facebook

Ryan and I got hooked on facebook this past month. Needless to say, our blog posting has dwindled and I'm sorry. I've got a bunch of new Addie pictures to post and some sweet stories and such, so hang in there. Ryan is super busy with work and he's my 'photo uploader' so as soon as I can get those up here, I'll be my regular post-happy-self.

Do you fancy them?

A new blog is out in cyberspace. Check it out. I personally know one of the editors, Em (M), who is both witty and hilarious.
Per her description, the blog is a combination of personal insights, fashion, news, what they (Em and Elle) are loving for the week etc etc.
But enough of that. Go see for yourselves!

Still Here

Yes, we are still here. Just a busy week (hardwood flooring getting installed and Ryan working like a mad-scientist with long hours each day). Hopefully things will slow down soon and we'll be able to produce a proper post again.
Ryan had his 29th birthday on Wednesday and we celebrated with his favorite meal and cake (Dylan helped and even added the sprinkles at the end!) and a few small gifts (wrapped in Thomas the Tank Engine wrapping paper - as it was all I had besides Christmas paper and Dylan was pretty excited about that!)
The flooring will be done today sometime and I'll get to clean off the 1/4 inch thick dust that currently lives on everything downstairs including my napkins, salt and pepper shakers, phone, stove, and bananas. I'm sure to be busy tonight and most of the weekend (neat-freak emerges).
The latest obsession of mine has been what to use to clean the new hardwood flooring. That, and how I'll get the smell of body odor out of my downstairs once the guys leave today! (any suggestions?)
My dear friend Rochelle (who started up the Stroller Strides in our area) is moving away next week and I'm fighting thinking about that, so being busy helps.
And I promise to post new pictures soon.

This is your brain

Recently, Briana had a CT scan done, and she was able to obtain a copy of the results. I couldn't resist taking a peek at my wife's brain. Here are a few areas of her brain and what she uses them for.

1) Motor cortex. This is the area that she uses to initiate movement, like when she has to chase after a very energetic toddler.
2) Hippocampus. This area is critical for memory, like remembering where, when, and how often her husband needs a back rub.
3) Limbic area. This area is involved in emotion, anger, etc. I think this area is especially active during her fits of road rage, which is easy to have here in L.A. I think it is also active when chasing a toddler, and when husbands ask for back rubs.
4) Ventral tegmental area (VTA). This is the area that produces dopamine, and the area that is the focus of my research. It is the area where feelings of pleasure are started, like when she thinks of things such as her husband or a nice big bowl of ice cream (see below). I think the neurons here are much more active during thoughts about the latter than the former.
5) Nucleus accumbens. This is the area that receives input from the VTA and where cravings and addictions take root. This would apply for her ice cream, which you know - if you've met her - is something you don't get in the way of!

And this is her brain on drugs? Any questions?

Thinking

The lovely Mella nominated and tagged me today for the Thinking Blogger Award.

The rules of the award state that each blogger tagged needs to tag five other blogs that make them think. So here are my FIVE:

1. Mary at Owlhaven never ceases to challenge my thoughts. As a mother to 8 kids between the ages of 2 and 19, she always has something interesting and insightful to say. She's been nominated before for this award, I know, but I can't resist tagging her again.
2. Kathy over at Godfrey's Mama wrote this post a while back. And while I may be a bit biased as a fan of her new-ish blog (being that we work together and she's one of my closest friends), her writing weaves humor and deep thought in a way that I admire.
3. Ellen's posts at The Reign of Ellen are soulful and honest. She's battled depression, infertility, and much more. And she lets her readers peek into her heart with her writing in a way that really reaches out and touches them. See for yourself.
4. Julie over at And Katie Makes 3 writes about her journey as a mom, life as a graduate student, the battle between desire and reason, and could even make you think about a bowl of jello in a way you never thought possible.
5. Last, but not least is The New Girl, Tina, who I really enjoy reading because of how her posts makes me think about so many different things. Too many to list. Go read her blog and you'll see what I mean.

A Day at the Park

Happy Love Thursday everyone. This is one of my current favorite pictures. I love how Dylan has his bucket and shovel slung over his arm as they excitedly walk through the parking lot to the park playground. He loves the sand, loves the slides, loves the energy, loves the freedom of running around without (many) boundaries. And to be honest, I really love the nap that usually follows.

flush

For those of you who have expressed some jealousy for how quickly it seemed that Dylan was taking to the potty training, I have one word: DON'T.
Why you ask? Because I fear that I've created a monster over here. He's obsessed with flushing the toilet. Our plan was to reserve the rights of flushing just to those who actually used the potty. This plan was foiled at about 1:30 today.
I was trying to keep Dylan distracted so he could sit just a wee bit longer on the potty (and thereby buying me more time with hopes that something would come out of his little body as he happened to be sitting there)... so we read books and talked about the jelly beans that he can have when he makes a poopy on the potty. All of a sudden, his little hand slips behind his shoulder ever so casually and FLUSH. Moments later he does it again. I think he flushed the toilet 10 times in 5 minutes of sitting. FLUSH. FLUSH. FLUSH.
And he knows he is supposed to wait until mommy says he can flush it, but he wants to so badly!

