Wednesday, July 29, 2009
SYTYCD: It's time to be honest
Okay, so, back to SYTYCD....next week is the finale and I think it is time to be honest with myself. I've been trying so hard to deny this, trying so hard to convince myself that it wasn't so. But I just gotta say it. This season, it just hasn't done as much for me as last season. And I hate it that that is the case. I like the dancers, I do, but the performances, I don't know, they just aren't moving me the way they did last season. Not to say none of them have, because Kayla & Brandon's contemporary routine tonight did and I can think of at least 3 or 4 others over the course of the past few weeks that were really awesome. But last season I remember feeling moved pretty much every night. Sometimes more than once a night. So I'm a little disappointed about that. And I'm disappointed that I have to admit it. But, it's time to be honest.
With that out of the way, here are just a few things I thought about tonight:
* I really really like all three of the girls. In fact, I can't even tell you who is my favorite. Based on tonight's show I'd say Kayla & Jeanine. But, like Mary said at the beginning of the show, it's not just about tonight, it's about all season, and if I think about all season than Melissa is right up there with the other two because she was in two of my favorite routines this season.
* I'm sorry, but seriously, it's time for Evan to go. I think Melissa was a little doomed tonight simply because she was paired with him. I don't get it because he is so strong in his solos but man, in the couple's routines he just lacks. Big time.
* With each passing week Brandon is really growing on me. He really is a very strong and talented dancer. I'm starting to wonder if the reason I didn't care for him at the beginning of the season had more to do with Jeanette (who, I'm sorry, I just didn't like).
* I was busy changing a diaper during the opening guys routine but I could tell the show was starting so I called out to Collin - hey, can you tell me what's going on? And he yells back: The guys are dancing....kinda stupidly.... which made me laugh. What did you guys think of the guys routine that I missed?
* I didn't vote tonight because I didn't know how to choose between the girls or Ade & Brandon. So basically, the only person I wouldn't have been voting for would have been Evan.
What are you guys thinking?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Little Moments
After breakfast we spent some time playing in your nursery and reading the story of The Ugly Duckling. You always get a little antsy when we’re reading books but usually you’ll indulge me long enough to make it through at least one. Then it’s back to the floor so you can roll around and play with your toys.
By 9:30 you were getting tired again and I knew it was time for a nap. I had a million things I should have done while you were napping, fold laundry, clean the kitchen counters, sweep the floors, but instead I laid you in our bed and crawled in with you. I curled my body around yours and held onto you so you couldn’t roll away. We slept like that, snuggled together, for two hours. You actually woke up before me and instead of making noise you entertained yourself quietly, still in my arms. Waking up to your smiley face is the very best thing in the world. When I look at you I can’t help but wonder how my heart grew this big, how I could love one little person so much.
Life gets so busy, deadlines at work stress me out, and sometimes I get so wrapped up in these things that I forget to live in the moment. Today all I wanted were little moments.
I don’t want to forget the way your body curled into mine during our morning nap. I don’t want to forget the way you rested against my chest this afternoon as I held you wrapped in a blanket out on the deck. As the wind blew I’d put my face next to yours; the dogs were playing hard in the yard and you were so content just sitting there with me, watching the action. As I type this you are sleeping on my chest. I should have put you down and hour ago but I don’t want to let go. Tomorrow there will be a to-do list and on Monday the hectic week begins again. For now I just want to hear your tiny breaths go in and out, in and out, and I want to feel your tiny body curled up on mine. For this is one of those moments and I don’t want it to end.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
SYTYCD: Me and Nigel are like this
So I missed a good chunk of the beginning of the show and then my mom had dinner ready and on the table for us and then Stink decided he was hungry. Scratch that. He was Starving! And so as hard as I tried to watch, I wasn't very focused through the first half of the show. And to be honest with you, with what I did see, I didn't really feel like I was missing much. Again with the 'eh'.
And then Nigel nailed it on the head. The first half of the show was flat, but the last three routines made the show worth half-watching for me. And Kayla & Jason's hip hop? Thank you. Finally a decent hip hop routine this year!
So, I don't have a whole lot more to add, but here are just a few thoughts:
* Jeanine! Girl! Where have you been all season?? In the past two weeks she moved on my list from, oh, she's pretty good, to my #1 Girl. I am just loving her these days.
* I was surprised to find that I really, really enjoyed Brandon tonight. Maybe it was because he was paired with Jeanine? I don't know, but tonight, he was my #1 guy.
* I still don't really care for Jeanette.
* That contemporary by Ade & Melissa - that is one that will stay with me for a long time. Only a few dances have moved me to tears. This was one of them. Beautiful. Just beautiful.
* I felt the need to vote for 4 tonight and so I voted for: Girls - Jeanine & Melissa; Guys - Brandon & Ade
* My mom's declared her favorite as Brandon
* When asked his favorite Collin says he doesn't give a crap
Can't wait to hear your thoughts!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Zippy Zucchini
So, to recap, casualties of this little adventure: 1 2-quart pot. Rest in peace little bugger, you'll be missed.
2) Place in blender
3) Puree. Puree. And puree once more for good measure.
Once the veggies were frozen I popped them out of the ice cube trays and put them in freezer bags labeled with the name and date.
While we were busy making food, Collin was busy wrangling two little boys.
As fun as the day was, the real test of success was that evening. As I strapped Keaton in his highchair and put his bib on he was kicking his legs and getting excited. He knows now that this means food. He looked up at me with his big bright eyes and I know he if he could talk he would have been saying, hurry, hurry, hurry, I can't wait to eat. Eat. Eat. Eat. Yay! Time to eat!
And then I gave him the first bite.
GAH!! What in the hell is this?
Uncle Justin, HELP! You're standing there all law enforcement-like. Do something. This! This has to be illegal!


