2007

Happy New Year!

Time to build an ARC...

It seems that we might need new drainage on the building... Indy, however loves the puddles, the rain and the flood.

Joy is such a wonderful thing.

Aw Mom...

This is what happens when you buy your teenage son boxers that say "Hands off my Booty" as a Christmas gift, then have him unwrap them in front of his grandparents!

We here at "the State of Indiana" would like to wish a happy holiday season to all of our friends and family, near and far.

Happy "whatever holiday you celebrate"!

We feel very fortunate to have made blog friends from many places, from many backgrounds, and of many religions.

Blowing in the wind...

Growing up, one of the things I wanted was a dad who didn't suck. I struggled to find a father figure. I latched on to my friends fathers, teachers, any male role model I could find, but it wasn't the same. Having a great dad is something very special to any girl. In my life, I never qualified as daddy's little girl. I was so jealous of my friends who had these great fathers. Mel's dad is one of the best.
When I was sixteen my Mom and Donnie got back together. I didn't realize it then, in fact it took me 15 years to realize it, but I inherited a great father then. Sure, I have sent Donnie father's day cards for several years now, but I never thought of him as dad. The funny thing is, it was Donnie who walked me around the block to let me know when I was disrespectful to my mother and it was Donnie who made me paint the fence when I broke curfew. It was Donnie who sent me wedding gifts when I married. It was Donnie who came to the hospital when my sons were born. Donnie was being my dad all along. He did it so subtly, I didn't even notice. That is the mark of a truly good dad.

Thanks, dad. I love you!

Joy to the World...

Today I bought the last real gift, got it wrapped up and placed nicely under the tree. All that remains of the shopping nightmare for me is to purchase a few last stocking stuffers for Brother Duck, and the ham for dinner. I never thought the end would come into sight but it has and its Glorious!
This year, if our gift pile seems smaller, its because not all of the packages are here. Some few special ones are hidden in other locations... And I think we spent more this year than last. Go figure.

Fun and Frolic:

The last few days we have taken a break from the holiday madness and just had some family fun. Brother Duck was here, so we grabbed some neighbors and went to the school across the street to play basketball! Sure it's only 40 degrees outside (Fahrenheit) but when a body gets moving it warms up nicely.

There is a new play structure out on the playground, just Indiana's size. So while everyone is playing basketball, one person watches Indy as he climbs up the stairs and slides down the slide, or picks up wood chips to toss into the air. Usually I try to be the one watching him, but lately Indy has preferred his brother's dad as play companion. Duck's dad is a great sport about it and will wander the playground as Indy leads.

I got to spend some time visiting blogs and friend's myspace pages. We watched a few movies (Talladega Night's was pretty funny). Spent some time hanging with friends, just trying to be supportive. Relaxation, time with friends and family, its key for me to get through the holiday season sane.

Santa's little helper!

Indiana is busy testing out all the toys in the workshop! With just 8 days until the great toy harvest, toy testing is a must.

Actually, Indy is raring to get into the multitude of brightly wrapped packages under the tree. One of the great things about this age is that Indiana doesn't mind clothes as gifts. I got lazy this year. Instead of wrapping all of his clothes individually, I piled them all in a large gift bag and sealed 'em up. It wont really matter, I suppose, what we may have purchased for Indy. When he opens his gift from Brother Duck, Indy wont even SEE the rest of his gifts! He will be opening that gift last!

And then there were 4:

Growing up there were four.
One sits writhing this now.
One moved on to far places; had grand adventures.
One disappeared into the mists; glimpsed occasionally, but unknown.
One stayed near and true, hurting now.

My friends.

I await impatiently the impending visit of our intrepid explorer.

I dream of another glimpse of the "lost one".

I stand here, arms open to the one in pain.

The years have passed us by. Life has taken us each on our own twisting and turning paths. We have fought our demons, together and alone. All of us so very different, but with memories the same. Friendships so valuable to me that at times in my life I would have cheerfully laid down my very life for them all.

John, you gave me strength and courage. You gave me wings.
I didn't always know what to do with those gifts.
Teresa, you gave me grounding. You gave me a sense of right and wrong.
I often went the wrong path, and took you along with me.
Melody, you gave me you. You gave of your wit and charm and family.
I love you for that.