And to update you all (because I know the world is just dying to know the potty trend in our household), he hasn't gone in the potty today. And yesterday he only peed once total. Maybe Wednesday was just a fluke day. I don't know. But I can't just ignore it now.

FLUSH.

Walk a mile in my shoes

Apparently there is a new game at our house. Dylan has a thing for fetching my shoes out of the closet, carefully putting them on his own feet, and sliding around the room with a big grin slapped across his face. Like a little boy hard at work, he grunts while sorting through which pair he wants to wear, carries them out into the room, and then giggles once he has them donned and comes toddling over towards me.

World, here I come

Today as we cozied around the house, casually getting ready for our Saturday errands as a family, Dylan paused to enjoy the view out our bedroom window. His delight in the small things is such a joyous reminder for us to do the same.

So we all sat down and enjoyed those moments together as a family. The trees blossoming with new the buds of springtime. The weather warming outside upward of 80 degrees (not bad for the beginning of March). The quiet humming of cars down the nearby street. It was peaceful. And I'm glad we found that moment together as a family. (p.s. note how Dylan is wearing MY shoes in this picture)

Later we talked about how important it is to find those moments of peacefulness amongst this bustling, busy city we live in. A city that Ryan reminded me today that actually holds over 10 million people.

Thou shall not covet

I usually don't blog about this type of thing, but something I heard at church this past week really spoke to me and I thought I'd share.
The sermon was from Exodus 20:17 - which is the commandment to not covet.
Coveting is defined as an unhealthy longing for something that does not belong to us.
And the part that spoke most to me was the following:
The things we covet will let us down. They will fail us; they will never last. And even if we reach them, they won't satisfy.
Notice how the people we look at as 'having it all' seem to still want more? That's the part that made me think, and has kept me thinking this week.
The more free we think we will become with achieving more, the less free we actually are. And we eventually will find that we are being controlled by those desires - fighting to hold onto the things and status that we gain through those efforts.
The bottom line is that only Christ can satisfy the deep longings of our hearts. The contentment with Jesus (once one has that) does not fade. The acceptance with Christ only gets better and better. The example that was given is to look at the picture of marriage with time: acceptance grows.
Looking deeper into my heart, I find myself struggling with my desires for certain 'things' - and living in LA doesn't help my focus. I'm surrounded by millions of people scrambling for status, wealth, homes, daycare, jobs, honor, glory, good looks, fancy cars, parking spots, and the like. I find myself swimming in desires for what isn't mine. Coveting.
And so my thoughts are settling here: I know that I cannot stop my desire for the things of this world just by deciding to do so. I need to replace it with something more powerful.
I need to think more about how God has brought us to the place where he wants us to be. And be content with that. And enjoy what He has blessed us with in this moment today.

74 wpm

For those of you who watch The Office, have you seen the one where Jim is all proud of himself for learning that he can type 65 wpm and tells Pam? And then Pam informs him that she can type 90 wpm? Yeah, well tonight I was either bored or gluttoned for self-punishment and found a little website that calculates your typing speed:
And wanna know what the silly website determined that mine was? 74 words per minute. Not bad considering that I'm sitting in bed with the computer on my lap.

And since I've already referenced one of our favorite Love Thursday shows, I can't avoid the elephant in the room: Grey's Anatomy! Can you believe that ending? Do you think Meredith is really dead? And if so, will the producers/writers of the show actually take into account that she had been without oxygen for some time down there, anoxic and hypothermic? Will she be brain damaged or will she just wake up, yawn, and make some insightful comment about the full circle of things in her life?

And as both Ryan and our friend, Kathy, pointed out tonight: If she dies, will they have to change the name of the show?

price of things

A dear blogger-friend of mine, Mella, posted this insightful piece today about the balance and questions of a young mother, wife, and friend. It reminded me of what I was trying to say back in my post about the "constant juggle" - and how much better she is at expressing her thoughts. And her description of how she's rediscovered the things of this world through the eyes of her children is fabulous.
No wonder her writing is being published in Family Circle soon.

