Merry Christmahannakwanzaa to you

Happy holidays, everybody...I'm not sure what the significance of Kwanzaa is, but happy Kwanzaa if you're so inclined. And as for Hannukah, I know it has something to do with the Maccabees and that Adam Sandler says it's a lot of funnukah so I hope you're totally whooping it up.

As for me & my clan, we're celebrating Jesus' birthday. Happy 2006th* birthday, dude - thanks for turning our lives around :)



*Disclaimer: according to my husband the calendar is erroneously based on Jesus' birthday occuring at 0 AD. However it is more likely that he was born between 4-6 BC. See here for more details. Either way - thanks for 2000-ish very good years.

Look who's back...

I just used our old camera for the first time in a year-and-a-half, and there were a handful of old photos on it. So here, for your viewing enjoyment, are a few snapshots from the first time Joshua had solid food.

I'm a loser, baby...

I have a couple of friends who always try to "keep it real" on their blog. So because I know you so well, I'm going to share one of my dirty little secrets.

I am a closet Michael Bolton fan. Actually, sadly, I'm not even in the closet. I probably should be. I fell in love in the 9th grade, and I've been enamored ever since. I've loved him through his long Beauty & the Beast hair phase, and through his short hair, balding, hair plug phase. I loved him when he was dating Nicolette Sheridan, felt angry when she dumped him, and have been semi-supportive of their recently renewed romance & subsequent engagement (although I don't trust her yet). I can't help it...somewhere deep in my core, his cheesy lyrics speak to me.

I'm also a huge fan of figure skating. And not just semi-athletic Olympic Figure Skating - also ice dancing, and all of the Stars on Ice shows. Nate refuses to watch it with me, but I can't get enough. Seriously - how can you not be captivated by triple lutzes and Salchows? Be honest...you love it too.

This past Saturday, NBC aired Michael Bolton Tribute on Ice - seriously, could it get any better? I don't think so - figure skating and my darling Michael singing all his best songs...I'm in heaven. I don't even care that it was sponsered by The Villages, the Florida senior Mecca where my grandparents live. I TiVo'ed that bad boy, and I just might watch it every day.

So there you go. Jon, I'm keeping it real, even if this means that the rest of the world now thinks less of me because I'm in love with a 53 year old man who wears a toupee.

Three is the magic number

If you grew up in the 80s, then you probably remember Schoolhouse Rock. I have recently come to the conclusion that they're right: Three is indeed the magic number. You know why? Because 2 is very definitely not cool at all. I'm not kidding.

Josh turned 2 a couple of weeks ago, and overnight, he was crazy, hyper, wild, and bad bad bad. It didn't help that we went to Florida and he boycotted sleeping for a week. By the end, I was exhausted and he was a totally out-of-control maniac. I still loved him, but I didn't necessarily like him very much. I probably shouldn't be that honest, but it's true.

Now that we're home and he's back on a sleeping schedule that actually includes naps and more than 8 hours of sleep each night, he's definitely better. But he's still bossy, opinionated, overly independent, and way too busy. He's a teenager trapped in a 2-year old body.

I've heard that 3 is worse. I'm praying that's not true. My niece is 5 months older, and she hasn't slowed down. That's not very encouraging.

So, God, I'm asking praying begging you...let 3 be good. And 4 be better. And make him a perfect angel by age 5. Wouldn't that be nice?

Running with the bulls

While we were in Florida, my mom, Josh & I went to Uncle Donald's Farm. On the hayride, we stopped to feed the cows & bull. When the hay wagon took off, the cows decided they wanted more, and they seriously RAN and JUMPED alongside the wagon clamoring for more hay. Craziness.

It's the end of the world as we know it...

GREG PAGE LEAVES THE WIGGLES

The Wiggles have sadly announced today that Greg Page, also known as the Yellow Wiggle, is unable to continue performing with The Wiggles due to a chronic condition and has reached the decision to leave the group.Greg has been suffering symptoms for many months, affecting his ability to perform. The condition is related to blood pressure and while in no way life threatening it affects his balance, breathing and coordination at unpredictable times and with varying severity. Greg has discovered he is genetically predisposed to this condition and that he now needs to focus on managing his health.Greg is a founding member of The Wiggles and has devoted 15 years to the group. The whole band, crew, and all Wiggles staff, have expressed their sadness and their wishes for Greg to overcome his health problems.

Read the rest of the interview and watch Greg's video message here.

Sunny days...

We spent this morning rocking out to Sesame Street Live with the Vanovers. I was expecting it to be a crazy nightmare, but I have to say, it was just the opposite. I actually had a blast, the kids loved it, Bert wore a white leisure suit, and Meagan stood up and danced with Telly. So could it get any better? I think not.

It's official

Well, it continues to be true - Joshua is gigantic. Enormous. Ginormous even. Bottom line - he's a big kid.

Nate is 6'4", so I didn't think we'd raise a short kid. But at this rate, he'll be taller than me in lower-el.

Today @ his 2 yr appointment, we got updated vitals:

• Weight: 33 lbs, 2 oz. That's 90th percentile, for those that are keeping track. Not as bad as I had expected, but still he's no featherweight.
• Height: 37-1/2" - not even on the chart.
• Head: 95th percentile. Are you surprised? We're all big-headed here, in case you haven't noticed.

As a frame of reference, a typical 2 year old boy would be 28.5 lbs and 34.5". Puh-lease. We eat kids like that for breakfast.

Happy birthday, baby!

Well, Joshua is officially two. How did that happen? It went by so fast...don't get me wrong - some days it dragged and some moments seemed to go on forever...but in the grand scheme, the last 2 years have been unbelievably fast. When he turned one, I was sad - he wasn't a baby anymore, and I missed the little, cuddly, snuggly, sitting still, calm boy. And he's the polar opposite of that now. But he's more fun than he has ever been before, and he's got an amazing personality and sense of humor and is just his own neat little person. And it's fun to watch him grow up. And so while I miss the baby, I'm loving life with this little boy.

Thanks for spending the last two years with me Joshua - I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love you madly.

Modern art

Grammy gave Joshua fingerpaints for his birthday - clearly, they're a big hit.
Wondering why Josh is wearing a ballet-necked jacket with puffed sleeves? Not because he's metro (sorry Lauren). My mom & I made this paint smock when I wasn't much older than Josh - up close, you can see that it's the artistry of a 3 year old with limited seamstress experience. Sadly, my sewing skills haven't improved much.