Bobcat Stench

One thing we learned at the zoo is what bobcats smell like, kind of like a skunk but worse. We used to smell it when we'd sit in the hot tub right after we moved in but then we figured all the construction and people drove them away because it stopped. Well, now that it's nice enough to keep the windows open at night I can smell it tonight and I think the bobcat is running circles around my yard. The neighborhood dog seems to agree with me. At least the guests are gone and don't have to experience this. Bobcat mace?

(calm down animal rights people, I am kidding about the mace. I'll stick with the gun, haha)

Nervous at the Zoo

Yes, poor Katie and Mark were dragged to the zoo again this visit with promises of seeing a baby chimpanzee (she was hiding). Kind of limited in the tourist attraction department here so I bet now that they've done everything twice they will start suggesting we meet on vacations instead. Anyway, the past few times we have gone recently the animals have been really a bit too close for comfort. When Patrick saw the tigers only a few feet away from him he instinctively knew that wasn't right and demanded that Sean get him out of the stroller and hold him-- and then refused to be put down the rest of the trip, was literally clinging to Sean on what was a rather hot day I should add. Well, this last time the cheetah was up close but was purring like a nice tame kitten, but no doubt still plotting to eat us. After hearing so many "zoo gone wild" stories this past year I am on guard the whole time, plus it didn't help that safety inspector Mark was suspicious that some of the fences weren't high enough. Needless to say, the zoo is no longer a relaxing family activity for this paranoid mom. Do they have cheetah mace?

Silhouette

I mean seriously, he's like a dog with his tongue sticking out all the time. Check out that shadow!

Brave Travelers

We don't get many visitors in these parts, so we're grateful when people brave the long series of flights and drives to make it here. The girls had a great time bossing Aunt Katie and Uncle Mark around. We do hope to go see them next in their new house near West Point, New York. Katie made the mistake of promising Anna a trip to the American Girl Doll store in NYC. Trust me, she will never forget that promise, Fairy Godmother!

Butterfly Hunter

Anna is obsessed with bugs of all sorts and butterflies in particular so today when we took Megan to go bowling at K-State, we walked Anna and Patrick around campus and found tons of butterflies. I actually had it together enough to throw the butterfly net in the van so she was living her dream. At one point we looked up and realized we were rather close to some big house on campus, perhaps trespassing? And then later I figured out that we were on yes, Butterfly Lane.

Is there a Toad Street because that is her other obsession.... Aunt Katie found one for her in our yard but it had apparently had an unfortunate run in with Gavin, the lawn boy. Didn't realize until she picked it up, nasty. No photos, sorry.

Not letting me upload photos

I don't have that many great photos from the weekend yet, but it's still rather annoying that I can't post them, blogger. Anyway, we are enjoying having some rare guests to Kansas. We started off by going to the Konza Prairie so they could see grass taller than in the empty lot next to my house. I had only been there once before for a brief photo shoot and hadn't gone on the trails, so didn't realize how narrow the bridges are, i.e. can't take the stroller across them. We didn't make it that far carrying Patrick but Anna did manage to chase every moth and butterfly possible, finds the energy for that but then begs to be carried up the hill by Uncle Mark. She also snuck a moth into the van and released it while I was driving, nice.

We decided it was too hot to do much after that, besides have lunch at Coco-Bolos. High 80s is great in July, but in September it is miserable. We had the sitter come on Friday night this week so we took Katie and Mark to Harry's where a number of fools had brought their small children. We were thankful that we did not.

Saturday we continued the "live like a Kansan" theme and Sean took Katie and Mark to the K-State game. No sitter to be found so I stayed home with the kids and got to enjoy the ND game without angry fan. I gather it was a toasty game so I think I made a wise decision. The girls also had a party at the much improved after the tornado, Gymnastics Plus. Might I add that a lot of houses are looking better the second time around too. Of course we had to give Katie and Mark the tornado tour, I mean, it IS Kansas.

Not sure what we are doing for the Kansas finale today, I feel like perhaps we have done it all. Sean is requesting to watch the Bills game with Mark as by some weird alignment of the stars, they are both die hard fans. Who knew there were two of them still? And to marry sisters from Michigan, that is quite the coincidence. Looks like the girls are going to go bowling at K-State as Megan has another party today and we hope to just grab a nearby lane and hang out. We'll see how it compares to Wii bowling... Well, this has been a really lame post, sorry. Patrick is up really early these days so I am dragging.

