Pez?

Today is the last day of work for over a week!!  Woo hooo!!

Very excited about it.  Although I am not nearly as packed as I hoped I would be.  But at least I have a bunch of clean clothes to wear.  So that is nice.  Still have a crap ton of work to do before I can go.

Here is a video offering me a pez.  I am working on training him up right.

All for now.

Whirlweekend

In the words of Nico, "So we had a great time this weekend!"

Dave went to Anna Maria for a Bachelor Party for Dave T. who is getting married next month.  Coincidentally, his fiance is named Jessica.  Weird, right?  They started dating shortly after we started dating... so that is cool.  Saturday morning Nico and I got up and went to Bagelheads for breakfast.  The FSU Miami baseball game got pushed up to noon (due to threat of crap weather), so we snuck to the library to grab some library books for the trip.  

Then we headed to the game.  Apparently, FSU baseball has a bit of a rabid following in Tallahassee.  When I bought the tickets, I wasn't really sure how things were.  They were apparently sold out of tickets for the good seats, which are higher up and right behind homeplate.  So we sat in "general admission" seats, which are bleachers on the first and third baselines.  I saw a big area where no one was sitting and was like, "S-WHEET!! And made a beeline for it."  Turns out that area was crap because you couldn't see the hitter.  Booo!!  So we moved and got a seat were we could barely see the hitter.  If the idiot family in front of us didnt move their big giant idiot heads around too much.  

Nico was really really really good. He lasted for about an hour (three innings), wherein we saw FSU score a handful of runs.  Nico had a pretty good time.  He wasn't too interested in the snacks, which is half the reason to go to a ball game, but whatev. 

In any case, Nico was asleep before we left campus.  So we headed home for nap and some lunch.  After nap we were supposed to go up to Thomasville to watch the Wakulla girls play in a tournament, but they got rained out.  So we just hung out at the house and went to the park to play baseball.  

We facetimed with Nicole, Cody, Maddox and Emme (it's a video call you can do on the iphone 4s where there is a camera on the business side of the phone).  That was pretty cool.  Decided that we needed to do that again.  They were sitting down to watch the Lion King.  

Saturday night I ended up getting us in bed relatively early.  I watched the rest of the first season of Walking Dead on my ipad (so amazing... love it).  Sunday Nico and I got up and ran through a quick breakfast at Golden Corral, which seems to be his favorite place to eat (BARF), because they have star-shaped donuts (they are actually flower shaped, but he calls them star shaped).  We then ran up to Thomasville for the tournament.  The Wakulla TUFC girls ended up losing 2-0, but our girls did well.  

After the game, we played a little baseball.  The main point of playing is you hit the ball, then run the bases.  But who ever didnt hit has to chase the one who did.  This is hilarious.  And its a good way to wear Nico out.  Who fell asleep in the car on the way home. When we got home someone (whose name rhymes with Rico) wasn't too interested in sleeping anymore.  So we did some cleans.  Then Dave came home and we went to play soccer on Sunday night.  Aren't you just exhausted from reading all that?  Me too.  

Monday Nico and I worked in the garden after school.  So far, we have watermellons, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, mint, rosemary and basil.  

This week the weather has been absolutely glorious.    So that has been nice.  This works well for us because we just got after our leasing company to fix the windows in the house.  The main problem with the windows in the house is that we only had one functional window in each room of the house.  Some worked, but didnt have screens.  Some just flatout didnt work.  It's taken like 6 months for this to happen, during which the owner of the leasing company stopped efforts to repair the windows because she thought that we said it was "OK to have only one functional window in each  room of the house."  Seriously?  There was almost a throw down.  

Last night it got so cold in the house I actually had to go around closing windows before bed.  Isn't that awesome?

All for now. 

You never let me have any fun...

So... mine and Nico's relationship is built around a lot of routine.  We have these "things".  Like, when I ask him if knows how much I love him, his answer is "1,2,3, dot, dot, dot."  Or when I tell him "I love you so much!"  One of the things I do whenever I take his clothes off of him (for the bath or to change or whatever), I pull his shirt almost all the way off his head but I leave it on, so it looks likes like long hair.  Then exclaim, "Green Hair!  Green Hair!!  It's my favorite!!  Green Hair!"  (if his shirt is green, "blue hair" if he is wearing a blue shirt).  It's silly.  He always takes the shirt off, looking at me like I am a moron.  He never leaves it on, he always takes it off.  To which I reply, "You never let me have any fun!"