So I learned an important lesson. Vegtables first. Rice cereal second. He has been eating the zucchini for the past four days and now that he has gotten used to the taste, he loves it. I can't shovel it in fast enough. All the while he kicks his little legs and pratically hyperventalates with excitement.
Jack says: I can't wait 'till I get to have zucchini!
Next up: Green Beans.
Other Random Tidbits:
* What I wanted to name this post, and what I call it at home is "Zucchini my Ween...." well, you get the point. I thought better of it though after considering the weird ass google searches that might land people here.
* The poop this kid has been producing since starting the zucchini is freakin' impressive. Good Lord Kid, where were you storing all of that??
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
SYTYCD: What a difference a week makes
What did you guys think? Did you like it as much as I did? I was so impressed tonight that when I made my initial "vote" list it had 7 people on it. SEVEN! There are only 10 dancers left! It would have been easier for me to place a vote for the two I'd rather see go than it was to narrow my votes down to 3.
Here are some of my random thoughts:
* I freakin' love African dance. One time when I was living in Milwaukee April (it was you, right April??) needed to go to this dance concert for one of her classes and I was all, sure, I'll go with you. And it was an African dance concert and it was SO. AWESOME.
* I'm also becoming a big fan of Bollywood.
* After the girls group dance when the judges were saying how this is the strongest group of girls yet I was a little skeptical. I mean, they're good, but, the best yet?? But, by the end of tonight's show, I couldn't agree more.
* I've never been a big fan of Brandon and Janette as a couple, but for some reason tonight I really liked both of them. That caught me by surprise.
* However, I didn't really care for Janette's solo. Was that a salsa or a strip tease? Just sayin'.
* My favorite couple dance tonight was Jeanine & Jason
* My second favorite was Melissa & Brandon
* My favorite solos were: Girl - Jeanine; Guy - Kupono
* After my super scientific scoring system I narrowed down my 3 votes to the following: Jeanine, Kayla, & Jason
Can't wait to hear what you're thinking!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
First swim in the pool

Me: Well, it's kinda like a big bath tub. You get to swim and float and splash in the water.
Keaton: Like a bath tub? I get to splash??? Hells Yeah! Let's go to the pool!!
He really liked the pool.....
Opps! Wrong picture....
Errr....let's try this again....after the initial shock of splashing himself in the face....he really liked the pool.
After about an hour he started yawning and I knew it was time to call it quits. We headed back to our room to pack up and then hit The Cheesecake Factory for lunch before heading home. A perfect, yummy, ending to a great weekend.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Stink's 1st Ballgame

We stuffed ourselves on burgers, brats, chips, cookies, and cantaloupe. Oh, does Mr. A like his cantaloupe.
Our walk into the stadium gave Keaton just enough time to take a catnap in the Ergo. Even though it was already pushing his bedtime, shortly after we got to our seats he woke up and stayed awake for the entire game. He got a little fussy about half way through, but for the most part he did an awesome job.
It was a really fun game. The Brewers beat the Dodgers 6-5, there were back-to-back home runs which meant we got to see Bernie Brewer do his thing, and the Italian won the sausage race, but the best part for me was seeing Trevor Hoffman pitch. It is pretty freaking amazing - as he comes out to warm-up they pretty much shut the stadium down. The scoreboard is turned off, the lights around the upper deck are shut off and for just a second it seems time stands still. And then you hear that first dong of the bell and the crowd erupts as Hells Bells is blasted through the loud speakers. Brewer fan or not, I can't imagine anyone in the stadium wasn't rockin' out at that moment. So. Awesome.

