quickly

I must hurry, I'm supposed to be in the shower so I'll be ready to go get our taxes done when Yago gets home from taking Schmitty to school.

The transition is going... Ralph was up for a long time last night crying. He'd pause for a few minutes, long enough for me to relax and think about sleeping, then start crying again. He's not what I would call excited about his "big boy bed." It's okay though.

Yago and I had a fabulous evening on Valentine's Day. We got a babysitter and dressed up for a night out. We saw, "He's Just Not that in to You." (Mostly because it was the only movie that fit in to our babysitter and dinner schedule.) Yago complained that his balls were still in the theatre after watching that chick flick but it was a decent movie.

We had reservations at Sullivan's, a valet parking and coat check kind of place. We sipped our martini's at the bar then were seated. We ate some oysters on the half shell, for entrees I had scallops in spicy Thai sauce with asparagus and Yago had a bone in ribeye topped with gorgonzola butter and horseradish mashed potatoes. Dessert was delicious. We had espresso, creme brulee for two, with a glass of dessert port that complemented the creme brulee. It was seriously the best creme brulee I've ever had. Mmm, just thinking about it!

Well, I'm off to the shower.

transition

We started today on transitioning Ralph to a "big boy bed." As you can imagine, it's going very well. We have a baby that really relishes new experiences and change. Not really. He was outgrowing his other sleeping arrangement so it's definitely time and he will eventually adjust.

We got a very cool snow day here. Schmitty was released from school early and the base closed at 9:30. Since I was on my annual tour orders I got to get out of there half a day early and don't have to make the time up. When I got home we walked to DJ's Dugout for lunch and a couple of beers with the kids. Trying to get there in 6-8 inches of snow with the jog stroller was fun, really. (Probably not as much fun for Yago who actually had the job of pushing the stroller.) We all came home and took a nap, well, Schmitty played multiplication games on the computer and read.

I'm so happy to be done with my annual tour! I have six more training days to complete for this fiscal year, they'll be done before March. I can't wait to get back to pulling clothes out of the dresser instead of the dryer. We have several loads of laundry that are washed and dried, just not folded or put away. Our bed hasn't been made in a week and I've gained about five pounds from the incessant eating out or eating quick (unhealthy) meals.

Maybe tomorrow we'll post a picture of a snowman!

opinion

I get annoyed when people refer to daycare-mates as classmates. When your kid is two years old they are not in a class, they don't have teachers, and they don't have classmates. They have all day babysitters. Sorry.

recital

This afternoon is Schmitty's first piano recital. He's only playing two songs and he goes first so after about three minutes I'll lose interest. I asked if he was nervous and he said no. He said getting nervous only makes bad luck easier to come by. The midget is standing by my side hollering, he hates it when I use the computer.

Yago has spent the weekend doing tedious chores. He has organized all my official paperwork, filled out our taxes, done the financial aid paperwork for 2009-2010, and planned the meals for next week. He's out buying groceries now.

My father-in-law left Thursday, it was a good visit. He cooked for us on the days I worked and watched the midget so we didn't have to take him to daycare. I think he changed his first diapers ever last week and he did it happily. While he was here Yago and I got to go out for a grown up dinner. It was the first time in a long while that we went to a restaurant that didn't have corndogs on the menu and we didn't feel the need to rush. We sat at the bar to wait for a table to become available. That's right, the bar. I was nervous that Yago wouldn't like Lo Sole Mio as much as me but he loved it too.

My blog entries will be rare this month because I'll be working, trying to run to all the after-school activities, and catch up on chores during the weekends. Like normal people. That'll stink.

opscomm

I was reading the... nevermind. Suffice it to say I get emails all the time from a network of spanish linguists. It's like a mass email system, the emails are sent to all the members. This is a fairly new thing to me and I don't even know most of the people that I receive these emails from but sometimes (rarely) it's interesting.

Anyway, someone was talking about getting together with another family and vacationing together. I don't really have anyone like that. I wish we had friends with kids similar ages that were about the same place in life as us. It's difficult because you also have to have about the same amount of disposible income and share the same interests.

how mad would i be?

Oh, I'd be VERY mad!

I just read Greek Tragedy today and the whole thing made me mad. If I was married to that guy, nevermind, I wouldn't be married to that guy. I don't care how much money he made, because really what else does he have going for himself? Nothing. He's not attractive, not kind, and he's a jerk. I'm fuming but feeling silly that I even care. That is not what I'd call a happy marriage. I guess that's what happens when you rush in to having kids and then get married when you're pregnant. Oh wait, I guess sometimes that can work out pretty well. ;^)

My father-in-law's coming up to visit for a few days, we just found out last night. He should be here this afternoon. He'll have fun with the boys, I'm sure. That reminds me, I need to make the bed.

Last night we went to Applebee's for dinner and I had cramps for about two hours afterward. (the gas variety) Man, my system isn't accustomed to eating that much fried food anymore. I really didn't feel well the rest of the evening.

I have a ton to do today and I don't think I'm going to accomplish much. I'd better get to work!

january madness

Yesterday we went to Schmitty's basketball game, he plays with the youth center on base. In the evening we went to his school's upper school basketball games. We watched most of the girls' game and half of the boys'. I think Schmitty was impressed with how the girls went after each other and how well the boys ran the ball down the court. It was fun and the midget behaved for about two hours.

Go Raiders!

jenny had a little lamb

It's supposed to get up to 24 degrees today, I'm pretty excited about that. It's been super cold. This weather has Yago talking about retiring to Florida, an idea I'm not crazy about.

We'll be picking up a lamb tomorrow (butchered, not a pet or anything). Finally something to put in our freezer downstairs. We have a few free range chickens but we've been looking forward to buying a more substantial amount of meat. Yago found some grass-fed lamb from a farm in South Dakota and they're making a delivery to Omaha this weekend. I'm anxious to see what I'll do with it. There's an Iraqi dish called Tepsi we like. Yago used to eat it (in Iraq) and brought home a recipe. I served it for my parents once and they liked it too. It takes hours to make by the time you fry all the eggplant and whatnot.

The midget's awake. We started putting him to bed at 7:30 which means he now wakes at 6:30, darn early.

Speaking of darn early, Yago's been working 6 am - 6 pm the last few days. I started out getting up and making him breakfast and packing his lunch, even sending him off with a Thermos full of coffee. Things quickly deteriorated. This morning I popped some waffles in the toaster for him and didn't realize we were out of syrup so he ate honey on them. Yuck. Then I nearly forgot to make him coffee to take in. Luckily, it was the last morning I'll have to do that for a while.

a cold drive

I need to work on my driving skills, I think. Schmitty keeps getting carsick on the way to school. I'm usually in a hurry and there are a bunch of rolling hills and stop lights. With the hills and my deceleration and acceleration, it's not a good combo. I try to keep him talking and distracted but it hasn't helped much. I wish he could ride in the front seat.

It's cold as can be, -13 this morning. It got up to -8 by the time I dropped Schmitty off. Eek.

The midget is offering to help me type so that's my cue to go...

wasted

Half my day so far has been wasted. I surfed the Internet forever looking for the bio father (BF) but I can't find him. I'll have to wait for the NE lawyer to contact the FL lawyer so the FL lawyer can sit on whatever he finds out for another two months. He told me in our last conversation he will call me. In other words, don't call him anymore. I'd be fine with that if we weren't exactly where we started five darn months ago. Back when I told him this would be a problem and he might have to subpeona the state of NE. I would pay whatever fee on a website if I was positive it'd be useful information. I don't want a list of 20 addresses without dates so that I don't know which one is current. I've been very preoccupied with this. Lawyers. What did I pay this guy $1500 to do?

I just heard on the radio that Andy Rooney is 90! Holy crap, I knew his birthday was coming up but I thought he was turning 80. When Ed Bradley died I was emotional, I can't imagine how I'll feel when Andy dies. You know, I always assume he's rich but he's so... cheap. Maybe five minutes on television once a week doesn't pay what I thought it did. Or maybe it's his generation, living through the Depression and all. He sure does love to save some money though!

This afternoon is parent teacher conferences, I have my list of questions typed out and ready to go. Unfortunately they got stepped on so there's a brown footprint on what is now a crinkled piece of paper. I can't use that. Since we don't have a printer I'll have to neatly write them on a clean piece of paper.

I'm so mad. (back to my opening paragraph) BF and I share custody. What if Schmitty just wanted visitation, which is perfectly within his rights. Why would the state not provide us contact information? It's such crap. The BF is supposed to provide health insurance, but isn't. What if there was an illness? Why the heck should I have to retain a lawyer in NE to subpeona his darn address and phone number?

apologizing in advance

I'm sorry Mickity but I hate lawyers.

Our lawyer is useless. In his defense, the state of Nebraska doesn't help. He got the paperwork together for the adoption, he's only been "working" on it since August, but realized he doesn't know where the bio father is. I've only been telling him that since, um, well, AUGUST. He finally looked in to getting the information from the state of Nebraska (that's where the support order is) and Child Services says they have to have a Nebraska-issued court order to release address information. It's such crap. The lawyer was bewildered that it wasn't a matter of public record. Whatever.

Yesterday was Schmitty's first basketball game, his team did very well. He even made a basket. There's a girl on his team that we knew from Laughlin, I didn't realize it until I saw her mom at the game. (She and Schmitty were only two so they don't remember each other.) It's a small AF.