Sometimes I will start with one of our games like, "You don't want to get hit by a ______________".  Where in, we go back and forth saying what we don't want to get hit by... like, "You don't want to get hit by garbage truck."  When he isn't interested in playing he'll say, "I don't wanna play that game!"

So we are at the grocery this week and he was trying to bite my fingers.  I dont know what it was all about, but, it was kinda annoying.  And he is definitely at the age where he thinks its funny to KEEP doing things that I tell him to stop doing.  In any case, I told him, "I don't wanna play that game."  He looked at me and said, "You never let me have any fun!"  My own words being used against me... I guess this is only the beginning of that phenomenon.

In any case, we are really looking forward to the trip to Louisville next week.  We're driving, so this week, I am going to be working on getting us packed and making sure we are taking along plenty to do in the car.  One of my favorite memories as kid was the vacations we'd take to Michigan, where we drove.  We'd pack a cooler full of snacks and drinks and we'd have a fresh batch of library books and some new art supplies.  I plan to do the same thing with Nico. Plus, I have an ipad now, so we can also put some videos on it for cheap.  Amazon has whole seasons of Sesame street.  I think its time that we got him hooked on that...

All for now.

Circus Fail

This weekend was a blast!!

It started a 5K that I ran on Saturday.  In case you were wondering, no, I still don't love running.  But signing up for the race got me running it on Saturday.  The race was the Palace Saloon 5K.  It ends at a bar.  But alas, the line for beer was too long.  I had a sad.  But then Nico requested to have breakfast at Golden Corral for their star-shaped donuts.  Oh yes, really.  Star shaped donuts.  I was glad because I was really hungry.  I also remembered why America is so fat.  There is something either seriously wrong or seriously right about a country where you can get a full desert bar at 9 in the morning, complete with a chocolate fountain.  In any case, I shared a cupcake with Nico.  At breakfast.  That is how we roll.

After breakfast we went to Lake Ella to feed the geese... part of a cupcake.  I know, we are terrible.

Then Dave and Nico went to the gym and swimming.  Weirdly, Nico was asleep when they got home.  This ended in a nap for me.  When Nico woke up, he came and hopped into bed with me and we snuggled until we fell asleep again.  When we woke up at 7pm.  7pm!!  7pm!! We had to hurry to get to the Circus.  For those who don't know, but FSU has one of only 2 collegiate circus programs in the country.  One of Nico's teachers at preschool is  in the circus program, so we really wanted to see it.

Unfortunately, we didnt get there in time for tickets.  It was the last show, so they were booked solid.  Nico was a bit disappointed, so I suggested we go to the Fun Station, so he could do the car-racing arcade games.  Let me just say this, it was like we were in the Arena in the Capitol (in the Hunger Games).  The only thing that didnt happen is that there was no actual killing... but it was pretty crazy.  In any case, Nico wasnt so much a fan and Dave and I tired quickly of restraining ourselves from kicking some teenage a$$, so we left. YIKES.

Sunday we hung around the house for most of the morning, doing chores. Nico and I popped out for a bit to the park where we made a new friend named Charlie, who was helping him learn some tricks.  It was pretty funny!

After nap on Sunday, we headed to the soccer field, where Dave and I had a coed game.  It was a pretty great time.  This coming weekend, Dave is going to a bachelor weekend party down in Tampa.  So far, Nico and I are planning on going to a FSU baseball game.  I think it will be lots of fun.

Easter!!

So Easter was really fun!!  I would say probably the funnest yet.

Saturday morning, I went to train Shelby in Woodville and Dave and Nico went to the gym.  They managed a swim after and it became apparent that we are going to need to get Nico into swimming lessons this summer.  He is like a fish!!  When they got home, I helped get Nico down for a nap before heading back down to the county to shoot pictures of one of our seniors (Kristine).  Will post some later today.