Confidential: Mel, stay strong. You have it in you to start again. You can do it. I believe in you. When it gets hard, I am here. When it gets harder, I have a bottle I am willing to share.

Brother Duck

This is Brother Duck and i cant wait so i have to spoil it I found a TMX ELMO at walmart.com so that is Indianas present from brother duck


EXTREME TICKLE ME ELMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hooray for the US Postal Service!

I am so excited! All of our Christmas Cards that need to be mailed are now in the hands of the Post Office! It took 2 days to get all the pictures ready and envelopes addressed, but it is a labor of love. I feel a little bad that this year; I didn't write as much as I normally do, but they are out there!
Duck boy visited yesterday and helped get the tree up. This morning I finished with the ornaments and lights, and after I write this I will start popping the corn and stringing it. Every year my popcorn strings get a little pinked by my own blood, as I prick my fingers with the needle. However, I never lose enough blood to be incapable of finishing the chore. I am not sure if that's a good thing or not.
Most of the gifts are purchased and wrapped... The packages to be shipped to distant family have all been wrapped and await just a nice sturdy box. Just a few last purchases for us to finish the gift purchasing in our budget. I am not one of those people that goes into debt for gifts. We budget a certain amount of money that we can reasonably afford, and start saving in September. When the money runs out, that's it. I have enough left to do some nice things for the family, so that's good.
All in all an excellent day.
Pictures of the tree forthcoming...

Holidays are Busy days!

I love that there are so many family friendly activities this time of year. Instead of being trapped in our homes by the wet and cold, we brave Oregonians head "en masse" to event likes the Metro Washington Park "Oregon Zoo" Zoo Lights Festival (the name of the zoo was changed to Oregon Zoo from MWPZ a few years ago because folks were confused... The zoo is in Washington County in Oregon, but due to our proximity to Washington State, well ..... You understand the problem).

Yesterday, we bundled up and headed for the zoo. We spent the entire day wandering the grounds of the zoo, then the lights came on! We went on a steam train ride looping around the zoo and were dazzled by the more than 1/2 million lights brightening the zoo. Indiana had a BLAST. He hollered "lights" every ten seconds, with the occasional "pretty lights" thrown in, to keep us guessing.

Crater Lake

Back at the end of August, Duck boy and his dad went to Crater Lake.
Crater Lake is located in Southern Oregon on the crest of the Cascade Mountain range, 100 miles (160 km) east of the Pacific Ocean. It lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, created when the 12,000 foot (3,660 meter) high Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a large eruption.
Generous amounts of winter snow, averaging 533 inches (1,354 cm) per year, supply the lake with water. There are no inlets or outlets to the lake. Crater Lake, at 1,943 feet (592 meters) deep, is the seventh deepest lake in the world and the deepest in the United States. Evaporation and seepage prevent the lake from becoming any deeper. (information taken from http://www.nps.gov/crla/)
It is a beautiful, serene place to visit; one of Oregon's most amazing bits of scenery, in a state full of wondrous vistas. There are all kinds of wandering wildlife, a nice lodge, and some great trails (walking, hiking, and driving) to explore during the summer months. Crater Lake is even featured on the Oregon state quarter.

Furniture and Trees...

I don't know if I just like to confuse my child, or if I really am psychotic about this, but I change my furniture location about once per month. I really like it like this... Indiana is looking towards the telly and tower, watching Sesame Street (you obviously cant see the telly in the picture).
I also moved the piano and wicker linen basket in the dining room to accommodate the Christmas Tree. Indy has just been wandering around our place lost. We will be "putting up" our tree on Monday night. Pictures will be forthcoming.

Speaking of our tree... We have some wonderful Hispanics who live in our building (10 out of the 37 units here have Hispanics in them). Many of them are going home to Mexico for the holidays when the Christmas Tree farms they are currently working at lay off for the season. One of the fellows (Juan) brought a tree home and gave to us! He smiled and said "Feliz Navidad, Indiana"! Indy has ingratiated himself with all of the neighbors, English and Spanish speaking alike. The boy is living proof that racism isn't inborn, its taught. We are teaching him that everyone deserves a smile and a hand shake and that being nice to all people will bring him much more success and many more rewards in life than racism and bigotry.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

My mom is so talented with her photo editing programs. I sent her several pictures of my two very handsome boys and in return she sent me these. We will be sending the above picture with our Christmas cards. The lower photo we are using as our desktop wallpaper for the holidays! It makes a perfect background. Thanks, mom! (I seem to be saying that a lot lately)

On the go with Grandma!

