Road Trip

Yesterday we went on a road trip to Madison. It wasn't anything exciting, just an excuse to get out of the house since we were all home celebrating President's Day.

You have to wait patiently for everyone to be ready to go. Notice his hand in his pocket.





Once you're in the car you have to do whatever it takes to look cool.





Who needs quarters? This thing is AWESOME without ever even moving.

A trip isn't worth it if you don't get a new book. Backyardigans even!

Of course, lunch is always the highlight. Gotta love Red Robin french fries. I took this video in hopes of catching him try to cool his fry down. He inhales instead of blows. This is what we got instead. He sees a camera and thinks he needs to say Cheese.

Another exhausting day...

Be Mine

Happy Valentines Day!

Stair Climber

One of Brendan's favorite things to do when visiting Dad at work is play on the stairs. He knows where several sets of stairs are and if he can't access one, he'll just go to a different one. He would stay playing on those stairs for HOURS if I let him. Who cares that there's a pool on the other side of the wall!

Too cool for school

Don't you wish you were all this cool?

Peace and quiet

Saturday afternoon we went to the Dells and Brendan got to play outside since it was so warm. He ran and ran and ran. His legs were soaked to his knees from splashing thru puddles but he was happy as can be. We left at naptime. He slept for a couple hours when we got home, but the dogs woke him up when Jeremy got home. I would think he slept long enough, but apparently not. He whined and cried off and on for about two hours. He stopped long enough to eat dinner.

After dinner I threatened him a time or two. I threatened to send him to bed at 6:00. I ended up sending him to our room and turned on Backyardigans. What else? I left the room thinking he would follow. He didn't. I checked on him a couple times and he was happily glued to the TV. That episode ended so I started another. And another. And another. He ended up in there for about 2 1/2 hrs. Sometimes he would be dancing in front of the TV. Sometimes he was sitting on the floor. Sometimes he was chilling on the bed. A couple times he even got up and slammed the door shut because, apparently, whatever we were watching was annoying him.

Here are a couple pictures of him watching TV.

Cheese!

This morning I was on the couch reading a magazine. Brendan carried over my little camera. He was holding it (backwards) up to his face like he was trying to take a picture saying "Cheeeese". I took it from him and he was mad that I wasn't taking a picture then. I'd tell him to stand still so I could take his picture and he would, but every time I'd get ready to snap the picture he'd say "Cheeeeese". Now, yes, I know this is what he's supposed to do but it wasn't pretty! Time to teach him a new word for picture time. These pictures will explain it all!

Loser blogger...

So, I get the Bad Blogger of the Month award. Hands down. I don't have much of an excuse for not checking in. Other than not really having any pictures. What fun is a blog with no pictures?

Last week Brendan had his 15 mos check up. He got his final shot. He's done until kindergarten. He's weighing in at 25 lbs, 7 oz and is 33 inches. He is officially one inch taller than Vern "Mini Me" Troyer, for all you Austin Powers fans. That bit of trivia makes me giggle.

While waiting for the doctor Jeremy was reading The Lion King to Brendan. They were just paging thru looking at pictures and Brendan asked Jeremy what something was. Jeremy told him it was a hyena. Hyena has been his new favorite word. The doctor said that he's right on track....and actually a bit advanced. As if we didn't know that.

Last week he got home and came to give me a hug. I told him I missed him and asked if he missed me. He said "uh huh". I thought it was just a fluke that he answered on cue. I asked if he was a good boy at Grandma's. He said "uh huh". He's too funny.

I don't have much for pictures, but here are a couple I took on our way to the Dells last weekend. They are really blurry. A disadvantage of taking pictures while on the road, I guess.

...all that remains is just an empty chair

Today marks one year since Jeremy's grandma passed away. Funny how it can seem like so long ago, yet just like yesterday at the same time. Sometimes I actually forget she's gone. I wanted to call her to ask her how she made something then my heart dropped when I realized I couldn't.

I miss lunches at her house. She was always sitting at the table she had set anxiously waiting to see what we made today. Often when she was done eating, she'd step into the bathroom, fix her hair, put on lipstick, then come back to the table. This was our cue to ask if she needed to go somewhere. Sometimes she pretended like she didn't need to, but when Jeremy would tell her he was running to Boberg's to fill up his tank she'd practically be running to the car before he was done with his sentence. She'd always come out of the gas station with her cigarettes and a snack for us to share.