Saturday night when we got back, we went out to dinner, which was really good, even if Nico did chuck my $400 dollar phone across the resturant.  Luckily, no one was hurt (neither was my phone, why?  Because I keep it in a case).  When we got home, dyed eggs. I didnt make the mistake last year of having a bunch of hard boiled eggs (because in the end, I usually end up having to eat them all by myself).  So we had 10 eggs this year and dyed them.

The Easter Bunny came and hid the eggs all around the house.  Nico is getting pretty clever, he found most of them.  Nico and I have been working in the garden a lot lately, and almost every day results in Nico's shoes and socks ending up wet and muddy.  Dave mentioned it the other day and so the Easter Bunny brought Nico a pair of work boots (with which to work in the garden). Along with a kid-sized rake and shovel.


Yes, that is my son out in the yard raking in boots, a soccer jersey, garden gloves and no pants.  That is just how we roll!!

The EB also brought me some cheater fabric (to make into a dress that I might just wear to a wedding next month) and some beads.  He brought Dave some shorts and other stuff.  We hung out at the house doing chores on Sunday till the Easter Egg hunt at Myers Park.  Apparently, it is quite the to-do because two of Dave's coworkers cautioned him about taking Nico up there.  Myers Park is about equidistant from our house and downtown and is the closest park for several neighborhoods of questionable quality on the southside.  While it wasn't too bad for the little kids (aged 1-2), I can see how easily it could become a cross between Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Lord of the Flies for bigger kids.

We saw several of Nico's classmates, which was great.  In the end, he got several eggs and managed to not throw a rock on anyone and didnt hurt any babies on accidentally.  I got some really adorable pictures of him during the egg hunt- which I will post later tonight.  We walked home and en route, Nico fell asleep on my shoulders.  We napped for a bit when we got home and then went to get groceries.  It was a really great weekend!!

Mr. Clown Face

Really... so glad its the weekend.  My energy has been seeping all week.  I started off all like, "Imma punch this week in the face!!" on Monday.  Now I'm sorta like, "Sleep... I just need some sleep...."

Nico and I came home last night and did a craft that we stole from pinterest.  We put cheerios on pipecleaners for the birds and the squirrels.

We also made an Easter package for Uncle JJ.  While I was busy assembling it, Nico was drawing a picture.  I have often wondered how in the hell some kids get covered in paint or marker.  My thought has always been, "Seriously, do you just give your kid paint and leave the room?  What did you expect was going to happen?"  I was sitting right next to Nico when he discovered some round ink pads.  Mr. Clown face here thinks that he is pretty adorable.

He is doing this other thing that is really funny too.

Nico: I wanna show you something.  its going to be really funny (pushes stuff on the table out of the way).
Me:  I don't know if I am going to like it.
Nico: Its really funny (stands in chair).
Me: I don't think its a good idea.
Nico (getting on the table): Nico is getting on the table again! (laughing).

Its really hilarious.  I laughed the first time he did, which pretty much ensures that he does it every night.

Bracing his legs...

One of my favorite things that Nico is doing lately is saying, "I love you so much."  He doesnt always say it, and I am not sure he even knows what it means.  But he says it like I do, with the emphasis the same way I say it.  He usually says it when he snuggles up close to me for something, like if we are on the couch watching TV or I am holding him before bed.  It's pretty much the best thing EVER.

A couple of weeks ago, he started going through a weird clingy phase.  I was trying to work out a lot at the gym, so we'd go after work and he'd hang out in the kids room.  And he was staying with the sitter a couple nights a week, so I thought that might be what his malfunction was.  So we tried to cut down on the stuff that we do after work... and since it is staying light for later, this means we work in the garden almost every night.

He has a book about trucks that has a photo of firemen putting out a fire. He asked what they were doing with their legs and I told him that they were bracing their feet and legs, so they could hold onto the fire hose.  So now whenever we water the garden, Nico braces his legs:

We have another big weekend coming up.  Since no one wants to do a festival during football season, and its too bloody hot to do one during the summer, everyone and their mom does a festival in the Spring.

