Picture It: 365 Days of Leu

I think I will

2010-02-11T15:14:00.000-06:00

go into hibernation for the remaineder of the day. Not being able to speak, see or hear what's happening in the world is appealing to my inner ostrich right now.

Oh, that's D's t-shirt for the day. He loves shirts with graphics and pithy sayings. This is one of his favorites.

Humpday Hoolligans--over the hump...

2010-02-11T12:52:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late in posting this. Oh well, right? Good. Anyway, this is the first installment of "Humpday Hooligans" where the camera is focused on the boys together. I have to admit that I'm not sure how many ways I can photograph them together, but I'm going to give it a try. Different body parts each week could work--like these knees. For those of you who must know, D's knees are on the left, JP's on the right. ;^) I think this picture is pretty cool. You can see their basic height difference just by looking at their knees. Even though JP is nearly 3 yaers older, he's barely 2" taller than Devin. And the way D's been eating the last few weeks, I suspect that gap will be smaller very soon. Eventually, based on what we know of their growth curves since birth, Devin will be taller than JP. JP struggles with the idea a lot too, (It's hard for me to fathom being shorter than my younger sister; she's about 1" shorter.) so we just remind him that while Andrew is the oldest child, he's also the shortest. His youngest brother is 6'2", and while we don't know how tall his middle brother might have been at full height, he was already over 6' when he died at 17. JP seems to be ok with it for now, but you can see little sparks of envy when Devin gets pants a size bigger than his 'age pants' and JP gets a size that two smaller than his 'age pants.' I suppose I'll just keep reminding him that height is the least important thing and hope he's ok with it in the long run.

Caution: Extreme

2010-02-09T23:09:00.000-06:00

Must. Stop. Drinking. This. Delicious. Liquid. Heaven.

It's time

2010-02-08T22:19:00.000-06:00

for a trim. Devin's been trying to grow his hair longer. Last summer he saw a picture of a little boy with 'long' hair and he fell in love with the idea. We had a good thing going with the hair for a while; then he went in for a trim. And the girl practically shaved the back of his head bald before I could even open my mouth. And then she butchered the top too. So we had to start over from scratch. The bad cut...well, it's made the longer locks look a bit off. It doesn't help that D has no part at all. His hair is heavy and thick, and it grows straight forward and straight down. We've tried blow-drying, we've tried product, we've tried product AND blow-drying. So far, the only thing that holds D's hair in any way other than what you see here is foam hand soap. He got some in his hair once a few years back, and his hair had the neatest style all day. ;) So all of this adds up to a trim. We're going to try a new place, maybe they'll actually listen to what we want before they do a hack job on his hair.

He Bleeds Green & White

2010-02-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

Well, sort of. Andrew's just a big fan of Michigan State. These crocs are just the tip of the iceberg of the MSU branded things he owns. Jackets, hats, sweats, t-shirts, even a fleece throw can be found around our home. He's fiercely loyal to the school and their teams. That loyalty is just one of the traits that I love about my husband. It's one of the things that attracted me to him from the start. When this man is your friend, he's there for you in every situation. I love that. I love him. ♥

Round up...

2010-02-03T23:40:00.001-06:00

I have a confession to make: I am a slacker and procrastinator. If it can wait, it does. If I can find something else to do first, I will. If I need to make a decision about something, I take forever (unless it's a life and limb sort of thing of course.).

I've been contemplating how to attack P365 in a way that is less overwhelming for me, and I've finally figured it out. Five themed days and two free days. Woot! Here's the plan:

Sunday's Child: pictures of Andrew

Monday Child-pictures of Devin

Tuesday- free day

Wednesday-Humpday Hooligans (aka pictures of the boys together)

Thursday- free day

Friday's Child- Pictures of JP

Saturday's Child- Pictures of me (Egads!)

So I plan to do pictures for this week too--in a review on Saturday night and then I'll get back into the swing of things on Sunday. Feel free to beat me with a virtual wet noodle if I don't

Catch Up!

