Merry Christmas

Yes, this is a bit belated but it's worth documenting. For Valentine's Day I'll let you know how our New Year's went. There are oh so many things that are a little bit better with children such as swimming, 'Toon Town at Disneyland, and Christmas morning. We were extremely careful to train Liesel not to touch the tree or train so it took her a little while to warm up. Whenever we ran the train around the tree she would sit impossibly still and just stare at it. Christmas morning I tore a corner of the first gift she opened to get her started and when she ripped off a chunk she just looked at me quizzically and said, "garbage?" It wasn't until she saw others making a mess and *gasp* not getting in trouble for it that she launched in.

We've been trying to wean Liesel off of her binkies for fear they will ruin her teeth. Instead, we've been giving her Dum Dum's... which will probably also ruin her teeth. Anyway, she was excited to find them in her stocking:

Although Liesel looks like a type and shadow of her father, she's definitely got some of me in there. This is made manifest the most in her love of shoes. In fact, she hates feetie pajamas because she can't get her shoes on over them. She'll spend a toddler eternity in her closet playing with her shoes. For Christmas she got two pairs of Crocs and a pair of Pedipeds that are just adorable. In case you ever need a maternity test:

When we were kids we had these really LONG stockings and my mom cleverly found the best way to fill up all the space was to give us Pringles and frosting. Now it doesn't feel like Christmas to me without some sour cream and onion chips to munch on. Random I know, but there you have it. Thanks to a generous grandpa who let her have his BBQ flavored Pringles, Liesel quickly embraced this time-honored tradition. She insisted on wearing her new pajamas and shoes all day.

Relatively speaking, it was a very simple Christmas which I rather liked. There wasn't a lot of pressure to get through a mountain of presents so we were able to just enjoy each other's company. I had planned to make a fabulous ham dinner but after the festivities of opening stockings and gifts, I completely passed out. Because I'm saving my vacation time for my maternity leave I'd worked on Christmas Eve and then frantically done my last-minute shopping. I was able to sleep in a bit on Christmas morning but the second Liesel went down for a nap I went down too. When I woke up Mom and Brent had taken care of the whole thing! The house smelled wonderfully of ham and we sat down to a lovely meal. I am so grateful to have my mom around at this time because we would have eaten cereal otherwise.

Totally Bizarre

The other day I was up in the Finance department handing in my latest Travel & Expense reimbursement form. Now that I'm in my third trimester and walking like a penguin, people no longer bother asking if I'm pregnant. They jump right away into the barrage of questions: How are you feeling? When are you due again? Do you know what you're having? Have you thought of any names? The nice lady who processes our forms and issues our reimbursement checks happened to see me and asked how I was doing. She followed the general pattern of questions and then the conversation took a turn I couldn't have anticipated.

When I told her I was having a girl, she asked me to turn around. Oooooohkay, that's a new one. After a little spin, I faced her again and she said, "You look like you're having a boy." What the whaaaaaa????? Is there something on my @$$ that says what I'm having? Well, then she explained that I was only carrying in the front and usually women with girls carry all over. In spite of her explanation, I headed back to my cube completely confused. Even if that old wives's tale were true, would you ask a pregnant women (IE someone who is already self conscious about her body shape) to turn around and then comment on where her weight was sitting?

Bizarre.

P.S. Actually published by Danika not realizing Brent was signed in.

Ringing in the Holiday Spirit

Paying it forward from a co-worker who sent this to Danika. We hope it makes you smile and gets you into the christmas spirit if you are not already.

Rite of Passage

I'm SO excited about something I did today: I signed Liesel up for her very own American Airlines frequent flier account! We're planning to have the new baby blessed in Iowa in May and since Liesel will be over 2, she gets her own seat. As I started looking at ticket prices, it occurred to me that I could add Liesel as a companion traveller (Brent's been on there since we were dating). The only problem is she needed an AAdvantage # and I thought you had to have an email account to do that. One call to the AAdvantage desk and voila! She's ready to fly the friendly skies AND earn points for it! The agent told me her daughter had an AAdvantage account from the time she was 4. For the time being, Liesel is under my email account until she's old enough to have her own.

Both of our families live far enough away to warrant a plane trip at least every 18 months, which is how long an account can go with no activity before the miles expire. If you know me, you know how very much I love my AA frequent flier miles. It's like money in the bank! The only two times in my life I've used them were for a funeral and a vacation I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. I regularly log in to my account to check the updates and love seeing my balance go up, up, up! I hope to aspire to be like my parents and one day make the "Million Mile Club." Oh how sweet that would be! In the meantime, we'll let Liesel work towards that goal along with us. By the time she's in college, she could have enough miles for all her Christmas trips home! Or to go to Europe on study abroad! Or to travel for graduate school/job interviews. She doesn't know it yet, but her mama is doing her a HUGE favor.

I feel so clever, I can't stop smiling!

Behind the Times

Confession: I'm not on Facebook and don't ever plan to be. We had a focus group of students who came to my company to review collateral and give feedback and one whole session focused on social media. Not only was it the liveliest of the focus groups, but one of the most bizarre in my opinion. Most of the students agreed Facebook was best used for "stalking" people. No lie, that's the term they used. I don't want to be stalked. They also agreed it was a huge time waster. I don't like wasting time. They went into great detail about the different applications and games they played. They also mentioned it was very addicting. No thanks, I already have a problem with my love of shoes, I shouldn't pick up another obsession. My intention here is not to offend, just to explain myself. I spend the majority of my waking time on a computer, why would I spend my leisure time on it too? Just not my cup of tea.

While visiting family over the summer I was severely chastised by my sisters for not being on Facebook. One visibly flinched when I told her I didn't have time to waste "harvesting" crops on Farm Town. Both of them have found long-lost friends through Facebook. This may sound snooty, but those who want to be in contact with me already ARE. They both reminded me even my parents are on Facebook; indicating if even the Boomers are into it, I shouldn't be rebelling against it as a Gen Xer. Somehow I just can't do it. I already have a fear of internet peeping toms who are granting themselves access to the private corners of my life. And yes, I know you can make your profile private. Why make a profile at all then?