Can I share with you how much I am looking forward to Easter?  As we all know, it is one of my favorite holidays.  :)

Boca Juniors and River Platte

So we had a great weekend.  Saturday morning, I woke up early and ran the Springtime Tallahassee 5K.  Yeah, it was pretty sucktastic.  On the upside, I finished only 30 seconds after Kelly the Baller.  WHAT? You say?  Jessi Bishop-Royse, you must have been booking it!!  How fast WERE you running?  OMG!!  That is amazing!!  But then I tell you that Kelly ran the 10K.  And I only ran the 5K.  Definitely FML territory.

After the race, I headed home.  The weather was weird.  Dave had his online nerd get together fantasy baseball draft, so Nico and I headed to the craft store to get some supplies.  I realized that I am not well-prepared for rainy days at the house, because I don't have any good supplies to entertain Nico.

We got a bird house for Nico to paint:

Yes, he chose the color of the paint himself.  Yes, it is pink.  Insert debate on gender and society here.  After wards as we were having lunch there was this:

I dont really know what it is that he is doing.  Although I offer this as proof to anyone who wants to know why parents of toddlers and small children are always so tired.

After nap and Dave's nerdfest baseball draft we went to the Springtime festival.  We got there pretty late, so they were basically shutting the place down, so we didnt stay long.

We swung by PoBoys and got dinner and headed home to watch U of L play Kentucky in the semi-finals.  Sunday was pretty fun.  I got to sleep in while Dave and Nico made some breakfast.

Then we went to the Sand Festival (which ended up being pretty lame).  Then Dave and Nico went swimming and I ran some errands (BORING!!)  When Nico woke up from his nap we all went to the soccer field, where Dave and I played soccer and our babysitter played with Nico.  He played baseball and soccer for two straight hours.  He was straight wore out when we got home.

After dinner last night, Dave and Nico played some soccer in the front yard.  Our good friends Mike and Mary Jo just got back from visiting their eldest son in Argentina (he is in a study abroad program).  They brought Nico two jerseys from the Argentina league (Boca Juniors and River Plate).  BJ and RP are the two main clubs in Argentina.  A lot like Man United and Chelsea.  Or Liverpool and Arsenal.  Or Boston Red Sox and NY Yankees.  Nico is wearing his Boca Juniors jersey here:


He doesnt usually play with a small ball... mostly because we have so many more full-sized balls.  So, its funny!

Homerun Nico!

So, Dave got Nico a baseball bat this weekend.  Its not wooden or metal or anything (one of those fat plastic ones).  He can swing and hit the ball:


Not all the time.  But he is only 2.  Also, check out that Marlins hat.  That was from Grandpa Royse.  Apparently we are going to have to have a conversation with Mike about his taste in baseball teams :)  Just what we need is for the boy to start liking the Marlins?  Seriously, the Marlins?  There is nothing redeeming about liking the Marlins.  If you like the Red Sox or the Yankees that says something (you like the rivalry).  If you like the Cubs that says you are a glutton for punishment.  If you like the Tigers, you're old school.  But the Marlins?  To be fair, Nico hit a lot better when he was wearing the Marlins hat (than when he was wearing the Cubs hat- which is to be expected, no one hits well when they are wearing a Cubs hat... not even actual Cubs... man, I am ripping all over everything today, aren't I?)

The one thing we are going to have to work on is the fact that Nico isn't really coachable.  For example, he had this weird Tomahawk chop way of hitting... where he stands open to the pitch, raises the bat over his head and tries to hit it.  I'm trying to teach him the better way of doing it... I don't really know if it is BETTER, but I have never seen a pro hitter do the Tomahawk chop and be successful- plus the physics just don't work for me.  I also know the language at least a little bit, like, "You gotta open up your stance... get that bat off your shoulder, get your hands together... keep your eye on the ball..."  But Nico just wants to do it his way.

He got a little better about it when I batted like you're supposed to and hit two good ones.  So at least that is evidence that he could do it his way and suck or do it the right way and get hits.  I can almost see him putting 2 and 2 together and realizing his parents aren't totally full of $hit!!

The Actor's Studio

So this weekend was pretty fun.  We had a good time!  Dave was starting to get sick on Friday night, early Saturday, so we got out of the house so he could sleep in.  On Saturday, I took Nico up to Thomasville to watch some of our high school girls play soccer (they are playing for TUFC now).  Among them was our soon to be baller goalkeeper.  She did pretty well, made some big saves.  Until about 5 minutes left, when she gave up two.  But the other team (a Georgia team) was impressed and invited her to play State Cup with them.  So that is pretty cool.