Yago took the midget grocery shopping, he's a good husband. He told me not to run any errands while he was gone, I should just relax. He, on the other hand, hasn't relaxed all weekend.

We went to the nature center for story time yesterday. We turned out to be the only family there which was kind of awkward. Schmitty was busy with a display in a different area so the Naturalist read a story about a momma duck and her ducklings and a story about a family of owls. Ralph wouldn't hold still so essentially the naturlist read the stories to Yago and me. Like I said, awkward!

my day

Today my mission was the recycling center but I never made it, maybe they're open on Saturdays.

Instead, I took Schmitty to school. Then I took a shower and took Ralphie for his FIRST haircut, I haven't told Yago yet. I returned some audio books to the library. (They were for the drive to OKC.) And I went to the commissary to pick up some stuff to make homemade granola, it's currently baking.

Ralph sensed I was doing something I wanted to do and woke up from his nap, I gotta run.

first day

Today is Schmitty's first day at his fancy new school. He had his new Brownell Talbot shirt on, snazzy shoes, new sneakers tied to his backpack, and all. Ralph didn't behave one bit but Schmitty was calm and took it all in stride. His teacher said he could start French today, that was great news because it was his preference. I was afraid since the other kids have taken it since preschool that they wouldn't let Schmitty jump in with the rest of the class but it'll be fine. If he changes his mind he can switch to Spanish later.

We looked up his schedule yesterday, he was excited about having French, Science, and PE today. Speaking of that, we were looking up math and science camps for the summer. He wants to do the Amusement Park Robotics and the Earth Science camps. He tickles me sometimes.

love/hate shopping

Hey, shopping venues, take a little note from Victoria's Secret when it comes to dressing room mirrors.

I went shopping a couple of days ago to spend my Christmas and birthday money only to be horrified in the dressing rooms. Overhead flourescent lighting is a NO-NO when you're trying to get someone to spend money on your clothes. You want them to feel fabulous, not fat and wobbly when trying on merchandise. Let the customer get it home and wear it a few times before they feel like ten pounds of poo stuffed in a five pound sack. Really.

Also? After holiday sales stink... Unless of course you're a size 00, 0, 2, or XL. Those were the only sizes I found. I never was that size, ever. I went from a girls 14 to a brief acquaintance with 5 then straight to a 7. 00? Never have been and never will be.

Another thing. What on earth happened to pant legs since I last went shopping? I knew wide legs were coming back but everything I tried on felt like each of my legs had its own swinging skirt, I wasn't prepared for that. I'm so out of what's in fashion it's not funny.

I officially started a diet today, I want to lose 10 lbs in two months. I opened the diet with an omelet, perhaps not my best decision but I'll be good the remainder of the day. What else was I supposed to do with 32 eggs in the fridge? Really. Thirty two eggs.

the friend hunt

I feel like I haven't had a moment's rest in the last couple of weeks, it's been non-stop. It'll be nice to just sit and relax for a day. (Not today, but soon.)

I'm discovering that married couples making friends with other married couples is kind of difficult. It doesn't seem like it should be so complicated but it is. We had some people over for dinner last night and the kids got along great. (An added complication in befriending a couple, it helps if they have children about the same age as yours.) Yago works with the guy so they have a lot to talk about but the wife is a homeschooler which I initially found interesting until I realized that's about all she talks about.

I was thinking about someone I met at work recently, we used to work together years ago when we were both active duty. Her husband commissioned and is a major now, I thought maybe we could have them over but I really didn't like her husband fifteen years ago and I doubt I'd like him now. Really doubt. I found him to be an egotistical jerk and he could only have gotten worse.

Yago's home with our grumpy baby, I'll post more later.

Happy New Year. (late, of course)

get crackin'

We're on our way to OKC again. When Yago gets out of work (hopefully early) we'll head out. I'm supposed to be showered and mostly packed by now but I'm drinking coffee and catching up with my Internet instead. I'll go shower in a few minutes, promise.

I ate pumpkin pie for breakfast, someone has to. I always try to tell myself if it has fruit in it so it's like eating a danish. That's not so far off, is it? I gained all my weight back that I lost from the diet a couple of weeks ago. Yago insists we need a middle ground, a healthier overall diet. He's right but it's very difficult around the holidays. I made cookies and four pies last week. I know when we get to OKC his mom will have candy, cookies and pie. I'll feel obligated to eat them because Yago won't. I guess that's what the New Year's resolution is for.

I'm still working a couple of days a week, it's going pretty well. I'm considering trying to get a full time position for three months to pay Schmitty's tuition but I don't know if I could do it. I feel bad for Ralph in daycare, they're never good days for him. He's not happy. Plus, I don't feel like I spend any time with him on the days I work. It's a couple of hours, that's it. I hated that with Schmitty but I didn't have much of a choice then, I do now.

A guy at work told me a story that I can't get out of my head, I can't stand it. He told me he chipped his tooth when he was a kid doing something stupid. He clipped the corner of it with nail clippers! I hate tooth stories, they give me the willies!! This guys just plunges in to a nail clipper/tooth story without warning. It can't get it off my mind. Ick ick ick.

Time for the shower and my third cup of joe. Merry Christmas to everyone.

busy holidays

We're supposed to get freezing rain this afternoon so the commissary was packed full of people. Yuck.

I did my PFT yesterday and passed, two and a half points lower than last year but I passed. I would say the best part of working is being able to eat lunch with Yago. We bring leftovers for lunch and then meet in the cafeteria to eat them. Yesterday he met a couple of people I used to work with. He commented that everyone I knew was old. Most of them were my trainers when I was an airman.

I'm trying to transition Ralph to his bed for naps but he's not having it. I put him down an hour ago and I can hear him playing in his room. He never behaves! That reminds me... We went to the BX today and he was playing on the tricycles until he spotted the big pink Barbie Jeep. He got in there and loved it! I helped him in and out several times and let him play for a few minutes. When I told him it was time to go he threw a FIT!!! Very embarrassing.

He screamed and hollered while I tried to finish shopping, even in line at the register. Finally, an older couple behind me started talking to him and he got shy. (shy = quiet) Then another kid started a tantrum near the registers. Someone in another line yelled, "Shut up!" very loudly. I thought that was more obnoxious than the tantrums. Little kids are little kids, deal with it. The other mother finally left her cart and took her kid outside. I felt bad for her. When it's close to the holidays and you have a list of things you have to accomplish sometimes you just have to ride out the tantrum along with the embarrassment. It's one thing when a seven-year-old acts up and another thing when it's a toddler. You can't control a toddler, I don't care how fabulous you are.

meat & dairy please

It's Thursday which means just four more days of our cleanse. I'm REALLY looking forward to Monday. I think we're going to have dinner at Don & Millie's, which means greasy burgers and $.99 margaritas!

we're in, i mean he's in

Sammy got in to BT!! I was very excited but we haven't had a chance to tell him yet. He had a friend come over after school and spend the night, now he's out geocaching with his dad.

After school yesterday I helped the PTO President and VP decorate a board for Christmas. I was chatting with both the women and said I needed to talk to the office staff real quick and I'd be right back. When I returned the VP told the President that Schmitty was changing schools next year. The President looked surprised and asked me if we were moving already. The VP said, "No, they're just changing schools." As if I were an infidel or something. Mind you, the President was talking to ME and the VP answered. I was shocked that anybody knew, much less was blabbing. The VP is the same woman that announced at my first PTO meeting that I bought Susan's house.

When Yago came home I recounted the story. He said he couldn't wait until Schmitty changed schools and people could talk about how we didn't belong because we weren't good enough. "Why?!" I asked. He said he'd rather deal with that than people talking like we thought we were too good for the school. I must say, I agree.

We started the cleanse last Sunday night when we got home from OKC and have stuck to it pretty well except for the birthday beer Yago received as a gift. I've lost seven pounds by cutting out meats, sugars and gluten. It's crazy. I don't know if I can make it another week though.

I'm going to shower and clean while all the boys are out. Have a good weekend.

report

Oh my goodness, so much to report. It seems like forever since I've updated.

We went to OKC for Thanksgiving, it was awesome. Lots of good food and the family is always happy to see the boys. Yago and Schmitty did a lot of GeoCaching and even took Big Daddy with them. We've been picking on Yago because it looks like he got a GeoRash. Maybe poison ivy or something...

I worked Tues and Wed, the people all seem okay but the job seems a little overwhelming at this point. My boss is looking to me to be the technical expert on architecture since I'm the only bonafied comm officer. Um, BCOT didn't really make me an expert in anything. I feel stress about his expectations. Also? I feel stress about my PT test in less than two weeks. Oh well. I won't do great but it'll be over. I'll be working a couple days a week until March, then I'll do my annual tour.

That means Ralph had two days in daycare. Yago dropped him off Tues and when I picked him up he was standing in the middle of the room crying his eyes out. He ran over to me as soon as he saw me, that always makes a momma feel good. The caretaker said he had a rough day and he didn't eat lunch Tues or Wed. I guess he prefers my cooking! We hope it'll get better for him.

Schmitty had his test and interview today at Brownell-Talbot. We should know something... TOMORROW! I think he'll get in without a problem. He was excited about going this morning. The admissions director walked me out and said, "He's so mature, he'll fit right in here." The school times are different and I keep looking at the clock in a panic because I'm afraid I'll forget to pick him up!

boogie man

I have my own boogie man, I named him Ralph. He's got a runny nose that won't quit. The tip of his nose is raw from being wiped, poor little guy.