Recently on the news a police officer talked about how sites like Facebook are their geatest friends. They've found parole breakers and people blogging about the laws they've broken... even people violating restraining orders. One guy told me when he's hiring he checks out all prospective employees on Facebook. One of them had photos of himslf with a huge bag of weed. He didn't get the job. I've been told there's one person at my company who regularly updates her Facebook during work hours with messages like, "Only four more hours until I'm out of here!" That just seems unprofessional to me. Facebook isn't for me I guess. Call me Greta Garbo... I just want to be left alone. Don't even get me started on Twitter. Do you really care if I've just taken a dump and am wondering if eating Indian and Greek food in one day is a good idea? Didn't think so.

Nevertheless, I was blown away by this clip about social media and wanted to share... Even if I'm not on Facebook, I still want to do my part you know :)



If you can't see the whole screen, link here

Sitting Pretty

Liesel has spent the last few days with Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen while Brent and I were in Arizona for a wedding. We got in this morning at 1:00 AM so of course she was in bed. After completely spoiling us for two weeks (not to mention taking stellar care of Liesel), my Mom and Dad left in the wee hours of the morning. When we heard Liesel stirring in her crib a couple of hours later, Brent jumped up to get her.

She was SO happy to see us! Brent brought her back to bed to cuddle with us. She leaned over and kissed him 3 times and then she threw her little arms around me and said, "I sorry!" One of the challenges of being a mother of kids Liesel's age is they don't quite know how to express appreciation, even if they are grateful. I'll take that hug as a token of appreciation though, and it was nice to see she genuinely missed us.

Our day was spent trying to get back on East Coast time, unpacking and settling into the reality of the mundane week to come. We had a Christmas party to attend and I took the opportunity to put Liesel in the red tulle skirt I got on sale at Gymboree last week. Brent went out to warm up the car and she went into hysterics, even as I tried to tell her he was coming right back.

Liesel was an absolute hit at the party. She smiled coyly at the guys and hugged the girls who asked to hold her. Liesel hugged one girl for so long she gushed, "Oh, THIS is all I wanted for Christmas!" I know I'm biased, but she really was charming. She got lots of compliments on the skirt as well as her shoes and hair. I'm grateful to have friends who eagerly invite not just Brent and I, but Liesel as well to their formal gatherings because we really wanted to be together as a family after some time apart. Sorry the picture quality isn't the best, it was taken from Brent's camera phone!

How I Love You, Let Me Count The Ways...

They say every pregnancy is different and I am coming to realize the veracity of that statement. Even though I don't weigh any more than I did at this point in my pregnancy with Liesel, I'm FEELING it a lot more. I remember cruising into my third trimester wondering why people said it would be worse than my nauseous, exhausted first trimester. That lasted about 3 weeks and then my awkward body shape and extra weight really started to take it's toll on my hips, back and shoulders. Not to mention Liesel's penchant for lodging herself right into my ribs. For whatever reason, with two more weeks until I even START my first trimester, I'm feeling the aches and pains much more acutely this time. Again, I weigh the same as I did at this point in my last pregnancy, but my body seems to be groaning a bit more with this one.

Sunday night I was tossing and turning to find a comfortable spot. Brent asked me what was wrong and I told him, adding how frustrating it was to not get a good night's sleep for nigh on a week now. As I lay on my left side (like they tell you to), hugging a body pillow, with my head on my own pillow, I felt Brent stuff something around my lower back to give me support and make me more comfortable. It worked and I drifted off. It wasn't until my routine 5 AM bathroom run that I looked over and noticed Brent was sleeping with no pillow at all. He had taken his own pillow and given it to me so I could sleep.

Forget fairy tales girls, THAT'S true love.

Mormons are supposed to do anything for food?

One of the wonderful perks of having my parents here is they can catch me up on all the random YouTube videos they've seen. I just don't have time to peruse the web like that! Maybe someday when I retire...

This one just put me under.

Genius

I don't know how she did it, I really don't.

Liesel likes to go up on tiptoe and pull things down from the dining and kitchen tables. For a while we just put important items in the middle of the table, far out of reach. That didn't last long though because if she somehow manages to see something she really wants, she's not above climbing on a chair and precariously balancing herself to reach what she wants. More than once we've found her ON TOP of the table! She's a curious girl, for sure.

After a long and completely exhausting day yesterday, I noticed Liesel had gotten a hold of the Benadryl bottle from the kitchen table. I heard the click-click-click of the child-proof cap as she spun the lid around. Knowing it was firmly closed, I went back to what I was doing and glanced over a few minutes later. That's when I noticed the bottle was mostly empty. And she had something small and white in her tiny fist. And there was a puddle at her feet. And there was a strong medicine-y smell coming from the hall.

My 19-month old daughter managed to open a child proof bottle of Benadryl and pour all but about 10% of it on the hallway carpet, her Sunday quiet book and of course, herself. There are full-grown adults who can't even get those open! And it's not a fluke either where you push down and turn just once and voila it's open! You have to do that numerous times to get it open. She has tiny hands! She would have had to do it A LOT to get it open!!! To add insult to injury, it was the brand-new bottle of Benadryl I'd purchased that morning after a visit to the pediatrician about her ear.

Perhaps it was the way I moved my pregnant body with lightning speed to the scene of the crime that tipped her off she'd done something wrong. Suddenly she looked at the mess with an expression that said, "Oh my, how did THAT get there?" Of course the first thing she wanted was for me to hold her and I was still wearing my pricey work-appropriate maternity clothes. Oddly enough my first thought was, "Can you get high from huffing Benadryl?"