Bye bye, feathered hair

I never did manage to download the close up that Caroline and Andy got of old feathered haired Jimmy but apparently he does read my blog and took the hint. Now if only the offense will take the hint from Sean and actually score some points today...

Feeling My Age

I was really dragging on Tuesday, just exhausted and had a bad headache. My usual iced tea fix didn't even help and I ended up going to bed really early. So when I didn't feel much better yesterday I was about to rack it up to getting old and too many years of no sleep. Then it occurred to me that the tea I used to make iced tea was unmarked and I had forgotten it was DECAF from my "trying to be good about caffeine while pregnant" phase. I watered the plants with the rest of that batch and made myself a nice high energy pitcher of the good stuff, all better.

Now I was thinking that was a pretty bad mistake until I got an email from someone who was about to start an important meeting with the big big boss downtown.... when she realized she put her thong on backwards. She assured me it wasn't the string kind, but it was uncomfortable to say the least. Sitting nice and tall through that meeting I bet! Oh man, I even have a photo I can post with this! Hmm, I will have to do some photoshopping to make sure her face isn't showing so you can see the thong over her pants at Christmas..

You say it's your birthday!

It's my birthday too! It's also the day that Lindsay Lohan casually admitted that she is dating a woman. I'm sorry, but that woman looks like a boy so I don't think that makes her a lesbian. I think it gives hope to 15 year old boys everywhere, don't take down those Herbie Fully Loaded posters just yet, you're just her type....

But back to me and the boring 30s birthdays.... got to take the baby for his shots today, then decided to shirk all responsibilities and skip some parent meeting and then showed up at the end of the HOA landscaping meeting and missed it all. Now that was a mistake because apparently everyone else is too polite to insult the developer's taste in signage. Do I need to post a photo of that piece of ugliness so you can feel my pain? Let me just say that it rivals the water tower, yeah, making a great first impression. Not that we ever have guests to impress. Shoot, all you long distance friends know the truth now! I mean, we live in this awesome neighborhood with polo fields, a gatehouse with security staffing 24/7, resort style pools.... and a water tower. Hmm, we could pretend that all those empty lots are polo fields.... I'm sure the builders would love to unload them.

And in other news, we just figured out that Friday Night Lights is only shown on Directv. What the heck?? Directv has been begging us back for months now and we have held our grudge about them lying to us about getting the networks in HD, so I think this is their revenge on us. I guess you always lose some friends in a breakup, but I never thought Riggins and Matty would go with Directv. Where's the love, boys? We watched you LIVE, do you know what that means?? We NEVER watch live TV, unless it is something very special (like Jude Law interviews or ND football). I don't know what we're going to do but at least it is easy to spot the Directv houses and then casually stop by at 9pm on Wednesday nights.... hello Nancy, I have some pretty wine for you... oh why hello, Coach Taylor!

Did I Save a Tree?

Why yes, we only take in our recycling when we have guests coming to stay with us and as you can tell, it's been a long time since our last ones. I actually used my sitter time today to take this in, much to the amusement of some old guy at the recycling center who could not believe how much I jammed in the van. I feel like we doubled the size of the garage now that it's gone, so maybe Sean didn't have to get such a tiny car. I did find 2 small (eek!) roaches in one of the boxes so I need to come up with a new plan because clearly that is not acceptable. Anna suggested that I just throw all the recycling in the trash. Hmm, do you think someone doesn't quite understand the concept?

No need to buy toys

Why bother with toys when you can play with home decor?! Oh sure, there is a tiny bear on top of every pillow in the house (and perhaps some from Palmgren's? that looks like more pillows than I own), but truly, the kids enjoy playing with stuff like this most of all. Anyone who has seen my built-in bookcases in the basement has no doubt thought to themselves, "why, it appears that Julie just threw that junk up there, makes no sense at all". Well, you are right, I DID just throw it up there, about 3 minutes before guests walked through the door. I have to scavenge the house to find where the girls have stashed it all and then I just start shoving it wherever I can the fastest. Katie and Mark arrive late Thursday night and that is my favorite time to have guests arrive... hours after the kids have gone to bed so I can properly assemble the house before it is destroyed yet again....