More pictures from the weekend to come, but for now I need to hit the sack.....
Friday, July 10, 2009
SYTYCD: not a hot tamale week for me
But, back to the show…I bummed about this, but I’m afraid making it home by 7pm on Wednesdays is going to be tough for the rest of the season (more on this later). Still, I’m going to try with all my might to watch as much as possible.
As for Wednesday’s show I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was incredibly overheated after our run or if it was the hunger pains I was experiencing as I fed Keaton, showered, played with Keaton, etc. etc. before actually eating myself, but the show this week didn’t do a lot for me. Overall, I was not impressed. I thought the dancing was just okay, but not great, and in the end I didn’t even place a vote. Still, I was planning on writing a post with a few thoughts from the evening, but then my computer decided to go ahead and piss me right off by deleting almost all of our vacation pictures and a good chunk of Keaton’s 6-month pictures. So instead, I slammed the computer shut and went to bed. Mad. In fact, I’m still mad about it. So let’s move on before I get myself in a royal mood all over again.
Here are just a couple of thoughts I had from this week’s show:
* I’m kinda bummed about the couple’s changing next week. However, I thought Randi did really well this week, and definitely better than her partner, Evan, so I am looking forward to seeing her with someone stronger.
* Brandon and Janette still aren’t my favorite couple, or individuals, but I really liked their Ruby Blue dance. I could be completely biased though because of my infatuation with that song – Kira and I danced to it a couple of years ago when we joined a class in Wausau.
* My top 2 girls are: Melissa & Kayla
* My top 2 guys are: Ade & Kupono
What did you guys think about this weeks show? Was the lack of oxygen getting to me or was it really kind of a downer compared to other weeks?
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Dear Keaton: 6 Months
Last week you turned 6 months old. That is ½ a year or, as your Daddy likes to say, 0.5. It blows my mind that we are half way to your 1st birthday. Today we had your 6-month check-up with Dr. T and you weighed in at 15 pounds 6 ounces and were 25 ¾ inches tall. You remain in the 25th percentile, but Dr. T feels you are growing and developing at a great rate – you continue to hold your own, kiddo.


You are so curious these days, wanting to know how everything feels, sounds, and yes, tastes. You love to sit on our laps at the table and bang on it like it is your own personal drum. We have to be careful though, because if there is a plate or glass or silverware within your line of vision, you are grabbing for it. We were at a wedding earlier this month and I set you on my lap and before I could even situate the things around me you had stuck your hand on my prime rib and had au jus and spices covering your face.
Besides being busy, you are also a very happy baby these days, especially if you are getting attention. You have won over many a ladies in the stores with your open mouth grin and more than once people have asked me if you are always this happy. And truthfully, yes, you are. Except when you’re not. And then you are really not. One thing you lack is moderation, and unfortunately Stosch, you can blame your Mama for that little personality trait. In addition to the usuals, like being tired or hungry, one thing that upsets you is when you aren’t getting enough attention. The other night we were sitting at dinner and your Daddy and I were talking as you played in your highchair and it suddenly dawned on you that we were looking at or talking to you, so you started fussing. The minute we turned to you, you were all smiles. Yes, you like to be the center of attention. Looking at your Dad and me, I suppose we shouldn’t have expected any different.
This month you started some new things, including making a new sound. Ba, Ba, Ba, started a few weeks ago. I’m not sure why this one was so much fun for us but your Daddy and I just find it so cute. I can also carry you around perched on my hip now. I’ve been looking forward to this day; toting my baby around on my hip really makes me feel like a Mama. You are also laying your head on our shoulder, something your Daddy couldn’t wait for you start. Your favorite book these days is your color book and your favorite toys include Ellie the elephant, your stacking balls, and your new Taggies rattle.
As I finish typing this you just woke up from your nap and are sitting on my lap banging on the keyboard. Yes, this is so you, my busy, curious, active little Stink.
I love you so much,
Mama
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Our little firecracker
We celebrated Keaton's 1st 4th of July with a parade and fireworks with Kira, Justin & Jack in Mosinee. Keats loves people watching and was enjoying the parade up until the very end when a semi cab equipped with a train whistle sounded its horn as it passed by. Woo boy, he did NOT like that, and he let us know about it!