After confiscating the medicine, scrubbing the carpet to the best of my ability, bathing the culprit and salvaging the quiet book I made a few phone calls. Liesel happily played in the corner as if nothing had happened. My parents just laughed. A lot actually. I demanded to know if I had done anything like that as a kid. Of course I didn't... I didn't get in much trouble as a kid so this wasn't the universe's payback to me. I called my sister who nannied for Liesel this summer and demanded to know if SHE'D taught her how to handle a child-proof cap. She dryly responded, "Yeah, you're not going to peg this one on me." I called another sister who apologized profusely as if she had done it herself and told me, "I wish I could tell you it gets better but that would just be a lie." Then I called Brent's mother to relay my sad tale. I told her I'd confirmed with my parents this character trait wasn't coming from MY genes so I wanted an explanation for what was clearly a Wuehler issue. She quickly responded, "Brent couldn't open those things either!"

Brent had to work late and when he finally made it home he not only took charge of Liesel but he made me dinner and completely cleaned the kitchen. I'd only briefly been able to tell him what happened so I told him the whole story once we had some quiet time. He was a bit chagrined to find his mother, who usually sings paeans to his brilliance and intelligence, threw him under the bus so quickly. Liesel blissfully slept the night away while we discussed new tactics to cope with her new-found mischievousness.

I don't know how she did it. I really don't.

Aftermath

You can tell corn is ripe if it bursts and explodes when you put your nail in a kernel. You can tell you need an oil change based on the mileage and/or date from the last one. And you can tell a toddler has had a pretty rough night when she's sniffling like this in her sleep (enjoy our sound machine set to "ocean" in the background):

Liesel woke up at 4AM hysterically crying and tugging on her left ear. I had lots of ear infections as a kid and Brent tells me when he was young he was the poster child for them. Brent, Liesel and I have blue eyes which I guess is somehow related to the shape of your Eustachian tube and makes you more susceptible to them. So in the early morning hours we found ourselves sympathetically trying to remedy this pain while our little girl cried streams of tears and looked at us pleading for relief.

We immediately gave her a dose of Motrin and called the Dr to determine if we should head over Children's Hospital. Because it was just the ear, (no diarrhea or vomiting), he advised us to put her in a steamy shower for 5-10 minutes to open everything up. She was definitely better, but wide awake and still a little upset. It took her a while to go back to sleep but finally around 6:30 AM she did, sniffling away the vestiges of her troubled night.

Brent has left for work and so I'm here at home waiting for her to wake up so we can start our day. For now, I think I'll just let her sleep.

Everybody Sleeps

There's a reason we rarely let Liesel sleep with us anymore! I always get a foot in my face while Brent gets to breathe her hair. If she's even remotely awake she feels around for our faces and more than once I've been startled awake by a tiny finger up my nose.

She's a cuddler though and doesn't always sleep well alone. One day I decided to try putting my body pillow in her crib and voila! Everyone's getting an appropriate level of REM once again.

Hopefully she'll forgive me for that last droopy diaper shot someday.

Be Prepared

Finding a decent winter coat for Liesel has become my latest crusade... especially when we found out we were having another girl. Knowing the coat would someday be reused by another female meant I could justify some girly colors. Brent didn't see an immediate need like I did because Liesel, like Brent, runs warm. He was pretty sure she could tough it out and perhaps we could put it off until Christmas. I don't care if she's dripping sweat when it's -30 F, she's going to have a good coat and NOW! There's been enough cool nights I wanted it taken care of sooner rather than later. I guess it's a mother thing.

Turns out coats, REAL winter coats anyway, are really hard to find for Liesel's age group. There are fancy fur ones that are more for show than warmth, and some cutesy snowsuits but not really much that would protect my adorable girl from the harsh Boston winters. I finally found a Columbia brand coat (on sale!) that was perfect. It has a removable lining which she can use immediately, a removable hood and the pink and white colors make her look like a strawberry tart. There's just one problem:

It's HUGE! She's kind of swimming in it right now because the smallest size was a 2T and Liesel's a good 5 months shy of that. I Velcroed the cuffs as small as they would go which helped a bit. Oh well! At least she'll be warm!!!

Ballers

Brent and I try to take advantage of the multitude of cultural offerings around us. We don't want to leave Boston someday and look back at how we stayed home a lot watching movies from our Netflix queue. Luckily for me, Brent is willing to go along with pretty much anything I want to try. Yesterday I convinced him to go to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA where the game was invented. Not that it took a lot of convincing :). They had two exhibits: one on Michael Jordan (recently inducted) and one on Andrew Bernstein who is a sports photographer.

The pleasant surprise of the day was how much fun Liesel had. All of the artifacts were safely protected behind thick glass so she was free to run around. We'd dressed her in a pink and brown track suit with her little pink Nikes and everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) stopped to admire her. We went early enough in the day so there were no crowds or lines. One section was like an arcade with a hoop shooting game, virtual basketball game and rebound game among others. There were booths where you could listen to the announcers make calls and then try doing it on your own and listen to it played back to you. It's MUCH harder than you'd think! They covered the players, teams, coaches, even referees and different play strategies. I liked the display that illustrates how the game has evolved from radio to television to internet (think brackets). Even if you're not all that into basketball, it draws you in!

Growing up in Iowa City during Michael Jordan's reign really soured me to "Bulls" fans because 1- I prefer college to professional and 2- I found Bulls fans to be the quintessential fair-weather Johnsons. I never liked Dennis Rodman and once heard Scottie Pippin was seen charging kids for his autograph at a mall in Chicago. No offense to all you Bulls fans out there... I'm absolutely sure none of you all were fair-weather Johnsons and loved the Bulls no matter what and not just because they always won and Jordan had the best record in the NBA. I'm sure you were all fans before everyone else :). In fact, I'm sure you're all STILL fans and never miss a game, right? For the record, Brent out and out admits he was never a Bulls fan, he was always simply a Michael Jordan fan. Big difference!