We're going to OKC this afternoon and last time I got in trouble for not being ready on time but having an updated blog. Since I'm making a blog entry today I have to be sure to be ready on time.

This year is flying by. It's strange because it seems like forever since we've been in Germany. Home is home now.

I'm on to the boogie man, he poops himself every time I get on blogger! Shoot.

frozen buns

I walked Schmitty to school today and froze my buns off. It was about 28 degrees outside, I thought it'd be fine once we got moving. I did work up a bit of a sweat but my face and legs are frozen! Poor midget, he was glued to the stroller.

The diet program is back. We lost it in one of our computer crashes so Yago got the 15 day trial and we'll probably buy it again. I lost a pound yesterday so that's good.

We're heading down to Okalahoma tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I dread the drive with the baby because after a couple of hours he just hollers. I wish you could let kids out of their carseats these days but you can't. I think he'd do better if he could just MOVE. Pinned in a five point harness for eight hours isn't fun for anyone.

It looks like Schmitty will take his test and interview at B-T a week from Thursday. I know he has mixed feelings about changing schools.

Well someone messed their pants and needs to be changed.

mrs garrett

This afternoon we're touring Brownell Talbot. I'm excited, I'm not really sure why. It's not like I get to go to the school! I'm trying to come up with intelligent questions for the admissions director. Yago asked what I was wearing to the meeting, it seems like we should dress up to make a good impression. I want to look good without looking like I'm trying too hard.

I can't wait to see if it's what I expect. The school has a Headmaster which conjures up imagines of Eastland from The Facts of Life.

privacy please

Well, Friday Yago and I are going to look at a private school for Schmitty. It's more expensive than in state college tuition. I'm just so displeased with the attention he gets at his current school and the test scores of other nearby schools.

If we wind up paying thousands of dollars a year for this school I'm going to blame Mickity for sending me the link before we moved. ;^)

turn off the radio

Why does Sean Hannity hate public transportation? Why is he opposed to Americans being able to receive basic medical care? Why is he opposed to affordable college education? How is that American?

to our house grandmother comes...

Yago is at the airport picking up his grandmother, she's going to visit us for a few days. We're excited to have her come. I can't believe Yago still has grandparents! They're always so happy to see the boys.

Ralph said "orange" today without prompting! He has a book of colors and I've been working with him to learn orange and yellow the last couple of weeks. Today Yago was reading the book to him and he said "orange" on the orange page. FINALLY! That is one stubborn kid.

Gotta go finish sprucing myself up before Grandmother gets here!

Et tu, Oprah?

Mickity called me yesterday to tell me about a great offer on oprah.com. She said it was a show about organizing your house. I dvr'ed it and watched it this afternoon.

Here's the thing... I was curled up under a blanket on the couch watching a show about messy houses. I couldn't stop looking at the baby toys scattered around the living room. How am I supposed to relax and watch Oprah if she's doing a show about housework?? It just makes me feel guilty that I haven't done the housework yet! Thanks for ruining my hour of relaxation!

It was like trying to eat a bag of potato chips while watching The Biggest Loser!

cheesy creezy

Yesterday Yago and I MADE cheese. We freakin' made mozzarella cheese! How cool is that? We bought some organic milk that wasn't ultra-pastuerized and got to work.

The article we read a few months ago claimed it only takes an hour and is delicious, it was true! We ate it all last night in a risotto I made but we're excited to do it again. We're going to look in to making different (more complicated) cheeses too. It's just so neat to turn a gallon of milk into a little ball of fresh mozzarella.

forgotten innocence

Last night we watched Air Bud on the Disney channel while Yago worked his mid. I popped popcorn and everything. Schmitty cried when the dog was taken away from the kid by the evil antagonist. I felt bad for him and put my hand on his leg to try to comfort him. At the end there was the inevitable championship game and he sullenly said he knew what was going to happen... The team was going to lose the big game. It hadn't even occured to me that the team would lose. I know that the dog will come back and the team will win when the kid takes the winning shot in the final seconds. I thought of how nice it would be to actually be surprised by the happy ending.

the new mids

Yago found out Thursday that he has to work mids over Veteran's Day weekend and Thanksgiving weekend. He spent about five minutes convincing me that he wasn't putting me on. I thought it was a joke or something.

He left tonight right after an early dinner and Schmitty actually teared up. I reminded him that it was only three nights and at least it wasn't Iraq. With wet eyes he said, "It feels like Iraq. Will I see him tomorrow?"

linus(ed)

I was officially pumpkined out yesterday. I bought my third and final pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. I spent $4.50 on a darn cup of coffee. Really, paying for it was I moment I decided never again. I should mention we have a super-snazzy expresso/coffee maker at home. When we're watching every dollar we spend I can't justify spending nearly $5 on a coffee. And? The syrup was at the bottom of the cup so I couldn't drink the last 4 or 5 ounces. So, like Linus on Charlie Brown, I'm not waiting for the Great Pumpkin again. (Well, maybe next year I'll be suckered in again.)

i hate the weekend a month, two weeks a year

I've been busy working out my Reserve schedule and looking for daycare. What a pain! Yesterday Yago and I went to the MOST depressing daycare I've ever seen. It was horrible, I can't even explain it. Yago said it had the saddest playground he's ever seen. You'd only have to step inside the door to understand. I think we've found an acceptable place and a workable schedule, two days a week for about three months and then my annual tour. I should be starting in December.

Yesterday while I was inprocessing I ran in to someone I used to work with years ago. It's an odd friendship/acquaintanceship. He invited us over to his house Sunday, Schmitty asked why we weren't going. I explained that although we're friends I think he would spend the afternoon/evening saying things to embarrass me in front of Yago and it would make me feel bad. He'd joke and try to be funny but eventually it'd be mean. I asked Schmitty if that made sense, if he understood. He said he understood perfectly. He's a good little guy.

I need to clean my house and get things started for dinner.

more treats than tricks

We had dinner guests a couple of weeks ago and someone mentioned their affinity for pumpkin spice lattes. Later that night I told Yagopuchae that it sounded disgusting. After a week or so I couldn't help myself and I ordered one, it was delicious! Now I feel guilty about my insult.

I went to Schmitty's Halloween parade yesterday. What a zoo. You get a bunch of excited third graders together dressed up and costumes and it's pandemonium. I finally gave up on trying to keep order just went with it.

I found out that we are the ghetto house on the block. I bought the cheap bags of mixed candy for Halloween for a couple of reasons: 1) I didn't want to spend the money and 2) I didn't want to be tempted to hork it all down. Turns out our neighborhood gives out the good candy bars, I think our neighbors even take a little bit of pride in it. One house was giving out little Cheetos snacks in special Halloween themed bags. We gave out mostly Tootsie Rolls!

from both sides

I went to the courthouse today to get an official copy of the custody and child support agreement for the adoption case. Don't get me started on why I'm doing what I paid a lawyer to do... it's just easier.

I called to order the documents yesterday, they were ready for me today after noon. I had Yago come home to watch the midget while I drove to the courthouse. I'd like to know what it is that makes a person feel guilty just going to the courthouse? I had to go through a metal detector which is widely practiced but still makes me feel weird. I just felt like everyone assumed I had either done something wrong or was associated with someone who broke the law. It wasn't pleasant.

I found the office I was looking for. The clerk asked if I wanted regular copies or certified copies, "Certified, please." It occurred to me after the request that I'd have to pay for them and I didn't have any money on me. I found an ATM and went back up to pay $7.50 for the certified copies. I left the building from a different door than I entered so it took me a few minutes to find my car. I finally found it... with a gosh darn parking ticket on it! Three minutes. Are you kidding? $16. I guess that's why everyone feels like a criminal at the courthouse.

fall

Last weekend the inlaws came up for Schmitty's birthday (parents, brother and sister-in-law). We all went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch for the party. It was really fun, we rented a campsite for a couple of hours. We roasted weenies and marshmallows for s'mores. I stuffed myself beyond belief. It was kind of a harvest theme park. There were train rides, pig races, bouncy pads, all kinds of things to keep everyone entertained.

This Friday is Schmitty's Halloween party at school, I volunteered to be a room parent. I'm supposed to bring a canister filled with candy and have the kids guess how many candies are inside. Gumballs painted like eyeballs were recommended so I've been searching all over for stupid eye/gum/balls and can't find them!! I'm taking Ralph with me to the classroom, we'll see how that goes. I'm dressing him in Schmitty's old dinosaur costume. He'll be in to everything, I'm sure.

That's about all I've got going on this week.

tmi

Schmitty had a friend spend the night last night, he's still here. I feel like I've gained a whole other insight into Schmitty's life. He has a "girlfriend" in his class and other such things. I see his innocence diminishing before my eyes, he's almost like a different kid. Why couldn't he just stay five?

I'm preparing dinner for another guest this evening. It's really difficult with the friend still here because the place is a wreck! I have them pick up but it just gets destroyed again as soon as they're finished. I mean that's what boys do, right? There are tinker toy weapons strewn across the house.

I'm going to go continue my futile attempt at cleaning and picking up.

lil' shopper

I went grocery shopping with Ralph today, which is always an adventure. We got the kiddie car cart because it usually keeps him entertained, he steers and honks the horn. Today he couldn't keep his little hands inside the cart, he pulled item after item off the shelves. He smuggled two pad thai bowls, a bag of dried beans, and a can of yams into his front compartment.

