License to ILL

Before heading to Indiana, Matty and I stopped off in Paris, IL to visit Jonathan's parents for a few days.  It was Matty's first real taste of the midwest . . . and he loved every minute of it.

Grandpa's motorcycle was COOL.  But don't worry, Dad, we didn't take any rides . . . yet.

Playing with Daddy's old toys (Grandma and OKB helped).

But the best thing about Grandma and Grandpa's house?  Golf balls.  Choking hazard, shmoking hazard. ;)

We all went out to the farm to visit our future home.  Matty was so excited (and a bit confused) to be able to sit and play in the grass.  We spend half the time back in Vegas trying to keep him OUT of our heavily fertilized yard; I think he was just waiting to get in trouble for being in it.

First ride on the four-wheeler, getting ready to head back to the pond.

Future home site, albeit with dead grass.  Please Lord, send some rain!

"This four-wheeler thing is AWESOME!" (And no, I didn't let him ride in the back!)

Matty and Oskar imagining life on the farm.

Playing in the grass under the apple tree.

"Grandpa!  I'll help you water the garden!"

"Here, Grandpa, let me help you with these water jugs."

Jonathan's custom-made bar did not make it into our house in Vegas (it was either a bar room or a nursery), so we sent it home with his parents.  They set it up inside the new garage/game room at the farm.  Matty played bartender, offering out sippy cups of water.

He also got to meet another set of cousins, when two of Betsy's children came over for a visit.  They were so excited to meet "Baby Matty" and were quick to show him all the toys in the basement.

And now, off to Indiana to see Mamaw and Papaw!  We'll see you again soon, Illinois!

We Went Dancin Across the USA. . .

I've been homesick for quite awhile so when the opportunity came up for me to spend several weeks back home in the midwest, I literally jumped at it.  Because of the heat embargo on pets in airplanes (and our refusal to kennel Oskar), my wonderful sister-in-law graciously agreed to fly out to Vegas and make the three day journey by car back with me, a wiener dog, and a 10-month old.  Bless. Her. Heart.  

So, in less than 3 days time, I went from sulking around in the Vegas heat to picking her up from the airport, loading up the car, and heading East.  My son was a ROCK STAR.  Not kidding.  The first day, the only  angry peep he made was once we were high up in the Rockies, and I honestly think that was more from the pressure on his ears than frustration at having been in a car seat for 10 hours.  Anyway, after the first day's journey, we stopped at a little town just west of Denver for the night.  MJ decided the pack and play was not a comfortable alternative to a bed and promptly conked out in the middle of MY bed.  We are NOT co-sleeping types of parents, and I got ZERO sleep that night, but he was way too cute to wake up.

The next morning, we said farewell to the very beautiful but, sadly, very dry Colorado landscape and headed into what I think might actually be hell on earth. . .

. . . Kansas.  If you've ever driven through Kansas, you know what I'm talking about.  And if you haven't . . . well, don't.  It is the longest, flattest, most boring state in the entire country.  I have a preference for rural landscapes, and I still hate Kansas.  And it didn't help that Kansas (and most of the country) is going through a monster heat wave.  In fact, the hottest place in the country at the moment is not Death Valley.  It's a little town in Kansas.  I'm telling ya--hell.

Even Matty was bored.

"We're STILL in Kansas?!  Well, I guess I'll brush up on my farm animals.  Never know what I might see back home."

We made it all the way to Kansas City, MO the next day which meant our third day was a short 6 hour jaunt over to Paris, IL, where we stopped to see Jonathan's parents for a few days.  But more on that in a later post.  All you really need to know right now is that, somehow, miraculously, we are here in the midwest with our minds, bodies, and sanities (is that a word?) intact.

And the total amount of time combined that my son cried during the entire 3 day trip across half a continent?  Less than 1 hour.

Seriously.  Rock star.

52-Week Challenge: Week Twenty-Six

I am WAY behind this week.  As some of you may know, I've been hankering for a much-needed vacation back in the midwest and, out of the blue, the opportunity came up and I seized it.  So, I have been traveling for the past several days and unable to post a quick blog about this week's challenge.  But, better late than never, so here we go:

This week's challenge is to eat two servings per week of 3-3.5 ounces of seafood.

Yuck.