Anyway, cynical as I was, I found the exhibit on Michael Jordan was really well done. Brent devoured the plaques of information while I admired the bling of his championship rings (his third is my favorite). Apparently Nike wasn't what it is today when he signed with them and even he said he didn't know how good he would be. That's definitely what I'd call a symbiotic relationship! They displayed all the iterations of his Air Jordans including the first ones which were outlawed by the NBA because they were red and black.

The photographs by Bernstein were indeed amazing. They displayed not only the athleticism of the game, but the emotion as well. My favorite was one of Bird and Johnson. It says to me that even for them, in the end it was just a game they both loved to play. I didn't know they'd played against each other in college and between the two of them they took the sport to a whole new level in the 80's.

On the lowest level of the museum is (of course) a basketball court. Brent grabbed a ball and showed me a spectacular layup and dunk. Then he admitted the hoop wasn't regulation height. To make up for my disappointment, he did a backwards dunk as well. Every Tuesday night Brent goes over to the ward to play basketball but for some reason in our 3 years of marriage I have NEVER seen him play. Weird? I also learned Brent can "palm" a ball which I guess never quite came up in conversation. Just in case you're wondering, neither Liesel nor I can. On the court there was a replica of the peach basket used in the original game and Brent made an easy shot into that as well. Personally I think a lot of the essence of the game is lost when there's no swish.

The only drawback is that we forgot to charge our camera so all the photos are from my phone. I think as sports museums go, this one really got it right. It was kid-friendly and incredibly interactive which made it all the more fun. The exhibits were designed to give you as much or as little information as you wanted. Hopefully we can do this one again! We missed our in-laws Matthew and Lisa who we know would have really appreciated it. Maybe next time?

Edward... The Other One

Brent and I often call each other at work when something comes to mind and we don't want to wait until evening to talk about it. Today I got one such call from him regarding our latest Netflix movies. It went something like this:

Brent: I'm returning The Proposal today. I wanted to watch the other movie one more time before returning it.

Danika: (knowing full well the other movie is Twilight) Which movie is that?

Brent: Remember, the two movies we watched this weekend? The Proposal and the other one?

Danika: Are you too embarrassed to say the name of the other one at work?

Brent: YES!

Danika: Why?

Brent: Okay, bye now.

In his defense (and to reiterate he's NOT gay), I showed Brent previews of New Moon which piqued his interest. They are after all, a tad more manly what with the werewolves and all. And the only reason he agreed to watch Twilight in the first place is because I'd had a REALLY rough week and was in desperate need of some cuddling with my true love. He's a trooper to sit through that stuff... and even watch it again of his own volition :) Really, quite the trooper.

It's Raining Estrogen! Hallelujah!!!

I have to make this fast because I'm just on lunch break at work. We had an ultrasound today and confirmed what Brent and I had suspected from the beginning: we're having another girl! I could not be more ecstatic to stay in the world of dresses and ribbons and pigtails and princess costumes!!! What can I say? I guess at this point I'm just not meant to "grow a pair" and that is just fine by me. Brent of course is thrilled to be fulfilling his destiny to be surrounded by beautiful women.

Even better news is that the baby is doing just fine, progressing well and she has the most beautiful, elegant little hands! Even the doctor commented on them. I'm SO relieved!!! Something came up on my most recent blood test and they had us meet with a genetic counselor before the ultrasound. In an odd way, I was so grateful to be Mormon and have a fair amount of family history background. The counselor was impressed with how much we knew and how well we could trace our family lines. "Any chance you two could be related? Like second cousins..." H to the NO on that one, we are 100% sure!

I just can't stop smiling :)

Memo to Me, Memo to Me

Make cupcakes BEFORE watching The Biggest Loser. That show is not a friend to pregnant women with a propensity for cravings. Don't forget the jimmies. They looked REALLY good!

Fail

My mother tells me my grandmother made homemade bread often. She would have it hot and ready when they came home from school for lunch. Mom made it less often and tripled the recipe so it was a big deal when she did. We often had it with soup and whole milk. It was a true comfort food and looking back I don't know I appropriately appreciated it.

A couple of years ago I made a plea to get all of Mom's classic recipes. Grandma Grace's homemade bread was among them. During the last April General Conference I thought I'd give it a try since I'd be home all day anyway. I knew my Grandma was tough, but I had no idea how tough until I did some true kneading. Not only did I break a sweat, but I keenly felt the old injuries from my broken arms. All that work was more than worth it though as it started to rise and then bake. Really, the smell that filled the house was just heavenly. The physical food seemed to fit quite well with the spiritual feast we were getting. Mom also passed along a recipe for honey butter which complimented the warm loaves nicely. YUM!

Of course I was looking forward to repeating it with October Conference. We'd bought our own bread pans just for the occasion (I LOVE Crate and Barrel!!!). We talked about who we'd give the extra loaves to: home teaching families, some new people in the ward, and a coworker who recently had a baby. Brent commented the kitchen seemed cleaner as I breezed through the recipe (I was now a bit more familiar). I just forgot one tiny detail: tinfoil over the tops so the crust wouldn't burn. Brent noticed the smoke just before the alarm went off. I ran into the kitchen in time to see all four big loaves and four mini loaves completely burnt. Well, not completely, but let's just say the tinfoil is not a whimsical suggestion.

My heart dropped as I thought about the wasted ingredients, the families we'd been looking forward to surprising, and worst of all, my grandmother who would undoubtedly be so ashamed of her clumsy progeny. She'd never make a mistake like this! Liesel stood in the doorway with a look of alarm on her face as Brent and I tried to figure out what to do. They might be salvageable, they just wouldn't be pretty. I figured the small loaves were cooked through but the big needed more time. We cut open a loaf of each just to be sure. Really it was just the top crust that was ruined but it was REALLY ruined. I sat down, defeated, with two halves of the small loaf in my hands and called my mother to confess.