Sam's having a friend spend the night tonight, there's no school tomorrow. He's very excited, I hope they have fun.

i'm a jerk

Last week I totally blew off the piano tuner. I had an appt for him to come over and tune our piano last Wed morning but was so preoccupied with my suspended license I forgot. I didn't realize it until Thursday night when Yago asked me how it went.

It took me until today to screw up the courage to call the tuner back and try to reschedule. He wasn't happy or eager to make another appt with me, I can't say I blame him. It was an uncomfortable phone call and I couldn't decide if I should launch in to the ridiculous DMV story or just bite the bullet. I mean, does he really care why I wasn't here? Probably not. I just sounded a little pathetic.

I'm not sure what's wrong with Blogger but I'm going to try to post this for the second or third time.

there was a gorgeous lady who lived in a shoe...

I met my neighbor three doors down last Friday. She saw Jacob staring at her jack-o-latern one morning and came out and introduced herself. While making small talk she disclosed she'd recently miscarried at 32 weeks. She told me the story about how she went in for a regular checkup and they couldn't find a heartbeat. They induced labor and she had to deliver the baby stillborn. Her memorial was on Sunday. We both stood in her front yard with tears in our eyes, it was a strange moment we shared. We apologized to each other profusely and she invited the midget and me in.

Since we have the same floorplan she asked what I did in this room and that room. They (her and her husband) had turned in the keys to their apartment the day before and he'd invited 15 people over that evening so she had a lot of unpacking to do. I told her I'd kill my husband if he ever did that to me!

I invited her over to our house to look around and she said she'd come over when her husband got back from the hardware store. I hurried home to clean up the breakfast dishes and waited like a girl on prom night. She never came.

This morning when I saw her she explained she planned on coming over but was so busy with everything she didn't have a chance. She said maybe she'd stop over today after school but she hasn't. It's weird to feel stood up by someone you barely know, I think I'm too eager for a neighborhood friend.

I'm sure the moment my house is in a shambles the doorbell will ring. My mistake is probably picking stuff up, no one ever stops by unannounced when your house is tidy.

i don't believe it

I went to the DMV this morning to get a current Nebraska license. (I still have my Texas license with my maiden name on it.) I was feeling unusually lucky this morning because the clerk reluctantly agreed to use a photocopy of my marriage certificate showing the name change since I also had my military ID. Plus, when I got there I was the only person in line.

Things changed when she entered my information in to the data system. She asked if I ever got a ticket in NC and I couldn't immediately recall. Let's be honest, I could have an outstanding ticket in several states and a couple of countries. I said, "I don't think so." Turns out someone with the exact same name and birthday (except she was born in '73) got a ticket (or something) in NC. On a military installation.

The clerk couldn't verify it wasn't me and I'm not sure she really believed it WASN'T me so I couldn't get my license. She gave me a phone number of the DMV in Onslow, NC, to call. I have to prove to NC that it wasn't me who got the ticket. How am I supposed to do that? I don't know, they don't know. I called and after getting passed around three times the supervisor said she'd call me back. It might be tomorrow before she has an answer of what I need to do.

My main concern in this whole thing was registering to vote. The Nebraska clerk said I needed a clearance letter from NC before I could get my license and god only knows how long that would take! I asked about voting and she said no problem and took my registration form without question. I thought that was odd. I can vote without proving who I am, and I can keep my TX license and drive around until 2010 but I can't get a current license.

say no to gnocchi

I spent HOURS making homemade gnocchi yesterday just to have it turn in to a pile of mush last night. That kind of stunk.

Last night was Schmitty's first CCD class, he wasn't impressed. It was 3rd and 4th graders together, a large group of kids. It sounded like they just sat there and played a quiet version of Simon Says most of the night while the 4th got their instruction. Oh well.

no-key

I'm a litte annoyed, okay more than a little. I've searched high and low in probably half a dozen different grocery stores for gnocchi and can't find it.

from the mouth of babes

We got the framed portrait of the boys back on Saturday, it's beautiful. Yago spent the weekend hanging things on the walls and making it look a little homier in here.

Schmitty spent last night at my parents' house. It's always weird when he's not here. We were talking the other night, sometimes he says the most interesting things. We were on the couch and he'd just finished clearing the table, I still had to do the dishes. I said something about how I didn't feel like doing the dishes and he offered to help. I smiled at him and told him that was really nice of him to offer. He said, "Well, I think when you help someone it leaves a little spot on your heart." I thought that was just about the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. I smiled and joked that I bet Yago doesn't know that. He replied, "I think he does. I also think that when you lie it leaves a spot on your heart, at least it does on mine." Geez, Mr. Philosopher.

not a word

We took Ralph for his 18-month well-baby visit the other day and there's a teensy bit of concern over the fact that he refuses to talk. The doctor tried to help us out with a, "But he says mama and dada, right?" No. "Is he in daycare?" No. "Does he watch a lot of tv?" No, not a single word. Hmph. I think he's just stubborn.

open house

A conversation overheard at Schmitty's open house last night:

A mother looking at an assignment hanging on wall...

Child: "That's for you to look at, not to be criticked."

Mother: "Critiqued."

Yago says I have issues but it was more for my own amusement. I thought it (I) was funny.

not very interesting

Lately my blogging has not been prolific but it's mostly because I've been swamped. It seems like there's always a task (or two) of the day. There's so much I want to do but right now I'm swamped with the mundane.

Yesterday I went to a frame store and chose a frame for a portrait of the boys that Yago had done in Iraq. It's a beautiful painting and I'm really excited to get it framed and hung.

Ralph is STILL in his empty-all-the-cupboards, watch-mommy-put-everything-away, and empty-all-the-cupboards-again phase. It's fun. (or it was for the first week)

there goes peter cottontail

Schmitty and I have a little routine in the morning on our walk. We know all the dogs that are out and say good morning to them. There are three dachshunds in one yard and we call one of them Sadie, "Good morning, Sadie." Then there's the most well-behaved boxer I've ever seen. We look for him every morning and say, "Good morning, Boxer." Finally, there's a bunny we see every morning that hops in to the same bushes. All we see is her little tail.

This morning we didn't see the bunny and commented on it. A little further up the road there was a squirrel that had been hit by a car. I told Sam not to look, just keep walking. Turns out it was a little bunny. I didn't have the heart to tell him. I was sad enough for both of us.

Last Saturday we drove up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to visit Yago's best friend since kindergarten. We spent the night there and had a good time just hanging out. They have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and Ralph loved playing with the baby dolls and princess toys. It was funny. It was a little more difficult for Schmitty to entertain himself. After digging through Dora and Barbie Princess videos he finally found Schrek, Cars and The Fox and the Hound. We invited them down for a weekend and I hope they come.

going solo

Last night was Skate Night at Schmitty's school. I took him after his piano lesson and it was there that I learned (again) my little boy is growing up.

We went in and I paid for admission and skates for both of us. When we got to the counter to get our skates I asked if he wanted me to skate with him assuming he'd say yes. I was so confident that I'd already paid for my rental. "No, that's okay. I'll skate with my friends first." Oh. He went out there and I sat near the snack bar watching. I waited all evening for an invitation that was never extended. Gone are the days of the two of us holding hands and skating around as fast as we can, giggling wildly.

I spent his early years dressing him in argyle sweater vests and reindeer sweaters around the holidays. His hair was cut and gelled just so. Now he reads greek mythology books about vampires, wears a dragon necklace and his favorite school shirt is a t-shirt that says "Caverns of DOOM" under a bat. Throw in a flaming skull tattoo and he's ecstatic. The nerve of my little boy.

I couldn't help but laugh at the skating rink when they started playing YMCA and Schmitty thrust both fists in the air with index, pinky fingers, and thumbs extended. That was too funny. Oh and at the end when he tried break dancing, I nearly busted a gut.

ollie ollie in come free

Last night Yago and I searched and searched for the remote. I was upstairs looking in our closet, thinking maybe Ralph snuck it up there to play with while I was in the shower. Yago searched the pantry and kitchen cabinets. After much searching, Yago found it placed neatly inside our front loading washing machine. All I could think was, "Thank God I'm not the one that misplaced it."

In other tv adventures I called the cable company this morning to ask if there was an outage. Turns out Schmitty changed the input on the tv when he turned it off before school. A little embarrassing but at least I'm a girl, that's always a good excuse.

Tonight is Skate Night at Schmitty's school so we'll be heading over to the roller rink after piano lessons.

Ralph thinks he's funny slurping the broth from his noodles. He's got his face buried in his bowl. sigh

all over the place

I'm listening to Dr. Laura, as I always do. She's reading a letter from a woman in the Army who is separating to be a stay at home mom. She's describing her family care plan, I hated doing those. I've still got several years in the Reserves but I'm so happy I'm out.

I met some neighbors today They have two boys, a 3-yr-old and 18-month-old. I was happy to talk to them.

I went to the PTO meeting yesterday and everyone knew whose house we bought. I didn't know anyone but was introduced as the one who bought Susan's house. (it was weird because I didn't tell anyone that) Apparently, Susan was the PTO President last year. Is there anything this woman couldn't do? She kept an immaculate house, worked at the school and was the PTO President. Sheesh.

I'm reading one of Schmitty's books because he was so excited about it. Ugh. It's about vampires and half-bloods. I don't know if I can slog my way through it. He's always asking what part I'm on. blah

I hate those giant black crickets we have in Nebraska. I don't know how but they always manage to get in to basements which gives me the willies everytime I head down there. I killed one yesterday but they're big and gross. Yuck.

what's the word?