Obviously, I am a midwestern girl.  And in the midwest, we eat BEEF.  Period.  I have never been much for seafood.  And, honestly, since I'm at my parents' house, and its my momma who does the cooking, I don't think I'll be eating much seafood.  HOWEVER, I will make it a point to try and order seafood whenever we go out to eat.  And maybe I'll look into vitamin supplements.  Is that a good compromise?

Because there really are a lot of health benefits to eating seafood.  Fish is high in omega-3s, which reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as cholesterol and blood pressure.  It's also high in protein but low in calories, which is helpful in maintaining and losing weight.

Okay, best of luck.  And sorry for the short notice this week!

Happy First Father's Day!

A look back at Jonathan's first year as a father. . .

Proud papa with a 1-day old MJ. . .

Careful hands preforming diaper duty. . .

Always available for a nap. . . 

Safe in Daddy's hands. . .

Before leaving for a TDY, Daddy tries to take a picture with a not-impressed and sleepy MJ in their Chicago Bears attire. . . 

Just like Daddy, somehow 'SportsCenter' holds his attention.  No, really. . . he was watching 'SportsCenter.'

Snuggling with Dad over Thanksgiving on the train at Old Tucson. . . 

Just amazing how alike they are.  Watching 'SportsCenter' . . . again.

Waiting for the grill to heat up . . . 

Stealing Daddy's 'Ford' hat . . . 

"And this is how you change a brake light . . . "

Daddy doesn't even like reading, but he'll do it for MJ.

Making mental notes on how to be a man.  Apparently mowing the yard is part of it.

Ready to go swimming, Daddy!

First dip in the pool, safe and sound in Daddy's arms.

Never more apparent than it is right here; MJ is Jonathan's 'mini me.'

Just like Daddy:  an obsession with music.

Being groomed as a Chicago Bears fan (unless Mommy has a say in it).

It made me physically ill to put him in this outfit, but I did it just for Jonathan.  And, just like Jonathan, reading makes MJ sleepy.

Happy First Father's Day!  We miss you and love you very much!

52-Week Challenge: Week Twenty-Five

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!  I hope you're getting spoiled by your wives and children today.

I'll make this post short and sweet so you all can back to celebrating your dads/stepdads/husbands/grandfathers, etc.  This week's challlenge is "Get Strong."  Yep, it's another physical challenge.  Do 20-30 minutes of strength training two to three days a week.

Yuck.  I hate strength training.  I really do.  I would rather run 10 miles than do 10 sit-ups.  I know that might sound extreme, but it's true.  Before I had MJ, I was really good at doing some strength training at least twice a week, incorporating some crunches, lunges, and push-ups into my yoga routine.  But, since I gave birth, I've gotten a little lazy.  To put it bluntly, being a mom makes you tired.  I feel like I do a good job keeping up with my cardio, running 4 times a week so, on the other 3 days, I just want a break.  The thought of getting down and working my muscles makes me want to just. . . well, sleep, honestly.  I've been trying to incorporate it back into my week, but I've been failing more than I've been succeeding.  This week, I'm going to try harder.

The good thing about this challenge is that it doesn't necessarily involve lifting weights, unless that's your thing, as comes to most people's minds when they hear "strength training."  You can things such as body weight exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, squats), resistance training (using bands or water), or things like pilates or yoga, which force you to hold certain poses for a long period of time, strengthening your muscles.  The book offers a lot of examples of exercises you can use.

So why do it?  It's not just cardio that burns fat; the more muscle you have, the less fat you will have.  Easy as that.  Doing strengthening muscles also increases your metabolism, making your body more efficient at burning calories even when resting.  It also helps ward off diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis.

So okay, who's going to try harder to work this into your routine this week with me?  Good luck!

A Boy and His Dog

I have to admit:  I was a little worried about how Oskar would react to MJ.  Oskar has been my love, my best friend, my baby for the past four years, and I wasn't quite sure how he was going to take having to be put second in my life.  

And, let's be honest, my dog isn't the friendliest.  He is a typical wiener dog:  fiercely loyal to those in his pack but, boy will you know if he does NOT consider you part of his pack.  His protectiveness is one of the things I both love and hate about him.  I love that he wants to save me from every dog, stranger, and leaf blowing across the street, but it can be a pain to introduce new friends to him, especially friends with kids, who are often terrified by such a loud bark coming out of such a small package.  And yes, let's not mince words:  he is not good with kids.  He doesn't bite, but he has a very low tolerance for the shenanigans of children--especially when those shenanigans involve yelling, chasing him around, pulling his ears, and yanking on his tail.

