5 years.

It's our anniversary today.

It's weird.  When I was a kid there were things that I really looked forward to in my life.  Even at a young age, I remember being cognizant of how anticipation could make time go by so slowly.  At first it was things like Christmas and going out of town for soccer tournaments.  Then it was graduating from high school and going to college.  Then soccer seasons starting.  Then soccer seasons ending.  And graduating and moving to Tallahassee.  And looking forward to meeting the guy I would marry.  Then it was moving in together and getting married and having Nico. And more soccer seasons starting.  And more soccer seasons ending.  And finishing my degree and moving to Chicago.

What I have come to realize is that these things come to pass in what feels like a blink of the eye.  When I think back on the day we got married, its so clear in my memory, it seems like yesterday.  But then I think of how much things have changed since then, so I know, intellectually, it can't have been yesterday.  I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around it sometimes.  It's disconcerting sometimes.  Regardless, I am happy it was Dave.  He's been a wonderful husband and father.  

Happy Anniversary, Babe.  Here's to another 50!

Oh good, just what I didn't want...

So, its that time of the quarter.  Where we begin the downward slide (some might call it a spiral or a tumble) to the end.  The final is on Monday the 17th.  The thing I had forgotten when teaching as a grad student is that time when I had created all of the course material and so therefore my "teaching" was really posting stuff on Blackboard and then grading. But since I have never taught this class before, I am preparing things on the fly.  ON. THE. FLY.  Seriously, that is some real non JBR shit going on there.

It could be worse- since I am doing the experiment with the flipped classroom, I have to edit my powerpoint slides, then record them, then edit the recording, then upload.  But it sure as hell beats the process that would have happened with me doing live legit lectures every week.  Uggh.  As it is now, we run through the lecture and I touch on the high points and clarify stuff that needs to be clarified.  Because I hate listening to my voice.  I hate it even more when it says things like, "I don't know."  So there is that.

So needless to say, I have been working my ass off.  Seems like all I have been doing lately is working, working out, and teaching.

Plus, my gym is doing the CrossFit Open.  It's definitely a big hullabaloo.  CrossFit HQ will release 5 workouts, once a week for the next five weeks.   Everyone who has signed up for the Open are supposed to do.  You have to do it on video and upload it, or you have to do it during a set time, so that a coach can count your reps and judge.  It's supposed to be all comraderie and such, like, "yay, we're doing this with 432095094580934 people around the world!!"  For elite athletes, it is the first step to get to the games (people with the highest scores are invited to regionals... if you do well there, you go to the real games).

I have no hope of going to the games, and I am not being modest (so don't get on my back JJ about the power of positive thinking).  It's just not in the cards for me right now.  But maybe some day.  Regardless, I will be spending a lot of time shooting in the next couple of weeks, which is great.  I'm just really busy now.

I requested vacation time yesterday, which is cool.  We are planning to take our postponed New Years trip to Miami in April.  I am hoping to run 7 mile bridge in the keys.

I Love you to the Moon (and Right on Back), I Love you to the Moon (and Right on Back), I Love you to the Moon (and Right on Back)....

The days are getting longer.  Not much longer.  Just a scotch.  But I will take it.  Obviously, this event is heralding spring coming, so we went ice-skating this weekend.  Apparently, outdoor iceskating only happens through February.  So we went.  

Nico was a champ.  An absolute- bonafide champ.  It took us probably 20 minutes to go around the rink once (just like the only other time I've been ice skating, once was enough for me).  He fell a lot.  But he didn't cry and didn't fuss.  He was so grown.  I love it.  

I'm coming up on just a shitty part of the year with my work+teaching.  We're at the midterm- so there are a lot more assignments to grade.  Plus, faculty are starting to think about the research projects they will work on over the summer.  So, I've been working a lot more.  Dave got Nico out of the house on Sunday and went to Kohl's Children's museum in Glenview. 

While there, Nico played at working in a sandwich shop and being a cashier, which is pretty funny.  

Tuesday I went in a bit later than normally, so I got to be at the house when Nico woke up.  He was very snuggly and it ended up being the best part of my day.  He's starting to get into singing and songs.  Which is kind of new.  It used to be I would sing to him and deliberately mess up the words or change the words and he would get annoyed.  But now, he thinks its hilarious.  The latest song?

