Being "Snotty"

It's been a while...I often think of what I could write about in my blog, but I've been a bit of a procrastinator in doing so lately. It must be approaching the latter half of my summer off. I find that I am quite the go-getter for the first part, and as August approaches, my to-do list loses its shimmer, and I find myself thinking more of fall, school, and lesson planning. I still am enjoying my time, but I am getting ready for a change.


The key word for the last week plus is...illness! I cannot believe how sick I've been since last week - I began to feel ill a week ago Wednesday, and fought some pretty wicked symptoms each day since. I even felt bad enough to visit the doctor on Monday, and luckily it wasn't anything serious. I've heard how rough summer colds can be, but I had never experienced one till now! Amazingly, Russ hasn't fallen sick, and Grayson had a tiny, tiny version of it - whew! I guess I'm willing to take the brunt as long as they're OK. I do have to say that it really put a damper on my want to get things done, but I'm improving now.


Updates...new appliances (yeah - it was a long day, but the kitchen looks amazing), lots of swimming fun for Grayson as we took some time to be like fish lately, lots of time at Lakeaires getting set up for the fall, much time spent on small house projects, a good amount of scrapbooking, and many laughs and amazed looks at our son's growing vocabulary - my personal favorites that are new include "octopus" and "snacks, please". I still continue to be astounded by what he knows, and we're working very hard to give him "little boy" activities and challenges. I bet that no matter what, I will always think of him as my little peanut and "my baby".


I could easily ramble on, now that I'm here, but I will spare you the pain for now. :)

Friends and Fun

It amazes me how time flies by in the summer. I always believe I'll have amazing stretches of free time, but when I am free, I have many errands and chores to do. I am definitely not good at having fun most of the time. That is definitely something I need to improve upon.


Grayson is back in daycare, but he's become so attached to me again that he cries and clings onto me as I try to leave. He's also perfected his use of the big fat lip. I guess it should bother me, but having been a daycare teacher, I know that I need to leave quickly and not linger. It was better today, and will get better as each day goes on. He loves Margaret, and is forever talking about his friends from daycare. It's so much fun to hear him say phrases and sentences from him, and to explain things to him which he truly understands.


Last night, Grayson and I did a little shopping at Carter's with Emily and Maddie, went to dinner, and played in a park. I had so much fun, and enjoyed having the chance to catch up. We were inseparable before having kids, and I think we believed we'd have lots of time once the kids were born, but that definitely is not the case. Here are a few pics from our time. Maddie is a little daredevil with great coordination, and Grayson enjoyed copying her the best he could.

Trips, Triathlons, and Trials

Once again, as per usual lately, we were running around like mad over the weekend. We went off to LC Thursday to visit my parents, and had lots of fun. Grayson FINALLY said "Grandma" - he is talking like crazy, and mimics everything we say, but for some reason, "Grandma" has been a word he won't say. He said it multiple times for us Thursday night - I think it was our reactions that spurned him on, but he hasn't said it much since then. I know it will come with time.
Saturday morning (very, very early), Russ and I were off to Lake Nokomis to work the LifeTime Triathlon as Bike Relay Support. We were both going to drive SUV's on specific sections of the route to offer any help to the participants, but during our preparations, I had another "beautiful" allergic reaction, and was forced to drug myself up and go with Russ (ARRRGH!). I am totally frustrated, because it puts off everything I've been wanting to do, and after one of these happens, my skin gets really sensitive for a few days. I am more determined than ever though to find a cause. It was a long day, but very interesting. When I think of triathletes, I think of perfectly sculpted bodies, but I saw many "normal" people participating, and I was truly impressed. It makes me contemplate the idea some day...I guess if I'd want to do this particular one, I have to have my allergies under control!
We spent the rest of the time doing work and hanging out. We also enjoyed the amount of sentences Grayson is now putting together. He seems to have to tell us everything he thinks and sees (he is currently obsessed with "helicopters" and "motor bikes"), including saying something we were totally stumped by - "Daddy farted!" We had to stifle the giggles - I think he may have learned it from his cousin? All the same, his vocab is exploding, and we're enjoying the fun.

Field Trip Frenzy!

As I mentioned last week, our daycare is on vacation, so it's just myself and the little guy together each day. I decided that we would take some trips and do some fun things together to keep from being stir-crazy together. We have had a ton of fun this week, and time has just flown by!

Monday we had water fun with a new "monster" sprinkler - we went out a few times to beat the heat, and I think the dogs had even more fun with it then we did!

On Tuesday, Grayson and I headed to Como to see the sights. It was a gorgeous day, and we had tons of fun watching the seals ("Mommy - doggies!" as our child said), the Orangutans and their precious baby, the baby giraffe as its gangly legs ran and ran, and many others. We also stopped over at Como Town to go on some rides. We rode on the little train together, and Grayson made a little friend on the boat ride he had to ride on his own. He had a blast with little Isabel - he's already sharpening up his flirting skills!

We played outside Wednesday, went to a lunch meeting at Donatelli's (our favorite!) and splashed around in our own little water park. Russ had a meeting in the evening, so we headed off to visit our old neighbors Lee and Marv - they are great entertainers of kids!

Today we are running some errands, purchasing a new car (more on that later), and heading to LC with Daddy in the evening for an overnighter.

Pony Up

I never knew how enjoyable the little things in life are till Grayson came along. I find such pleasure in watching his reactions when we share something new with him. Case in point: this week, we went to WBL's Marketfest on Thursday, and met up with Grandpa and Grandma Schmidt, who were there for the first time. We love to hang out at Marketfest and look at all the sights, as does Grayson. We took him on his first pony ride, and he held on to the saddle like a pro. Needless to say, he adored the experience, and immediately asked for more when we took him off. He also enjoyed the majority of Daddy's smoothie, and actually ate a piece of chocolate chip cookie (he is not a chocolate lover at all) - thanks to Grandpa Bob for the sweet treats.

Our 4th was spent in our usual home-improvement style; we had our carpets cleaned upstairs, and took on the role of furniture movers/interior decorators. I must say, though that there's nothing like clean carpeting, and it's always good to have a chance to go through our things and rearrange.

We've been having a bit of an off week as far as how Grayson has been feeling - we believe his 2 yr molars are coming in...and we had a very interesting evening with his temper on the 4th, but we all enjoyed some special neighborhood fireworks on our block. Outside the very loud screamers, our little guy loved the pyrotechnics.

Next week will be our special mom/son field trip week - our daycare is off, so it's back to full-time parenting starting tomorrow afternoon. Even though I do cherish my own time, I look forward to setting out on some adventures together.