Yesterday by the Numbers

in the afternoon...

trips to the park: 1
moms on the trip: 2
kids on the trip: 4
directions four kids can go all at once: approximately 27

slides slid by the Little Mister: 2
slides slid without crying: 1
slides enjoyed: 0

steps the Little Mister climbed: 8
picnic tables he climbed: 4
fallen logs he climbed: 2
people he climbed: 3

hours spent at the park: 2.5
distance walked/crawled/climbed/slid: far enough that we were all exhausted when we left!

pictures taken: 150 (and no, that is no exaggeration..)

and then after dinner...

trips to the movies: 1
people I took with me to see The Dark Knight: ZERO!!

(Oh the joy of being able to see a movie that isn't made for kids! To spend a few hours with no responsibilities!)

times I thanked my friend and her kids for watching the Little Mister for me: too many to count

and later last night...

football games watched: 1
points scored by the Bills: 31
points scored by the Rams: 14
times I cheered out loud for the Bills: again, too many to count
time I finally got to bed: 2:00 am

and today's big number...

new molars poking through: TWO!!

Life Happens

My break from the internet wasn't planned.

The Little Mister learned how to climb onto the couch, and now it's his favorite place. He also learned how to turn off Mommy's computer, and that seems to be his new favorite game.

So...the computer is mostly put away these days, and turned off. And when I do get a little time to myself, I've been a bit busy, a bit distracted. Here's what's been going on in the Dragonfly house:

• I've been finding lots of great books at the library, and today I got FIVE new books in the mail! (Ahh, the joy of Amazon, bringing books right to me even in Germany..) Lots of reading happening; it's lovely to just lose myself in a good book for a few hours.
  
• The Little Mister is more mobile, so the mess in the house is suddenly more widespread. Cleaning abounds.
• My migraines are suddenly almost under control (woo hoo!) so I can cross-stitch again. I'm working on two big products, and in the past week I've made considerable progress.
• Our upstairs neighbors have TWO new kittens! The Little Mister and I like to go up and visit..he plays with the little girl and the kitten, and I get to have adult conversation with my friend. :)
  
• My newest obsession: Heroes. I got the first two seasons on dvd for my birthday, and before this I'd only seen the first few episodes (I moved here to Germany just after the first season started and I never got the chance to catch up). So far I've watched the first season and the first two episodes of the second season, and I've been completely sucked in. I like that some of the characters are so hard to figure out...good guy, bad guy, victim of circumstance.... I'm fascinated by Sylar. And I'm quite jealous of all you in the States who can watch new episodes..who knows when I'll get to see season three.
• And when the Little Mister is awake, we've had some excellent play time. Just a few days ago he learned where his nose is! (Okay, perhaps I'm a bit too excited about that, but I'm entitled, right?)

So...the blogging break was unexpected...but good.

What's been taking up your time these days?

Wordless Wednesday: Mardi Gras in September?

Thanks a bunch, Painted Maypole!! He loves them! (and we enjoyed the rest of the package too..)

:)

Words I haven't written

Hello to everyone out there in blogland. Have you missed me? I've been thinking about things I want to write (thoughts on 9/11 and other thoughts on turning thirty, to name a few) but I'm being held in the tight grip of a cold that refuses to let go. Argh. The good news is I haven't had a migraine since last weekend! I can't remember the last time I went a week without a migraine...isn't modern medicine wonderful?

Since I can't straighten out my brain enough to write anything that makes sense, let me to direct you to something that touched me this past week. Mary Alice at From the Frontlines wrote a heart-wrenching post on her experience of 9/11 as part of a military family. The Sergeant and I weren't a military family on 9/11 - we weren't even married yet, although the wedding was planned - but Mary Alice's story makes me wonder what memories my son will have of his daddy the soldier..

Haiku Friday: Thirty

There was chocolate cake,
my baby boy, and some friends:
my happy birthday.

For more haiku fun, click here.

It's Fun to be One! - Fall Class List

Hi there! Little Mister here. I know it's been awhile since you heard from me, but Mommy told me about this week's Monday Mission and I knew it was time to put my plan into action. I've been learning so much lately, and discovering new things, that I've decided to share some of my wisdom with other kids my age. Brilliant, right? So here is the fall class list for my new school, It's Fun to be One!

Walking 101 Are your knees getting sore? Or your hands? Crawling might get you around, but there's a better way. Walking! In this class we'll cover such topics as Balance, Cruising, and How to Take a Fall.

On the Go Fun with wheels! We'll play with trains, cars, airplanes - big ones, little ones, some to push, some to ride. Advanced topics include Keeping the Train on the Tracks and Making Car Noises.

Chatterbox Do you love telephones? I do! In this class we'll learn words to use on the phone, starting with "hi" and "bye-bye." And, of course, we'll push buttons and talk on the phones. My favorite lesson is Ways to Make Your Grandparents Make Funny Noises on the Phone.

Music Lots of noise! We'll make music in every class, with drums, xylophones, maracas, our voices, and whatever else we can find. There will be a special lesson on How to Make Your Pets Run and Hide.

Drama In this course we'll play with props and costumes and our imaginations...and learn how to make grown-ups laugh.

Art A fun class with lots of hands-on activities. Most lessons use paper and crayons, but we may get to finger paints. Be prepared to get messy! At the end of every lesson you'll have a gift for your mom or dad or someone else special.

Catch Those Cats! This is an advanced course, only for serious students who want a challenge. Topics include Sneaking, Quiet, and Waving Ribbons or Other Cat Toys. We'll possibly spend a few minutes talking about catching dogs, but since they usually want to be caught there isn't much to learn.

Every class meets every day - we keep busy, 'cause It's Fun to be One!

Watch Me Grow!

November 6, 2007
Five Months Old


February 6, 2008
Eight Months Old

September 6, 2008
Fifteen Months Old

It's getting a bit more difficult to keep him sitting on the futon. I think I spent more time putting him back between the animals than actually taking pictures! :)

One of these days I'll write a post with more words than pictures. Really! Maybe even tomorrow! ;)

A Whole New World

Wordless Wednesday - Football Fan

June 7, 2008
Michigan

September 1, 2008
Germany

For me??

A week ago the lovely Aliki gave me this award!! Isn't it pretty? And oh-so-nice! :)

Here are the rules that came along with it..

• Put the logo on your blog
• Link to the person who awarded you
• Nominate seven (or more) others for this award
• Link to those seven, and
• Leave notes for your nominees on their blogs

So...to pick seven...

1. Valerie at Please Don't Put Those Beans Up Your Nose!! (for, among other things, leaving me one of the funniest comments ever on my last post)
2. Tracy at just another mommy blog
3. nomotherearth (with a special nod to Mr. Earth's guest posts)
4. Cee at Starting to Melt (who is, very possibly right now, having a baby boy!!)
5. The Mrs. at Trying Our Best
6. ewe at Wherever Ewe Go, There Ewe Are
7. Beth at A Mom's Life

So many deserving blogs! If you haven't read them, be sure to check them out. :)


I was going to write something clever or witty at the end of this post, but I have Mommy Brain again, plus it's nearing midnight and I'm tired...so I'll just add that I'm praying for all my friends (and everyone else!) in Gustav's path. The Little Mister and I said a special prayer when I put him to bed tonight, and he must have noticed that I was a bit emotional...because he put his pacifier in my mouth. Such a sweet little guy I have...