My mom (Indy's grandma) came by yesterday and took us out Holiday Shopping. Indy was raring to go! He climbed right into her car and made it clear he wanted to ride in the front!After wrestling him into the back seat, we were off to the shops. At the local department store Indy decided to have a tantrum. My mom took his hand, hauled him out of the store and explained to him that "Bad boys stay in the car; good boys get to go in the store".After spending some time sitting in the car he was ready to behave. His grandma brought him back in to the store, where I had run into an old friend and was chatting. He was an angel for the rest of our excursion, through several other stores. It was a miracle!When we returned home, Indy entertained everyone, throwing leaves (one at a time) and chasing his shadow. There was a mild wind blowing, so every time Indiana threw a leaf forward the wind would catch it and blow it back to land on the ground behind him. He spent several minutes trying to throw this same leaf. Indy and I had an excellent day and hope to spend many more days hanging out with my mom. I had such wonderful grandparents in my Grandpa and Grandma McGarry, it is heart warming for me to see my own mother carrying on with Indy.

Thank you, mom, for inviting us!

pre-emption:

Today's post was going to be a nice set about Indiana and I go shopping with my mother yesterday, complete with photos. Instead ya'll get to see this:

Indiana loves his daddy. Our apartment complex has a rule about quiet hours. Thus hours are 10pm to 8am (however the old leases say 10pm to 7 am). Indiana's daddy headed out to work today at 8am. When he left Indy and I were upstairs chatting with Sue (she was giving me cough drops because I seem to have developed a nasty cold). Indiana cried when daddy left. He wanted to go, too. Indiana is not quite 20 months old. Our brand new neighbor, who's children bicker, scream, and fight came outside. The background on this neighbor is that at 6pm two nights ago, the neighbor came out and told the on site manager to quiet down. Three days ago her son tried to pick a fist fight with the little 7 year old Mexican boy from downstairs (he's 11). Last night at 1130 pm her son threw their garbage down the stairs (envision metal cans clanking down the metal steps near our windows). She explained to me that I need to be quiet, she sleeps until noon and doesn't want to hear my kid cry and she will be calling the home office to complain about me. At which point she stormed into her apartment and slammed the door so hard the windows rattled in her apartment and the one next door to it. This woman has come down and borrowed cigarettes that she hasn't paid back. She has been caught digging through the ashtrays in front of my home and the other neighbors' homes. She has lived here since the day after thanksgiving and has not sent her children to school, not even once.
I admit that Indiana should not be waking up neighbors. However, it was the first time he has bothered her. To my knowledge. It was not during the quiet hours (it was after 8am). It is not my fault she sleeps on her sofa directly in front of the window.
Now, what!?! Does she expect her 11 and 14 children to be neighborhood nuisances yet my toddler isn't allowed to cry when daddy leaves him?
frustration.

Christmas Story-book Land:

Every year our town plays host to a fun "Christmas Story-book Land", which is just right for children and families. It is hosted at the fairgrounds. We always go a couple of times each year. Last night, we took a couple friends with us and headed off to the fairgrounds.
One of the displays really resonated with Indiana! In fact, Indy had just gotten his brand new "Sesame Street" tennis shoes an hour before he saw the display. I did notice, no Elmo on this street... Anyways, Indy kept chanting "Cookie" and jumping around and squealing with joy. He had to be bodily moved on to the next exhibit.
More pictures of visiting the displays and our first "Santa-visit" of the season coming up!

Play Date!

Indy has a new girlfriend. Her name is Mayo and she came to play with us for a while today.
Her grandmother lives upstairs, but we have the best toys, so she came down to our place. They had a great time watching movies and playing with every toy Indy owns. I don't think she is used to have so many toys to chose from! After they tired out from playing with all the toys they both settled into Indiana's recliner to read books. Indy loves books, and Mayo can't wait to learn to actually read all those words. Literacy is such an important part of growing, it does my heart good to see that these two seem well on their way to learning the skills it takes to read and write. They are also learning the social skills to get along and play well together.