Forgetful. Sam forgot his lunch yesterday and today he forgot his shoes. He wears rubber boots in the morning for the walk to school and changes in to his sneaker. I got home this morning and found a message from the school nurse that he didn't have any shoes. I drove up there and dropped them off for him (thereby negating any carbon footprint reduction this morning's walk had accomplished).

I'm trying to go back on a diet and gained two pounds! I hate diets.

Oh! I have my first PTO meeting today after school. I have to take the kidlets but it should be fine. I'm sure it'll be a colossal waste of time but I'm going, nonetheless.

We had someone pull over and offer Sam a ride to school again. I think it's really nice and I feel bad for saying no. I also feel bad because I think they assume I don't have a car and I'm walking because I have to and not because I want to. The woman today got out of the car with her daughter and had her daughter translate for her. I thought that was muy amable. She even gave me her name and number.

I've got to mount my license plates and change a headlight while Ralph naps. I'd better get crackin'.

a while

It's been a while since I made an entry, not on purpose or anything. It's just when you skip a few days you feel like there should be a ton of news and a zinger entry but there isn't.

We bought a piano last week and that's been our exciting news. It's a mahogany finish upright, nothing fancy but a piano nonetheless. Jake, as you can imagine, loves it.

We went to the reunion in OKC and that was good. Nothing much to report from the trip though, just eight hours in the car with a grouchy baby.

Pretty boring. Sorry.

peach soup

We took my parents out to dinner last night to thank them for letting us use their van while we waited for our cars to make it across the Atlantic. We went to China Road and came back here for dessert and show them our house.

My peach souffles turned out to be more like peach soup in little ramekins. While they were baking Yago chased the midget through the kitchen and they collapsed. There were two left standing when Schmitty ran through, he took care of those. They bubbled instead of cracked but I finished baking them, sprinkled them with sugar, and served them anyway. I didn't mind too much, I like my rambunctious boys.

Tonight we leave for OKC, we're going to a family reunion. It'll be a long drive but we always have fun. I'll be back Tuesday-ish. Happy Labor Day weekend!

lacking

Today I'm lacking. Lacking in motivation to work out, put things away and recycle.

It was storming out this morning, complete with thunder and lightning so I drove Schmitty to school. Ralph has been a bear since he woke up and when I put him down for a nap I didn't feel like running downstairs and, well, running. I should though.

I've been trying to figure out how I require so much closet space when I don't feel like I have a lot of clothes. I can't find a way to neatly organize everything. Why do we have so many blankets? What are we going to do with them all? It's ridiculous.

I'm also lacking a lemon to make peach souffles for dessert tonight. I'll have to pick that up later because I don't feel like going out in public right now. (Note: I'm not very good at making souffles. They never turn out right but that doesn't keep me from trying.)

Tomorrow we're leaving for Oklahoma City to go to a family reunion. I should be doing laundry and packing. Ugh. I've done a lot but I don't feel like I've accomplished anything. There are still huge piles that look only slightly diminished.

I really love our house though. I really think it's perfect for us, I just wish everything was unpacked and decorated. (We got rid of the boxes but not all the piles.)

secret's out

I guess it's not really a secret that kids can be a giant pain in the behind. After enduring and afternoon of errands with Ralph yelling at me almost the whole time, I got home and discovered he'd lost a sandal somewhere along the way. I'm not even attempting to retrace my steps.

This morning on the walk back from school he threw his sippy cup out of the stroller. Of course I don't know where it is, I just know it wasn't in his stroller when we got home.

I really don't think he likes me.

i did it!

I finally finished reading The Three Musketeers! Holy crap, it took a long time. I was reading that book when I was pregnant. Most of my readers will remember me lugging it around last summer when I spent a couple months in the states while my husband was on vacation (in Iraq).

I want to run (on my treadmill) today but I'm seriously lacking energy and motivation.

Oh, something else we did that I didn't think was possible... we emptied all the moving boxes. That's not to say everything is in it's place yet but we're having all the boxes picked up this afternoon. It's mostly credited to Yago's herculean efforts.

Well, I've only got a few more minutes of Ralph's naptime to enjoy so I'm going to go do something.

complete chaos

I hate moving. The initial euphoria felt after receiving the phone call that our stuff was here has been replaced by inundation. I feel like I'm drowning in crap, my crap.

Yago has spent hours posting books and DVDs on swaptree. That makes him happy but I'm still feeling completely overwhelmed.

We found our scale last night. In two months my hair has grown about 7 lbs. I can't think of any other explanation. Ugh. Yago and I are starting the ol' diet program today but he is much more fastidious about it. He logs every calorie consumed or burned where as I procrastinate and forget. He also burns 600+ calories riding his bike to work which means he can eat a lot more than I can. It really stinks come dinner time when I don't feel full and he's drinking a beer and eating his second helping. Sigh.

big day

Yesterday, we went to the airshow and saw the Thunderbirds. It was a lot of fun, mostly because Schmitty had such a good time. Ralph startled when a jet flew by and ran to Schmitty, hugged him and buried his head in Schmitty's belly. It was very funny.

I got a good sunburn on the backs of my legs. Yago noticed I was burning and I applied SPF 50 but it was too little too late. My ears and neck got it pretty good too. The boys were slathered up good and early so they're fine.

Today's the first day of school. We walked. Oh my goodness. We left at 8:15 and I got home at 9:30. Pushing Tubby in his stroller, on the grass, at a side incline, up and down hills... not the best way to start my day. And I'm supposed to do it again this afternoon? I'm reconsidering my options, already. We showed up all sweaty and panting. It was actually a little humorous.

I enjoy the mornings with Schmitty and don't want to spend it with him sitting behind me in a car. I think it's mostly because of how much I hated dropping him off at daycare when he was two and three years old. Now I enjoy our talks in the morning. Eventhough Ralph is there, he's usually pretty quiet in his stroller and it feels like it's just Schmitty and me.

There was a parent that was walking her child in to the school wearing pajama pants. I absolutely hate people wearing pjs out in public. We went to Panera Bread for breakfast yesterday and a guy was wearing his Husker pajama bottoms. It's so tacky, I don't understand it. It doesn't pass as clothes and it's not cute. Please, let's put a stop to it.

waffle wednesday

Last night after dinner Yagopuchae attached Tubby's bike trailer to my bike and so began Waffle Cone Wednesday. We rode our bikes to the ice cream parlor/Subway down the street on the corner. (It's a Subway restaurant that has an ice cream counter.)

I have to say I was nervous about riding my bike, especially towing Tubby. I also don't think I've ever ridden along a road with real traffic. (And as stated in yesterday's post, there's no shoulder.) Anyway, we all got there and back in one piece and Ralph loved it.

I got my windshield fixed today and I'm really happy with the result. Now I can get my car registered and people can stop staring at my European plates.

Tomorrow is the last day of summer vacation, I'm a little sad. I'll miss hanging out with Schmitty.

you must be kidding

I've had a relatively busy day. After I went to lunch with my sister I stopped by Schmitty's school to see who his teacher was going to be. I also wanted to talk to someone about the bus situation.

I politely asked the front office what I could do about getting Schmitty on a bus. I found out the back corner of my subdivision is over 1.5 miles away and gets transportation. I asked if it would be possible for Schmitty to get on the bus if it wasn't full. Nope. I can try to enroll him in a different school outside our district that is further away. Then I could qualify for a bus. But, I argued, I want him to go to this school for several reasons that I researched and I live in this district. He's seven years old and there's no sidewalk or safe way for him to walk. There's not a shoulder or anything and it's 1.3 miles each way. If I walk with him I'll have a baby and a stroller and still no sidewalk. I don't get it. There's a bus that runs a few blocks from where I live that comes here that would be safer. Why can't he get on the bus is there's room? Nope. Liability issues. Is there a waiver process? (Can you tell I'm former military?) Nope.

It really doesn't make any sense to me. I'm trying not to think about it too much because the more I think about it the more extreme my thoughts get. (Keep reading.)

I also took Sam to a piano lesson today. Mrs. Meyer complimented him several times on being a good listener. She said, "I bet you like to read, don't you?" He said it was one of his favorite things. She asked him if he had all his school supplies ready for school and I told her that the school said they're providing everything this year and didn't give me a list. Mrs. Meyer said it was because of a lawsuit a few years back where a father said if he paid taxes and sent his kids to public school everything should be provided. He apparently won. That got me to thinking about suing for a safe walk to school.

I know it's not a big deal, I should just suck it up and drive him everyday like everyone else does. But I don't want to do that. It's not that I'm lazy, I walked him probably half a mile to the bus stop every single day in Germany. Happily. It's that they think it's okay for a kindergartener to walk 1.3 miles to school without a sidewalk? They keep harping on me about carpooling but I don't have a huge SUV or minivan. There's space for one more kid in my car, that's it. And when I walked Isaiah to the bus stop last year his mom was always late. Serenity now. I need to stop thinking about it.

son of a .... gun!

I went to St. Louis with Schmitty yesterday to pick up my car, woohoo! We flew out at 7:30 and arrived at 8:30. I'm not really sure why but I was on edge all day. It was an effort not to lose my cool for no particular reason which isn't the day I wanted to have. I got my car and we drove to the arch but there wasn't any parking, it was all roped off and plastered with no parking signs. I was thoroughly annoyed and left, I decided to just drive straight home (443 miles). I think I was cranky because I was tired, I can't think of any other reason. Maybe sometimes I don't need a reason...