2010-01-21T00:49:00.002-06:00

And we're back...

2010-01-19T23:22:00.000-06:00

Sort of. I'm feeling very overwhelmed by the whole daily blogging of the daily picture thing. I'm still going to take the pictures, but I think I'll only blog once or twice a week. I don't know. Maybe that'll change after I take a couple days off from this. I just know I need to change something so that I don't burn out like I did last year.

Whine alert...

2010-01-18T21:34:00.000-06:00

I don't wanna blog today. You can't make me.

Come back tomorrow.

Please.

♥

2010-01-17T21:54:00.000-06:00

♥

Sweet Treats

2010-01-16T22:01:00.000-06:00

On occasion, Plan B turns out to be better than Plan A. Today, we'd planned to drive out to a mall in Milwaukee in order to shop at some stores that aren't in our town. In the end though, I decided that it'd be less expensive to order online and avoid spending money on gas and eating out. The boys were a little disappointed, but handled it pretty well. We did go out to the grocery store this afternoon, and I let the boys do one of their favorite things; pick something from the bakery case at Sentry. I wish I'd been able to photograph that! Sentry's bakery case is filled with the most amazing, most colorful, most fantastical confections. It's as much eye candy as it is belly candy.

If I could

2010-01-16T21:20:00.000-06:00

I would carry around little placards with messages like the one above. How great would it be to just put up a sign that said "BUSY" with a nice little hour glass on it, or one that said, "Not Responding" when we can't or won't answer a question. What if we all had our own personal error messages like the dreaded 404 or when we're about to flip our lid, we could throw up a blue screen of death. I know we don't want the world to be taken over by computers and robots, but in this instance, I think we should take our cue from them.

The Working Wounded

2010-01-14T18:52:00.009-06:00

Sometimes, I'm an idiot. Last night I was an idiot. I finally released some of the pent up anger and frustration I've been holding back regarding our current employment situation. Unfortunately, I released it onto the arm of our couch. And I missed the soft cushioned part of the arm. But I made a direct hit on the wooden framing with the side of my hand. Right against the bone. And it hurts. A lot. It's feeling a little better today, but it's still achy. I suspect that I may have broken a bone in there, but I'm going to suck it up and work through the pain until I know our COBRA insurance is in place.

On the hunt...

2010-01-13T23:45:00.018-06:00

The job hunt that is. As I've mentioned before, Andrew is looking for work. We're not new to him being out of work; he was unemployed for about two years at the beginning of our marriage, too. This time it's a bit rougher on us since we've got no financial cushion. I'm not saying we're destitute at all, we've definitely got what we need to get by for a while, but the need to find a new job is much more urgent than it was in 2002.

Can I just say, though, that I hate looking for work? Yes, I know, I'm a stay at home mom. That doesn't mean that I'm not part of the job search. When he's on the hunt, I'm on the hunt, too. I scour job sites, network with people I know, I even read the good ol' classified ads. I make suggestions for the type of job he could look into, and I let him bounce the pros and cons of it all off of me, too.

But beyond all that, I do my best to cheer him on. I remind him that he's worth hiring, that even if the job description isn't a perfect fit, getting his name into their brains is better than not. I tell him, "Don't say no for them. Give them a chance to decide what they want to say."

Job hunting is never fun, nor is it easy. I'll breathe a big sigh of relief when it's finally over.

Finally!!

2010-01-12T21:28:00.000-06:00

About a month or so ago I noticed that D's front teeth looked a little...off. To be honest, it looked like someone had sucker punched him, causing his teeth to move grossly out of their natural position. We checked the wiggle factor a couple times of week, and while the tooth wiggled, it was staying put. Last week though, I noticed something new, a tooth poking through the gums above the baby tooth. Lo and behold, the baby tooth fell out sometime Monday morning. (Andrew says Devin said that it was at 5:54am. Knowing Devin's need to know the time, I don't doubt that report at all!) I have to say, I just adore his new gappy grin!!