While I lamented my incompetency to my mother, Liesel moved from the doorway over to me and slowly picked a piece of the warm, soft interior. She popped out her binkie and tried it. Then she took another, then another. She started eating voraciously and I kid you not she gave me a look that said, "See Mom, I like it!" When I mentioned to my mother that at least Liesel seemed to like it she added, "That's amazing! She's a picky eater!" I looked down at my little strawberry blonde who just grinned at me through mouthfuls. My heart melted.

We finished cooking the large loaves, cut one in half to make sure it was finished and then Brent cut off all the tops. I couldn't watch him decapitate the bread I'd worked so hard on. They just look so sad... like a squirrel with no tail or a bird missing a leg. What is bread without the lovely golden brown top? Sure it will taste the same, but you can bet I will never, EVER make this mistake again!!!

From Liesel

Hi Mom and Dad! I think it's time we do a check in. As always, you're doing a pretty good job raising me but there's of course room for improvement. Here are some suggestions:

1. WHAT is my name? I used to think it was Liesel but you've been calling me Liesel-lu, munchkin, munchkincito, nooker, stinker, strawberry tart, monkey, pequena traviesa, etc. How in blazes do you expect me to learn proper English if you can't even start me out properly with my name?

2. As I'm fine-tuning my fine motor skills, I find repetitive motions to my liking. Like the two of you, I also don't like leaving projects undone. When faced with a small container of floss, I like to see exactly how much is in there. It seems like the toilet paper roll goes on forever. I'm fascinated that when I pull out ALL the tissues from one of those colorful boxes, they take up so much more room outside the box than in! I still can't figure out how they get them in there which is why I also try to pick them up off the floor and stuff them back in. Don't you guys ever want to just see the bottom of those things? It's fascinating, trust me.

3. Mom, for some reason you've been taking every opportunity to hold babies. As if I haven't been clear enough, I do NOT like it! Oh, and the time you tried to get ME to hold the baby, uh, uh... not cool. What is with you lately? You have a baby and that is me so you should be set. Ugh, we're going to have to work on this one I can tell.

4. I may have a limited vocabulary but when I shake my head it means I don't want something, plain and simple. Even if you offer me a food I've had before and loved, when I shake my head all bets are off. Get it out of my face! Don't play with me, make me laugh and bring it around again. This isn't my first time at the rodeo folks! I'm on to you and I know what you're doing so just stop.

5. Shoes, oh how I love them! Well, let me qualify that. I love all the shoes that aren't on my feet. When you pull off my pedipeds because I've been begging to put on my Nikes, as soon as they're on I want my sandals. I think the best solution to this quandry is for Dad to just buy me more shoes *hint* *hint*

6. Mom, you really need to relax. I've been trying to convey this to you subtly by pulling out my hair mere moments after you finish styling it. It's not that I don't like looking pretty, it's just that well, you're not meant to be a hairdresser. Rather than painstakingly taking your time, I think you should just take a load off. And what is with putting the ribbons next to my elastics? I like them in my bangs and really think it's an up and coming look.

7. WHEN am I getting my own blogger account?

Garbage, Grapes and Groves

While nannying for us this summer, my sister Whitney told us about a Grape Festival near Rochester, NY. Apparently they grow a special type of grape in the Finger Lakes region and every year there's a festival around harvest time. She'd never been to the actual festival but had partaken in the goods from it. She told us the grape pies are best with some heated peanut butter drizzled over them. That was enough to pique our interest and it just so happens the festival coincided with a much needed break for both Brent and I so we've spent this weekend in upstate NY.

When we got into Rochester on Friday night we decided to go to Nick Tahou Hots, home of the garbage plate (another Whitney suggestion). There's no doubt about it, the place is a dive but the atmosphere more than makes up for it. As we were nearing Rochester, Brent noticed the place closed at 8 PM and the GPS had our ETA as 7:45 PM. If we hit any traffic, we'd miss it. He called to see if we could do take out just in case and the owner told him if we were close he'd keep the place open for us. Then he asked about our position, down to the mile marker and warned us about some construction between here and there. Turns out he used to be a truck driver so he really knew what he was talking about. They weren't kidding about the garbage plate... it literally looks like a plate of garbage but it was warm and tasty and perfect for a family that had been on the road for 6 1/2 hours. Nick Tahou Hots definitely has a special feeling to it. We talked with the owner and his wife as we left and they are salt of the earth people... the kind we need more of in this world. He was so happy we'd made it and talked highly of the missionaries who frequent the place. He joked we could tell Whitney to expect her commission check in the mail.

The Grape Festival started on Saturday and it was... interesting. It takes place in Naples, NY and they're not kidding about their grapes. The fire hydrants are grape purple. The ambulances have grapes on them. A good 1/3 of the people attending the festival were dressed in grape-colored clothing. There's no doubt what this town is all about. They sold not only grape pies, but "grapples" which are grape flavored candy apples, grape bread, grape tarts, grape preserves, etc. I've never been into grapes much but I have to admit the pie was strangely good. We didn't have any melted peanut butter to drizzle on it but we purchased an extra pie to take home and we'll try it there. The artisans were quite the dissappointment. Many people were selling what looked like their trash out on their yards. There was one booth were some young girls were selling friendship bracelets... exactly like the ones I used to make when I was their age 20 years ago. But the drive there and back was just gorgeous so that made up for it. I wouldn't go again, but if someone offered me some of that pie I'd jump at the chance. I've never tasted anything like it!

After the Grape Festival we headed to Fayette and Palmyra to see some of the church history sites we missed when we went to the pageant last summer. The missionaries still remembered Whitney fondly and apparently she had really talked up her Boston relatives so we got the star treatment. Some of them even recognized Liesel from a photo Whitney shared! The Whitmer Farm, EB Grandin Print Shop and Martin Harris Farm were beautifully restored and had a very special feeling to them. We left feeling spiritually recharged which is exactly what we were looking for. The best part? Brent had enough Marriott points for the hotel so we only paid for gas and food. It was just perfect for us because we're still pinching but we really needed to get away as a family. We've taken advantage of the hot tub and Liesel has loved sleeping with us in the king-sized bed. In the middle of the night I've been awaken by her patting my face kind of like she's just checking to see if I'm still there. Last night Brent tried to put her on the floor on some cushions but at 3 AM a fuzzy haired toddler pleaded out of the darkness "Up?" so she was back in bed with us much to her delight. Right now Brent's with Liesel in the Sacred Grove while I relax and pack up our stuff to head home. It's may not sound like much, but it's really been a great vacation!