Saturday afternoon, I ran some errands while Nico and Dave hung out.  Before dinner, Nico and I worked on an art project/experiment.  You see, I dont have a window in my office and I got the idea from someone I work with to get a big painting of the sky or the grass or something.  What I want is this:

But since not even I can justify 300+ dollars for a painting.... I may have to DIY this.  I think I could live with this:

In any case, I dont want to buy a 40 or 50 dollar canvas and not have it work out for me, so I bought some of the materials and did a little experiment with Nico.  Here we are putting the modeling paste onto a small canvas.  We are using actual modeling paste and some cheaper "texture paste" from Martha Stewart.  Nico was a big help!

Saturday night, Dave and I watched "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  I had recently read the book.  It was good.  Gruesome... but good.

Sunday morning, Dave and Nico let me sleep in (which was nice).  Sunday afternoon we went to a birthday party (our little friend Zoe turned 1!!).  We had a good time at their place, playing ball and snacking.  Sunday night, Dave and I played soccer.  After his bath, Nico called me into our room to show me this:


Hilarious!!

1990

Nico is starting to pretend.  Yesterday I noticed it when we went to Earth Fare, which is a hippie grocery.  We had a coupon for 50% of fillet mignon (there is a reason its so expensive.  I was able to cut the left overs today with a plastic knife.  so good).  Plus, Nico likes going there because they have little kid sized grocery carts.  In any case, I am always a little nervous because I am afraid he is going to run the cart into someone or worse, clip in the back of my achilles.  That would be the worst.

In any case, we're walking around the store and when we stop, I get what we need, hand it to Nico and he puts it in the cart.  Then I say, "Okay let's go to_______", to which he says, "No!  I gotta get some more stuff!"  And then he picks out a spot on the floor, runs over to it, "picks something up" and runs back to the cart to "put it in" (pretending).  It was really funny.  I guess its better than the other thing he did, which is to put random items in my cart (including a 6 dollar wedge of Davinci Gouda... on the upside, he does have good taste (even if he didnt like the cheese himself, it ended up being pretty good), on the downside, he apparently has expensive taste).

In any case, now that the time has changed, we are having more fun at home.  We water the garden nearly every day.  Nico likes to work the hose and "brace his legs like a fireman".  We had a bit of a dustup yesterday because someone (Dave) put socks AND sandals on Nico.  And by dustup, I mostly just made fun of him.  Behold!

Heh!  All for now!!

Funs and Travels.

We had a really fun weekend around here.  It started on Saturday when I went down to Woodville for a run and to train my new goalkeeper (side note:  She's going to be pretty good.  She is so STRONG!  has a good work ethic.  And while she has been on the verge of tears several times during training sessions, she hasn't quit goalkeeping yet.  She's a great kid, too.  And she isn't a princess.  I dont think I am going to have to have the conversation about why wearing makeup in games....this is a bonus!!)

I ran on the trail... which was like, "meh."  I was having a good time of it, feeling good (it was only a three mile run) when I get passed by a pack of GAZELLES.  Here I am, overweight, red, sweaty, puffy faced, ready to die, and this pack of gazelles moves around me like I am standing still, in their little uniforms of spandex shorts and sports bras and six packs and pin straight hair pulled back into thin ponytails.  Oh well.

On my way back into town, I stopped by the hardware store in Woodville and picked up some more plants and seeds.  When I got home, I worked in the garden a bit because Dave and Nico weren't home yet.  They had gone swimming (so much fun!).  Saturday night Dave took Nico to the Irish festival downtown, Nico got to see bagpipes, which was cool.  We had a Nap:Fail on Saturday, so they didnt stay long.  I was at home doing cleans.

Sunday, Nico and I headed out early.  We had some errands to run.  Nico needed socks and such.  We also had to take his books back to the library in Woodville.  Since we were there, we stopped and played soccer and played on the play ground.