What a fun day.

positive changes

Sometimes, Indiana just doesn't provide much material to write about. He grows and changes everyday, says new words, trys new things, gets into stuff... Standard toddler stuff. It is all exciting and wonderful, but not necessarily the most interesting writing. Thus, today's post is again not about Indy. Instead it's about some wonderful things that have been happening for me lately:

Most folks realize that I can be a bit of a snob about things. I figured I would never jump on the "Myspace" bandwagon because it seemed rather silly to me. I love my blog and blogging seems like such a more versatile way of conversing with the world at large. However, my beloved Duck has a myspace page and I had to see it (and get involved in it) because I'm his mom and I like to be involved. So, I made a page (if you want to see it, there's a link on the sidebar), and he helped me figure out how to do fun things with it. In the process of discovering myspace, I found some great old friends who I have been able to reconnect with. Some are far away, some are very nearby, but all are wonderful re-additions to my life. I feel so blessed with my small circle of friends; however there is always room for old faces, rediscovered. Welcome back, I look forward to getting to know you all, all over again.

Update on "meme":
A few folks have participated in the "high school era photograph meme". Faira, over at Daffodils and Dragons put up some fun ones.
Bart, from Daze of our lives contributed this juicy one.

There are a few more I am waiting to see come in... Stay tuned!

Cut, Crop, Chop...

I am very self aware of my appearance. I was something of an ugly duckling when I was young, always struggling with self esteem issues and in the shadow of a "Pioneer Picnic Queen" sister. When I came into my own, during my twenties I wore a size 6 pant, bleached my hair into light shades of red and dark shades of blond, wore flashy jewelry, drank heavily and was admired my many a fellow. Then the unthinkable happened. I got FAT. I don't mean I put on a few pounds. I don't even mean I put on twenty pounds. I couldn't fit one BUTT CHECK into my old jeans now, even if I greased up and used a shoe horn. One thing I had never been in my life was a fat girl... It was hard enough being less than a beauty in an era when beauty was all that mattered, when substance (a mind, opinions, and a personality) was less than nothing, but to have been fat also... A fate worse than death. So, now I am a rapidly aging, mostly unattractive, fat woman. Thank Gawd I am married to a guy who is not only blind without his glasses, but blinded by love. So, I cut myself out of the picture above before posting, and I continue to exercise... And I work on accepting my changed reality, everyday.

Bravery comes in many forms:

My buddy John was brave enough to post a high school picture of himself in a Toga. It is worth the time to look at it, the giggle will do you good.

I am not nearly as brave, so although this is a picture of me from high school, its a good one... This was taken when I was 12 years old (Freshman year of High School). You can tell from the turned up collar that it was the 1980s and I thought I was cool. The giant fish is a long dead fellow who happened to be climbing the Bonneville fish ladder.If YOU are brave enough to post a high school picture of yourself, leave me a comment and I will be sure to come visit!

Informative:

Indiana is practicing his "Elvis sneer". Indy makes some of the strangest faces. I wish I could capture all of them on camera. Unfortunately, when Indy sees the camera he usually stops whatever he is doing to "pose" with a grin.
Indiana is developing so quickly now. His vocabulary increases everyday. Often we don't even comment on new words now, as there are so many of them coming so fast, it would be all we talked about if we mentioned each word.
He is practicing following more and more complex instructions, with three or four steps. He can usually be induced to "go to your room and get the orange ball and bring it to mama" or to "climb on the wicker box and shut off the kitchen light switch, please" (there are two light switches in that spot, the kitchen and the dining room).
He is having some trouble adjusting to the cold and dark and wet of our pre-winter storms. I don't let him venture outside as often as before. Indy still gets in his quality time with Jack, running the balcony and feeding the birds.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

Here is my top ten list:

1) I have two wonderful sons who are healthy, happy, beautiful, boys.
2) I have a great husband who loves me very much.
3) I have wonderful parents; my mom and Donnie are fabulous, and I love them.
4) I have a very nice ex-husband.
5) My ex-husbands family are a wonderful group of people whom are all very special to me and treat Indiana with special kindness.
6) I have a nice home that is warm, dry, and safe.
7) I am blessed with a mother-in-law, who (although crazy) is one of the nicest, most well meaning people I know.
8) I have a small group of friends so close, they might as well be family.
9) I have digital cable television which includes the PBS kids Sprout channel that keeps Indiana busy.
10) I live in a neighborhood where all the neighbors are supportive of one another and look out for each other.