 Putting all this together, you can see why I was a nervous wreck about bringing a baby into the house. I knew he would never hurt MJ, but I worried that he would be jealous enough to snip at him or have to be kept outside or away from him at all times.  I just wanted all my boys to get along.

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about.  From the first time they met . . . 

. . . Oskar took an immediate protective vibe over MJ.  He was always there, watching us carefully . . .

. . . making sure we didn't hurt him.  If MJ cried, Oskar would jump up to alert us (as if we couldn't hear it).

And if MJ was within his reach, he was sure to be covered in kisses.  Yes, it was probably just Oskar trying to lick up spit-up, but it's cute anyway.

And it wasn't long before MJ started to take an interest in Oskar, too.  But Oskar would usually stay just out of reach, in case those clumsy fingers somehow managed to grab a handful of ear . . . 

. . . unless those hands had leftover food on them.

And once MJ started to get mobile, Oskar became his teacher . . . 

. . . and his source of entertainment.

Luckily, it seems my fears were unfounded.  Matty is in the full-fledged yelling, chasing, ear-pulling, tail-yanking phase . . . and Oskar takes it all in stride.  He may have grumpy days and times when he wants to be left alone but, for the most part, MJ gets away with so much more than any other kid EVER would.  And sometimes, when he thinks I'm not looking, he's actually even sweet to him . . . 

Most importantly, however, there are lots of smiles . . . 

. . . and laughs when it comes to the two of them.

I never have to look far to find either one of them.  Wherever one is, there's the other.

Nothing like the love between a boy and his dog.  My cup runneth over. :)

52-Week Challenge: Week Twenty-Four

This week's challenge is entitled "Stop Portion Distortion."  America's obsession with being the biggest and therefore "the best" has had a devastating effect on our waistlines.  Restaurants, grocery stores, and fast food joints all over "value size," making it seem as if more is a better choice.  It's not.  In fact, its gotten to the point where most people don't even know what a REAL portion size is anymore.  Let's change that this week.

This is one challenge wear I hope you're following along in the book because the author has included some helpful photographs to to aid in learning how to eyeball what a portion size looks like.  I'll do my best to spell it out by food type.

FRESH FRUIT = 1 cup (or about the size of a woman's fist)

LEAFY VEGETABLES = 1 cup (the size of a baseball)

FIBROUS VEGETABLES = 1/2 cup (1/2 a baseball)

BREADS = (a CD case)

MEAT = 3 oz. (deck of cards)

FISH = 3 oz (computer mouse)

GRAINS, LEGUMES, and STARCHES = 1/2 cup (1/2 baseball)

DAIRY = cheese should be the size of a lipstick case; liquid dairy should be 1/2 of a baseball

It might best to measure your foods at first so you can get a feel for what a portion size should look like.  A pain, I know, but easier in the long run.  

Good luck!

Mommy's Little Helper

Anyone who knows me knows that I like a clean house.  Okay, that might be an understatement.  It's more than "liking" a clean house; I need a clean house.  And that need has not quelled just because I have a little one underfoot nowadays.  It's a little more difficult to accomplish, but it doesn't mean I don't spend my days trying.

Anyway, Matty has gotten to the point where he really wants to "help" Mommy when she cleans.  Of course, this usually involves him making things worse and getting in the way, but I do my best to encourage his involvement.  Maybe this will make instilling clean habits later easier.  One can hope, right?  

Here's a few photos of Matty "helping."

"Helping" Mommy sweep.  This is his favorite.  He LOVES the broom.  Of course, trying to sweep crumbs into a dust pan while he chases the broom across the floor is not an easy task and usually ends up with him crawling through the pile of dirt and me having RE-SWEEP later.  Oh well.  How can you say "no" to that face?

"Helping" with laundry.

"Helping" load the dishwasher.  Look at that rotten face.  What a stinker.

"Helping" me vacuum.  Whenever I run it, he laughs and chases it around the room.  This usually makes Oskar bark at him, as if warning him about the evil vacuum.  Therefore, vacuum time = chaos at the Wright house.  But, at least he's not afraid of it!

That's all for today.  Enjoy your weekend, everyone.  Hope you're not stuck inside cleaning, like I am!