He had a really good time.  We went home and had lunch and naps.  Sunday night, Dave and I went to go play soccer.  Nico was not really that happy about this.  Dave and I had fun.  We picked up onto another team (since our team had a bye).  We didnt think that the team would be that good... it looked like some jackassery from the start.  One of our guys was sent off with an undeserved red card.  And we played against a kick and run team with a bunch of fast Hispanic guys up front.

The bad news is that I gave up 3 goals.  Obviously not pleased with that.  But we did win and I made a bunch of saves.  Good ones.  And I got my arm scrapped up:

So that was cool.  Dave and I have some fun travel plans for the next few months.  First, we are going to Louisville for Derby week next month.  Yay.  There will be boat races and parades and hot air balloon races. Fun.  Then we are going to a wedding on Siesta Key in May.  We have also bought tickets for a soccer game  (US men v. Scotland) on May 26 in Jacksonville.  I dont think I have ever seen the US men play, so that is pretty exciting.

I have a conference in Orlando in June- so Dave and Nico might come down for a trip to Sea World.  I think that would be a major blast.  Nico would really like it, I think.  Then in July we are going to Gulf Shores, Alabama for a Bishop family holiday.  Nicole and Cody are coming East and we are heading west.  Should be lots of fun.  I am hoping to fish and swim and be a bum.

I am trying to get some players together to play in Dallas at Labor Day.  My good friend Julia lives there now (and plays).  Am hoping she might be able to take the 4 players we have put us on a team.  That would be fun.

All for now.  I am off.

Dancing Man

Last night I took this video of Nico dancing:


Isn't he just adorable?

In other news, really glad it is the weekend.  I got paid from Wakulla this week (finally).  And now I am getting an ipad.  I have been wanting a tablet for a while... I told Dave not to get me anything for Christmas or Valentines Day because I wanted to get a tablet and not feel bad about it.  I had the hardest time figuring out what I wanted.  I didnt want to lose all my current Kindle content.  And I wanted to be able to watch video content even if I didnt have a wifi or a 3g signal (having a 64 gb hard drive would suffice, I think).  Plus, being able to run it off 3G is nice.  I waited to see if the ipad3 would have something really amazing (like it would fly or allow me to get my 21 year old body back).  Since it didnt, I felt no need to get the ipad 3.  The upgrades they made from the ipad 2 probably wouldnt even be noticable by yours truly.  So I pulled the trigger and got it.
Woo hoo!! So excited.  Hopefully it will come this weekend.  Now the only thing will be to keep Nico from using it.  :)

Also, I think we are going to Louisville for the week before Derby.  I have gotten the okay from my boss.  Nico is going to love it.  We are going the week before because we think he'd like the hot air balloon race, the boat show and the parade.  Wont stay for the race though.

I gotta do some chores!

Not much new going around here.  Last week Granny You was up to hang with Nico while his school was closed during Spring Break.  I think they pretty much wore each other out.

Thursday night, I took Nico up to the Capitol to see Dave.  Since it was the last week of the session, he had a bunch of late nights.  So I took Nico up there to say good night to Dave.  It was nice.  Nico was not too happy about having to leave.

Saturday, I drove Granny You back to SW Florida and caught some of Madi's game at the IMG soccer tournament in Bradenton.  If you will remember, I played one glorious summer with IMG in the W-League.  The facility is still really nice.  It would be wonderful if we were ever in a place to be able to allow Nico to do that when he gets older (if he likes soccer that much).  Madi did well.  Scored 2 of 4 goals in their win on Friday night.  Assisted the equalizer on Saturday.

Nico caught a quick nap in the car on the way to Bradenton and was a champ.  After dinner he slept most of the way home while I listened to Girl with a Dragon tattoo.  Am hoping to finish it soon so I can see the movie (FINALLY).  

Sunday we hung around the house and relaxed mostly. Dave and Nico let me sleep in.  During this time, Nico told Dave that he had to do some chores.  And when they went to get breakfast, Nico ordered his own food.  Can you believe that? That is amazing! When I woke up, I took Nico up to see some of our other Wakulla girls play soccer at the FSU IM fields.  I have been slowly working on getting the house back in order.