Cruising

In honor of Papa Harley's upcoming birthday, Indiana took to the road! Well, actually, the local Harley owner's club was holding a fund raiser. For a small fee, the club members would take your photo on a bike and frame it for you. Indy loved it and had to be removed forcibly from the motorcycle. The original framed photo will be on its way to Florida sometime this week.

Welcome to the world:

Our upstairs neighbor, Jennifer, brought her little bundle of humanity into the world this morning 11/20/2006 at 8:51 am. His name (according to sources close to the parents) is Darien Rian. He was just 6 lbs 9 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.

Darien, Welcome to the world. Welcome to the neighborhood. Welcome to the wonderful life you have ahead of you. We wish you and your mommy nothing but the very best. I know that Ox (the dog) will be waiting to greet you when you get home, and watch over you as you grow up. I hope you and Indiana will be fast friends.

pictures of the new baby forthcoming... stay tuned!

Saying Goodbye to Fall...

Most of the leaves have progressed through their startling shades and fallen. The chill in the air, the fog on the ground, tells us that Winter has arrived, although the solstice has not yet arrived. The snow level has dropped, the passes and icy and the valley floor is soaked from days of cold rain that seems to put a lie to the promise of the rainbow.
One of the bonuses of parenting is seeing everything through newly opened eyes. The wondrousness of the world comprehended for the first time. When I stop to think about how delightful the world around me is, it takes my breath away.

On a different note... I think we should purchase stock in Kraft. Indiana currently will consume 5-6 slices of Kraft American cheese at a sitting, followed a few hours later by half a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. He tolerates velveta shells and cheese, but he prefers the blue box. He shouts impatiently as it cooks. His favorite word seems to be CHEESE, spoken at 1950 decibels.

More confessions of a worrier...

I don't know what happened to the care-free, care-less woman I once was. Sometimes, like today, I miss her.
Normally, I hear from my husband everyday while he is at work. I tease him about calling home so often. Today, he didn't call. Today he was at work for eleven hours with no word. Today, I called his work. I never do that unless there is an emergency. I don't even know the name of the regular receptionist, I have so little contact with her. But, I was worried. I don't even know WHAT I was worried about. But, I was worried. I had to be sure he was at work and okay.
A long time ago I lived with a nice man named Tom. It wasn't a grand romantic passionate love, but it was a comfortable, happy life until one day he went on an overnight visit to Idaho and instead of him coming home the next morning, a police officer showed up at our door to let me know that Tom wouldn't be coming home, ever. He had been killed in Idaho. Maybe that is why I worry when Indiana's dad is late home from work. Maybe, when you love someone, you just worry; either way.

I'm in LOVE!

Today, Indiana assisted me with lunch. That's a nice way of saying he swiped the crackers that went with my soup and crunched them all over the carpet. Oh, and then danced on the crunched up bits. I did not yell. I smiled. No, I am NOT having a nervous breakdown. I got a brand new shiny purple Dyson Animal Vacuum Cleaner. I was excited to get to use it! Had I known how incredibly amazingly stupendously fabulous these things were, I would have started whining for one long ago!

So this is my testimonial: I keep a fairly tidy home. We live in it with a toddler, so it isn't immaculate, but it is comfortably clean. I was stunned upon using this new Dyson vacuum to discover that We are danged dirty pigs! I went over the carpet three times and the Dyson is still sucking nasty looking dirt out of the carpets. Oh and it leaves behind a nice smell... Not that nasty-just-vacuumed-dust-in-the-air yuck smell. There's some sort of air freshener built right into it. Man, it's cool!
I think I am going to go vacuum again.

Who knew that one day I would find the greatest things in life to be "Dyson's vacuum" and "Clorox's Anywhere Spray"!?!

Elmo mania hits home...