"I love you to the moon and right on back.  I love you to the moon and right on back.  I love you to the moon and right on back.  Yes, yes I do." (obviously, then I love him to the Lake and right on back.  Then I love him to the train and right on back, etc.  To the tune of "Wheels on the Bus".)  Even better, when I went to sing it the other day, I "couldn't quite remember" the order of the words.  But he did and taught me.  Seriously, that kid has a great ear, just like his Dad 

Winter

Over the weekend, I took Nico sledding to another hill (close by).  We met one of his little friends there.  I really like the parents- they remind me a lot of Dave and me.

We apparently need to get on the stick though, because February is the last month of outdoor skating for the winter.  I think we might try to find a place to go skating this weekend.  I hope it's better than the last time I went.

Speaking of winter, I pushed Nico into a snow bank yesterday.  On purpose.

He was being a jerk.  I told him I didn't want to race after school and he got mad.  He started pushing me.  I told him to stop.  He didn't.  I told him to stop again.  He still didn't.  So when he started to push me again, I grabbed his arm and spun away from him, engineering him into a snow bank.  "Natural and logical consequences", right?

He didn't like it, and started crying.  I got him in the car and told him to pull it together and that he had by the time we got to Walgreens to decide how he wanted the rest of the night to go.  He could have a good attitude and have fun for the rest of the night, or he could have a bad attitude and be mad and go to bed right after dinner.  (Seriously though, this kid gives downward spiral a new meaning... usually things only get worse from here... )

By the time we got to Walgreens, he had sufficiently pulled himself together and was a gem for the rest of the night.  Seriously... I am not sure if I am really awesome because I was able to get him to calm himself or if I am terrible for pushing my kid into a snow drift.  Probably the latter.  He likely won't remember that it was him that started down that path; his only memory will likely be that his mom pushed him into a snow drift.  :(

Parents 5, Nico 19834798132

He's probably like most 4-year olds.  But Nico, is a bit of a picky eater.  I don't know how it happened... actually... that is a lie.  I know exactly how it happened.  It happened because things like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese are really easy to heat and eat.  Dave and I like the occasional curry or choizo stuffed pablanos... and what kind of parents would feed chorizo stuffed pablanos to a baby?  Exactly... so we started making Nico his own food way back... and have just kept it going.  This wouldn't be a problem, except Nico is the tiniest wee bit obsessive about stuff- so he will go through periods where he ONLY wants macaroni and cheese.  Or only chicken nuggets.  Which is, as you can imagine... a scotch of a beat down.

But something happened last week.  Dave took Nico to White Castle.  Now, before you call CPS, just know that Nico now loves chicken sandwiches.  He tried a chicken slider and liked it.  And now likes chicken sandwiches. Can you even believe that?  Yeah, I know.  And something else happened last night. 

Let me pause this story to give you some back story... my gym is currently doing a paleo challenge.  Now, since I am easily peer pressured,  of course I signed up.  Now granted... I think I am about the only person int the world who is on the verge of being kicked out of their gym's paleo challenge.  Seriously, I think my coach might be thinking, "Are you even trying?  At all?" (with the paleo challenge, we are abstaining from processed foods, dairy, grains, legumes, and alcohol for two months. Let's just say that some of us abstain better than others). 

After dinner last night, I opened up a freshly bought bag of apricots and Nico asked me what they were.  I explained and also told him that they were the sweetest, gummiest, yummiest fruits ever.  I proceeded to spread a bit of sunbutter on a few... and you wouldn't even believe it- Nicholas Michael Cornelius Jacob Timothy McClelan Jackson Lee Royse ate them up.  In fact, he kept stealing mine!  I could not believe it.  It was awesome.  Of course, I have breathed mention of this- out into the universe... So, that is a sure fire way to send this in the other direction.  But it's a win and I will take it.  

Also, it should be known that Nico's middle names are not Cornelius, Jacob, Timothy McClelan Jackson and Lee.  I make up middle names to call people when I am exasperated with them.  :)

Winter Fun

Sorry I haven't been really good about posting.  It will be a while before it gets better... with all the work, and the teaching, the CrossFitting, the parenting, etc.  Its times like these that make me really sad I am a muggle.  If I could do magic, or even if I had access to a time turner, things would be so much easier.  

Dave's cousin Will and his wife and daughter (Tracey and Darby) stayed the night with us last Friday night.  They were in town for a conference and checked out of the hotel and stayed with us Friday night... we had Lou Malnati's on Friday night and went sledding on Saturday.  So much fun!!

Seriously, isn't he adorable?