Wii E Class

2010-01-11T16:18:00.000-06:00

When Andrew and I made the decision to homsechool Devin this year, we both had big concerns over him losing the physical activity of the public school physical education class. We considered enrolling Devin in karate classes, dance classes and even tumbling classes, but he had no interest in any of them. I wasn't really surprised by that since I know that if Debug were left to his own devices, he'd do nothing but sit in front of those devices (the computer, his Didj or Leapster, the MP3 player, even the TV) all day long. So after much thought, I decided that something needed to be done.

Enter Bethany. She's Andrew's cousin and conveniently a state certified physical education teacher. When I broached the subject of having her come to be D's private tutor, she was all for it. So now, twice a week, Devin gets some exercise and I get to stop worrying for an hour. Of course it's become more of a Wii E class because of the cold and snow we have right now, but I know Bethany's got a lot planned for when the weather warms up.

I ♥ Cookbooks

2010-01-10T23:40:00.034-06:00

I really, really love them. Take me to a book store and my body immediately, as if on autopilot, heads directly to the cookbook section. I could spend hours there just browsing the section, reading the recipes and droo-I mean admiring the photos. Every so often I allow myself to indulge and I actually buy a cookbook. A good sale, or a trip to Half-Price Books might net me several cookbooks at once. I can't say that I'm drawn to a particular type of cookbook, but I do tend to gravitate towards ones that involve easy or fast meal prep, slow cookers, casseroles and even ethnic cuisines.

Here's the thing about my cookbook obsession: I never use them. Well, not never, but rarely. It's not that I don't like to cook, I actually love it. When it comes to recipes though, I tend to just search the web or wing it and do whatever comes to mind. So what do I do with them? I read them. From cover to cover, over and over again. It truly fascinates me to go through a cookbook and look at what goes into a recipe and say, "Ooooooh, that sounds delicious!" or "Oh man, that's gross!!" And sometimes, I'll find a recipe that I just have to try. It doesn't always turn out the way I expect, but it's sure fun to try them.

So, if you're ever stumped on a gift idea for me...go with a cookbook, I'm sure to love it!

Hello!

2010-01-09T16:58:00.002-06:00

There. A picture of me. I'm not a big fan of being on the wrong side of the camera lens, so don't expect to see too many more of these this year. I'm definitely going to try to be in more photos, I just need to learn to give up control of the camera more often.

Hallelujah!

2010-01-09T00:00:00.013-06:00

I can't tell you how difficult it is to get a really good photo of this boy. He has this thing about smiling in pictures; he just won't do it. The guilt he feels over being happy even though his father died is palpable. He doesn't want to appear happy to anyone because he truly believes he should be miserable. I suppose I can only be there to support him, to let him know that it is ok for him to be happy but also that it's ok to still be sad about his father.

Because I like it...

2010-01-07T22:43:00.000-06:00

In the last four years I've been asked numerous questions about living in Wisconsin. The most common question has to do the weather. Obviously this state is known for the winters. They're cold. And snowy. And really, really cold. I'll admit it, I don't love the winters here. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that I loathe the below freezing temperatures, the snow and ice...oh, the ice! But when you take those cons and pit them against all the pros of this place, well, the pros definitely win.

I love that mix of rural, suburban, and sorta-urban (aka university) areas in this town. I appreciate that I live just two hours from two major cities (Chicago and Milwaukee), should I want more of a city feel. And as much as I dislike the winters, I adore the spring, the summer, and the fall. I'll take the average 80-85° summers in Wisconsin over the 100° summers in Texas or the 90° (with insane humidity!) summers of Florida. In. A. Heartbeat!

Eat your hearts out ladies...

2010-01-06T20:01:00.001-06:00

This one is mine. ♥

Meet my husband, Andrew. He proclaims himself a geek, he's got a wicked sense of humor, and he loves me. We've had our ups and downs over the last eight years, but I wouldn't change any of what we've been through for the world.