Need a Laugh?

My sister Whitney sent me this one and I just had to pass it along. My favorite part? "I'll buy almost anything that's shiny and made by Apple." Don't we all know someone like that?

Did I Mention?

Due March 19th.

How Do You Like THEM Apples?

This year we returned to Carlson Orchard in Harvard, MA for apple picking. Much to our surprise, Liesel LOVED it! Because we went early enough in the season, there were still tons of apples on the lower branches just at Liesel's height. There's no maze or pumpkin shop but there IS a huge stone in the middle of the orchard which makes for a nice, cool place to rest after climbing trees. Their relatively simple shop has some sparkling apple juice and the VERY best part: an oven which perpetually delivers hot apple crisp. YUM!

I read an article about how east coast orchards really have a brilliant idea by opening up their grounds for people to go apple-picking. Other orchards such as those in California pay migrant workers while those here actually charge people to harvest for them; all the while considering it a novelty. That doesn't bother me as much as the fact we bought a bunch of apples at the grocery store the day before knowing we were going apple picking. What were we thinking?

First Day of School

Well okay, or daycare. Liesel doesn't have a backpack but she has a tote so I thought I'd get a picture of that. After a summer hiatus with Aunt Whitney as her nanny and some quality time with the grandparents, she went back to KinderCare on Monday. The transition wasn't quite as smooth as I'd hoped. When we went to her new classroom (she's now in Toddler 1 as opposed to the Infant room), a lot of the toddler's older siblings were there. They walked right up to Liesel and started touching her hair, demanding to know her name, crowding her etc. She just backed into my legs and clung to me and then cried when we said "goodbye." However, she perked up when she saw they had food. Lots of her old buddies are back with her which is great and when we picked her up Friday afternoon she was all smiles. I'd love to stay home with her but since that's currently not an option, I'm so happy she goes somewhere she can play with friends and enjoy herself.

Tessie

Although we're not season ticket holders, and Red Sox tickets are like gold out here (no really, have you ever seen empty seats when the Red Sox are home?), Brent and I manage to make it to a game or two every year. This is thanks to our good luck and the wonderful companies we work for who do random drawings. Up until recently I had always won the tickets or managed to snag some from a coworker selling them at the last minute. Well Brent finally started contributing to the marriage and he won some tickets from HIS company. I have to admit, the seats were amazing. My only complaint is that in the elevator on the way up I found myself among a bunch of polo-clad business types. They were talking about acquisitions and NOT in terms of baseball. One of them glanced at his ticket and flippantly said, "Who are we playing tonight?" That infuriated me. Give your ticket to one of the thousands of people who will REALLY appreciate it and not only know who we are playing, but who's pitching, who's injured and what the lineup is. Ugh, that bugged me to no end.

Once I met up with Brent (I had been doing some pre-game shopping of course), I was handed a menu which included clam chowder, lobster rolls, and burger bites. Brent informed me they'd take credit cards. The vendor or waitress or whatever stopped by often to make sure we were comfortable. We'd left Liesel with friends so it was a nice evening with just the two of us. Unfortunately, we lost but at least we got to see Big Papi up to bat. His presence at the plate is still so impressive to me. The Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster even made a visit to our section. You would have thought he was Brad Pitt by all the commotion! Ahhhh, only at Fenway.

I actually didn't mind the loss because Brent is sooooo cute when he's bummed about the Red Sox. He looks like a little kid anyway, but when they lose he looks like a little kid who's dog has just died. Even his incredulity at the poor playing seems somehow young and innocent. Yes honey, he SHOULD have fielded that ball better. LOL, it makes me want to kiss his forehead and give him a bowl of soup to make him feel better.

After the game we walked from Fenway to the Boston Commons parking garage. Personally I don't think it's worth it to get shoved onto a crowded train with beer soaked people just to try and make it down the street a little faster. Walking is a nice way to work off the Fenway frank and just enjoy the evening a bit longer. After a few blocks we struck up a conversation with a really nice guy who it turns out was also from Belmont. His son now works for the Red Sox but he can't get his wife to go to a game with him. He kind of looked like Steven Spielberg (who I believe is also a Red Sox fan) and I wonder if we'll ever run into him again.

I can't wait to see how the BOSOX do this month!

A Clockwork Orange

I came home from work one day to discover Liesel eyelids were rimmed in red. I was worried she had conjunctivitis or had somehow hit herself. It definitely didn't look right. Whitney was in the kitchen and I asked what happened to which she responded, "Oh, I have pictures."

While Whitney was distracted, Liesel managed to climb up to the dining room table, grab my favorite (discontinued) berry colored lipstick and well, did this:

I'm SO glad Whitney took pictures! Our Mom always told us when our child does something destructive, don't get mad just take a picture. It's always funny down the road once the frustration has worn off. This is now the screen saver on my blackberry and I love the reaction I get from people who beg to see a recent photo. This one really does say a thousand words!

Sad

On my way home from work I was suddenly and unexpectedly overcome with a heavy sadness. Since I'm not one to cry in general and definitely not in public, I initially tried to pass it off as intense thinking. Somehow that didn't work. Then I tried flipping through my iPod to find a song that would push it away. I was listening to Lady GaGa's Poker Face when it started so I guess I should have known Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne, Milkshake by Kelis and Ninety-Nine Red Balloons by Countdown Singers wouldn't do anything either. Even my attempts to concentrate on the words, "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard..." did no good. The tears spilled over my eyes and I started sniffling like a coke head. For some reason I can't explain, Convoy by C.W. McCall really brought on the waterworks. I felt my cheeks grow hot and subtly wiped my eyes only to discover my mascara was running... A LOT. This was going to be ugly.

