was something he always begged for and always got. I will miss the way his butt wiggled and how he could never walk straight because he was always so full of excitement and joy. He was by far the happiest dog I have ever met, and I’m really glad to say he was mine. He never met a person he didn’t like… except for maybe that one creepy guy at the park in South Carolina. I remember the man calling to Charley, but he didn’t leave my side. He never barked or growled at anyone. In fact, he only barked and growled in his sleep, unless his Kong fell under something and he needed to get our attention. Never growled, though. And he only bit us when he was a puppy. Even when his ears were infected and it hurt to clean them out, he never bit. His spirit was like a magnet- people would just gravitate toward him, even if they were scared of big dogs. He has always acted like a puppy, and most people wouldn’t believe he was almost 6 years old… the only give away was the gray in his muzzle.
Charley’s favorite things were:
1) Peanut Butter (which we had to say in code, otherwise he would start drooling)
2) Kong, which he would drop in our laps or on the bed, covered in Charley Slime
3) People food. I will thank Grandma Harding for that one. ;)
4) Walks
5) “His People” at Petsmart
6) The dog park in South Carolina
7) Anytime we would say “Go” or “Bye bye”
8) Getting his butt scratched, especially when you were in the bathroom because he knew you’d be sitting down anyway so you might as well scratch!
9) 3 Dog Bakery in Columbia, SC. Always had a blast there.
10) Doing tricks. Sit, shake, wave, high 5, low 5, dance, stay, leave it… hide and seek.
11) White rice, especially Japanese sticky rice.
12) Whipped cream
13) LICKING. Some people didn’t like to be around him because he would lick so much, but usually it was an endearing quality about Charley. He was such a friendly guy.
Some favorite memories:
1) Charley coming out of the door, the first pup to greet us when we were picking one out at the breeder. He picked us. And I will always be thankful for that.
2) Thinking that something was wrong with him when I first saw him, but finding out later that the reason his fur was matted on his head was because he’d gotten into tree sap.
3) The first night he was home with us, and he was crying in his crate. Casey had to hold me outside the door to his room because I had a hard time hearing him cry. Funny how similar it is now with Keaton.
4) The first time he climbed up on the couch. He wanted SO badly to be up there with us, and we kept yelling, “You can do it, buddy!” Then he made it up there and curled up with us.
5) The kid learned tricks so quickly that I forgot how I taught him things. I think ‘shake’ was his first trick. He was so excited when he did it and got praise for it that he would do it all the time.
6) He loved chasing lizards on our screened-in porch. I think I still have video of him playing with them.
7) He ate a pecan and it got stuck in his tummy. We had to go to the vet, and they had to go through the ‘back door’ to see what was happening. I am pretty sure I cried when he did… his little eyes bugged out of his head. Mine would have, too.
8) The time our friend Jose gave him beer… he ended up peeing on my friend Jenny’s foot. I remember walking into our house to see my puppy’s face in a Dixie cup, slurping up the beer. He’s never had it again, but always wanted some whenever Casey was drinking it.
9) The way he kept sliding on the floor of our kitchen in our first house in SC, and would end up bumping into something and scaring himself.
10) Scaring himself at Swearingen while chasing a Palmetto bug and barking at it, then flattening out on the ground when his bark echoed and sounded like a bunch of other dogs barking. He was so freaked out!!
11) Playing ball with him in the courtyard at Swearingen.
12) Taking him to visit Casey in the lab, and having him run up and down the hallway. He scared so many of the foreign students. One Chinese student wouldn’t come out of the bathroom until Charley was gone.
13) Having him sit in the front seat of the VW, and pulling up to stop lights. People would always glance over at him and laugh or smile.
14) The way he scared a girl at Sonic, and she refused to bring us our food because she thought he would bite her.
15) Having brunch with Casey and Charley at The Gourmet Shop in Columbia.
16) Charley’s first plane ride to Kansas. Leaving him with my parents while we were in Japan was one of the hardest things I’ve done so far, next to this. It was really hard to say goodbye to him. I feel that pain again now.
17) Seeing his daily ‘puppy dreams’.
18) The way he and Melanie, our neighbor’s daughter, would get so incredibly excited when they would see each other! “Charley Brown” was one of her first phrases.
19) His soft coat. We would get compliments on it all the time. He really was soft, and I think it happened even before we started giving him peanut butter.
20) I never knew dogs could get allergies until Charley came along.