I grew up loving Sesame Street. When I was a little girl, my mom made sure that when I started school (at 5) I could count, I could say the alphabet, I could write and spell my name, tie my own shoes, and do several neat little tricks like that. So many kids don't know those things when they go into school.
So, the experts say that watching the telly is bad for kids. Sesame Street has already taught Indiana, at just 19 months to say his ABC's and 123's. He recognizes those three letters and those three numbers when he sees them written down. When you say "One" to him, he says "Two"! He has recently started "sharing" with his stuffed Elmo. He will take a bite of his food, then try to give a bite to Elmo. He doesn't just sit and stare, he gets up and dances and shouts. When he hears the opening bars "Sunny day, chasing the clouds away..." He will drop everything and come running! So, screw the experts, We love Elmo.

Ding Dong the Crib is Gone...

Indiana used to have one of those excellent cribs that converts from a little baby bed into a day bed style toddler bed. Today, that bed found a new home with our very pregnant neighbor and Indiana got his new "sesame street elmo toddler bed"... complete with new sheets, pillows, pillow cases and comforter. He loves it. In the store he hugged the box and shouted, "elmo, elmo, elmo". As his dad was putting it together he had to be in the middle of it all; once it was all set up, he climbed in and took a nap. So, I love it, too!
(you might have noticed how bare the wall behind his new bed looks in the picture... I recently had to move many of his posters from that wall. Anything he could reach he was pulling down to investigate.)

In other news... 5 days ago, I did the unthinkable. For the first time in ten years I got a haircut. My hair, which was down below my waist, now swings lightly across the top of my shoulders. We removed fully two feet of length from my hair.

Break in the Rain...

Boy, is it RAINING! Thankfully we aren't being hit as badly as some parts of the Pacific Northwest, but it is WET. Our local news station out of Portland, Oregon KPTV has the forecast. Nothing but more rain is on its way for the foreseeable future.

We took advantage of a momentary break in the rain to run out and take a few pictures. Indy just grows more and more and more everyday. We are all looking forward to his birthday (5 months away) when we take him out to visit his Florida relatives.

Veterans Day

Veteran' Day has always been a special day to me. Sure, when I was young the day off of school and the big parade in town was probably all I cared about.
Growing up changes a lot of things.
When I think of Veteran's now (not the day, but the group of people) the first image that springs to mind is my grandfathers tattoo. The anchor tattooed on his forearm in a far flung place called Iwo Jima was a lifelong reminder of his service to this country. I think of my dad, the one who raised me. He wasn't a very nice fellow, far from it, but he served his country in Vietnam with the United States Marine Corp. I think of my uncle Jim, who went to that same Asian nation, returning forever changed. I think of Duck's Grandfather, sitting in his bunker with that u-boat in his sights. There's my best friend's father, spending an entire career in service with the Army. My mom's brother Rick, keeping the Navy's F14's ship-shape at Miramar and in the Persian gulf. My grandfather's brother Tom, who's ship was shot out from underneath him, losing many of his friends in the unforgiving southern pacific sea. Many an ex boyfriend sailed the seas and hit the beaches in places most of us have never heard of. Indiana's dad, even, spent his time inside an M1A1.
So, Veteran's day is a celebration of all of those who have served or are serving our country, our community and our family in one branch of the service or another...

Remember, those Veteran's aren't nameless faceless folks. Those Veteran's who risked it all, some paying the ultimate price, those guys are your brothers, your sons, your fathers, your uncles and cousins, Veteran's aren't some strangers in a sea of other strangers, and the day isn't about celebrating wars (past or present), it's about acknowledging the risk and the sacrifice these men (and women) are willing to take on your behalf. It's about holding them close, even if only in spirit or memory, and saying "thank you for making my life better, thank you for making it safer for my children to grow up in this world"...

I miss cleanliness the most.

I remember when a guest could show up unannounced and I did not have to blush and apologize for the state of my home. It seems like a long time since those days, at least as long as Indiana has been walking.

I do not spend a lot of time in Indiana's bedroom. Today I wandered in there to check on his laundry, see if it was time to wash; to my horror, I discovered that of his three toy boxes, none were more than half full. All his toys are thrown haphazardly around his room. So, consequently, today Indiana is going to learn the joys of putting toys IN the boxes. Hopefully it will be a lesson we can learn quickly and painlessly. Hey, I can hope.

Happy Halloween (yesterday)...

Happy Halloween!