Saturday afternoon/evening Yago and I tried our hand at canning tomatoes. We bought a big box of them at the farmer's market that morning and looked forward to preserving some fresh food for later use. We also shucked, cut from the cob and froze a couple dozen ears of corn. I just read Greek Tragedy and she canned fresh tomato sauce. She made it sound idealic and homey, she left out the part where you drop a slippery tomato on the floor and make a huge mess (stain) on an area rug or where you ruin a t-shirt. (It looks like I tried hacking a small cat to bits.) She also forgot to mention the part where at the end you wonder if you're doing it right and yell at your husband. Will the jars seal? Is it going to spoil because I accidentally touched something after it was sterilized.

And lets not forget about the pesky baby that wants to be in the kitchen with four pots of boiling water on the stove and all sorts of things to get in to. I guess her twins are more boring than my Ralph.

I almost forgot the best (worst) part of my story about picking up my car. I was within NINE miles of home when a construction vehicle in front of me kicked a rock up on to my windshield. I have a big ding and crack in my windshield. Grrr.

My Aunt Rita came to visit for the weekend. I wish we'd been able to spend more time together, she's pretty funny. Sometimes I'd like to go back to NY to visit but I don't have anyone to stay with, I'm not really close to any family back there anymore. It's been years since I've been back and seen people.

Time to make Schmitty breakfast and enjoy the few moments left before Ralph wakes up.

i called it

As predicted, I've been compulsively checking my email to see if the biological has responded with updated contact information. He hasn't. I need the info to have him served with paperwork but I know he doesn't much care.

I'm trying to just relax about it. I'll give the lawyer the address from Dec 06 and we'll take it from there. If he doesn't respond it probably won't matter anyway. The lawyer said even if he tried to contest it (which I REALLY don't anticipate) it'd be hard for him because he hasn't been involved whatsoever in the child's life.

In other news, my Aunt Rita is coming to town to visit for a weekend. We're all going to Mistress of Moomoo's house for enchiladas, I'm bringing stuff for peach mojitos. Yago and I realize we can't drink the whole pitcher ourselves this time, that was one nasty hangover!

I got Schmitty a couple of 3rd Grade workbooks to do, he's less than thrilled.

who says lawyers are all bad?

We found a lawyer in Florida that will take our case and says he can start right away. I'm VERY excited, I'm mean we're very excited. The only thing now is getting the biological father to email me back with updated contact information. That'll be a challenge.

I got Schmitty enrolled in school a couple of days ago. It's 1.3 miles away and the bus won't pick him up if he lives within 1.5 miles of the school. There isn't even a sidewalk for him to use, he'll have to walk along the side of the road. That irritates me. I guess a normal person would just drive back and forth everyday but I don't want to do that. I'm trying to teach and live conservation which leaves me one other option. I could walk with him to and from school everyday, a total of 5.2 miles everyday. That doesn't sound so great either, especially with Ralph.

I got a MESS of chigger bites a couple of weeks ago and I'm still scratching. I've never had chiggers before, it's awful! I can't even describe my misery a couple of Sundays ago. I had fullblown hives and was in tears it hurt/itched so bad.

We're meeting Yago for lunch today so I've got to get in the shower. Ciao!

adopting frustration

I'm spending the morning researching stepparent adoption. Yago and I started talking about it two and a half years ago and found that we couldn't do it while stationed overseas. I find it very frustrating that we could have adopted a baby from China but Yago couldn't adopt Schmitty while we were stationed in Germany. It ticks me off. (Seriously. My former boss adopted a daughter from China while we were there. There are provisions for that but there isn't a state that will consider jurisdiction in stepparent adoption while overseas.)

In Nebraska we have to wait until we've lived here a year, so we can start in 49 weeks. Ugh. I heard Oklahoma has some of the easiest adoption laws in the country and since Yago's from OK I called. The child has to live in OK for six months. Hmph. Now I'm waiting for a call back from an attorney in Florida, Yago is a legal resident of FL. This stinks.

It really irritates me that the delay is caused by Yago being in the military. If it weren't for that the adoption could have been done a couple of years ago.

Whew

We finally made it after many adventures and missteps. I can start with our last mass.

Schmitty and I were all psyched and ready to announce to the congregation that we were attending our last mass, they always ask new people to introduce themselves and leaving members to stand and say goodbye. Anyway, Schmitty was very excited and afraid the priest wouldn't ask if it was anyone's last mass before leaving. I had to reassure him several times that they always ask and we would stand up.

We didn't have our regular priest but toward the end of mass he asked the Huff family to come forward. Huh? Crap! I have no idea what you're supposed to do when you go up there! Everyone always bows when they approach the altar but I don't know if it's because they're part of mass or if you're supposed to bow within a certain distance of the altar... I go to church every Sunday but I have no idea what people are doing most of the time and don't know half the prayers. I just show up and take Schmitty to CCD.

Anyway, I got all nervous and flustered when the "Huff Family," consisting of only Schmitty and me, went up there and I started bowing and making the sign of the cross out of nervousness. I did't know what to do!!! The priest presented us with a plaque and thanked us for our service to the church. He said he felt a little strange because he didn't normally serve our church so he didn't know us but could tell we must have contributed an awful lot and been very involved for our congregation to want to say goodbye to us in such a way. Nope. Like I said, I don't even know half the prayers we say during mass. It was VERY embarrassing. I spent days thinking about it afterward, kind of kicking myself for looking like a retard up there not knowing what to do. Ugh.

Then, there was our last evening out in Germany. Yago and I went to the spa up the street from our house. That? Was an interesting night. It was a textile free sauna, I can't even describe it. Lots of naked people roaming around. Inside. Outside. You name it. There was an indoor/outdoor pool that you can go in. Basically skinny dipping in front of a couple hundred naked people. There were all sorts of different saunas, with different infused scents. One was a pretzel sauna, we went to that one and they poured some liquid on the hot rocks that really made it smell like a baking pretzel. Another one was chamomile or something and then you step back outside and rub rock salt all over yourself (for exfoliating purposes) and then go back in. It was crazy but fun.

Well, I'll save the Alburquerque and Topeka stories for another day.

We still don't have our furniture but we got our household goods so we have pots and pans and stuff like that. We really like our house, it was a good choice for us. I'm going to go look at a couple of schools today and figure out where to enroll Schmitty. I have to get on the ball because school starts next week!

Tchuss

Goodbye, Internet. We're packing up the computer and disconnecting everything. I'll have lots of stories to tell in a month or so. Our last mass here and the sauna are good ones to start with. Bye.

15 luv

Pete Sampras and Venus Williams we are not. The last two days Schmitty and I have gone to the tennis courts to play our version of tennis. It's more of a game of chasey chasey but we try.

The midget wanders around the courts completely unafraid. I guess he's comfortable in the knowledge that in the unlikely event one of us hits the ball over the net we couldn't hit him if we tried.

mojito mojo

Schmitty's party went off without a hitch on Saturday. We'll just say we were glad when it was over but we played lots of games. We played pin Schmitty on the map, fill the cup with spoonfuls of water, yard darts, water balloon toss, and make your own sundae.

The funniest part was after the water balloon toss we had a full on water balloon fight. One of the girls accidentally hit Yago in the privateers with a balloon. I saw it happen and the delayed reaction on his face. He fell to the ground and all the kids ran over and started bombarding him with water balloons. He was soaked and helpless, it was hilarious. Another mom and I just stood doubled over we were laughing so hard.

Last night Yago made homemade peach mojitos. He peeled and chopped the peaches, picked the mint from our backyard and I squeezed the limes. We stuck it in a blender and it was delicious! We drank 10 servings between the two of us. We were a teensy bit hungover this morning. Certainly worth it though. Well for me anyway, maybe not for Yago who had to ride his bike to work this morning. He also didn't get to sleep in until 9:00.

Yesterday, we shipped Yago's car. This week the gov't will start picking up appliances on loan to us like a fridge, washer, dryer and microwave. It's really happening. I hate moving.

You know, I was thinking about Mickity's comment on the Omaha mansion. I'd like to point out that she owns THREE properties.

Yago's inspection is over and they're receiving their debrief this morning. I'm making chocolate mint bars to take to his flight. I know Mistress of Moomoo would love them, I think I'll make them for her for her birthday or something.

I'm really hoping the weather holds out tomorrow for Schmitty's party. If not I don't know what we'll do. Yago is sooo NOT stressed about it. He doesn't feel the need to entertain them. "They're kids. They'll play and have fun." Man.

treading water

Today is the last day of school, Schmitty has a half day. Yesterday was the last piano lesson, we're done with baseball, CCD, and den meetings. Whew. Two more days of swim lessons.