21) The way he would walk up to the baby’s swing and push it with his nose, or give my pregnant belly little kisses before “Peanut” was born.
22) Last night, hanging out with my boys on our bed. Keaton had his hand on Charley and looked like he was really feeling Charley’s fur. He also smiled at him while in his bouncy seat last night.
23) The talent show at Three Dog Bakery where Charley decided not to do any tricks. He still got second place.
24) Running circles around him when he got fixed because the huge cone around his neck hit the ground and scared the crap out of him… he literally would not move. I had to walk him into the house one paw at a time.
25) Sitting with Charley and Casey on our porch swing in SC, getting him through his first thunderstorm.
26) “Blue”, the toy octopus. He went through at least 2 if not 3 of those. Ripped them to shreds.
27) Getting trapped in bed between Charley and Casey, both of whom were snoring.
28) How high the kid could jump!!
29) Charley in Charleston… afraid of the waves.
30) Charley being in love with Mya… and running in circles for 3 hours the night before he got fixed.
31) Charley running to the door or window whenever I say “Daddy’s home!”
*****
I don't blame you if you already stopped reading this. I made the mistake of reading it and am barely able to see the computer screen through my tears. But you know what? I am just thankful that he was in our lives, and I'm thankful he's not in pain anymore. BEST DOG EVER.
Well, I think that's more than enough emotion from me for one day. Here's a happier note for you- one of my favorite pictures of Charley and Keaton together:
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Remembering Chuck, and the Ice Cream Dance
This could be a super short entry, but it's been awhile since I've written and I felt the need. Keaton is napping and should be up any time, so I guess I'll blog until he wakes up!
We've been so busy lately! Last week Casey was in Vancouver (and witnessed the hockey riots first-hand). Of all times for him to go to Canada! He survived, and got some pretty crazy photos of the police in riot gear. Crazy stuff!
I wish I could remember what's gone on since I wrote last. Keaton's saying a new word every day, which is funny, and a little scary at times (only because I really need to work on cleaning up my language). So far he hasn't said any cuss words yet... that we know of... but he does have a tendency to spout out a bunch of things when he's trying to get you to understand what he wants. I guess I'm glad he does that instead of just point and yell. Yesterday he said his version of cracker (kakah), shovel (sounds a lot like bubble), and today he was cracking up at lunch when I was saying "edamame". He calls it "damommy". LOL! Too, too funny. Last week he said pineapple "piyappah". I can now understand why my Dad found it entertaining to say big words and have me repeat them as a very young child. Now the trick is to remember his version of them so I know what the heck he's talking about! Most things are still lost in translation.
Well, on a different note, tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of the day Charley Brown passed away. I cannot believe it's been a whole year without him. It is definitely getting easier now, especially to talk about, but it doesn't make me miss him any less. I still think about him at least once a day, sometimes more. I can remember so many details about a year ago... on the 22nd of last year, we had to take him in to get fluids. It was the night of my first appointment with the counselor, and I remember Casey telling me that Charley wasn't doing well, and racing home to take him to the vet. I also remember the 23rd, because I woke up thinking that Charley would have passed in his sleep, but he ate a ton of food and was up and walking around again that day. Good thing, too, because the tornado sirens went off and we had to go to the basement. He stayed right by my side- he was so nervous! I remember being surprised that he was up and moving around. It almost seemed like things were improving, until the next day- the 24th. I have blocked out a lot of that day, and don't care to recall much of it now. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to acknowledge the significance of tomorrow, and the fact that Chuck is still here with me every single day.
I hate ending this entry in that way, but Mr. K is stirring and I need to go tend to some laundry. I got to write a lot more than I thought I would! If you need a pick-me-up after that last part, just watch this:
Love,
Ash
We've been so busy lately! Last week Casey was in Vancouver (and witnessed the hockey riots first-hand). Of all times for him to go to Canada! He survived, and got some pretty crazy photos of the police in riot gear. Crazy stuff!
I wish I could remember what's gone on since I wrote last. Keaton's saying a new word every day, which is funny, and a little scary at times (only because I really need to work on cleaning up my language). So far he hasn't said any cuss words yet... that we know of... but he does have a tendency to spout out a bunch of things when he's trying to get you to understand what he wants. I guess I'm glad he does that instead of just point and yell. Yesterday he said his version of cracker (kakah), shovel (sounds a lot like bubble), and today he was cracking up at lunch when I was saying "edamame". He calls it "damommy". LOL! Too, too funny. Last week he said pineapple "piyappah". I can now understand why my Dad found it entertaining to say big words and have me repeat them as a very young child. Now the trick is to remember his version of them so I know what the heck he's talking about! Most things are still lost in translation.
