Toddlerhood... a sign of things to come.

Keaton is not tiptoeing towards two... I would say he's running at full speed at this point. Sprinting. Hurdling. Today was one of those days that, as a parent, you sit back with a glass of (fill in the adult beverage) and think of days to come... "terrible twos"... the puberty/teenage years... all of those times where you wonder what the heck you are doing, and when this phase will end. And it will, eventually. Heck, I'm sure he'll probably wake up tomorrow and it will be totally different. Today was just...eh.

He had so much fun with his Grandma Hetrick this past week that I think maybe he's just starting to come back to reality. Tomorrow is going to be interesting, though... I'm sure he'll ask where "Nana" is first thing when he wakes up. We have music class tomorrow at the library, so hopefully that will make him happy. It is also supposed to be beautiful again tomorrow, so I plan on spending as much time outside as possible.

On a happier note, we had a very fun time yesterday with De/Nana/Grandma Hetrick at the Lincoln Park Zoo. We got to wear our Halloween costumes and heard lots of people talk about our little Yoda (Favorite comment was probably, "O-M-G, that is the cutest thing I've ever seen!!")... lol... I was a little embarrassed because people kept coming up and wanting to take our picture, but in all it was a very good time. Here's a pic! More to come... I have a ton to edit (about 6G, actually) so at some point before Christmas, you should see pictures from Fall 2011. I hope.

Halloween 2011- Lincoln Park Zoo

I think that's about it for tonight. Tomorrow is a better day!!

-Ash

MOA Trip

Here's a recap of the last... 1.5 weeks since I wrote last? Yikes. I am seriously slacking on this.

I stare at the calendar and can't remember what the heck we've done lately. Ummm... Friday we left for Minnesota and met Keith and De at the airport in Minneapolis, then headed to our hotel and then Mall of America. We ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. I ate a pound of crab legs (which could have been more, honestly), and Keaton was slap happy and obsessed with the shrimp mascot Bubba and got upset whenever Bubba walked away from him. I'm glad he hasn't gotten to the stage where mascots freak him out... in fact, the two times we went to restaurants with mascots, he was super excited to see them. He didn't want them to go out of his sight. Again, just glad he's not screaming bloody murder or anything. :)

The next day, we went back to MOA and shopped til we dropped. Or at least until Keaton was ready for his nap... then we went back and shopped some more. I am now the proud owner of a pair of gray UGGS, something I never thought I would get, and honestly never wanted until I tried them on last year. It was an early birthday gift, and I haven't really taken them off since Saturday. They may not be practical, but they sure are comfortable and easy to get on and off, unlike the lace-up boots I've been wearing since 2008. Man, I need to revamp my wardrobe. I digress.

Casey is away this week at the AIChE conference in Minneapolis, so De came back to stay with us, which has been great. I am very lucky that I get along so well with my mother-in-law, because not many people I know actually like their mothers- or fathers-in-law. I lucked out with both. She has been great, and very helpful with Keaton. Tonight I had my third Biology test (*technically 2nd for me, since I was sick for the last one) so it was nice to be able to focus on studying today and not worry about Keaton. We are doing little projects around the house this week, and she's giving me nice insight on my husband. Which, really, is never a bad thing.

So I guess that's really about it. I mean, I know it's not. I know I'm forgetting tons of things Keaton's doing/saying. OH, like this one! We were checking out the Microsoft store at MOA, and watching a big group of young people play one of the dancing games on XBox. Keaton of course loved to watch them dance, and kept wanting to go up and dance with them, but I kept holding him back. Another lady near us encouraged me to let him go, so I did. And within a millisecond of letting him go, he ran right up to the TV and pushed the power button on the XBox, completely shutting off the game. Oh my goodness, I was so embarrassed. A bunch of people got up and left and were obviously not very happy about it, but then, he's a little kid and didn't know better! And I'm sure some of them were thinking, 'Where was that kid's mom?' Well, she was standing back with her jaw on the floor. I would also like to note that after going through MOA and the Minneapolis airport with that little man, I completely understand why people have 'leashes' for their kids... that may be one of the only ways I can keep my sanity since he's tiny and all over the place! Oh, and he hates holding our hands, so that makes it a little more complicated. Am I complaining? Sorry... I'll stop. I am just tired... that's not a complaint, it's a fact!! :)

I think that's all for the evening... I hope to write again sometime soon! :)

Love,

Ash

Reflections

Oh, October.

It snuck up on me. I adore this month- the leaves changing, the crispness in the air. Even football. Maybe I like the excitement that other people have about football, but it's contagious excitement nonetheless. I love hot chocolate (esp. salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks), chili, s'mores, hooded sweatshirts. HALLOWEEN!!!

October brings back so many memories for me... Bugging my Mom to death as a child about what I was going to be for Halloween, and then wishing it was more than just one day so I could show off whatever awesome costume she made. [The toilet costume in 4th grade (the absolute best costume of my childhood, no doubt!) and the Spartan Cheerleader costumes she made Casey and I as adults were my faves. I will say it again- I only hope I can make Halloween as exciting for Keaton as Mom made for me!] Taking a walk with my Dad around our neighborhood as a kid and picking up all the pretty leaves, then coming home and pressing them between sheets of waxed paper... Swinging and listening to music for hours and hours... Going out for pizza and to haunted houses with my swimming teacher Pam and her husband Thomas (and stealing all the mushrooms off his pizza at dinner, and burying my head in his chest at the haunted house because I was too freaked out to open my eyes...lol...)... Going with friends to the haunted houses in Kansas City and nearly peeing my pants when a midget jumped out at me... I could go on and on.

Grandma, Mom, and I- May 2000, my high school graduation

I can't talk about an October memory, though, without remembering October 6th, 2000, the night my Grandma passed away. I will refrain from recapping that night, because even though it's been awhile, it still hurts just as much if I allow myself to remember. I just want to acknowledge the impact that she had on my life. I learned so much from her, and wish that I would have realized how special she was when I had her around and actually told her how much she meant to me. I was just out of high school, and really didn't realize the value of much of anything. If only my almost-30-year-old self could go back and give my 18-year-old self a little talking to... I definitely would have done things differently. But what I take away from this experience is that you have to realize what is right in front of you, and enjoy it to the fullest while you can, because there is no promise that it will be there tomorrow. I cherish each and every memory I have from Octobers past... and the lessons I've learned from them.

I wonder what my 40-something-year-old self would say to my almost-30-year-old self?

-Ash