Even upon reflection I couldn't tell you what it was. I racked my brains for a cause: Rough day at work? Liesel's Oscar-worthy dramatics when I left this morning? Senator Kennedy's passing? I'm actually a Jedi and someone has destroyed a planet full of innocent people with no weapons? For the life of me, I couldn't pinpoint it. I guess I was just overwhelmed and my body couldn't hold it in any longer. The more I tried to stop it, the worse it became (ever had that happen to you?). I eventually gave into silent sobbing over holding my breath which led to alternating choking and gasping. Neither option was very discreet, but I couldn't help myself.

It's a strange thing to be crammed in a tight space like a subway train during rush hour with so many people and have so few even notice you. Or perhaps they did and just ignored me anyway. That thought just sunk me deeper into my funk. The girl sitting next to me actually slid away as soon as she got the chance. Maybe she thought I was sick and didn't want to catch what I had. That's okay, I wouldn't have wanted to pass it along to her. Two people actually did take notice. One was an ancient Asian woman who peered at me searchingly behind her deep wrinkles and wide cone-shaped hat. The other was a balding middle-aged man standing by the door. He looked truly concerned and had he not been packed in by so many people I think he would have made his way over to me. As it was, he was pushed out the door by exiting traffic at one of the stops and I never saw him again.

I cried the whole way home... almost all of my 45 minute commute. Liesel met me at the door and she was so excited she stomped her feet and hugged my legs right away. I'm going to bed early and that should help. Most of all, I think I just need a new day... I'm tired of this one!

Positively Pensive

I don't get the women's shaving cream/razor commercials which show a woman in her skivvys perched with one leg on the edge of a bathtub and the other on the ground. WHO does that? It seriously doesn't make any sense. One slip and the bathroom becomes a scene from Psycho. She has a RAZOR in her hands people! And it's not like they do it to keep the model modest because like I said, she's in her skivvys. Would the commercial be less effective if she were actually IN the tub, frothed in bubbles and shaving like most normal, non-European women do? Help me out here!

I think if a baseball player is found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs he should be banned from the game. Period. I also think said player should be stripped of any awards won during the time of usage. They should also be banned from ever getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Somehow I think usage would drastically decrease if that were the rule. Players would also be less likely to take some "vitamin" not really knowing what's in it. Why do baseball players have to take anything at all? They should just be athletes and stop destroying the game. Am I reaching for the stars here?

Someone in this house is putting the toilet paper on backwards so the roll tears off underneath. What's up with that? You can't find the end of the roll for easy grabbage when you want to get out of there. Doesn't everyone put the roll with the loose end over the top? I know, I really shouldn't complain considering the fact people in this house actually replace the empty toilet paper. Also, I recently learned those empty cardboard rolls can be remade into Christmas crackers. Oh the things we learn in Relief Society!

My biggest church pet peeve is when women trash on themselves in Relief Society. I highly doubt the men sit around in Priesthood saying stuff like, "Prayer is something I'm just sooooo bad at!" or "Brother Baker should really talk about food storage because he's much better at it than me." Why are women so self-deprecating? It's not humility, it's just irritating. Just my humble opinion.

There hasn't been one good pro military movie set in contemporary times since Top Gun. Sad, since that was an iconic movie.

Like Taking a Camera From a Baby...

I love the cinematography. You get stunning views of our floors and Liesel's feet. Fabulous!

Too Cute Not to Post

Liesel likes to sit on our laps while Whitney and I do our makeup. She watches...

And then tries a look of her own...
It's SO cute! This morning she was honest to goodness putting blush on her cheeks while I primped for work.

Of course, she doesn't need any makeup. She's adorable just as she is. Welllllll, maybe she could use some eyebrow definition.

Just kidding!

LOL

My very wise brother-in-law Matthew once told me there are layers of humor. The highest form manifests itself in wit which requires a wide range of knowledge on different subjects, the talent for subtlety and an almost esoteric mindset. This is the humor of the educated, the elite, the Mensa-type people. It's caviar-type humor.

The next layer comes with the ability for stories, one-liners, and the more obvious commentary on ironic situations. The humor of the people if you will. Most people like, tell and subscribe to this type of humor. Kind of like Applebees or Olive Garden.

The lowest layer consists of slap-stick comedy, corny knock-knock jokes, blonde jokes, "There's a Jewish rabbi, Catholic priest and Mormon bishop on a..." jokes, etc. This is the Burger King of humor. It doesn't take much intelligence or insight. Anyone can get it although it may garner rolled eyes rather than belly laughs. Why don't blind people go skydiving? Because it scares the dog. Get it? Get it? I think you know what I mean.



While Matthew is of course very witty, I have to confess that I'm among the Neanderthals which falls in that last group. After a looooong week, I love nothing more than to heat up a cheesy pizza, turn on the TV/DVR and watch the latest episode of Wipeout. No matter how frustrating, tiring or irritating the events of my day have been I find myself laughing so hard I can barely talk. Oh how I love those big, red, rubbery balls! I cannot get enough of watching people gingerly jump on to them only to bounce off into the water. The best ones involve "The Motivator" which pushes them from behind. Not that I'm entirely sadistic, I've cheered the 3 times I've seen someone manage to bounce on top of them and make it to the platform on the other side.

A Little Anime

My sister Whitney recently posed this question to me: Who is your animation crush? Initially I was really thrown... how can you have a crush on a cartoon? But then she went on to describe her crush on Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. She went on and on about his dark hair, rippling muscles and the Old English Sheepdog sidekick. So I thought about it and thought about it. My anime-man would likely be a Disney prince - classy yet timeless.