Well, on a different note, tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of the day Charley Brown passed away. I cannot believe it's been a whole year without him. It is definitely getting easier now, especially to talk about, but it doesn't make me miss him any less. I still think about him at least once a day, sometimes more. I can remember so many details about a year ago... on the 22nd of last year, we had to take him in to get fluids. It was the night of my first appointment with the counselor, and I remember Casey telling me that Charley wasn't doing well, and racing home to take him to the vet. I also remember the 23rd, because I woke up thinking that Charley would have passed in his sleep, but he ate a ton of food and was up and walking around again that day. Good thing, too, because the tornado sirens went off and we had to go to the basement. He stayed right by my side- he was so nervous! I remember being surprised that he was up and moving around. It almost seemed like things were improving, until the next day- the 24th. I have blocked out a lot of that day, and don't care to recall much of it now. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to acknowledge the significance of tomorrow, and the fact that Chuck is still here with me every single day.
I hate ending this entry in that way, but Mr. K is stirring and I need to go tend to some laundry. I got to write a lot more than I thought I would! If you need a pick-me-up after that last part, just watch this:
Love,
Ash
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Serenity Now!!
I posted this as my status on Facebook today, but for good reason: How do you teach patience when you need some yourself?
1) I absolutely adore my child, but he was in rare form today. He was super moody, and hyper, and doing things he knows he's not supposed to (like touch electrical outlets, climb on toys/furniture, throw things from his high chair, and put random objects in his mouth, to name a few). It wore me out. I also know that he knows he's not supposed to do these things, because he will look at me as he is about to touch said electrical outlet and say, "No!". I have to laugh about it now, or I may go crazy!!
2) Top this off with the fact that (sorry in advance) I got my period today for the first time in two years. That's right, for the first time since before I found out I was preggo with Keaton. Nursing until he was 15 months old made it stay away longer, and so I guess my body finally got back in sync again. I really didn't realize how much your body changes before and after you have a child. Will it ever be normal again? (Was it ever normal??) Anyway, all the PMS symptoms are back in full force, and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep. Wah wah wah... tomorrow is a better day! Thank goodness for Excedrin PMS. :)
So if you add up these two factors alone, my patience level is lower than normal. I find myself being frustrated over the tiniest little things the past few days. I have zero energy and really have to push myself to get anything done. I mean, moreso than normal. Then I've got this little boy who is super curious and into everything, and I have to step back and say, "Breathe. It's not his fault you are in a crappy mood." And all is well again.
Sorry to be a downer. I don't like writing entries like this, but I also have to get it out. Tomorrow will be a better day! I hope to wake up with energy, and motivation, and lots and lots of patience! :)
-Ash
1) I absolutely adore my child, but he was in rare form today. He was super moody, and hyper, and doing things he knows he's not supposed to (like touch electrical outlets, climb on toys/furniture, throw things from his high chair, and put random objects in his mouth, to name a few). It wore me out. I also know that he knows he's not supposed to do these things, because he will look at me as he is about to touch said electrical outlet and say, "No!". I have to laugh about it now, or I may go crazy!!
2) Top this off with the fact that (sorry in advance) I got my period today for the first time in two years. That's right, for the first time since before I found out I was preggo with Keaton. Nursing until he was 15 months old made it stay away longer, and so I guess my body finally got back in sync again. I really didn't realize how much your body changes before and after you have a child. Will it ever be normal again? (Was it ever normal??) Anyway, all the PMS symptoms are back in full force, and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep. Wah wah wah... tomorrow is a better day! Thank goodness for Excedrin PMS. :)
So if you add up these two factors alone, my patience level is lower than normal. I find myself being frustrated over the tiniest little things the past few days. I have zero energy and really have to push myself to get anything done. I mean, moreso than normal. Then I've got this little boy who is super curious and into everything, and I have to step back and say, "Breathe. It's not his fault you are in a crappy mood." And all is well again.
Sorry to be a downer. I don't like writing entries like this, but I also have to get it out. Tomorrow will be a better day! I hope to wake up with energy, and motivation, and lots and lots of patience! :)
-Ash
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
A B C...