Toddler Bowl

On Sunday we went to Ana & Thom's house to watch the Superbowl with Briana's "Make and Take" group and their families.
All in all, there were 8 families represented, meaning that there were 8 toddlers (aged 13-20 months old) running around. We had a great time.
At halftime we all played a friendly "Not So Newlywed Game" and "Superbowl Trivia" - revealing lots of fun information about our couple friends.
The daddies piled up on the couches to watch the game.
The toddlers ran around claiming Rowan's various toys as 'mine' however they could.

And the mommies bounced between watching the game, visiting, and playing outside with the kiddos in the gorgeous Los Angeles weather. (yeah, it was 80 degrees out here!)

What the heck?

The Babykeeper. It seems like a "good enough idea" but I can just imagine Dylan hanging there, kicking the door (bang bang bang), screaming at me whilst I pee.

Not for us.

But I can only guess that some moms are actually going to try this out. What ever happened to keeping them in the stroller and using the handicapped stall? That's my plan. At least until he's 12. Oh wait, maybe that's a bit too extreme. How about 10 then? (she chuckles to herself)

Snapshot

Found this glorious challenge at Mary's blog today. And I've decided to rise to the challenge.

Reading: Blogs. Lots of them. (current favorites: Owlhaven and The Empty Sky). But I'd love to start reading a real book one of these days again. Any suggestions for something really wonderful?

Music in my head: nothing at the moment.

Drinking: water

Wishing: That I was napping. That I had less anxiety. That we had a house (see previous post).

Considering: A nap while my little one is still napping himself. That or laundry. Hmmm. Tough decision here.

Feeling: Thankful for my little boy (who is being a doll right now and napping peacefully so I can do things like this) and my wonderful, wonderful husband.
Thankful that I'm don't have the stomach flu right now. Oh, and definitely pleased that I can fit into my ever-so-small size 4 pants again. I haven't worn them for a couple years now and I nearly cried last night when I discovered that I could again. Glory behold: I've finally lost that baby-weight (only took me a year and a half! - ok, and the stomach flu... Twice.)

Goals: Enjoy this weekend's getaway with my darling husband in San Diego. Relax and just enjoy eachother. Walk on the beach. Not worry about Dylan the entire time (Just regular mommy-worry. But I'm allowed. It'll be my first nights away from him since he was born).

To Do List: laundry, pack for our trip, make dinner for family, Love Thursday shows tonight (the Office, and Gray's Anatomy - YEAH!)

Hours gloriously spent in bathtub: None yet. But the day is young.

Things Accomplished: stroller strides class this morning at 9am. Lunch with Dylan. Coloring pictures (with Dylan - no, I'm not in Kindergarten). IM Kristie and my MIL. Caught up on emails and new blog posts.
(And it is only 1:00, so no judging me - ok?)

Challenge: Pick at least 3 of the above categories and list your "Snapshot" in the Comments.

call for chili

I'm on the hunt for a new easy chili recipe. My old recipe is now minus the "chili starter" that I used to use from the St. Louis Schnucks market because the markets out here don't carry it. With the rotation in my moms group "Make and Take" quickly approaching my turn, I'm on a serious hunt to try out a new recipe so I'll have a good one to share with the group (when I will make enough for all 6-7 other families and send it home with them after our playgroup, hence the "Make and Take" title).
So here is my call for new and (note emphasis on this next part) easy Chili crockpot recipes. If you have one to share, please do.

2006, In my own words

Here are each of the opening sentences from the first blog entries for each month of the past year. Hardly profound, but it will do. (Idea stolen from lovley Mella over at The Empty Sky).

January
Dylan has made a few outstanding developmental milestones in the past two days.

February
We haven't updated in a long time, what with moving and my (Ryan) defense.

March
Dylan in his stroller, humoring his mommy during their long walks the past couple days.

April
Ryan here. Dylan's teeth are coming in full force.

May
Dylan clapped his hands for the first time today.

June
On June 22nd, little D-Man and I are going to be head-mama/baby for the newest Stroller Strides class.

July
Dylan loves Thaddeus.

August
Have you heard of the latest healthcare craze?

September
Dylan has been giving me kisses at night just before I put him down to bed for the past week or so, but tonight it was daddy's turn to get his first kiss.

November
This family loves the fall.

December
Tonight after leaving the annual Christmas party at Ryan's boss's house, on our drive home, we came upon an accident with a man lying in the road and an Explorer nearby.

one year of blogging

We've been blogging for a year now. Maiden Blog was our first post and I remember sitting typing that first post. Since October last year, Dylan has changed from cooing and smiling to talking and walking. We have moved across the country and changed jobs. Things sure can change in a year and I'm amazed how fast it has gone.