I have to hand it to Prince Charming. Any guy who understands the connection between shoes and true love is definitely a keeper. The only problem is that all he ever did was dance with Cinderella and then send his lackeys to work overtime to find her. I'm a girl who wants someone to FIGHT for me and Prince Charming isn't it. (Side note: have you ever noticed that he's never actually called Prince "Charming" in the movie?) Come to think of it though, Cinderella doesn't do much either. Her fairy godmother, the mice and the birds do the grunt work. She just kind of cries and acts helpless. So I guess they're a pretty good pair and I wouldn't want to break that up. Man oh man does my father in law typify Cinderella's father in law though! I swear he does nothing but dream of grandchildren.

I'm leaning a little more towards Aladdin. I love traveling and that magic carpet ride date was pretty dang sweet. He's kind of a social climber which bugs me a little but I guess that means he's ambitious which is important. I love that he had street smarts and was kind to animals. Plus Jasmine had hips and he seemed to go for that. Aladdin also had a sense of humor which is so very important in a relationship. So yeah, I definitely like Aladdin but that's based more on personality than looks. To be honest though, I haven't really found my animation crush yet. I still haven't found what I'm looking for. I'm sure he's out there... somewhere... probably in Asia hanging out with the totally wrong cartoon girl... like Hello Kitty or someone like that. Perhaps someday our paths will cross and then I'll just know he's the one.

Interestingly enough, when Whitney posed the same question to Brent he didn't even hesitate: Minmei from Robotech. No wonder he was all for me getting bangs. Living the fantasy?

Okay 3 people who read my blog, who's your animation crush? If it's a secret shame feel free to leave your comment anonymous... I won't judge.

My Fellow Americans

On our first 4th of July together, Brent and I announced our engagement to our parents and then snuggled under a sky of fireworks on the Cambridge side of the Charles River. We were in NYC on vacation for our second 4th and elected to avoid the crowds by skipping the fireworks. It was incredibly eerie walking the quiet and empty streets of Manhattan while hearing loud booms in the distance. The following 4th we took our then 3-month old girl to New Jersey to visit my parents. We watched the fireworks at Liberty Park close to the Statue of Liberty. So it feels like we're coming full circle by being back in Boston for this 4th.

Brent and I had work off yesterday so we were able to take care of all our Saturday items. This morning I ran some final errands and Brent mowed the lawn. We thought about going to some batting cages (what could be more American than baseball?) but they were all closed. Once Liesel woke up from her nap, we packed up the stroller and headed downtown. Don't ask me why, but I had a feeling I'd get a good parking spot and we did! We crossed the street to the Boston Commons and stopped at the Frog Pond so Liesel could get her feet wet. She was so funny, she'd walk towards the water and then run away when the fountains came on.

Then we headed to the Freedom Trail. I work kitty-corner to the State House so it's not far for me. When I'm able to get away for lunch every now and again I'll do what I can that's close. Brent, on the other hand, had never officially done it. One place I'd never made it to was the Granary Burial Ground. There were lots of people dressed in period costume giving tours but Liesel and I wandered on our own to see the graves of Sam Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and the victims of the Boston Massacre. Very cool. There was a wedding at the next-door Park Street Church and the newly married couple was taking photos IN the graveyard. Weird?

We headed home to barbeque like good Americans. Brent and I found a recipe for a Dr. Pepper marinade that's SO good! We've slowly been refining our technique and the result is a juicy, tangy, VERY tender meat. While Brent fired up the grill I put on some Aaron Copeland. Somehow we had a plethora of lemons so I made lemonade Stonewall Jackson style which is more on the tart side. Surprisingly, Liesel was the biggest fan. We also had corn on the cob (in honor of America's heartland, IOWA!). Again, Liesel was a surprisingly huge fan. She was begging for it before we'd even said the blessing and then she went to town. We rounded it out with some rice pilaf (uhmmmm, in honor of the Chinese who gave us fireworks? and because it goes well with the meat). Using pound cake, Cool Whip, strawberries and blueberries I made an image of a flag that was nice and light after the barbecue.

Liesel's been having nightmares lately and generally having trouble sleeping at night. Because of that we decided to skip the jarring loud noises that accompany fireworks. Before putting her down for the night I read her Longfellow's The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Right now we're winding down by watching the Boston Pops and just waiting for Neil Diamond (the featured performer this year) to sing Sweet Caroline.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

A Bad Case of the Gimmes

I've been meaning to get some video of Liesel when she's chattering because it's so adorable. When I pulled out my camera I remembered why I hadn't done it up to now- she always grabs for the camera. I thought if I gave her another equally exciting electronic she'd be set. WRONG! You'd probably agree my first attempt to capture the chatter failed miserably:



Take Two was much better. It still doesn't quite capture exactly how chatty she gets, but close enough. Call me crazy, but I think she knew she was being filmed.


Not that she's always such a handful. Liesel's usually a really good little girl. She can play happily on her own and now she's going through a phase where she likes to "help." If we leave a room, she's happy to turn off the light switch for us. She loves sitting on top of the dryer and helping me put the dirty clothes into the washer.When we finish loading the dishwasher she wants to help us close the door. She's normally a complete sweetheart. On Sunday she looked freakishly adorable and somehow she looked even more so in Brent's arms.

But she still hates the beret. Brent is holding her hands so she can't pull it off. I think somehow even the crying makes it cuter! Am I totally biased?

Bummer

It was about 8 PM when I was checking out Brent's bootie (I do this on a regular basis) that I noticed this:Brent is unsure of when or more importantly HOW it happened. It's not like it's subtle either, he really ripped his pants! After examining the damage I sadly told him it was beyond repair. It's like the fabric stretched and then separated because it's completely shredded.

Even after carefully reviewing his day Brent couldn't remember sitting on anything that could have caused it and didn't remember hearing a tear. He assures me his co-workers are the kind of people who would have pointed it out to him to keep him from embarassing himself. Brent added that most of the day he's been wearing his black leather jacket which covers it. I dunno, the thought of my husbands cheeks hanging out all over Boston still kinda bothers me... Apparently not enough to blog about it though :) Be sure to take the poll!