Keaton is indeed trying to sing the ABCs lately... it sounds at least somewhat like the song. It is pretty cute, and I really need to get it on video, but all my attempts are in vain because he seems to get camera shy. I'll keep trying, though. :)
I'm sort of in a list mood today (even downloaded a task list for my phone so I can check things off throughout the week and try to keep myself motivated) so I thought I'd keep with the pattern and make an alphabetical list of what's up in our world right now.
A- Aunt Leslie & Aunt Valerie came to visit Keaton this past weekend. Fun times!
B- Beautiful weather the past few days!!
C- Canada. The current location of a conference for awesome people that understand catalysis.
D- Drama- what's happening on our street lately. It's turning into Jerry Springer around here! (Neighbors are getting a divorce and it's getting pretty ugly.)
E- E-mail, something that is not working well on my phone at the moment.
F- Father's Day is this weekend! I'm still working on the gifts... which brings me to
G- Golf clubs- something Casey wants for Father's Day. How cliche! :)
H- Headache... something I have had for the past few days. Darn birth control!
I- Italian food. I have had a lot of it lately, and seem to want more. The perks of living in Chi-town.
J- Jumping. I showed Keaton how to do it today, and his imitation was HILARIOUS!
K- Keaton, who never ceases to brighten my day. :)
L- Lists. I can't make enough of them lately... and can't check them off fast enough, either.
M- Monkey. My son is turning into one... he's starting to try to climb on everything. Ahhhh!!
N- "Noon-ul"- Keaton's version of the word "Noodle"
O- O's, Keaton's name for Cheerios
P- PMS. Nuff said.
Q- Q, a letter that really trips me up while playing word games.
R- Rabbits- they are taking over our yard!!
S- Sleep... you can never get too much, in my opinion.
T- Traveling- something Casey is doing a ton of lately.
U- Understanding. Something I need to do more of, for both my boys.
V- Vacuuming, something the house really needs right now!
W- Washington (State)... where Casey will be headed soon for training.
X- X and Q are both letters I need to look up in the dictionary, so I can remember more words that start with them when I play Scrabble.
Y- Yelling. My neighbors are doing a lot of it!
Z- Zoo- We went to the Brookfield Zoo last weekend with Casey's sisters. I'll upload pics soon!
-Ash
I'm sort of in a list mood today (even downloaded a task list for my phone so I can check things off throughout the week and try to keep myself motivated) so I thought I'd keep with the pattern and make an alphabetical list of what's up in our world right now.
A- Aunt Leslie & Aunt Valerie came to visit Keaton this past weekend. Fun times!
B- Beautiful weather the past few days!!
C- Canada. The current location of a conference for awesome people that understand catalysis.
D- Drama- what's happening on our street lately. It's turning into Jerry Springer around here! (Neighbors are getting a divorce and it's getting pretty ugly.)
E- E-mail, something that is not working well on my phone at the moment.
F- Father's Day is this weekend! I'm still working on the gifts... which brings me to
G- Golf clubs- something Casey wants for Father's Day. How cliche! :)
H- Headache... something I have had for the past few days. Darn birth control!
I- Italian food. I have had a lot of it lately, and seem to want more. The perks of living in Chi-town.
J- Jumping. I showed Keaton how to do it today, and his imitation was HILARIOUS!
K- Keaton, who never ceases to brighten my day. :)
L- Lists. I can't make enough of them lately... and can't check them off fast enough, either.
M- Monkey. My son is turning into one... he's starting to try to climb on everything. Ahhhh!!
N- "Noon-ul"- Keaton's version of the word "Noodle"
O- O's, Keaton's name for Cheerios
P- PMS. Nuff said.
Q- Q, a letter that really trips me up while playing word games.
R- Rabbits- they are taking over our yard!!
S- Sleep... you can never get too much, in my opinion.
T- Traveling- something Casey is doing a ton of lately.
U- Understanding. Something I need to do more of, for both my boys.
V- Vacuuming, something the house really needs right now!
W- Washington (State)... where Casey will be headed soon for training.
X- X and Q are both letters I need to look up in the dictionary, so I can remember more words that start with them when I play Scrabble.
Y- Yelling. My neighbors are doing a lot of it!
Z- Zoo- We went to the Brookfield Zoo last weekend with Casey's sisters. I'll upload pics soon!