Swim lessons. I'm kind of mad at myself about those. I somehow mistakenly put Schmitty in the same class he had last year which means he's not learning anything new. He can't really swim, he can stick his face in the water and kick really hard but he doesn't go anywhere. He pops up to breath, touches the bottom of the pool and pushes off again. It's my own fault because I told his teacher when I enrolled him that he was afraid of the water again since he hadn't been in a pool since last August. She put him in the Level 1 class again so he's not being pushed. He's the biggest kid in the class and he's fine with that.

shopping companion

I finally realized what I'm reminded of when I shop with Ralphie. Walking through a store with him holding my hand is like walking with E.T. He clomps around unsteadily, leaning too far left then too far right, and it reminds me of when the kids took E.T. trick or treating.

finders keepers

Oh my gosh! I almost lost Ralph today while mowing the lawn. I was mowing the back and he was hanging out with me. The bag on the mower filled up so I went out front to toss the clippings in the composter and went back to mowing. At some point I realized Ralph wasn't outside anymore but I wasn't too concerned. I figured he had wandered back in to the living room. Then I saw that I'd left the front door open! I went running in the house yelling Ralphie and then out the front door to the street. I didn't see him anywhere! Thankfully he popped out from around the entertainment center. Whew. I don't think Yago would be too happy with me if I lost him.

a daunting (and confusing) task

I'm still sifting through school information. I had been using psk12.com to look up school performance but the data were from 2002. You have to pay $100 to see more current information. When I talked to the school district they told me where I could find school performace information on the dept of education website.

Holy cow. It's all free and current up to the 2006-2007 school year, it's much different than the 2002 stats I was looking at. According to the state website the school that was ranked 63/85 in Omaha scored better than all the Bellevue schools in 2007. It's still much poorer but their performance is way above other schools in the area. It could be a fluke; reading, math and writing scores all spiked last year to nearly 100% even though the free lunch eligibility is double what it is in Bellevue. How is that explained? I always thought more money = better education.

You know, it would be much easier if we just lived in a small town with only one school. Like Allegany.

sold

Darn it, they took our house off the Internet. That means no more playing the virtual tour over and over when I'm bored. I used to play it and get a warm fuzzy feeling, but now it's gone! No more daydreaming and admiring. (sigh) Those were good times realtor.com, I'll miss you.

a bitter-sweet evening

Let me preface by saying when I'm not cleansing, I'm REALLY not cleansing. I ate Burger King for lunch today and then decided to make brownies at 9:00 this evening.

I asked Schmitty if he would like to help me make brownies and his face lit up. He hussled over to the kitchen to see how he could be of assistance. While we were measuring and mixing, he said he loved cooking with me. I was a little surprised and told him I did too. He remarked that it had been a really long time since we'd done something together, just him and me, no dad or Ralph. (dad is still putting in long hours preparing for the inspection and Ralph was asleep)

While the brownies were in the oven we got to work on his farewell party invitations. I told him he could invite five people over. He asked where on the invititations were we going to list his interests so people would know what kind of present to buy him. I told him there weren't going to be any presents, it's not a birthday party, and his face fell. In a flippant manner, he said that he should be able to invite all his friends then because it could be the last time he sees them. I replied it probably would be the last time he saw them, that's why he got to invite five of his best friends over to say goodbye.

That's when the realization of what was happening hit him. It tugged at my heart looking at him. He didn't start crying, I could tell he was trying his hardest to choke back the tears. It was worse looking at him not crying. In the excitement of the new house and being near an aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousins he hadn't thought of what he was leaving behind.

He'll start third grade in his third school. I told him that was part of being a military family and he nodded in quiet acceptance. As difficult as this move may be I know the next one will be much harder for him.

batteries required

I took our camera to the pool today to take pictures of Schmitty and Ralph. Ralph is really cute playing in the kiddie pool, plus the pools in Germany and really neat. So I got my camera and went in for the closeup only to discover I left the battery on the kitchen counter. That stunk.

Yago and I wanted to go out to dinner tomorrow night but we can't find a babysitter. Schmitty told me about his friend's sister that lives in the neighborhood. He said she was a babysitter but turns out her mom won't let her sit kids under five. Schmitty suggested we take Ralphie with us...

a little dirty

The cleanse has been called off, I ate two whole wheat quesadillas for lunch. Yago called "fed up" with the diet and we decided we'd try to incorporate portions of the cleanse in to our daily lives but the whole thing was too restrictive.

Vegan is difficult but add to that no sugar or wheat and it's too much. I'm tofued out.

directoral debut

Yesterday, Ralphie and I went to Sammy's class to watch mini-movies each student had made. They were essentially Power Point slide shows with recorded narration. They were funny and cute. Sam actually looked a little embarrassed to be standing in front of everyone while his played. He usually blows me away with his ease standing in front of people but he was sheepish yesterday.

After the movies each child was given a cd containing work and projects he/she had worked on throughout the year. The parents were invited to follow the kids to the library and look at what was on the disks.

On the way to the library I heard a classmate behind us crying because his mother didn't come to see the movies. Sam's teacher tried to explain that something must have come up at work to prevent her from being able to attend. He cried that she was at home. Sam told me later that his mom just got home from a year in Iraq. I always think it's sad when I hear how many of his classmates have gone a year without a parent.

spoke too soon

Turns out having a little turd float by while swimming is grosser than stepping on a slug and then flinging slug guts on to your ankle.

the grossest thing

I was walking with Schmitty this morning and the most disgusting thing happened. While wearing flip flops and capris, I stepped on a slug and it was flung across my opposite ankle. All I felt was wet slime hit my ankle. When I looked down there was a thick string of brown slime on my leg. I had no idea where it had come from until I noticed the wet slimy smudge on the sidewalk. Ick!! I grabbed a couple of leaves and wiped it off but it was seriously disgusting.

I think Yago would score our gluten/dairy/sugar-free waffles a close second for the grossest thing.

three

We are entering day three of the cleanse. Oh boy. I have eaten probably a pound of cashews. Sunday we had grilled tofu triangles with rice and veggies for dinner, Ralphie LOVES tofu. Last night, we had an arugula and grape salad with sunflower seeds and a homemade vinaigrette. Tonight, I think it's a tofu ragout. I've eaten oatmeal with blueberries and soy milk every morning, it's pretty good. I only had one cup of coffee yesterday so I'm making progress there.

I've had to completely change my outlook on food. The cleanse does do that. You become more focused on what you can get out of your food and where it comes from instead of mindless snacking. Ralphie and Schmitty aren't cleansing, they're still eating milk and dairy. I can contemplate going vegetarian but vegan is hard, it complicates menu planning.

Yago and I have each dropped about 5 lbs in three days without trying. I was surprised because of all the nuts I've eaten but I weighed 131 this morning.

OH! And Yago bought a bike Sunday. He rode it to PT/work this morning. I feel a little bad for him because I don't know what he had for breakfast but he rode seven miles to the gym and then did squadron PT. For lunch all he has is leftover salad, he's going to be starving!

toe dipping

Yago and I are experimenting with "the cleanse." We haven't gone all out but for a week we're trying it with one exception. We started yesterday and we'll go until next Sunday.

The exception is coffee because I seriously drink about six cups of coffee a day. I get raging headaches if I don't have caffeine so I'll cut it back to a cup in the morning and if I get a headache a cup in the afternoon/evening. Hopefully by the end of the week I won't have any at all.

We've taken out meat, dairy, sugar and all forms of wheat. That leaves a pretty restricted diet. I bought gluten free flour thinking I could make homemade bread without the gluten but the recipes without gluten call for xantham gum so I don't know what's going to happen. The gluten gives the bread structure and holds it together and I have no idea where I could find xantham gum, certainly not at the commissary.

You would think I'd probably drop a ton of weight on this diet but I don't think that'll be the case. Almost everything I ate yesterday was pretty calorie dense. I ate a lot of dried fruit and cashews. It was mostly out of laziness, they we're easy choices because there wasn't any preparation involved. I'll try to be a little more motivated today.

We'll see how miserable I am after a week. Oh yeah, and no alcohol. Nothing makes you want a cocktail more than knowing you're not allowed to have one. What's up with that?

more of a tidying

I watched Oprah last week when she had Kathy Preston (sp?) on as a guest. They were talking about the "21 day cleanse" and I was interested but skeptical. She talks about giving up certain foods for 21 days to improve your spirituality and rid your body of toxins. I was interested in it for the novelty, challenge and health benefits. You're supposed to give up animals (meat and fish) and animal products (to include yogurt, butter, eggs, etc), caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and glutein.

First, I can't do it for 21 days. That's too long. Second, give up gluten? I don't think so. I can't give up bread and all things wheaty. Caffeine? I don't think I can do that either, I love coffee and we just bought the loveliest coffeemaker last year. It sits in the kitchen and looks at me all day long, beckoning me over for another steamy cup of heaven.

I am thinking about it and maybe soon I'll commit to a 14 day tidying instead of a 21 day cleanse. Maybe only 7 days to start...

wee wee wee all the way home

I think we got a house! Can you believe that? We bought a freakin' house from an ad on realtor.com. That's insane to me but I'm so excited! We're working out the details but it looks like it'll be a done deal by Friday! It's got the open floor plan I wanted so I could watch the kiddos and cook dinner, a big back yard, some (not all) hardwood floors, AND there's a park in the neighborhood! I'm so excited I could do a cartwheel. Oh, and it's got a lot of built in shelving which I really wanted for all our books.

I'll try to post a link but I don't know if it'll work.

The only teeny little problem or hesitation I have is my housekeeping and taste aren't as good as whoever presently lives there. I don't want to picture the house with my clutter or messiness. Maybe it'll make me a better housekeeper. If only housekeeping were fun. (sigh)

We got a house!! And I'd be remiss if I didn't thank my family for making it possible.

zum kotzen

Poor little Schmitty is sick. He started throwing up around 1:00 this morning and he's still sick. He's wretching in the bathroom and writhing on the couch. I know in I couple of days I'll have whatever he has and somewhere in there the baby will get it too.

