Teddy on the Move

It has been a long *ss time since my last post. I commissioned a guest blogger and he really let me down. We'll call him "Craig". Thanks a lot Craig. Anyway, hope this video fills you in on what's been going on here. I've got a funny Halloween tidbit that I'll post this weekend, along with some pre-Halloween pics. In the meantime, TGIF everyone.

Summer '09

How do I begin to describe part two of our summer travels (two of two, but wouldn't it be great if there was a part three, Greg!)? We started off with a week at the P's house. Carly attended bible camp daily with her cousins (amen to that $45/week fee!) and Julie and I got some much-deserved sister time. She talked me into a new blackberry and a new favorite Starbucks beverage. I talked her into a third frozen margarita.

And, let's just say that the P's backyard "playground" and basement full of transportation toys (I thought it would it be weird if I said "boy toys") made quite an impression with Carly. Teddy was impressed with the lush basement carpet for his crawling knees. As they are prone to do, they both settled in quickly with her cousins.



It was also very cool for Carly and Teddy to have the opportunity to spend time with their great-grandma Rita. Carly has some of Grandma Rita's spunk and a lot of her sweet tooth tendencies streaming through her veins.

Carly, Grandma Rita & Katie:


Charlie, Nick & Grandma Rita:


Katie, Gram & Teddy at Gram's new digs:


After the week of Bible camp ended, we took off up north for the Rock. I had hoped to post new pictures of us enjoying the beautiful scenery and beach on a daily basis, but we ended up indoors for a huge portion of the trip. Damn the weather gods! Did Carly misbehave at Bible camp? So here are my random selections...

Say "hi" to the Hay Monster at the end of our street:


Here we are making the most of a rare beach day.




And fast-forward two weeks when we were all glad to have the P's arrive for some playmates.






Harbor Days 2009, highlight of the up-north summer. We began with the festival. The kids loved the rides. Those of us who took physics- even the high school version with Sister Agnes- were terrified, but this was no time for focusing on the rusty nails, so-to-speak.



The parade was a drown-out, but the sun came out in time for us to have a party back at the Rock. And party we did. Here's a picture of the next generation of the Acme Athletic Club:



But the candid shots say it better...









Then we had another week of bad weather, Greg saved himself the return trip, and we said goodbye to Northern Michigan's summer.

Our Day

Today went like this:

In typical fashion, Teddy was up at 11:00pm, 2:00am, 5:00am and ready to start cruising at 6:30am.

So, we started off slowly. The weather looked bleak again and I was in no mood for it. Apparently, neither was Ga.

Then Sully got us in trouble.

The sun broke through the clouds, however, so we headed down to the beach and contemplated our options.

Carly decided to jump off a bit of energy.

The waves were fierce, but we went swimming anyway. That's when our day really turned around. From our vantage point in the lake, we spotted a noble visitor in the highest point of the tallest tree near the Rock.


Do you see the magestic creature way at the top? It was a bald eagle! The National Bird of the United States of America! Mom said it was a sign. She would not elaborate on what she thought it was a sign of, but perhaps a reminder to always pay our taxes? A reminder to tivo the Colbert Report tonight? Maybe he was there to remind Sully where dogs stand in the hierarchy of the animal kingdom. I mean, this guy looked big enough to swoop down and grab the S-man with his talons and give him an ass-whooping.




...which reminded me to grab Teddy and make sure he didn't smell like or resemble waterfowl or large fish.


And, finally, another 10:00pm sunset.

Big Chill

We haven't had the best weather on our trips this summer. True to form, today was a tad chilly. We are used to summers of tank tops and humidity, but today we found ourselves in jeans and sweatshirts...until my little stripper three year-old hit the beach late in the day. Thank you to the kind lady who saw my desperate plight as Carly exited the lake in the buff as a cold wind kicked in and offered us her towel.



We also hit the farm with the goat who climbs the ladder (see last year's post). Teddy found the rooster a bit intimidating, even before it bit Carly's finger.

C'mon sunshine, we need you!

Worth the wait

So I've got a lot of catching up to do. First, we had the trip to Boston. Then we had Carly's birthday celebration. Next, we had the week with the Pietrosantes. Now we are at the Rock and I'm so far behind in my updates that this slow wireless connection will never be able to do my stories justice. Although I plan to go back and catch up (will blogger let me do that?!), for now, I'm just posting a few pictures each day to capture the essence of our trip. Laaaaazzzzzy mamma!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to Greg! I'd tell him myself, but he's been sequestered downstairs studying for his LEED certification for the last two and a half weeks. Actually, we did manage to squeeze in a dinner out tonight at our favorite Mexican restaurant and do a few gifts upon our return home. Carly made Greg a father's day gift at camp last week and, since it came home wrapped, we were all eager to see what it was (including Carly, who had forgotten). It was a pencil holder. Old school! Apparently word has gotten out among Carly's teachers that Greg is a geek. Also from Carly, Greg received a badminton set, courtesy of the strategically 3-ft high Target dollar bin, which Carly never forgets to inspect. For the record, I beat Greg in an impromptu match while Carly quite accurately imitated his pathetic dive moves. Apparently all this studying has weakened his skills (are you listening Dan?).