Yesterday afternoon, I spent some time getting mine and Dave's room back in shape.  Then we went to see Safe House last night.  It was pretty good.  Again, Nico was not too happy to be left with the sitter.  :(
Am sorta glad daylight savings time here is here, so we can start working in the garden again.  Nico really likes helping.  And I'd like to get some seeds in the ground.  :)

Snail Mail

So we've had Granny You in town of late.  She is here to hang out with Nico during his spring break.  Oh yeah, you heard me.  HIS SPRING BREAK.  Wha-what?  Know that saying, "Youth is wasted on the young?"  this particular situation exemplifies this.  What does he need a spring break for?  What does he know?

So, like a chump, I have been working.  Not so much a big fan of the work during spring break.  :(

This is pretty cool... so one of the things about this project I am working on, is requesting medical records for patients who consented to be part of our study.  I have been a bit bummed because it seems like we werent getting a lot of records that we had requested.  Until I passed an Admin Assistant in the hall and she told me that my mail box was blowing up.  Turns out a lot of offices are sending records via snail mail.  Isnt that awesome?  Woooo hooooo!!

In other news, a peer at FSU (she is an instructor in Sociology) turned me on to new music.  This guy Yt is apparently a grad student in Sociology.  At FSU.


I am currently trying to figure out how to ask him to write/record a song for the War Eagles.  Seriously.  How amazing would that be?

Fencing...

Nico and Dave fencing.



Yes.  Nico is wearing a garbage can on his head.  As a shield.  Whatev!

Home made snickers.

This thing that Nico does when he's "getting me" is hilarious.  We're obviously working on trying to teach him that I dont always want Nico to get me.  It sucks when you are just chilling out on the couch and suddenly, you are wearing a Nico hat, because he is laying across the top of your head.  Its classic.  He opens his mouth really wide open and gnashes his teeth.  I dont know what that is about or who taught him that... but its hilarious.  He also swings his arms like they are bats.  Have you ever been hit in the face with a toddler swung forearm?  Its like getting hit in the face with a bat.  No joke.

We went to the libary last night and he really really liked the little kid sized furniture they had.  I guess that will be a future purchase.  Just when I was starting to think that our house was almost the perfect size.  Actually, it would be the perfect size, if I could have one of these.  What, you're saying that normal people dont have their own writing/craft/sewing hut?  But I want one... Pfff.

So my mom, being the library hero she is, informed me yesterday that the Woodville Branch of the Leon County library had Deathly Hallows 1 and 2.  And because I roll this way- I watched both last night.  How do you like them apples?  So what I didnt get to bed until 330 am?  I am also in the interest of pulling together Nicole and JJ's birthday boxes.  I wanted to give these a whirl, to see how they would work:

Can you think of anything else that says "Happy Birthday!" Like homemade snickers?  I didnt think so.

The good news is that I like the homemade ones better than the real ones.  I think homemade ones are less messy to eat.  And being able to customize how badly you feel about eating one based on the size you cut?  Nice.

The bad news is that while they are relatively easy, they are kinda a pain in the ass to make.  Four different layers?  Four different steps of cooking?  Kind of a pain in the ass.  Not going to lie.  But it was a successful pinterest project, so I am happy with it.

Nicole and JJ I guess your boxes will go out sometime this week?  Meh?

Mine and Dave's anniversary was yesterday 2/28.  The Legislature is in session early this year, so he was pretty much on lockdown this week.  So we are going to celebrate late by going out to dinner tonight.  Also, maybe we dont mention this him, because he will be sad, but this girl is getting a massage.  I booked the appointment for the end of the day... so I am going to dip out of work at 4pm, go get my massage and then meet a good friend who will have defended her dissertation for celebratory drinks.  After that, Dave is going to pick me and we're going to dinner.  Maybe to Rays Steel City.  If they are open.  The only thing that is getting in the way of today being a perfect day is the fact that I have to work.  But work ruins most perfectly good days.  :)

Nico sads...