She was fun to tease and she wasn't afraid to give it right back. When I think of her I can hear her infamous "Oh Geod" ringing in my ears. Never God, always Geod.

There are a ton of things about her that make me smile, but one of my absolute favorites was when we came one day for lunch. She was talking about what Kenny did to make her mad over the weekend. She said she was so mad at him that she just said "F you, Kenny". Then she giggled and proclaimed "But I didn't say 'F', I said the real word!" Oh no, not that!! I learned quickly that her alone time with Jeremy had to be limited. You wouldn't believe the words she'd learn on a trip to Madison. She'd come home talking about the dumb whore in the car in front of them. Nice, Jer.

We had a party for her 75th birthday. I think that may have been the happiest I had ever seen her. She called several times that night to thank us because she had such a good time.

I could go on and on about her. I saw her nearly every day for 14+ years. I spent more time with her in my lifetime than I did my own grandmother's. She stole my heart. If you ever met her, you'd understand how someone could so easily fall in love with her.

I'm posting a few of my favorite pictures of her. We tried to get pictures of her with Brendan every opportunity we had. She declared him her favorite great grandchild before he was even born. Even in her sickest days, her eyes lit up when he was around. She truly adored him.

Doris and Jeremy, Easter 2006

Us with her at her 75th birthday party, May 2007


Brendan's baptism, November 2007


The day after Brendan was born


Her and Brendan at his baptism


Christmas 2007


Her 75th birthday party

You're a good man, Charlie Brown

These are actually some terrible pictures of Brendan, which is what makes them so entertaining. Him in his typical annoyed looking state.

It's been awhile...

I am way behind in posts. I figured I'd better squeeze one in to get people off my back. We all have been sick this week. Brendan had bronchitis, I have had a horrible cold, and Jeremy was tossing his cookies earlier this week plus is battling a cold. Good fun.

Christmas was good. We went to my mom's on Xmas Eve. After dinner we opened presents. Cole and Brendan (in their matching pj's) don't quite get the concept yet. They are perfectly content just looking at the characters on the wrapping paper. Who cares what's inside? We made the mistake of letting them (ok, us) open their presents from Tony first. Once they saw their John Deere Big Scoop Tractor they could care less what else was to come. They did lose a some interest when Tony started putting Brendan's Cozy Coupe Car together. He was required to assemble it when two boys crawling in and out.

Christmas morning we opened presents from Santa. Again, he was just as happy with the Backyardigans wrapping paper. In the early afternoon, Jeremy's mom, brother, sister, and his brother's girlfriend came to exchange presents. I got some of the penguins that I've had my eye on at Hallmark for the last month. Brendan opened his presents but was equally amused just showing off. In the afternoon we went to Jeremy's aunt and uncle's for dinner. Someone made the mistake of introducing Brendan to the singing fish on the wall. If he got too close he was afraid of it, but loved it from a distance. They were required to hit the button to make it sing over and over and over.

On Saturday Jeremy had to work so Brendan and I ventured off to my grandpa's on our own. It was raining and foggy but the roads were fine until we hit the road Grandpa lives on. I'm not really sure you can call it a road. It's more of a death trap. Large hills, curvy, big drop offs on either side of the road, and glare ice. I have never been so happy to be out of the car in my life. Brendan was very excited b/c Grandpa has lots of bird feeders with a ton of birds. And even better, horses. We walked down to see the horses in the pouring rain. The horses came out but left as soon as they realized we didn't have anything good for them. I can't blame them.

For New Year's we went to Jeremy's co-worker, Margie, and her husband Fred's for a bit. No, Fred and Margie are not the little old couple you are envisioning. Not even close. We took Brendan and he had a good time and was a really good boy. He was amused by their gynormous dog. Every time the dog walked by he'd call out for the "horse". Understandable. He was a moose. Brendan's idea of a big dog is Riley, the skinny sheltie. We got home a little after 9. Brendan and I were in bed shortly after that. Since I was still sick and tired, Jeremy went to another party without me. I did wake up and turn on the TV long enough to watch the ball drop before going back to sleep. Exciting times.

That's pretty much the jist of it all. Here are some pictures. There are quite a few since I've been such a slacker.

Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's...

Christmas morning at home...

Christmas at Dick & Sandy's with Kelly and her ferrets...