-Ash
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
My Talkative Tike
Life has been super busy lately. I don't even know where to start! I guess I'll start where I left off, with the dog search. We have put it to a hault right now because we found out that the starting price for an Invisible Fence is over $600. Tack on the $300 adoption fee, and we have spent a lot more money than we had planned. So, looks like we will put the search on hold for a little while, especially since there are a few details about Casey's job that are currently up in the air. I won't get into detail, but something is going to change probably sooner than later, so we don't know what all that will mean for us. Of course I'll update whenever I find anything out that is noteworthy. :)
Casey, Keaton and I just got back from a trip home for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. The trip went way too fast, and now we're back home, trying to get settled in again. Traveling always seems to screw up our sleeping habits around here, so I've been trying to get Keaton back into his nap habit, among other things. He's had some tummy troubles since the night before we left for Kansas. He got sick 3 times that night, and I was up with him from about 12:30-3:30 in the morning. I had to wake Casey up to help me clean up his bed sheets, change his pajamas, and then clean up the crib. Shortly after cleaning him up and laying him down, the whole thing happened again. It wasn't as bad as the first time, but we went through another set of sheets and more pajamas. I still don't know what was wrong, but he's been eating less and having and upset tummy every day, especially at night. I don't think there's anything new that we're feeding him for dinner that is causing it, but we'll see how tonight goes. This morning, he woke up just before 6 a.m., and I had to put him in the bathtub first thing because he had a blowout. I think that's enough of that topic... you can only talk about poo for so long before people stop listening. I get it.
In other news, he's been talking a TON lately, especially when we were home! He said something that sounded like "Grandpa". Here's another list of words he says on a regular basis now... probably some repeats from the last list, but who's keeping track?
Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I'm making lasagna tonight (yes that's right, I'm actually cooking...) and staying indoors because it is incredibly hot outside... not to mention I am nursing a weird looking sunburn from our trip to the lake with the Hetricks on Sunday. We reapplied sunscreen, but apparently we forgot my shoulders and the back of my neck... I have little weird circles of red on them now. I should also mention it was worth it, though, because I got to go tubing for the first time! (Behind a boat, at least... there was that terrible incident in Columbia when we went floating down the river on tubes and I flew out multiple times and bruised my back, in addition to getting a pretty bad sunburn. Doh!) Anyway, we had a great time at the lake, and look forward to going back July 4th weekend.
More later,
Ash
Casey, Keaton and I just got back from a trip home for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. The trip went way too fast, and now we're back home, trying to get settled in again. Traveling always seems to screw up our sleeping habits around here, so I've been trying to get Keaton back into his nap habit, among other things. He's had some tummy troubles since the night before we left for Kansas. He got sick 3 times that night, and I was up with him from about 12:30-3:30 in the morning. I had to wake Casey up to help me clean up his bed sheets, change his pajamas, and then clean up the crib. Shortly after cleaning him up and laying him down, the whole thing happened again. It wasn't as bad as the first time, but we went through another set of sheets and more pajamas. I still don't know what was wrong, but he's been eating less and having and upset tummy every day, especially at night. I don't think there's anything new that we're feeding him for dinner that is causing it, but we'll see how tonight goes. This morning, he woke up just before 6 a.m., and I had to put him in the bathtub first thing because he had a blowout. I think that's enough of that topic... you can only talk about poo for so long before people stop listening. I get it.
In other news, he's been talking a TON lately, especially when we were home! He said something that sounded like "Grandpa". Here's another list of words he says on a regular basis now... probably some repeats from the last list, but who's keeping track?
- Pooh (as in Winnie the ....)
- bubble (buhbuh)
- down (daun!)
- up
- no (there's no mistaking this one!)
- something that sounds like "airplane" (ahh-peen)
- something that sounds like "grandpa" (gah-pa)
- boat (bow!)
- O (as in Cheerio)
- owl - he saw one at a toy store in Lawrence and pointed at it, saying "Owl!" (sounds more like Ow)
- Go
- baby
- shoe (sounds a little bit like the s-word if you don't know what he's talking about... LOL)
- doggie
Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I'm making lasagna tonight (yes that's right, I'm actually cooking...) and staying indoors because it is incredibly hot outside... not to mention I am nursing a weird looking sunburn from our trip to the lake with the Hetricks on Sunday. We reapplied sunscreen, but apparently we forgot my shoulders and the back of my neck... I have little weird circles of red on them now. I should also mention it was worth it, though, because I got to go tubing for the first time! (Behind a boat, at least... there was that terrible incident in Columbia when we went floating down the river on tubes and I flew out multiple times and bruised my back, in addition to getting a pretty bad sunburn. Doh!) Anyway, we had a great time at the lake, and look forward to going back July 4th weekend.
More later,
Ash
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