So, we had a fun weekend around here.  I tried unsuccessfully for much of Friday night to find a hard copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  I just finished reading the series and have been trying to watch the last two movies.  Turns out there is some sort of dustup over the digital rights to it, so it is unavailable online.  Anywhere.  Not for rent or for purchase.  :(

I have been doing some cleaning... only the most annoying kind though- the little at a time- tear up this part of the house and take two weeks to put it back together kind.  :(  Dave doesnt know it, so maybe dont mention it, but we have this massive built in bookcase in our living room that is about to get MADEOVER.  Seriously.  On this shelf sits a box of VHS tapes.  In this box is prolly about 50-60 VHS tapes that are what is left of my "younger days" soccer career.  In any case, I have been meaning to transfer such tapes to DVD for years... so finally I put an ad up on Craigs List and found a stay at home mom who is willing to do for 5 bucks a tape.  Can you believe that?  Yeah, pretty good.  I am pretty excited about that.  Friday, I dropped some tapes off and went for a run.  Nico and Dave got pizza at Mellow Mushroom and had it waiting for me when I got home.

Saturday, Dave let me sleep in and got Nico up.  They went to the fair grounds to check out the dog show- especially the agility trials.  Nico was kinda annoyed because he wanted to do the obstacle course :(  I ran some errands.  Just before nap, I took Nico to the park so that he could run the bases and play ball... which he loves.  After Nico woke up from nap, we went to get some groceries including ingredients for a "special treat" for Aunt Nicole and Uncle JJ.  Why?  Its their birthday.  And also because I wanted to try making homemade snickers bars.  Which brings me to- the problem with healthy food is that it doesnt taste good.  Seriously.  I am eating a salad for lunch.  But I still would rather have a bacon cheeseburger.  Meh.

Sunday, I woke up early with Nico.  We made some breakfast and went to run some more errands. Then we went to Chapman Pond at Myers Park and fed the geese.

Then last night Dave and I went to play soccer.  Nico was not terribly pleased.  I played in goal and gave up five goals.  Seriously.  Five goals?  BARF.  On the upside, I did make a bunch of good saves, including one off my face, and one where I think I pulled my armpit muscle (dont ask how I managed to do that).  In preparation for the baby sitter coming over, we managed to put the house back in order, so that is great.  But its still dusty as ever.

Here is Nico's sad face:

Isnt it great?

I'm gettin ya!

One of Nico's funny things that he is doing lately is saying, "I'm gettin ya!"  Where in he throws himself on the unsuspecting mom, laying across her face.  But then he starts thrashing about, wherein I usually get a forearm to the face, an elbow to the neck and a knee to the stomach.  I don't know where he got this, but its really funny.

He is also insisting on using his play keys to open the car door.  Which is pretty cute.  

He is also doing this other really funny thing when he gets mad or is about to cry... he is really starting to work the lower lip... big time.  I am hoping to catch it on camera.  I saw it on Sunday when I was explaining to him that Jessica the babysitter was coming to hang out with Nico when Dave and I went to play soccer.  You'd think it was the saddest thing ever.  

The Oyster Experiment

So, I kinda felt bad about going to New Orleans and eating delicious food without my husband and son.  Lauren brought her husband and son.  And I just felt bad.  So I got a crazy idea last night when I went to the asian grocery at Cap Cir and the Parkway.  Right next door is this seafood market that sold oysters, so I thought I would buy some oysters and grill them up all New Orleans like.  Plus one of my first memories was sitting my Dad and Nicole in the kitchen of our house, while he ate oysters with ketchup (which Nicole really liked).  Plus Appalachicola oysters are the best in the world.  Period.  They are huge (the shells are about half the size of one's palm) and they taste like the sea.

I didnt really know how many to buy and I have never shucked an oyster before.  Turns out, that half a bushel is actually a metric ton of oysters.  And most people take a cooler to get them, otherwise, you end up with paper bags full of ice in plastic bags.  And they leak all over the kitchen.  And I am not really good with an oyster knife.  And you really should be wearing gloves when you shuck an oyster.  And shucking oysters is really more of a weekend thing.  And more of an outside thing.  Oh, and while I dont know any other 2 year old that likes butter as much as Nico does (you'd think his last name was Deen), or asiago cheese, or salsa, the boy had very little interest in oysters.  Surprise surprise.  

In the course of an hour and a half, I managed to shuck maybe 30 oysters, make a mess in the kitchen, gash the tip of my left ring finger open (in such a way that I bled for a while).  And I dont know how I did it, but I have what appears to be about 5 paper thin cuts on my right thumb.  Suffice to say, the oysters got away from me a bit.