Trial run

Our fair city (ok town) does a wonderful event for Halloween. On the Saturday before Halloween, the businesses in downtown throw open their doors and offer treats to the city's costumed children.
This served as a wonderful trial run for us to see if Indiana would wear his costume. He enjoyed it! When he was done (he decided that an hour of walking the pavements of old town was enough) he plopped onto a bench and started removing his costume.
Later:
We took Indy through a local haunted house, where he tried to get the monsters to pick him up. He smiled at them and giggled in delight, not the least bit frightened.

The kid is a natural at Halloween!

New over-alls

Every now and then a package comes to us from the other side of the country. Yesterday a package came with two of the most adorable sets of overalls, of which this is one. Both of them fit perfectly (which is always a challenge for the relatives on the other coast as they don't see him everyday except through this blog). Anyways, I love them, thank you Grammy and Moo.

Tomorrow the city of Albany's downtown association is hosting a trick or treat session with downtown businesses from 11am to 1pm. Then, on Tuesday, our local mall will open its doors to young costumed candy fiends at 6pm to provide a safe, warm, dry, place for the local children.

Pictures of his Halloween costume to come...

Peek-a-boo!

Indiana is nearly ready for Halloween! He can shout "Boo" in a voice loud enough to wake the dead. And, although he hasn't yet mastered "trick or treat", he can chant "candy candy candy candy candy candy candy" until you either give in or your head explodes.

We have been practicing our scary "Boo" while playing peek-a-boo.

Indy recommends...

For those of you who have not recently been to see Daffodils and Dragons, Now is the time! She has recently posted a bunch of new brilliant desktop quality photos.

I hope she continues to post on a regular basis again, as her work with her camera and photo editors is amazing!

Playing into the sunset...

Sometimes I wonder if Duck likes basketball as much as his dad and I do. Sometimes I wonder if Indy will like Basketball as much as I do. All I know is that if we start him this young, we got a shot!
Duck got his first hoop before he could crawl, so did Indiana. We have even worked it out wonderfully... Duck will be a senior in high school and just the right age to coach Indy's first kindergarten basketball team. He gets to learn from the best.

I still don't know what team Duck got on, but I will let all of you know when he lets me know!

like father like son

Sometimes it surprises me just how like Chris that Indiana is. They even sleep the same way. Now, I admit that Duck looks an awful lot like me, but at least he has some of his dads mannerisms. With Indy, I got a clone baby. Anyways, it amuses me to think what Chris will say when he sees this picture I just took of the two of them sound asleep... Wonder if I should have told him before I posted it.

Try Outs are coming!

It is that time of year again. Try outs for basketball season are this coming week. I know that if Duck applies himself he can make the A team. It is all up to him, and we are all proud of him no matter which team he makes.

Duck: Good Luck at try outs! I hope you make the team that you want to make, no matter which one that is. I love to watch you play, and as long as you are happy playing, I am all in behind ya!

Sleep tight, sweet prince...

"Always Kiss your children good night, even if they are already asleep."
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Never ordinary, Indiana cant even sleep the accepted way. Always, some part of his body is hanging off of his bed. We picked up a "yellow foam fold out Sesame Street couch" to cushion his landing when he rolls out of bed during the night. Apparently it works, since he doesn't usually wake up when he rolls out onto the floor.

Not like Mom!

My mom is absolutely amazing at photo editing. It seems like she can do anything. I cant even remove all the red eye from a picture, so i have to make it black and white to share it.

Indiana's schedule is screwed up again. 130am and he's up and frisky. Man this makes me nuts that he cant get his sleep schedule ironed out. I can't wait to be not tired anymore. When does that happen?

Come and get it!

There are a number of steps one must take to prepare for dinner in our home:

1) Remove clothing.
2) Ceremonially spread the big white tarp on the carpet.
3) Chase a screaming toddler three times around the house.
4) Plop the recently caught toddler on the mat.
5) Retrieve dinner from kitchen.
6) Set plate on mat.
7) Retrieve toddler from bathroom (where he has run as soon as your back was turned)
8) Park toddler on mat.
9) Offer toddler fork.
10) Duck. (this is optional, as he will probably hit you whether you move or not)
11) Pull noodles from your hair.
12) Pretend to take a bite of toddlers food (he wont eat it if you don't)
13) Try desperately not to laugh when you see this:

After dinner Indy enjoys a long warm bath and mama drinks.