Baby Jungle Gym

Why go to the park when I can let the boy play under the table while I do email?

Typical Post Game Thought

Why am I not wearing pants in public??

Julia has no choice but to sit next to her embarrassing cousin who was caught in the rain storm...

American Overpriced Girl Doll Madness

Not sure why we found time to stop here before flying home but the girls were in heaven. Another dad commented to Sean that even the air seemed to be costing him money there.

Waiting for Daddy to get back from the game...

With some of the purchases from the bookstore to surprise him. Check out that kicker!

Best Restaurant for Kids

Yes, they had ride on toys for the kids to use out on the big patio overlooking the river near Lake Michigan. Most peaceful meal with 3 kids in a long time.

Everybody Naps

Even the random man next to them...

What's the message here, Patrick?

Just recovering from a little blood draw last week...

This would save us a ton of money...

I am afraid to calculate just how much it would save us if the kids went to K-State instead of ND. Sorry Domers, but you should see this Aggieville place they have, I think the kids would have way more fun here. And Sean and I could have way more fun spending the excess cash... We are training Patrick to be the kicker on the football team though, since that is traditionally a very weak position for ND, so he may have to go there to keep the fans happy. Uncle Andy, the Godfather, still needs to write up that training program though since he was Georgetown's kicker. Patrick may have to spend summers at his house training...

Too Cute

No, I do not buy baby animal calendars, but when there happens to be a baby at the local zoo I just have to take the kids to see it. This baby chimpanzee was born September 10th and is still so teeny. We tried to go last night so Megan could see her but they were already in the back eating dinner, so I took this photo for her today.

Skipping the Game

After everyone abandoned us to go to the game, Caroline and I took Patrick to the bookstore which was blissfully empty. We watched the parachuters jump just before the game and then had a drink at the cafe for a few minutes. Then we went in to shop and the score was already 21-0 I think. We were rather confused but that explained all the cheering we had been hearing. I actually could have enjoyed this game with Sean since it wasn't as stressful as it usually is. I have yet to use a single one of our tickets but he had a really good time watching a game with his Dad, which he had never done before. Andy sat with Ryan (for the unity of our family it was deemed best if Sean and Ryan did not sit together) and they enjoyed some faculty seats, 8th row in the end zone. Andy got some great shots that he needs to send to me too... Yes, the whole family is getting into the photography hobby.

National Media Arrive at ND

I caught this well respected major news team reporting just before the game. As you can see, they were thrilled I was taking pictures of them. I assured them that I too work for a national news service; I'm with the Manhattan team.

Campus Shots, Random

Okay, let the record show that not all the candles at the Grotto were lit, so when we get blown away by Purdue in 2 weeks and NBC tries to show you that they were all lit for the Michigan game and then none were lit for the Purdue game, they are lying. They think that is good TV. Now, men in skirts and weird reflective photos, those are good entertainment.

I have been promised the photo of Jimmy with his pre-game hair that Andy and Caroline took and will post that as soon as they send it to me. Of course I will be blowing it up to poster size too for my bedroom.

At Least Ryan Didn't Have A Long Ride Home

Trust me, I thought we would be the ones regretting the trip out there. How we pulled it off, I have no idea since I was at the bookstore and haven't had time to watch the tivo'ed game at home yet. Was just nice to be on campus and see a few friends. Had a great time at the beach house with Sean's family and the girls are still furious that we made them come home and go back to school. Next time we go we will not be flying since it barely saved us any time. I will post more photos later, here is one of the family divided right before the game.

The Where Were You Day

I was big and pregnant with Megan, living in El Paso while Sean did his internship. My Mom called to wake me up and told me to turn on the TV, even then I didn't bother with daytime TV. Everyone knows the horror of that day, I was trying to reach friends who lived there. Days later I found out that a friend from college lost her husband. He worked on an upper floor of the 2nd tower and was told to stay at his desk as the market was about to open. He just talked with his father-in-law who was outside the towers having a break when the 1st plane hit. He had survived the WTC bombing a few years prior and was lucky to walk away from this one too. So my friend knew without a doubt that her husband was in his office when the 2nd plane hit below him. She used to work there also, so she lost many friends that day. She finished law school and has remarried but I can't imagine how she gets through every anniversary with all the coverage.

