Survival Mode

Summer officially comes to an end this week.  This usually makes me really really sad.  This year is a little different.  Whenever anyone asked me if I had any fun plans for this summer, I was usually only partly kidding when I answered "survive."   Our whole family spent the summer in what I like to call Survival Mode.

He spent the summer working like crazy at a new job and finishing up a particularly demanding quarter of school filled with daily conference calls and a killer Finance class.  

To show for this he has a brand spanking new diploma.  We are also all carrying about 2 pounds of graduation cake weight (that Costco cake is good stuff!).  

He survived an absentee father and exhausted mother, and way more hours than I would like to admit of Netflix streaming.

To show for it has has an intimate friendship with the cast of Superwhy, and as a result can spell the word spell.

I survived spending a lot of time lounging here, on my BFF, my new couch.

I know, lazy, right??  Probably so, but apparently growing a person once again takes a lot out of me.  And I have now officially grown almost 42 percent of a person.  Come March 1st(ish) 2012 the fruits of my laying on the couch  labors will be fulfilled.

So, while I am always sad to see summer go and will be cursing winter before I know it, I will not miss having an MIA husband, TV zombie child or morning sickness.  I do miss Diet Coke.

Dear Target

As always, thanks for being home to the best 5 dollars I have spent all day.

($2.50 for the super cute bowl and $2.50 for the essential giant bag of candy corn to go in it.)

Love,
Juliana

A Bedtime Story

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Holden. 

He was an angelic child who had no interest in climbing out of his crib. His mother was a big fan of sleeping all night long without worrying about finding a Holden in her bed in the middle of the night, so she was in no hurry to make any sort of change.

However, Holden was pushing his third birthday and was rapidly running out of space in his crib, so his parents finally gave in. 

I give you, Holden's Big Boy Room....

I tried to find a before picture of his nursery, but turns out I didn't take one.  But it used to have brown walls.  And zero artwork, so although his new room may look slightly bare, it is actually an improvement.  What can I say, decorating is not one of my strengths.

The moral of the story?  All my worrying was in vain, because Holden is still an angelic child and stays put in his bed and calls to me in the morning when he is ready to get out.    He did fall out once, but I don't think he remembers it.    The hardest part of the transition?  Having the strength to turn the poor kid down every.single.night when he asks if I want to have a sleepover party in his bed with him.

Bonus--now we have room for guests, and just in time, since we are having our very first guests later this week!  More to come (probably).

The End.

I Haven't Been Blogging

But we are still alive, doing all the same fun and not as much fun things that I typically like to blog about. I have just felt zero need to document these things.  I am hoping this post will put me squarely back on the wagon.  Here is an adorable Holden picture to tide you over.

How Our Fourth Flew By

Honestly?  Our 4th of July was probably spent the same way 99 percent of the rest of the country spent their 4th of July, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

    1.  We went to a parade.  Last year, the fact that we were at a parade was enough to make Holden clap his guts out.  This year, Holden discovered that people throw candy and it about gave him an aneurysm.  Stakes are high for next year.

2. You know how I really like to pick out Holden's Easter outfit?  Well, Reo feels just as strongly about a perfect 4th of July shirt.  He was very pleased with his choice this year.



3. I have been promising Holden for months that when it was July we would play with water balloons.  He has since asked daily whether it is July yet, so I decided to finally fulfill my promise.  And by fulfill, of course I mean pawned the task off on my brother.

4.  We attended multiple extended family gatherings.   One of which went entirely unphotographed (by me, other, more ambitious people were taking photos).  The other went pretty much unphotographed by me except for this photo.

5.  The one thing I didn't do that the rest of you probably did?  Fireworks.  Holden and I have bedtimes that we both hold very dearly.  Holden did burn through about 40 sparklers at the unphotographed event mentioned above, so imagine you see a really cute picture of Holden not getting burned (hallelujah) here.

6.  And as always, we stayed well hydrated throughout the weekend.

Don't worry haters---it was caffeine free. 

My Thoughts on Father's Day

(Warning: Wordy post with pictures below to make up for it)
It's been a while since a "Reo" post showed up on here, so I thought I'd end that trend. Tomorrow will be my third Father's Day as an actual father. Being a father, or a parent in general for that matter, isn't always easy. For example, did you know that a two year old boy's favorite thing to do is whatever you have just told him not to do? I had no idea. Anyway, this past year has been especially tough for me, what with juggling work and school and family. Being away from Holden and Julie has been difficult. However, there are two good reasons why being a father this past year has been significantly easier than it could have been, given the circumstances:

1. Juliana. Simply put, she has been an amazing wife through all of my time away from the family. I seriously have no idea how she does it. I always tell her that her job is much more difficult than mine. There are times when I'll call her during the day and Holden is going nuts in the background and she is holding it together like a champ. I could never do that 10 - 13 hours a day, five days a week. I just wanted to say thank you to Julie for taking such good care of Holden and our house while I've been busy with work and school. You really are the best.

2. Holden. Seriously, he tries my nerves sometimes. But honestly, could you stay mad at this kid?


P.S. Sorry for the weird affects and colors, I took the pictures with some weird app on my phone, but seriously, how cute is that kid?

Being Secure in Your Manhood is....

Not being afraid to always need to have your tea set close by.

Even when you are playing video games.

In case you were wondering--
Yes, my son's current favorite toy is a tea set.  Judge if you feel the need, but as long as it continues to buy me a solid 45 minutes of play every day the tea set is a friend of mine.
Yes, he is playing some sort of Nintendo gaming system circa 2005.  I found it in a drawer, and again, friend of mine.
Yes, Holden is having a particularly heinous hair day.  That one is my fault.  His baby chick texture hair continues to best me day after day.