Boba Fett

Chris's Halloween pumpkin... Boba Fett's insignia. I haven't gotten to Indy's pumpkins yet. I am hoping Duck will volunteer to come help me (hint hint).

Bored?

Ever feel like you have nothing to do? Do you seem to have too much time on your hands? The solution is here... Hang out with a toddler all day long. You wont believe how busy a tiny person can be. Everything is interesting and must be poked at, mushed up, climbed on, jumped off, pulled at and thrown about.

doesn't he "look" like he's as innocent as a new born lambkin? He aint. Don't let the smirking face fool ya. He's a speed demon who can throw a new stick of deodorant into the toilet faster than you can turn around and shout "NO"!

So, today i went to target and bought new deodorant.

i know i never will say thank you.

This is not an Indiana post. This is not a Brother Duck post. This is a life lesson post.
I have a lot on my mind. It started out innocuously enough:
I got an offline instant message from an old boyfriend. Said old boyfriend will be in town for two weeks and would i like to see him while he is here. I haven't seen him in a few years, so yes i would like to see him... BUT... Chris (that's the spouse for those of you not in the know) cant stand this particular ex. He likes every single one of my friends and ex's EXCEPT this one.
This ex he detests.
So, this devolved into a discussion of history and my past and my "feelings". Those who know me KNOW i HATE discussing my feelings. I detest sloppy mushy stuff. There in lies another problem. You see, the spouse brings up a totally off topic point. This post is about that point:

I have another old friend who is coming to town in December (you know who you are). Chris wants to meet this old friend because he has heard many, many old tales from Melody (my best friend... Since Teresa dissolved into the mist many moons ago) and myself about the good old days. This December-visiting friend has always been kind and funny on his own blog, polite and ironic when commenting on ours. We were talking about what this old friend meant to me. I told my husband all kinds of funny things: the time my friends parents told me they thought i was a vampire, the apple tree around the corner from my house, the time we all got drunk at a party and he crawled home through the snow (leaving my other friends and i to frantically check the lake for cracks, hoping he didn't fall in, since he didn't tell anyone he was going home), me choosing this friend FIRST when we played football even though this friend couldn't play to save his own life, me choosing this friend LAST when we played football because he couldn't play to save his own life, how the friend's parents grounded him from ME as punishment for everything, about the time the friend scored an against all odds touchdown in the next block, and how we would sit on the phone together from 11pm to 3am saying nothing... Just being there. I told my husband that without this friend i wouldn't have made it. No way would i have lived through my life without my friend. I told my husband that i was about the (curse word alert) Shity-est person in the world because when it came down to it, i wasn't a friend to my friend. When it came down to it, i hurt him, i used him, i treated him like shit, and i never ever once said thank you, not ever. i probably never will. Years ago, instead of being a self absorbed, self centered, (curse word alert #2) bitch, i should have told that friend, "Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for always being there for me no matter how bad things got. Thank you for holding my hand when i needed it and holding my hair when i drank too much. Thank you for sitting quietly on the other end of the phone when i couldn't say anything. Thank you for living the bad years with me. Thank you for being you, because without you, i wouldn't have made it." I never will tell him thank you. Even now, as i write this, i say i "should have" but i never did. And now, the years have passed, the friendship has waned, lost over time.

I want to see them both when they come to town. The ex, because once i cared, and i am curious, but no loss if i don't see him. The friend, because maybe this time i will tell him thank you. Maybe this time i will tell him I'm sorry. Probably this time i will just buy him coffee, talk about old times, i wont say thank you, i wont say I'm sorry, and i will walk away feeling lousy and he will walk away feeling smug, and we will see each other again in 3 or 4 years and i will again have another chance that i wont take.

Scenery, as promised.

Oregon's coastline is some of the most beautiful 304 miles in the world (320 driving miles on hwy 101). We visited the central Oregon coast, hitting the highlights in Newport, Depot Bay, Cape Foulweather, Devil's Bunch Bowl, and Lincoln City (we came home via hwy 18 & hwy 22 stopping at Spirit Mountain Casino for dinner and a picture of the sunset to conclude the day). It was around 70 degrees (Fahrenheit), which is phenomenal for a late October day. No rain, and only mild wind. So, that is all the narration for this photos i will give , they speak for themselves (oh i have to add that all of these pictures were taken from ground level).