Must be hard to focus on the good memories when footage of the actual event is shown over and over and over. Anna saw some of the coverage today at the hospital for Patrick's dr appt, had to answer her questions vaguely. I will be curious to find out if anything was said during Megan's class today. Not sure when they deem it appropriate to discuss. Hard for adults to understand, let alone children. Well, children in this country at least. Of course other countries deal with mass tragedies far too often.

And thus concludes Debbie Downer 9/11.

Awesome Day in Army

So as Sean is walking to lunch today he reaches into his pocket to make sure he has his wallet and a real Army guy (an NCO for those who know what that means) walks by and reprimands him for having his hand in his pocket while in uniform. ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME???? Well, at least he didn't get an official written reprimand like his friend did for not walking one step behind and to the left of his department chief on the way out to their cars in the parking lot. This guy is the most respectful rule follower ever so to hear this was even a shock to him. When he said, "are you serious, ma'am?" she said, "that will be another one." Awesome.

So add that to the list of reasons to flee Army at the first possible moment. The level of disrespect towards the doctors as compared to how it works in a real hospital is a whole other blog. Next month is bonus month so that means for one month of the year they get paid like a civilian. Yeah, a small taste of the other reason to get out.... oh wait, let's not forget the vacation to Iraq. If anyone but my immediate family read this I might be concerned that Army might play the Iraq card sooner rather than later to punish Sean...

Jayhawk?

We were trying to think of someplace to go out for Patrick's birthday dinner (like he cares) and couldn't come up with anyplace until Anna suggested Jayhawks. Took us a while to figure out she meant Red Robin which is in Topeka so obviously we didn't go there. Instead we stayed home and I tried not to think of the endless number of restaurants I wish we could go to in San Antonio... oh, we are saving money living here. Well, until we start buying plane tickets. Sounds like a babysitter is in the works though so we can at least start going out to the nicer places here, the ones we can't take children to...

A Whole Year

I know, I know, everyone says that first year flies by. Well, not me. I think it has been 2 years based on how often he wakes me up at night. Good thing he is a super sweet boy during the day. The girls adore him too and he is frequently the only one that Anna declares she likes. The rest of us are in her dog house. He just took one teeny tiny first step after weeks of standing on his own, but then I knocked him down because Sean wants to be here for it. That annoying day job sure gets in the way, thanks Army. Patrick will be Megan's age when that finally ends. I wonder if he will be as sassy as her? No, not my little guy!

Happy Birthday Patrick!

Many thanks to Jen Palmgren Photography, Design, and House Sitting.

Lesbian Lifestyle for Sale

You know how everyone says they wish they lived in the Pottery Barn catalog, that stylish serene place with no clutter and no shoes on the floor? Well, Athleta is selling the carefree women-only life in their catalog. Lots of travel, yoga, biking and eating-- sometimes all in the same vacation, "women's quest retreats". Not a child to be seen in this catalog, nor a "Coke can leaving around the house" man. Plenty of time to just lounge around, get your workout in, see the world, etc. I have joked with other moms of small children that lesbians have it made. I suspect that their mailing list is made up of people like me though, ordering clothes in hopes that it comes with time for a yoga class or at least a free nap card. The irony in all this is that the clothes are actually perfect for chasing small children and crawling on the floor with them. Maybe someday I can pack these outfits up and take them on vacation, but only for a few days because as maddening as children can be, for some reason I end up missing them.

At Long Last: The Dish Fairy!

Loyal readers know well of my desire for a Dish Fairy. I don't want a cleaning team who comes once a week, I want the Dish Fairy to show up at 7pm every night and put my disaster zone kitchen back together. It will take years for me to train the kids to do this correctly, I guess that would have been a perk to having a baby in high school, haha. Anyway, in the meantime, I will continue to invite Denis over for meals. I don't think he can ever sit still and he always has a project going on. I figure once he is done finishing construction on his basement he will be really antsy and getting in Nancy's hair.... maybe she can just send him over every night at 7pm! And yes, I am posting this right at 7pm. Totally procrastinating doing this dreaded chore. I did learn from Carrie from Fort Fun that she just throws every single thing in her dishwasher and if her good pots and pans get worn out a few years early, that's okay, it was worth it. Since I have pots and pans from my mom that are older than me, it is worth a shot.