So, off to more updates about the kids.

Carly recently has developed, how can I say this tactfully, a bit of an Attitude.



What was it that turned my sweet, helpful, smart little baby girl into an independent, push-my-buttons little diva? Dare I say it was the abrupt 48 hour (Memorial Day) potty training? Or is it just the fact that her baby brother is starting to be more of a threat with his move-it-or-lose it strategy toward her toys? I'm not sure, but you know you are in trouble when you pick up your daughter from her second day at day-camp (glorified preschool) and the teacher says to you laughing, "Carly mentioned that she didn't "cooperate" this morning for you. She explained to us exactly what that word means too. Ooooooooooooooooooh, I have a daughter like her. She's grown now, but....oh, I understand (wink wink)."

I'm moving to on to Teddy now, but with over 44 hours of roadtrips on our schedule this summer, I'm sure I'll have more on this topic later.



Teddy continues to be a mover & a shaker. He was up on all 4's rocking in April (4.5 mos) and took off crawling in May. He is now 6 mos and is pulling to a stand in his crib and climbing up on the dishwasher and any other supremely dangerous spot he can maneuver. Of course, he just locks his knees and does the Nestle plunge backward, so he's destined to have his mom's SAT scores.

What else? He is eating, but he isn't nearly as interested in food as Carly was when she first started. Maybe it's because I sort of burnt the first batch of red peppers and eggplant that I tried to steam & puree and, yet, I still attempted to get him to try it. I am already guessing that Teddy will be eating quite a bit more jarred food that his older sister did.




Oh hell, at 6 mos and almost-3, these two kids have it pretty damn good. I love this time of year when a good dose of "getting outta dodge" resets my parental insanity gage. We look forward to making memories with all the cousins this summer!

South Bend or BUST

We're back from the Bend. Actually, we've been back for two weeks, but it takes me that long to settle back into our lives here. A quick photo recap...

Carly & Teddy visiting with Grandma Rita at her new sweet digs. Carly was in rare form, as you can tell.



It was a last minute line-up at the Pietrosantes on Saturday morning, but alas Nick & Katie made the cut (along with Carly & Teddy), so we loaded up Julie's minibus and set off to South Bend. With two pack-n-plays and two strollers and several bags, we were still jammed. Charlie and Joey were left behind to torture their dad, but little did they know how much better it would be at home as opposed to roughing it in Zahm Hall (not for the faint of heart thankyouverymuch).



Carly & Nick taking a break from the Architecture commencement reception to take a walk around campus. Here they are at the Manor, hopefully they both have updated tetanus shots.



Across the quad at Pangborn:



A picture of Air Force One flying over campus about an hour before the ceremony. Note that Touchdown Jesus is pointing to the plane, not to the supposed protesters, so I guess we know who he picks in that debate.



The proud graduate. Has anyone heard me talk about how Scott has claimed to "be failing out" at least once per semester since he started his path of higher education? This semester did not disappoint. Of course, we learned at graduation that he was **almost** valedictorian. Oh shoot.



The proud commencement speaker.



This picture captures Carly's first experience with a belgian waffle topped with whipped cream and strawberries...at Bibler's no less. Lucky, lucky girl. Too bad she had a total meltdown just moments later and ruined her mom's dutch baby pancake breakfast. I still am holding a grudge.



Back at my mom's house....the cousins went nuts with nana's toys. The discussion between Katie & Teddy went something like this:

K: Soooooo....what hair products are you using these days?
T: Mostly baby barf, but it doesn't seem to help with hair growth. You?
K: Yeah, that stuff is worthless, my bro Charlie tells me that we should stick with peanut butter.
T: Not until I'm 18 months, bummer. Sunscreen on the scalp is going to be a bitch this summer.


Katie, Carly, Teddy, Joey, Nick & Charlie...


The only thing Carly willingly shared the whole weekend was the hairclips that came with the purse Aunt Julie bought her. One day, Joey, this photo will haunt you. And, Aunt Julie, one day Katie is going to point out that there was a beer on her highchair tray.


And......the day after we arrived home.....Carly graduated from the 2's class at preschool (I'm withholding my rant about the graduation trend, but I've got one buried inside me). Good thing she had just learned from Uncle Scott what graduates do with their mortar boards. Ta da!