He keeps apologizing to me and I keep telling him to stop. He said, "Well, I know I'm being a handful because I keep making all that noise on the couch." Poor guy. He's holding his belly and crying, he's not being a handful.

swiss miss

Switzerland was fabulous but EXPENSIVE. I ate fondue and raclette. We went to a Chinese restaurant and I ordered Kung Pao Shrimp that cost about $28 and if you wanted a bowl of rice it was an additional $10.

We stayed at a beautiful, old hotel. The breakfasts included fresh squeezed orange juice from the juicer and champagne, mimosas! They brought us little snacks each evening, muffins or a bowl of fresh fruit. They had laid out a ducky robe and matching slippers for Ralphie, it was adorable.

We hiked down a mountain on Saturday and then spent the rest of the weekend recovering. We commonly called Ralphie "Tubby." We carried him on our back, he weighs a ton now and has nearly outgrown his backpack thingy. We were struggling carrying him around and he would be yawning or snoring on our backs! He had quite a relaxing trip. It was so beautiful though...

It was a five hour drive and I swear Ralphie cried, screamed and carried on until we were ten minutes from home!! Ten minutes before we got home he fell asleep, he's something else.

thingy-ma-bob

The other morning I was at the bus stop with Schmitty and a bunch of kids were telling me different stories. One of the boys, about 8 yrs old, was telling me a story and was talking about his brother falling out of a window few years ago. He said, "We were leaning on... those window bug catching things..." I thought it was funny because there aren't screens here in Europe so the boy had forgotten the word.

done deal

Last night we had the contract negotiations and Schmitty's allowance is going up from $1 to $3.50 but he has to clean the bathrooms, not just the sinks. We'll see how it goes. I thought it was going to by Yago and me against Schmitty but in an unexpected turn in events Yago decided to represent his "client." With 20 bonus points Schmitty can choose a family activity we do together. He gets 5 reminders a week, after that he loses his allowance. Again, we'll see how it goes.

I found a house online yesterday that I liked and was excited to show Yago. When I told him how much I liked it he said, "Let's buy it," without even looking at the pictures. That's how much he hates uncertainty. He's dreading moving and not knowing where we're going to live. He doesn't like change. At all. It's funny.

I'm going to take Ralphie out for a walk to the park or something. I'm going a little stir crazy.

Tonight is my last German class, that'll be one less thing on the dreaded Wednesday schedule. Day after tomorrow we go to Interlaken. I want lots of fondue and swiss cheese.

oopsie

I'm thinking it's not non-alcoholic. I'll let you know for sure after another, but I'm pretty sure there's something in there. I can't wait til Yago comes home and verifies...

scheisse

I think I accidentally bought alcohol-free German beer. Why would they even make that? I lugged a whole case to the car with the midget only to get home and see a flyer stuck to it that says alcohol-free. Actually, alkoholfrei. scheisse.

contract negotiations

Tonight we're entering in to contract negotiations with Schmitty over his allowance. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. I know Yago will counter everything and it'll be amusing to watch.

I'm really tired again today, I got up to pee last night and couldn't get back to sleep.

I should be making lists of things to do but I haven't, that means I won't get what I want done. I'll be running around without direction or focus but I've been goofing around on the Internet and now I don't have time. I need to get to the gym before all the ladies show up and hog the treadmills. I'm the only treadmill hog I like.

I'm looking forward to househunting. I have a whole list of wants but I'm most excited at the prospect of having a place to put my treadmill and weight bench so I don't have to go to the gym anymore. I want a big open kitchen so I can cook dinner while interacting with Schmitty and keeping an eye on Ralphie. Schmitty wants to share a room with Ralphie and even though I don't expect it to last it makes me happy that he wants to now. I envision a bedroom from the Pottery Barn Kids catalog that isn't realistic but I enjoy thinking about it anyway. I can't wait to have closets and a garage for storage, maybe even a mudroom. I'd like to have a clothesline too. Maybe we'll live near a bicycle trail, that'd be great. So many possibilities.

I'll miss Alpine winter getaways, for sure, and I'll miss all the flowers EVERYWHERE.

The grumpy baby is up so I'd better get ready to head to the gym.

Fancy Boots

I forgot about this story yesterday, it's a good one!

Sam came home from school and showed me his papers, as he always does. He proudly pulled out a cowboy boot he'd drawn, colored and cut out in art class. He'd drawn flames coming off of it and everything. He handed it to me and went through every detail he worked so hard on. He pointed and told me he even made a sperm. "Sperm?" I asked. Then I realized he was pointing at the spur! I had a mighty good laugh.

I asked if he knew what sperm was and he said no but he'd heard of it.

I ran errands all darned day but don't feel like I got anything accomplished for efforts. I went to get recycling bags but now you have to get them at City Hall and it closes at 1200 on Fridays. It was 1237.

I went to a art and craft store to get a neighborhood friend of Schmitty's a birthday present, her party is tomorrow. The craft store is closed on Fridays, and so on.

winding down

So it seems the busy spring is winding down. Scouts meetings are over, the last CCD class is Sunday and only two more weeks of German class. Of course June begins the swim lessons everyday at 5:30 for two weeks and we'll still have piano and baseball.

Ralphie woke up last night hollering, I brought him downstairs and discovered some awful diaper rash that was very painful. I felt really bad for the guy, he had a toxic poo.

I'm trying to book a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland, over Memorial Day weekend but the agency is having trouble booking the hotel for some reason. I should know today if the booking went through.

I've been trying to read about how to entertain Ralphie. I know he's learning and his mind is a sponge but I don't really know how I should be stimulating him. Frankly, I think we're both often bored with my lack of creativity. I'm trying to read and get ideas. Doesn't seem like it's something a person should have to research...

I'm trying to get a Reserve slot at Offutt but they're losing a lot of theirs and the ones they have are full with a line of people waiting. It doesn't look promising though, we'll see.

realization

I used to think it was a fluke but I think I've finally come to the realization it's true. It's the way it is, not just an accident or luck. Yagopuchae is a better housewife than I am.

When I go to class and come home a few hours later the house is tidy (kitchen clean, floors swept and mopped), the kids are clean in bed and he's outside reading a book while sipping iced tea he made. I haven't even mentioned he took the boys to a field to practice baseball with Schmitty while I was out. I get 10 hours a day to try to accomplish such things and it never happens.

It's a little disappointing, yet comforting. Maybe I can work in some more BonBon time after all... He can certainly pick up the slack.

Happiest Mother's Day

Sunday was a perfect Mother's Day. I got up in the morning and made sausage, eggs and toast for breakfast then dashed upstairs to get ready for CCD and church. When I came home Yagopuchae had done all the dishes, gone shopping, cleaned the house and packed a picnic lunch for us. Schmitty and I changed our clothes, then headed through the woods to a big city park for our picnic. Yago even remembered to bring a bottle of wine. He stopped at a bakery on the way and bought fresh brotchen. We dined at the park and Schmitty rode his bike and played. It was perfect picnic weather and relaxing. We sat and watched other families play soccer and badminton while Ralphie wandered around in his diaper. I don't think it could have been any better.

Ralphie's in the foreground and Schmitty is in the background.

keep some things to yourself

Last night we grilled and ate outside because it was sunny and beautiful. I was preparing dinner and the grill while Yago and Schmitty practiced his baseball swing. We grilled green beans, eggplant, zucchini, and ribeyes. I also made potato salad and a tossed salad, lots of veggies. Mmmm. Then we had some family reading time before bed.

Yesterday I also got a card from one of the women at church. Her son and Schmitty are in the same CCD class. She sent me a Mother's Day card about what a great friend I am and how I'm always there for her. The thing is, we're not really great friends. She's the one I've mentioned before about how I feel like she's always sizing me up. It's weird. We're both moving in about a month and a half, and we won't keep in touch. I can't really explain the oddness of getting this card from her without sounding like an insensitive jerk and maybe I am.

And Cher? Put some clothes on, you're 61 for god's sake.

that girl

I was that girl yesterday at the gym. I got on the treadmill and suddenly the place started filling up. People were waiting for one of the two treadmills and a lady asked me how much longer I had. I fibbed a little and said 20 mins but really I had about 28 mins left with the cool down. I know she was mad waiting on me and I should have cut it short but I didn't. I rationalized thinking about what an ill-behaved brat her kid was. He was climbing and jumping all over the place and she never chastised him. I was ready to get off the treadmill and walk over there and yell at him myself.

Today Schmitty got suspended from school for fighting. A first grader was picking at him and Schmitty chased him down and hit him. Not the best way to handle it but these days I guess you can't get away with a fight on the playground.

Maybe my parenting skills aren't the best either.

his favorite san francisco treat

Have I mentioned how much Ralphie likes rice?

The End

Yesterday Schmitty's class had a little presentation of Three Billy Goats Gruff, it was really cute. Sam played a cowbell and then had a narrating part at the end. And? If you can believe it, Ralphie behaved. Maybe the first time ever, he behaved when I wanted him to.

Yago and I are trying to figure out what we want to do for Schmitty's going away. We want to have a get together for his friends but we don't want a zoo. We want them to have fun but we want to do something at the house. I was thinking back to the park picnics we used to have and trying to come up with some ideas. Those were always a blast but our yard is quite small. There are kids from school, scouts and the neighborhood but we'd prefer it to be intimate. Add to that we'll be preparing to MOVE and it gets a little complicated. We'll get it figured out and organized eventually...