Calling already?

It's been a mere 24 hours from that nearly disastrous football game and like a crackhead, ND is already calling for more money. Can I buy a win against Michigan? Then we can talk. Sean gives plenty for season tickets and it hasn't been that long since I finished paying off my student loans but the people calling for money don't like to hear my whole spiel. I think I will just tell them to call back if we beat Boston College. That will shut them up for years no doubt.

Worse than the 1st 3 Quarters

Okay, Jimmy, if you get lucky with the ladies (or men, your choice) tonight it is because of those stats, not that hair. See, this is the root of all bad fashion trends.... some misguided celeb (campus or otherwise) starts wearing ugly clothes or ugly hair (or fedora, I'm talking to you Brad) and they continue to get positive attention and thus give credit to said ugly feature, when in fact the attention is just from jock sniffers and celebrity hounds who are obviously idiots. Now, this snowballs when other people start to believe that ugly feature will also work for them and thus, everyone starts wearing trucker hats for example. I must stop this hairstyle in its tracks before it goes any further. I'm thinking a "Cut Your Hair, Jimmy" t-shirt? Don't even ask me what Sean's shirt will say, but it's a message for the "offense".

Lewis Chicks Rule

Son of a Lewis Chick, of course he loves 'em! I will never understand the sorority mentality since there is no Greek system at ND. We were "randomly" assigned a (single sex!) dorm freshman year and most people stay in the same one at least 3 years, some of us who wanted the easy life of no commute and no cooking (no dishes!) stayed 4 years. Met most of my best friends in the dorm and it just occurred to me that almost all of them are lawyers now, who are no doubt too busy to read blogs. Special shout out to Julie O and Nora who are chasing little ones 24/7 like me... I know they sometimes get time to check this.

Anyway, back to the random assignments, Monica informed me recently that there is some formula to it and Lewis Hall is known as the poor dorm, hence all the ROTC and dining hall workers. Yeah, JJ Philbin was in the cool historic dorm in a prime location, not in Lewis off by the infirmary in the glorious architectural style known as 1960s Nunnery. We could see the back of Mary on the Dome, so we were also known as Mary's Butt Quad. Hmm, I don't suppose the administration liked that nickname. Anyway, somehow Tom Cruise's cousin ended up in our dorm which I only bring up because I am still baffled that Chris Mullins did not try to date her, what with his obsession with Tom Cruise. And trust me, she looks just like Tom if he was wearing a big red wig. I will let you jump to your own conclusions there, no need to be cruel in this blog just in case she is one of the 12 people reading it.

Bizarro World

Anna started pre-K this week and she loves it so far. Megan on the other hand is at least not crying every morning before she leaves for school, so we are making progress. This is the opposite of last year, so it's feeling a bit like Bizarro World here. Also of note, Anna is wearing JEANS for the first time ever when it isn't required. Had to get a photo of course, continuing the paparazzi theme. Along that line, after seeing photos of friends' kids growing up over the years long distance, when I finally do meet their kids it's like meeting a celebrity. I am hoping to meet a few next week at the game!

Suri? Shiloh?

I had to wake Patrick up to take Anna to school today. Who wouldn't like to wake up to a big camera lens in your face? Yes, my poor children feel like the paparazzi are stalking them. You'd be amazed by how few decent shots I get. Next time we need a sitter for the weekend I am going to post all the photos where the kids look drunk. Surely someone will call CPS or whatever it is here in Kansas. Foster parents are cheaper than a sitter these days. Anyway, it seems Patrick was just chilling for nap time today...

Provincial

Thanks for the word of the day, Mom. We fear we are turning into that so I think we are headed to Topeka today. Yeah, that's not really going to help, haha! Once Megan finds out what we did while she was in school I think there will be another word of the day: furious. I better have a bribe on hand at 4:05 when she gets off the bus.