Mommy? Can I tell you somp-fing?

2010-01-05T22:50:00.023-06:00

I love hearing Devin ask me that question. I know it's going to lead to a lengthy retelling of some event from his day and that it might take up a lot of my time, but I relish that. There was a time when I was convinced he'd never talk at all.

Devin has Asperger's Syndrome. While his official diagnosis didn't come until just after his third birthday, Andrew and I knew something was going on at least a year and a half before that. D was a pretty normal baby/toddler. He was very precocious and had quite the vocabulary. By the time he was a year old, Devin was speaking in full 3-5 word sentences and asking questions appropriate to the situation around him. And then, it disappeared. Seemingly overnight all his language, both receptive and expressive, was gone. We were blessed to have a wonderful pediatrician for D, and the ball started rolling on evaluations. After a few bumps in the road, including a move to Florida where nobody would help him, we landed in Wisconsin where we were finally able to get the help that Devin needed.

Today he's miles ahead of where he was even just a few years ago. D attended a special education preschool program for two years, and that along with time spent with his brother JP over the summers helped his speech to skyrocket. He's quite the chatty guy these days, well, when he wants to be. I love hearing him tell me, in minute detail, how he played on the computer, or how he played a game on the Wii, or about a book he read to his Puffles. I especially love his questions. He asks things that I know I wouldn't have thought of when I was seven. I love every second of the chatter he fills our house with, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Distance...

2010-01-04T20:44:00.004-06:00

I've been giving a lot of thought to physical distance lately. We've never lived close enough to family to just drop in for dinner or have the grandparents watch the kids so we can have a night out on the town. Until recently, it didn't bother me too much. I like having that type of privacy, I like knowing that I can do my own thing without worrying about having people just drop in unannounced. Sure, it'd be nice to have someone who could take the boys for us for an evening or a weekend, but we've managed without that for eight years, so I know we can continue that way. But the events of the last two years, even just the last two months have really brought into focus just how distant we are from our families. Aside from a cousin and her family who live within 90 minutes of us, all of Andrew's family is at least seven hours away and my family is around fifteen hours away. Not an easy trip with two rambunctious boys and one driver.

When Andrew's mother was diagnosed with the Mega Meanie (aka Multiple Myeloma) in November 2007, my only wish was that we were closer. I wanted to be nearby to help, to do whatever I could to make things easier for her. What seemed like a long drive suddenly became an insurmountable distance. We went from seeing Mom every four to six weeks to not seeing her for nine months. Our visit then was joyous yet short-lived, just a long holiday weekend. Then: another seven months without a visit. Mom was told she was in remission early in 2009, and we saw her a bit more frequently last year. Unfortunately, her cancer is back and we're feeling that distance again.

Distance broke my heart a few weeks back when I found out that my Grammy was hospitalized for severe dehydration and possible pneumonia. Like most people, I want to see my Grammy as the invincible woman she'd always appeared to be. At 93 years old though, she's become very frail and, well, old. Her hospitalization hit me hard since my biggest fear regarding Grammy is that I won't get to see her again before she passes. I'm very grateful that Grammy has, thus far, recovered from her illness. I've been given a bit more time.

Some of us though, aren't that lucky or blessed. Just days ago Andrew learned that his Uncle Gerhard had passed away early in December. Andrew was understandably upset by the loss of his uncle and is mourning not only the loss of the man but the loss of the potential relationship. The irony is that, the last time Andrew saw his uncle, they were separated by language. By the time that Andrew finished his degree in German, they were separated by physical distance as Uncle Gerhard lived in Spain. Now they're separated by much more than either of those.

I suppose that all of these events have made me realize just how precious our relationships are, and that no matter what the distance is caused by, we need to do our best to nurture and cultivate. We need to let those we love know that we love them, before it's too late.

If only they liked each other...

2010-01-03T23:41:00.009-06:00

I mean, really.

Das Leben ist schön...

2010-01-02T18:28:00.000-06:00

Life is good.